The Cataclysm developers have an official Q&A revealing details of the new design of Southern Barrens which pushes forward a conflict storyline between the Alliance and the Horde for control of the Battlescar.

This area is a massive battlefield with constant hand to hand combat between NPCs, and siege vehicles launching blazing ammo. The Alliance is expanding big time sending reinforcements from Theramore. As a matter of fact, Dustwallow Marsh now has a long horizontal road through its mid-zone connecting Theramore and the entrance to Southern Barrens. In order to keep the forces in Stonetalon supplied and reinforced, the Alliance must continue their attempt at controlling the Battlescar which grants them access to Stonetalon Mountains.

Up near Stonetalon Peak rages yet another massive battle between the Alliance and the Horde. The Cataclysm has changed Southern Barrens drastically with a lava trench dividing The Barrens in two.

The zone has been redesigned for level 30-35 players with new quests. The Alliance has a new fortress as a quest hub giving Alliance players a new zone to level up. Camp Taurajo has been destroyed by the Alliance, and the survivors are trying to take revenge. Mulgore has sealed up access with a Great Wall to slow down Theramore’s forces.

It’s up to players to join up and defend their faction, and to move forward to claim control of the area. It’s strongly hinted the use of phase technology to change the world around you. It seems like a worth place to level up, to learn the new storylines of the new world order. Behind are the days of cooperation among both factions. It’s War time.

Blizzard Quote:
For our ongoing coverage of World of Warcraft: Cataclysm, we recently sat down with game designers Dave Kosak and Roman Marotte to ask them about the work they’ve done on the Southern Barrens, a once-familiar place drastically altered by Deathwing’s return and the continuing struggle between the Horde and the Alliance.

Link: http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/cataclysm/features/southernbarrens.html