World of Warcraft Cataclysm hitting stores on December 7th

Cataclysm, the long awaited third expansion pack to Blizzard’s uber-popular World of Warcraft MMORPG finally has a release date. Hardcore XP grinders will be able to re-discover the forever-altered realm of Azeroth from December 7th.

As well drastically re-shaping familiar locations in the game, two new races will be added to the mix in the shape of the Worgen and Goblins, as well as having the level cap raised to 85.

“Cataclysm includes the best content we’ve ever created for World of Warcraft. It’s not just an expansion but a re-creation of much of the original Azeroth, complete with epic new high-level adventures for current players and a redesigned leveling experience for those just starting out,” said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. “With the help of our beta testers we’re putting on the final polish, and we look forward to welcoming gamers around the world to enjoy it in just a couple of months.”

The expansion will be available on physical DVD-ROM for Windows platforms and Mac OS and will also be offered as a digital download from the Blizzard Store. A special collector’s edition packed with bonus items will be available exclusively in retail stores.