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Cataclysm launches in Europe, servers currently down [Updated]
In what may be the least surprising event of the year, Europe's World of Warcraft servers have gone down almost immediately after the expansion's launch in that region. Even Europe's Battle.net web resources appear to be down for maintenance (or are merely offline due to overwhelming load). How long will this downtime last? We're not sure, but we will do our very best to keep you updated on European server status. European players, if you have any tips or updates on your server's status, don't be afraid to contact us via our tip line. We love to hear from you! Update: It appears the culprit is the login/authentication server. Once you beat the login boss, the game realms themselves seem to be running just fine.
Officers' Quarters: Cataclysm guild roundup
Every Monday, Scott Andrews contributes Officers' Quarters, a column about the ins and outs of guild leadership. He is the author of The Guild Leader's Handbook, available now from No Starch Press. This is it, ladies and gentlemen. Tonight at midnight PST, Blizzard will knock down the velvet ropes around the expansion's leveling zones and usher in a new era of World of Warcraft. At the same time, Cataclysm will provide new guild features, including leveling, achievements, and reputation. Certainly this is one of the most exciting times in WoW's history to be a guild officer. This expansion provides new tools, new goals, and new opportunities for guilds and those who lead them. The question remains: Is your guild ready for it? After the break, I've linked to every Cataclysm-related Officers' Quarters column, as well as some other columns that may help you with issues related to the increased level cap, the redesign of WoW's raid system, and other expansion matters. Our members are counting on us to provide a stable and effective guild community before and after we all hit 85. Let's not disappoint them!
Countdown to Cataclysm: Guild leveling and progression
This article is part of our Countdown to Cataclysm series, preparing you for Cataclysm launch one day at a time. One of the coolest new features of Cataclysm is the ability for guilds to level up, unlocking all sorts of cool items, mounts, heirlooms and much more. Also new to Cataclysm are guild achievements that groups of players can work for that open up even more rewards. Blizzard has crafted a really awesome guild reputation system, so get your buddies together to hit the ground running when Cataclysm launches.
Countdown to Cataclysm: Fishing in Cataclysm
This article is part of our Countdown to Cataclysm series, preparing you for Cataclysm launch one day at a time. Deathwing may be ravaging the countryside and tearing through the sky, striking fear into the hearts of the denizens of Azeroth, but his malice can never shake the iron will of Azeroth's brave fishermen. Rod and lure in hand, these salty heroes fuel our fish feasts, ride our turtles, and regale us with stories of Old Crafty and Old Ironjaw. Flip your Titanium Seal of Dalaran and hope it lands on adventure ...
The Care and Feeding of Warriors: A Cataclysm 101 guide for DPS warriors
Every week, WoW Insider brings you The Care and Feeding of Warriors, the column dedicated to arms, fury and protection warriors. Despite repeated blows to the head from dragons, demons, Old Gods and whatever that thing over there was, Matthew Rossi will be your host. In short, if you remember our Arms and Fury 101 posts from earlier this year, we're going to do a roundup for the changes Cataclysm has brought to each spec. Since the changes have actually debuted before Cataclysm has, we've already had a chance to get familiar with what we're going to be seeing in the next few weeks. So let's go over what a DPS warrior is and isn't. Specifically, a DPS warrior is not a tank. This does not mean that the warrior class does not have a fully functional tanking spec. It does; it's called protection, and we'll be talking about it next week. But while DPS warriors (be they arms or fury) probably think tanking is great and love tanks to death, they would much rather be unleashing bloody murder on things, if that's all right with you. So let's talk about what the DPS warrior specs are, how they work in Cataclysm, and what you're signing up for when you sign up as a warrior to murder things and take their stuff.
Arcane Brilliance: A Cataclysm 101 guide for mages
Every week, WoW Insider brings you Arcane Brilliance for arcane, fire and frost mages. This week, we'd like to welcome any and all of you who decided the end of the world was as good a time as any to roll a new mage. For you newbies, here's magehood condensed into sound effects: Pew pew! Splat! Rez! It has come to my attention that there are still some of you out there who are not mages yet. Unacceptable, people. Frankly, there are only a few legitimate reasons left that make not being a mage OK: You are a warlock. You are a tauren. (A reminder: the Interracial Humanitarian Association of Tauren and Everyone in WoW Against Race Limits On Choosing Kinship with Sorcerers, or IHATEWARLOCKS, still meets every Saturday, right here at WoW Insider. I'm bringing nachos and punch this week. You should totally come.) That's it, really. I don't know, maybe you have a severe allergy to massive crits or something? Just roll a mage already. I imagine that the combination of a new and immeasurably improved leveling process, exciting new race/class couplings, and the introduction of worgen and goblins has already inspired and will continue to inspire a fresh influx of the uninitiated to join the hallowed ranks of magedom in the coming weeks. As is our custom here at Arcane Brilliance, we would like to offer a quick and dirty guide to being a mage for those of you plan to join our awesome little club of awesomeness in the coming weeks. It is our ongoing mission to keep magehood the single most highly prepared and well-played class in the game, so here is a basic primer in advance of the release of the biggest WoW expansion yet. Join us, won't you?
