So for a brief overview before we get into the details:
Four new zones in Lordaeron.
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Tirisfal Inferior, which includes the outskirts of Stratholme, a new Scarlet Bastion, as well as the edge of Eversong Forest. Here be Crusaders. I’ll get into why the Scarlet Bastion serves as a quest hub as well as an instance in the more detailed section.
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The Aman’alar Ridge. A zone that represents older versions of Quel’thalas, it is a verdant and untamed wilderness. Great gates and expansive outposts once filled these mountains as an ever-watchful guardian for Quel’thalas against the Amani. Now, a new kind of Amani has taken up residence in this land. Time will tell whether or not they will be amicable.
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Alterac. Alterac is more than just a city, it was an entire nation. So we expand the Alterac subzone and put a Forsaken compound in the snow, with ogres, humans, dwarves, and orcs squabbling over the land.
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The Thandol Valley. A zone of three massive bridges (The Span), dwarvish rivalry, and new age threats. A hotly contested place.
For zone reworks, Silverpine and Gilneas have already been redone. So, that just leaves Tirisfal, Hillsbrad, the Eastern Plaguelands, Western Plaguelands, Eversong, the Ghostlands, Arathi, and the Hinterlands. cracks knuckles Let’s get into it.
The details:
Tirisfal Superior
A Horde questing zone.
In the aftermath of all that has happened, the ruling Lordaeronian leadership has decided to distance itself politically from Sylvanas Windrunner. This includes the name. “Forsaken” has been deemed a monstrous label, and all who embrace the name should be scrutinized or outright distrusted. The highest ranking remaining Lordaeronian officials and nobility also decide upon a new ruling structure. A controversial choice, Lordaeron is reformed underneath a reborn Desolate Council. This new Council includes the living and dead, Alliance and Horde, and even neutral parties. Calia Menethil, Alonsius Faol, Ranger Lady Velonara, Dread Commander Belmont, and Regent Lady Lilian Voss represent the Undead of Lordaeron. Maxwell Tyrosus represents the Argent Crusade. Scarlet Highlord Arvis Alban provides an oddly even-tempered insight to the modern day Scarlet Crusade, and has provided enough good will to earn his place at the council. Turalyon has stepped down (and was seemingly asked to step down) from the Army of the Light and serves as the Alliance’s voice at the table. The Forsaken are represented by Grand Apothecary Faranell, Helcular, and Dark Ranger Lenara. There would be many and more, but I feel this should prove sufficient for the scale of the council.
With magic and necessary knowledge, the Capital City was cleansed of the Blight and Lordaeron began to rebuild. Still Forsaken at the time, the Forsaken noticed that they were falling apart. Their people were stuck in a deep depression, as they’d just learned they basically served as fodder for a figure worse than the Lich King. Regent Voss grappled with this, as she’d now been used twice by darker masters against her will. This brought her to recognize that Lordaeron needed to change, and so began the restructuring of the Forsaken. Information censored by the Banshee Queen was made available. Emissaries from the Alliance and from other groups of interest in Lordaeron were allowed in. In time, new voices and new discussions brought the idea to the Forsaken that in truth… they’d been purposefully isolated by Sylvanas. Purposefully made desperate and alone. Sylvanas had forsaken them, not the living. The label and identity quickly became taboo after Regent Voss and many of the surviving Forsaken leaders publicly turned against Sylvanas’ legacy.
So Lordaeron is reforged under a new guiding hand. Regent Lady Lilian Voss still holds the majority of power in the revitalized nation, but she’s made it clear that she does not rule the future of Lordaeron alone.
Tirisfal Superior’s questline sees to it that you understand the status of new Lordaeron. You slay shadowy infiltrators (Forsaken agents) who are trying to destabilize a fragile peace and thwart their plans to sew chaos. You also beat down evangelical thugs (Scarlet aligned preachers that can’t be physically traced back to the Crusade), defuse tensions between Alliance-aligned refugees and Horde-aligned locals by solving their problems, and probably assist Ranger Lady Velonara in hunting some of the monstrosities born of the Blight Cloud.
