Well, it's official: World of WarCraft Cataclysm incoming

[Ghost Rider]

Sadly when they showed the Frostmourne stats...I was "Wow, better then Appolyon!"

Now?

It was a 186 DPS weapon with some triple stats. Justicebringer puts it to shame...and the heroic version laughs at it.

[Steve]

only if an albino elf gets to show up and kill you for copywrite infringement.

Sorry, don't get that reference.

[Samuel]

Drizzt (Forgotten Realms). The man who someday would be a cliche. A testament to both his sueness and awesomeness.

You know- dual wealding choatic good drow ranger with a panther as a companion?

[Steve]

Ah. I didn't get what here was infringing upon him.

[Kuja]

Not Drizzt, he's talking about Elric. The albino white-haired dude carrying an uber sword that stole souls.

[The Yosemite Bear]

only if an albino elf gets to show up and kill you for copywrite infringement.

Sorry, don't get that reference.

Elric & Stormbringer against Frostmorne.

[Serafina]

Elric & Stormbringer against Frostmorne.

Of course, Elric is way more awsome than Arthas
Spoiler

and eventually destroys his universe, only to recreate it again

[CaptainChewbacca]

I took the liberty of making a human warrior and named him 'WorgenFreman'. I'll be converting his race after cataclysm.

And everyone will suffer from Freemanic Paracusia.

[Kuja]

I took the liberty of making a human warrior and named him 'WorgenFreman'. I'll be converting his race after cataclysm.

A friend of mine already has GeorgeLupis locked down.

[Civil War Man]

'WorgenFreman'.

This name made me picture a werewolf popping up out of the sand and attacking people with crysknives.

At least we won't see the equivalent of any PCs named some variant of Arthas. Greymane is the only remotely famous Gilnean as far as I know.

[Crossroads Inc.]

I took the liberty of making a human warrior and named him 'WorgenFreman'. I'll be converting his race after cataclysm.

And everyone will suffer from Freemanic Paracusia.

See I read that and thought of "GordonFreemen" from HL2, to which, If there is a WoW wepon that looks like a Crowbar you MUST find it!

[White Haven]

The closest I can recall was a guy I knew who ran around toting a mining pick. With demonslaying enchanted on it.

[The Yosemite Bear]

you don't know how easy it was to make a blood elf that looked like Sepiroth with a matching oversized blade.

[Oskuro]

Woah. I feel compelled to play a little game I call: Spot the ideas they ripped off other games.

The more blatant ones I've seen in this thread:

·Ability to "downlevel" in order to play with players of lower level: City of Heroes Mentor mechanic anyone?
·Ability to tell your pet to got to specific places or come back: Masterminds from City of Villians had this from the start (although it should be standard issue for any pet on any game). What's next? Several pets at once and the ability to make them emote?
·Guild Recipes/Achievements/Level: There are way too many MMOs that had these.

Nothing wrong with using good ideas, but Blizzard has that special ability to make it sound as if they were innovative ideas that had never been done (and sometimes implement them wrong).

All I can say, I'm sad for lost content, and for the fact that belonging to a guild will become impossible as a casual player (GRIND TO MAKE OUR GUILD ÜBERRRRRR). I mean, impossible-r than it was already.

[White Haven]

So apparently the whole 'top twenty' thing didn't penetrate. As in...if twenty people are making good progress on that front, it doesn't matter what you are or aren't doing, because it only takes the top twenty.

[Darmalus]

Goldmansacks the (future) goblin rogue has been claimed.

[Azazal]

Sadly, with Tauren getting to be Paladins (and I have no idea how or why they will be) and Priests now, I foresee a great many new characters named Holy Cow, spelling to very greatly.

[Darmalus]

I remember a lot of WH40k art for terminators having cow-ish looking masks, so maybe a few space marine themed names will crop up. I can't do it myself, already have a paladin.

[Civil War Man]

Some of the added class/race options make sense. I mean, Human not being Hunters just doesn't make sense, and adding Undead Hunters makes sense since they are former Humans.

Troll Druids make sense since the dominant Troll religion is fairly animist.

Blood Elves didn't have Warriors mostly for story reasons, and the story reason no longer applies since their mana source is running again.

Giving Priest to Gnome is fine just so they can have a healing class.

I even suppose that Tauren Priests and Paladins make some amount of sense, because exposure to other cultures means that some will inevitably convert from their standard Earthmother tribal religion, and why wouldn't some of them become Light-worshippers as a result?

Then there's giving Shaman to Goblins and Dwarves. Dwarf Shaman makes about as much sense as Tauren Paladin, in that it falls into a "why not?" category. Goblins never struck me as any more religious than the Gnomes, though, and Gnome Shaman would probably be considered too bizarre in setting.

Then there's Mage. Dwarves and Orcs are fine since they each share a capital with a Mage-heavy race, but Ghost Rider succinctly summed up pretty much everyone's thoughts when it was revealed that Night Elf Mage would become available.

