There’s a big debate right now in World of Warcraft: Are Cataclysm heroic dungeons too hard or just right.

The two camps are at each other’s throats, with supporters of the harder content welcoming the return of crowd control, marking and other “lost skills” with the AOE-fest that was the Wrath of the Lich King expansion. Meanwhile, critics are pointing out the flaws of most encounters that require pitch-perfect timing, so that one mistake can lead to a wipe.

Throughout the debate, Blizzard kept mostly quiet as it gathered more feedback in-game and in the forums. Lead systems designer Greg “Ghostcrawler” Street has just broken the silence with a pretty in-depth discussion not only on the intent behind harder Heroics, but also on why groups might be failing.

Ghostcrawler pointed out the basic responsibilities for each of three roles. Tanks should make it easier for the group to burn down mobs with the help of marking, DPS should use their skills wisely especially crowd control abilities, while Healers should engrave the motto of triage above their monitor screens.

But for those who still clamor for less wipes while earning their loot and Tier gear points, Ghostcrawler suggested that a few tweaks will be made but not on content per se, but on how the dungeons decide whether a player is fit enough to handle the Heroics. For him, there could be better ways to screen players so they experience the normal version of version of dungeons first, which helps a lot in teaching the tricky fight mechanics.

WoW Gold | A first look at Cataclysm

If you’ve avoided all the spoilers so you can play the new World of Warcraft expansion with child-like wonder, rejoice!

Cataclysm went live earlier this week and now you’re free to explore all it has to offer. Here’s our own Cliff notes on the new playable races and areas.

First, we are amazed with the quality of the worgen and goblin starter zones leveling and farming wow gold in early games. Rolling as one these new playable races is definitely a highlight of Cataclysm.

The worgens of the human nation of Gilneas are battling a terrible werewolf curse that continues to spread like wildfire among the population. As the infected worgen population grows, there are conflicting emotions on how to deal with them. Kill them like savage creatures or accept them into the fold?

The choice is a gray one due to the erratic behavior of infected worgens; they have a hunger for violence but still retain a shred of human compassion. Quests explore the struggle of worgens and they need in wow gold, especially in the face of an invasion from the neighboring Undead led by Queen Sylvanas Windrunner.

Meanwhile, goblins barely escape a terrible volcanic eruption in their home island and are forced to find a new home in Kalimdor. Luck was at least on their side; after meeting and helping Thrall on their listless journeys, the former Warchief offered the goblins a place alongside the orcs, trolls and other Horde races.

Dungeons too flesh out the sense of fear and destruction prevalent throughout the ravaged Azeroth. Newly unlocked level 80+ areas display the destructive intent of Deathwing and his minions, seemingly in collusion with the Old Gods. Mount Hyjal is under siege from Ragnaros the Firelord who wants to burn down the World Tree, while Grim Batol is crawling with Twilight’s Hammer cultists doing the dark dragon’s bidding.

But easily the most breathtaking new zone is the underwater Vashj’ir region which captures the vastness of a hidden ocean realm. You can spend more hours getting lost in the hundred or so quests in the region and the 5-man dungeon Throne of the Tides rather than farming for wow gold.

Things are bound to heat up as the expansion progresses and we get ever closer to facing Deathwing himself. That fight promises to be just as heart-pounding as the Lich King encounter, so go run those heroics, collect wow gold as many as you can and raids as preparation.

There’s no going back now. World of Warcraft has flipped the switch and activated The Shattering patch, which has permanently altered the face of the game. Beloved zones now reflect the catastrophic arrival of Deathwing, some being torn asunder and others plunging into conflict.

As the last patch before the Cataclysm expansion, The Shattering patch delivered on its threat. Once peaceful towns such as Auberdine and Menethil harbor have been bulldozered. Even the capital cities of Stormwind and Ironforge suffered terrible damage and casualties in the wake of the dragon’s destructive return.

