Don’t be surprised if it’s pushed back.

Rumor has the 4.0 patch coming in next week. Time to plan to rebuild all your builds.

Ok, now onto the stuff you already know:

A lot of the Cataclysm features will be unleashed in the 4.0 patch, currently on the test realms (data is being downloaded, but it goes live when???) This includes a complete overhaul of the talent system. (This also means that those of us with build guides had better get to work.)

I was able to hit the character screen in the beta, where I saw this:

• The top icon is to “Customize your character”
• The second is to change faction
• The third, by Ramzen, is to change race.
• Dunno why the Hunter has no icon. Discrimination against Blood Elves?

It looked like this after I logged back in:

I guess the belf discrimination was just a rumor. So maybe this is something that’s being played with, at the moment? I’ll see what I can find…

(By the way, there’s a Beta FAQ here – it mentions a fix for logging into the beta, but it didn’t work for me. )

Ok, the log-in issue is fixed, but you have to delete a cache folder.

Go to your WoW Beta Folder > data and delete the cache folder.

This seems to work for most people.

Here’s another fix

• Delete Cache folder in WoWBeta/Data/
• Delete config.WTF
• Use the WoW.EXE file with the green T in your wow beta folder.

Ok, found the button thing. It’s a test of their paid change system, though these changes are free. But, most of you already knew that. These buttons will not be on the live game, unless you’ve paid.

In the latest build players will notice paid character services buttons appear next to characters at random on the Character Selection screen. These are the buttons you would normally see after purchasing any service, such as race, realm, or faction changes, or character customization. If a character service button shows up next to one of your characters, you can click it to make use of a free race change or character customization (faction change coming soon). You can make use of these buttons as often as you like, but the services for which you’re selected are randomly chosen for you and will update every hour. So, say if you don’t want to change your race but would like to customize your appearance on a specific character, you will need to wait for the right button to appear.

Please note that these buttons are only for beta testing purposes and are not intended to be released for free on live realms. We want beta testers to stress test our paid services so we can ensure they are operating smoothly when World of Warcraft: Cataclysm is released.

Here’s the thread

Edit:

Gotta love that right hand dagger.   Now really, isn’t that something that should be a low level dagger in the Goblin or Orc area?

Then, when you’re bored with catching giant fish the local Naga might come on board, say “Hi!” and escort you down for a scenic tour through their underwater city. Make sure you have a Naga approved Visa or getting back might be difficult.

To get to Vashj’ire and Nagaville, the first time, you’ll need to take the boat. Hordies head out the main gate of Orgrimmar, take a left, and go all the way to the beach. (If you’re facing Org, hang a right.)

You’ll find a dock. Hop on board and head on out to the greatest fishing grounds you’ve never seen.

Then, if for some silly reason, you should hearth back to Org, say… to get trained, then how do you get back to the fishing grounds (at least, for the Beta?)

Rozlyn is here to help. She’s standing in the doorway to the Org Mayor’s office and will teleport you back to Vashj’ir. Make sure you stock up on fresh bait and tackle, first. That’s Roz in the doorway. (click to embiggen.)

Another way to go is by air. There is a flightmaster in Vashj’ire that will send you to Undercity, so grab that one and you’re good.

The Orc is your flightmaster to the big city, the “guy” in the water is your local flightmaster.The Location is “Sandy Beach.”

Sandy Beach is here… at the marker, south of Kelp Forest. The first FP you grab should connect to it automatically.

Now go catch a big one!

The Goblin area is pretty nicely done and pretty funny. I won’t give any spoilers here other than to say the Goblins are fond of explosives. Lots of explosives. And they’re pretty creative about what they blow up.

Think of a whole race of mad scientists…

I’m sure we’ll see a few Goblin-Gnome rivalries playing out.

Only the berserkers had this model, all the others were fine. Also, there was no animation with this one. It was amusing to see this static image block moving around.

By the way, these are the guys in Eversong Woods, South East of Farstrider Retreat.

Apparently the Cataclysm NDA was lifted around the end of June.

You can create new characters, transfer existing ones, or create one from a list of pre-made 80s, with full gear. In the manage games section of your battle.net account you will see a PTR Character Copy link. As of this writing the transfer is pretty much immediate, but your mileage may differ.

We won’t be showing much in the way of spoilers, but we will have screenies and some info. Since it’s so early in the beta process I think we can count on everything changing. Also, since so many people in any beta I’ve ever been in asks if there will be a character wipe when it goes live, I’m assuming that there will be a character wipe. Actually, I’m 100% certain, even though I haven’t looked for a confirming statement.

I predict the the first level 85 characters will appear within 48 hours of Cataclysm going live. After all, who needs sleep?

