This is a weekly column in which I will examine issues and questions in regard to the world’s most popular (and best) MMORPG, World of WarCraft.  I’ll handle everything from issues that affect newer players or folks rolling alts, such as class and race selection, to problems or stories affecting end game players.  Hell, you’ll even find the occasional rant or reader Q&A in here, I’m sure.

Let’s start with the basics, shall we?  What does a new player or returning vet from days of old want and need to do, in order to get the most out of their playing experience?  I’ll provide a few quick tips in this first week for these people, or perhaps even for the curious Geek who has never tried an MMORPG at all.

Once you have the game purchased and installed, and your account created, the first choice you will be prompted with upon your first log-in is to choose a server.  WoW currently has 4 server types. Choose which one best suits your playstyle.

How cool are you?

• Normal – “PvE” ruleset (Players vs Environment).  On this type, you will not be flagged for player vs player combat in contested zones.  Perhaps the best server type for easily frustrated or new players.
• PvP -  “PvP” ruleset (Player vs Player).  All the same rules as a PvE server save one very important one.  Whenever you’re in a contested or neutral zone, you will be flagged for PvP combat at ALL times.
• RP – “Roleplay” ruleset.  These servers are the same as PvE, only with enforced naming rules and in-game chat enforcement.  Lots of dorks.
• RPPvP – A combination of RP and PvP rulesets.  These servers are for those who aren’t quite as dorky as RP servers.  Meaning thye MAY have seen a real boob or two.

Select your server and you’re on to one of the most important decisions OF YOUR LIFE!  What character to create.  Horde or Alliance.  We all know Horde is the best, but some people still roll Alliance.  Why?  We’re not sure.  An accident, perhaps.  A misclick.  Maybe they think better eDating on Alliance?  Who knows.  But this is where you will you will choose which character to make.  Race is not much of an issue, these days.  Pick whichever you like to look at most.  If you pick Gnome, uninstall the game.  Any other race, you proceed to class selection! (more…)

This video was what most people at WoWcon– erm.. Blizzcon were waiting for.  The confirmation of all the rampant rumors about the word “Cataclysm.”  At Blizzcon, everyone was treated to the debut trailer by Blizzard’s cinematics team.

If you’re a WoW fan and not drooling over this, well. Then you’re not really a WoW fan. Enjoy the video. And clean yourself up when you’re done watching it.

Well, not really.  But I think this is as close to the end of this world as you’ll ever see in this game.  Yes, on Friday, the opening day of Blizzcon 2009, they finally confirmed all the rumors were true.

World of Warcraft: Cataclysm is reality!

DeathWing is happy to be back, if you couldn't tell.

Well, not yet.  But it will be.  It seems we have finally pissed off and pissed on enough of the Old Gods that they’ve seen fit to unleash DeathWing into our world, forever shattering it’s geography, playing experience and allowing for a whole slew of jokes about DeathWing’s chin being a Jay Leno pop culture reference.  But seriously, I couldn’t have a bigger bag of mixed feelings about this.  Not mixed in the sense of what it will mean to gameplay and the WoW experience.  Oh, no.  Those will remain as polished and intense as we’re all used to, perhaps more-so.

My mixed feelings come in as more of a nerdy sadness.  This is our world, WoWers! Am I the only one who remembers looking at screenshots of this beautiful environment since 2001?  Of logging in for the first time in beta (Or release if you weren’t as lucky as me!) and just being stunned at the world we’d been given to take as our own?  I’m sort of sad to see it all blown to bits, or in some cases, being given life where there was none before.  I’ve spent a large chunk of my time most nights for the past 4+ years in this iteration of Azeroth.  The concept of it being shattered is only slightly less shocking than if I woke up to a river of lava destroying the corner store that has provided me with way too many Mt.Dew and Ruffles over the years – Sorry, I don’t do Cheetos.

I suppose, though, that I’m more excited than anything.  Because unlike a *real* river of lava outside my dwelling, the ones in WoW will prove to be fertile grounds for adventure, misadventure and aerial ganking! I can’t wait to explore all my previous environs, now shattered and destroyed.  I can’t wait to see these new areas I’ve been waiting to loregasm over for years now.  And most importantly, I cannot wait to see all the emo bastards leave the Horde, and go play their lycan… I mean, Worgen on the Alliance.

But how will I even worry about all these things with the sweeping changes to actual gameplay going on!  So much is changing, so much of it for the better.  A quick rundown… And I mean as quick as possible, because the new information could go on for pages and pages.

