World of Warcraft: Cataclysm

World of Warcraft: Cataclysm (abbreviated as Cata), is the third expansion for World of Warcraft. Set primarily in a dramatically reforged Kalimdor and Eastern Kingdoms on the world of Azeroth, the expansion set follows the return of the evil Dragon Aspect Deathwing the Destroyer—formerly known as the ancient guardian Neltharion the Earth Warder—who causes a new Sundering as he makes his cataclysmic re-entrance into the world from Deepholm, the elemental plane of earth.

Cataclysm returns players to the two continents of Azeroth for most of their campaigning, after years away in Outland and Northrend, opening new zones such as Mount Hyjal, the sunken world of Vashj'ir, Deepholm, Uldum and the Twilight Highlands. It includes two new playable races, the worgen from the legendary kingdom of Gilneas for the Alliance, and the goblins of the Bilgewater Cartel from the isle of Kezan for the Horde. Among the many new developments in the expansion are the increase of the level cap to 85, the ability to use flying mounts in Kalimdor and Eastern Kingdoms, the introduction of the secondary profession Archaeology, and the debut of reforging, as well as updates to player classes, new race-class combinations, and a dramatic restructuring of the world itself (with major revisions to existing content from the original release of the game).

World of Warcraft: Cataclysm was officially announced on August 21, 2009 at BlizzCon 2009. The "friends & family" phase of the World of Warcraft: Cataclysm alpha began on May 3, 2010, while closed beta began June 30, 2010. Collectors' Edition content and pricing was announced on August 17, 2010, while on October 4, 2010, Blizzard Entertainment officially announced the release date for the expansion: December 7, 2010, including for the first time a digital download edition at release. On October 16, 2013, the expansion was integrated into the basic World of Warcraft package, granting all subscribers automatic access to all of the content and features of the expansion at no additional cost. This expansion came in two versions: Standard Edition and Collector's Edition.

Before Cataclysm was announced as the official title of the expansion, it was known internally as World of Warcraft: Worldbreaker.

Introduction
From the official site:


 * An ancient evil lies dormant within Deepholm, the domain of earth in the Elemental Plane.


 * Hidden away in a secluded sanctuary, the corrupted Dragon Aspect Deathwing has waited, recovering from the wounds of his last battle against Azeroth and biding his time until he can reforge the world in molten fire.


 * Soon, Deathwing the Destroyer will return to Azeroth, and his eruption from Deepholm will sunder the world, leaving a festering wound across the continents. As the Horde and Alliance race to the epicenter of the cataclysm, the kingdoms of Azeroth will witness seismic shifts in power, the kindling of a war of the elements, and the emergence of unlikely heroes who will rise up to protect their scarred and broken world from utter devastation.

Major expansion changes and updates

 * Player level cap increased to 85.
 * Six new high-level zones: Mount Hyjal and Uldum in Kalimdor; Vashj'ir and the Twilight Highlands in the Eastern Kingdoms; Deepholm in the elemental plane of earth; and the PvP zone and daily quest hub Tol Barad. Vashj'ir is treated as a sub-continent comprised of three smaller zones.
 * Two new player races, the worgen of Gilneas for the Alliance and the goblins of the Bilgewater Cartel for the Horde. New leveling zones added for these two races include Gilneas, the Isle of Kezan, and the Lost Isles.
 * A dramatic alteration of Kalimdor and the Eastern Kingdoms due to the Cataclysm, resulting in massive environmental changes, as well as questing and progression changes, for nearly every zone, resulting in new leveling experiences. This includes new starter areas for the gnomes and Darkspear trolls, and faction changes for some zones, such as Hillsbrad Foothills.
 * Along with the environmental redesign comes the ability for players to use flying mounts on both classic continents. Burning Crusade content in Kalimdor and the Eastern Kingdoms, such as Azuremyst Isle and Eversong Woods, remain on a separate map server and do not allow the use of flying mounts.
 * Seven new high-level dungeons and three new raid instances, all available in regular and heroic modes (with raids in both 10- and 25-player varieties), as well as two heroic revamps of classic dungeons (Deadmines and Shadowfang Keep). This will also include Blizzard's new Flexible Raid Lock system, a change to raid functionality which includes the ability to move between 10- and 25-player raid groups, combine or split groups, and vary regular & heroic attempts.
 * New PvP opportunities including the Tol Barad zone and a PvP-instanced dungeon, Baradin Hold, as well as two new battlegrounds Battle for Gilneas and Twin Peaks.
 * Class redesign (coming immediately prior to expansion launch in patch 4.0.1 but optimized for the expansion) including new talents and spells, simplification of talent trees, and reorganization of class buffs.
 * Revamp of character and gear stats, including the elimination of some stats and major changes to base stat operability (such as intellect creating spell power, strength and agility affecting attack power, etc.) This includes the addition of Reforging to the game, giving players the ability to add certain stats on gear in return for removal of others.
 * New race/class combinations (see the chart below) which will be available to all players in Patch 4.0.3.
 * New Archaeology profession.
 * Level cap raised on all main and secondary professions to 525, with many new items, patterns, and rewards.
 * A new Guild advancement system, which includes guild leveling, achievements, and rewards.
 * Consolidation of previous expansion set currency systems; rewards will include two PvE currencies, Justice Points and Valor Points, as well as two PvP currencies, Honor and Conquest points.
 * Extensive changes to world travel, including new portal hubs in the capital cities of Stormwind and Orgrimmar, many new flight paths, enhancements to mass transit, and flight in all classic zones for players level 60 and up. See the Cataclysm travel guide for details.
 * New technology enhancements including support for DirectX 11 features and hardware cursor in OpenGL mode, additional video options and a new water rendering engine.

