Cataclysm - Basic Things

[Rizwan]

This is a translation of: http://forum.wow-freakz.com/Basic-things-you-should-know-about-cataclysm-t94722.html
Probably after the convesion to the new expansion, some people may worry that they won't understand the beginning, new zones, new systems, etc. I made this topic in order to explain some basic things you should know.

Chapter 1: Leveling

Cataclysm brings 5 new zones for leveing 80-85: Vahj'ir (Map), Hyjal (Map), Deepholm (Map), Uldum (Map), Twilight Highlands. (Map)

Probably you won't have any problems on how to get there, or how to take quests from there. No problem, in every Capital City is Hero's Call Board where you can take quests like Hero's Call: Mount Hyjal! which guides you during the entire chain in order to get to that zone.

Mount Hyjal

Once you are 80 you have two options, Vasj'ir and Mount Hyjal. As Vahj'ir is not available atm, the only thing you can do is to go in Hyjal. As i was saying above, you take the quest from Hero's Board and follow the chain. Hyjal is a 80-82 zone, where the story binds to the attack of Ragnaros who is trying to destroy World Tree or Nordrassil, you will see many destroyed areas, burned, etc. You will meet Cenarius and Malfurion Stormrage, you will fight with Ragnaros, cool stuff.

Deepholm
Depending on what xp rates will be, after you finish with hyjal, you won't probably need to come to Deepolm, but i will follow the logic chain of events. You go to the Hero's Board with Deepholm and make whatever you are requested to do, talk with the npc from the portals, he will send tou in The Maelstrom where you will meet Thrall which is trying to mantain the stability of the world or something, and from there you will be sent to Temple of Earth, the main place where you will take quests. After lore, Deepholm is the place where Deathwing recovered his powers, and when he left there to surface he fell in a massive imbalace, on those from The Earthen Ring trying to control them. The Zone is rocky, full of black-gray rocks, full of caves, etc. Here you will find Therazane, corespondants of Sons of Hodir from WotLK.


Uldum
Uldum is the last but one zone, if we go through the level requirements, being for 83-84. It was somehow crowded in the southern Kalimdor, between Tanaris and Silithus, Un'goro crater being moved a little bit down. Same thing, take the quest from hero's board, or if you went through Deephol, you will have there a quest that starts the chain. The zone is a kind of desert, with oasis and stuff, a kind of Antique Egypt or if we look at the buildings, areas and creatures. Here seems that it is (or it was) a place where titans were doing their business, hidden from the rest of the world until Deathwing went to the surface. You will see that if you make quests with Harrison Jones (refference to Indiana Jones played by Harrison Ford) that you will go through antique graveyards and will show you various titans mechanysm.


Twilight Highlands
TH is the last leveling zone, with a 84-85 level requirement. It was somehow attached to the east of Eastern Kingdoms, taking a bit from Wetlands. If you have mood to go now to Wetlands, you can enter the Grim Batol, a new dungeon in Cataclysm, well that was incorporated in Twilight Highlands. So, take the quest from the board, follow the chain, it will bring you to a shore on the endge of the continent, different for every faction. You will find on the sea a big part of Twilight Hammer stuff, being their main base of operations and how various people like Master Matias Shaw tries to break their plans. Also you can find here a super epic event, which sadly won't be available here sooner, how Alextrasza is fighting Deathwing, and you are caught in the middle, you save Alexstrasza, very cool lore stuff. Here you will also find the correspondence between Cataclysm and Arenas from Nagrand and Zul'Drak.


Stuff to know: don't worry if you won't know every quest hubs from the zones above, all quests that you make unlocks you new quests.



Chapter 2: Reputation

As you are now used, new end-game zones = new reputation factions, which gives you items, enchants, recipies. Every faction has a chain of quests, has dailies and a tabard that can be obtained by being Friendly and which gives you rep if you wear it at dungeons.

1. Guardians of Hyjal - as their name is, they can be found in Hyjal, their base of operation being exactly where you start leveling in this area. They are a neutral faction for both factions, most of them being druids (kind of like cenarion circle). From them you can take casters enchant with intellect and crit, and also have some epic items of 359 iLvL very nice and blues of 346 iLvL. To make rep. with them you must do quests around Hyjal.

2. The Earthen Ring - their base of operation is a Temple of Earth, Deepholm, being an organization of shamans which have the job to maintain the peace between the planets realms. They can be found through Vahj'ir and in a little area from Twilight Highlads. At them you can find the tank enchant with stamina and dodge and also sime bis items until rapid stuff.

3. Ramkahen - found only in Uldum, being responsable with the peace around there. Looks like some centaurs with a jaguar head, human body 2 hands and 4 legs. Anyway, quests hubs are many, lots of quests from uldum are for Ramkahen and you can make reveared even on 1x rate. At them you can find the enchant with agility and haste for enha shamans, druids, hunters and rogues, and also 2 camers as a funny mounts, but i can't stand them myself.

