If you’ve always wanted to get into World of Warcraft but didn’t – among other things – have the money for the Battle Chest, you’re in luck. Blizzard Entertainment has announced that World of Warcraft and the expansions included in the Battle Chest (The Burning Crusade, Wrath of the Lich King, and Cataclysm) will now be included with the regular WoW subscription.

Paying $14.99 per month will now grant access to all of this content, and to make the deal sweeter, the most recent expansion Legion is also included. As per the official WoW blog, “The Battle for Azeroth pre-patch is here, and with this update, we’re making some exciting changes to the way players access World of Warcraft.

“Starting today, new players can gain access to all World of Warcraft content up through and including the Legion expansion simply by becoming a subscriber—you no longer need to purchase the original World of Warcraft base game.”

At last year’s BlizzCon, Blizzard announced World of Warcraft Classic, the much-awaited vanilla version of the MMORPG that fans have been clamouring for. How the current subscription model will affect WoW Classic remains to be seen. It’s possible that Blizzard made this move to ensure a smoother experience for anyone picking up World of Warcraft for the first time.

If the past doesn’t interest you, then it may be worth looking at Battle of Azeroth, World of Warcraft’s next big expansion that will be available on August 14th for $49.99.

And no, Mists of Pandaria is still sold separately. How long will that last? We’ll find out in the coming months. You can still purchase World of Warcraft separately for £9.99 either on retail DVD or via digital download from Battle.net in case you want to avoid a prolonged addiction.

What are your thoughts on the new retail edition of World of Warcraft? Let us know in the comments below.

The third expansion pack of the highly popular MMO World of Warcraft by Blizzard, Cataclysm, is now out in stores throughout North America, Europe, Argentina, Chile, Russia, Southeast Asia, Australia, and New Zealand, and will be available beginning December 9 in Korea and the regions of Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau.

The expansion pack can be bought at retail stores on DVD-ROM for Windows XP/Vista/7 and Macintosh. A special Collector’s Edition packed with bonus items is also available exclusively from retailers. World of Warcraft: Cataclysm is also offered as a digital download through Battle.netaccount management.

Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment, says: “Cataclysm adds an incredible amount of new content for players to explore, revitalizing the game world and building on everything we’ve learned since World of Warcraft launched over six years ago. We thank all of our beta testers for helping make this our best expansion yet, and we’re looking forward to seeing everyone in the new Azeroth.”

Some info on World of Warcraft: Cataclysm:

“In World of Warcraft: Cataclysm, the corrupted Dragon Aspect Deathwing has returned, and the world has been reshaped by the devastation left in his wake. In an effort to survive the planet-shattering cataclysm, two new playable races — worgen and goblins — join the struggle between the Alliance and the Horde. Players can now begin their journey to the new level cap of 85, discover newly revealed locations, acquire new levels of power, and come face to face with Deathwing in a battle to determine the fate of the world.”

Cataclysm will be a major step forward in the ongoing story of the Warcraft universe. The return of Death wing has changed the world forever, and the major movers and shakers are forced to make decisions that will profoundly affect the future of their peoples. Below is a list of some of the most important non-player characters in World of Warcraft: Cataclysm

As most of you may already know, the new world of warcraft expansion pack is soon to be released, and some of you may be extremely excited and cannot wait!

The expansion pack will feature an excessive amount of changes such as:

–Two new races (Goblins and Worgens)

–Featuring a new world and Zones

–More Professions (Archaeology, Reforging)

–10 amazing class changes

–New battleground and arenas)

Miscellaneous

– There will most likely be an in-game event leading up to the release of Cataclysm

– ?Battle.net will gain new features in the expansion, including an XBox-Livesque ability to see what your friends are playing and which servers they’re on, in addition to sending messages to them.?

– Dog Model finally spotted: a Mastiff in Gilneas, the starting zone of the Worgen

– System Requirements: yet to be determined – expect tweaks to the graphics at the very least

– Old World Achievement: There will be a number of current Achievements that will be removed come the reshape of Azeroth. For those of us that have achieved them, they will be moved under “Feats of Strength” and all points accumulated for them will be kept.

– Current heirloom items are not expected to be updated to support 80-85 and will remain for the 1-80 crowds.

Basic History of the Worgen!
Records indicate that the worgen existed for a time in Kalimdor. The worgen’s first appearance in the Eastern Kingdoms has been traced back to the Third War, when Arugal utilized the wolf-beasts as a weapon against the Scourge. Arugals weapons then soon backfired against him, however, as the curse of the worgen quickly spread across the human population, transforming ordinary men and women into ravenous, feral creatures, which you now know as worgens

Arugal took in many of these worgen claiming them as his and fled to former mansion of Baron Silverlaine, is now known as Shadow fang Keep. The curse, however, was not contained. It persisted in the lands of Silverpine and extended even into the fabled walled nation of Gilneas, where the curse rapidly reached pandemic levels.

The citizens of Gilneas found themselves trapped, with no hope of escape. They retreated deeper within the isolated domain, and there they survived, fearful of the savage presence that lurked just outside the barricades.

Tensions among the displaced citizens escalated over time, resulting in a civil war that now threatens to destabilize the embattled nation even more.

There are those among the Gilneans, however, who cling to hope. Many believe that a treatment for the worgen curse may exist, although others have nearly given up, fearful that if the barricades should fall, their humanity will be lost forever.

Basic History of Goblins!

The trolls used this potent mineral for their voodoo rituals, but it had an unexpected effect on the slaves who were in constant contact with it: kaja’mite generated a startling new cunning and intelligence in the goblins. Crafting their own powerful artefacts of engineering and alchemy in secret, the goblins soon overthrew their oppressors and claimed Kezan for their homeland. The mines that had been their prison, their slave camp, and the base of their rebellion now became the city of Undermine. Weaving through the heart of the island in a dizzying network of tunnels, vaults, and lava tubes, Undermine epitomizes the goblins’ complex, unpredictable mindset.

The goblins’ natural greed soon lifted them to prominence as masters of mercantilism. Trade prices during the First War rose these goblins (as smart as they are) learned to take an advantage of this. Great fortunes were amassed, and the Isle of Kezan became a hub for fleets of goblin trading ships. By the end of the Third War, goblins were providing weaponry, vehicles, and devious services to both the Horde and the Alliance. Along the lines, they all knew this alliance, friendship wasn`t going to last forever.

The goblins’ natural greed soon lifted them to prominence as masters of mercantilism. Trade prices during the First War rose these goblins (as smart as they are) learned to take an advantage of this. Great fortunes were amassed, and the Isle of Kezan became a hub for fleets of goblin trading ships. By the end of the Third War, goblins were providing weaponry, vehicles, and devious services to both the Horde and the Alliance. Along the lines, they all knew this alliance, friendship wasn`t going to last forever.

I am very excited to recieve this new expansion, as im sure any other WoW players are!

So get out there join alliances with the Goblins and Worgens, or play as them!
Go get `em!

• new race-class combinations, monsters, dungeons, raids, achievements
• new secondary skill of Archaeology
• heroic settings added to the classic dungeons Deadmines and Shadowfang Keep
• new guild leveling system
• Path of the Titans character progression
• return of classic end-boss, Deathwing