I’m back with some more exfansion concepts. I haven’t really vibed much with Shadowlands’ lore as a whole so far. I don’t like how disconnected to Azeroth it is. It’s especially weird for me considering it’s the afterlife, which should be full of references to our past.
So I came up with this, drawing inspiration from player ideas here, in game, on the story forum, and other places, as well as the tidbits of lore we’ve had sprinkled in the game about death in the past.
It’s the successor to the other exfansion concept I did called Death’s Rise. If you’re unfamiliar with it, I recommend taking a peek, as this expansion will build off of it. Catch that thread here: Death's Rise
Now, prepare yourselves for World of Warcraft: Shadowlands!
Introduction
With the Scourge handled on Azeroth, the denizens of the world attempt to regain some semblance of normality and healing. The dead are buried or burned, homes repaired, and a spirit of grief settles over the populace. The cost of the war in Northrend seems to have taken a heavy toll. Yet it feels like healing remains forever out of the world’s grasp. That ominous feeling of death that the mystics of Azeroth felt has not gone away.
Worse yet, it seems like it has only grown. Everything is surrounded by a grey filter of hopelessness; a sinking feeling of despair. It is as if the entire planet has been affected by the Sha, wandering in states of gloom.
That is when Magni enters the scene. He bursts into Stormwind Keep and the Underhold to warn faction leaders of an impending calamity: Azeroth is dying. Though heroes have reduced her ailing life in the past, something has caused the Sword of Sargeras to sink further into the crust and it seems to have pierced something vital of the world soul. That foreboding feeling around the world is in fact the world soul drifting closer to the Shadowlands.
What can the champions of Azeroth do to stop it? Each day they can channel azerite from their Hearts of Azeroth into the wound to delay the inevitable while others scramble to find a way to stop it. For their sacrifice, Azeroth grants them crystals of memories that can be passed to other champions to grant them a temporary boost to their experience gains.
As the world soul continues to slip, however, the veil between life and death weakens. Heroes who perish and release their spirits to the graveyards will find the spirit healers are missing, replaced instead with runes that can resurrect instead. In addition, there are strange goings on around them. Other spirits now roam the area and may be interacted with. Even stranger are the hostile shades that can be fought, which simply sends heroes’ spirits back to the graveyard if the hero is killed by them.
Fissures then begin cracking open around the world, belching forth necrotic energies and hostile phantasms. The only way to stop this incursion of death into life is to engage in a two-pronged assault, with heroes defending from the physical attacks while spirits of heroes assault the rift from the Shadowlands. Yet they only seem to grow more frequent with each day.
Eventually, Magni presents the champions with a crazy plan based on a story he learned from the pandaren of the Wandering Isle: Remove the sword, then channel as much healing magic into the wound as possible. Unlike Shen Zin Su, however, it will take a phenomenal amount of healing power to keep Azeroth from bleeding out. So the call goes forth to the ancient beings of immense power around the world to unite and save the world.
Malfurion Stormrage, Freya, Alexstrasza, Therazane, Cenarius, Velen, and many more converge on the sword with their followers, prepared to use all the great power and magic acquired on Azeroth over its lifetime to restore her health. Azeroth has given them all a home. It is time to give back. Then, under the supervision of the titan keepers, they unleash the concentrated energies of the Halls of Origination used on N’zoth to vaporize the sword.
While it is destroyed, the open wound gushes forth, empowering those around it but also bringing Azeroth to the very brink of death. The mighty safeguards of Azeroth funnel a great healing spell into the wound and… fail. For some reason, the wound seems unable to heal. It is as if a necrotic magic has settled into it, absorbing the healing magic. While their continued efforts prevent her from falling farther into death, they are unable to mend the damage already there.
Even with all the gods and heroes pouring their power into it, Azeroth remains in a race against time. Magni despairs and the champions of Azeroth are sent for by Highlord Bolvar. His time with the Helm of Domination has given him a unique connection to the Shadowlands, and the closer to death Azeroth becomes, the clearer his vision is. He determines that a grip of malevolence is permeating from the Shadowlands to kill the world soul. The only way to save the world is by venturing into the dreary afterlife and disrupting whatever is causing it.
With the way to Avernia sealed following their victory over Sylvanas, the only way there is through the chasm of death snaking across Icecrown. From which there is likely no return.
Overview
World of Warcraft: Shadowlands is my rendition of what the Shadowlands expansion should have been, a sequel to the Death’s Rise expansion with a little more build up and a deeper connection to Azeroth’s lore than the actual expansion offers. As an important realm to the cultures of many races on Azeroth, the intent is to enhance given lore while also playing around with mechanics of the game made unique by being in the afterlife.
The primary features of the expansion are:
- New Continent: The Shadowlands
- Level to 70
- New Allied Races: Ogres, Vrykul
- Updated Content: Torghast and Heritage Sites
- Return of Tier Sets
- New Instanced Content: Hauntings and the Ride of the Apocalypse
- New Renown System
- New Leveling Route: Echoes of the Past
- New Crafted Artifacts: Runeblades
- New Class Customization
- And much more!
Content Overview: Shadowlands
There were many choices about the actual iteration of the Shadowlands that I personally feel missed the mark. Broadening the scope to the whole universe as well as tying in all realities of all alternate dimensions muddled a lot of the lore and simply made a concept that is, by its very nature, nostalgic into a very alien and unfamiliar place. And that shouldn’t be the case. Afterlives are fundamental to the identity of mythologies and Azeroth is home to dozens of cultures and mythologies that have ideas that not only delve into the afterlife, but also have evidence to back up the claims. It is in everyone’s best interests to follow up on those mythologies instead of straying primarily into new territories. Like with Death’s Rise, progression is somewhat linear with quests and mobs scaling retroactively in case players out level them so they can always go at their own pace.
Avernia(58-63) is an easy win zone. It’s already been encountered as a max level patch zone and thus prebuilt. Like with Northrend in Death’s Rise, it follows the attitude of it being okay to reuse zones. Avernia is the gateway to the Shadowlands and a natural zone to begin the adventure into the afterlife from. It is the land of the spirit healers, where they offer guidance to the decently departed then take them to Gorgoa, where they are ferried to their proper afterlife.
Since 9.3, Helya and Sylvanas’ influence has been scoured from the zone, returning it somewhat to its former glory. Avernia is a blend of Bastion and Oribos, visually. But in the spirit of being the Shadowlands, Avernia is more of a negative version, where it’s quite dark and creepy, yet has the ominously beautiful Greek pavilions and other Elysian structures. To the far north is the Elysian Hold, the castle and waystation that Gorgoa runs through.
There are infinite destinations from the station, but it is near impossible for anyone but spirit healers to go to all locations. The Shadowlands heroes go to is the one attuned to the people of Azeroth. This is not planetary specific but people specific, therefore souls of Draenor may be found here as well; many people of Draenor have interlinked lives and stories with the people of Azeroth, drawing the two afterlives together.
Prior to coming to this zone, players delve into an Icecrown fissure under the protection of Bolvar and end up in Zalak’yath, a terrifying dark city reminiscent of Ny’alotha. Even worse, souls seem to all be directed here somehow, and the pale world soul of Azeroth engulfs the sky. Players survive an encounter with Anduin as the Lich King, due likely to Anduin resisting the powers bearing down on him, and they end up in Avernia, where they must work their way back to the malevolent city of death.
The questlines here tackle both the main plot and side problems in the zone as well. Here players learn why the spirit healers went missing from the mortal plane (it was to deal with the problems in Zalak’yath and missing souls), help lost souls displaced and hurt by the recent events, and establish trust with the spirit healers that leads to the creation of a temporary link to Azeroth that allow reinforcements to enter the Shadowlands.
