WotLK Classic isn’t out yet, but World of Warcraft is already asking about the next addon, Cataclysm. Is Classic going too far? Or should that come as well?
Good times are ahead for fans of World of Warcraft. Whether it’s the latest “Retail” expansion Dragonflight or the revival of past adventures in Wrath of the Lich King Classic – it seems like it will be a good year 2022 for both player groups. But Blizzard is already looking to the future and considering what could come after WotLK Classic. That would be Cataclysm.
New surveys want to know if you want Cataclysm Classic.
What happened? As reported by wowhead, several players have received surveys from Blizzard. While the surveys start off somewhat general and ask about basic gaming interest, they later focus more clearly on the “next” WoW expansion after Wrath of the Lich King: Cataclysm.
The developers are asking numerous details about what WoW fans liked about Cataclysm back then and which features were received negatively. Some questions from the survey include:
- Which of these features did you like the most and which the least? Transmogrification, 2 new playable races (Worgen, Goblins), Guild Progression System, changes to professions
- What do you not like about the Raid Finder in Cataclysm?
- What do you like about “Transmogrification”?
- What do you like or dislike about “Reforging”?
The survey definitely makes it clear: Blizzard seems to be taking the idea of “Cataclysm Classic” seriously and is now inquiring about fan interest.
“Cataclysm” was the third expansion of World of Warcraft and tells the story of how the dragon Deathwing breaks free from the Maelstrom and devastates the world. This causes elemental issues everywhere in the world, which sometimes have interesting consequences. Some areas begin to regreen while others are scorched. Old quest areas were revamped and modernized, new features such as Transmogrification or a reduction of the talent trees were also added.
Why is Cataclysm so controversial? For many long-standing players, Cataclysm is seen as the turning point of World of Warcraft. With this expansion, WoW bids farewell to its original existence and increasingly develops into the modern WoW, as we know it in Shadowlands.
Furthermore, Cataclysm also has a pretty bad reputation among many who did not play at the time. Many who started after Cataclysm have repeatedly heard from veterans that Cataclysm was “the beginning of the end”.
Cataclysm was also the first attempt by World of Warcraft to modernize the game world. Most areas of Azeroth were at least slightly, but usually drastically overhauled. Quests were often consolidated into “hubs” and new stories were created that described how the areas had changed since the Cataclysm.
On the one hand, this was a nice innovation and a retelling of the story, but on the other hand, it led to the disappearance of all the original quests. The feeling that Blizzard had “taken away” a significant part of the old world from players with Cataclysm was already widespread at that time.
Whether Blizzard will really bring a “Cataclysm Classic” remains to be seen. However, the existence of such specific surveys shows that the developers seem open to changes and are not shying away from making significant changes like the Raid Finder or the reduction of talent points in the case of Cataclysm Classic.
What would a “Cataclysm Classic” need to bring for you to succeed? Or should Blizzard better stop at WotLK Classic?
