So, at mines there is a tunnel network that is closed off by a gate. Warlocks, however, can use demonic gateway to get through the gate. They can then use shadow rift to port enemies inside the tunnels, where they are stuck unless they are a warlock or are saved by a friendly warlock.
I had this happen to my team last night in a rated match and it single-handedly turned the match around; we were previously winning by 600 points and had 2 bases, but lost mines due to the loss of two of our DPS who were defending. We did eventually get them out with our warlock, but it was too late to save the match.
We all reported the enemy warlock in question; I specifically reported for gameplay sabotage. However, he said in whispers after the match that he has been doing this since Shadowlands. He streamed this and this VoD is still up, but I believe linking it breaks forum CoC.
Here is a screenshot of the two trapped players and some others that got put in during our rescue.
I got one to counter this! If you stand completely still for atleast 10 seconds after you get ported by warlock Shadow Rift, you’ll be teleported back to your original spot.
I guess that’s a good way to counter this warlock nonsense. If you see a Shadow Rift going off, and you know you can’t get out of it in time, stop and wait, don’t move. Check to see where you’re at first. If you’re behind that gate in mines, continue standing still so it’ll teleport you back. If not, and you just got ported somewhere dumb, then it’s safe to move.
It’s not a bug. It’s an anti-grief measure put in by Blizzard. You see, the problem was, Blizzard knew that a spell like Shadow Rift could be abused to be teleported to places you normally can’t escape from. Some notable examples include Deepwind Gorge behind the barrels inside the inn or Isle of Conquest behind the statues in Alliance boss room. Some of these areas could be escaped if your character model was small enough, such as a Gnome or Goblin, but others couldn’t escape it. You’d literally be stuck in place and couldn’t move.
As an anti-grief measure, Blizzard added a new feature onto Shadow Rift. If you found yourself victim to one of these tight stuck places and couldn’t move, it’d teleport you back to your original location. If you moved a few yards in the slightest, it wouldn’t activate and you’d stay stuck. Areas such as the mines in BfG aren’t a tight stuck spot, you have the whole mines to explore and move around in, which is why it normally doesn’t activate because peoples first instinct is to move.
Just do this trick and you’ll be teleported back to your spot. If an enemy gets too close to you while you’re in the mines, you could also Shadow Step or Charge them if you’re a class with one of those spells.