An’sha(62-64), the place heroes find themselves in after stepping off the ferry of Gorgoa. An’sha is a boundless plain of eternal sunshine. Named after An’she by the tauren, it is believed to be the cradle by which the sun cares for the fallen. As a place inhabited by many other shamanistic races, it has many names but An’sha is the more common one. Here you will find orcs, tauren, vulpera, and other races of similar beliefs who can live in peace on the bounteous lands.
While An’sha is mostly plains, it also has some mountains and forests in the zone as well, along with countless camps, villages, and cities of souls who can find eternal rest and fulfillment here. To the north is a large, shadow-veiled mountain range, stated to be the sacred mountains that the wild gods dwell in. In the center is the Well of Urun, an enormous stone circle surrounding a pool. Here spirits may go to commune with descendants who seek them out in the world of the living, or even simply check up on their loved ones.
As the farthest from the reach of the new Lich King, An’sha has fewer questlines concerned with the wicked entities of Zalak’yath. Instead it is meant to be a chill place, exploring the nature of ancestor worship on the other side of things, and rallying of tribes to defend the Shadowlands, though the north has seen some Drust occupation.
Tide’s Wake(63-65) is a limitless ocean to the west of An’sha. Those with a connection to the sea, such as Kul Tirans, makrura, murlocs, and gilblins, reside in this place. It is said that while An’she presides over An’sha, Mu’sha, or Elune, presides over Tide’s Wake. Like An’sha, it is a land of peace where souls can rest and watch over descendants from the sea.
The zone comprises two sections, the land section and the aquatic section. On land there are long shores, tranquil forests, and beautiful ports. Inhabitants of this part of the zone may walk on the water and gaze into the ocean, where images and stories are often shown as reflections of the living world. Beneath the waves dwells the aquatic races, who live in harmony with special water elementals that enjoy playing with the souls there. Because they cannot see the reflections of the surface of the ocean, spirits enter caves that have memory magic in them, allowing them to relive moments of their lives or see loved ones living their current lives.
Unlike An’sha, Tide’s Wake has some more serious troubles spreading through it. The gulf connects to other northern zones, and dark things are spilling into the water. Questlines include naga expanding into the sea, who were not meant to be there, since their souls were given to the Void by Azshara and N’zoth. There are naga who are snatching souls and carrying them away, naga who are desperate to break away from their queen’s bargain, and players will need to help purify a corrupted system of memories.
Capitals: Oshu’kar and Dwyar Modan
The Horde’s ancestor worship has won them a warm welcome in Oshu’kar, a large city in western An’sha. The Alliance have found their place among the mountain city of Dwyar Modan, a place where dwarven souls have carved out a home just before Kaletan. The dwarves there welcomed draenei with shamanistic ties to their city, who settled there instead of continuing to Kaletan. They will welcome the Alliance as well.
Kaletan(64-67) lies to the east of An’sha. On the way to the main attraction, rocky cliffs and passages give way to crystalline fractals and more alien formations. Eventually the land disappears entirely to become a prismatic space of shifting light and shadow. A bridge leads towards a zone sized temple, where the Holy and the Shadow collide. This is Kaletan, the Temple of the Devoted.
Those with a deep spiritual belief in the Light are taken to this place to meditate, ponder, and eventually, if they choose, join with the Light beyond the Shadowlands. Those who have pledged themselves to the Void are also taken here, often against their will, as they are dragged into the Void screaming. The temple is overseen by a sect of spirit healers dedicated to devotion. They are sworn not to interfere with the proceedings of the Light and the Void, only to guide souls through the processes.
Questlines here include finding out about the just desserts that await the villains of Azeroth who turned to the Void, Naaru being a liiiiittle forceful about making sure people make the “right choice to join with the Light”, manipulations from the Lich King with the Void, and the surprise appearance and meddling of Xal’atath.
Ardenweald(66-69) is the mountain range to the north of An’sha. If summer and spring means life and growth, winter and fall means death and stillness. The sacred mountain forest is a representation of this, the other side of the coin that is the Emerald Dream. Here the spritely night fae tend to gardens of wild gods as they pass from death back into life, continuing the cycle. Mortals with a deep connection to the wilds also find themselves here, being given the opportunity to continue assisting in the cycle of life and death even as their life ends.
The forest begins at the base of the mountains, filled with autumnal trees that drop pods of wild god souls. Higher up in the mountains are the winter forests where wild gods slumber before being reborn into the Emerald Dream. The trees here glow blue and reach into the midnight sky as beacons of balance. The Winter Queen rules over the Court of Night and ensures the safety of souls here.
Questlines here might be familiar. Drust have invaded Ardenweald, desperate to find a way out of their limbo between life and death. A pod with stirring nightmares needs to be saved, the spirit of an old friend dreams inside. And then there is the theft of pods, bringing to light a sinister plot by the Lich King regarding Azeroth’s wellbeing.
Revendreth(67-70) dwells to the north of Ardenweald. It is a series of gothic keeps and manors that rest on a plateau. It is only accessible through a bridge that connects to a port on Tide’s Wake, where souls are shipped from. This is where the sadistic venthyr reside, who devour the sin of the wicked in an attempt at redeeming them. Unlike in the actual Shadowlands, venthyr are not nosferatu vampires but mortal races who have been “vampirized”. Orcs, humans, elves, all pale skinned, red eyed, fanged, and hungry for cowardice, pride, hatred, and other such sins.
Revendreth is where evil souls go to be redeemed and avoid the Maw. Strangely, it is unknown how this practice or zone originated, but feels very culty, with venthyr more than happy to sink their teeth into others and convert them into more venthyr. Those who fail to absolve their sins are either recruited or cast into the Maw, depending on the severity of the sins. Those who are redeemed are sent off to live with the rest of the Shadowlands. Those sworn to the Void are denied this process and taken to Kaletan. The Light, however, expects purity and thus some Light wielders (Scarlet Crusaders, for instance) can be found here.
The questlines here involve following a lead on missing wild god pods and the worgen that stole them, finding out most of the venthyr are in league with the Lich King, and a number of subterfuge questlines around the zone that deal with the inter house conflicts to weaken the venthyr.
Kingdom of Perdition(67-70) is located to the northwest of Revendreth. It is the grim truth of the afterlife, the location all who suffer from the curse of undead are damned to. It is darkness. Empty, lonely, crushing darkness. A glitch in the Shadowlands where souls twisted by necromancy are doomed to end up in. With each soul trapped there, the Kingdom of Perdition grows, swelling out of the side of the Maw.
Once it was a lost place, a black forest where terrifying soul-consuming monsters prowl. After the campaign in Northrend against Arthas, a massive influx of souls filled the zone in a torrent of confusion and misery. Then stepped in he who was beyond the Shadowlands. Whose soul was safely guarded by a phylactery. Kel’thuzad arrived after the Lich King’s fall and began to create order from the chaos, forming a kingdom of ghosts and once more swears fealty to the Lich King. Though there are many visual similarities to Icecrown, the Kingdom of Perdition is the “soul” version, composed not of rotting corpses but the twisted spirits that once inhabited those of the Scourge on Azeroth.
Questlines in the Kingdom of Perdition involve learning about Kel’thuzad’s rise to power, gaining footholds in the hostile zone, and finding the remnants of a demon army that had invaded the Shadowlands decades ago for a special helm.
