Get those opt-ins ready for the World of Warcraft: Cataclysm closed beta! The sundering of Azeroth is nigh, and you don’t want to be left out in the cold of Northrend when you could be enjoying the sun-drenched beaches on the goblin isle of Kezan. To ensure you’re opted-in and eligible as a potential candidate, you’ll need a World of Warcraft license attached to your Battle.net account, have your current system specifications uploaded to the Battle.net Beta Profile Settings page, and have expressed interest through the franchise-specific check boxes.

So get your opt-ins set up, updated, and ready; we're worgen real hard to get the beta going soon!

A week or so ago, someone on the Cataclysm beta forums complained that the Maelstrom's appearance in the upcoming expansion just wasn't epic enough. It's a pretty silly thing to say. Valnoth, aka WoW Lead World Designer Alex Afrasiabi, apparently agreed and responded with the following:


And then, a bit later, posted:


And sure enough, as promised, this latest beta build has turned the "Epic" dial up to 11 where the Maelstrom is concerned. Flying around it is Epicus Maximus <Paragon of Epicosity>, a level 90 elite shark, who is being ridden by an elite rare devilsaur named <And a Dinosaur> riding a rocket and manning (dinosauring?) a laser beam, being ridden by an undead mage playing guitar named <Rock On>.



That should suffice.

(forgive my ghetto blue quotes)