The next chapter in the World of Warcraft Classic journey was officially revealed today with Blizzard making the decision to dive into Cataclysm, WoW’s third and arguably most controversial expansion.
For many players, Cataclysm marked the first turning point in WoW’s history as it quite literally severed the bond that fans had to the original version of Azeroth by breaking it in half and completely redesigning all of the game’s quests and open-world zones. This release completely altered the WoW experience and marked a definitive end for the franchise’s “original trilogy.”
With that in mind, there was a level of uncertainty among Classic enthusiasts as to whether or not Blizzard would actually make the move to revisit the expansion that caused many players to turn their backs on the series. Despite Cataclysm featuring one of WoW’s highest player counts ever, public opinion of the franchise took a noticeable dip following its release in 2010. Now, 14 years later, Blizzard will have the opportunity to right the ship and correct the original mistakes of Cataclysm.
WoW Classic fans have been immersed in the older version of the game for years now, and since the first version of Classic launched in 2019, Blizzard has been making a conscious effort to listen to the community and continuously create new ways for the game to be enjoyed. While modes like Classic Hardcore and the game’s seasons (another one of which was announced at BlizzCon today, as well) provide players with alternative ways to enjoy Classic, re-releases of expansions scratch a certain nostalgia itch that only those versions of the game can get to.
Blizzard promised “some changes” will be coming to Cataclysm, likely in hopes of making the game feel and play a lot better than it did back in 2010. Most notably, the pace of the game’s content will be faster, with the leveling process getting a speed-up mechanic and the release of endgame content being expedited in Cataclysm Classic. These changes will allow players to get to and through some of Cataclysm’s most iconic raids, such as Firelands and Dragon Soul, at a much faster rate when it comes to both in-game time investments and real-life downtime.
WoW Cataclysm Classic will be released in the first half of 2024, according to today’s announcement made by WoW executive producer Holly Longdale.
