Project Lore

And when I say "Project Lore," I really mean "myself." I don't want to speak for the rest of my fellow bloggers, but I made a great number of predictions in my series of Cataclysm Countdown articles, leading up to the events this weekend. While I still maintain that most of them were logical considering what we knew at the time, Blizzard threw a major curveball that negated many of my initial preconceptions. Lore Malfurion Stormrage, Lord of the Druids A lot of people predicted that Queen Azshara would be the big baddie, the number one villain, of Cataclysm. But she was rarely referenced in any of the panels, and was all but missing from the expansion's reveal. At first, I believed that she might be brought into the story as Cataclysm rolls along. Maybe you'd defeat Deathwing after the first patch or something, and then Azshara would rise from the depths, ready to challenge players in the wake of the Black Dragon Aspect's demise. But through all of the live feed interviews and panel Q&As, it's been brought to light that they have no plans at all for Azshara or the Maelstrom to be included in this expansion. The best we can hope for, it seems, are a few related story elements revealed in the Vashj'ir zone. Other lore elements, such as Thrall becoming the next Guardian of Tirisfal or Cairne Bloodhoof being framed for betrayal, were completely side-stepped. I'm not sure anybody even bothered to ask during the Q&A sessions. However, a few revealed plot details do cooberate these ideas. Malfurion, who is supposed to be key in turning Thrall into the next Guardian, has indeed returned from the Emerald Dream to defend the World Tree from Ragnaros, and it was also mentioned that Garrosh is the one behind the changes to Orgrimmar (Dark Iron reinforcements) and the creation of a new Horde base near Darkshore. They stopped short of calling him the new Warchief , but clearly, he is privy to some power and influence that he didn't have before. Azeroth Remade Oh yes, the old Azeroth is gone, but not quite in the way we expected it to be. Once again, the supposed inclusion of Azshara implied something happening with the Maelstrom, and a water-related apocalypse. We've yet to see how Deathwing's explosion into the world has affected every zone (my guess is that Blizzard has shown those that are farther along like The Barrens and Darkshore), but we do know that lava, fire, and large gutters literally burned into the earth feature far more prominently than any sort of flooding. And in places where water has affected the environment (Desolace), it seems more like a positive change. Likewise, if the world map used to display the new zones is any indication, we will not be seeing any large, sweeping changes to the coastline. In some places, there may be light flooding, or new estuaries formed as the ocean fills in ancient rivers, but we have not seen anything on the scale of Swamp of Sorrows being completely washed away or Durotar being destroyed. Then again, there is still plenty of time for things to change, and as development progresses, we may still see several classic zones undergo similarly drastic transformations. New Zones I sincerely thought that we'd see a lot of the South Seas and the Maelstrom open up with the expansion, but with Azshara being nixed, that no longer seems to be the case. The two zones which represent the area, The Lost Isles and Vashj'ir, are both completely new, previously unrevealed in the lore. It is reported that Kezan will make a brief appearance (I'm guessing in the 1-5 level Goblin content, before they are forced to flee), but that's about it. Instead, we received a rather large surprise. To supplement the opening of previously closed mainland zones like Uldum and the area near Grim Batol (now the Twlight Highlands), we're also getting access to the Elemental Planes. These were long supposed to comprise an expansion all their own, and while it's slightly disappointing that we'll only be able to see small parts of them (aside from Deepholm, which we'll get to see all of), they are an exciting and interesting addition. My biggest disappointment? Probably the distinct lack of anything related to Trolls! I suppose there's always a chance that Zandalar could show up in a content patch somewhere down the road. Kul Tiras was missing, too. Mention of the Alliance nation was nowhere to be seen, but the prison in the new PvP/daily zone Tol Barad was reportedly built by then. That's something, I guess. Raids The first article in my Cataclysm Countdown series dealt with potential raid content. I proposed six different raid zones: Nazjatar, The Rift, Zandalar, Grim Batol, CoT: War of the Ancients, and Blackrock Mountain. Without the Maelstrom, those first two are completely out. Zandalar, as I've already said, I lament the exclusion of. And the War of the Ancients is no longer as integral to the expansion's story as it would've been (though Deathwing still played his part). That leaves Grim Batol and Blackrock Mountain (specifically, Blackwing Descent). I suppose one-third of my predictions isn't too bad in the grand scheme of thing, and I nailed two of the four raids. Right? Right? Blackwing Descent 2D Concept I'm also glad that we got to hear some details about Icecrown Citadel, something I was afraid might get completely overshadowed by the expansion announcement. PvP Now I was way, way off here. I anticipated all sorts of new PvP options to be implemented with the expansion, but it seems that Blizzard is largely content to stick to their roots. We get a new Wintergrasp-style area (Tol Barad, complete with Vault of Archavon-style raid instance) and the promise of three new Battlegrounds. The first of which will be the Battle for Gilneas, a fight for control of the capital city's various districts. Though I cited Hillsbrad as the primary area of contention, it's nice to know that I wasn't completely off when I said that the Forsaken would be causing havoc in the area. The only other revelations we saw at the convention were the promise of new arena maps and ranked Battlegrounds. I suppose this is something we'll be hearing a lot more about down the road. The Right of Wrong My final article laid out several rumors to be wary of going into BlizzCon, and I think I scored on every one of those. The oft-cited list of expansion zone sets was completely disproved. Just like my own predictions, it's easy to assume what zones might be included when you think you know what the next expansion is about. Both "The List" and I considered the whole of the South Seas fair game, but that was when we all thought Cataclysm was simply code for the Maelstrom. Then there was Cataclysm's release date. As expected, no specific date was given, but it was made clear that StarCraft 2 was their first priority for 2010. Nonetheless, while Blizzard CEO Mike Morhaime tried his best to side-step saying anything definitive, he couldn't deny that they were, indeed, targeting two releases for next year. Finally, we got confirmation on the status of the old Azeroth. It's gone. For good. Finito. You'll never be able to go back and, no, the new version of the world won't simply be phased over it. There is one, single Azeroth. But phasing will still be used extensively. Perhaps even more exciting is that Blizz has figured out how to phase terrain, something previously said to be a limitation. This means that phasing can make the play experience even more dynamic. I questioned the Globes of Ulduar and came away with a win. The artwork included in both the Ulduar raid instance and Halls of Lightning displayed a freshly sundered Azeroth, in several stages. Many of the zones have changed, but we have seen no evidence of any of them completely disappearing or being underwater. There was an awful lot of denial going around before the reveal. A lot of people read the spoilers and said that most of it couldn't be done. That Azeroth wouldn't change so drastically. That the new race/combinations were impossible because they didn't jive with the lore. Well, most of it ended up being true, proving that the developers are the true masters of their lore. But that doesn't make them appreciate their watchdog fans any less. Chris Metzen stated, in one of the live feed interviews, that there is so much lore to consider, that during heavy and rapid development, it is quite possible for them to miss inconsistencies, and that the fans do a lot to keep them in check. So that's it for BlizzCon 2009. We (I) got a few things right, and a lot of things wrong. I'm willing to admit it! In the end, I'm glad we couldn't predict everything, as that would've taken the punch out of many of the surprises they had in store. But I still hope that we end up seeing all the things I touched on somewhere down the line. For now, it seems like Blizzard has their hands full implementing all of the content they revealed over the past few days! As usual, keep your eyes on Project Lore. After all, the more you know, the more questions you have. And the more questions you have, the more they consume your mind. We are in for another good year of speculation!

