Cataclysm 101: What to do first in Cataclysm

Cataclysm has already gone live in Europe, and it's only hours away now for those of us in North America. Are you prepared for it? Do you know what you need to know to hit the ground running when Cataclysm content becomes active on live realms? If you don't, we're here to help. Below are answers to some of the most common questions that have been asked about starting the Cataclysm experience.
How do I learn to fly in old Azeroth?
You can get your Flight Master's License in Outland or Northrend, but the much better options are Stormwind for the Alliance and Orgrimmar for the Horde. Horde players want to talk to Maztha and Alliance players want to talk to Bralla Cloudwing. Wowhead has excellent maps for finding both of them.
Which zones do I go to first to level in Cataclysm? How do I get there?
You have the option of going to either Hyjal or Vashj'ir. Which you go to is purely personal preference. Stormwind and Orgrimmar have breadcrumb quests for both. Either the quest will be offered to you immediately upon logging in with a pop-up style quest prompt, or you will need to go to your city's Hero's Board/Warchief's Command Board.
Deciding to go to Hyjal will route you through Moonglade to gain entrance to the zone -- don't worry, going through Moonglade won't take as long as you think. You won't need to hoof it the whole way.
Deciding to go to Vashj'ir will send you to your respective faction's nearest harbor. In the case of Stormwind, you go to the Stormwind Harbor. In the case of Orgrimmar, you will be sent to the new dock in Durotar.
I'd like to pick up archaeology before I head out and level. Where do I do that?
There are archaeology trainers all over the world, but we'll focus on Stormwind and Orgrimmar, since those are going to be your central hubs in Cataclysm. Alliance players need to head into the Stormwind Keep to talk to Harrison Jones. Horde players need to speak with Harrison's nemesis, Belloc Brightblade. If you're having difficulty finding them, the simplest tip is to ask a guard. They will put a convenient little flag on your map.
I want to run the new dungeons, but I can't seem to queue for anything. What's the deal?
As of Cataclysm, it's required that you discover a dungeon in person before you can queue for them. Right at level 80, your only real instance option is Blackrock Caverns, tucked away in Blackrock Mountain. If you plan on running instances while you level through Hyjal and Vashj'ir, you may want to swing by Blackrock Mountain before you depart.
WoW Insider's YouTube account has a few videos on how to find some of the Cataclysm dungeons. All of these videos are linked below. Do note that in the videos where the guide is a ghost, it is not required that you be dead to discover the instance. Graveyards are just convenient landmarks ... and let's be honest, you're going to die in these dungeons. Knowing how to get to them from the graveyard is a good thing.
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, Archaeology






Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Elyonis Dec 6th 2010 7:46PM
I actually think it's really cool you have to discover the dungeon before you can queue for it. It seems much more like an adventure... more epic
Luci Dec 6th 2010 8:30PM
Much agreed Elyonis. After all, I think one of the major elements that attracts us to fantasy worlds like Azeroth is the thrill of discovery.
Luci Dec 6th 2010 8:34PM
Much agreed Elyonis. After all, I think one of the major elements that attracts us to fantasy worlds like Azeroth is the thrill of discovery.
Luci Dec 6th 2010 8:35PM
UGH! Apologies - plz downrate the repeat.
SunGod228 Dec 6th 2010 8:43PM
/Agree
But only for my first one or two toons, when i have to take my 4th and 5th to each entrance well...
TheUsualSuspect Dec 6th 2010 9:12PM
I think its great to have to discover the dungeons. Don't get me wrong - I love the ease of use of the dungeon finder, but does anyone else find that the outside world is a lot more quiet and boring now with 80's just parking it in one city and queuing? I miss the journey to the dungeon, the epic battles for control of the summoning stone etc, the interaction with other players.
That will change for a while as we all level through new content, but inevitably it will return when we max out at 85.
pcgamerma Dec 6th 2010 10:29PM
I definitely agree with you on this. Always irked me that you could just teleport into a place you had never been to.
Chad Dec 6th 2010 11:43PM
Yup. I always used the dungeon finder to get a group but because I had never ventured around wherever the instance was, I had no idea what the story was about. As well, the "Go Go Go!" guy never gave an opportunity to slow down and read/listen. Only now am I able to look back and understand what was happening. Great job Blizzard!
QQinsider Dec 7th 2010 1:06AM
And by "discover" you mean "get told where to go by a breadcrumb quest and then, just in case you're really stupid, follow the built-in quest helper directions". Yeah, thrilling...especially the 4th or 5th time.
Sleutel Dec 7th 2010 1:53AM
Does anybody have confirmation on what counts as discovering for the RDF? I "discovered" BRC on my main yesterday, but some people are saying that you need to actually zone through the dungeon entrance for it to count (i.e., you can't pre-discover it).
iammurlocftw Dec 16th 2010 8:42PM
@sleutel there are subzones in front of the dungeons that say entrance, for example you'll get the message Discovered: Stonecore Entrance and then you can queue for it
Ooglin Dec 6th 2010 7:26PM
Great read, Thank you.
Elvalon Dec 6th 2010 7:27PM
Good info. This was basically my plan, but I'm glad to see this stuff outlined so I can be sure I'm not missing something important!
Wugan Dec 6th 2010 7:29PM
Can anyone confirm (from the EU servers) that discovering the BRC instance pre-launch will allow you to queue for the instance after midnight? I can always log out at BRC, but since I got the discovery message today, I'd rather just start in Org.
Alex Dec 6th 2010 8:44PM
Any word on this? I'm also very curious.
MikeLive Dec 6th 2010 7:29PM
I'm going to pass on levelling any toons to 85 for at least a couple days and focus on new toons. I've already got a Mage to 58, a 31 Warlock, 28 Priest, and rolling a Worgen Druid in... 7.5 hours.
Michael Dec 6th 2010 7:30PM
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
prenden2 Dec 6th 2010 7:30PM
Just curious guys, where are the 525 profession trainers? I'm 15megs away from playing so I'll update this if it's not answered before I discover them.
Magma Dec 6th 2010 7:43PM
You have to be minimum 84 to get most professions up I believe as the trainers are locked behind quest chains only obtainable at that level.
MikeLive Dec 6th 2010 7:53PM
Higher level recipes are locked in Twilight Highlands. Getting Illustrious Grand Master training so you can go above 450 can be done from any trainer.