The Queue: You know this because you are psychic
by Michael Sacco 
Mar 5th 2010 at 11:00AM
Writing about World of Warcraft as a full-time job can be pretty mentally exhausting, believe it or not, and can affect your enjoyment of the game if you're not good at compartmentalizing. But even with that in mind, I'm excited for Cataclysm. Why? Because it's going to be awesome. I know this because I am psychic.
Lornicide asked...
"We know that the Vanilla areas will change completely when Cata comes out. This change will affect even players that only have the Vanilla version installed.
Let's say that Cata rolls out and I don't get the CD right away (blasphemy!), how will this affect my gameplay?"
Blizzard has stated before that the 4.0 patch will change Azeroth for everyone, not just people with the expansion. Even if you haven't bought Cataclysm yet when it's finally released, you'll still see the changed world. You just won't be able to roll a worgen or goblin, go to the new zones (Uldum, etc.), or take part in Archaeology.
Entaro asked...
"Do you know how Cataclysm will affect Loremaster? I got within 400 quests and put it aside to finish later, but do I really have a limited amount of time left?"
We don't know specifically how it'll be affected, but Blizzard has said that we needn't worry about it. We can extrapolate a few things from precedent, though:
1. Blizzard has never removed titles after an achievement becomes obselete, so we can assume that people who have gained Loremaster will keep it.
2. The Loremaster quest count has been updated before, so we can assume that it will be again.
My personal guess is that we'll get a Grand Loremaster type of title, either for completing the new Loremaster or for being a former Loremaster. Loremaster may well become a Feat of Strength.
Busuan asked...
"Would they reduce the costs of frost emblem gear? I somehow remember toward the end of TBC they did something like that. Currently I don't raid much and it would be forever until getting some 251/264 gears. Even with ICC raid, that would still take quite some time."
It's likely that, if you do any raiding at all, you'll be swimming in Frost badges by the time Cataclysm hits. It's possible that they'll follow the BC pattern and make 4.0 a Frostapalooza, but I honestly don't think they will. With only five new levels, they'll likely want a lower item level baseline for leveling to 85. I'm sure that as 4.0 grows closer, we'll hear more about their plans.
Have questions about the World of Warcraft? The WoW.com crew is here with The Queue, our daily Q&A column! Leave your questions in the comments and we'll do our best to answer 'em!Filed under: The Queue
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 7)
Puntable Mar 5th 2010 11:11AM
4.0 will be the pre-xpack patch. If they change all the old zones then, it would be one monster of a patch to download. Surely the zones won't change until you install the actual Cata disc...
Craig R Mar 5th 2010 11:16AM
The zones will change. Things changed for everyone when 3.0.2 went live, and that was the pre-wrath patch.
mindboggle Mar 5th 2010 11:17AM
They can still do what they do anyway, namely to have pre-patch data downloads running in the backgrounds weeks and even months before the actual 4.0 hits.
They can't have two different versions of say Elwyn Forest or Orgrimmar existing on live servers at the same time, depending on what client you are running, so they have to include the revamp with 4.0.
Tanky Mar 5th 2010 11:19AM
They'd probably start pre-patching/background downloading textures/quests/models etc beforehand. Then, when 4.0 comes, there isn't as much to patch.
Cephas Mar 5th 2010 11:21AM
That doesn't make any sense at all. The world is changing for everyone. People who don't get Cataclysm will have to get the refurbished zones somehow.
Ozzard Mar 5th 2010 11:23AM
Yep. It's going to be one monster of a patch to download.
