Patch 4.0.1 and what it brings

I went ahead and played on the Public Test Realms of WoW to test the upcoming patch, the one that’ll bring some of the cataclysmic changes to the game (pun intended).

With it comes changes to the interface: the map can track multiple things at the same time, which is convenient; your spellbook contains all of your class’s abilities, even those you have not learned; it indicates when you can get it. The talent overhaul has come, and it seems nice. My early fears seem far away now: the trees (at least those I saw) seem nice and, while I don’t think it’ll herald a new era of diversity, at least gives you something to really look for; most talents are at least useful or interesting. When you won’t gain a new talent, you’ll gain a new ability, so if you’re like me, and have a character in progress but still a good way before level 80, you’re likely to lose some of the spells or abilities you currently have, only to gain them back later.

While this may hurt some players who are unaware of the coming changes (and may log next week only to realize they’ve lost some spells), this will make a much nicer progression, since almost every level will bring something new, either a brand new spell (ranks have been done away with) or a talent point. The downside of this is that there are no “awesome levels”, with a cluster of abilities (like level 20 for most classes).

Otherwise, all Cataclysm changes are due, well, on Cataclysm release, December 7th. You won’t find the ability to fly in Azeroth, new dungeons, new quests or reshaped zones in 4.0.1, though you’ll experience the coming of the Cataclysm and of Deathwing, thanks to intermittent earthquakes. I’m disappointed I couldn’t try a Dwarf Shaman just for the fun of it, or a Troll Druid, but I’ll spend so much time tinkering my new talents for my 8+ alts that I probably won’t notice time flying away!