New zones
Unlike in the previous two expansions, The Burning Crusade and Wrath of the Lich King, there is no new continent/world for additional content; instead, Cataclysm returns players primarily to Azeroth itself, with seven new high-level (80-85) zones. Each of the five leveling zones features its own unique breadcrumb (introductory) quest and cutscene; afterwards, each is accessible quickly through portals in Stormwind City and Orgrimmar. Tol Barad is also available at level 85 via these portals.

New level 80-85 zones

 * Mount Hyjal: Level 80-82 zone in northern Kalimdor. Originally planned for the first release of the game, then later utilized as a Caverns of Time raid instance, Mount Hyjal focuses on the druids' defense of the world tree from the Twilight's Hammer and 's forces.
 * Vashj'ir: Level 80-82 underwater zone off the western coast of the Eastern Kingdoms. This zone is further split into three major subzones: the Kelp'thar Forest, the Shimmering Expanse, and the Abyssal Depths. Shipwrecked by tendrils of an Old God, adventurers must fight for survival against the naga forces out to enslave.
 * Deepholm: Level 82-83 zone within the elemental plane of earth. Access to Deepholm has been opened by Deathwing's return to the world through the Maelstrom. The Earthen Ring scramble to recover the World Pillar fragments stolen by the Twilight's Hammer, initially opposed but later assisted by 's forces.
 * Uldum: Level 83-84 zone in southern Kalimdor. A Titan refuge hidden by ancient technology for millennia, this vast desert, filled with archaeological treasures, is now fought over by the invading elemental forces of and Uldum's native residents, the Ramkahen.
 * The Twilight Highlands: Level 84-85 zone in Khaz Modan of the Eastern Kingdoms, disputed by Alliance and Horde settlers (the Wildhammer clan and Dragonmaw clan, respectively) and disrupted by Twilight's Hammer operatives.
 * Tol Barad: Level 85 end-game zone off the coast of Lordaeron in the Eastern Kingdoms. It separated into two subzones: an Outdoor PvP zone in the style of Wintergrasp, and the Tol Barad Peninsula, a daily quest hub akin to the Isle of Quel'Danas. The two zones are instanced, and thus accessed via portals or the battleground queuing system and not via the open world.
 * Molten Front: Level 85 end-game zone. Added in patch 4.2, the Molten Front is located within the Firelands, accessible through a portal next to the Sanctuary of Malorne, via unlocking through daily quests that start in the Mount Hyjal zone (players must complete zone quests up to a point).  The zone features daily quests with two faction-type paths, the Druids of the Flame and the Shadow Wardens, and "mini-bosses".

Also included as a new zone, albeit unpopulated, is Ahn'Qiraj: The Fallen Kingdom, the site of the above-ground level 60 raid dungeons Temple of Ahn'Qiraj and Ruins of Ahn'Qiraj. There has been no word as yet if this will continue questlines from Silithus, or simply marks flyover territory for flying mounts venturing into the area. In addition, the Maelstrom appears as a region on player maps; Deepholm, Kezan, and the Lost Isles appear as individual zones on the Maelstrom region map.

New starting zones

 * Gilneas: Level 1-12 starting zone for the worgen. Players start in the Gilneas City subzone (1-5), eventually making their way to the larger zone (5-12) to complete the leveling process; they are then redirected to Darkshore to continue. Unlike the Horde counterpart starter zones, Gilneas is available (in the form of the "Ruins of Gilneas") as a general, albeit unpopulated, world zone used only for a couple of phased Undead quests from Silverpine Forest.
 * The Isle of Kezan: Level 1-5 starting zone for the Bilgewater Cartel goblins, a seedy, freewheeling port town in the shadow of Mount Kajaro. Kezan is available to goblins from the start; players are unable to return as the isle is instanced.
 * The Lost Isles: Level 5-12 zone for the goblins, a lush tropical island enclave off the eastern coast of Kalimdor. The goblin storyline continues here directly from completing the Kezan starter area, and progresses to Azshara. Like Kezan, the Lost Isles are instanced and players will be unable to return following their departure.

Dungeons
There were seven new dungeons included as part of the Cataclysm general release, with both regular difficulty versions (levels noted below) and heroic difficulty content to be encountered at level 85:


 * Blackrock Caverns, level 80-81, located inside Blackrock Mountain near the entrance to Blackrock Spire, with agents of the Twilight's Hammer
 * The Throne of the Tides, level 80-81, in the Abyssal Depths  of Vashj'ir, located deep within the Abyssal Maw
 * The Vortex Pinnacle, level 82-84, in the Skywall above the southern sea of Uldum, set on platforms in the sky
 * The Stonecore, level 82-84, in Deepholm above the Throne of Earth
 * The Lost City of the Tol'vir, level 85, in the center of Uldum, an outdoor dungeon
 * The Halls of Origination, level 85, in the large eastern temple in Uldum, a new Titan-themed dungeon with Brann Bronzebeard
 * Grim Batol, level 85, on the hill overlooking the Wetlands in Twilight Highlands, an old Dwarven city utilized by Deathwing
 * Caverns of Time, where new timeways have been opened, leading adventurers to the final stages of the conflict against Deathwing.
 * End Time, level 85 heroic, set in the possible future featuring the ruins of Azeroth, and continues the plot of Infinite dragonflight.
 * Well of Eternity, level 85 heroic, set in the ancient past and resolves around the acquisition of Dragon Soul before its destruction.
 * Hour of Twilight, level 85 heroic, set in modern-day Dragonblight under massive assault by the Twilight's Hammer.