• Level cap raised to 85
• Two new races: Goblin for Horde, Worgen for Alliance
• Lots of new race/class combos.  Gnome Priest… Tauren Paladin! Join the Argent Mooooosade today, kids!
• Eastern Kingdoms and Kalimdor utterly changed forever
• ^ Flying Mounts in these new areas.  Woot. ^
• Mastery System put in place to remove bloat and un-fun from talent trees
• Removal of bloat stats on items, further streamlining boss loot tables.  Defense, Spellpower and Attack Power all being removed as “Straight” stats and will all be derived from base stats now
• Hunters no longer use mana, but instead get an improved version of their pet’s Focus mechanic. (Think Rogue Energy)
• Rated Battlegrounds for Arena points.  I bid a personal farewell to the Arena, one of the only features ever put into this game that I abhor.
• Tol Barad.  WinterGrasp 2.0
• Guild Advancement.  Take that, WarHammer Online!  We stole your only fun feature
• Path of the Titans.  Further character advancement at level 85
• New Secondary Profession: Archaeology
• Heroic Deadmines and Shadowfang Keep
• 100% brand new leveling experience from 1 – 60
• Countless other new Raids, 5 Mans and profession material, too much to list

Phew.  Did I miss anything?  I probably missed some things, but that’s bound to happen with the sheer amount of stuff included therein.  This seems like more of a game overhaul than an expansion.  I mean hell, in EQ, when they broke THEIR world it became EQ2: Terribad Adventures in MMORPG Making.  In the coming weeks, I will without a doubt review a lot of this more in depth.  Probably from a Lore and Raider perspective, mostly.  That’s just how I roll.  Perhaps I should have introduced myself at the beginning of the post.  Meh.

Tzeriel, level 80 T8.5 Blood Elf Mage on the Earthen Ring server. Few 80 alts.  WoW player since the dawn of the game.  I’ve been a Warcraft fanatic since I was 12 years old and received Orcs vs Humans as a gift.  Love Diablo and StarCraft as well, but not even close to the level of my Warcraft love.

TLDR: I cannot freaking wait for Cataclysm.  World shattering events?  Check.  Radical gameplay overhaul? Check.  Emo kids switching from their Blood Elves to their Lycans – I mean Worgen? Check, I hope.  Watch this space for continued expansion updates, rants, raves, thoughts, hot dogs, murloc noises and other WoW related junk.

I can already see the Worgen newbie area now…

LOL LYCANZZZZZZ

~Tzeriel

• No more spell power
• Spell power is included into INT
• no more attack power, it’s in Agility
• Hunters now use focus. No more mana. No more INT.
• Armor Penetration is Gone too
• All new class combination are confirmed
• Goblin racials! Rocket Jump – Activate your rocket belt to jump 20 yards, every 2 min
• Pack Hobgoblin: Calls in your personal servant, allowing you to bank access every 30 min
• Better Living Through Chemistry – Alchemy +15, your own potions give you more health/mana
• Worgen Racials: Darkflight is a sprint. Aberration: Reduced duration against curses and diseases. Flayer: Skinning bonus, no need for a skinning knife.
• Worgen form: Cosmetic only, no bonuses. Out of combat, you choose human or worgen. In combat you’re always a worgen.
• Goblins can be DKs, rogues… Ghostcrawler flipped that way too fast. No Paladins or Druids.
• Worgen: No Paladins or Shaman, but can do everything else.
• WARLOCKS! Soul shards: Dont take up bag space!
• Soul shards will show up on your UI. Looks like you can have up to three.

All the things that were leaked in the past, were all confirmed.  With one thing extra that we didn’t hear about before Blizzcon.  The new professional, Archeology.

Things that were confirmed:

• Level cap raised to 85
• Goblins join the Horde
• Worgens join the Alliance.
• Worgens can change from Human to Worgen and back.
• Both old continents, Kalimdor and the Eastern Kingdoms, have been completely changed.
• You can fly around in the old continents
• New profession: Archeology
• More raids, quests and weapons, of course.
• 7 new zones.
• Maelstrom in the center of the world is now a sunken city

Thanks to the wonderful people at MMO-Champion, we might have new and leaked info on the heavily rumored World of Warcraft expansion called Cataclysm.  Now these are labeled leaked rumors for now.  But we’ll be at Blizzcon next week to give you the definite news.

New Races and Class Combinations:

• Goblins
• Worgens
• Human Hunter
• Orc Mage
• Night Elf Mage
• Dwarf Mage
• Blood Elf Warrior
• Dwarf Shaman
• Undead Hunter
• Tauren Paladin
• Tauren Priest
• Gnome Priest
• Troll Druid

Leveling Experience

• Level Cap raised to 85
• Azshara becomes a low level starting zone
• Barrens split up into two separate zones

Other Updates

• Azeroth will be entirely revamped.
• Flying is allowed in parts of old Azeroth.
• Unreleased zones and dungeons, including Hyjal, Gilneas, and Uldum will become part of WoW.
• Deathwing and Azshara will be playing a major role in the Cataclysm that will happen.

For the full post, go past the break.

(more…)