Preview Of Cataclysm Classic: Uniques and Talent System

After the announcement at this year's Blizzard Carnival that Cataclysm Classic will be launched in the first half of next year, many players have started discussing the content of this expansion. However, I've noticed some players have misconceptions about the Cataclysm expansion. Today, I want to briefly discuss some controversial aspects of this version based on my in-depth research and study of the 4.3.4 version.

Raid Progression and Loot:

Many players are curious about how raid progression works at level 85. Normal and Heroic difficulties share a weekly cooldown, allowing each raid to be cleared only once a week. However, confusion arises for many players due to the previous operation of a 10-player and 25-player dual raid cooldown in the Korean version before the opening of Dragon Soul. Blizzard designers have clarified that they won't change the level 85 raid cooldown but are considering increasing the number of items dropped in 25-player raids, disappointing some Classic players.

I often come across a frustrating statement that "Cataclysm was a failure because it removed talent trees." However, talent trees were only removed in the Mists of Pandaria expansion at level 90, replaced by the later 3-in-1 system. In Cataclysm, the talent trees still exist but underwent certain modifications. The level 85 talent tree has only seven rows, with core talents like Mortal Strike for Arms Warriors and Bloodthirst for Fury Warriors being granted automatically. It also streamlined numerical talents like 5% Dodge and 5% Critical Strike.

Additionally, designers restricted the allocation of talent points, requiring players to invest 31 points in the main tree before allocating points in the secondary tree. Fewer mainstream talents, such as 80-level talents like Vengeance for Protection Warriors, disappeared. The level 85 talent tree can be seen as the ultimate talent tree in World of Warcraft, aiming to prevent the trees from becoming unwieldy with each level increase. The redesigned talent tree is considered a significant improvement, making it one of the strengths of the Cataclysm expansion.

Equipment Attribute Changes:

Changes to equipment attributes in Cataclysm have sparked dissatisfaction among players. Blizzard designers established the "primary attribute" for each talent, corresponding to the player's armor type, such as Strength for plate tanks, Agility for physical DPS leather wearers, and Intellect for spell DPS and healers. Blizzard added the "Armor Specialization" skill to prevent players from swapping armor types, causing players to lose a 5% bonus to the primary attribute when using non-specialized armor. Secondary attributes include Hit, Expertise, Haste, Crit, and Spirit. Cataclysm removed secondary attributes like Armor Penetration and Defense Rating and introduced a new secondary attribute called "Mastery," whose effects vary based on the talent chosen.

Cataclysm introduced exciting new features, such as the ability for players to choose any secondary attribute on their gear and convert it into another secondary attribute of their choice. While it may sound complex, a simple addon allows for one-click reforging, making the process very convenient. After all, the impact of primary attributes on characters is significantly more significant than that of secondary attributes. This reforging feature allows players to optimize their gear further. Despite some shortcomings, we hope Blizzard can blend the strengths and weaknesses to create a version widely accepted by Cataclysm Classic players at level 85.