If Blizzard wants to get World of Warcraft: Cataclysm in stores by the end of the year, they'd best start up the beta soon. Fortunately that's what they're about to do.

Blizzard sent an email to 1UP on Wednesday that said they're "starting to gear up" for the beta. They're in the process of sending invites to members of the press. No specific date was revealed, though.

The sign-up process for Cataclysm's beta is the same as it is for StarCraft II. You have to sign up for a Battle.net 2.0 account and upload your system specs. Praying would be a good idea, too.

Another possible sign of the imminent beta are the class previews Blizzard is sending out. Yesterday they revealed a long list of the proposed changes for the Shaman class. Expect more information like that between now and the start of the beta.