Patch 5.4 patch notes
Virtual Realms feature revealed
The Proving Grounds are coming
The latest patch 5.4 newsWant to preload Cataclysm without pre-ordering? Here's how
by Michael Sacco 
Oct 29th 2010 at 4:00PM
Pre-orders for the Cataclysm digital upgrade are officially open, and you can start downloading the remainder of the expansion's data the moment your purchase goes through. But what if you're awaiting a Collector's Edition or you don't have the money to upgrade online right now? You don't want to be left waiting for Cataclysm to download and install on launch night.
Thankfully, we've got you covered. There's an easy way to preload all the data you'll need to play Cataclysm the moment it goes live on midnight Dec. 7. Just follow these easy steps:
- Make sure World of Warcraft and/or the launcher and background downloader are completely closed.
- Open up your World of Warcraft folder.
- Open Launcher.wtf in Notepad and change the "accountType" line from LK to CT.
- Open Config.wtf in Notepad and change the "accountType" line from LK to CT.
Remember: This will only give you the necessary files to play Cataclysm. It will not upgrade your account and you will not be able to access Cataclysm features. You still need to buy the game if you want to play on launch day.
Thanks to Lemon King for the tip!
World of Warcraft: Cataclysm will destroy Azeroth as we know it; nothing will be the same! In WoW Insider's Guide to Cataclysm, you can find out everything you need to know about WoW's third expansion (available Dec. 7, 2010), from brand new races to revamped quests and zones. Visit our Cataclysm news category for the most recent posts having to do with the Cataclysm expansion.Filed under: Cataclysm
Reader Comments (Page 6 of 10)
RogueJedi86 Oct 29th 2010 4:47PM
So does this mean CT is the shorthand for WotLK? Finally we have an acronym to match BC and LK!
Aris Oct 29th 2010 4:51PM
My guess is CT is their abbreviation for Cataclysm, not WotLK.
RogueJedi86 Oct 29th 2010 4:54PM
Err, I meant the shorthand for Cataclysm. Crossed wires. We never had an abbreviation for Cataclysm beyond Cat. All hail the coming of CT!
Ez Oct 29th 2010 4:48PM
WTF/ I am still glad i ordered last nite , got my 730 mb installed while i was in bed :D
Azizrael Oct 29th 2010 4:51PM
Yay! My Amazon UK pre-order is £12.50 cheaper than the Blizzard download version, so this is win-win.
Cogwhirl Oct 29th 2010 4:51PM
You might want to add a note in the post mentioning that it'll need to download 313MB before you can hit the Play button and log in again.
(At least, my launcher is showing it needs 313MB - this is on an EU client).
Kia Oct 29th 2010 4:55PM
Meh. Tried this and it isn't working for me... The Launcher comes up with the Play button active and doesn't seem to make any attempt at downloading the update.
Snuzzle Oct 29th 2010 4:57PM
You have to log in once and then log out again to begin the download. I think the game has to "see" that your account is flagged for Cataclysm.
Kia Oct 29th 2010 5:53PM
Yeah, I did that and it just reset my account to LK again. I reset it to CT a second time and let the launcher sit, it just took awhile to start downloading...even though it still had the Play button lit up. Whatever. x3 Least it worked!
l0lus Oct 29th 2010 4:56PM
The rest will be DVD-size when game goes gold ;)
kooda Oct 29th 2010 4:57PM
This mean I can listen to deathy thar screech instead of that awful icy dragon?
Tokkar Oct 29th 2010 8:04PM
Sadly, no...still that same bag o' bones as before :-(
Velror Oct 29th 2010 5:00PM
For me, everytime i try to open my launcher or config in my WTF folder then it just reopens the tab asking me if i want to open/save it....WTF?
Tokkar Oct 29th 2010 5:42PM
Open the Launcher.wtf (located in the WTF folder of your World of Warcraft files) using a standard text editor such as notepad.exe. Edit the line that says "accountType=LK" to read "accountType=CT". Save the file and exit. Do the same for the Config.wtf file.
The easiest way to do this is to right-click on the file and select "Open with..." and then select notepad.exe - you may also want to select "Always use this action" or whatever it says so that it is then associated with your text editor.
If you're using a Mac, then whatever you would normally use to assign file extension associations and whatever default text editing program you normally use.
Hope this helps!
Rick Oct 29th 2010 5:14PM
How do I do this on a mac?
Mugutu Oct 29th 2010 5:28PM
He never said this was specific to Windows operating systems.
Rick Oct 29th 2010 5:35PM
I know this, I can read.
Notebook is a Window-specific app, and I was hoping for some Mac-related information as
I can only open my config and launcher files in Terminal and I'm unable to edit them.
Copying the text and placing it into Textedit - the closest application to notebook - results in a error message from the WoW application.
ithinkimissedmyexit Oct 29th 2010 5:44PM
I am a Mac user, and I can confirm editing with Textedit is the same as editing with Notepad. I have already done this and it works.
Darkseid Oct 29th 2010 6:14PM
On Mac
When you open the config. It will automatically open it with Textedit. So your all set there.
When you open the Launcher, it will say "there is no default program to open this"...or something like this. Where it ask you to assign a program, pick Textedit and your all set.
Rick Oct 29th 2010 7:42PM
Ahhh!
I was guilty of locating the file and then trying to open it in Textedit... It worked when I launched Textedit and then opened the file from within the application... I dunno why that makes a difference, but there you go.