As you're all aware by now, the shattering of Azeroth will drastically and permanently alter the continents of Kalimdor and the Eastern Kingdoms. In the wake of Deathwing's devastation, adventurers will be summoned to embark on new quests from levels 1 to 60 in these transformed territories -- and with so much new content to be found on these original two continents, many original quests will no longer be available after the shattering occurs.

The new site is ready for you! From 23 November, the old World of Warcraft forums will be put into a read-only state. At that time we'll be inviting all posters to fully migrate to this new community site and forums.

Azeroth's capital cities, once bastions of trade and commerce, are now under siege by forces from the Elemental Planes. While faction leaders have recently established Evacuation Portals throughout each city, allowing concerned denizens to safely escape before the next full-scale invasion occurs, we understand that accidents still happen. In the event of an emergency, for example, you may become trapped, separated from your evacuation party, or be otherwise unable to reach a secure location.

Friday is here, which means that it is time for the second Community News update this week. Today you can find plenty of fansite updates as well as cool WoW comics, and don’t forget to check out the latest handful of interesting and cool threads that were posted on our forums during these last few days.

You may have heard that healing in Cataclysm is going to feel different. The role will be more challenging, particularly in terms of resource management. This won’t be news to a lot of regular forum readers, but I see enough “why nerf healers?” concerns that I thought it was still a worthwhile topic for an inaugural developer blog.

We just wanted to remind you that our Cataclysm YouTube Video Contest and Print Ad Contest will be ending in less than a week, on November 23. If you'd like to put your talents to the test -- and possibly win some great prizes in the process -- head over to the individual contest pages for more information on what we’re looking for, the full rules, prizes, and how to get your entry in. Good luck!

The ground trembles beneath your feet and sinister cultists speak of impending doom. Loved ones have gone missing and the appearance of angered elementals only adds to the confusion. What does the future hold for Azeroth's heroes? What fortune awaits within Sayge’s cards? Visit the Darkmoon Faire and shed light on these mysteries.

Following the recent Region Wide Battlegroup Matching, we’ve posted up a list of all EU Battlegroups and their corresponding realms for your reference. This list breaks down each Battlegroup by language region and realm, allowing you to see exactly who you may end up teamed with or possibly facing on the field!

Patch 4.0.3 is now live! This patch includes additional preparations for the release of World of Warcraft: Cataclysm.

Let's check out one of the most useful tools on the community site: the search feature. Let's fire it up!

World of Warcraft turns six on November 23, 2010! It’s been a truly incredible six years, and we’d like to thank you all for joining us on this momentous occasion.

This is the first ever Community News update on a Tuesday, and hopefully it will be the first of many. From now on we aim to post Community News updates twice a week on our new site, every Tuesday and Friday. Today you can check up on the latest fansite updates and WoW comics, and don’t miss out on the handful of cool and interesting threads that were recently posted on our forums.

Panic has seized Orgrimmar, Stormwind City, Thunder Bluff, and Ironforge. In each of these great capitals, guards have ordered citizens to evacuate in preparation for what they believe will be an elemental invasion of catastrophic proportions. Yet not everyone has chosen to flee.

An island off the coast of the Eastern Kingdoms, Tol Barad is a historic land now sought-after by the leaders of the Horde and the Alliance. Its strategic, isolated location makes it an ideal stronghold from which to conduct military strikes. In World of Warcraft: Cataclysm, a battle will be waged to seize control of this prized territory. Should you triumph, unique rewards await you. Read more about this all-new world PvP and questing zone here.

Little progress has been made toward mending Azeroth's dire condition. Thrall has nonetheless continued forging ahead in search of answers. Most recently, he journeyed to his ancestors' lands in Nagrand on the shattered world of Outland. At the fabled Throne of the Elements, he has met with other wise shaman, including the venerable dwarf Gavan Grayfeather, hoping to glean even the smallest shred of insight that could help him save Azeroth from ruin.

An island off the coast of the Eastern Kingdoms, Tol Barad is a historic land now sought-after by the leaders of the Horde and the Alliance.

This week’s Community News has been posted for your enjoyment! Check up on the latest fansite updates, read the latest WoW comics and find out about the most recent cool and interesting forum threads.

The earth shakes with growing frequency. Elementals pour out of rifts like rodents escaping a sinking ship. Your esteemed faction leaders, barely recovered from the strain of the campaign in Northrend, have been summoned to deliberate on a matter most urgent. And now, doomsayers affiliated with the Twilight's Hammer are gathering openly within the city walls, preaching the coming of something dark and ancient... and the ruination of all.

We’re pleased to announce that during maintenance this week region-wide battleground matchmaking was rolled out in Europe. From now on, all realms for our European players are matched together for battlegrounds. While your teams will continue to consist only of players from your language region, you may meet opponents from all over Europe. Also, there are now four larger groups for dungeon finder use.

It's a question you've been asking us for a little while now. And, based on all the posts, emails, petitions, and letters we received following the announcement that the Insane in the Membrane achievement would no longer be in available in World of Warcraft: Cataclysm, we started to wonder if maybe we had gone a bit loco.

Attention, Cataclysm beta testers! Want your shot at camping developers at the graveyard?

With two new playable races just on the horizon, many players have been asking when they'll be able to convert their existing characters into goblins or worgen.

They’re cute, they’re portable, and they’re coming to the Blizzard Pet Store. But before they arrive, we wanted to give you a sneak peek of our two newest companions.

After the appearance of Twilight's Hammer agents in Orgrimmar and Stormwind City, Azeroth's defenders swiftly thwarted the cult's bid to destroy the two capitals. Yet these victories have done little to soothe fears over Azeroth's calamitous state.

As part of an ongoing series, we’ll be highlighting some of the new community site features. First on the list is the new rating feature available for both forum posts and comments on these front page blog entries. Let's explore the ability to judge others' posts, shall we?