Zalak’yath(70) is connected to the western side of the Kingdom of Perdition and the northern coast of Tide’s Wake. It is a city like Ny’alotha, filled with spires and obelisks that emanate with Void energies. The sky is a pale blue energy that occasionally intersects to tendrils of darkness on the landscape below, as if the tendrils were snakes lashing out with corruptive venom. In the distance looms a writhing mountain of swirling darkness that only blurs and becomes difficult to focus on when looked at directly.
Perhaps the creator of this zone made it in the memory of the empire it once ruled. Or perhaps the city itself is the spirit of the empire itself after its death to the titans. This is the Shadowlands, after all. In death it only seems to have become even more of a dreadful land, as souls of the dead seem to be getting intercepted and siphoned here instead of ending up in Avernia.
In Zalak’yath, souls claimed here are twisted and warped, fused into suits of armor or metallic beasts to create an army loyal to the Lich King. From the city they carry out heinous missions across the Shadowlands, consolidating power and claiming souls. They are either forged into minions or melted down into stygia, a black gooey substance that flows through the canals of the city.
The questlines here involve capturing an overlook from which to carry out insurgencies into the zone, dealing with a fallen spirit healer sect, finding out the fate of the dragon remains sent over from Dragonblight, and learning about Yogg-saron’s machinations that led to this point, who is being empowered by the souls consumed and is behind Anduin as the Lich King.
The Maw(70) is the mystery zone connected to Torghast. It is a desolate, lonely field of ash located in a black hole just north of Revendreth. There are not many souls here, only the most vile and irredeemable individuals find themselves in this land, cursed to wander aimlessly and slowly unravel. There is something about this place that seems inescapable, as if all souls inside are drawn further and further into the center.
The Jailer is a being that seems to have no body yet rules over the zone with an iron fist, revealed over time to be the voice threatening players in Torghast, which looms ominously above the Maw. He has no alignment and will seek to expel players from the Maw, even if he considers Yogg-saron and the Lich King enemies.
Questlines here include going there to stop the Lich King’s efforts to establish a drain on the Maw, being captured by the Jailer and having to escape, and learning about the eerie truth that the Maw’s gravitational power comes from a fallen Void Lord.
Both Zalak’yath and the Maw, as exclusively endgame zones, are designed with unique dailies and currencies to each that grant cosmetics and progress towards the new world talents gained in Shadowlands. The Maw also provides upgrades to Torghast runs.
Open World Content: Facing Eternal Rest
I’m personally happy with the open world content introduced in Death’s Rise, and in the spirit of not reinventing the wheel every expansion, most of them will return with Shadowlands, themed towards the afterlife. There will be dynamic weather effects, battlefields, the Death’s Rise version of world quests/callings, and open world talents. Developments will not be done in Shadowlands on the grounds that it is not really a place you should be going to and colonizing or anything like that. Instead it will be replaced with a new system called Renown. More on that later.
In addition to systems, some timeless mechanics of the game are going to be revisited to reflect being in the afterlife, as well as how death works. The lore explanation about death in the Shadowlands goes like this: Souls are, barring unique circumstances, eternal. They can be scattered, or broken, but in time they will always reform once more in special locations, which are this expansion’s version of graveyards. Players who die become incorporeal shades of themselves, and are unnoticeable to enemies. The closer they get to their death location (marked by a wisp-like light instead of a corpse), their bodies begin to take on their original shapes.
When NPCs die, instead of despawning in the ordinary way, their bodies slowly become intangible and their souls begin to dissolve into the air as glowing lights representative of their nature (red if venthyr, white if animal, blue if night fae, etc.). Leather and cooking material taken from beasts have two icons, one is active in the Shadowlands, the other is active outside of it. When players are in the Shadowlands, the materials are regular meat and leather. When players are outside the Shadowlands, in the lands of the living, the icons are spectral and have an energy-like appearance. This also applies to food.
Renown
Renown is this expansion’s replacement system to developments. While the living won’t be able to build bases as they’re disruptive to the afterlife, the heroes of Azeroth will be able to gather a resource that is almost universal across the Shadowlands: Renown. All spirits have a history, a legend that follows them to the lands of the dead. It is so prevalent that it is essentially used like a currency. Players will gain renown by working with spirits of legend in the Shadowlands.
All around the Shadowlands reside well known spirits who all have interests and desires in the world around them. Players who do certain activities for these spirits gain a rank of renown with the spirit. For instance, an orcish hero of legend in An’sha might want players to conquer enemies in a battlefield. This is what gives value to open world content this expansion, instead of collecting development resources like in Death’s Rise. Every battlefield and zone-specific calling will have a spirit linked to them that grants renown progress.
Each renown earned progresses a player through the overall renown system. Every rank grants some kind of reward, as is the case with the real Shadowlands renown system. Rewards range from cosmetic sets available for purchase to mounts, titles, pets, and flight. Direct player power outside world content is NOT tied to renown, barring catchup gear which will not be powerful enough to make players who do not wish to engage with the system feel forced to do renown against their will.
In addition, all legendary spirits have their individual renown tracking systems that grant players individual rewards based on the spirit they’re earning renown with, such as available pets or unique weapon/armor pieces for purchase. In addition, reaching certain milestones with spirits will grant their boons to players, giving them unique ways to interact with the world, such as portals to the spirit from capital cities or unique zone-specific abilities reminiscent of the Klaxxi.
The above two systems are not the only rewards for gaining renown, too. Renown ranks grant a single renown currency, which may be redeemed for world talents, cosmetics, special armor sets that give bonuses while in the Shadowlands, or crafting materials. If a character achieves maximum renown with a majority of spirits (not all), they may then begin sending renown gained to alts if they choose. This should, however, take around 2 months of work to reach.
Hitting the cap of renown with a spirit does not halt all renown gains with them. Instead players will gain “empty renown”, which will not progress their overall renown rank but does grant renown currency.
Battlefields
Battlefields are content I’m comfortable with continuing through ongoing expansions. They’re excellent sources of open world content that have a variability from being in the open world that should make it replayable and enjoyable. It is something players can engage with in a consistent manner that allows them to mess around with new talents, open world talents, sets, gear, and even toys in creative ways to have fun and test their limits.
With Shadowlands’ iteration of battlefields, there’s now two additional ways to interact with them. One, the renown spirits connected to battlefields grant specific buffs and other interactable benefits to the battlefield they’re related to. Players can, as before, repeat battlefields as many times as they like to gain rewards with spirits, leaving them as a primary way to grind renown should a player decide they wish to farm out that particular avenue of the game.
For the second new addition to battlefields, random events will be introduced to add even more variance and replayability to the battles. These random events should mix up the ongoing battles in ways that force players to completely rethink their current strategies as a group.
- An’sha: Rosh’gun Dominance
- Connected to Oshu’kar. Some people want a peaceful afterlife of fishing, gardening, and being with family. This place is not for those people. It is for warriors who die that want to keep on fighting to their heart’s content. It is a fort of shifting terrain with warriors of all races doing battle, including orcs, ogres, gnolls, humans, dwarves and drogbar, just to name a few. Vrykul will be present there, and flavor text indicates these are vrykul who were either overlooked by Val’kyr or died once again after their souls were taken to the Halls of Valor.
- The elements are in turmoil. That is, not unpleasant turmoil. They’re having as much fun messing around and causing chaos as the souls in the fortress, causing floods, raising stone platforms, burning down towers, and blowing people off ramparts.
- Work with or against the constantly evolving layout of the fortress to create new bridges, erect walls, or tunnel beneath the earth.
