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The fourth and final stage ofWorld of Warcraft: Cataclysm Classichas launched, and players are ready to destroy Deathwing before moving on to the next expansion. Most of the focus is on the hype and excitement surrounding the new content, but the folks at Blizzard have also made several quality-of-life changes to the game.
This is the last patchCataclysm Classicwill get, and the next major change in the long-termClassic WoWscheduleisMists of Pandaria, which was originally released in 2012. Blizzard still has a long history to review, so until the next patch, here areall the new features in Patch 4.4.2.
Auction House Upgrades
A New Look That Makes Commerce Easier
The Auction Househas a whole new look, bringing it more in line with the retail look as opposed toClassic.The changes inCataclysmhave added new Auction Houses to cities so players no longer have to crowd into the only one in each major city. The lowest price is now the default setting while searches and the UI are more intuitive generally.
Players can also buy and sell bulk items more easily, which is handy for those who need to stock up on gems and enchants for different sets of gear. Jewelcrafters and Alchemists, who often sell their wares in bulk, can now offer their customers the choice of buying as many items as they want without being stuck with a set number.
Three New Dungeons
Located In The Caverns Of Time
The End Time, Well of Eternity, and Hour of Twilightare three new dungeons located in the Caverns of Time. Players have to finish them in the right order to unlock them, and the first one, End Time, has no other prerequisite than to be level 85. Players fight dragons, corrupted versions of faction leaders, and finally, the demented dragon Murozond and his magical hourglass.
The second new dungeon, the Well of Eternity, turns players into Night Elves and takes them back to a time before Queen Azshara was banished to the deepest part of the ocean. Players confront her with the help of heroes like Illidan Stormrage and Tyrande Whisperwind. Finally, players are transported to the Hour of Twilight in Dragonblight to guide Thrall to the center of Wyrmrest Temple, which begins the fight with Deathwing.
A Fresh Questline
Only For Level 85 Players
Players can begin the new quest chain in their main faction city, which is useful because it ports them directly to the dungeonsin their far-flung location, but it’s also possible to skip the first quest and speak to Nozdormu within The End Time to start with the quest to kill Murozond.
The quest chain consists of seven steps and includes Nozdormu, Illidan Stormrage, Chromie of the Bronze Dragonflight, and finally, the former leader of the Horde, Thrall. These adventures fill in the quest storyline that leads the player to the Dragon Soul raid and also explains part of Thrall’s ongoing saga to become the next Aspect of Earth.
The Dragon Soul Raid
Time To Take Deathwing Down
Ever since theCataclysmexpansion first dropped, players of every faction have been forced to deal with the fallout of Deathwing’s rampage. That not only refers to the walls of fire that would sweep through a whole zone and toast everything within it, but also navigating the twisted remnants of what Azeroth used to be and trying to pick up those old pieces.
Now it’s time to take the fight to the Aspect of Death. The Lord of the Black Dragonflight now waits at the end of the new Dragon Soul raid, behind eight of his most powerful and loyal minions. Notonly is it satisfyingto kill him just for the fun of it (and because he deserves it), but he also drops the impressive new mount, Reins of the Blazing Drake.
Fangs Of The Father
Rogues Rejoice About This Legendary Item
Only one class gets a new quest for theDragon Soul raid, along with some wicked new weapons for completion.Roguesonly need to be level 85 to enter the raid to startthe eleven-part and three-stagequest chain by speaking to Lord Devrestrasz, who is standing just inside the entrance.
The quest line includes extensive travel and activities familiar to Rogues, like assassinations and sneaking, and features solo quests along with a few that require groups, finally culminating in the Dragon Soul raid, which awards the Fangs of the Father. There isn’t a Rogue in Azeroth who doesn’t want these, and the length of the quests makes them earn it. Part of the reason these daggers so popular is the cosmetic effect of massive wings that trigger when the player uses their Slow Fall ability.
A New Heroic Difficulty Setting
Collect A Different Currency For High-Level Gear
In previous versions ofCataclysm, there was an enhanced difficulty level for heroic dungeons that yieldedObsidian Shards, a currency that can be traded with a special Quartermaster in the faction’s capital city. This still exists for theCataclysmdungeons, and players can still see the name in the LFG window, “Elemental Rune Dungeon Protocol Inferno.”
The new version of this difficulty level is called Elemental Rune Dungeon Protocol Twilight, and it can also be activated in certain Heroic dungeons by activating the Mysterious Elemental Device near the entrance. As is with the Inferno protocol, Obsidian Shards allow players to catch up with their gear if they missed previous raid tiers.
Alizabal Comes To Baradin Hold
A New Boss In A Unique Location
Baradin Holdnow has three bosses to challenge players once a week. Argaloth and Occu’thar are joined by Alizabal, the Mistress of Hate, a demon with deadly powers like Skewer, Seething Hate, and Blade Dance.
Players can take her on in groups of 10 or 25 and take advantage of a generous loot table that includes level 397 and 403 gear. This is another wayto get raid-ready gearother than running Heroic dungeons at the Elemental Rune Dungeon Protocol Twilight level difficulty.