Hillsbrad
Horde and Alliance questing zone. Alliance Hub: Southshore. Horde Hub(s): Durnholde Keep and Tarren Mill.
The Sludge Fields have become the Forsaken’s seat of power. Though they are very hostile in their activities, they are still technically neutral and still welcomed in the Desolate Council. Their activities in Hillsbrad and beyond may or may not prove to shake their placement at the council. The Forsaken are being pressured at their southern border by Gilneans, and they also are seeing trouble at the Azurlode mine from Worgen fighters. Southshore is being rebuilt primarily by the Alliance, Dun Garok has been retaken and is headed by Brandur Ironhammer, while Durnholde has been converted by the Horde and the undead Lordaeronian forces into a seat of power. They use it to watch the Sludge Fields and the fighting between the Gilneans and the Forsaken.
The Alliance hunt down Jezelle Pruit, a deranged Banshee Loyalist who claimed the undead spirits of Dun Garok’s slain. They’re harried on the way by more shadowy agents (Forsaken) and are assisted by a Scarlet Emissary. The Alliance also assists Southshore resettlement efforts by clearing out the Scourge and other local problems.
The Horde assist the Durnholde program and handle more of the same of what they did in the original questline. You aid the Forsaken in holding onto their territory by fighting Worgen and Stormpikes alike, but are later pulled away by a concerned local leader about getting too friendly with “terrorists”. The Frostwolves get involved in assisting quelling raging elemental spirits that had long inhabited Durnholde Keep.
The Eastweald
Horde and Alliance zone. Hub: Light’s Hope Chapel.
The Argent Crusade and Cenarion Circle have effectively purified the Plaguelands at last, to the point that resettlement has begun. The Eastweald is still plague by countless problems, including a shadowy human cabal, Forsaken terrorism, old Scourge horrors, as well as hints of a greater plot against not only Lordaeron, but Azeroth itself. The Argent Crusade has relinquished much of its control over the land to Lordaeron authority, though many of its members have returned to the Silver Hand and full Lordaeron citizenship. The Argents still call Light’s Hope their seat of power and have rebuilt the Scarlet Enclave into something suiting their needs.
Stratholme is still hotly contested, and both Crusades have returned to struggling over it. The recent Scourge invasion turned it into a hotspot, once again.
The Hearthland
Horde and Alliance zone. Hub: Hearthglen.
The Western Plaguelands have been purified by the Argent Crusade and Cenarion Circle. Renamed the Hearthland for Hearthglen, the region is the primary location of Argent and Scarlet bickering. Caer Darrow is still home to Scholomance, but efforts continue to route the necromancers within. Andorhal was retaken by the Scourge and serve as a place where both Crusades continue efforts to wipe out the Scourge.
Tirisfal Inferior
Horde and Alliance zone. Alliance Hub: The Bastion Enclave. Horde hub: Prestor’s Estate. An abandoned estate once ruled over by Terenas’ vassals, it was left abandoned after Deathwing’s ruse was uncovered. Today, it is held by Deathstalkers who watch the modern Scarlet Crusade’s activities.
The Scarlet Bastion is located here, as the Scarlet Monastery has become the Crusade’s southermost border. Do not be mistaken by their Highlord’s “kindness” as well as the Crusade’s assistance in other regions. They are still violent zealots who wish for nothing else but the eradication of all undead, new Lordaeron included. They will also bring the Light’s vengeance upon the Argent Crusade and cleanse their land of impurity. Alliance adventurers are welcomed yet disdained, while Horde adventurers find hostility at every turn.
The Horde and Alliance both are sent to the Scarlet Bastion to destabilize Scarlet efforts, both groups backed by the Argent Crusade and New Lordaeron authority. It’ll be a new dungeon!