Four additional dungeons from classic World of Warcraft, both low-level instances or former raids, have had level 85 heroic 5-man versions added with new content:


 * The Deadmines in Westfall
 * Shadowfang Keep in Silverpine Forest
 * Zul'Gurub in Stranglethorn Vale, added in patch 4.1
 * Zul'Aman in Ghostlands, added in patch 4.1

Raids
Cataclysm shipped with three end-game raid dungeons and a PvP-unlocked raid dungeon (in the same style as the Vault of Archavon), each with both 10 and 25-man settings; patch 4.2 and patch 4.3 each added one additional raid. Once the final boss of each has been defeated, players can set each boss to heroic mode (as in Icecrown Citadel).


 * Blackwing Descent, a raid inspired by Blackwing Lair featuring the return of, Deathwing's son and the end boss of the earlier raid, located in Blackrock Mountain, accessible only by flight via Nefarian's ledge high up on the mountain.
 * Bastion of Twilight, a raid instance in the Twilight Highlands atop the Twilight Citadel; players will fight, leader of the Twilight's Hammer, as well as  (who appears in heroic mode only).
 * Throne of the Four Winds, a raid instance in the Skywall, the portal of which appears above Uldum; it features  the Wind God of the Elemental Plane of Air as final boss.
 * Baradin Hold, a raid dungeon on the islands of Tol Barad unlocked by winning the PvP battle, featuring two bosses (as of 4.2) with additional bosses in future patches, like Vault of Archavon.
 * Firelands, added in patch 4.2, a seven-boss raid dungeon located in Mount Hyjal at the Sulfuron Spire, where players face off against the revived molten lord Ragnaros.
 * Dragon Soul, added in patch 4.3, an outdoor raid dungeon located in Caverns of Time, which leads players to various areas, starting at Dragonblight then shifts to the now-vacant Eye of Eternity, flies back from Northrend to the middle of the Great Sea, and finally to a showdown with Deathwing's broken, twisted essence at the Maelstrom.

Additional changes

 * Ruins of Ahn'Qiraj is now capped at 10 players instead of 20.
 * Nearly all dungeons feature changes to some bosses and mobs to follow the WotLK progression and the new level band the dungeons can be found in. Quests for the dungeons are now found inside the instances themselves to lend access to Dungeon Finder players.
 * Stratholme has been split into two separate dungeons, Stratholme - Main Gate and Stratholme - Service Gate, akin to the "wings" (living and dead) referred to in earlier iterations.
 * Several large-scale dungeons including Maraudon and Uldaman were split in patch 4.1 into two separate dungeons each (dungeon "wings"), and large and unwieldy portions of other large dungeons such as the Sunken Temple will be cut out entirely. This is in effort to streamline play for leveling characters.  Additionally, quest givers will be moved inside and a new dynamic map system will feature information about bosses and their abilities.
 * A War of the Ancients raid instance inside the Caverns of Time was scrapped in favor of a 5-man dungeon in patch 4.3.
 * An Abyssal Maw 5-man dungeon was originally supposed be released as part of 4.1, the first major post-release content patch, according to the Blizzard developers at the Dungeons & Raids panel at the 2010 Blizzcon. This dungeon, an "outdoor" instance at the bottom of the Abyssal Depths in Vashj'ir (as opposed to the "indoor" Throne of the Tides dungeon), was eventually canceled for unknown reasons.

New end-game factions
Numerous new factions are introduced in the expansion, and like in previous expansions feature quartermasters selling gear and other faction perks. New factions for end-game and leveling content include the following:


 * Guardians of Hyjal, a group tasked with defense of Mount Hyjal, besieged by Firelord Ragnaros' armies. Guardians are made up mainly of druids, much like the Cenarion Circle. The quartermaster is located at the lodge at the great tree Nordrassil.
 * Avengers of Hyjal, a faction added in patch 4.2, accessible by players who have phased the entire primary quest zone in Mount Hyjal. They are tasked with facing Firelord Ragnaros head-on in his realm, the Firelands.
 * The Ramkahen are a race of cat-people, distant but direct descendants of the Tol'vir, guardians of Uldum. Though they've lost their stone bodies, protecting the secrets of the Titans is still a part of their rigid tradition. Their hub and quartermaster are in the center of the zone in the Ramkahen settlement.
 * Therazane the Stonemother, an elemental guardian, protects the elemental plane of earth, Deepholm, from her throne. Players start off hated and must gain reputation through questing (like the Sons of Hodir in Northrend). Therazane's Throne is the hub of this faction including the quartermaster.
 * The Earthen Ring are now a faction players can gain reputation with, having appeared in previous iterations of the game. The Earthen Ring can be found all over Cataclysm-level content, but their quartermaster is found inside the Silver Tide Hollow of the Shimmering Expanse of Vashj'ir.
 * Wildhammer Clan and Dragonmaw Clan are the Alliance and Horde factions battling for control of the Twilight Highlands and the Twin Peaks battleground.
 * Baradin's Wardens and Hellscream's Reach are opposing faction forces on Tol Barad. Players will gain reputation through control of the island (PvP) and daily questing.

