World of Warcraft: Classic is taking a controversial next step by adding the Cataclysm expansion in the first half of 2024. Cataclysm, initially released in 2010, was the third expansion for World of Warcraft and transformed the game world, altering zones and removing old quests and content.
Many players wanted Classic servers in the first place to experience the pre-Cataclysm world of Warcraft. So it will be interesting to see how Blizzard handles bringing Cataclysm to Classic without undoing what made this interaction of the game appealing. We do know some changes are coming, like faster levelling, an expanded collections system, and the continuation of the Titan Rune dungeons from Wrath of the Lich King Classic.
If that were not enough, Blizzard also announced Classic’s new Season of Discovery, described as “Vanilla World of Warcraft with a twist.” Players will level new characters to 25 and unlock abilities to create unusual class combinations like tank Warlocks and healer Mages. At the endgame, they can challenge a reimagined 10-player version of the Blackfathom Deeps raid. Blizzard plans to raise the level cap and add content over time.
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Season of Discovery launches November 30th with no public testing, unlike most World of Warcraft updates. This could demonstrate Blizzard’s confidence in the new systems, but it risks stability issues if major problems arise, and for a game like WoW Classic, this could be bad.
While Cataclysm was important for modern World of Warcraft, its changes contradict Classic’s core appeal. Blizzard will need to strike a careful balance between preserving the old world and integrating Cataclysm’s features. The quicker content cadence and quality-of-life improvements should please many players. But the World of Warcraft community is notoriously hard to please, so undoubtedly, complaints will arise.
It remains to be seen whether Cataclysm Classic will replicate the original expansion’s success. But the announcement generates excitement for the future of World of Warcraft Classic after Wrath of the Lich King.