The character creator is largely unchanged except for some animations and the new races and classes. The Human starting area has a few changes, the Blood Elf areas has none that I saw, but that was a very short look. I haven’t seen the others yet.

Hunters now start with pets, but I’m sure that all of you knew that already.

The Goblin area is cool (haven’t looked a the Worgen area, yet.). Clearly the Devs had fun with this one and a ton of work has been done. I think the RP crowd will like it. There are lots of funny bits, the total disregard for Goblin life, by Goblins, is evident. I thought the Hot Rod was pretty slick, too. I didn’t seen any issues with the Goblin area and so filed no reports. Of course, I expect this area has been pretty well pounded on by this point.

Sexy little guy, isn’t he? Getting read for a party, the smell of money in the background. Those are his party tools in the toolbar.(click to embiggen the pic.  Oh yeah, he’s a Warrior.)

Beta has begun!!!

—For those of you wondering, you will need approximately 30GB available to download and play!—

Thought I’d post this, as there have been a plethora of threads asking about the “when” and “how” of the beta. I should note that, with few alterations, this has been copied from the Wrath Beta thread put forth by Bornakk last year.

It looks as if Battle.net will, indeed, be the method of choice for opting-in. See the end of this post for how to use it!
——

Q:Where will Blizzard post information about the beta?

A: Blizzard will always post such information on the official forums and the web site. Consider any other site and/or e-mail fraudulent. When in doubt, go to the official website!
——

Q: What is an Opt-In?

A: Rather than randomly select from the player base, Blizz uses the opt-in, where players sign up to play. This ensures only players who express an interest in the beta will be selected for participation.
——

Q: Who is eligible for the Cataclysm Beta opt-in?

A: Any player who has an active World of Warcraft subscription, World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade, and World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King is eligible. The account must be active when the beta starts in order to be eligible to receive an invitation.
——

Q: How do I know if my account is considered active?

A: You can check the status of your World of Warcraft account at any time by logging in to your Account Management page. Once logged in you will find this information listed under the “Account Information” section.

Your account will be in one of these states:

- Active: This account is active and can be used for playing.
- Canceled: This account will remain available for play until the current subscription expires.
- Frozen: This account is inactive and can not be used for playing.
—–

Q: How do I know if I’ve made it into the beta once I’ve opted-in?

A: Blizzard will send an e-mail that will direct you to the beta download site on the Battle.net site. To be safe, do not follow links in e-mails – go directly to the site manually!
——

Q: Will invites be sent on a first-come, first-served basis, or will invites be sent randomly?

A: Beta invitees will be selected randomly from the entire pool of players who have chosen to opt in. Signing up early doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll be invited sooner than someone who signs up after you.
——

Q: Is this the only opportunity I’ll have to get in the Cataclysm beta?

A: No. Keep an eye on the official World of Warcraft site and official fansites for more chances. Wowwiki, Wowhead, and Worldofwar participated for Wrath.
——

Q: How long will opt-in signups be available?

A: Players will be able to opt in until the beta closes.
——

Q: If there are multiple World of Warcraft accounts in my household, can I opt in with each of them?

A: You may, though this doesn’t guarantee every account in the household will be invited.
——

Q: Can I opt in more than once on an single account?

A: You can only opt in once per account. If you try to opt in a second time, you’ll simply get a message saying that the account has already opted in.
——

Q: Are there any character-level requirements to participate?

A: No.
——

Q: Are there any specific system requirements I must meet in order to participate?

A: Short answer: No. However, you will be required to download a program that will send your specs to them (similar to what is contained in your dxdiag). This is to ensure that an adequate sampling of all system types is represented in the testing.

Battle.net Opt-In Procedure :

• 1) go to battle.net
• 2) After logging into the Battle.net account, click the Beta Profile Settings (green) located under Manage My Games.
• 3) Create your Beta Profile by downloading the Beta Opt-in Application.
• 4) Save the System Check file for your chosen operating system. Launch the file to begin loading. Before any system specs will be updated into your Beta Profile Settings, you must agree to the Blizzard Beta Test “Opt-in” Agreement.
• 5) After selecting Agree, the Battle.net System Check will begin. Click the yellow Send button to associate your system specs with the Battle.net account.
• 6) Once the system check is completed and sent, you will be taken to the account management page, where you will be able to view your system specs. You can also decide which beta tests you are interested in. All universes are check-marked by default. To save any changes that are made, click the yellow Update Preferences button.

What happens once invites get sent:

• 1) You’ll receive an invite in your regular email that is associated with your battle.net account (make sure it’s current!)
• 2) Physically go to battle.net – do not follow any links! This minimizes the chances of you following malicious links in fake emails!; Log in to your battle.net account
• 3) Follow the instructions included in your beta invite email!