The Balance of Nostalgia and Improvement

I had the opportunity to speak with lead software engineer Nora Valletta and principal game designer Kris Zierhut about their approach to Cataclysm Classic. A while back, Holly Longdale mentioned that the survey data going into WoW cataclysm Gold the expansion was better than Blizzard anticipated. Valletta, however, was not entirely surprised. She pointed out that while social media and forums provide valuable feedback, the majority of players do not engage on these platforms. Instead, they gather feedback through multiple channels, including in-game surveys and direct player interactions.

Valletta emphasized the importance of catering to different player preferences. "We recognize there are differing opinions among our players about what version of WoW is the best version of WoW," she said. "But we also don't want to necessarily deny all the players that have been asking us to continue their journey into Cataclysm Classic. A couple of people on my BattleNet friend list, their version of Classic is [Cataclysm], so they're just pumped."

 Addressing Past Mistakes

One of the significant changes in Cataclysm Classic is the guild advancement system. In the original Cataclysm, guilds could level up and earn various bonuses such as XP boosts and increased mount speed. However, this system favored larger guilds, causing smaller communities to fracture and experience significant attrition.

Zierhut explained, "Those guilds experienced, in 2010, lots of attrition—it was actually very, very bad in terms of how it affected the social system for small guilds. We were immediately regretful about that impact on the game." In Cataclysm Classic, guilds will earn ranks by completing activities with guild members, encouraging players to team up and fostering a sense of community. "We knew that was a pain point, we knew it caused some hardship and unhappiness for our players. Why make that same mistake again?"

 Preserving Core Elements

While some aspects of Cataclysm have been reworked, other elements remain unchanged to preserve the expansion's core identity. One such element is the talent system overhaul that Cataclysm introduced. Although the team considered adjusting it, Zierhut noted that doing so would have altered the classes significantly. "We looked at it, and we could've done it. Partway through development back in 2009, we had talent trees that had one point per level built. We could've dug up those designs and rebuilt those talent trees, but we would've had to invent and develop new talents."

In the end, they decided against making significant changes to buy Cataclysm Classic Gold  the talent system. Zierhut admitted that it would have "changed the classes so much that it wouldn't be Cataclysm Classic anymore. It would be more like Season of Discovery." This decision reflects a careful balance between honoring the original design and addressing past mistakes.