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No rested XP for level 80 characters at Cataclysm launch
If you're hoping to somehow get your level 80 character a rested XP boost come Cataclysm, the only way would be to log him or her out at an inn and not play him for a while once launch day comes, because rested XP is being reset with the launch of the new expansion. To quote Valnoth: Valnoth - Re: On rested exp issue again. Rested experience will be reset at launch. You will start at 0 rested. source You can stop trying to come up with weird scenarios in which you will get a huge rested XP boost before Cataclysm ships. It's not going to happen. If you want rested XP, you're just going to have to rest for it. 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.
Bad news: No race changes to new race/class combos until Dec. 7th
Blizzard has stated that despite being able to create the new race/class combos being introduced with The Shattering, players will not be able to change the races of existing characters to those new race/class combos until Cataclysm's launch on Dec. 7. If you had planned on, say, turning your tauren druid into a troll or your night elf hunter into a human, you are out of luck until Cataclysm. Quote: Changing to the new race/class combos will also be available once Cataclysm is released on December 7th. There will be a period of time between the Shattering and the launch of Cataclysm where the new combos can be created but not changed into. As with everything, this could change. So, while you will be able to create, let's say, a dwarf shaman or a tauren paladin just after the shattering, you will be unable to change an existing character into any of the new race/class combinations using the Race Change service until Cataclysm is released. Should this structure at all change, we'll be sure to let you know. :) source 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.
Blizzard announces official Cataclysm launch events
If you are planning to go out and purchase your copy of Cataclysm from a brick and mortar location like so many of us did for the past two expansions, Blizzard has official launch events to accompany you at retail locations across the globe. In both Southern California and Toronto, Canada, these will include official dance contests with prizes for the lucky winners. In addition, many retailers will be open late on Dec. 6 and into Dec. 7 at midnight to sell copies of the game to the throngs of people hungry for giant, insane, lava-breathing dragon aspects. It's going to be a Cataclysm world we'll all be living in come launch day. Are you going to try and dance your way into Blizzard's heart? Edited to add: a complete list of the various events, including North America, Taiwan and Europe, can be found here. 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.
The Queue: Nah nah nah-nah-nah-nah, nah-nah-nah-nah nah nah nah nah
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. Yeah, so maybe I've been playing a little Rock Band 3. Dath asked: Are the Dragons of Nightmare still in Cataclysm? Yes, but only half of them. Lethon and Emeriss are canonically dead, but Ysondre and Taerar make appearances. I won't go into detail as to the nature of the appearances because it's best experienced.
Arcane Brilliance: Arcane mage Cataclysm talent analysis
Every week, WoW Insider brings you Arcane Brilliance for arcane, fire and frost mages. This week, it's the arcane tree's turn to go under the microscope. If you're looking for our coverage of the fire and frost tree, you can find it here and here. You've no doubt been waiting breathlessly, hammering the F5 key over and over in the hopes that this time, instead of last week's Arcane Brilliance, you'll see this week's Arcane Brilliance on your computer screen. You've likely written your local congressman, put up "Have you seen this weekly internet mage column?" posters in your neighborhood, and perhaps even undertaken a massive, 120 hour quest involving a rotating roster of companions embodying various and sundry fantasy archetypes in order to locate the one thing that can fell the evil emperor and save your dying world: Arcane Brilliance. Or maybe you stumbled upon this page while looking for hot mage porn. Here at Arcane Brilliance, we don't judge. Also, we want links. Either way, here you are! And here I am also, itching to deliver the final part in our increasingly unwieldy compendium of mage talent analyses (analysises? analysi?) for the coming Cataclysm. This week we tackle the mysteries of the arcane tree, which is both the left-most mage talent tree, and also a powerful warlock-zombie-killing option in the forthcoming lawn-defense game, Awesome Mage Plants vs Smelly Warlock Zombies. Or if it isn't, it totally should be. Get on that, Popcap.