New racial factions

 * Gilneas is the worgen racial faction. The people of Gilneas are a nation of survivors; having walled themselves off from the rest of humanity, they must now face new threats from within.
 * The Bilgewater Cartel is the goblin racial faction. Run by the ruthless, the Bilgewater Cartel is the most powerful trading company on the Isle of Kezan. From their headquarters at Bilgewater Port, the cartel dominates trade all over the South Seas.

PvP
Several new options for player-versus-player gameplay are available with Cataclysm, including:
 * Tol Barad, an island fortress that blends outdoor PvP play (like Wintergrasp) with the expansion's main daily quest hub (like the Isle of Quel'Danas). The zone is split in two: the PvP area and the Tol Barad Peninsula.  The Peninsula will always have six daily quests available to players (from their respective factions); winning control of the PvP portion of Tol Barad will grant six additional daily quests, three outdoors and three inside Baradin Hold (a raid instance that unlocks with each win like Vault of Archavon.)
 * The Battle for Gilneas is a new battleground in which players take control of the northwest sector of Gilneas (instanced), very much like Arathi Basin. This battleground was originally planned as "The Battle for Gilneas City" and would have taken place inside the city map itself, but this was later deemed unfeasible.
 * Twin Peaks is a CTF battleground located in Twilight Highlands, similar to Warsong Gulch.

Both of the new battlegrounds released with Cataclysm will be rated, like arenas, and will provide the same rewards as arenas. New arenas are planned to be added with the expansion, but not directly at the release.

Prominent figures
Among the many figures confirmed to have major roles in the story of Cataclysm are:


 * Deathwing, formerly Neltharion the Earth-Warder, is the main antagonist of the expansion. His return to the world from the elemental plane of earth, Deepholm, is the catalyst for the Cataclysm that has impacted Kalimdor and the Eastern Kingdoms. He plays a major role in questing and end-game content and is the final boss of the expansion.
 * Thrall, the former leader of the Horde and the world's strongest shaman, joins the Earthen Ring and has plenty of work to do after the Cataclysm.
 * Garrosh Hellscream becomes the Horde's acting Warchief, and continues to cause internal tensions in the Horde, including alienating Vol'jin, the Troll leader.
 * Varian Wrynn now leads the Alliance after the Cataclysm.
 * Malfurion Stormrage returns to prevent Mount Hyjal from being destroyed.
 * Brann Bronzebeard is up to his old tricks as leader of the expedition into the newly-uncovered Uldum region; also in the region is the archaeologist Harrison Jones.
 * Genn Greymane, King of Gilneas, helps administer a cure for the worgen curse to his now-transformed people.
 * Nefarian, also known as Victor Nefarius, son of Deathwing, survived his last battle and retreated further into Blackrock Spire.
 * Ragnaros remains alive after his setback in the Molten Core to challenge the world in Mount Hyjal, and later in Sulfuron Keep in his own realm, the Firelands.
 * Cho'gall and his Twilight's Hammer cult is a major player in the new expansion; its minions are revealed to be working for Deathwing.
 * Therazane the Stonemother aids adventurers in Deepholm.
 * Neptulon enlists adventurers to battle the naga in Vashj'ir, who are attempting to overthrow him and take control of his kingdom - the water.
 * Azuregos and Kalecgos are left to protect the remainder of the blue dragonflight from Deathwing's wrath after the death of Malygos.

The Naga ruler and former leader of the Night Elves, Queen Azshara, makes a small but important appearance during the leveling process in the Darkshore region.

Stat changes

 * Attack power is being removed from gear. Death knights, paladins and warriors will still gain 2 attack power per point of strength, and all druids, hunters, shamans and rogues will get 2 attack power per point of agility and no attack power from strength, with the exception of druids in bear form / dire bear form, who may get attack power from strength in order to allow them to share tanking cloaks, necklaces and rings with death knights, paladins and warriors.
 * Spell power is being removed from gear, with the exception of caster weapons. Characters will gain spell power from intellect much like how they currently gain attack power from agility and strength.
 * MP5 and spirit: MP5 is being removed, all healing specs will rely on spirit for mana regeneration, with the rate affected by the Meditation passive talent tree bonus. The 5 second rule may be removed, with "in combat" and "out of combat" mana regeneration based on whether characters are in or out of combat. Spell DPS classes will no longer rely on spirit for mana regeneration, and spirit will no longer be on cloth spell DPS gear. Balance druids and elemental shamans will get talents to gain hit rating from spirit (Balance of Power, Elemental Precision) to allow them to share gear with healers, and leather and mail caster gear will no longer have hit rating. Shadow Priests will also have hit conversion on one of their talents (Twisted Faith) in order to make it easier for them to gear up through more options.
 * Armor penetration is being removed from gear. However, some physical damage specs may still be able to gain armor penetration through talents and / or mastery bonuses.
 * Haste for melee and physical ranged DPS classes will affect the rate at which energy, rage, focus and runes are gained. Enhancement shamans and retribution paladins will gain talents which allow them to gain similar benefits from haste. It will continue to provide weapon speed increases for these classes. Haste for casters is unchanged.
 * Block value is being removed from the game, blocking will provide 30% damage reduction, which can be increased through talent trees and mastery bonuses.
 * Defense is being removed from the game, including both defense rating and the defense skill. All tanking specs will get anti-critical hit talents similar to Survival of the Fittest (druid talent).
 * Weapon skills are being removed. A character has the proficiencies for all the weapons his/her class can use from the start, and doesn't need to improve them.
 * Resilience affects only damage and crit damage done by players.
 * Mastery rating is being added. The mastery bonuses will be trainable passive bonuses somewhere around level 75. Depending on the primary talent tree, characters will have a different Mastery available on the trainer with a base potency and 0 Mastery Rating.

