World of Warcraft: Cataclysm release date announced

Azeroth is all set to get tore up from the floor up. Blizzard have just announced the official launch date for World of Warcraft: Cataclysm, and it'll be hitting the world's shop shelves on the 7th of December (and swiftly leaving again in hundreds of little plastic bags). The latest expansion to Blizzards king-of-MMOs features an exhaustive redesign of the old world - the boring old level 1-60 areas that we've all levelled through a million times.

The old areas will have new quests, new geography, and new dungeons. Horde players can now make Goblins, Alliance users can rock a Worgen, and all races can now use a few extra classes that were previously locked off. Blood Elf Warrior, anyone? The level cap will be increased to 85, the talent trees will be streamlined for all classes, and the whole game will feel new again.

You don't have to buy the expansion to enjoy the new Azeroth or the changes to the talent trees, though. Those will naturally affect the whole World of Warcraft.