The Queue: Hope
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. We'll be seeing a lot of this lady before too long, though she'll go by a different name. Saroc asked: Will the flight paths we have from vanilla WoW be removed in Cata or will they automatically changed to their new appropriate flight masters? You'll keep any unchanged flight paths, changed flight paths will update to their new location, and you will not automatically know paths that are completely new for Cataclysm.
Alliance get first community unlockable from Darkmoon Faire
The Alliance have unlocked the first community prize from Blizzard's Cataclysm ramp-up site, The Darkmoon Faire: Your Fortune Awaits. Visitors to the site choose a faction and "Like" certain pages on Facebook in order to earn points for their respective side. The Alliance, with 11 percent, has unlocked a video interview with Gary Platner, the leader environment artist on World of Warcraft. Head over to the Fortune website to check out the video. Update: The Horde has also unlocked its first community video, an interview with Jesse McCree, the lead level designer for World of Warcraft. 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.
The Care and Feeding of Warriors: Returning to your WoW warrior for Cataclysm
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. Going back a few weeks, I wrote Ol' Grumpy's guide to Cataclysm instance protocol. Since it was a general post, it didn't focus specifically on warriors, which made it strange and weird and got my hands all itchy. Trying to think about things from the perspective of a ranged DPS or a healer just makes my head hurt. (To be fair, if you've seen the average warrior's int score, you understand my difficulty.) So now I'm going to try and provide a more warrior-centric view of the new Cataclysm instances and how we're going to have to change and cope. I'm also going to try and provide some advice for people who are just coming back to World of Warcraft after a break. I'm going to assume you at least have a passing familiarity with the class from The Burning Crusade days, if nothing else. (This column would be very, very long if I tried to sum up everything from classic to today.) So if you're just coming back to the game and your warrior, what's changed? Quite a lot.
WoW Rookie: Cataclysm gnome starting area
Spoiler Alert: This post includes many details about the gnome starting area in Cataclysm. As a new gnome in Cataclysm, you begin with the debuff Irradiated. You've been exposed to dangerous levels of radiation and risk being turned into a leper gnome. You are located in the heart of Gnomeregan, surrounded by equipment and other survivors. This is because beginning gnomes in Cataclysm are not the gnomes who've been sleeping on Ironforge's couch for the last half-decade; these are the gnomes who have been surviving in Gnomeregan for years. The action starts when you talk to Nevin Twistwrench, who warns you there will be more time to talk once you're safely on the surface. Don't worry, though, Nevin has a plan. After all, he is the leader of S.A.F.E., the Survivor Assistance Facilitation Expedition. Your questing starts when he asks you to kill 6 of the attacking leper gnomes because if you are all Pinned Down. As you cut down the marauding lepers, pay attention; you'll hear the awesome ray guns being employed by S.A.F.E operatives.
Darkmoon Faire site announced to herald the Cataclysm
Blizzard today released a new website modeled after the Darkmoon Faire, presumably to herald the coming Cataclysm. You can get your fate cards read by a grizzly fortune teller and unlock content for your faction by Sharing and Liking stuff on your favorite social network. Check out the official announcement, and definitely check out the Darkmoon Faire site itself. The ground trembles beneath your feet and sinister cultists speak of impending doom. Loved ones have gone missing and the appearance of angered elementals only adds to the confusion. What does the future hold for Azeroth's heroes? What fortune awaits within Sayge's cards? Visit the Darkmoon Faire and shed light on these mysteries. Join the ranks of the Horde or the Alliance by taking the World of Warcraft: Cataclysm personality test. Gain insight into your destiny by answering a series of questions that probe into your inner workings and draw fortune's cards to catch a glimpse of the future. By "Liking" and "Sharing" content on the site, taking the personality test, and submitting original images or videos to our contests, you can help unlock exclusive content for the Horde or Alliance! source
Wrath experience needed to level reduced by 20%
Blizzard has just announced that the leveling experience from 71 to 80 has just gotten a bit quicker -- 20 percent quicker, to be exact. As with The Burning Crusade and Wrath of the Lich King, Cataclysm will reduce the amount of experience needed to progress through the previous expansion's content by 20 percent. Good news for all of you who were dreading the slog through Northrend one more time on your new patch 4.0.3a race/class combos! 4.0.3a: What is in it, what is not. Good thread, Sammew. Aside from content, also included in the upcoming patch are several class balance changes and bug fixes. Due to several talent revisions for select classes, druids, paladins, priests, and shaman will have their talent trees reset. Experience required to gain levels 71 through 80 is being reduced by 20%. You'll also get the Cataclysm introductory cinematic and new login screen. source 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.
