Blizzard has announced a free 10-day trial of World of Warcraft: Cataclysm to those who have yet succumbed to purchasing the latest expansion. The announcement was made via the new community portal and offers players the opportunity to fully explore Cataclysm.

To participate, you’ll need full versions of World of Warcraft and the first two expansions, The Burning Crusade and Wrath of the Lich King. Note that a character of at least level 78 is required to explore the new, high-level zones. More information on the 10-day free trial is available in our FAQ. We look forward to seeing you in the new Azeroth!

Read more here.

Blizzard's juggernaut, World of Warcraft, has been declared the 'fastest selling video game on the planet' and devs have the numbers to back up the assertion. Over 3.3 million copies of the Cataclysm expansion sold in only twenty-four hours. These numbers eclipse the former title holder, Wrath of the Lich King, by more than a half-million copies.

World of Warcraft: Cataclysm was simultaneously released in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Europe, Russia, Southeast Asia, Australia, and New Zealand on December 7, and became available in Korea and the regions of Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau on December 9. More than 10,000 stores throughout the world opened their doors at midnight to welcome players who wanted to be among the first to obtain a copy of the expansion. In addition, approximately 15,000 players attended official launch events hosted by Blizzard and key retail partners in the US, Canada, France, Germany, Russia, Sweden, the Netherlands, Spain, the UK, and the region of Taiwan.

If you haven't already joined the masses playering WoW: Cataclysm, you can find out more here.

Now that the heart stopping moment of World of Warcraft's expansion, Cataclysm, has passed, the Blizzard team is filling in more of the lore behind the expansion. Part One of the series, "The Story So Far" debuted a couple of weeks ago. The second installment, The Heralds of Twilight, is now live on the official community site.

Continued from part one of "The Story So Far...".

As the world's races struggled for survival in the wake of the Cataclysm, details came to light concerning what—or who—had caused the disaster. Prior to the upheaval, the Fury of Earth had cryptically told Thrall that Azeroth's instability had been caused by something good that had turned unnatural. Something that wished to inflict pain and suffering on the entire world.

Read Heralds of Twilight at the official WoW Community Site.

Today marks the launch of a new era in World of Warcraft, an era of new beginnings, new levels, newly overhauled areas. In short, World of Warcraft will never be the same. Today, Garrett Fuller from our sister site, MMORPG.com, marks the Cataclysm launch day with some reflections on the game that was and what the changes brought to WoW with Cataclysm mean for him. Check it out and then leave us a few of your thoughts below.

I am not going to try and talk about what the expansion has to offer. We know all about it. We have known for months. Really what I want to bring up is why Cataclysm is so important to MMOs in 2010. Warcraft is a six year old game. It started off strong in terms of a new MMO in 2004 and 2005. Then it grew huge. It became a cultural phenomenon and started to even break into the main stream. This was a turning point for games and, more importantly, for MMOs. By 2006 Warcraft dominated the market and a host of games were launched to try and grasp some of that glory.

Read more Cataclysm Is Upon Us at MMORPG.com.

Blizzard Entertainment has released a brand new trailer for the upcoming World of Warcraft Cataclysm expansion set to launch on December 7th. The trailer is a reward to valiant players who took advantage of the Darkmoon Faire promotional site and earned achievements unlocking the trailer. The video features a fly through of Azeroth as it will be known after Cataclysm.

The storm clouds gather. The barkers fall silent and the wagon train begins an eerie procession out of town. Called ever onward to parts unknown, the Darkmoon Faire has come to a close. As Sayge and his strange companions fade into the mist, the revelations he has shared will soon be little more than a troubling memory... for now.

As the release of the World of Warcraft Cataclysm nears, Blizzard developers are listing major changes at a furious pace. In a new blog post at the community site, the list of dungeons and new level requirements has been detailed. The list shows the level range of each dungeon and the minimum level required to enter. Devs have also indicated that gear and items found in each dungeon has been adjusted for those levels as well.

• The Deadmines Level Range: 15-21 (10)
Ragefire Chasm Level Range: 15-21 (10)
• Wailing Caverns Level Range: 15-25 (10)

Read the full list of changes to the dungeons here.

As the World of Warcraft release date for the Cataclysm expansion nears, the news and information blitz begins. The Blizzard team has released Blizzcast #15 with all things Cataclysm to get players excited about the December 7th release of one of the most anticipated expansions ever.

In our first segment, we discuss world-building with World of Warcraft Lead World Designer Alex Afrasiabi and Lead Content Designer Cory Stockton. For our second segment, we delve into music and sound design with Composer and Director of Audio Russell Brower and Senior Composer of Music and Sound Derek Duke. Our third segment focuses on the voice acting in Cataclysm with Producer of Casting and Talent Relations Andrea Toyias. Last, but certainly not least, we sit down with World of Warcraft Lead Systems Designer Greg Street to discuss the class and systems changes in Cataclysm.

Head over to the BlizzCast page to listen now, or download it from iTunes.

The Blizzard Entertainment and World of Warcraft teams have announced the addition of two new in-game pets to the Blizzard Store. Both Moonkin Hatchling and Lil' Ragnaros run $10.00 and can be found in the Pet section of the Blizzard Store. Proceeds from the sale of the Moonkin Hatchling will be donated to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Last year's sale of the Pandarin Monk resulted in over a million dollars being donated to Make-A-Wish.

The googly-eyed Moonkin Hatchling, which comes in unique Horde and Alliance versions, will occasionally plant flowers at your feet, and happily /dances with any willing partners. Like last year's Pandaren Monk, the Moonkin Hatchling has a soft spot for helping children. For every Moonkin Hatchling adopted from now through December 31, 2010, Blizzard Entertainment will donate 50% of the $10 purchase price to the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Read more here.

Blizzard devs have posted a new blog post at the official community site giving players insight into the literally world-shattering events leading up to the World of Warcraft Cataclysm expansion. Cataclysm is to be released on December 7th so this is a good time to make sure you've got history down before heading out into the new world.

The Lich King's reign of terror was over. As if to affirm that a bright future would soon dawn on Azeroth, other joyful events occurred across the world. Archdruid Malfurion Stormrage was at last freed from his imprisonment by the shadowy Emerald Nightmare through the efforts of his love, High Priestess Tyrande Whisperwind, and her allies. Elsewhere, after years in exile, the highly intelligent gnomes and the fearless Darkspear trolls made gains toward reclaiming their respective homes in Gnomeregan and on the Echo Isles.

Yet just as hope was beginning to surge among Azeroth's races, tragedy struck. The world's elemental spirits grew increasingly erratic, setting off a series of deadly natural disasters. Agents of the nefarious Twilight's Hammer cult surfaced throughout Horde and Alliance cities, spreading word of the impending apocalypse. The world's leaders scrambled to find a solution to Azeroth's growing instability.

Read the full post at the WoW community site.