- Commanders: Grandmaster Vole, an ogre from long ago who used to oversee coliseum battles in Highmaul. Gorvold Ironbrow, a vrykul warrior with a near invincible spectral shield that teeters between maddened rage and martial elegance. Cheng Bo, a yaungol warbringer with a deadly charge that uses oil and a battalion of fire archers to control the battle.
- Tide’s Wake: Battle of Herondis
- The Isle of Herondis is an important landmark that indicates the pass from Tide’s Wake to the rest of the Shadowlands. While none know what lies beyond, the naga must not be allowed to claim it and infest the open sea. This battle takes place on a large island surrounded by smaller ones as well as a fleet of warships.
- Man ships to bombard enemies, quickly traverse the battlefield with them, defend from boarders, and fire on/board ships that have been claimed by the enemy.
- Be mindful of memory tunnels that may appear underwater and grant shortcuts through enemy fortifications, yet may be used by them as well.
- Commanders: Zhahara Darksquall, a sea witch who uses mist to isolate ships and slay the crew. Ashvane, a monster of immense size that tosses ships around and must be killed with cannons. Atoph the Bloodcursed, a twisted naga who wields blood in the name of his beloved queen.
- Revendreth: Pinnacle of Atonement
- A PvP battlefield, players from both factions must battle their way up the castle in Revendreth and complete the ritual of atonement in the tallest tower to win. Intersecting passageways will become hotly contested locations as players balance pushing through hostile NPCs and watching their back lines.
- Be careful splitting off the main groups, as venthyr lurk in the shadows, waiting for a chance to drain sin and convert players to their team. Players who become venthyr remain so until they are killed, yet they gain renown progress with the spirit of the battlefield if they kill players while they are venthyr.
- Check tapestries, mirrors, bookshelves, and other places in the castle for hidden passageways that send up to three players to other locations in the castle. Usually they send players to places where traps may be activated to alter the flow of the battle.
- Some rooms in the castle give raid wide buffs necessary to completing the battlefield that will encourage players to compete with each other.
- Battle ends when either team completes the ritual. Ritual may only be completed every few hours, but players can still battle for control over other locations in the castle for advantages in the next battle. When it resumes venthyr guards take control of most passageways and must be battled back up to the pinnacle once more. Rewards include customization options to look like venthyr, most notable being glowing red eyes.
- Kingdom of Perdition: March of the Damned
- Souls of Perdition march forth from the Sanctum of Domination, heading down the highways of the kingdom towards Revendreth. If they meet up with the venthyr there, the combined forces will cause untold damage to the free people of the Shadowlands.
- The marching armies are very dangerous to face head on, it is ideal to use guerilla warfare to delay and pick away at the army as it heads towards Revendreth. Use choke points and environmental hazards of the zone to pick off troops.
- The Damned may march down several highways of the kingdom that intersect and thus have multiple routes to Revendreth that change mid march. Players must carefully observe NPC behavior and chatter to find the next route and communicate in order to set up effective ambushes.
- Commanders spawn after enough of the army is killed, the rest fall back when the commander is slain. Commanders: Nyvareth the Pale, a powerful death knight soul that picks off weak and low health heroes. Lord Godfrey, a cunning hunter who uses the players’ own ambush tactics against them. Gothic the Harvester, a commander of souls that rallies the remaining Damned against players.
- Zalak’yath: Battle for Naros-thol
- An insidious citadel looms over a lake of corrosive stygia. It commands the very center of Zalak’yath and remains an important strategic location for the city. However, that means the malevolent armies surrounding the structure will stop at nothing to take it back.
- Players must fight through defenses, such as cauldrons that flood the courtyard with acidic ooze and hallways that fill with maddening gas that turns all allies hostile. Enemies will attempt to retake the citadel from the outside and traps may be turned on them.
- Beware infiltrators and changelings who will join players on the attack, only to betray them when it matters most.
- Commanders: Morzar the Heartless, an obsidian destroyer that consumes and detonates magic. Darkreaver Hypatia, the mobile aerial commander of fallen spirit healers that rots spirits instead of heals them. Skarrus, an aberration that is made of both melted down souls and the essence of a Void revenant.
Artifacts: Wielding Death’s Power
While campaigns in heritage sites will continue into Shadowlands, heritage relics will be retired in favor of a new weapon artifact: Runeblades. These signature weapons of death knights will be fundamental in the fight to save the afterlife. And don’t worry, death knight players. You’ll still have a chance to feel unique!
Runeblades
With Bolvar’s insight, it becomes quite obvious that there is great power granted to those who wield necromancy in the very lands of death. The Highlord has devised a plan to grant champions their own runeblades to use in the Shadowlands. Their presence in the afterlife will have a greater effect on it then runeblades ever have on Azeroth, practically warping reality around them as they hunger for death.
Runeblades are the next iteration of artifacts that are available to players after they complete the introductory questlines in Avernia and establish portals back to Azeroth. They are weapons that offer distinctly unique customization and powers. As is the case with other artifacts, runeblades, upon being crafted, grant each class a unique ability that enhances their rotation. Hopefully with only one new ability added to each class instead of four potential ones, balance passes will be more effective here.
As far as customization goes, players may collect appearances for runeblades and add them to a customization pool akin to character creation. Players may alter their runeblade’s appearance as they see fit. It functions similarly to a barber shop only for a weapon. They may choose a base, which is the weapon classification, and may only choose from bases that are usable by the class. Yes, characters may be wielding runeblade staves.
From the base they may customize other elements, like choosing between pommels, hilts, handles, blades, caps, bludgeons, and other such appearances. In addition to generic customization, classes are able to collect class specific appearances, such as a gnarled branch staff base for druids. Appearances may be unlocked and discovered through a wide variety of content, much like Legion artifacts.
Runeblades also have customizable effects and stats and will function as legendaries as well as artifacts. Players can learn legendary effects from various content, then feed them into their runeblade to gain its effect (this is not consumed on use). Runeblade secondary stats may be altered by feeding it certain crafting materials. For instance, some ores may grant it critical strike. All customization will be done at soulforges, including those on Azeroth from previous expansions.
Artifact power, which affects the item level of the runeblade, is gained via the consumption of soul energies. It is a grim task, but a small price to pay for salvation. They only strip part of the soul away with kills, resulting in only particularly powerful enemies granting actual artifact power. The denizens of the Shadowlands offer up wisps of souls as quest rewards as well.
Death knights, as the original masters of runeblades, are given access to runeblades upon creation of the character. That means they may use runeblades and their powers straight from level 8. Their runeblades will feed and grow in artifact power even as they level up to max. They also start with a number of unique appearances for their runeblades they can use to customize them with. Characters with Shadowmourne may also use appearances derived from the legendary in their runeblades.
Heritage Sites Continued
Heritage sites will continue to have campaigns in the Shadowlands. While heritage relics are discontinued, heritage sites will remain to be used as a way to tell stories around the world of Azeroth. It may have stories revolving around the races’ dealings with things back home, but they will all, at some point, take heroes into the Shadowlands.
This version of storytelling is valuable in the face of the afterlife expansion, because all races will have beliefs about the afterlife that should be addressed. As part of the story and mission tables, players may recruit important figures to their race as companions that will help them carry out missions and such. This will be fun flavor text and a trip down memory lane because it’s a waste of an inherently nostalgic expansion pack not to. Plus who wouldn’t want to send Fandral Staghelm on all the outhouse cleaning missions as penance for his difficult achievement in Firelands?
