In case you live under a rock, or don’t play WoW, patch 4.0.1 is going live on servers as we speak. This is probably the biggest patch that WoW has ever seen (though soon to be eclipsed, no doubt, by 4.0.3). Within this patch, we have more than a few treats for every class, and you can expect some things to be true no matter what class you play. Here’s some of them:
New Mechanics
Your class is different now. You might as well accept that. Furthermore, your class is probably a little more complicated with the new patch. Blizzard implemented sweeping changes to most, if not all, of the different specs, and you should make sure that you go over all your abilities with a fine-tooth comb. You’ll also notice that your talent tree is about half the size of your old one. Don’t panic. Grab a towel and run with it. The new talent trees are very much consolidated, and there’s a great deal of power in those fewer points. You can find a whole bunch of great talent calculators – alongside the new glyph system, at http://wowtal.com/
New Graphics
I know that most people don’t play WoW because it looks like a top-end PS3 game, but really, some of the stuff that Blizzard has done with the new water effects is incredible. If you have a computer capable of displaying everything on high, I strongly recommend doing so for a little while, just to take it all in.
New Badge System/New Lockouts
Both the Frost/Triumph Badge system, and the Lockout system in place since Vanilla have changed significantly. The details of which are pretty elaborate, and probably deserve a post all to themselves, but for simplicity’s sake, here are links to both of the posts explaining the changes.
New Glyphs
As I mentioned briefly above, the glyph system has been changed. Most of the glyphs you know have been warped or swapped around, and you now have three additional slots for powerful, but less role-critical bonuses. In addition, glyphs are now learned once and don’t need to be relearned, but are instead swapped out via Vanishing Powder (or Disappearing Powder after level 80.) Expect to need to hoard some of that in your inventory for on-the-fly swapping.
Basically, a lot of what is being done is extremely class specific, so you should check your usual sources to find out how to min/max your best. (wow.joystiq.com and www.elitistjerks.com are my personal preferences.) With the first hints of the changes to the world with the Cataclysm and less than two months until Azeroth is changed forever, it really seems like Wrath of the Lich King is winding down to its conclusion.
May Blizz bless you with Balanced Classes and Stable Servers!
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