WoW Cataclysm Classic. Of all the myriad expansions that Blizzard is bringing to its ongoing recreation of Vanilla WoW, Cataclysm was always going to be the most controversial. Still damned as one of the worst World of Warcraft expansions to date – likely the worst in the eyes of some – we’ll see its new and improved version launch in summer 2024, but the beta itself has been hit with a slight delay.
When I spoke to World of Warcraft‘s executive producer Holly Longdale at Blizzcon back in 2023, she told me that the team isn’t scared of Cataclysm’s divisive reputation, instead noting that the general response to surveys to bringing back the MMORPG‘s controversial expansion “wasn’t bad.”
WoW Cataclysm Classic will have a few changes made to it, primarily its pacing (the expansion will run for a year). Longdale also told me that the team plans to port across some of the features it introduced in Wrath of the Lich King Classic, but what those are remain a mystery for now.
But it turns out Blizzard maybe needs a little more time to iron these changes out, as the WoW Cataclysm Classic beta launch has been delayed.
In the original 2024 roadmap that Blizzard shared last year, the WoW Cataclysm Classic beta originally fell between the new Season of Discovery update and the introduction of Self-Found mode, slated for the beginning and end of February respectively. This means we would have expected WoW Cataclysm Classic’s beta to appear around the middle of February.
However, the updated roadmap now shows the beta as arriving between Self-Found mode and the next Season of Discovery update, implying that it’ll probably arrive in March instead. At the moment, the full release date hasn’t changed (it’s still set for early summer 2024), so that’s a plus.
So sure, it isn’t a huge delay, but I was looking forward to spending my February with good ol’ Deathwing. But, the addition of Self-Found (where you can’t interact with any other players in Hardcore) is certainly going to be a good time – I can sense it.
While we wait for the WoW Cataclysm Classic beta to kick off, we have a rundown of all the best WoW addons you’ll need for your adventures in Azeroth. Or, if you’re looking for something new to try between expansions, we have a list of the best free MMORPGs to keep you busy.
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