The magic date is September 25, 2012. Right now, the PTR is getting ready for what seems to be a major pre-release just before the expansion comes out with a major event to set into motion the next expansion. I believe the first of the raids as well as pet battles have been implemented and are in the testing phase.
So the big question is what to do in the meantime? I’ve outlined some things that you can do in preparation for the next expansion with regards to the current expansion:
- Finish gearing your toons and alts.
- Attempt to hit ilvl 390 or thereabouts using LFR, VP if you’re a casual player
- Dispatch any remaining materials to the auction house
- Finish leveling up any alts
- Max out any professions that you can
- Save up gold for the new mega mount
- Buying any heirloom gear using your Justice Points
The key factor here is that you want to essentially complete any remaining elements in Cataclysm. More than likely, once the new expansion hits, all the current raids (especially LFR) will become things of the past. Also, your materials for professions will lose a lot of value, especially relating to gear.
The second thing is that you want to ensure that you have a healthy amount of gold for the upcoming expansion. Besides the new mega mount that will cost an arm and a leg, there will be tons of new opportunities for gold sinks such as the Black Market Auction House and the next level of riding (which I believe will be flying on Pandaria).
Finally, I suggest that if you currently are finding yourself Justice Point capped on your toons, you might consider spending those points on heirloom gear. Don’t forget that with the upcoming expansion, they will be introducing a new race and class. I’m not positive what will happen to your current Justice and Valor Points, but more than likely those will be reduced somehow. As a result, you might as well spend them any way you can prior the expansion.
Something else you might consider is just trying something different for the time being. If you find yourself bored, choose another game or get out of the house.