Blizzard community manager Eyonix is back again with some more tasty information for WoW-heads hanging out for their next big fix, the forthcoming Cataclysm expansion.

Today we’d like to go into more detail about a brand-new feature that’s an integral part of this overhaul: the Mastery system, a set of new game mechanics designed to allow players to become better at what makes their chosen talent tree cool or unique. With this system, we want to accomplish three things: give players more freedom in how they allocate talent points, simplify some of the "kitchen sinky" talents that try to do too much at once, and add a new stat to high-level gear that makes you better at your chosen role.

Examples of this are given for the Holy Priest, Discipline Priest and Frost Death Knight masteries. Get the full scoop over on the World of Warcraft Community Forums.

I like the idea that they are working away from boring, mandatory talents like "do bigger heals".

I reckon they should go back and rework the talent trees altogether so that every class has a support/heal, tank, damage option flavoured by the class archetype. Probably too radical and way too much work though, and shooting someone in the face to heal them might be weird...

I just wanna fly around in old-world and dive bomb x-roads hahaha.

Its annoying me again atm, I wanted to see some of the content I hadn't seen like Ulduar and ToC and some Icecrown, so I levelled up a priest and got it pretty geared up, but can't get into guilds or even pug raids of stuff like ulduar and toc, cos they only want people who have the achievements to show they've already done the fight. But then you can't get experience with the fights cos nobody will take you. And everyone is always wanking on about this gearscore shit, its all highly annoying.

Yeah agreed Khel, it's pretty stupid

Agreed Khel, I jumped back in after being 3 years wow sober. Was shameful tanking my old 60 warrior and not being super quick and perfect. People expect absolute pros straight out and it's scary with all the words they attack you with. LA LA LA.

However the new raid/dungen finder is the shiz, only used it a couple times but havn't played for a few months.

I'm with you Khel... and the others. The problem is Gearscore and achievement requirements are a joke, they both have no indication of how well you can atcually play. Sure, there's proof you have experience, but I've run with people who have near completed Ulduar, yet cause wipes in Naxx due to their bad tanking/headling. I mean, the furthest I'd been in Wrath to date is to Flame Leviathan in Ulduar, before the guild I was in disbanded. Apparently that's still not good enough to get into any Ulduar run.

Though apparently Blizz is apparently working on an extending the LFG tool to include raids as well, meaning GS and achievement Nazism won't be so rapant.

With that all said and done though, Cataclysm is looking amazing, in both new content and gameplay changes.

Just remember, when people decide to use these simple methods to select people, there is generally a way to game that system. There are mods that will fake your gear score, and there are mods that will let you send fake achievements :)

In the past though, I have got most of my achievements in guild, but these days I don't raid so it's not an issue.

Asking for achievements is stupid. Even though the toon you are doing it on might not have got it doesn't mean your others don't. But I can understand people not wanting a fail group although a line needs to be drawn somewhere. After all it's just a fucking game and some people can be real fucking cunts.

And everyone is always wanking on about this gearscore shit, its all highly annoying.

I want to do ICC25 in naxx epics, what could go wrong.

Sounds like WoW is really fun and inviting. I regret that I stopped playing it 3 years ago. Oh wait, no I don't.

Haha, nice one Midda. Sounds cool, intriguing, lets see how Blizzard goes with it.

After all it's just a fucking game

For some people it is a life :/

This is why you should just quit wow guys and move onto some better games like I did. Its the same shit over and over again. I did naxx, then i did ulduar, then i did totc, then I Did icecrown. Then everyone talks about the expansion and all the new gear you can get and bla bla bla.

WOW is a broken record that plays the same shit day in day out. They just designed the game so once you spend the stupid amount of time getting something. Something better just replaces it.

I just decided one day. Whats the fucken point? I am going back to FPS games for some real fun. I'm not up for raiding all night anymore and getting fuck all sleep for work. I chose LIFE, so should all of you.

This is why you should just quit wow guys and move onto some better games like I did ... I just decided one day. Whats the fucken point? I am going back to FPS games for some real fun. I'm not up for raiding all night anymore and getting fuck all sleep for work. I chose LIFE, so should all of you.

