Any MMORPG fan who’s not been hiding under a rock since around last Christmas knows that World of Warcraft: Cataclysm is going live in just one day on December 7, 2010.

If you were hiding under that rock, it’s probably only been about a month for you. That’s right, while we were waiting Blizzard had been dropping down little patches laden with treats to make those “end of the expansion blues” just a little less tedious to bear with. Most recently we saw a complete overhaul to every character class in terms of talent trees, timed events that wracked an Azeroth already in the midst of small changes with a surprising amount of elemental attacks, cults preaching the end of the world, and finally, with the last sizable patch came ‘The Shattering’ of the World we all knew.

So with a whole new ‘World’ before us and absolutely zero meaningful raiding going on while we all wait for the expansion to officially drop, what would one do to pass the time?! Well, I’ve complied a list of the 5 things you are going to love about the new Azeroth, the upcoming Cataclysm expansion, and for some of you, a game you thought had grown stale and old.

New Talent Trees

I know a lot of people threw a fit and a half over the talent changes but that’s always the reaction to a drastic change like this at the outset. I think we all have had enough time to see this was needed and how it’s made everything more streamlined. One of the amazing side-effects happens to be ease of leveling. Currently, I’m playing a level 14 shadow priest, and it’s fun because now the revised talents seem to noticeably enhance your spell’s performance (I’m seeing substantial damage increases). Over all, most talents give bonuses that you’ll appreciate almost instantly. Very nice.

New Race/Class Combos

Sadly you can’t make Worgen or Goblins classes just yet, but any Horde player will tell you that being able to make a Troll Druid more than makes up for the wait. I’m sure Dwarf Shaman probably feel the same way. Oh, and Horde finally get Holy cows! (Tauren Paladin pun intended.)

New Orgrimmar

Now, this is where I have to apologize if you play Alliance. I don’t know how much Stormwind City has changed but I’m told it’s fairly minimal. But if you’ve spent any extended amount time in Orgrimmar though, you know it was a city in need of an overhaul. The new city lay that came with ‘The Shattering’ is awesome! The whole city is pretty much enjoyable and easy to get to. I know this won’t matter for some, but for others, this will make a huge difference for a long time to come. Turns out Hellscream got one thing right at least.

New Lore

Yes, you heard me right, now in cruise control NEW LORE!! I feel like the amount of work that has been put into this expansion, makes the Burning Crusade and Wrath of the Lich King expansions look almost pitiful in comparison. They were aiming at old school players who loved the story, the difficulty, and the overall feeling that killing a raid boss could give you. I can’t promise it is all perfect, but based on The Shattering: Prelude to Cataclysm book alone (an amazing book if you’re a lore buff) and the game events thus far, it gives one with very high hopes that this will be a game not to be missed if you loved the storyline. They really are pushing game lore to the forefront here, and it shows.

New Quests

Now, why not group this with lore? Because some of these new quests are just plain fun! And they bring with them hope of the new quest that you’ll want to go do every day. This could be a huge deal to just about anyone who plays Warcraft at top levels in terms of earning gold and those who take advantage of the fun downtime moments the game offers. You can to play Plants vs Zombies, become a quest giver, punch Deathwing in the face, help smart raptors load up a spaceship and fly off into space, and so much more that can’t even be typed out here, cause this article has to end eventually.

Well, it seems I’ve hit 5, and Cataclysm will be out any minute now. There is so much i didn’t even get to touch on, like guild ranks and reputations, new, simpler dungeons with maps (never get lost in Sunken Temple again!), new cities for the Worgen and Goblins, and so much more, this is going to be an expansion to remember. If you ever played World of Warcraft, this might be an expansion to check out; if you haven’t played WoW, this might be the time to consider.