Blizzard has announced the release date for its third expansion set for World of Warcraft, following the last expansion Wrath of the Lich King. WOW: Cataclysm is set to release December 7, 2010 for the PC and MAC at a retail price of $39.99, and will be available in digital format through the Blizzard store. A retail only collector’s edition will also be available for $79.99 on release date.
Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment, said,
Cataclysm includes the best content we’ve ever created for World of Warcraft. It’s not just an expansion, but a re-creation of much of the original Azeroth, complete with epic new high-level adventures for current players and a redesigned leveling experience for those just starting out. With the help of our beta testers, we’re putting on the final polish, and we look forward to welcoming gamers around the world to enjoy it in just a couple of months.
World of Warcraft: Cataclysm Story details
While the attention of the Horde and Alliance remained fixed upon Northrend, an ancient evil has been lying dormant within Deepholm, the domain of earth in the Elemental Plane. Hidden away in a secluded sanctuary, the corrupted Dragon Aspect Deathwing has waited, recovering from the wounds of his last battle against Azeroth, nursing his hatred for the inferior creatures that infest the surface realm…and biding his time until he can reforge the world in molten fire.
Soon, Deathwing the Destroyer will return to Azeroth, and his eruption from Deepholm will sunder the world, leaving a festering wound across the continents. As the Horde and Alliance race to the epicenter of the cataclysm, the kingdoms of Azeroth will witness seismic shifts in power, the kindling of a war of the elements, and the emergence of unlikely heroes who will rise up to protect their scarred and broken world from utter devastation.
The face of Azeroth is altered forever as the destruction left in Deathwing’s wake reshapes the land and reveals secrets long sealed away. Players will be able to re-experience familiar zones across Kalimdor and the Eastern Kingdoms, rewrought by the cataclysm and filled with new opportunities for adventure.
Some of the new features of World of Warcraft: Cataclysm include:
+ Two New Playable Races:
Adventure as one of two new races–the cursed worgen with the Alliance or the resourceful goblins with the Horde.
+ Level Cap Increased to 85:
Earn new abilities, tap into new talents, and progress through the path system, a new way for players to improve characters.
+ Classic Zones Remade:
Familiar zones across the original continents of Kalimdor and the Eastern Kingdoms have been altered forever and updated with new content, from the devastated Badlands to the broken Barrens, which has been sundered in two.
+ New High-Level Zones:
Explore newly opened parts of the world, including Uldum, Grim Batol, and the great Sunken City of Vashj’ir beneath the sea.
+ More Raid Content than Ever Before:
Enjoy more high-level raid content than previous expansions, with optional more challenging versions of all encounters.
+ New Race and Class Combinations:
Explore Azeroth as a gnome priest, blood elf warrior, or one of the other never-before-available race and class combinations.
+ Guild Advancement:
Progress as a guild to earn guild levels and guild achievements.
+ New PvP Zone & Rated Battlegrounds:
Take on PvP objectives and daily quests on Tol Barad Island, a new Wintergrasp-like zone, and wage war in all-new rated Battlegrounds.
+ Archaeology:
Master a new secondary profession to unearth valuable artifacts and earn unique rewards.
+ Flying Mounts in Azeroth:
Explore Kalimdor and the Eastern Kingdoms like never before.
via WOW
