Hello, Librarian Husky here! So apparently, according to the Classic World of Warcraft community, Cataclysm is the worst Expansion in the existence of World of Warcraft. If you play it, you’ll go mad and your interest will fall off. But how much of that is really true, and how much of it is just the Classic Andy mindset? You know, the kind of person who would prefer to play a class that has a one-button rotation and only has two or three viable DPS options.

My Experience with Cataclysm Classic

Over the past few weeks, I’ve really sunk my teeth into Cataclysm Classic. There are definitely some things I love and other things that I absolutely despise. So grab a beer, and let’s get into it. We’re going to cover these topics: endgame content, leveling content, character progression, class design, and lastly, some final thoughts.

Casual Friendly Nature

Now, fortunately, during my Cataclysm journey, I had a pretty hectic IRL life with some pretty intense storylines. So suffice it to say, I’ve had to approach the game as a casual player, unable to commit to a raid schedule. But despite that, and despite not being in a guild, I’ve been able to complete the majority of the endgame content, proving that Cataclysm Classic is definitely very casual-friendly.

Organized PUG Groups

I’ve easily gotten myself into organized PUG Groups on Discord on the days that best suited me. By the end of week two, I was actually able to acquire an average item level of 350, although it probably would be way higher than that if I wasn’t still running around with a normal dungeon weapon. Yes, I’m not making that up.

Leveling Add-ons

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Raid Difficulty in Cataclysm

I don’t think I’ve wiped more than once on a boss, even in very questionable PUG Groups on the LFG chat where you seriously question whether the group is going to give you any more gray hairs. The only boss fight that is difficult to PUG is Nefarian, which makes sense. You do need a lot of genuine coordination between the tank and an assistant to help control those ads, and the fight is a big DPS check.

Nefarian: The Final Boss

But this is fine; it’s the final boss of the phase. It shouldn’t be an easy guaranteed kill, only a small challenge. Heroic Mode, however, is not as approachable. You do not get guaranteed kills on Heroic Mode. You don’t see many PUGs attempt more than a couple of bosses on Heroic Mode.

Heroic Mode Challenges

Still, only 160 guilds have completed all content on heroic as I’m writing this. Of all, Nefarian is probably the hardest boss. It actually looks like the Bastion of Twilight is giving groups more of a challenge than the Blackwing Descent bosses.

Balancing Casual and Hardcore Content

I think the difficulty level of Cataclysm raids is where we get the perfect balance of casual-friendly content and difficult content for the more hardcore players. Casual players can enjoy the endgame content playing on normal difficulty and slowly progress through heroic when they get better gear from normal mode. Hardcore players can enjoy more difficult content straight away.

Past Expansions Comparison

In the past, especially in Vanilla and TBC, we had raid tiers that were too easy for hardcore players, like Naxxramas, or too difficult for casual players, like Sunwell Plateau. The normal and heroic difficulty divide creates a more balanced experience for all players.

Balancing Skill Levels in Cataclysm

A balance to please the varying skill levels of MMO players, especially at top-tier content, is particularly evident on Heroic Mode when the mechanics become a bit more technical. It feels very satisfying to finally get a boss kill that you’ve been working on for a couple of hours.

Variety of Raid Options

The variety of raid options also feels much better than just having to stay in the same raid for weeks on end. The TBC launch did this well, whereas in Wrath, we had to sit in a raid that we’d already done. Each raid has a unique vibe and environment.

Vanilla Nostalgia in Raids

The best part about these raids is how they convey a splash of vanilla nostalgia, especially in Blackwing Descent. This generally feels like a continuous raid from Blackwing Lair, with the entrance even inside the original Nefarian boss room. You really can’t fault the endgame content in Cataclysm; it’s only an improved and more refined version of previous raiding.

Classic Players’ Hesitation

It’s a shame so many classic players have been too stubborn to try it out because it will probably be one of the best phases of this Expansion. When I originally wrote the script, I was commenting on how the population numbers weren’t that great. But when I had another look today, to be honest, they’re much better than I thought.

Population Numbers

I’ve always predicted that Cataclysm Classic would get off-peak TBC Classic numbers. It’s actually in the mid-range of TBC Classic off-peak numbers, with 3K logged on Warcraft logs. Comparatively, Season of Discovery only has 50K right now but peaked at an average of 400K, and Wrath got an average peak number in the ballpark of 500K. So, the numbers are actually way better than I expected.

