World of Warcraft: Cataclysm FAQ
How did you decide upon the two new playable races, worgen and goblin?
The community has been requesting to play as the goblins for quite some time
now, and we wanted to stick with at least one race that players were very
familiar with. This expansion was the perfect time to bring the goblins to the
forefront and offer more insight into their past, since the catastrophic events
of the expansion really hit close to home.
As for the worgen, players have been hoping to be able to learn more about them since Silverpine Forest. This is a great opportunity to explore their lore and the mysteries of the Greymane Wall. The worgen are an aggressive and beastly race, which is something you see often among the Horde races, but is unique among the Alliance races.
Will the two new races have all-new starting experiences?
Yes, we are creating all-new level 1 to 15 starting zones for both races.
Players will start their adventures with the worgen in Gilneas, which was sealed
off behind the Greymane Wall. Goblin players will start on the Isle of Kezan and
then head to the Lost Isles in the South Seas before joining the mainland. Each
starting experience will be presented in a fashion similar to the death knight
starting area in Wrath of the Lich King, and these starting zones will make
extensive use of our new phased-terrain technology.
Which classic zones have been overhauled? What are some examples of
changes?
Nearly all of the game’s original zones are being altered to some degree,
but the extent of the changes varies by zone. For example, Darkshore is flooded
and has been completely redesigned with all new quest hubs. The Barrens have
been split in two; one half is for low-level players and the other is for
higher-level players. Azshara is now a low-level zone for Horde players and
connects directly to Orgrimmar.
Is another Hero class being added to the game?
We are not planning to add a new Hero class in World of Warcraft: Cataclysm.
For this expansion, it was more appropriate to focus on the two new races, the
goblins and worgen. We never intended to include a Hero class in every
expansion. As you saw with death knights, adding a new class changes the
dynamics of the game dramatically, which is not something we want to do in every
expansion. We still have plans to introduce new Hero classes in the future.
Will I will be able to use my flying mount in the redesigned Eastern
Kingdoms and Kalimdor?
Yes. While the original Eastern Kingdoms and Kalimdor weren’t designed for
flying mounts, we’re redesigning the continents with flying mounts in mind.
However, we’re still determining whether there will be any restrictions on where
you will be able to fly, at what level flying will become available, or whether
you’ll need to do anything to unlock it. We’ll share more details about this in
the future.
Will I need the expansion to be able to experience the Cataclysm changes?
When the Cataclysm occurs, it will occur for all players, whether they have
purchased the expansion or not--you will no longer be to play in the original
version of Kalimdor or the Eastern Kingdoms. However, certain features such as
the new zones, new races, and new level cap will only be accessible to players
who purchase the expansion.
Will “phasing” be used more extensively in World of Warcraft: Cataclysm?
Yes. We’ve come up with a number of new, cool ways to using phasing since we
introduced it in Wrath of the Lich King, and plan to use it more extensively to
change the world as players progress. We are also now able to phase terrain,
which players will see in the starting areas for the goblins and worgen. We’re
also adding some UI improvements to help determine when another player is in a
different “phase” from you.
Will there be any updates to the graphics and changes to the minimum
system requirements?
Yes, there will be incremental tweaks and updates to the graphics engine in
this expansion. For example, we’ve made improvements to the way that water is
rendered. We’ll announce the exact system requirements closer to the expansion’s
release.