Simplified Stats in Cataclysm – Back to Basics

I can’t believe I haven’t mentioned this yet – because it’s a big one. When Cataclysm launches (actually, probably a few weeks before that), we’ll see a major overhaul of the stats in your characters. Blizzard is aiming to simplify them much more than they did with Wrath, completely removing many of them altogether. Here’s a rundown of what’s changing.

• Attack Power is being removed from gear. This means that agility classes like Rogues, Druids, Shamans, and Hunters will now get 2 AP from Agility while Strength classes like Warriors, Paladins, and Death Knights will get 2 AP from Strength.
• Spell power is being removed and the stats from it will be rolled into Intellect.
• MP5 is being removed and Spirit is taking over the full time duties as the mana regen stat.
• Armor Penetration is being removed completely.
• Defense is being removed and replaced with defense capping via talents such as how Druids currently work.
• Haste is being used for regeneration of resources like Focus, Energy, Rage, and Runes.
• Block Value is getting tossed with block now cutting off a percentage of damage.
• Stamina is going to be leveled for most armor types across the board so that plate wearers are not so much higher above everyone else any longer.

That’s probably not all of it, since all those changes are going to need some significant balance. Check back often to see what the Blizzard teams are coming up with.

Rated Battlegrounds and PvP Titles in Cataclysm

The PvP in World of Warcraft is usually the most contentious feature when it comes time for an expansion or upgrade. People want old features returned, new features explored and everything in between. One of the big ones that has long been under discussion is the advent of rated battlegrounds and the reintroduction of the old PvP titles from before the arena was introduced to the game in 2.0.

I tend to be an avid denouncer of the Arena but I’m rather fond of the battlegrounds – and always have been to some extent. But, getting good PvP gear was always relegated to the Arena – Battlegrounds were good for honor farming, but only to a certain extent. Now, it looks like we’re going to get much better rewards for that time spent:

Ranked Battlegrounds

The big change is that Battleground wins will now award both rating and arena points. Battleground losses are not going to punish anyone with a ratings loss, but will not award them any points. It wasn’t mentioned, but the odds are that we’ll still see honor and BG tokens awarded with each loss as well. There will be a weekly cap on points as well to keep the BGs from seeming like a grind.In addition, the BG rating will have a personal and a matchmaking rating (like the current arena).

Return of PvP Titles

People loved those old PvP titles and they’re looking to return with end-of-season titles in the form of Scout, Commander, Centurion, etc. There is no word on whether you will earn these permanently or need to re-earn them each season.

In addition to all that, new epic ground mounts will be tossed in as rewards for those who play rated battlegrounds. And to top everything off, we’ll see the rated Battlegrounds start to integrate into the Guild Talent system.

In a nutshell, the mindless grind of battlegrounds is finally going to see an overhaul – I for one am ecstatic.