ZMES_Matt Mar 5th 2010 11:25AM
Well the world is changing for everyone, not just those that buy Cata, which has been stated many times before, so the world changing content will have to be in a patch, not the cata disk.
jukebokx352 Mar 5th 2010 11:49AM
Personally I think it'd be kinda cool to have things change gradually. Like add a little of the new world every so often. one day you show up and Orgrimmar is warsonged out even though 4.0 hasn't actually gone live. Not something huge but just some of the littler things, that would make the transition a little more dynamic and less BOOM everythings changed. It not like deathwing bursts through the ground and magically adds a new wing to stromwind in the process
Tori Mar 5th 2010 11:58AM
@jukebokx352
I definitely agree with you about a gradual change. Understandably it's probably far too much work to do something like this, but I'd like it if we slowly saw cracks forming, and they gradually became larger and more prominent, along with storms building in certain areas, and earthquakes occurring more frequently the closer we get to Cataclysm.
(cutaia) Mar 5th 2010 11:59AM
Jukebox said what I was thinking.
I would absolutely love if the pre-expansion world event meant that the world changed just a little bit at a time. There would be cool things they could do in each zone as it changes.
Like, maybe before Thousand Needles gets flooded, there would be questgivers directing us to go there because "strange" things have been happening. There would be some dailies there with nice rewards before and after the flood.
Something like that would also encourage all of the veterans to go see the zones one last time in their old glory as well as seeing them in their new versions for the first time in a fun way. Otherwise, day one of the change will end up being a bunch of people just going around Azeroth for hours on end just to see everything that's changed. And that doesn't sound as fun...
Drakkenfyre Mar 5th 2010 11:59AM
When people reinstalled the game, patched up, and tried installing the next expansion, they noticed they couldn't install Burning Crusade, the install option was greyed out. They asked about this, and Blizzard said they had rolled the entire expansion into the data from the previous patches. So you can install the original game, patch up, then install the last expansion, and you have Burning Crusade installed already.
They can put as much data in as they want, it won't bother you. They will do prepatches probably for a month or two prior. A few patches back, the patch was 1GB in size. So large patches aren't a problem.
Literaltruth Mar 5th 2010 12:42PM
I would totally agree to the "slow gradual change" thing if this were any other expansion...but this is, well, CATACLYSM. This is not a name that, to me at least, suggests slow, gradual change. Rather, it suggests that the changes will be fast and....well...cataclysmic in nature.
Draelan Mar 5th 2010 2:52PM
Actually, I wouldn't be too surprised if some of the changes for Cataclysm, such as the changes to Orgrimmar or the addition of another area in Stormwind, at least had some hinting that they're being built. Before Stormwind Harbor was added to the game, they set up all kinds of crates of explosives, and a bunch of builders by the wall that now leads to the harbor. Yeah, it just sort of went from that to "Poof! Harbor's done!" but it was a step in the right direction towards a more gradual addition.
Kigai Mar 5th 2010 8:01PM
I dunno all about slow and gradual, however I do think it would add an epic feel to the game if there wa an in game event quest start with horde/alliance leaders saying something is going wrong in the barrens or whatever, quest takes you there to try and stop deathwing from tearing the place to shreds. Obviously you fail hard core and the place is demolished in a cutscene. That would be bad ass....then ya know that would make you feel bad because "I couldn't save these people I must work hard and take revenge on this monster!"
Oooo chills just thinking about it
Cephas Mar 5th 2010 11:12AM
Ugh. People really do ask a lot questions that you'd have to predict the future in order to answer, don't they? I can only imagine you looking through all of the questions you got tearing your hair out looking for a good question that you can actually answer, and then finally giving up and picking these. Here's hoping for some good questions for next time!
Tanky Mar 5th 2010 11:21AM
I vote lottery numbers
Andostre Mar 5th 2010 1:19PM
It's okay, because Sacco is psychic.
DeathPaladin Mar 5th 2010 11:15AM
I need to start using that phrase in casual conversation.
I know this because I am psychic.
placebo Mar 5th 2010 1:28PM
The Fiber One guy already has you beat to the punch.
Hiwa Mar 5th 2010 2:18PM
It made me think of a recurring phase in Fight Club (the book, not the movie): "I know this because Tyler knows this."
Totally un-WoW related I know, but humor me.