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In case you missed it the first time, Onyxia, the fearsome black dragon that was among many people's first introduction to raiding, will be re-released in patch 3.2.2 as a 10-man and 25-man level 80 instance. The encounter will be slightly modified to be put on par with the difficulty of recent raids. The 40-man level 60 version will no longer be accessible. Perhaps the best part of this are the new rewards. Anyone who logs in (within a three week time frame) for WoW's 5th anniversary will get an Onyxia Whelpling pet, likely BoA like the Baby Blizzard Bear from last year's anniversary. The pet attempts to Deep Breath occasionally, but usually fails and blows out smoke rings. The loot table from Onyxia includes the following:

• A 310% movement speed mount modeled after Onyxia called an Onyxia Broodling.
• Re-tuned items with similar skins to original gear, including the tier 2 helms.

Zarhym broke the news earlier this month with the following post:

She has lurked in her lair and done battle with the many brave adventurers who travelled to that familiar location over the years. Now, in honor of the World of Warcraft 5-year anniversary, the dreaded brood mother Onyxia is being revamped to make a return to the forefront of Azeroth, as part of our big plans for the upcoming 3.2.2 content patch. This permanent update to Onyxia will convert the dungeon into 10- and 25-player modes. We will be adding new items to Onyxia’s loot table that have the same model as some of the classic loot from this dungeon, like Tier 2 helms, with stats updated to match the current level of content. There will be a special new item too: a normal drake-sized 310% speed flying mount modeled after Onyxia herself called an Onyxia Broodling. We will also be updating the encounter mechanics to be more fitting for modern raiding, but we can guarantee players will get to experience the frightening horror of deep breaths once again. Then for a limited time, after the 5-year anniversary event officially begins in November, anybody who logs in will receive an Onyxia Brood Whelpling pet. We’re very excited to bring this classic encounter back to provide a fun new experience for both new and veteran players. Further details will be available in the near future, and we will be setting up the Public Test Realms soon to help test out this fight along with all the new content we have planned for the patch. Keep an eye on the forums for updates!

Deep Breath will be more random, and there will be lots of whelps. We will also need more DoTs. Check out the awesome mount you have a chance at:

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Welcome to day 2 of Project Lore's Blizzcon coverage! Unfortunately, the WoW panels this morning were not featured on the live stream, so we were unable to report on them live. However, here are some of the highlights from the panels: WoW Q&A:

• There will be more class-related hubs like Moonglade in Cataclysm, and it will be "MEGA".
• Phasing, especially with terrain phasing, will be somewhat backwards-sharable so you can help your friends or bring them into your phase.
• Probably still a limit of 10 characters per server in Cataclysm. The number of players with 10 characters on a server is still very small.
• Onyxia's level 60 version will no longer be accessible in patch 3.2.2. However, in Cataclysm, they want a lot of old content to still be accessible.
• Night Elf mages were controversial, but they like the idea of bringing in "fringe groups". It will be cool to be this Highbourne elf from 10,000 years ago.
• Thrall, as a shaman, is doing something new in Cataclysm.
• Hunters and Enhancement Shaman will share little gear in Cataclysm.
• Trolls and Worgen will get unique Druid forms.
• Although Armor Penetration will no longer be on gear, the concept will remain in the game to even out PvP for plate wearers, probably through talents.
• Guilds will be able to "craft heirlooms", for the entire guild, any slot. They will scale with level.
• Old world factions will become more relevant.
• Assassination might get buffed in 3.2.2 (woo-hoo!)
• Same-faction race changes will happen in the future.
• "Frostmourne has a.... unique fate. The encounter is going to be mega. Keep your hats on."
• Blood Elf/Draeni starting areas less affected by the Cataclysm.
• Battlegrounds experience will be tweaked. Alterac Valley XP is really high relatively and too easy to "leech"
• Racials will be revisited.
• New dances and dance studios are being developed actively.
• Northrend will be less impacted by the Cataclysm. Outland will be nigh unaffected, but it will have Archaeology implemented.

WoW Game Systems Panel: Rated Battlegrounds:

• Rated Battlegrounds will award arena points.
• Every week will feature a battleground. It will align with the weekend holiday battleground.
• It works like arena; if you win a battleground, you gain rating and arena points. The number of arena points you can get from rated battlegrounds is related to your rating from the previous week so it doesn't encourage grinding.
• If you lose a a battleground, you do not lose rating. This is to prevent the unlucky loss/group from affecting your rating.
• This system will reward ranks like the old honor system and will have seasons. Titles are awarded at the end of the season based on player ratings.
• Rated battlegrounds will have unique rewards like epic ground mounts and Guild Achievements and Guild Experience out of it.

Tol Barad:

• Tol Barad is an outdoor PvP zone like Wintergrasp and plays similar to Isle of Conquest.
• It will probably be south of Hillsbrad.
• There will be a limit on the number of players in the zone during battles, like Wintergrasp.
• There will be control points and whichever side captures them all first controls the zone for awhile.
• There is an instance that can only be entered when your faction controls Tol Barad
• The controlling faction will have access to additional daily quests. Regardless, both factions will use it as a major daily quest hub.
• There will be Tol Barad marks of honor.