Professions

 * Profession level cap raised to 525 and will be named Illustrious Grand Master .
 * Reforging will allow, through specific NPCs, to convert a percentage of one item's secondary stat into another secondary stat (e.g. Hit -> Crit).
 * New secondary profession: Archaeology.
 * Inscription will have three glyph tiers: Prime, Major and Minor glyphs (with primes being the old majors, and the new majors being a brand new tier of glyphs).
 * Tailoring, Leatherworking and Blacksmithing will have their specializations removed and related recipes will be baseline.
 * Tons of new materials required for professions:
 * Herbs - Cinderbloom, Stormvine, Heartblossom, Whiptail, Azshara's Veil and Twilight Jasmine.
 * Jewels - Uncommon: Alicite (yellow), Nightstone (purple), Zephyrite (blue), Carnelian (red), Hessonite (orange), Jasper (green); Rare: Amberjewel (yellow), Demonseye (purple), Ocean Sapphire (blue), Inferno Ruby (red), Ember Topaz (orange), Dream Emerald (green), Shadowspirit Diamond (meta)
 * Metals - Obsidium (and Folded Obsidium), Elementium (and Hardened Elementium), Pyrium, Truegold
 * Cloth - Embersilk Cloth (drop), Dreamcloth (crafted)
 * Skins - Savage Leather (and Heavy Savage Leather), Blackened Dragonscale, Pristine Hide
 * Inks - Blackfallow Ink (from Ashen Pigment, common), Inferno Ink (from Burning Embers, uncommon)
 * Enchanting Items - Hypnotic Dust, Greater Celestial Essence/Lesser Celestial Essence, Heavenly Shard (rare crystal), Maelstrom Crystal (epic crystal)
 * Other Materials - Volatile Life/Volatile Earth/Volatile Air/Volatile Fire/Volatile Water (elemental motes), Deepstone Oil (created from Albino Cavefish, like Pygmy Oil), Chaos Orb (first tier orb)

Talents

 * Extensive revisions to the talent system: talent trees are cut down to 31-point talents (7 tiers each tree). Players will gain a talent point about every two levels up to 80, instead of every level, and then 1 every level after 80 for a total of 41 talent points at level 85 (vs. 71 points at level 80 in WotLK)
 * Selecting a primary talent tree is unlocked at level 10 and a tree must be chosen before talent points can be spent in it. This will provide passive bonuses and a unique active ability. Players will be unable to spend talent points in a secondary tree until they have invested 31 points in your primary tree (at roughly level 70).
 * Many passive talents with generic bonuses, such as increased critical strike chance, damage reduction or increased healing, and specifically those that provide bonuses to buffs and perhaps debuffs, are being removed.

PvE and PvP

 * 25-player raid leaders will have the possibility to split down the raid into a maximum of three 10-player raids. This is to allow players to continue a raid even if someone has left the group. 10-player raids cannot, however, be converted into a 25-player raid.
 * 10- and 25-player raids will share the same ID in Cataclysm. However, players will still be able to join any raid as long as they don't kill the same boss twice in the same lockout. This means players will be able to continue a raid with a different group at the condition the new group is the same point or beyond the invited player.
 * While 10- and 25-player raids in Cataclysm will give the same loot, the 25-player mode will give more loot per character.
 * There will only be four different "badges" in Cataclysm, now all called Points: two PvE (Justice Points and Valor Points) and two PvP (Honor and Conquest Points).
 * Justice Points and Honor Points will only have a cap on the total number of points that can be accumulated.
 * PvE Valor Points and PvP Conquest Points will have a cap on the total number of points, as well as a cap on the maximum amount of points earned in a week.
 * Cataclysm will include a new "auto-quest" mechanic, allowing players to pick up the next quest in a chain without having to go back to the original quest giver, or start on quests simply by entering an area or killing specified units.

Race and class changes
All of these combinations, excluding the goblin and worgen options, will be available to all players regardless of expansion level in Patch 4.0.3a. Goblins and worgen are limited to Cataclysm purchasers.

Zones affected by the Cataclysm

 * For detailed zone changes, see Patch 4.0.3a (world changes). See also: Cataclysm map comparison

These changes are not phased. The world-changing patch will happen in Patch 4.0.3a, not Patch 4.0.1 as believed earlier. They will be seen by everyone, from level 1 to 85, whether or not they buy the expansion.