But the resilience of Azeroth shines through the adversity. Both the Alliance and Horde persevere with hundreds of new leveling quests. Blizzard also took time to streamline the progression to level 60, with level-appropriate zones now linked closer to one another.

In addition to the map and questing changes, The Shattering also activated more than a dozen new race-class combinations like the tauren paladin, blood elf warrior and night elf mage. All in all, this latest patch advanced the story of the game by about five years and showcases the new Azeroth, one knee-deep in chaos and chances for untold glory for heroes brave enough to face it.

Read the full patch notes of The Shattering here.

What would a Cataclysm be without some drama-inducing destruction?

In World of Warcraft’s next expansion, the famous outdoor raid Zul’Gurub (also known simply as ZG) is being turned into a questing hub, to the protest of fans who haven’t looted the area’s exotic mounts.

Blizzard Poster Zannoth confirmed the demise of Zul’Gurub as a raid instance in response to Cataclysm beta testers who noticed it was missing from a revamped list of Classic Raider achievements. Even its WoWWiki entry has already been updated:

In World of Warcraft: Cataclysm, Zul’Gurub will become a freely accessible subzone of Northern Stranglethorn, offering level 30-35 quests given by Zanzil the Outcast amongst others. It will no longer exist as a raid instance.

Most of the mourning wasn’t for the local Gurubashi trolls whose cultish ways are creepy at best; it was for the regal Swift Zulian Tigers and Swift Razzashi Raptors that might become extinct as well. Both mounts are rare drops from Zul’Gurub bosses and their fate has kept most players on edge.

“Maybe they’ll make ZG a five man dungeon so we can keep farming them?”, “OMG it’s time to start doing ZG weeklies until Cata!”, “Blizzard sucks!”.

But if you’ve bagged both mounts and have no qualms giving Hakkar the Soulflayer a rest from all those years of beating, then just sit back and watch this video of Cataclysm questing in Zul’Gurub. It’s quite a nice stroll but those deranged trolls are still itching to sacrifice you to their god.

Blizzard has handed down its final gift to raiders who haven’t defeated the Lich King and his minions. The Strength of Wrynn and Hellscream’s Warsong buffs—aka the Icecrown buffs—have been raised to the maximum 30% cap, making it easier than ever to conquer Arthas’ frigid lair.

This means 30% bonus health, healing and absorption effects, and damage dealt for all raid members once the Icecrown buffs are turned on. It’s been awhile since the first iteration of the buffs went live in World of Warcraft and, like clockwork, these increased at a 5% increment each month.

The 30% level should give even the most casual raiders a leg up in finishing ICC achievements like The Light of Dawn and The Frozen Throne for those impressive titles. More complicated feats  like the Glory of the Icecrown Raider can also become EZ mode with the help of the buffs, which might lead to a proliferation of Frostbrood mounts.

For those who have long since moved on from Icecrown and are now tackling the newer Ruby Sanctum raid, just keep in mind that some loot drops in ICC are still better than those from Halion and his three drake lieutenants.  So these Icecrown buffs can still be useful for gear farming during progression rest days.

Mark those calendars!

BlizzCon 2010 tickets go on sale June 2 (7pm Pacific time) and June 5 (10am Pacific time) under a first-come, first-serve basis. Tickets for the October 22-23 event can be bought either through the BlizzCon 2010 website or Blizzard store at $150 apiece.

But before plunking down the cash, make sure you have an active Battle.net account because the Blizzard store won’t sell you the tickets otherwise. Each household can only purchase a maximum of five tickets so coordinate the guild accordingly.

There are only a limited number of BlizzCon tickets for sale–which sell faster than lemonade during summer–so the back-up plan is watching the action remotely via pay-per-view. Blizzard said in a press release that live coverage for BlizzCon will be available on television or internet streaming to the tune of $39.95.

Both options will cover the discussion panels, tournaments, contests and opening and closing ceremonies. But the advantage of internet streaming, according to Blizzard, is that viewers can switch coverages on-demand:

Anyone who purchases the Internet stream will be able to switch freely between multiple channels of coverage dedicated to different areas of BlizzCon, allowing online viewers expanded access to the panels and events they’re most interested in.