Guild Advancement

• They want players to be in guilds to progress with their friends and other players.
• There will be guild experience that will be gained by doing different tasks and achievements.
• There will be 20 guild levels.
• Examples of ways to gain guild experience is killing a raid boss, fighting in rated battegrounds, arenas, leveling professions, and gaining reputation ranks.
• In order for a guild to get credit for a boss kill, you need 75% of the raid members to be in the guild.
• Every time your guild gains a level, the guild gains some talent points. There are guild talent trees that apply to everyone in the guild.
• Some example of talents include reduced repair costs, mass resurrections after wipes, removal of reagents for raid buffs, et cetera.
• One talent increases the gold drop from monsters, another summons the entire raid.
• Guilds can respec for a price.
• Guild experience is converted into some sort of guild currency. These can be used to buy things like guild battle standards and new "bind to guild" items like heirlooms, mounts, etc.
• If someone leaves the guild, the stuff they got from the guild's achievements gets returned to the guild bank.
• Guild currency can be used to buy replacements for reagents. For example, instead of using standard herbs for flasks, you can buy replacement reagents with guild currency.
• Guild Achievements will be like player achievements. Examples include having a legendary weapon in the guild, having grand masters in every profession, et cetera.
• There will be a "guild news feed" and the Armory will get some RSS support!
• You will be able to browse your guildmate's professions much easier. The guild UI will be completely redone, search-able, and filter-able.
• The extra gold from talents that players loot will go into the guild bank.

Mastery

• Talents will be less about "+x to stats" and more cool things you want to do, like abilities or effects.
• The more points you put into a tree, the more stats you get related to that spec. For example, Rogues will ge tMelee Damage, Hit Chance, and Armor Penetration in the combat tree, while Subtlety will see more Melee Damage, melee Haste, and Energy Regeneration .
• Mastery will be a new itemized stat that will increase the gains that you get from talents. Thus, gear will be useful for more specs and classes more easily.

Path of the Titans

• Path of the Titans will be how your character progresses when they are at max level.
• The main reward of the Path of the Titans will be the "Ancient Glyph", unrelated to Inscription.
• These paths will have you align with a different Titan cult. These are not class specific.
• Rewards are glyphs, vanity pets, and other such things.

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The first day of BlizzCon, as you have seen from numerous news coming out here at Project Lore, was an amazing time with a cataclysm of news (ba-dump-shh). Some of you may also be living it up at the convention, some are undoubtedly watching the organized chaos unfold from pay per view at home, and others of you surely have been refreshing your browsers as news comes out for you to soak up. So what about the other, fan-centered aspects of BlizzCon, beyond the news? Yes, I'm talking about contests. Costumes, sound-a-likes, dances, fan-art, songs and videos - all were showcased at the close of BlizzCon day 1. And although all the news has got my heart pumping in anticipation, I think the contests have been my favorite part so far. It's the first BlizzCon I've attended, or really even followed that closely. As iTZKooPA's photos showed, the halls are packed with a whopping 26,000 in attendance. And I don't want to play down the sheer amount of fun that being here has been so far, but the experience has been overwhelming at times. I found myself in a sea of other spectators, frequently lost and sore from carrying a ton of swag around because I didn't want to take the long hike back to the car. Not to mention the somewhat staggering nature of LA alone, for us non-locals. The contest was a time to sit back and marvel at the lengths some fans will go to show their dedication. Jay Mohr led the competitions with constant, expertly delivered comic relief (which is apparent by my constant laughter in the videos). As with previous years, we saw a hodge-podge of the good, the bad and the ugly. Costume-wise, I was smitten with interpretations of Queen Alexstrasza, several succubi and Lady Sylvanas Windrunner. And somewhat frightened, but very impressed by the overall winner who donned an unbelievably intricate Diablo Mistress of Pain costume. Amazing. Then dancing and sound-a-likes ensued, and many impressed. My faves: a blue, costume-wearing troll female shaking her thang for the audience, a band of "ninjas" doing the infamous Napoleon Dynamite dance and a seemingly husky man who surprised everyone with his tap-dancing prowess that translated perfectly to the dwarf female's moves, and won him first place in the process. The sound-alikes also were interesting for the most part, but the panel ran long. Each contestant had 30 seconds to mimic something heard in-game. Many chose speeches that bosses give when they attack or die. Some chose side effects or emotes. And we heard a whole group of Orc peons at "work, work." Between performances, Blizzard lit up their big screens with images of  the winning fan-art, and videos, and turned up the volume for excerpts from the winning original songs. I must say, I nearly fell out of my seat laughing at one video about a human man begging the moon not to get full because his wife is a Worgen and would rip his guts out. And again at an epic video about a player whose alt gets ganked over and over again. Finally, he gets his main and is ready to kick ass as he heads to confront the ganker. Then, a rogue unstealths and the pair team up to kill him again anyway. Loved it. Anyhow, who else here gets revved up by fan contests? How'd you feel about the costume winners? I'm curious how many of you would be brave enough to strip down and dance in front of tens of thousands of people watching (many with video cams) ? Personally, I've been known to enjoy costuming from time to time. But hell if I'd ever do a dance on stage! ...Now get pumped for Day 2!