Lastly, as part of the stories of heritage sites, they will establish portals with relevant zones, as well as faction capitals in Shadowlands. Night elves will connect to Ardenweald, forsaken will connect to the Kingdom of Perdition, draenei will connect to Kaletan, etc…
Character Customization
As should be a custom, this expansion will introduce additional customization options to all races. It will also introduce a “generic” customization pool that will be added that races will share. Generic styles will still be restricted to linked races, like skin tones among humans, dwarves and blood elves, who all have similar skin styles for instance. This should offer lots more hairstyles and eye styles to several races that need it with little work required.
Then, as promised, tier sets will be returning in place of the generic armor class sets. I just think they’re neat. But also to give classes some love, class customization will be offered, allowing players to choose specific effects for abilities. Race/class combo effects granted to players in Death’s Rise will be added to this new system. It’s basically a more extensive version of glyphs that functions similar to that of druids choosing their forms at a barber.
And finally, new allied races will be added to the game. After working closer with the Alliance, the vrykul have learned that humans have great courage and a warrior spirit, despite their diminished bodies. They have decided to strengthen their ties with the Alliance, granting players the ability to make vrykul. Upon having their graveyard desecrated in Feralas by the Scourge, the Stonemaul ogres have decided to take a more proactive role in the Horde, giving players access to the ogre allied race, along with bonus mok’nathal customization for mag’har orcs.
Instanced Content: An Afterlife of Strife
Dungeons and raids are planned with the usual treatment; a new set for the expansion, new +10 seasonal affixes, balances and alterations to mythic affixes, and unique appearances that match the gear drops in dungeons instead of generic Oribos armor and weapons like in the real Shadowlands. Other instanced content is planned to be provided as well, some familiar, some new. They will provide another currency known as Lost Souls. More on that after dungeons and raids are introduced.
Dungeons
- Gorgoa: River of Death, the Warcraft version of the river Styx. To cross into the Shadowlands from Avernia, spirit healers employ an ancient and mysterious being to ferry them and their accompanied souls to their proper afterlife. It is uncertain if there is more than one of this being or not, as it seems capable of being in more than one place at once, yet the Lich King seems intent on destroying it as it voyages along the river.
- Ancestor’s Vigil is some kind of “anti-burial ground”. The dead are not buried here, but instead they come here to feel alive. The grounds rest beneath the Well of Urun, and heroes can help spirits visit loved ones while also stopping Void corruption caused to the grounds by the Shadowmoon of Draenor.
- The Oublion, a cavern in Tide’s Wake that is considered the neural center of all memories in the sea. Naga have captured the Oublion and are using its memory magic to erase the identities of souls taken there, then shipping them to Zalak’yath.
- Nouros: The Lost Cathedral appeared one day in Kaletan. Theories are, it was a cathedral of the Light that was somehow lost to the Void. It is a twisted mockery of the Light now, and heroes are asked to investigate and remove any potential threats.
- De Other Side! Ya had bettah to be payin’ attention, Fadda of Sleep!
- Sanguine Depths, the dark underbelly of Revendreth. It is in these sinister passageways that most souls are dragged into cells and turned into venthyr. Heroes must venture inside and save those imprisoned, including a Naaru who is being experimented upon.
- Shadowchain Gate, the outer defenses of the Sanctum of Domination. It is overseen by the shattered soul of Rage Winterchill, a lich who predates most Scourge souls and arrived to the dark landscape fractured thanks to his destroyed phylactery. Kel’thuzad pieced him together with chains and now the amalgamation of spirit and steel guards his lord’s castle.
- Hollow Hill. The Maw is the location for the most evil and unredeemable souls. Over time most begin to unravel and become one with the Maw, but in the Hollow Hill some have found refuge, slowly becoming dormant mummies that await something to stir them from their slumber. It seems the Damned armies of the Kingdom of Perdition are doing just that.
- The Stygian Obelisk, a monolith that stretches for the sky, jabbing Azeroth’s soul with its pointed tip. Stygia is being fed through the tower and burning its way into the pure spirit energy above. It must be stopped, lest Azeroth fall.
Raids
- Sanctum of Domination, a 10 boss raid that marks the height of Kel’thuzad and the Lich King’s power in the Kingdom of Perdition. Its looming spires prevent any full scale attacks on Zalak’yath to take place, and hopefully with the fall of Kel’thuzad the poor souls of the kingdom can be free to carry out their afterlives in peace. Upon defeat, Kel’thuzad is broken apart by Bolvar Fordragon and tossed into the Maw to suffer for eternity. Blood elf players can claim a vial of his essence and give it to a sunpriestess, a sorceress who maintains the Sunwell and its lore, who will study it for… reasons.
- The Architheater, a three boss raid where players are summoned by Xal’atath to join her in the forbidden inner halls of the Void in Kaletan. She wishes for the company of “friends” while she communes with the Void. Naturally, this goes a lot more violently than our mortal definitions of communion would imply. In the end, she gets some information she refuses to impart, but pretends to inadvertently help heroes learn a bit more about Yogg-saron’s presence in the Shadowlands. It additionally teaches us about the fates of Void-spawned beings that die—and the Maw that consumes them.
- World bosses will be returned to mini instances like they were with vanilla-Cata era raid bosses. They are accessible through LFR, slightly more difficult than LFR difficulties, and provide normal quality loot. They may still be done manually from the entrance with premade raid groups, who may have an easier time given coordination.
- Ingra Maloch, a Drust leader who has chained a tirnenn to his will in Ardenweald. Beat some sense into the talking tree so that it can stun him and open a damage window before he regains control.
- Eye of the Jailer, a large eye that hunts for unwanted beings in the Maw. Blind it to gain treasure and also a little revenge for the Jailer’s hostility towards the living.
- Cerevan the Devourer, an aquatic, three-headed snake-dog that stalks Gorgoa. It is hinted to be some kind of death wild god—a strange implication indeed—and with the help of some spirit healers, players must subdue it to allow safe passage into the Shadowlands once again.
- Vexiona the Sufferer, the resurrected corpse of the void dragon from Ny’alotha. She now haunts the skies above Zalak’yath, returning to a lair in the tunnels beneath the city, where she gorges on stygia to refuel her might. That is the only place she is vulnerable, and heroes must put an end to her once and for all. She seems all too happy to leave this wretched existence behind, but won’t go down without taking a few adventurers with her.
Torghast, Tower of the Damned
Torghast is being renewed for this expansion. It’s quite handy to have the framework already in place for it, which allows more resources to be put into refining the concept and expanding it. As a refresher from the Death’s Rise expansion, Torghast was mechanically similar to its 9.1 rendition minus the timer, but had more cosmetic rewards and could be used to level characters. Shadowlands will now expand off that base platform to create something even more replayable.
To start with, a slew of new wings are going to be added to the tower, these ones more themed around the infiltration of the Lich King’s forces, which adds a more narrative urgency to exploring Torghast. Existing wings will be edited to reflect this as well. All wings will be gaining more floors to add to the randomized pool, and a more sophisticated layout system will be implemented to change around the paths to make each run more unique.
Torghast will have more events added akin to Island Expeditions. Random events, such as invasions/reinforcements, battling AI driven hunters, bonus mini events. Finally, there will be a new system of challenges for players to go through. A sort of scoreboard that players can do for additional rewards, such as killing 20 enemies in traps in a single run and such.
As players go through Torghast, they have the ability to rescue lost souls that will assist them by granting a buff to the player, then join the player as a Lost Soul currency. These souls may be spent at a vendor for specific items, like the doubloon vendor for island expeditions.