Population and Raid Lockouts in Cataclysm

I thought they were going to be, and before people start dooming those numbers, the class of Cataclysm alone still has a higher population than most other competitor MMOs. But there is a serious problem with raiding. The content itself is perfect, but the way that raid lockouts work doesn’t do it any favors.

Issues with Raid Lockouts

In Wrath, we had 10-man with a separate lockout to 25-man. But in Cataclysm Classic, 10-man, 25-man, heroic, and normal all have the same lockout, with the exception of Baradin’s Hold. Not that I ever get into Baradin’s Hold to check that because I’m a death knight. I don’t understand why they’ve done this because it essentially creates less content for no real reason.

10-Man vs. 25-Man Raiding

10 and 25-man should at least have separate lockouts to provide a natural incentive to do 25-man raiding. The second chance to get loot again will keep 25-man raid content relevant, which many players definitely want. 25-man feels like a proper raid, whereas 10-man doesn’t really. The only advantage of this system is that it’s way more casual-friendly, with fewer bosses to kill and get loot from, making it easier for casual players to keep up with the more hardcore players.

Future of Cataclysm Raiding

But in the later phases, if they add gamma dungeons, keeping up won’t be a problem for players anyway. I just think giving players less stuff to do in the long run is risky. I’ve always thought that Classic WoW was such a wasted opportunity for Blizzard because they haven’t bothered to add any new raid content. It’s why the game will always have a seasonal population and is never really going to properly grow.

Leveling in Cataclysm

Leveling is very different in Cataclysm Classic. It’s a totally different style compared to Vanilla. In Vanilla, it’s all about the adventure and the journey of exploring a new world, whereas Cataclysm Classic is much more fast-paced and linear. In Vanilla, there were long quest lines that sometimes sprawled across multiple zones, whereas in Cataclysm, each zone has a quest line that guides you to every single quest hub in the area.

Linear Questing Experience

Honestly, questing has adopted this style since TBC, and with every Expansion, it has become even more linear. On retail, it’s on a totally different level.

Linear Questing in Cataclysm

You just follow one storyline. The advantage of this is that the questing process can focus more on storytelling and the lore of the zone you’re in and communicate that to the player. However, you feel like the developers are holding your hand, and many MMO players simply don’t like that style of questing or really care about a game’s story anyway.

The Appeal of Vanilla Questing

There is just something about that old Vanilla world that is sometimes hard to describe and justify. Yes, it’s a long grind, and there’s usually a lot of walking involved when trying to complete a quest, but there’s something satisfying about it. Another quality of Vanilla quest design is the difficulty, particularly when it comes to group quests. For most classes, taking on three enemies is a death sentence, encouraging players to group up and make friends in order to progress.

Changes in Cataclysm

But in Cataclysm, when you’re decked out in gear, mobs just drop within a couple of globals, and you barely ever lose any mana. The sense of danger from the open world is non-existent, and you feel like a god when you hit level 10 before you’ve even got to the endgame. It’s a shame because they definitely improved the quests from being simple “pick this item” or “kill this mob” to more creative ideas, but the core values of what made a Vanilla leveling journey aren’t there anymore.

Different Fun in Cataclysm

It’s still a fun journey, but it’s fun in a different way for different reasons. The thing is, most people playing Cataclysm Classic don’t care about the Vanilla vibes anyway. They just want good quality endgame content, so the leveling should be a short, sweet, and simple process. The majority of players won’t even go into the open world and will just use the dungeon finder instead.

Dungeon Finder’s Impact

I just logged into my alt at Razor Hill and I only saw one person AFK at the flight master. In Vanilla, no matter what phase you’re in, there’s always a few people at every single quest hub. But to be fair, at least Razor Hill now has some class trainers, which is a godsend. The dungeon finder was the ultimate open-world killer. It’s why I’ve never been a huge fan of it, but I’m going to keep my opinions about the dungeon finder to myself.

Improving the Dungeon Finder Experience

I’ve always thought that once you complete the dungeon finder, it should give you a double XP buff for an hour or two, but only for open-world leveling. That way, the open world at least somewhat stays alive. Ironically, the reason why they added cross-server open world to the game was to resurrect the open world, but even that didn’t work because it’s so much easier to just chill in Orgrimmar or Stormwind and keep using the dungeon finder.

