With coming World of Warcraft cataclysm expansion in the works, and a new update to the normal World of Warcraft world on the PTR (player test realms), it’s time for us here at WoW Cataclysm Info to take a look at all of the latest info to come out of Blizzard HQ over the past couple of weeks.

There has been a huge amount of talk among Warcraft players that the populations on servers across the world is going to swell in anticipation of the new World of Warcraft expansion. As with any MMORPG, WOW has different types of players – those who play all day, every day, and will probably never stop (until they are arrested or detained in some way by law enforcement), those who play a little, at their own pace, and don’t concern themselves with the ‘high end’ raiding scene, and of course those people who play hard, and then quit.

It is this third group that Blizzard will likely target in the run-up to the WoW expansion’s release – old players who can now be offered something new by a rejuvenated world and the promise of easier levelling and more rewards for all in the end.

That levelling has been seen on the PTR and is frighteningly quick. Health regeneration and mana regeneration, one of the banes of early levellers has been sped up by 100%, which means that it will be almost impossible to die while killing wolves for flank meat now.

There are other early-level changes for players to take advantage of too. In World of Warcraft Cataclysm, all classes will be equipped with weapons from the beginning of the game, as well as the ability to use them (for example, Shamans who previously had to learn to use two handed weapons will now have that talent from the start). Also, rogues will be equipped with two daggers from the beginning (no more need to learn dual wield!). This will make the path from 1-15 (and toward Van Cleefe!) very fast indeed.

It seems to be the tried and tested response from Blizzard – to make the game extremely easy and soft for a few months, allow players to build up a new character or two and then unleash the new expansion on them. We will wait and see what other changes they will make in the lead up to WoW Cataclysm.