Hauntings
Hauntings are an iteration of the Horrific Visions from 8.3 that expands off the micro system made during the prepatch. Hostile spirits of the Lich King are breaking through weak points in the afterlife to Azeroth in order to siphon more life from the world soul. Players must travel through these breaches found across the Shadowlands in order to stop these threats.
However, all beings of the Shadowlands on Azeroth are caught in the veil between both worlds, and appear as specters with limited interactions with the living world. Players must work with both aspects, passing in and out of this veil in order to solve puzzles and overcome enemies.
The mechanic of passing between the worlds involves finding certain relics that bring players to and from the plane of the living. Being in both planes has their benefits and challenges. Being a ghost means a lack of ability to physically interact with most objects, but ghosts can also see what others cannot and their intangibility allows them to jump higher.
Like Torghast, Hauntings have a random pool of puzzle rooms set up players will progress through before reaching the final boss, with more emphasis on the puzzle aspect, like a Lego or Portal game. It’s got a bit more open scenery and takes place in death themed locations around Azeroth. Plus hopping out of the veil spooks living NPCs, like a ghost jump scaring them. Hence the name.
Completing a Haunting rewards players with Lost Souls and Island Expedition like cosmetics, much like Torghast. Basically if you’re tired of Torghast, you can break up the monotony and do Hauntings instead.
- Ravenhill Abbey, the abbey residing in the mountains overlooking Ravenhill Cemetary in Duskwood. Since the cemetary’s decline to the undead, it has been left abandoned. The way to the abbey is found in the Kingdom of Perdition.
- Dawnblood Crypt, a Sin’dorei graveyard in Eversong woods with a crypt in the center that has only recently been claimed back from the Scourge. It is being reconstructed, but some parts remain hotspots for the occasional dead rising from the graves. The way to the crypt is found in An’sha.
- Gao-Dai Mausoleum, a mogu burial ground in Kun-lai. It is filled with classic mogu traps and pools of anima that react volatilely to ghosts. The way to the mausoleum is found in Revendreth.
Ride of the Apocalypse
Souls are being stolen and used to nefarious ends in Zalak’yath. While marshalling an army against the city is too difficult given the fortifications of the Kingdom of Perdition, Bolvar seems to have a dogmatic need to destroy the Lich King there. As a compromise, he and the Knights of the Ebon Blade have taken to raiding the city for souls.
Ride of the Apocalypse is a new version of a warfront. It is treated more like a battleground, however, where it’s quite possible to lose thanks to advanced AI opponents. Heroes must aid the Horsemen of the Apocalypse in capturing and securing locations in a long stretch of land in Zalak’yath called the Ruinous Approach. The main goal is to save souls and deal a blow to the Lich King by killing powerful lieutenants.
Each Horseman rides in separate directions of the zone. Players who assist them nearby are granted a unique death knight aura that empowers them and allows them to remain mounted while taking actions. When the final boss is available, players will join Bolvar in destroying them.
The Ride provides a lot of reputation with Bolvar’s version of the “Champions of Azeroth” faction and a large burst of souls once a week upon completion, then grants a decent amount after that. Souls are also gained while rescuing souls during the scenario, like with Torghast. It also has a chance to give players a horse of the apocalypse mount, which comes in four tints.
Echoes of the Past
Echoes are a new difficulty type for raids and dungeons in expansions that qualify for timewalking. Leveling characters may select this setting to scale raids and dungeons to their level while also reducing the difficulty of mobs down to be soloable. Along with a mild balance pass to prevent unsoloable mechanics from halting players in their tracks, this creates scenarios in which players can experience these legendary raids and dungeons once more.
Bosses killed and instances cleared grant good experience to players that complete them, which is the main draw and intent with echoes. It should compete with questing and regular dungeon runs for hourly experience gains. Offering alternate paths for leveling is vital for the game to provide some fresh excitement for players who are leveling alts and encourages veteran players to remain subbed for longer.
As far as gearing goes, echoes relies primarily on heirlooms as it’s mechanically and thematically an “explore challenges overcome by heroes of legend in the past” sort of deal. Each full expansion echo clear grants players’ characters a single heirloom upgrade token, which will help them remain on top of gear. If players continue to struggle even with up to date heirlooms, they may want to consider taking advantage of a few dungeons, quests, or even purchasing/crafting gear on the auction house, giving item level upgrade profession marks of old crafting professions more value.
Player vs. Player: Harbingers of Demise
Bringing the PvP features of Death’s Rise to Shadowlands is going to be the majority of the work put into PvP for this expansion. That includes the return of battle events, the spontaneous creation of open world battlegrounds in zones if groups of players in war mode engage with each other. Then siege mode, the updated system by which players attack and slay enemy faction leaders, will be scaled up for Shadowlands.
Content revolving around the Amphitheater of Anguish will also be scaled up to be relevant to players in Shadowlands. The PvP hub will move from the Amphitheater to a coliseum in Ardenweald, where faeries goad players into playing “harmless” pranks (AKA murdering each other). This brings with it the portals, vendors, and dailies the Amphitheater had as well, along with another PvP based storyline.
PvP will also see a segment of professions dedicated solely to them, where materials are taken off slain players that can be used to craft decent PvP armor and weapons.
As far as new things go, two new arenas will be added to the pool: Avernia and An’sha. Additionally, a new battleground will be added called the Fractured Halls. It is a twisted lower level of Torghast where the objective is to kill all enemy players. Simple, right? Except both teams have a spirit guide resurrecting them upon death.
The only way to gain victory is by fighting through enemy fortifications and defeating their spirit guide. The best way to accomplish this is by capturing locations around the map that activate occasionally. When fully captured, it spawns the Terragrue, which marches towards the enemy base and grants powerful pushing potential. Once a spirit guide is slain, the corresponding team cannot resurrect and is marked by the Jailer for death, visible through walls and stealth for the enemy team to hunt them down.
The final change to PvP is more of the opposite: Reduced faction restrictions. Outside of war mode, players may group up with players from the opposite faction and may join raid/dungeons together as well. Cross faction language will be enhanced where it makes sense; Blood elves and Forsaken can speak Common, Nightborne can speak Darnassian, little additions where it makes sense. All players can communicate via group chat. Players outside war mode may not interact with NPCs of the opposite faction but are no longer attacked on sight. Lore wise, conflict still exists but battlegrounds are fringe skirmishes at worst, war games at best. The rivalry between factions is still important and distinguished, just less exclusive.
Notes
This is now where I’ll compile a few concepts that may have been lost in the sea of information above. First of all, currencies. Here’s a list of currencies used in Shadowlands:
- Valor: As it is in the real Shadowlands, gained through mythic+ and used to upgrade gear from mythic+.
- Renown: The “collectible” renown, not to be confused with renown ranks, which function much like the real Shadowlands’ version. Renown as a currency is obtained any time a renown spirit is pleased, then may be spent on cosmetics or materials. It accomplishes what anima does in the current game.
- Lost Souls: Bad luck protection and rewards for doing non raid and dungeon instanced content. Used to target and purchase cosmetics that players are tired of continually spinning the wheel to try and get.
- Reaped Souls: Fragments of souls torn from entities of the Shadowlands and used to empower runeblades. It directly feeds into a player’s runeblade, and thus won’t technically be on the currency list, but is something players collect.
As a more foreign concept to Northrend from Death’s Rise, I also wanted to include a number of flavor notes regarding lore:
- The Shadowlands “continent” is a collection of zones relevant to Azeroth and related places. The border is not a void or sky or drop off of any sort. It is a thick mist that stretches out as far as the eye can see. Tide’s Wake continues on and on and on as an endless ocean beyond the zone, the mountains surrounding An’sha’s eastern border and Kaletan go up and up and up out of sight, etc… Souls that stray too far simply become disoriented and drawn back to the intended zones, as the Shadowlands beyond there are too foreign to the spirit to experience.