4. Dragonmaw Clan(H)/Wildhammer Clan(A) - both factions work in Twilight Highlands, hordes being orcs and alliances being dwarfs. Lore about them lasts before Cataclysm and now looks like they have managed to remain in that zone and fight between them, this being the main story for the new battleground Twin Peaks. At them you can find the enchant for platers with strength and mastery (arcanum of the dragonmaw for horde) and also some epic items of 359iLvL and blues of 346iLvL.

5. Therazane - as i was saing above, they are some kind of Sons of Hodir, in the way that you can find the epic shoulders enchants. Also they have some blue rings 346iLvL, for every class. Can be found in Deepholm, a quest chain that brings you to them and another opens dailies. There are many daily quests, a source of gold at level 85.

6. Hellscream's Reach(H)/Baradin's Wardens(A) - these can be found in a new area, combined from two islands bound by a bridge: Tol Barad and Tol Barad Peninsula. Tol Barad is a new battleground, kind of Wintergraps, from time to time and when there is no battle, players can make quests in there if their faction controls the zone after the battle (not on our server). In both zones you can find only daily quests, like the Shattered Sun from TBC, an important source of gold on 85. Quests gives you reward with that faction and one Tol Barad Commendation, that lets you buy rewards super cool like epic trinkets, pvp enchants, blue items and epic mounts like Reins of the Drake of the West Wind or Reins of the Spectral Steed.


Chapter 3: Currency


As you may know, all that means emblems, honor, arena points, all will be changed with a new type of currency, 2 type of points for pve si 2 for pvp.
Justice Points - rewarded from any heroic boss in amount of 70, and also another 70 at the end of a heroic dungeon with dungeon finder. With them you can buy blue gear 346 level. You can have a maxmum of 4000.
Valor Points - rewarded from raids 140/boss in 25man and 70/boss in 10man, and also you can take 70 at every first dungeon with dungeon finder. With them you can buy high tier items pve of 359 ilevel. Same thing, maximum of 4000.Honor Points - main currency for pvp. Same thing as wotlk they can be recieved at kills or a random battleground. With them you can buy low tier pvp items of 352. Maximum 4000.
Conquest Points - from arenas, rated bgs and first random bg from a day. You can buy high pvp gear - tier. Maximum number of conquest points varies depending on the rating.


Chapter 4: Arena System

Arena system changed a bit, in the way that you don't need the flush anymore. In exchange, you get conquest points for every arena won. The maximum of conquest points have changed depending on the rating, starts from 1343 points/week and once you get at 1500 rating start to grow the number of points that you can have.

Chapter 5: Guild System

Guild tab have been changed alot and have recieved new additions:
-guild experience: now, the guild has level, based on xp, of a maximum level 25. The experience is won by completing guild achievments , a boss killed with party/raid 75% formed by guild members, rated bgs and arenas, same thing 75% guild. Also the xp won by quests counts. The maximum of guild xp is 6,246k/day.
-guild perks: opens when the guild levels up link
-guild reputation: is the reputation that a player has with his guild. Reputation is won by completing quests, guild boss kills, guild achievements. When your rep is raised from neutral to exalted, you win the title of Recruit > Guardian > Veteran > Champion of "Guild Name". Also, the reputation allows you to buy various rewards from the guild vendor.
-guild status: among guild status and an usual player as it was in wotlk, now you can see achievements points for every play, how much experience he brought to the guild or a list of profession.
-guild news: a tab that presents last achievements that the guild members got or the last epic item looted.


Chapter 6: Random Stuff

-key for the guild is now J, O being only for social stuff and raid.
-at level 60, for 250 gol you can buy 'permit' of flight for azeroth (you need the 150% fly riding which still costs 25 gold). Also at level 70 and 80 you can buy 2 skills of fast riding, 5k gold each, one for 280% mounts and another for 310% mounts.
-reforging allows you to change stats for items, for example if you have enough crit you can convert a part of crit in mastery for example.
-spells doesnt have ranks anymore. Once you learn the spell, he levels up as you level up yourself.
-talents have been changed, their number have been decreased, the new system won't allow you hybrid specs. Once you get to a talent tree it opens a series of special spells for that spec.
-glyphs system have been changed. First of all you have now the 3rd tier of glyphs, Prime Glyphs. Also have changed the aspect of glyphs, each class has it's own tab with all his glyphs, he can learn every glyph. To change a gltph you need Dust of Disappearance, made by insscriptioners.
-UI have been changed completely, at character tab you have a new slide-bar with different stats for your character. Arena tab have been modified. A new system like power-auras have been implemented which activates when a proc is activated.
-1-60 leveling is pretty much modified. Almost new zone have suffered changes, new quests. Don't worry if you don't know the zones, hero's board is available for every zone from Azeroth, and because of the new fly paths, sometimes where is a fly path, there are new quests too.