Overview
Cataclysm is the third expansion. It was announced at BlizzCon 2009 on August 21, 2009 and released on December 7, 2010, the first time a digital download edition was offered on launch day. The corrupted Dragon Aspect Deathwing, once Neltharion the Earth-Warder, bursts out of Deepholm, the elemental plane of earth, and his return tears the world apart.
Instead of a new continent, the expansion goes back to Kalimdor and the Eastern Kingdoms. Almost every old zone was changed, giving new leveling routes, and flying mounts became usable on both old continents. It joined the base game in October 2013.
Worgen and goblins
- Worgen of Gilneas join the Alliance. They start in Gilneas (levels 1-12) and then continue in Darkshore.
- Goblins of the Bilgewater Cartel join the Horde. They start on the Isle of Kezan and then the Lost Isles before moving on to Azshara; neither island can be revisited afterwards.
- Many new race and class combinations opened for everyone in patch 4.0.3, and gnomes and Darkspear trolls got new starting areas.
New zones
The level 80-85 zones each open with their own intro quest and cutscene, and later can be reached through portals in the Earthshrines of Stormwind and Orgrimmar.
| Zone | Levels at launch | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Mount Hyjal | 80-82 | Northern Kalimdor |
| Vashj'ir | 80-82 | Under the sea west of the Eastern Kingdoms |
| Deepholm | 82-83 | Elemental plane of earth |
| Uldum | 83-84 | Southern Kalimdor desert |
| Twilight Highlands | 84-85 | Khaz Modan, Eastern Kingdoms |
| Tol Barad | 85 | Island off Lordaeron; PvP zone and daily quest hub |
| Molten Front (patch 4.2) | 85 | Inside the Firelands, reached from Mount Hyjal |
Dungeons and raids
Launch brought seven new dungeons with Heroic modes at level 85 (including Blackrock Caverns, Throne of the Tides, The Stonecore, Halls of Origination and Grim Batol), plus level 85 Heroic versions of the Deadmines and Shadowfang Keep. Zul'Gurub and Zul'Aman returned as Heroic five-player dungeons in patch 4.1, and three Caverns of Time dungeons came in 4.3.
| Raid | Main foe | When |
|---|---|---|
| Blackwing Descent | Nefarian | Launch |
| Bastion of Twilight | Cho'gall | Launch |
| Throne of the Four Winds | Al'Akir | Launch |
| Baradin Hold (for the faction holding Tol Barad) | One boss at first, more added later | Launch |
| Firelands | Ragnaros | Patch 4.2 |
| Dragon Soul | Deathwing | Patch 4.3 |
Systems and PvP
- New secondary profession: Archaeology. All professions could reach skill 525.
- Reforging (since removed) let you turn part of one secondary stat on an item into another, and the mastery stat was added.
- Talent trees were cut down to 31 points, with a main tree chosen at level 10; Guilds and Communities got levels, achievements and rewards.
- Currencies were merged into Justice and Valor Points for PvE and Honor and Conquest Points for PvP.
- PvP: Tol Barad mixes outdoor PvP with daily quests, and two new Battlegrounds arrived, the Battle for Gilneas and Twin Peaks; both joined the new rated battleground pool.
Sources
Game pictures: © Blizzard Entertainment · worldofwarcraft.blizzard.com