Countdown to Cataclysm: Profession updates and changes
This article is part of our Countdown to Cataclysm series -- preparing you for Cataclysm launch one day at a time. Cataclysm is going to change the world of professions -- so without any further ado, here are the most important changes. General The skill cap for all professions is now 525. There is a lot of content locked behind a phased area you can not unlock until you're level 84. The new elemental trade goods are called Volatiles. Herbing and mining now provide experience. Archeology will be trainable. Guilds can see links for all members' available professions.
The Queue: Don't care
Welcome back to The Queue, the daily Q&A column in which the WoW Insider team answers your questions about the World of Warcraft. Mike Sacco will be your host today. Don't care that I've used that image before while traveling. You guys want Queues, by golly, you can deal with a repeat image every now and then. No sass! Jacob Kuntzman asked: I keep seeing and hearing that Hyjal and Vashj'ir will be level 80-82 zones. Is this right? Is Blizzard breaking from their previous pattern of offering the new batch of content to those two levels under? Outland at 58, Northrend at 68 ... So are the quests in Hyjal and Vashj'ir not offered at 78? This is correct. You can only quest in Hyjal and Vashj'ir at 80. I can't speak as to the reasoning, but I assume it has something to do with the desired challenge for level 80 players in those zones. Values would either be too high for 78s or too easy for 80s.
Countdown to Cataclysm: Why go goblin?
This article is part of our Countdown to Cataclysm series, preparing you for Cataclysm launch one day at a time. Deathwing's return and the subsequent shattering of the world have driven the Bilgewater Cartel goblins of Kezan into the embrace of the Horde. With Cataclysm quickly approaching and goblins finally becoming a playable race in World of Warcraft, you're going to need all the goblin knowledge you can before rolling up one of these clever characters.
Patch 4.0.3a hotfixes for Dec. 2
That's right, it's time for another round of hotfixes for our game going into the last weekend of Wrath of the Lich King. So, you may ask, what's been fixed? Well, for starters, we'll take a look at some highlights. Then we'll have the complete list after the break. Patch 4.0.3a Hotfixes Players can no longer skin Crushcog Sentry-Bots or Crushcog Battle Suits in Dun Morogh... because they don't have skin. Stats on the Weather-Beaten Fishing Hat have been reduced, as it can currently be equipped by players of all levels. Crafty players again found a way to catch Cataclysm fish. Crafty designers have made this impossible without a Cataclysm key attached to a player's account. source There's a lot more than fishing issues to discuss, of course. But I thought those were the most amusing.
New Cataclysm battleground brackets unveiled; Arathi, Eye, and Alterac available at lower levels
We've all been there, right? You queue up for a battleground and enter the fray. O-ho! You catch a level 49 orc unaware! You fire blistering spell after blistering spell at him! Unfortunately, because you're only level 41, your spells keep missing, dooming you to a certain and ugly fate. Over and over and over. And so you just give up and don't requeue for a battleground until you're almost level 49 yourself. Well, there's good news -- Blizzard has announced new battleground groups for Cataclysm that will make such frustrating scenarios much less prevalent. Whereas battlegrounds are currently broken up into 10-level groups (the level 10 to 19 bracket, for example), battlegrounds in Cataclysm will be broken up into five-level groups (there's a new level 10 to 14 bracket). The move should "match up teams more evenly," according to the post on Blizzard's website. As part of an effort to further ease you into the world of PvP, certain battlegrounds are going to be available for play at earlier levels: Arathi Basin can be played as early as level 10, Eye of the Storm is available at 35, and Alterac Valley is available at 45. For those of us with low-level alts sick of running Warsong Gulch, that's welcome news indeed. World of Warcraft: Cataclysm will destroy Azeroth as we know it; nothing will be the same! In WoW Insider's Guide to Cataclysm, you can find out everything you need to know about WoW's third expansion (available Dec. 7, 2010), from brand new races to revamped quests and zones. Visit our Cataclysm news category for the most recent posts having to do with the Cataclysm expansion.