On an unrelated note, I wonder if Jitters will still be hanging out in Duskwood after the Cataclysm. I was unsurprised, but still disappointed, when I went to talk to him with my Death Knight and he didn't start shitting bricks. I imagine that I will be equally disappointed when the citizens of Darkshire aren't freaking out when their town gets inundated with heavily armed Worgen.

[Crossroads Inc.]

As far as the whole "Different races should only have different classes" business, I have always held that gnomes and Goblins should not be allowed to be Warriors on account they aren't LARGE enough to ware plate...

[Crown]

Anyone reserved 'HolyCow' on their realm yet?

[Ghost Rider]

Someone already took that and burger.

For me, lining up gear for my human hunter, so that my human only group will nearly be complete!

Just need human droooood.

[Civil War Man]

As far as the whole "Different races should only have different classes" business, I have always held that gnomes and Goblins should not be allowed to be Warriors on account they aren't LARGE enough to ware plate...

It's not the size of the boat, but the motion of the ocean. The only prerequesite for being a Warrior is the capability to get really angry and hit things with sticks.

EDIT: Also, you just forge smaller pieces of metal for their plate.

[Oskuro]

What? How would we get the faboulous death-dealing HELMET OF DOOM without Gnome Warriors? Just like the pointy hats of EVIL (Warlocks), they are awesome.

[Kuja]

Troll Druids make sense since the dominant Troll religion is fairly animist.

They also have the tauren to teach them. It's possible that troll druids will be druids in name only, channeling loa to assume their forms and use their powers rather than invoking the spirits of the wild.

Blood Elves didn't have Warriors mostly for story reasons, and the story reason no longer applies since their mana source is running again.

In addition to thematics, Blizzard withheld the warrior class for mechanical reasons with have since largely been dealt with, to prevent too much competition with the horde's only paladins which is now irrelevent, and because blood elves had at the time hit the class limit (6) and Blizzard decided it was more iconic to have elven hunters than elven meatshields.

Giving Priest to Gnome is fine just so they can have a healing class.

Long overdue, in my opinion.

I even suppose that Tauren Priests and Paladins make some amount of sense, because exposure to other cultures means that some will inevitably convert from their standard Earthmother tribal religion, and why wouldn't some of them become Light-worshippers as a result?

Technically, it's not even necessary for them to become Light-worshippers. Trolls, with a few exceptions like Zabra Hexx, do not worship the Light. Neither do the Forsaken - it's only game mechanics that allow them to use the holy and discipline trees, if the game followed the lore then all of them would be shadow. The tauren religion is likewise something that's never been properly represented in-game: in addition to their reverence for nature the tauren worship the moon ("Mu'sha") and the sun ("An'she"). Although the first has been presented in game with the druid spells being lunar-themed (a counterpart to the night elves' Elune worship), the second has been all but completely absent. It's not much of a stretch to imagine tauren priests and paladins represented as clerics and devotees of An'she. Especially given the [urlhttp://www.wowwiki.com/Aponi_Brightmane]hint[/url] Blizzard recently dropped in-game.

Then there's giving Shaman to Goblins and Dwarves. Dwarf Shaman makes about as much sense as Tauren Paladin, in that it falls into a "why not?" category. Goblins never struck me as any more religious than the Gnomes, though, and Gnome Shaman would probably be considered too bizarre in setting.

Dwarf shamans were actually anticipated by a lot of people prior to BC when rumors were flying about both factions getting access to hybrids (of course it ended up being the draenei). The reason for it was the Wildhammer dwaves, presented in lore as being heavily nature-oriented with many hunters and shamans. Since the Wildhammers were long ago changed from being an Alliance-friendly faction to being part of the Alliance proper, it would follow that some of the Ironforge dwarves would be mixing and mingling with their cousins and some might pick up shamanism. Given the dwarves' recent rediscovery of their origins as the Earthen, it also makes sense that at least a few dwarves might want to try delving back into communion with the elements as a way of understanding their heritage.

Then there's Mage. Dwarves and Orcs are fine since they each share a capital with a Mage-heavy race, but Ghost Rider succinctly summed up pretty much everyone's thoughts when it was revealed that Night Elf Mage would become available.

Sometimes I think I'm one of like five people who actually saw night elf mages coming someday. Ever since we killed that bloated puppy back in Dire Maul, the highborne mages there have been deprived of their immortality and their chief power source. I always imagined some of them would come running back to the rest of the night elves and it seems I was exactly right given the hint being implemented in the upcoming 3.2.2 patch. I don't see the training of new mages by the highborne as "lolore" the way some people on the Wow forums do.

Besides, the surface of the planet is being cracked open like a fugging eggshell. At what point do you just say "fuck it" to the old conventions and start throwing everything against the wall in the hope that something will work? That's why I don't see night elf mages ( or any of the new classes) as corruptions of the old racial lore, I see them as what I think Blizzard intended them to be: an act of sheer desperation.