World of Warcraft: Cataclysm Preview

Ten Ton Hammer was also in attendance during Blizzard’s recent World of Warcraft: Cataclysm press event, so it comes as no surprise that they’ve slapped up their own hands-on preview of the MMORPG expansion pack.

For the lore conscious among you, the Archeology system seems to be shaping up quite well so far. The version we were shown was still a work in progress, but as with many of the other redesigned U.I. elements listed above, the interface is extremely slick with a strong focus of presenting more, and better information in an easy to understand manner.

There are two types of artifacts that can be found in Archeology, with the entire system intended to be another means of giving characters an opportunity to learn more of the lore in the game beyond what’s found in quest text, shown in cutscenes, or read in the numerous books scattered throughout the world.

As you find fragments from a particular race, you’ll be able to assemble them into a Common Artifact. A nice thing to note here is that the items themselves will be stored within the Archeology Journal rather than taking up standard inventory space, so you’ll never have to worry about how you’re going to juggle picking up another secondary profession from an inventory management perspective.

There will also be Rare Artifacts that can be assembled which will actually produce usable items for your character. Most will be cosmetic, though there will also be a number of character enhancing items in the mix as well. On the whole though, the new secondary profession is really geared towards more casual players or those who genuinely enjoy the exploration and lore aspects of the game.