Character Progression in Cataclysm

Character progression is very important in an RPG, MMO or not, and developers have to make it interesting and satisfying but not boring. In Cataclysm, there are a number of ways to progress your character: talents, gear, gems, enchants, reputation enchants, and profession bonuses. The new progression system is Reforging. Overall, your progression doesn’t feel too grindy. The most grindy element is leveling your professions, which can sometimes be done very inexpensively if not for free if you do it smartly.

Reforging System

Reforging is a system where you can customize the stats on your gear. Most of the time, you are just Reforging the stats into your best stats, but it makes that hit cap much easier and stress-free to obtain. You will very likely not have to turn up to your raid with multiple different gear options in your bags for different group setups. You can quickly just go and get a reforge.

Versatility of Reforging

I also like it because if, for instance, I want to solo some raids, I’ll just go and reforge fully into Mastery and respec into Blood to make it much easier. People who dual spec healer and DPS can usually just do a quick reforge to make themselves competent in a raid. They won’t have to go out there and farm an entire new offset. Obviously, farming an offset will be better, but if you need it quickly for the guild raid, then you can just go and reforge and you’re sorted.

Class Mechanics in Cataclysm

After trying a few classes in Cataclysm, it’s obvious that Blizzard was trying to balance and refine the mechanics to create a more engaging gameplay experience.

Class Mechanics and Excitement

Blizzard tried their hardest to make every class feel exciting to play with their big cooldowns, rotations, and fun abilities. Everyone criticizes the talent system for being stripped down, but it doesn’t really feel that way because of all the extra gifts they added. Many classes got reworked to have new and interesting systems like Paladins, Warlocks, Hunters, and Druids having their resources revamped with things like Holy Power, Shadow Orbs, and a Balance Druid Eclipse bar.

Nuanced and Technical Gameplay

Classes have much more nuance and a little technicality in order for you to master them. I’ve personally always found this to be more engaging than spamming the same button over and over again like we did in Vanilla and TBC. But I do understand that some people prefer simplicity. At the end of the day, I don’t think Cataclysm classes are that dramatically overcomplicated to the point where we couldn’t call them simple.

Comparing Cataclysm to Classic

Some classes are harder than others, but there’s definitely a big part of them that are easy to pick up and get going. Realistically, Cataclysm Classic isn’t classic anymore, but there’s nothing wrong with that. At the end of the day, it’s Wrath of the Lich King with dragons. If you enjoyed raiding in Wrath, then the Cataclysm raiding experience isn’t going to be that much different. You’ll probably enjoy it.

Criticizing Cataclysm

It’s important to understand that it’s a different game now. Honestly, it’s kind of futile to criticize Cataclysm on what it isn’t; it’s more productive to criticize it on what it is. Fortunately, it seems like Blizzard wants to provide a continuing old-school MMO product to keep the Classic Andys happy. They just kind of messed that one up with Season of Discovery.

Cataclysm’s Core Experience

At heart, Cataclysm is a fast-paced theme park MMO heavily focused on challenging endgame group content, and it certainly delivers that alongside great high fantasy vibes. But the raid lockout system seriously needs some work. I hope they actually do change something about it, but it’s probably very unlikely.

Issues with Raid Lockouts in Cataclysm

I fundamentally don’t understand why Blizzard decided to release Cataclysm with an inferior raid lockout system. They later scrapped and reworked raid lockouts. In Cataclysm, they are worse than in previous expansions and the following expansions. They have needlessly created less content. Fair enough, Cataclysm does feel a little bit like playing retail.

Community and Server Dynamics

At least the central community on your server is still an actual thing. On retail, you can use a raid finder and premade group finder to complete all content, and it’s all cross-server. There’s no real point in servers anymore on retail, but in Cataclysm, you still need to group up with people on your server to complete the content. There’s a larger incentive to get to know people and join a guild, and there’s still a level of player and guild reputation on your server. The social MMO element isn’t totally lost yet.

Cataclysm vs. Classic Fans

For some classic fans, it’s simply not going to be their cup of tea, and that’s fine. It’s not an old-school MMO anymore; it doesn’t have that kind of vibe. This is very obvious when you look at the recent fresh vanilla server movement. These people don’t even want to play Season of Discovery; they just want to play vanilla yet again exactly how it was, which is interesting.

Fresh Vanilla Server Movement

I’ll be covering that in another article very soon. I believe nothing speaks more volumes about how stale the MMO market is right now than so many people wanting to go back and play a 20-year-old version of World of Warcraft yet again. And that’s not a diss on those players because I’m going to be making a character soon; that’s just a diss on MMO developers.

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