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Archaeology is, in fact, not a primary profession, but a secondary skill, like fishing, first aid, and cooking. All characters can learn it, and use it to advance down the "Path of the Titans", which is a new type of character progression, like talent trees. There are nodes in the world that players gather from in order to write "Archaeology Notes". Once you gather enough of certain types of these, you can use them to perform "research", which allows them to choose different "paths" to go down. These paths are not class-specific, so players of the same class can theoretically go down the same path. The research is described as a "mini-game" that allows you to pick from different paths. The rewards include more glyph slots, profession plans, and more. These paths are designed to be an additional way to progress your character after you reach level 85. It's unclear how this is related to the physical Path of the Titans in Northrend. Mastery is a concept that borrows heavily from Warhammer. Players will gain 5 new talent points to spend as they level from 80 to 85, but there will not be 5 new talents added to each tree. You will invest these into existing talents, which will likely be reworked going into Cataclysm. However, with the advent of Mastery, players who invest heavily into one tree will gain special abilities, regardless of where they are placed in the trees. Blizzard hopes this adds to character customization and adds flexibility to the trees. For example, if you are a Shaman and you have 51 points in Restoration, you might get a bunch of bonuses to your healing. However, if you go back and put 55 points in Restoration, you might get a large buff to your healing. This could include visual effects, buffs to your stats, or other benefits. A lot of mystery still surrounds this feature, so we will see how it unfolds. Professions will likely gain more levels. While traditionally 75 skill points correspond to 10 levels, we still might see an additional 75 skill points.

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The newest addition to the Alliance is indeed the Worgen. The kingdom of Gilneas assisted the Alliance during the Second War. However, going into the Third War, Gilneas realized that there was little the Alliance to provide to them, and they were just fine governing themselves behind the impenetrable Greymane Wall. The curse of the Worgen began to spread, perhaps because of the Scythe of Elune. Regardless, Archmage Arugal of Dalaran became fascinated with these creatures and retreated into Shadowfang Keep to study them. They were great weapons for him in fighting back the Scourge during the Third War. The curse of the Worgen, however, is infectious, and it quickly spread and reached the nearby kingdom of Gilneas. The Gilneans, being confined to their kingdom, quickly fell to the curse. Civil war broke out, and their kingdom became ravaged. The Gilneans have managed to control their curse somewhat and seem to able to transform between Worgen and Human forms. The Cataclysm has been disastrous to them, and the Greymane Wall has been destroyed. Gilneas shares a border only with Silverpine Forest, which controlled by the Forsaken. The Forsaken push southward into their kingdom, and the night elves came to their rescue, perhaps with a sense of responsibly regarding the Scythe of Elune. Now, the Worgen fight along side the Alliance. The exact story behind the Scythe and the Worgen's origins remain unclear, but I'm sure the story behind the Worgen's origins will slowly be uncovered. The worgen racials include +1% damage, 70% run speed for 10 seconds, duration of curses and diseases reduced by 15%, and skinning skill increased by 15. They also don't need a skinning knife! Worgen can play as Death Knights (likely starting in Ebon Hold, and likely the coolest thing ever to grace WoW), Druids, Hunters, Mages, Priests, Rogues, Warlocks, and Warriors.

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The Goblins of Kezan are the newest addition to the Horde. The Steamwheedle Cartel remains neutral, but this specific faction of goblins have joined the Horde out of necessity. Their homeland has heavily affected by the Cataclysm, and Mount Kajaro has become a dangerous volcano. The Goblins were originally enslaved by trolls to mine from the mountain of Kajaro in Kezan for the powerful kaja'mite ore that the trolls used in their rituals. The effects of the ore caused the goblins to grow cunning and develop skills in engineering and alchemy, and they overthrew the trolls and claimed the mines of Kajaro as their capital, the Undermine. The goblins' cunning quickly taught them that a profit could be made from their skills, and Trade Princes arose as the ruling caste of the goblins. They reached out to the Horde during the second war and served them at a high price with their technology. After the Horde lost the second war, the goblins realized they would be able to profit greatly by serving both sides during war, and did so during the third war. Kezan became a busy port. However, the recent Cataclysm turned their island into a dangerous volcano, and they fled. The trade princes found it profitable to evacuate the panicked goblins, and many goblins lost their entire life savings to save their own lives. Many were sold into slavery to get the money to evacuate, and the trade princes flourished. That is, until, they got caught in the Horde/Alliance crossfire. After a goblin fleet with a group of goblins called the Bilgewater was destroyed during a dogfight between Alliance and Horde ships, they washed up on the dangerous Lost Isles. They return to the Horde, as they find themselves at odds with the Alliance and easily rekindle old relations. Goblins can play as Death Knights (probably starting in Ebon Hold like the others), hunters, mages, priest, rogues, shaman, warlocks, and warriors. Goblin's faction mount will be a roadster-like car. It looks like a go-kart. One of their racials is a rocket-belt that allows goblins to thrust forward, like Blink or a forward disengage. Goblins start out in the Lost Isles and level to 15 there. They then move into Azshara, which is now a low level zone. The goblins have excavated the cliffs and claimed it for their own, building a town in the cliffs. They have also completely ravaged the Stonetalon Mountains.

