In the original game, early and mid-level zones were designed to be traversed on foot and were therefore sized appropriately. Mounts weren’t available until a character reached level 40, and while a number of classes have skills that can slightly improve movement speed, earning enough cash and experience to buy a mount made a huge difference in how long it took to get from Point A to Point B in a zone like Stranglethorn Vale. The cost of various mounts has been dramatically reduced as well; and epic riding mounts (+100% movement speed) are now available at level 40 for a total cost of 50g, where they once became available at level 60 for 1,000 gold. Once Cataclysm launches, players will arrive in Azeroth with flying mounts that move at 150% to 280% of base running speed. The only way to prevent Azeroth from feeling like a continent in miniature is to increase the size of existing zones, and the massive changes wrought by the cataclysm gives the game developers the opportunity to do so.
Blizzard has finally lifted on the veil on the upcoming World of Warcraft: Cataclysm, and the official information generally confirms and fleshes out the sneak preview from last week. The new expansion will feature the corrupted black dragon Deathwing as its principle villain. Once thought buried in the depths below the fortress of Grim Batol, Deathwing has actually spent years within the earthen Elemental Plane, Deepholm. The Cataclysm itself is caused by Deathwing’s ascent and erruption into Azeroth; an event that will create what Blizzard describes as a “festering wound across the continents. The fallen Highborne Queen, Azshara, will also play a role in the new expansion, but Blizzard hasn’t revealed if she’s an ally of Deathwing, a foe, or an opportunist making her own play for power in the wake of the chaos that engulfs Azeroth.
Reference from hothardware.com.