I don't play WoW anymore, but that wasn't what it was like for me. I logged in a few times a week for a few hours when I had time free and enjoyed it while it was fun. I occassionally re-activate my account for the same reasons. I've also occassionally been a member of regular raiding parties for a stint but never for very long periods as it felt like an obligation and seemed to suck the fun out of the game.

Given that it was such a problem for you (interfering with work? holy shit...) its probably for the best that you gave it up. Anyone who has an obsessive hobby that is interfering with their professional or personal life negatively should reconsider it.

Oh yeh, I'm currently getting into DDO and would recommend it to anyone wanting something a bit more challenging than WoW! Its also free to play although to see all the content you'll eventually need a subscription.

^Implying people who play WoW have no life

Seriously, what's with this stigma that someone who plays WoW can't have a healthy social life? Me and the friends I know who play WoW are usually out on Friday and Saturday nights, I have plenty of friends who aren't even gamers that I meet up with often, and this is all fits in on my days off work

All it comes down to is balance. I like playing WoW, as I do other games, but it doesn't stop me from enjoying other facets of my life.

Some people who play WoW really do have no life outside the game, and its quite sad.

It doesn't have to be that way though, and it does grate a little when people assume that if you play (or played) WoW or an MMO that you are a no-lifer putting in 50 or 60 hours a week.

This is why you should just quit [INSERT_MMORPG] guys and move onto some better games like I did. Its the same shit over and over again. I did [INSERT_MMORPG_DUNGEON], then i did [INSERT_MMORPG_DUNGEON], then i did [INSERT_MMORPG_DUNGEON], then I Did [INSERT_MMORPG_ZONE]. Then everyone talks about [INSERT_MMORPG_EXPANSION] and bla bla bla.

[INSERT_MMORPG] is a broken record that plays the same shit day in day out. They just designed the game so once you spend the stupid amount of time getting something. Something better just replaces it.

WoW these days is a pretty sad state of affairs with GS and achievement requirements. It's very frustrating that people expect awesome & epic people to form up a raid and run through it but leaving all those behind that have the gear but might just not have been into those raids yet. Fortunately the guild I'm in is very friendly and I've got a bunch of family & friends playing on PM. Pugs on the other hand...

My main is a prot paladin and has seen most of Ulduar but I stopped for a few months last year. I started again with 3.3.0 and quickly geared up in heroics to get 4/5 T9, got enough frosts to buy wrists, etc re-gemmed with epics & enchanted everything but still I'm only at ~4900 GS and not good enough to pug a TOC because its not 5200+ and no achievement .. disregarding the months and months I spend raiding in TBC, WotLK Naxx, Ulduar, etc. Apparently these days your skill and experience is second priority to how much gear you can accumulate. I can take my 4400GS mage and outdps most 5000+GS people but still can't get into ToC because of my low GS. I've deleted GS now and will just take people that are interested in coming to raids regardless of gear or experience - if they don't know the fights then it'll be explained nicely instead of being treated like a dick for not killing the Lich King 5 minutes after ICC was opened up.

I've also just started leveling a holy priest and FUCK ME PEOPLE ARE STUPID CUNTS. I typically buff everyone after zoning in which reduces me to < 30% mana but the tank feels its ok to run off and grab eleventymillon mobs and then starts abusing you because you didn't heal him. You say "Wait, I need mana" but off they go and round up a bunch of shit, die and complain that you can't heal properly which is no surprise as nobody can heal with 0 mana.

We wiped twice the other day in FoS on the last boss because some of the people there were running it for the first time and didn't know about mirrored soul. I was healing and it was impossible to get heals up in time. Third go after everyone knew what was happening we laughed like bastards, downed the boss, collected our fat loot and headed on.

Also cunts, normally the tank, who decide they'll skip bosses just so they can get their two frost emblems for the day. Blizzard should change it so you have to do a full clear to get the frost emblems. Some faggot had the nerve to say to me triumph emblems are easy to obtain after we skipped two bosses. Well they're not easy to get if cunts like him don't wanna do a full clear. It prolly takes an extra 10 or so minutes to do it so it's not unreasonable.