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Fresh from Blizzcon, we have some news about new high level zones that will carry you up to the new level cap of 85. First up, we have the Elemental Planes. The Titans originally banished the Elementals to the four Elemental Planes. With Deathwing's entry into Azeroth from the Elemental Plane of Earth, the world has been shattered. Additionally, many of the barriers between the Elemental Planes and Azeroth have fallen, allowing Elementals to storm into the world to war with each other and mortals, and players can enter these planes at high levels as well. Deepholme is the name of the Elemental Plane of Earth. It is "the new Dragonblight", and there are some sort of portals there to travel to all the major zones in Cataclysm. Players will have the choice to go into either Hyjal or Sunken City of Vashj'ir. From here, you can flow right into Deepholme. Hyjal is under siege by Ragnaros. While players banished him back to the Plane of Fire in the Molten Core, he has broken unto the world again. He seeks to destroy the World Tree as revenge. Malfurion is back to defend it, and players will be taking part in this epic battle. Uldum is the next zone that players will naturally flow into after leaving Hyjal or Vashj'ir. It is a desert land inspired by Egypt, with stone cat people. More high level zones have been opened such as The Twilight Highlands including Grim Batol (in eastern Wetlands). The new starting zones, The Lost Isles (Goblin) and Gilneas (Worgen) also seem very exciting. Additionally, Blizzard claims that there will be more raid content in this expansion than in any other expansion, and they will continue the hard mode tradition. There will be raids in Blackrock Caverns, Uldum, Grim Batol, Skywall, and The Firelands. Heroic versions of Shadowfang Keep and Deadmines will be available as 5 mans.