The evolution of zerg dungeon farming
When one considers how dungeons and heroic dungeons will work in Cataclysm, one of the first elements to consider is the way that dungeons have functioned since World of Warcraft's release. I find it illuminating to consider that one of the most complained-about aspects of dungeon running in Wrath of the Lich King seems to my eyes to be a consequence of a successful series of design changes. We've all heard the complaints about groups treating the dungeons and heroics of the Wrath era as chores, five- to 15-minute frenzied runs through the place, annihilating everything in the path of five silent, grim harbingers of death. No nuance, no subtlety, and no strategy. Crowd control? Crowds are controlled by their own grim, horrible demises. When considered in this light, these dungeons seem less like adventures and more like unfortunate victims of beings who invade and despoil. However, the reason for this is fairly simple. In Wrath, dungeons have been wildly successful at two very difficult tasks.
Daily quest gold rewards slashed
Though we're not quite sure why, gold rewards for daily quests have been cut by 50 percent or more across the board. The 7g40s total we're getting now for level 80 dailies is roughly what we would be getting for completing the quests were we not level-capped, so it's possible that all of the patch 4.0.3 goings-on accidentally flipped some invisible switch saying "all them guys is under the level cap now." But we have no idea! In the meantime, your pre-Cataclysm daily quest farming income has been cleft in twain. You'll probably be forced into a life of crime just to make ends meet, but it's not your fault. The recession hit us all pretty hard. UPDATE: Now we're sure why! Blizzard says it's a bug. Thanks, commenters!
Curse of the Worgen #1 on sale now online and at comic stores
The World of Warcraft comic series is back with Curse of the Worgen #1, on sale today at your favorite comic book shop and online. The story follows a detective in Gilneas investigating a series of monstrous murders. The comic's first issue is just in time for Cataclysm, and if you're a fan of the worgen, the World of Warcraft comics, and everything in between, this looks like a fun pickup. 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.
Patch 4.0.3a, The Shattering, is up on the PTR
Deathwing returns on the public test realm as patch 4.0.3a, "The Shattering" that will change Azeroth forever, is live on the PTR and labeled as "release." With great knowledge such as this comes great speculation -- when will The Shattering arrive? It is entirely possible that The Shattering could take place next Tuesday the 23rd, as Blizzard has said that the time between events and phases in the elemental invasion are progressing at a faster pace. Another option is that The Shattering will take place one week before Cataclysm's launch, on the 30th, giving players one full week to experience the new content, race/class combos, and new world. We can only wait and hope that this day comes sooner than later. My undead hunter and troll druid are itching to be made. 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.
The Queue: I am serious about that last question
Welcome back to The Queue, the daily Q&A column in which the WoW Insider team answers your questions about the World of Warcraft. Alex Ziebart will be your host today. The Queue is as good a place as any to solicit feedback, right? Sure, why not! Readers, in addition to whatever questions you might have for us to tackle, we would appreciate any suggestions or recommendations for Cataclysm content you'd like to see either before or during the expansion's launch. Is there anything you're dying to know? Something you just don't feel prepared for the expansion without? We'd love to hear it! Now, to the Q&A! JoJa asked: I have a trio of level 80 characters decked out in a mix of ICC, TOC, and badge gear. I've recently returned to playing a favorite alt, however, and I'm thinking about making it my main in Cataclysm. I keep reading about how hard the mobs hit in the leveling zones of Cataclysm. Will I be able to take my alt in a mix of quest greens and dungeon blues directly to the first Cataclysm starting zone? Or will I have to grind for iLevel 232 badge gear just to stay alive in the new zones? Hyjal and Vashj'ir aren't too bad as far as damage is concerned. You don't start getting your face rocked off until Deepholm. Taking Wrath greens into the two starting zones won't be an issue at all. You'll replace all of your Wrath greens with Cataclysm greens before you're done with them, and then you'll be prepared for Deepholm.
