After the name "Cataclysm" was trademarked by Blizzard for use in online games, many began speculating it must be the name of the new expansion pack for the nearly five-year-old World of Warcraft. Now, even before Blizzard has confirmed the existence of the expansion pack itself, MMO-Champion has posted a long and detailed list purported to be all the new features the expansion will bring, assembled from various (and unnamed) "reliable sources."
The list is full of details, but keep in mind that none of it has been confirmed by Blizzard in any way. Also keep in mind that if this information does turn out to be accurate, there would be quite a lot of spoilers here.
The highlights of the supposed content of this expansion include raising the level cap to 85, adding two new races (the previously rumored Goblins for the Horde and Worgen for the Alliance, pictured above), and apparently a full "revamp" of classic Azeroth instead of the addition of any new continents. No new classes will be added either, but there will be more options for previously unattainable race and class combinations.
As for the supposed name of the expansion itself, the post's author ("Boubouille") writes, "The cataclysm appears to have been caused by attempts...to summon extremely powerful beings using an ancient incantation by Deathwing and Azshara. They're both very powerful, but the cataclysm itself suggests something more powerful is behind it, perhaps their shared past of Old God influence?" It's this cataclysmic event that apparently will "change the face of Azeroth as we know it," influencing the supposed Azeroth revamp. Check out the full post for all the specific details, but again, keep in mind there's no telling how much of any of this will actually end up in a new WoW expansion pack. With Blizzcon set to begin next Friday, though, we're pretty sure we'll find out a lot more about Blizzard's plans for the future of World of Warcraft soon.