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We're back for the Preview Panel! Amatera will be hosting. 12:32: The panelists are being introduced. A huge portrait of Deathwing was on the screen. 12:34: Talk of how they approached Lich King, with Arthas confronting you throughout the expansion. 12:35: Deathwing was originally supposed to be the protector of the earth. Metzen is mostly talking about his background right now, much of which can be perused by going to Deathwing's WoWWiki entry. 12:38: "[Deathwing's] a nutcase." The corrupting power of the Old Gods has gotten worse, so he's essentially more insane than before. Deathwing has awoken from the earthen elemental plane, Deephome, and his "explosion" into the world is what causes the cataclysm. All manner of destructive forces have reshaped Azeroth. No corner has been left untouched (except, Metzen jokes, Westfall). 12:40: Deathwing's emergence has also "brought up" the other elemental planes. We will be visiting them. 12:41: Concept art is being shown on the screen. Now onto Worgen. 12:42: They wanted to have a more "monstrous" race for the Alliance (much like they wanted the Horde to have a "prettier" race with the Blood Elves). 12:43: The "Worgen Curse" afflicted Gilneas much like the Scourge did the rest of the world. 12:44: The question: "Are the Worgen from somewhere else or somewhen else?" They're kind of like the "Wolverine of the Alliance" in terms of personality and fighting strength. 12:45: On the show floor, you'll start at Level 6 for the Worgen and Goblins, so that they can preserve the surprises found in the Level 1-5 content of the starting zones. 12:46: On to Goblins. The ones you play as (the ones that are part of the Horde), are only a certain faction of the race. Their starting area is the Lost Isles, off the coast of Kalimdor, between Azshara and Durotar. There will be Wrathgate-style cinematics for both the Goblins and Worgen. 12:47: The specific faction of Goblins: Bilgewater Cartel. 12:49: Dark days ahead. Horde likely impacted more than Alliance, will need "comic relief" (aka little green guys). The Goblin mount is a sweet-looking race car. 12:50: Portrait of Thrall and Cairne rescuing Horde babies after the upheaval. Metzen says there are tsunamis, tidal waves, volcanic trenches, neverending storms, etc. 12:51: Arthas' will "get what's coming to him," but it leaves both the Alliance and Horde drained, which causes extra stress during the events of the Cataclysm. 12:52: After allowing the Alliance and Horde to work together during Burning Crusade, they decided they wanted to bring the element of war back into the universe. Wrath was all about ramping that up. Orgrimmar NOT shown as destroyed, but as being reinforced by dark iron. Onto the new features. 12:54: Level 85 is the confirmed cap. A lot of effort went into redoing 1-60 zones, but they also wanted to bring in more end-game content than ever before. 12:54: Worgen will have "Dark Flight," sort of like a Sprint ability. They show a Worgen dressed in battle armor (in-game), looks badass. Worgens won't be Paladins or Priests. All other classes open currently. 12:55: Goblins will have "Rocket Belts." These can be offensive, but also defensive. You can "disengage" from battle by rocketing forward, sort of like Blink. Most of these things will be detailed in the Class Panel. 12:58: 7 NEW zones, in addition to reworked content. Hyjal. Uldum. Lost Isles. Gilneas. Vashj'ir (new underwater sunken city). Twilight Highlands (around Grim Batol). Deepholm, the Elemental Plane of Earth. Updated quests, art, and items for classic world. 1:00: Guild Advancement System - level up your guild for new perks. Will be more detailed in the Game System Panel. There will be 20 Guild levels. Advanced by doing all the usual stuff (battlegrounds, raids, dailies, etc.). There will be a guild talent tree, which will give access to things like mass resurrection, less durability loss after raids, and reduced or free repairs. 1:01: New class/race combos. Just to spite everyone, they show Tauren Paladins first (Holy Cow!). Gnome Priest. Dwarf Shaman (shown in some magma-looking armor). Now phased terrain. 1:03: The world will be able to change as you play through quest lines. Shows a coastline flooded in three distinct phases. 1:05: Archaeology. You can scout ruins for artifacts and study them. Then you take them to different factions that can help you advance along the "Path of the Titans." 1:06: You'll get 5 new talent points, but the trees will not expand (this does not mean we won't get new talents, they just won't go past the current range). Path of the Titans makes up for that. There are multiple paths, but they are not restricted to class. There will be new abilities and passive bonuses in each path. 1:06: The Mastery System will streamline the existing talent tree. They will preserve more "fun" talents, while taking basic power boosts out. Many new dungeons, creatures, quests, items, and so on. Now more detail on those parts of the game. 1:07: Each and every zone in classic Azeroth will be affected, though some clearly more than others. Five of the new zones will help you level from 78-85. The two starting zones will actually go from 1-15. Also, flight everywhere. No silly restrictions this time around. 