- The Maw seems to transcend all afterlives thanks to the gravitational force of the fallen Void Lord inside. It functions like Gorgoa, and rests as a fixed point for all the Shadowlands to connect to.
- Spirit healers remain enigmatic. They personally oversee the settlement of all souls, guiding each one by one to their intended resting place. Yet they do not enforce any laws once a soul arrives at their location. The exceptions here are the spirit healer stewards of Kaletan, which seem to have devoted themselves to the Light and Void and ensure souls follow the proper rites.
- There is no Arbiter or Purpose. Spirit healers do not explain how they know where souls are destined and that is a mystery that shall remain.
- As per Chronicles, Val’kyr who abandoned Helya and Odyn’s feuds supposedly went into the Shadowlands to guide the souls of heroes back from the dead. This is true, they joined existing spirit healers and specialized in Azerothian heroes as their quarries.
- Souls can slowly forget who they are and become amorphous figures, like the ones found in the real game’s Torghast. However, aside from them most souls look like regular people and are only transparent and ghost-like when outside the Shadowlands. The exception to this rule are the souls caught in the Kingdom of Perdition, as they are twisted by necromancy and not entirely whole. Thus they are spectral blue and transparent.
- Demons slain in the Twisting Nether experience final death. Their souls are too connected to the Twisting Nether and simply shred to nothingness upon death. This is the cost of becoming a demon.
- Dreadlords seem to have origins linked to the Shadowlands, but no known living dreadlords are first generation members and therefore have no direct memory of the place. As far as they care, they’re demons and they’re going to do what demons do: Cause havoc and suffering.
- Helheim and the Halls of Valor are not afterlives, they are planes of existence created by titanic beings to store souls they gather and resurrect. Somehow the freshness of the soul being taken does not damn them to the Kingdom of Perdition. This is likely because they are intercepted before the souls can make it to Avernia. Perhaps once a soul is guided by the spirit healers, they are unable to be guided again and become lost.
- The Damned of the Kingdom of Perdition have complete free will and are almost all entirely made up of souls from the Scourge. Kel’thuzad wormed his way into power slowly and methodically, and now leverages threat of force as well as promises of exaltation to keep citizens of the kingdom in line.
- Brokers exist in the Shadowlands and are the damaged remnants of the Ethereal who died on K’aresh. Dimensius killed them all so badly they died from it and now have the weird ability to travel through all the Shadowlands.
- Denizens of the Shadowlands are indeed horrified by the idea of heroes wielding runeblades that eat souls but Bolvar assures they will only eat portions of the souls they slay. Plus players should only be slaying evil souls but there’s no way to enforce this…
- Those without spiritual beliefs, like humans and blood elves not dedicated to the Light, are stated to end up somewhere but we do not see it in-game. Supposedly it’s to the east of Ardenweald and An’sha, beyond the mountains that Kaletan is nestled in. There just isn’t much of a reason to go there.
- When players release their spirit to the graveyard on Azeroth, the spiral in the sky is the gateway to the Shadowlands. Ordinarily when someone dies they are drawn up into it. Players are just special because the spirit healers are keeping them from passing on.
- Many stories will include characters finding closure or exploring avenues of their past that weren’t available before, like Thrall meeting his actual, non-alternate parents, Baine speaking to Cairne and his mother, or Dezco finding his family. There are many quests and they simply haven’t all been revealed in the zone overviews.
The Patch Cycle
10.1
No new zone planned,10.1 takes players into the Maw in more depth. It will have new dailies and activities. Then there will be a new battlefield, a new dungeon and raid, some new Hauntings, and a new allied race.
This patch unveils more about the Maw and its inner workings. There is no origin for the Jailer given, but it is discovered the Jailer exists for the explicit purpose of keeping Zovaal imprisoned. Souls dropped into the Maw slowly dissolve into it until they become a part of the defenses keeping Zovaal locked up, still conscious but without form. It sucks but this is where the worst of the worst people go so they deserve it.
There will be many more questlines in the Maw along with updates to the zone narratively and physically. The story begins when Sylvanas is reported to be wandering around the zone. Determined to keep her from getting up to any more good, Bolvar sends the heroes down to the Maw to end her threat, going so far as to design a special runeblade to claim her soul.
Below players find a mysterious grim reaper figure, who guides them through the Maw who wishes to bring balance to the Maw by removing Sylvanas. This takes players through the zone and they begin to uncover a plot by the Lich King to release Zovaal from his chains. Attempts to warn the Jailer result in dismissal and expulsion from the Maw. It is determined they must take matters into their own hands.
Players finally catch Sylvanas, and she claims to have had no idea what Yogg-saron had planned in the Maw. She sought only to escape her own damnation, making worse and worse deals to prolong the inevitable until she was rendered no longer useful upon her death and cast into the Maw by the Lich King. She’s falling apart at the seams and begs for a chance to redeem herself and escape her misery.
The grim reaper states her unique soul may prove useful in awakening a guardian powerful enough to use Bolvar’s runeblade to capture an escaped Zovaal’s soul. While Sylvanas protests and warns players not to trust the reaper, she lacks the credibility to overrule its claim. Thus, players seek out a unique tomb in the Maw, using Sylvanas’ soul as a sort of map to the area. There the reaper expresses gratitude for the help in pinpointing his king’s location with Sylvanas’ soul. He reveals himself to be the spectral figure of Kel’thuzad. His time in the Shadowlands was dedicated solely to finding Arthas, pretending to serve the “fake” Lich King to keep him off his back while he hunted through the Maw for his true master.
Sylvanas demands players use their runeblade on Arthas instead of her. All three parties engage in battle. But before it can get anywhere, Torghast erupts and Zovaal rises from the tower. The Jailer’s servants transform into warped versions of themselves, corrupted by Zovaal’s presence.
Players must curtail their attempts to claw out of the Maw, but it is clear nothing can be done without a miracle. That is where Arthas returns to the scene to explain that if they can lure the Lich King to the same location as Zovaal, he can use the Helm of Domination to trap Zovaal in the runeblade.
Bolvar is adamant that they never accept their aid. Players delve into the new raid, Citadel of Torment. In the raid, players join Bolvar and Jaina, who heard Arthas was involved and needed to confront him herself. Over the course of the raid, Sylvanas is also ascending the tower and helps with a few raid boss kills. At the end of the raid, The Lich King is lured to Torghast where Arthas uses his proximity to the Helm of Domination to trap Zovaal’s soul in Bolvar’s runeblade. Anduin temporarily loses the helm in a cinematic and Arthas reaches for it. Jaina begs him not to do it, he looks at her and exclaims that he can solve this and is not afraid to do anything to save the Shadowlands.
While they argue, however, Anduin reclaims the crown and dons it before escaping from the tower. Arthas watches with a defeated expression, then finds himself chained with the Zovaal runeblade by the Jailer. Jaina walks away, realizing Arthas will always be doomed by his vanity and zeal to repeat the same mistakes.
Kel’thuzad refuses to leave his master’s side and is melted down by the Jailer into Arthas’ stygian chains. His loyalty would keep him with his lord for the rest of eternity. Sylvanas is also trapped in the tower. As a spirit that was properly destined for the Maw, the Jailer will not allow her to leave. Her revenge and ill begotten deals for extended life have finally caught up to her.