Kalimdor

 * Ashenvale: A huge volcano erupts at the center of the zone. Heavier deforestation around the Warsong Lumber Camp causes the orcs to encroach on Silverwind Refuge. Zoram'gar Outpost is reinforced with black iron, similar to the Horde outposts in Northrend. Astranaar becomes the victim of air assaults launched by the Horde. New flight paths: Blackfathom Camp, Stardust Spire (Alliance); Hellscream's Watch, Silverwind Refuge (Horde).
 * Azshara: The zone has been claimed by the goblins, reshaping it in the shape of the Horde crest. A new pass has been cut in the mountains between Azshara and Orgrimmar. Bilgewater Harbor has been built in between the two peninsulas. The rocketway stretches the length of the zone allowing for faster access from one side to the other. Trade Prince Gallywix has built a new pleasure palace in the west. Valor'mok and Talrendis Point have been obliterated. New flight paths: Bilgewater Harbor, Bitter Reaches, Southern Rocketway Terminus (Horde).
 * Azuremyst Isle: The draenei have built a new flight path at Azure Watch (Alliance).
 * The Barrens: The Barrens has been split in two by great fissures in the land, spouting fiery rivers of lava.
 * The Northern Barrens is a level 10-20 zone, largely unchanged geographically from its prior incarnation. New flight paths: The Mor'Shan Ramparts, Nozzlepot's Outpost (Horde).
 * The Southern Barrens intended for higher level players; portions have grown lush thanks to the work of the druid . The passage into Mulgore has been closed by the tauren with high walls and a gate as a response to the Alliance moving into the Southern Barrens, constructing several towers and burning down Camp Taurajo, which is now completely destroyed. New flight paths: Honor's Stand, Northwatch Hold, Fort Triumph (Alliance); Hunter's Hill, Desolation Hold (Horde).
 * Darkshore: Auberdine is destroyed, and the very land torn asunder. The Alliance relocates to a new town in the northern end of the zone called Lor'danel. Shatterspear Village, previously a closed zone, is now accessible. New flight paths: Lor'danel, Grove of the Ancients (Alliance).
 * Darnassus: The city hosts a new worgen area called the Howling Oak. There is a new flight path in-city that connects to Dolanaar and Rut'theran Village far below, though the transporter still functions.
 * Desolace: Once a barren wasteland, the Cataclysm has caused a rift to form, allowing water to flood in from the coast and bring life back to the region. However, the region is now being invaded by demons, including shivarra. New flight paths: Thargad's Camp (Alliance); Furien's Post (Horde); Thunk's Abode, Karnum's Glade, Ethel Rethor (neutral).
 * Durotar: The Darkspear trolls have retaken the Echo Isles as a new starting area. Much of the western portion of the zone has been flooded. The gateway to Orgrimmar has been heavily reinforced. A ship dock near Skull Rock welcomes goblins from the Lost Isles. New flight paths: Razor Hill, Sen'jin Village (Horde).
 * Dustwallow Marsh: The Alliance has built a highway through the swamp, connecting Theramore Isle directly with the western entrance to the zone.
 * The Exodar: The city now includes a direct flight path connection with Rut'theran Village at Teldrassil, and the flight master has moved inside next to the bank.
 * Feralas: Feathermoon Stronghold has been razed by naga. The Isle of Dread has been flooded and sunk by tidal waves caused by the Cataclysm. New flight paths: Whisperwind Grove (Alliance); Irontree Clearing (Horde); Ruins of Constellas (neutral).
 * Mulgore: The starter area for the tauren has been heavily assaulted resulting in a charred vale; the entrance has been blocked, leading the Tauren to construct a direct route to Bloodhoof Village. The gates into the zone have been blocked by Horde militia (access is available via Thunder Bluff). New flight path: Bloodhoof Village (Horde).
 * Orgrimmar: After Garrosh Hellscream takes over control of the Horde, Orgrimmar becomes a heavily-armored fortress city. New areas include a central platform for flight masters, a "Goblin Slums" district and a rear gate into Azshara. The Valley of Honor has also become the second trade district, with its own bank, auction house and inn.
 * Silithus: While much of this zone remains the same as it always has, there is a new portal in Cenarion Hold to the Blasted Lands, for players to continue their leveling journey.
 * Stonetalon Mountains: Eruptions decimate the landscape, spreading the flames of the Charred Vale even further. The goblins have cut through the mountains, forming a valley that leads into Ashenvale. The western coastline is now accessible. Stonetalon Peak has been destroyed by faceless ones and tendrils of an Old God. The battle between Horde and Alliance has become a major part of this zone. New flight paths: Thal'darah Overlook, Mirkfallon Post, Windshear Hold, Farwatcher's Glen, Northwatch Expedition Base Camp (Alliance); Cliffwalker Post, Krom'Gar Fortress, Malaka'jin, The Sludgewerks (Horde).
 * Tanaris: The eastern part of the desert has been flooded, with Gadgetzan becoming beachfront property; Steamwheedle Port is destroyed and populated with homeless goblins. The pass to Uldum has opened up in Thistleshrub Valley. New flight paths: Gunstan's Dig (Alliance); Dawnrise Expedition (Horde); Bootlegger Outpost (neutral).
 * Teldrassil: Rut'theran Village has been knocked off the base of Teldrassil and is now its own island just offshore. The docks have been reconstructed at Rut'theran after the obliteration of Auberdine in Darkshore.
 * Thousand Needles: The entire canyon floor has been flooded, resulting in the Shimmering Flats becoming a lake, destroying the Mirage Raceway. The eastern canyon wall has collapsed, opening up the coastline. Twilight Hammer agents and several pirate factions have taken up refuge on the cliffsides. Freewind Post has been captured by the Grimtotem tribe. Razorfen Downs has been moved to the Thousand Needles map from the Barrens map (no new dungeons in this zone despite early rumors). New flight path: Fizzle Pozzik's Speed Barge (neutral).
 * Un'Goro Crater: has relocated to Marshal's Stand just southeast of Fire Plume Ridge, as Marshal's Refuge has been overrun by stone watchers. A second Titan overlook has been revealed in the eastern cliffside. New flight paths: Marshal's Stand, Mossy Pile (neutral).
 * Winterspring: Darkwhisper Gorge is now part of Mount Hyjal and has been claimed by the Twilight's Hammer.