Cataclysm dev chat on Best Buy forums this Thursday
Want to ask Tom Chilton and J. Allen Brack questions about Cataclysm? Well, you can, this Thursday on the Best Buy gaming forums. Straight from Best Buy: This Thursday, Nov 18 at 4pm Pacific (12am GMT) Best Buy is hosting a live chatroom Q&A with Blizzard's Tom Chilton (Game Director) and J. Allen Brack (Production Director) about World of Warcraft: Cataclysm. The event is open to the public but is limited to 500 participants. The chatroom will be hosted on the Best Buy Forums here: http://bbyurl.us/CataclysmCHAT. A forum account is required to participate. If you don't make it in under the 500-user limit, check out the overflow broadcast on Ustream: http://ustream.tv/channel/wowdevchat Might be a good time to ask about your pet issue, like worgen females, ret paladin DPS, or cosmetic slots. 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.
Blizzard releases new Cataclysm preview: Tol Barad
Blizzard has released another zone preview -- this time, it's the world PvP zone of Tol Barad, otherwise known as Cataclysm's Wintergrasp. Located off the coast of the Eastern Kingdoms, Tol Barad is a strategic point for both Alliance and Horde, making it a highly sought-after piece of property. Some highlights from the preview: Tol Barad is not only an open PvP zone; it's also a daily quest hub. Unlike Wintergrasp, Tol Barad won't have a Tenacity mechanic. Instead, players will be matched up at a 1:1 ratio, with a maximum of 80 players allowed in the zone. Much like Eye of the Storm, players will have to claim three keeps around the zone. Unlike Eye, if a player dies while defending a tower, that will directly affect the slider bar, moving it in favor of the opposing faction. So stay alive! Winning Tol Barad opens a raid, just like Wintergrasp. The Tol Barad raid takes place in Baradin Hold. And of course there are reputation rewards, including two brand new mounts with a ghostly look. Check out the full post by Zarhym for more details, screenshots and information -- and check out our gallery of Tol Barad, below, for a closer look at the new zone. %Gallery-99428% 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.
Totem Talk: Restoration's Cataclysm alchemical consumables
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. With Cataclysm fast approaching and a ton of questions to be answered, last week we held a bit of a question and answer. Reader questions came in about anything and everything, and for those I couldn't answer in the post, I tried to make sure they received an email. One question I kept receiving through email since last week is in regards to our professions -- specifically, what alchemical consumables we will be using at level 85. I thought this week we could talk a little bit about the potions and elixirs from alchemy that I've been finding useful in Cataclysm. There are always a ton of choices whenever a profession gets an upgrade, so what concoctions do we get to toss down the hatch while the world splinters apart?
Patch 4.0.3 released, no patch notes, no game changes yet
Patch 4.0.3 has been released and is available for download through the launcher. The patch is about 700MB and prepares World of Warcraft for patch 4.0.3a, The Shattering. At this time, we do not have updated patch notes, but will be updating with them as soon as they become available. Here is what you need to know, in handy bullet-point format. Patch 4.0.3 is available for download. The patch is about 700MB. Zones and the world are not changing with this patch. No new race/class combos become active with this patch. This patch is preparing for patch 4.0.3a, The Shattering, which still does not have a release date, but is expected soon. Deathy, the BlizzCon 2010 exclusive pet, will have his correct animations and emotes. 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.