A dungeon in Zalak’yath will become available, too. It is paramount to capture Anduin and put a stop to Yogg-saron’s plans involving him. Lich King has been discovered to go to a castle on a cliff side to the west of Zalak’yath, where he donates souls under his helm’s command to Yogg-saron. While the bulk of the heroes’ forces are in the Maw dealing with troubles there, a small strike force is assembled to capture him at the House of Saron. Instead the Lich King drops players into a pit of Stygia and the last wing/boss is fighting to survive in it.
A Maw battlefield will be added: The Battle for the Tremaculum, a conflict for the courtyard at the base of Torghast. It commands what enters Torghast and the heroes of Azeroth must claim the court then defend it from all manner of horrible things in the zone as well as Zovaal’s twisted guardians.
The final thing to come with 10.1 is Arakkoa. While exploring the Shadowlands, the fate of alternate Draenor has come to the attention of the Alliance and Horde. Arakkoa spirits cry out for aid, and both factions answer the call. Saving them from the crumbling world, the Arakkoa join both factions as a neutral race. While Outcast Arakkoa canonically favor the Horde and the High Arakkoa favor the Alliance, both faction players are able to customize their Arakkoa to look like either.
10.2
The next patch introduces a new zone, a mega dungeon, a raid, a rework with Torghast to reflect the narrative change of Zovaal and Arthas, and invasion points back on Azeroth. It will also bring new Hauntings based around old death-themed dungeons, such as Scholomance, King’s Rest, or En’kilah Crypts. These should be easy to make and should give a large amount of new Hauntings for players to experience.
The new zone is the Sepulcher, an adjacent zone to Avernia that spirits healers mend broken spirits in. It is a place that is sort of the opposite of the Maw. Where the Maw slowly dissolves evil spirits worthy of punishment, the Sepulcher is where spirits who do not deserve their fate go if they are too damaged by trauma or physical wounds to the spirit. Varian, for example, would be one such spirit.
Like the Maw, it is a rare event for spirits to require this treatment, as usually spirit healers will not directly involve themselves with the mental trauma of death unless it’s especially bad. The zone itself is a graveyard in a petrified forest. Visually it resembles something like the graveyard in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, with ominous angelic statues and images of the grim reaper all over.
The heroes of Azeroth are drawn there by panicked spirit healers who claim they saw the Lich King wandering in and out of the zone. Upon finding Varian, it is theorized Anduin’s brief time with the Helm of Domination off gave him the reprieve he needed to loosen Yogg-saron’s command over him and is attempting to enlist the aid of his father. Unfortunately, the plot twist at the end of the zone’s storyline indicates it was all a trick for the Lich King to gain access to the Ankh of Restoration, a temple where souls are mended back together and the next raid.
The mega dungeon is Tazavesh because it’s a cool dungeon. Players can visit it as a regular city outside the instance too, for kicks. Invasion points around Azeroth are manifestations of Yogg-saron in Ahn’Qiraj, Ulduar, Uldum, and the Maelstrom (where shamans provide portals from capital cities to get to). The focal points of the invasions seem to be cloudy versions of the Well of Urun in An’sha.
At the end of Ankh of Restoration, it is discovered that the invasion points are in fact anchors to the death points of all four Old Gods and the Lich King is using the morgue’s mending powers to merge the souls together. The release of Zovaal was just a distraction while they dragged Y’shaarj, N’zoth, and C’thun’s souls out of the central Void black hole in the Maw. All they needed after that were souls for power and the Ankh.
He succeeds, and all of the Shadowlands is covered in an eternal night where the stars are blinking eyes and yawning mouths. With all of the Old Gods combined, they are prepared to claim Azeroth’s soul from the lands of death, then corrupt her corpse-world after, which will be much easier to do with the titans stuck on the other side and unable to help.
However, Anduin did in fact gain some wiggle room against Yogg-saron and left his compass for players to find. Jaina and Bolvar both attempt to force it open, but find themselves unable to.
10.3
This patch introduces the last elements of Shadowlands’ story. A new zone will be introduced, along with a battlefield in Ardenweald, a few more Hauntings and a raid. Tazavesh will be divided into two dungeons accessible in LFG and also added to the mythic+ pool. Runeblades may receive an additional legendary effect on top of the ones they have.
Bolvar and Jaina have no luck in cracking the compass and decide to send players with it to Kaletan to see if the Light can open it. It does not, but directs them to the next obvious candidate: Varian, who remains in the Sepulcher. The compass opens for him, and a vision of Anduin weeps for his father’s forgiveness and asks him to help him. Then he reveals his plan.
To stop the Old Gods, who are becoming so powerful and prolific that they are warping into a new Void Lord, they must give Azeroth a fighting chance. Azeroth’s worldsoul is the mightiest of all the titans, and if she can just fight back, she could defeat the Old Gods. She’s just tangled in sleep and death, unable to act. Anduin and the Lich King— who resents being once more a puppet to another power— have ferreted away souls at the heart of Zalak’yath, a new zone known as the Empire of Twilight. Pure, heroic souls untainted by Yogg-saron. If the souls are able and willing, they can be used to jumpstart Azeroth, with an elder spirit healer named Kyrestia to guide her consciousness through the afterlife.
The patch is entering the Empire of Twilight and softening the defenses of the Old Gods while also gathering these heroic souls. This zone will have severe dynamic weather, as it is deep in the center of the cosmic storm that is the Void Lord’s forming. The Ride of the Apocalypse will also have another instance added, which is Bolvar et al invading the Empire of Twilight now as well.
The raid is the Twisted Mount, where players ascend the towering mountain that was visible from Zalak’yath in 10.0. They face all manners of horrors while also being hounded by the Old Gods in the sky above. In one wing of the raid, players stop the Old Gods from using Ardenweald to send itself into the wilds through its reincarnation cycle. The climax is holding out with the heroic spirits and Kyrestia as they reach out to Azeroth. In an epic full HD cinematic, the spirit of Azeroth contends with and defeats the Old Gods while overcoming the nightmares of them tormenting her for all these eons.
Azeroth defeats her demons but must rest, falling back into a slumber. Her wounds heal, the living return home from the Shadowlands, the portal closing behind them as death must remain separate. Perhaps now the world will see peace. Anduin is nowhere to be found. It seems even through all this the Lich King still has plans of his own and leveraged this battle to gain freedom. Luckily that plan does not seem to involve any aggression, as the Scourge’s last all out attacks have finally crippled them beyond any threat.
Then a Traveler arrives in the courts of Stormwind and Orgrimmar, her sly smirk betraying the sorrow she feels for the loss of her brothers. Yet when one door closes, another opens. Her brothers’ tampering with the fabric of reality has damaged existence in ways that only she can perceive… for now.
Additional Releases
X.x.5 patches will provide balances, BfA timewalking (feel old yet?), additional character customization, and a few other reworks that usually come with these styles of patches. It should also add a little more meat to Hauntings and Ride of the Apocalypse to give them more longevity over the course of the expansion too. Each of these patches will include a pair of heritage sets for core races.
10.3.5 includes a minor story update where players have a chance to find Sylvanas in Torghast runs, who gives them letters to deliver to Alleria and Vereesa. It outlines the tragedy of her existence after her death at Silvermoon. The fear and hatred that plagued her every decision and forced her to more extremes. How Yogg-saron slowly entangled her in plans that she could not escape. Both sisters sob over their lost sibling. Even after all Sylvanas has done, they still mourn her, wishing there was a way to have the Ranger-General they loved back.
That’s all! Let me know what you guys think. If you have any ideas for anything specific please feel free to pitch some, I’d love to hear it all.