Eastern Kingdoms

 * Arathi Highlands: An increased Horde presence has entered the zone due to the takeover of Hillsbrad. New flight path: Galen's Fall (Horde).
 * Badlands: Cut off from Loch Modan, the Steamwheedle Cartel have set up the port town of Fuselight-by-the-Sea (which provides entrance via rocket for questers from the Eastern Plaguelands) and the hilltop community of Fuselight in the eastern portion of the zone. The Scar of the Worldbreaker has obliterated the central portion of the zone: mountains have been sheared off and a huge chasm has been "dug" out. Kargath has been destroyed by the Cataclysm, New Kargath has been built just to the southwest, across from an Alliance toehold near the scar. New flight paths: Dustwind Dig, Dragon's Mouth (Alliance); New Kargath, Bloodwatcher Point (Horde); Fuselight (neutral).
 * Blasted Lands: The cataclysm has opened the southern mountains, creating access to the coastline, and reforged the Tainted Scar into a forest. The orcs, worgen and blood elves have all made significant inroads into the area. New flight paths: Surwich (Alliance); Sunveil Excursion, Dreadmaul Hold (Horde).
 * Burning Steppes: New neutral quest hubs both immediately south of Blackrock Mountain and in the center of the zone lead players on a quest to eradicate the Blackrock Army. A pass directly to the Swamp of Sorrows has opened up just east of Morgan's Vigil. New flight path: Chiselgrip (neutral).
 * Dun Morogh: The gnomes of Gnomeregan have retaken the surface levels of Gnomeregan to open up the new gnomish starting experience as New Tinkertown. The Ironforge Airfield is finally accessible as a questing hub via transit from the Gol'Bolar Quarry. New flight paths: Kharanos, Gol'Bolar Quarry (Alliance).
 * Duskwood: The Worgen have settled the abandoned homes of Raven Hill. New flight path: Raven Hill (Alliance).
 * Eastern Plaguelands: The five scout towers have each been given flight paths. An invisible wall exists on the northern reaches of the zone (still forcing traffic to Ghostlands through the instance portal). In beta, Acherus is still accessible via flying mount to all classes but the flight path is non functional except for death knights. New flight paths: Crown Guard Tower, Corin's Crossing Tower, Eastwall Tower, Northpass Tower, Plaguewood Tower (neutral).
 * Elwynn Forest: Northshire Valley has been invaded by orcs. One of the quarries has been closed. New flight paths: Goldshire, Eastvale Logging Camp (Alliance).
 * Eversong Woods: New flight path at Fairbreeze Village (Horde).
 * Hillsbrad Foothills: The zone has been completely retooled, subsuming the Alterac Mountains (which is no longer its own zone). A massive Horde invasion has turned the entire zone into a Horde-only leveling area; Southshore has been destroyed by the Forsaken Blight, and Hillsbrad Fields have been corrupted and have become the Sludge Fields. New flight paths: Southpoint Gate, Ruins of Southshore, Eastpoint Tower, Strahnbrad (Horde).
 * The Hinterlands: Both the Horde and the Alliance have made new inroads into the interior of the zone. New flight paths: Stormfeather Outpost (Alliance); Hiri'watha Research Station (Horde).
 * Loch Modan: The Stonewrought Dam has been destroyed; most of the water in the Loch has escaped and flooded the Wetlands below. The Twilight Citadel looms high in the Twilight Highlands just to the east. The path to the Badlands has been closed as a giant chasm now separates the zones. New flight path: Farstrider's Lodge (Alliance).
 * Redridge Mountains: The Lakeshire bridge has been completed, finally. The new quest chain involves saving the freshly-built bridge from the invading Blackrock orcs with the help of the Bravo Company, led by . A mountain pass high above the eastern edge allows transit to the Swamp of Sorrows, bypassing Redridge altogether. New flight paths: Camp Everstill, Shalewind Canyon, Keeshan's Post (Alliance).
 * Searing Gorge: A new quest hub has opened up just north of Blackrock Mountain. New flight path: Iron Summit (neutral).
 * Silverpine Forest: The Greymane Wall has been destroyed by the Cataclysm, opening up the passage to Gilneas. The Sepulcher has been heavily fortified. The Forsaken build-up is intense as they prepare to invade Gilneas on Garrosh's (and Sylvanas's) orders. Some of the questing in this zone continues into the Ruins of Gilneas zone (the unphased Gilneas region in Azeroth). New flight paths: Forsaken High Command, Forsaken Front (Horde, both phased); Forsaken Forward Command (right inside Ruins of Gilneas on the far side of the Greymane Wall, also Horde).
 * Stormwind City: After Deathwing's return the city has been dramatically changed; the Park has been obliterated, and a new lake area and city cemetery have been opened. The castles and terrain have been remodeled to accommodate flying mounts. The Dwarven District now hosts a second bank, auction house and inn for the city. The Keep has been heavily remodeled.
 * Stranglethorn Vale: The vast zone has been split into two separate zones in the expansion set, Northern Stranglethorn (including Zul'Gurub) and the Cape of Stranglethorn, split at the location of the Sundering. While there is one large map for the two zones (like in Vashj'ir) they are considered two individual zones:
 * Northern Stranglethorn: Also referred to on the larger map as Stranglethorn Jungle. Zul'Gurub is no longer a raid zone in the expansion; instead, it has become a questing area. Hemet Nesingwary Jr.'s campsite has been dramatically altered. New flight paths: Fort Livingston (Alliance); Bambala (Horde).
 * Cape of Stranglethorn: Booty Bay has been ransacked. Huge goblin oil constructions line the southern coast, and the Bloodsail Buccaneers have established a larger presence in the region. New flight paths: Explorer's League Digsite (Alliance); Hardwrench's Hideaway (Horde).
 * Swamp of Sorrows: The Steamwheedle Cartel has set up Bogpaddle in the northeast corner of the zone. The Alliance has also established Marshtide Watch, a new fortress just north of the Pool of Tears, which has opened up to the great sea. New flight paths: The Harborage, Marshtide Watch (Alliance); Bogpaddle (neutral).
 * Tirisfal Glades: Brill has been heavily fortified with new Forsaken architecture. The Ruins of Lordaeron have been heavily remodeled to accommodate flying mounts, including fleshing out the (abandoned) city, though the Undercity below remains unchanged. New flight path: Brill (Horde).
 * Western Plaguelands: After the downfall, the Scourge are easily subjugated, resulting in the beginnings of recovery in Felstone Field, Dalson's Tears, the Writhing Haunt and Gahrron's Withering. Andorhal is undergoing a three-way fight for control between the Alliance, Horde and what's left of the Scourge. Hearthglen has now become a home for the Argent Crusade led by, who has finally left his shack on the Thondroril River in Eastern Plaguelands. New flight paths: Western Andorhal (Alliance); Eastern Andorhal (Horde); the Mender's Stead, Hearthglen (neutral). The Thondroril River flight path has moved across the bridge to Eastern Plaguelands.
 * Westfall: The Gaping Chasm has formed as a result of the Cataclysm. Sentinel Hill has been fortified in an attempt to handle the large quantities of homeless affected because of the war in Northrend and the fall of the Defias Brotherhood. New flight paths: Moonbrook, Furlbrow's Pumpkin Farm (Alliance).
 * Wetlands: Heavily affected by Deathwing's destructive exit from Deepholm. Menethil Harbor is underwater, as is the Mosshide Fen as a result of the destruction of the Stonewrought Dam in Loch Modan. The path to Grim Batol is now part of the Twilight Highlands, with a breach leading east to the Highlands proper. New flight paths: Dun Modr, Whelgar's Retreat, Greenwarden's Grove, Slabchisel's Survey (Alliance).