1:10: Multiple scales of change (i.e. Elwynn might get new quests and whatnot, but Barrens will be sundered in two). New leveling paths. Examples are shown. Hillsbrad 20-25, Arathi 25-30, Hinterlands 30-35, Western Plagueland 35-40, etc. These changes are two sweeping to note right now, but Southshore is gone from Hillsbrad! 1:12: We are now looking at The Barrens. There is a gigantic, lava-filled scar down the middle. Parts of The Barrens are now regrown via the Wailing Caverns. Desolace has cracked open, bringing in water flows, which actually revitalizes nature in that area, as well. 1:14: Auberdeen in Darkshore is destroyed, the people move north to a new camp. There is a new Horde encampment on the strand near Blackfathom Deep. Stonetalon looks crazy. The Charred Vale now has lava floes running all over it. Azshara is the new Goblin 10-20 zone. The Goblins have turned the mountains into a quarry. 1:15: Undercity features new art above ground, and Stormwind as well, so they you can fly over them. Now onto the new zones. 1:15: Vashj'ir and Hyjal will be the first leveling zones and they will both flow into Deepholm. Then to Uldum, and finally Twilight Highlands. 1:17: Vashj'ir, as the name might imply, is the homeland of Lady Vashj. There will be a gateway to the Water Elemental Plane of Abyssal Maw here. 2 dungons within it. There will combat underwater, but it will feel just like doing it on land. 1:18: There will be underwater mounts, many will be normal flying mount speed. Concept art of Vashj'ir. The zone will be colorful, featuring coral reefs, kelp, Naha architecture, the usual underwater stuff. 1:20: The entrance to Deepholm will be where Deathwing exploded back into the world. The Temple of Earth will be a key area in Deepholm. You'll see the Twilight Hammer faction everywhere, since they're servants to Deathwing. Deepholm will be the biggest zone in Cataclysm. It's an interior zone, but the cave is huge, and you will be able to fly around inside of it. Deepholm will be the central hub area, and it will have portals to most of the other new zones. Deepholm looks, well... underground. There is a large crack in the ceiling, which is presumably the entrance. 1:23: Uldum will have two dungeon areas. There's a huge river running through it, with temples created by the Titans. A Titan machine has kept an illusion over the area, but the Cataclysm destroyed it, revealing the existence of the new zone. Brann Bronzebeard will, undoubtedly, be found here. Rumor is there is a super-weapon here that will figure into the quest lines. Everyone is after it. New creature race, the Tol'vir (stone, cat-like people). They were also created by the Titans. 1:24: Of course, Uldum will be part of the larger Titan storyline. Uldum looks like an ancient version of Egypt. Very desert-like, but with lush oasis-like areas. The temples looks somewhat like pyramids. 1:26: Hey, how about Hyjal? Ragnaros (!) has opened a portal from the plane of fire here and is actively assaulting the land. Cenarius and Malfurion (!) come back from the Emerald Dream to defend Hyjal and the World Tree from Ragnaros. The conflict will be key to the storyline here. Concept art shows Hyjal on fire in areas, and it is up to the players to stop it. Darkwhisper Gorge will be useful for more than just mining now. 1:28: Grim Batol is torn in half by Deathwing's power. This is currently where he resides and it is also the HQ for the Twilight's Hammer. There will be new port towns for both the Horde and Alliance in the Twilight Highlands. The Red Dragonflight will be here, but they need your help. A new Dragonflight, the Twilight Dragonflight will be introduced. This zone still needs the most work. Let's not forget about the dungeons in the Abyssal Maw, either. 1:32: The Firelands - new raid, focused on Ragnaros. Two level-up dungeons in Uldum, The Lost City of the Tol'Vir and The Halls of Origination. Blackrock Caverns, new level-up dungeon in Blackrock Spire. It is completely new, it is NOT a revamp of one of the existing dungeons in the area. Grim Batol will have a level-up dungeon and a raid. Skywall will also be a raid and a dungeon (the air elemental plane). Deadmines and Shadowfang Keep will be Level 85 Heroic dungeons. The dungeons will looks similar, but there will be new fights, new items, and so on. 1:34: They are finishing up with a PvP details now. Tol Barad is a new PvP zone, it is off the coast of the Eastern Kingdoms. There used to be a prison on the island and both the Horde and Alliance want control of it. It will be similar to Wintergrasp, but when there is no fight, it will be more similar to the Isle of Quel'Danas. Control will open up new rewards and dailies for the side that wins. There will be three new Battlegrounds throughout the expansion. The Battle of Gilneas is the first, and seems to take place in the main Gilnean city. There will be new arena maps. People who like to PvP, but hate Arena, will now be able to be rated by playing in Battlegrounds instead. 1:36 And like that, the panel is over. No time for Q&A. Open Q&A tomorrow, as well as PvP details during the Game Systems panel. Thanks for tuning in!

