Is cata 1-60 the same time line as 78-85?

[GennGreymane]

title

does any 1 know if the cataclysm 1-60 experience lore wise takes place at the same time as 78-85? or is there a time differnce

i would find it cool if the lvl 1-60s were fighting along side the max lvls lore wise

[RoknarKorgath]

If you are asking if things like Ragnaros and the end game content will appear in the 1-60 experience, then no. But as to the things in the world as a whole that are happening will be affecting the story lines for quests, yes.

[GennGreymane]

If you are asking if things like Ragnaros and the end game content will appear in the 1-60 experience, then no. But as to the things in the world as a whole that are happening will be affecting the story lines for quests, yes.

nope what i meant was time line

at the same time as a guy running in stone talon questing is a lvl 85 fighting back ragnaros?

[Deleted]

nope what i meant was time line

at the same time as a guy running in stone talon questing is a lvl 85 fighting back ragnaros?

It's the same time period, but not the exact same time. For example, I fought Nagas in Desolace whom were looking for hints of the entrance of the Water Plane. Entrance that they find in Vashj'ir late.

[GennGreymane]

It's the same time period, but not the exact same time. For example, I fought Nagas in Desolace whom were looking for hints of the entrance of the Water Plane. Entrance that they find in Vashj'ir late.

ah i see so its like a few days to weeks differnce? thats still pretty cool

[Rivin]

The time line runs relative to yourself. So, while level 1 quests and level 85 quests will both happen after the Cataclysm, they'll still occur relative to your own position in them. At level 1, every quest will be your future, at level 50 the 1-49 quests will be your past and the 50-85 quests will be your future, and at 85 all of the quests will be your past.

...except Outland and Northrend.

[Rycul]

The time line runs relative to yourself. So, while level 1 quests and level 85 quests will both happen after the Cataclysm, they'll still occur relative to your own position in them. At level 1, every quest will be your future, at level 50 the 1-49 quests will be your past and the 50-85 quests will be your future, and at 85 all of the quests will be your past.

...except Outland and Northrend.

This.

When contemplating about WoW timelines and your character(s), think of each level as a "season of war" or a year. I believe even Blizzard uses "season" to indicate levels without breaking roleplaying rules.

Proof of this: When you reach level 80 (could also happen at 60 or 70) you receive an in-game mail. The level 80 mail is from Rhonin (the leader of the Kirin Tor, in Dalaran) saying this:

Level 80

Congratulations on your conviction to reach the 80th season of adventure. You are undoubtedly dedicated to the cause of ridding Azeroth of the evils which have plagued us.

And while the journey thus far has been no minor feat, the true battle lies ahead.

Fight on!

Rhonin

So my point is, that each time you gain a new level, you've essentially adventured through another season and you have aged 1 season. Therefore a level 50 players is 35 "season" behind a level 85 player, and thus a level 85 player is 35 "seasons" ahead of a level 50 player.

[Souma]

Time is too complicated to be honest. It's somewhat weird that eventhough outland and northrend happen before the cataclysm, you still experience this cataclysm in your 1-60th 'seasons'. Meaning that the cataclysm happens before you face illidan and the LK yet also happens after.

I don't even get this myself anymore, it's mind boggling

edit: unless they didn't change the actual story from 1-60 and for instance the barrens is still one zone while leveling before 60? I'm assuming this not to be true though.

[JM4X]

Time is too complicated to be honest. It's somewhat weird that eventhough outland and northrend happen before the cataclysm, you still experience this cataclysm in your 1-60th 'seasons'. Meaning that the cataclysm happens before you face illidan and the LK yet also happens after.

I don't even get this myself anymore, it's mind boggling

edit: unless they didn't change the actual story from 1-60 and for instance the barrens is still one zone while leveling before 60? I'm assuming this not to be true though.

Essentially, when you go to Outland and Northrend, you go 'back in time', in the sense that TBC and WotLK happened before Cataclysm. Maybe you could see it as playing through a memory of your character, although you'll have to disregard levels then...
It's a large mess of time that can't be fixed, basically. We'll just have to accept it.

[Souma]

It wasn't really a problem, just kind of confusing when you think about it for a bit. It'll be fine anyhow. I don't think many people would even consider something like this at all.

[JM4X]

It wasn't really a problem, just kind of confusing when you think about it for a bit. It'll be fine anyhow. I don't think many people would even consider something like this at all.

True, it's mostly going to be a problem for roleplayers I guess.

[Jackdemenzes]

Yeah time is a bit surreal, even right now. Unless there's some funky phasing I don't know about, I believe a new person playing now goes to Stormwind and sees Varian Wrynn there, then can still do the Missing Diplomat questline? Or that in the Draenei starting zone, the Exodar has always just crashed...most of these problems are fixed if you think of each zone as being a sequential pocket of time, so a 1-10 zone is time X, and 10-20 is some months or years later, etc. Catalcysm does throw that out though in regards to Ouland/Northrend, but oh well.

But to answer your question more directly, I thought the new Cataclysm time was at least a few years later. Time enough for Varian to get kidnapped, do his whole gladiator thing, come back, lead the charge to Northrend.

[Donald Hellscream]

from a roleplaying perspective you could probably say that outland and northrend are flashbacks and as such from a time then you werent that strong and awesome hero you are then you get to 78-80 and goes back to eastern kingdoms/kalimdor if you understand what i mean.

[Rivin]

Yeah time is a bit surreal, even right now. Unless there's some funky phasing I don't know about, I believe a new person playing now goes to Stormwind and sees Varian Wrynn there, then can still do the Missing Diplomat questline? Or that in the Draenei starting zone, the Exodar has always just crashed...most of these problems are fixed if you think of each zone as being a sequential pocket of time, so a 1-10 zone is time X, and 10-20 is some months or years later, etc. Catalcysm does throw that out though in regards to Ouland/Northrend, but oh well.

But to answer your question more directly, I thought the new Cataclysm time was at least a few years later. Time enough for Varian to get kidnapped, do his whole gladiator thing, come back, lead the charge to Northrend.

They updated The Missing Diplomat to take place after Varian's return. :P

[whisperingsage]

I think it's pretty much:

Vanilla 1-60
1-2 years
BC
1-2 years
Wrath
?
Cataclysm 1-60
Weeks
80-85

I'd say that the time between 1-60 is probably very short, and that some of our 80s probably would have been in those areas and have done the quests there before heading to Hyjal or Vashj'ir, though that does fall more into RP.

We'll have to wait and see how they deal with the crazy jump to the past once somebody hits 61 (or really, 58).

[Trade Prince]

I hope blizzard might justify it somehow, either by changing anything that says illidan or the lich king to the remaing scourge and the burning legion, or the illdari or what ever there called.