Elsewhere

 * Dalaran (Northrend) and Shattrath (Outland): Portals to major Azeroth/Outland cities no longer exist (with Orgrimmar and Stormwind being the only exceptions); instead, class trainers have been established in these two cities to aid the leveling process. Auctioneers (for all classes) added. Flying now possible over/in Dalaran City.
 * Dragonblight (Northrend): The quest Battle for the Undercity no longer exists in game.

Launcher
The launcher has been updated to stream installation and patch data from the servers instead of being required to download it all before playing. The new launcher is broken up into three stages of download progress:


 * red Core game, or 5% of content, is being prepared. You cannot enter the game at this time.
 * yellow Base game, or 70% of content, is not completely applied. You can play, but your game experience will not be ideal. You should ideally have 1 MB/sec or better when choosing to play.
 * green Extended, or 25% of content, is almost complete. You may begin playing at this stage with few game issues. You should ideally have 1 MB/sec or better when choosing to play.

The updater and downloader have been integrated closely into the Launcher, resulting in less application switching when patching and installing.

Main interface

 * Practically everything about the interface has changed.
 * The spellbook is now more intuitive and tells you what spells you've missed to train.
 * The paperdoll interface has changed.
 * When a player gains a level you can more clearly see what level was gained as well as what new abilities are available to train.
 * Guild invites has a new look, showing the level of the guild.

Class-specific UI elements

 * Balance druids got a new interface for the handling of their redesigned Eclipse mechanic.
 * Paladins gained a new interface to accommodate their new Holy Power mechanic beneath the health and mana bar, as well as radial elements situated around the player avatar to track some of their proc abilities.
 * Warlocks got a new Soul Shard interface.

Info compilations

 * Fact sheet
 * FAQ
 * Press release

Tie-in literature

 * See: The Shattering: Prelude to Cataclysm & Leader Short Stories

Canceled features

 * Revamped character progression via the Paths of the Titans, and Ancient glyphs was planned and announced, but later canceled.
 * Guild talents and guild currency have been removed. Instead, guild advancement bonuses are automatically unlocked based on guild level
 * The large "neutral port" on Blizzcon 2009 maps, set between the Eastern Plaguelands and Hinterlands and expected to be a sanctuary town, did not materialize. Instead, a smaller goblin port appeared in the Badlands.