Don't want to pre-order Cataclysm?

[ScytheRexx]

But still want to be ready for when the servers start on launch day?

1. Make sure World of Warcraft and/or the launcher and background downloader are completely closed.
2. Open up your World of Warcraft folder.
3. Open Launcher.wtf in Notepad and change the "accountType" line from LK to CT.
4. Open Config.wtf in Notepad and change the "accountType" line from LK to CT.

Then just open up the launcher and let it download.

Before anyone gets nervous, this is perfectly fine with Blizzard. It's basically what the game does when you preorder through the Blizzard store. They have said this breaks no rules, they just tried to avoid making it public for reasons of download stability and trying to give their online preorder customers a cool bonus (they should have known better that people would figure it out. ).

It won't change the game itself till Cataclysm is released, since the client will not load the data at all till you are properly flagged (thanks to the new streaming tech they can do these preemptive patches).

 

[Element 117]

How is it you do not work for blizzard, or at least massively?

 

[Dave]

Can we do that now, then?

 

[ScytheRexx]

Can we do that now, then?

Yes, otherwise I would not post it.

 

[Baerdog]

Done and done.

 

[Dave]

Me, too.

 

[sixpackshaker]

how do they handle payment for the software then?

 

[SpecialKO]

I'm assuming you won't be able to access the cata-only content until you upgrade your account with a new key, regardless.

 

[ScytheRexx]

how do they handle payment for the software then?

Like mentioned, the way they are handling it this time is that it won't load the content unless your account is "flagged" for it, even if you already have all the data. The setting above does not alter account information, just does what Blizzard has been doing for the players that are preordering through the main website by marking the client as Cataclysm-ready.

In case anyone is curious this was actually discovered on the Blizzard Support Forums, as one of the support representatives told everyone how to do it.