Do you need World of Warcraft to play World of Warcraft Cataclysm

Yes, you need not only the regular World of Warcraft game, you need the two other expansions in order to play Cataclysm. This is because if you level to level 60 then you will need to level to level 70 (Burning Crusade Expansion) if you want to continue leveling. Then you will need to level to level 80 (Wrath of the Lich King) and then finally level 85 (Cataclysm). You do not have to level to 85 but most people who buy the expansion do.

You will need:
World of Warcraft (original/regular game)
The Burning Crusade (now included for free in the basic version of the game)
Wrath of the Lich King