There’s also a bonus in-game item (probably a pet) for for PPV subscribers–a small consolation for missing out on game play trials and autograph signings with Blizzard developers. Some players schedule their year around BlizzCon to meet guildies or to just relax with family or friends.

If you’re lucky enough to get a hold of the tickets, then spend some time reading through the BlizzCon 2010 FAQs (scroll down to see). It’ll give the do’s and don’ts for one of the most mind-blowing weekends for a World of Warcraft,  StarCraft 2 and Diablo 3 fans.

Who says World of Warcraft and dating don’t mix? The caricature of a WoW player sitting in front of his computer – with eyebags the size of steamer trunks, acne peppering his face and piles of hot pocket crumbs on his desk and on the floor – is just that: a caricature. Here to further debunk the myth that gamers are lonely, sloppy geeks who don’t have hearts – and lives – outside of WoW is Madison V., the lovely moderator of the dating/social networking site Datecraft.com. She talks about the site that has attracted hundreds of gamers looking for real life friendships, commitment and excitement, plus what she’s looking for in a guy.

J: Hey Madison, how’s it going?
M: Hey, I’m doing good, thank you very much.

J: For the benefit of those who don’t know, tell us what DateCraft is all about.
M: DateCraft is a relatively new site targeting gamers interested in online dating, but it’s not exclusive to Warcraft players as the name might suggest. It’s been active for 3 years now and we’re getting more members as we speak.

J: Any luck with the guys?
M: [laughs] Well, I’ve made friends with a lot of guys but I haven’t really hooked up with anyone yet. There are a few here and there who’s caught my attention.

J: Have you always been a gamer?
M: I guess so. I mean, as a child I remember being attached to my Gameboy. I had quite an addiction then.

J: What’s the biggest misconception about gamers that you’d like to disprove?
M: That our lives revolve around games. This goes hand in hand with being basement dwellers, though it’s more commonly associated with guys than girls. We have a life outside World of Warcraft. We have school, jobs, interests, hobbies, social lives…

J: Okay, just a little survey. If you were to choose: Marvel or DC?
M: I’d have to go with Marvel on this one.

J: Best geeky show on television?
M: Recently, I’ve been kinda obsessed with Chuck. It’s got the perfect mix of funny and smart and I enjoy a lot of the spy action going on.

J: Favorite geeky celebrity crush?
M: Oh I am in love with Matthew Gray Gubler! He’s positively adorable. It’s his quirky charm. Not to mention the hair.  I do have a thing for wavy, sexy hair.

J: Do you date non-gamers? If you haven’t, will you ever?
M: Sure, why not? It’d be silly to write someone off just because he isn’t a gamer.

J: What makes DateCraft a go-to site for those interested in online dating?
M: It’s really great if you’re looking for fellow geeks to socialize with because if it doesn’t work out, at least you’ve found yourself a new friend.

It’s been months since Blizzard added new content to its Cataclysm website, so it was a nice surprise to find an extensive update on Mount Hyjal, one of the “new” high-level areas opening up in the next expansion.

Mount Hyjal has figured in the most epic events in World of Warcraft history, but it’s only in Cataclysm that players can explore its area in full (it was previously inaccessible outside of the Battle for Mount Hyjal raid). I personally can’t wait to check up on the World Tree, Nordrassil, and see how it’s recovering ever since the archdemon Archimonde tried to corrupt it during the Third War.

Of course, where there’s a new area, there’s trouble brewing. And this one’s hotter than a warrior’s rage. The new Mount Hyjal preview suggests Firelord Ragnaros—once the destructive lord and final raid boss of Molten Core in the Blackrock Mountain—could burn down the wounded World Tree while escaping from his Elemental Plane imprisonment.

