Massive Changes in WotLK
Start of beta, you know it’s only a matter of weeks before the official release of WOTLK Classic, and you want to know what the changes will be. I heard Blizzard Entertainment announce that they are definitely planning #MassiveChanges, revolving around a few key design points:
⦁ Accessible and familiar – Wanting the game to feel familiar to veteran players but accessible to new and inexperienced players
⦁ The world is the protagonist: Highlighting the wonderful world and the region of Northrend.
⦁ Detail Changes – Make it fun to earn items and gold while tweaking the game for longevity.
In this article, I will discuss 12 massive changes or patch updates I’ve noticed so far in playing WotLK. These are direct changes from TBC – some are quality-of-life updates, some are new additions, and others are just fun things that I’ve noticed.
I haven’t listed these in any specific order, but remember that these are things I’ve discovered in the WotLK Beta only, and there are many, many more. I’m sure some of these might be very obvious to some of you and things you already know about. Hopefully, there are some in here that are new and exciting. In fact, if you know of something that I didn’t mention in this article, please let me know in the comment section! let’s get started!
#1 New UI Tabs
Well, this is a pretty popular one. Not only does it help with organization, but it definitely frees up several slots in your bags and bank. Let’s quickly go through the new tab menu coming to WotLK Classic.
Open your character menu, it’s usually ‘C’ by default, and on the bottom tabs, in addition to your character, reputation & skills, you’ll now see a Pet and Currency tab.
The pet tab (SHIFT-P by default) now stores all your mounts and pets. When you log in for the first time, you’ll need to right-click on the mount(s) in your bags to get them stored in the pet tab. The same goes for pets that you have. Upon checking out this tab, you’ll notice two sub-tabs within it:
Companions & Mounts. Self-explanatory, but click each sub-tab to access either your pet companions or – you guessed it – your collection of mounts. You can then drag the mount from your mount tab and assign it whatever key binding you’d like.
Moving over to the Currency tab, you may notice that all of your battleground marks, badges, and other forms of currency are now missing from your bags and stored in the Currency tab. Again, another convenient way to save some space and display everything in a really organized way that is easy to access & view. You’ll notice that your Honor Points are also now saved in this tab.
#2 One-Hit Mining
Something exciting I noticed when exploring the WotLK was similar to Herbalism; Mining now only requires one hit. No more thieves running up to your mine to try to steal it while you’re mid-swing. Tapping a mine will collect everything all at once in one neat bundle.
#3 Barber Shop
Okay, probably another obvious yet exciting one nonetheless. Barber Shops are to be added to the game.
At the barbershop, you can customize your character’s appearance for a fee. Have a seat in the Barbershop chair and check out the different styles to choose from – ranging from Face, Hair Style, Hair Color, Earrings, and Skin Color, and you can also switch between male and female.
#4 Stormwind Harbor
For the Alliance, Stormwind Harbor has completed its construction and now serves boat paths to Auberdine & Valiance Keep in the Borean Tundra. Alliance quests who wish to start at the Tundra should head to the Harbor and hop on The Kraken vessel to Northrend from there.
#5 Menethil Harbor
Menethil Harbor already existed for Alliance. However, the boats are now changed around where players will find The Northspear boat that takes you to Valgarde in Howling Fjord. One thing I noticed is that the wait time for this boat can be quite long. Upon looking it up, it looks like you could be waiting almost 7-8 minutes for this boat depending on when you arrive at the docks.
#6 Zeppelin Changes
Don’t think I forgot about the Horde! For players in Durotar, you’ll notice a new Zeppelin tower has been added to the landscape just outside Orgrimmar. This Zeppelin will transport players
to Warsong Hold in the Borean Tundra.
On the flip side, players in Tirisfal Glades will also notice a new zeppelin tower outside of the Undercity. This new Zeppelin will lead players to Vengeance Landing in Howling Fjord. Just speak to Meera Farthrottle, and she’ll guide you to the Cloudkisser.
#7 Spell Power & Healing Changes
Healers – if you notice at your gear, you may see that the fine print no longer says Increases Healing done by so and so. That’s because basically, everything is streamlined to spell power now. It might seem a little odd at first, but hopefully, secondary stats like mana per 5, haste, or even spirit on items will be determining factors from having you fight with your spell casters.
#8 Dual Spec
A quality-of-life feature coming to WotLK Classic that I am a big fan of is “Dual Talent Specialization. It becomes available to players at level 40 and allows you to keep two different talent sets that you can switch between. Switching specs also means you’ll have your own set of glyphs per talent tree. Note that switching specs cannot be done while in combat and has a one-time gold cost of 1000g. Absolutely worth it, in my opinion, especially if you’re someone who likes being versatile and adaptive to what your group needs. A popular thing I’ve noticed is a lot of players will have maybe a primary leveling or DPS spec and another spec as more utility. Either straight PvE for dungeons and raiding or a tank or healing. The choice is yours and will absolutely depend on what class you play, too.
#9 Glyphs
Speaking of having two talent specializations, players can now add Glyphs to their specialty. What are Glyphs?
They essentially allow you to modify your abilities in quite a few ways. They’re broken down into 3 Major and 3 minor, and all unlock as you level to 80. They’re crafted via the Inscription Profession and can have a major impact on your character’s performance.
Absolutely do not forget to add Glyphs to your talent spec – and don’t forget that you’ll have two unique sets of glyphs to add when you purchase dual specialization.
#10 Water Mounting
Another massive change I’ve noticed is that you’ll no longer get dismounted upon entering a body of water. That’s right; players can now swim while still mounted.
#11 More Detailed Maps
Speak to a flight master, and you may notice that the maps have a bit more detail added to them. It also seems to be the case with minimaps and world maps too.
#12 Achievements
By default, your ‘Y’ key will open your Achievement menu. What’s to be said about Achievements? I’m sure most of you are familiar with this system if you played Wrath back in the day or any later WoW expansions. Achievement Points track various tasks or items you’ve collected in your journeys. Many achievements are just for fun or something extra to do. But others may reward players with special titles and even mounts.
