With the WoW Classic Cataclysm coming soon, players are eagerly looking forward to new challenges and adventures. It offers us the chance from the revamped Azeroth to the class changes and the introduction of new systems. However, like many other WoW expansion, there are also many traps that players will need to avoid in Cataclysm.

1. Reforge Items Before Vendoring

While playing the Cataclysm, whether during leveling or at max level in dungeons, you'll often encounter loot that doesn't match your class or spec. This scenario typically leads to vendor the item or disenchanting it for WoW Cataclysm Classic Gold. However, there's an additional consideration before parting with the gear - Reforging.

The Reforging system, introduced in the WoW Cataclysm, allows you to convert any secondary stat on an item into another secondary stat of your choice. This process retains only 40% of the chosen stat. While particularly useful early on after reaching max level, Reforging also becomes crucial for unlocking random Cataclysm Heroics.

These require a minimum average item level of 329, challenging to achieve early in your character's progression. Even after accessing Heroic dungeons, it's wise to remember the Reforging System. Though less utilized in raiding, it can still be handy for enhancing specific pieces of gear or building sets for off-spec roles like tanks or healers.

2. Avoid Leveling Through Dungeons

Leveling mostly through dungeons is a mistake that many players have made in past expansions and is one that can significantly hinder progress in the WoW Cataclysm Classic. While dungeon leveling has been a popular method in the past because of its speed, efficiency, and gear rewards, it's not the optimal approach.

The reason for this lies in the importance of reputations. Reputations not only unlock valuable shoulder and helmet enchants but also offer numerous pre-BiS items locked behind the Revered and Exalted status with certain factions. However, dungeons do not reward any reputation, including both trash and boss kills.

Leveling exclusively through dungeons inevitably leads to revisiting zone quest lines to reach the Friendly status and unlock tabards, a time-consuming process. Instead, I recommend leveling through quests to simultaneously progress your character and reputation.

Normal questing in the WoW Cataclysm Classic is highly efficient that requires minimal effort to complete, especially with the ability to fly in the Azeroth from Level 60. This method eliminates the need for tedious mob grinding typical of vanilla leveling.

3. Wear The Reputation Tabards

In the WoW Cataclysm Classic, the reputation tabards play a crucial role when grinding reputations, yet it's easy to overlook their significance. Each endgame reputation offers a tabard, typically accessible at the Friendly reputation level. It's essential to reach the Friendly status as soon as possible to purchase these tabards before venturing into dungeons.

Equipping these tabards allows you to earn reputation while completing dungeon runs, thus progressing towards unlocking valuable items such as shoulder or helmet enchants, as well as the BiS gear pieces. Forgetting to obtain or equip these tabards can result in a significant loss of reputation.

4. Tol Barad Reputation Grinding

Tol Barad, a world PvP zone similar to the Wintergrasp, holds significant importance in the WoW Cataclysm Classic because of its reputation and raid content, Baradin Hold. Unlike Wintergrasp, which was mainly optional except for raid access, Tol Barad offers pre-BiS items tied to reputation, making it essential for all players.

The reputation associated with Tol Barad can be increased by completing daily quests, accessible to all players and relatively easy to complete. It's crucial for everyone to prioritize this reputation grind as the trinkets rewarded are exceptionally powerful and likely to remain valuable for a long time, potentially replacing raid drops.

Additionally, Baradin Hold, the raid within Tol Barad, unlocks based on faction control. Similar to Wrath of the Lich King, this raid progressively introduces more bosses throughout the expansion, each dropping tier piece for players. However, the raid's entrance location isn't obvious, unlike the Vault of Archavon.

A key distinction in Tol Barad's raid is the loot distribution between the 10-man and 25-man versions. While 25-man mode drops 6 pieces, the 10-man mode drops only 2. Importantly, players cannot complete both versions within the same reset.

Therefore, engaging in the 10-man Tol Barad raid is not worthwhile, especially for DPS, healers, or tanks, as it can be considered a trap because of the disparity in loot drops compared to the 25-man version.

5. Archaeology Leveling

Archaeology is often regarded as a tedious profession, but it holds significant importance in the WoW Classic Cataclysm. Introduced alongside the pre-patch, Archaeology offers valuable pre-raid BiS gear and mounts, making it essential for players of all classes. What sets these items apart is their account-bound nature, allowing players to transfer them between characters.

Moreover, the Archaeology epics are incredibly potent. They often outclass gear obtained from Heroic raiding, which may not be feasible for everyone because of varying guild commitments and time constraints. In such cases, focusing on solo the Archaeology can be a lucrative alternative.

A common mistake players make while leveling Archaeology is crafting items without utilizing the keystone slot. This oversight wastes fragments and prolongs the crafting process unnecessarily. Always remember to use the keystone slot to expedite your progress. Fortunately, keystones are readily available through leveling Archaeology or can be purchased from the auction house if needed.