Countdown to Cataclysm: The Deadmines dungeon guide
This article is part of our Countdown to Cataclysm series, preparing you for Cataclysm launch one day at a time. The Deadmines has been a classic staple dungeon for any leveling player. In patch 4.0.3, the instance received a complete facelift. Players will no longer be taking down Edwin VanCleef, as the game has progressed forward in time and has been updated to reflect the events that have occurred in the game. The Defias stronghold appears to be housing the next generation of Defias forces. They're being led by Vanessa Vancleef, Edwin's daughter. At a glance: five boss encounters level 15 - 21 Alliance and Horde players both have access to this dungeon via dungeon finder
Countdown to Cataclysm: Why go worgen?
This article is part of our Countdown to Cataclysm series, helping you prepare for Cataclysm launch one day at a time. As Deathwing makes his escape from Deepholm, the Greymane Wall finally collapses, revealing the kingdom of Gilneas. For years, the kingdom had locked itself away behind the wall, shutting out the troubles of the rest of the world. King Genn Greymane, leader of Gilneas, has been dealing with his own problems behind the wall, however, including the spreading of the worgen curse, which is turning his people into ferocious creatures.
Alliance wins Darkmoon Faire contest; final video unlocked
The Alliance has vanquished their Horde foes in the first (incredibly unofficial) PvP battle of Cataclysm, the Darkmoon Faire: Your Fortune Awaits community unlockable "contest." As a result of their stunning victory, the Alliance won ... nothing. Don't spend it all in one place, guys! An hour or two after the Alliance reached 100 percent, the Horde too reached their 100 percent goal. With both factions at 100 percent, the final community video, "Reforging of the World," was unlocked (above). It's a look at some of the zones changed in the shattering, along with some videos of the new post-level-80 zones unlocked in Cataclysm. World of Warcraft: Cataclysm will destroy Azeroth as we know it; nothing will be the same! In WoW Insider's Guide to Cataclysm, you can find out everything you need to know about WoW's third expansion (available Dec. 7, 2010), from brand new races to revamped quests and zones. Visit our Cataclysm news category for the most recent posts having to do with the Cataclysm expansion.
Ghostcrawler explains tanking with a vengeance
Ghostcrawler (lead systems designer) had some very interesting tidbits of information and explanations on the new tanking mechanic vengeance in a recent blog post on the new World of Warcraft community website. Vengeance is a new passive ability that all properly specced tanks receive, which converts damage taken into an attack power bonus to make sure that tank threat scales with the increasing power of DPS. Ghostcrawler admits that as with all new mechanics, there is much tweaking still to happen to Vengeance. He explains that the ability has been implemented to give tanks the tools needed to retain threat, but not do the job for them. One interesting point that Ghostcrawler makes is that Blizzard and the designers strive for a healthy balance between the mechanics making tanking possible and players' ability to successfully hold threat. All in all, this is a great post, and I hope for much more from Ghostcrawler like this. I love the systems design posts and rationales behind gameplay design, especially when it covers my role of choice. Check out the whole article on the new community blog. And, Mr. Street, as for that dinosaur -- screenshots or it didn't happen. World of Warcraft: Cataclysm will destroy Azeroth as we know it; nothing will be the same! In WoW Insider's Guide to Cataclysm, you can find out everything you need to know about WoW's third expansion (available Dec. 7, 2010), from brand new races to revamped quests and zones. Visit our Cataclysm news category for the most recent posts having to do with the Cataclysm expansion.
Countdown to Cataclysm starts now!
World of Warcraft: Cataclysm, the game's third expansion (and biggest one yet), is releasing in just six days. To help you prepare, we've got articles to last you all the way through launch day and beyond, starting tomorrow. We'll be covering all aspects of the expansion for all types of players. Here are some of our helpful Cataclysm articles to get you started; be sure to keep an eye out for more in the days to come! New around here? Learn about Cataclysm and nab some tips and tricks for lowbies from WoW Rookie. Remember, you can play Cataclysm at midnight PST on Dec. 7 no matter how or where you buy it! Want to turn your character into a goblin or worgen? You're in luck -- race changes to the new races are available on launch night. Learn more about rated battlegrounds in this FAQ. Ghostcrawler and the design team have some notes about DPS spec design, and changes and notes for tanks, too. Coming back after an absence? Check the new system requirements for 4.0.3 and Cataclysm. If you're excited to get into heroic dungeons and raids, check this progression chart for the expansion's intended progression. World of Warcraft: Cataclysm will destroy Azeroth as we know it; nothing will be the same! In WoW Insider's Guide to Cataclysm, you can find out everything you need to know about WoW's third expansion (available Dec. 7, 2010), from brand new races to revamped quests and zones. Visit our Cataclysm news category for the most recent posts having to do with the Cataclysm expansion.
