Amaranthian

In 4 days blizzcon happens and I'm paying attention from the sidelines via mmochamp as always. There's some exciting rumors flying on the ole interwebs getting a bunch of fan boys riled up it seems. I'm posting the most reliable rumors but it could all be BS. If indeed this shit happens in the next xpac I might have to renew just to check it out.

So Blizzard trademarked the name Cataclysm and now the reason for the name is coming into focus. The word out on the street is that the next expansion to WoW will focus on the original continent and zones from the vanilla version of the game. The difference here is that the Azeroth as we remembered it leveling to 60 will be turned on its ear. The world has suffered a cataclysmic event, hence the title, and zones will be flooded, familiar cities destroyed and old foes coming back into power.

If that wasn’t enough of a spoiler for you then read on. Some of the key areas that have been affected by the event include Durator that used to be home to Orgrimmar which is now destroyed. The Orcs are building a new city in a different location. The gnomes are also going to reclaim their city of Gnomeregan which used to be home to a dungeon. Players will also be able to fly in Azeroth. Thousand needles flooded, Mount Hyjal opened as a zone etc..

The level cap will be raised to 85 and several of the old raids and dungeons will be revamped for high level play. Golbins and Worgens would be new races involved in this expansion:

Also new classes for races ie: Tauren paladins and nelf mages. Although lore-wise this stuff is getting pretty blurry.

Goblins
Deathwing once again sought the services of the goblins, as slaves. Unable to refuse such an offer, the goblins were enslaved by him. A large group have resisted however. With their previous homes devastated by the cataclysm, they escaping to an island off the coast of The Barrens. As they strive to recover, they come across an Orc captured on an Alliance ship and rescue him. The Orc turns out to be none other than Thrall himself, and in return offers the Goblins a place within the Horde. These events are carried out in a quest line, allowing players to experience first-hand the reasons behind the Goblins' shift from neutrality.

Worgen
The cataclysm has cracked open the Greymane Wall, finally revealing what has happened to the kingdom of Gilneas and its citizens. With the Worgen curse taken hold, they have found a partial cure, allowing them to retain their Human minds even when transformed. Venturing forth from Gilneas and seeking help from the Alliance, they have decided to join them, to combat the new threats of Cataclysm.

Gilneas will make extensive use of the phasing system (much like the Death Knight starting area), to show what happened while the kingdom was cut off from the rest of the world and lead up to present day.

Worgens will have two forms, a Worgen form and a Human form. Players will be able to customize the look of both forms.