Before the release of any expansion there is always a time where things start to slow down a little as people become fed up with running the same content repeatedly, or take a short break from the game.
With Cataclysm’s launch just over a month away, and with the game seeing such drastic changes, this time can be put to good use, completing things that will no longer be available, or to make life a little easier come the Cataclysm.
So, let’s look at some key things to do before Cataclysm.
1. Levelling
Although the majority of 1 to 60 content will be changing, everything from Outland and through Northrend will remain the same. If you have any characters, whether they be your main or an alt, that are level 58 or above, it will be worth getting them up to level 80 (or at least 78) to be ready for heading on to Hyjal or Vashj’ir.
Rather than starting any new alts now, or playing your lower level characters, I recommend saving these until Cataclysm – or at least the 4.0.3 patch – so that you can take advantage of the improved quest mechanics and altered zones.
2. Exploration
The whole of Azeroth will soon be changed forever, following the looming return of Deathwing. Entire zones will be split into two, flooded, or even see new life in once desolate landscapes.
Before everything we know is gone, take one final trip around Azeroth to remember things as they currently are. For those that have not already done so, you will earn yourself the various exploration achievements, as well as a title and tabard for your troubles.
Azeroth is a fantastic place, and is filled with legendary locations and sights to be seen, many of these will no longer exist following the cataclysmic events that are on the way. Don’t forget to take plenty of screenshots of your favourite zones – they may well become your least favourite once Deathwing has had his way with the world.
So, where will you visit? Will you take a final troublesome trip to the dancing troll village, or will you jump off the Stonewrought Dam in Loch Modan before it is destroyed by Deathwing?
Maybe you will take a ride through Stranglethorn Vale before it is torn in two, leaving a swirling whirlpool of death in the centre, or maybe you will venture through Thousand Needles and the Shimmering Flats, taking one last opportunity to do this on foot before the entire zone is flooded.
3. Loremaster
With the change of the world, and the continuation of Warcraft’s lore, the vast majority of existing quests will be gone.
For those who truly want to see everything before the Cataclysm, Loremaster is the way to go, and requires you to complete almost every single quest that currently exists in game.
Although this is a substantial task, it is something well worth doing – not only for the associated achievements, tabard and title but also to fully experience the current story of the World of Warcraft. It is also very profitable, when done at level 80, as all quest XP is converted to gold, so you should manage to rack up quite a considerable sum of gold.
There are plenty of add-ons available for players wanting to work on the Loremaster achievements, such as Everyquest, which will help make things a little easier and reduce the amount of travelling involved to find random quests you may have missed during your original levelling journey.
4. Gold
Very little in life is free, and the same goes for World of Warcraft. With the release of Cataclysm, new ranks of professions will be available for training, as well as new skills earned from levelling to 85, and all of the various reputation rewards, mounts and repair bills.
There is also the new rank of riding skill, now available on live servers, for 5,000g, which will max out the speed of all of your flying mounts to 310%, and all of your land mounts to 100%.
Before the release of Cataclysm take some time to do daily quests and dungeons, or the above mentioned Loremaster, in order to build up your funds ready for December.
5. Professions
In Cataclysm, the higher rank for professions will be implemented – Illustrious Grand Master – so if you’re behind on your craft you have the time to go out and grind the required materials to max out your chosen profession.
Some of the higher end recipes and designs can be taxing to create, and require large amounts of materials, so if you are running short on time you only need to make sure your profession level is at 425.
Although the current maximum skill level is 450, Cataclysm recipes and designs kick in at 425.
6. Dungeons and Raids
Despite the changes that are on the horizon, the majority of dungeons and raids will remain as they are, however a few will be seeing some changes, or even complete removal in one case.
Both Deadmines and Shadowfang Keep have been changed considerably, to fit in with the change in lore and to accommodate the new heroic modes. Before the change, head on over to Westfall, and Tirisfal, to take a final trip through two of the best Vanilla WoW dungeons we have seen.
Blizzard has also confirmed the removal of Zul’Gurub, the raid instance in Stranglethorn Vale.
In Cataclysm, the area is now used as a quest hub, and in the future, it may be used to house a set of dungeons.
As a result, the raid and the associated faction – the Zandalar Tribe – will only remain in game for another month. If you are yet to complete the raid, or reach exalted with the Zandalar Tribe, you have enough time to get that done. Currently, completing Zul’Gurub will reward you with an achievement, which will be converted to a Feat of Strength following patch 4.0.3 when all of the changes will be introduced to the world.
If rep isn’t your thing, but you are a collector of pets and mounts, you may want to make a few trips into Zul’Gurub before its removal to try and get the much sought after tiger mount and both the raptor mount and pet.
So far, there has been confirmation to say if these mounts and the pet will be available elsewhere in the game following the launch of Cataclysm, so make the most of the remaining raid resets there if you want to get your hands on them.
Blizzard have also confirmed that AQ20 will become AQ10, reducing the maximum raid capacity by half. When this change will be implemented, I am not sure, but if you have not completed this yet then it may be worth doing as soon as you get the chance. These days, AQ20 can be cleared by a small group of reasonably geared level 80s, and even done solo in some cases.
7. Gear up?
With every expansion comes the inevitable gear changes, and Cataclysm is no exception, however the whole concept of ‘gearing up’ for the expansion is not really a necessity.
The mobs in Cataclysm do hit hard, but even if you are wearing quest reward blues, or a couple of badge epics, you should still manage quite well, and the early quest rewards from Hyjal and Vashj’ir provide very decent stats any way.
If you have the time available, there is no harm in whizzing through some heroics each evening to earn Justice Points and improve some of your gear. Alternatively, you can use your Justice Points to pick up some heirloom items for your new goblin or Worgen toons.
8. Hit the battlegrounds
With the introduction of rated battlegrounds, and guild achievements, in Cataclysm you are likely to see people taking battlegrounds a bit more seriously.
Many guilds will join battlegrounds together, bringing tactics, and teamwork with them, in the hope of earning many of the guild achievements, and racking up the arena points to spend on top quality gear.
This is a good time to hit the battlegrounds, and learn the best tactics, and get used to how others play and familiarise yourself with each person’s role in the battleground – unless you are already a seasoned pro, that is.
9. Stock up
If you plan to level new characters in Cataclysm, and intend to work on new professions with that character, you will have plenty of time to take your main character back through the world to build up a good stock of materials allowing you to power through your chosen profession.
Alternatively, you can save up the materials in your bank, and then throw them on the Auction House once Cataclysm launches, and cash in on the people who don’t have the time/can’t be bothered to farm their materials.
It’s not just in game where you may want to stock up; hit the supermarket and fill your fridge with Red Bull, and your cupboards with snacks – you are in for some late nights of gaming.
10. Pre-order!
There’s no denying it, Cataclysm is going to sell by the truckload. If you want to be ready to play at the midnight launch, make sure you get your pre-order in early with your preferred retailer so you are ready to go, and not sat looking at all your friends getting excited in guild chat as they romp through the new content.
Tags: Cataclysm, World of Warcraft
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