While details are still sketchy on how and why the Firelands will be linked to Mount Hyjal, it’s pretty much our mission to defend Nordrassil again from fiery destruction. This involves infiltrating the deranged Twilight’s Hammer clan and venturing deep into Firelands itself for a Ragnaros rematch. Expect a far more dangerous fight though since the Firelord holds court in Sulfuron Keep, which is surrounded by a vast lake of fire! (Talk about a friggin’ home court advantage…)

Firelands will be a level-85 raid dungeon so expect tons of hardcore wiping on the way to Ragnaros. I advise stressed adventurers to take calming flights around Mount Hyjal. Nothing beats snapping a screenshot or two in our Azeroth-enabled flying mounts with the gorgeous Night Elf forests and ruins as our pic background.

Oh and there’s also a chance to bump into Malorne, just the most hardcore white stag that ever lived, so better level up those Worgen druids (I know I will) and teleport to Moonglade.

There’s been a massive eggscape in the World of Warcraft. Noblegarden Week began last weekend and eggs are popping out of nowhere at random throughout the starter towns of each race.

If you’re gunning for the meta-achievement What A Long, Strange Trip It’s Been in hopes of riding a Violet Proto-Drake mount, then pick up the eggs fast before others snap them up. You’ll need to crack open brightly colored eggs to pick up achievement-related items such as an elegant dress and chocolates.

Hordies should rotate their search around the four towns of Bloodhoof Village in Mulgore, Brill in Tirisfal Glades, Falconwing Square in Eversong Woods, and Razor Hill in Durotar. Meanwhile, Alliance toons should stick to Goldshire in Elwynn Forest, Kharanos in Dun Morogh, Dolanaar in Teldrassil, and Azure Watch in Azuremyst Isle.

A quirkier task can break the pace of egg hunting, and nothing is quirkier than transforming yourself into a bunny and laying an egg in the Jurassic-themed region of Un’Goro Crater in southern Kalimdor. Travel with a buddy who can use a Blossoming Branch on you to get your bunny costume and then /sit at the Golakka Hot Springs for awhile to lay the egg.

There’s also the task of placing bunny ears on a female of each race. One use of Spring Flowers can transform a dour dwarf into a bunny-eared vixen! If you own a female toon, prepare to be “victimized” this way when visiting the auction house or just learning skills at the trainers.

So have a blast at Noblegarden Week. Just be careful of running into those overly romantic bunnies…

The gnomes, who have been squatting in Ironforge after the power-hungry Mekgineer Thermaplugg dumped radiation all over the Gnomeregan capital, are already mounting a counterstrike led by the High Tinker Gelbin Mekkatorque. (The gnomish leader even looks like he’s been lifting some heavy weights in anticipation–look at those arms, man!)

Codenamed Operation: Gnomeregan, the retaking of the gnomish city looks like a massive mobilization of gas-masked troops to find and defeat Thermaplugg. Alliance characters have tried before but it seems the crazy tinker we defeated in the Gnomeregan dungeon was just a hologram copy. Maybe with this new assault, Thermaplugg will be finally put out of commission.

The Darkspear trolls of the Horde are on a similar mission, but their target is to reclaim the Echo Isles from the necromancer Zalazane. Those who’ve rolled a troll before know the sad exile of the Darkspears. Is five years too late? The troll leader Vol’jin doesn’t think so, and he’s leading the charge with back up from the rest of the Horde. Although it might not seem much of a capital now, my guess is the Echo Isles will use some phasing to simulate the rebuilding of a proper troll capital beyond a small section of Orgrimmar.

It’s nice to see the gnomes and trolls get some love from the Blizzard devs. I suppose now, the two faction leaders will be included in the For the Alliance and For the Horde achievements.

No final date has been set when the quests linked to these two campaigns will be released, but rumor mills predict it will come with the Assault of the Ruby Sanctum raid in Patch 3.3.5. Don’t worry about missing out–we’ll be in the front lines to give you a heads up when the gnomish mechanostriders and troll raptors start rolling out.