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Check it out the Cataclysm trailer and the new official Cataclysm page: Perhaps the biggest announcement of Blizzcon 2009 has now broken: the new World of Warcraft expansion is indeed entitled "Cataclysm". An interview with the Blizzard CEO on the live stream reports that they are aiming for a 2010 release, along with Starcraft II. We have received word that it is playable on the floor, so hopefully we hear more during the day Some disastrous event occurs that rips apart the lands. There are literally huge chasms and breaks across the land, with once flat ground becoming rubble and treacherous. It appears that a lot of progression has taken place in the world; the Horde seems to have taken much of Ashenvale, for example. As the land is destroyed, resources have become much more valuable, and the war between the Horde and Alliance has erupted. Some of the zones have somehow erupted into new life, such as Tanaris becoming a more lush zone with some oases and forests. strongly suggesting some Emerald Dream content. The Goblins of Kezan have been displaced by the Cataclysm, and they have found new allies in the Horde. The Greymane wall has fallen, and the humans there have been transformed into Worgen, although they can shift in and out of their wolf forms. The night elves, who originally summoned them with the Scythe of Elune, have reached out to them and they have joined the Alliance. In addition, with the world having been revamped, flying mounts are usable in Azeroth. Its not clear how leveling will be handled or if the world will be phased. The new level cap will be 85. A new profession, Archaeology, is implemented.

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