J. Allen Brack on Cataclysm: "Each thing appeals to a different type of player"
The Guardian has a pretty intensive interview with J. Allen Brack, the chief project manager overseeing World of Warcraft, discussing the upcoming Cataclysm expansion. The interview covers a lot of ground from subscription rates to the revamp of the world to guild leveling and perks. One of my favorite parts (and one that resonates with me) is his discussion of going back and leveling in the Northern Barrens zone, trying to get all the quests. Also? Turns out that Barrens chat can never die. In addition, the discussion of the worgen and goblin inclusion was very welcome, and of course, the discussion on whether Outland and Northrend will get the Cataclysm treatment. J. Allen Brack - Guardian interview We have started to talk about what we need to do with Outland and Northrend because the story that we are telling in Cataclysm is kind of interesting once you get to Outland. Because there's no congruity between the two stories. It feels a little weird for you to have the whole Deathwing is back and has destroyed the world, and you walk into Outland and your like 'hey! There's this guy Illidan' That feels a little weird and we don't exactly know how we're going to tackle that yet, but that is definitely something that we do want to find a solution for. source Head on over to the Guardian and read for yourself.
Totem Talk: A restoration shaman's Cataclysm checklist
Every week, WoW Insider brings you Totem Talk for elemental, enhancement and restoration shaman. Want to be a sultan of swing healing? A champion of Chain Heal? Totem Talk: Restoration will show you how, brought to you by Joe Perez, otherwise known as Lodur from World of Matticus and host of the BDTU: Lore edition podcast By the time you read this, Cataclysm will be exactly one week away from release. Are you excited? I know I am! The number of people who return to the game after long breaks, especially at expansion time, can be staggering. Last week, we talked about what restoration shaman who are returning to the game for Cataclysm should expect when they load in, and we talked about ways for them to ease their transition back into the game. This week, I would like to talk about getting ready for that big day when our level caps are raised to 85, new zones open up for us to explore, new profession recipes become available, and new dungeons and encounters are available for us to experience. So are you ready for the expansion? Are you truly prepared?
Low-level dungeon quest experience nerfed
A hotfix notice was posted to the forums not long ago warning of an impending change: level 1 to 60 dungeon quests will award significantly less XP. While few players will be fans of such a change, I do think it's a smart one. In the blue post below, Zarhym says that players were outpacing the questing progression because of these quests, and it is absolutely true. Using the dungeon finder and completing the quests in each dungeon threw off quest and zone progression completely. When my dwarf shaman finished all of the quests in the Wetlands, she already had Hero's Call quests from the board in Ironforge urging her to skip multiple zones ahead. Not what you would call a great leveling curve. Zarhym We are applying a hotfix today to all level 1-60 dungeon quests for Kalimdor and Eastern Kingdoms dungeons which will significantly reduce the amount of experience they award. While dungeons should remain integral to our evolving storylines, and great places to collect gear in cooperative environments, we need to make sure each player's questing progress remains relevant as dungeon quests are completed. In many cases we're seeing players enter dungeons to complete quests, only to come out ahead of the leveling curve for the zones they're in. This change should allow players the opportunity to reap the benefits of running dungeons, while not outpacing the leveling flow from levels 1-60. At this time there are no plans for making any adjustments to dungeon quest experience for Outland, Northrend, and level 80+ Cataclysm dungeons. You can find a list of all of the latest hotfixes here: http://us.battle.net/wow/en/blog/1232869 source
Preorder Cataclysm at Gamestop and get special perks
If you haven't preordered Cataclysm yet, either digitally or via your local brick-and-mortar, then Gamestop has a deal for you -- as long as you like buying stuff, anyway. Folks who preorder the upcoming expansion from Gamestop receive an immediate smattering of 20 percent discounts, good on stuff like select EVGA GeForce video cards, SteelSeries headsets, Linksys routers, and even the Alienware M15X gaming laptop. If you don't need discounts on hardware, then you're probably better off just doing the whole shebang digitally, because you'll have access on launch night regardless of how or where you bought the game. World of Warcraft: Cataclysm will destroy Azeroth as we know it; nothing will be the same! In WoW Insider's Guide to Cataclysm, you can find out everything you need to know about WoW's third expansion (available Dec. 7, 2010), from brand new races to revamped quests and zones. Visit our Cataclysm news category for the most recent posts having to do with the Cataclysm expansion.