The Arathi Highlands
Alliance zone. Hub: Stromgarde, Reclaimer’s Pointe. Hammerfall was destroyed, but the Horde was allowed to place a memorial to Orgrim Doomhammer in its place.
With Stromgarde fully rebuilt and the Fourth War won, the Alliance has fully pushed the Horde from their land. Now Strom can focus internally. The shadowy human cabal, Dormarch, is doing odd experiments and stranger still operations in the seat of old Arathor. Get to meet the illusive leader of Dormarch in this questline and understand that he’s serving humanity’s “best interests”. An old Trollbane vault is opened and serves as a new dungeon, as well as the source of a new mystery. Apparently Arathor was aware of a lost Titan Facility beneath the land ruled by the Kingdom of Stormwind. This enigmatic threat to life on Azeroth seems tied to that facility, and Dormarch is interested. King Danath Trollbane dismisses these concerns, but Battlemaster Radulf Leder can’t shake his suspicion and sends word to Stormwind. His letter is intercepted twice, by Dormarch and later by the Magna (a Bronzebeard dwarf Criminal organization), but eventually does make it to Stormwind.
The Hinterlands
Horde and Alliance zone. Horde hub: Quel’danil Lodge. Alliance Hub: Aerie Peak.
The Forest Trolls are under new leadership, a Chieftain Dera’ka, so the Hinterlands see less noise. The city of Jintha’alor has been abandoned as many of the Forest Trolls have fled to the Aman’alar Ridge, leaving it up to grabs. Still, the Quel’danil Lodge has aligned itself closer to Quel’thalas rulership and the Wildhammer have been expanding. The Magna and a sin’dorei terror cell both are causing trouble in the region.
Thandol Valley
Alliance zone. Hub: Anvilmar’s Seat, where Thargas Anvilmar watches over the Center Bridge.
This is where the Magna are primarily found. The Thandol Span bridges are expanded greatly in scale, and the land on each side of the bridges are also made larger in scope. The center bridge is the stronghold for the Three Hammers, with the civilian bridge to the left and the mercantile bridge to the right.
The Magna have operations through all three bridges, and the military are trying to crack down on them. They’re also trying to find the center of Magna operations. There’s an important shipment from Dun Garok that needs to reach Ironforge, and the Magna are trying to get their hands on it. A Dark Iron Justicar, a few Bronzebeard Mountaineers, and Stormcaller Mylra do their best to defend it, and later the Magna’s operation center is found. Its a new dungeon! Horde adventurers get the context for this dungeon through the Hinterlands, and are being send on behalf of Turalyon of New Lordaeron as well as Regent Lady Voss in insuring that peace lasts in Lordaeron.
Dormarch hired the Magna to steal the shipment from Dun Garok, and it turns out that it was one of Loken’s archives that the Tyr’s Guard managed to salvage from Tyr’s Tomb. It speaks of Keeper Samsara and the Forge of Rebirth. Whatever that means will come later.
Alterac
Horde and Alliance zone. Hub: Alterac City.
Alterac is surprisingly self contained. The Forsaken during their restructuring sought to bring the living back to Lordaeron, and decided that they needed to commit an act of unquestionable good will to prove their dedication to the living refugees of Lordaeron. So, they looked to Alterac. Left to rot by the Alliance due to their betrayal, it has spent many years being ravaged by crime, warlords, and even Sylvanas Windrunner’s ambitions. The Scourge even laid waste to the land, leaving it in a desolate state. Regent Lady Voss spent many a month scouring Alterac for something to sponsor, before her troops came across a battle between human knights bearing an orange banner and ogres near Alterac City. In sending assistance, Lilian met the descendent of Alterac’s valiant General Hath, his daughter and current leader of the “Son’s of Hath”.
Voss, the Frostwolves, and later the Stormpikes came to this new General Hath’s aid and reclaimed Alterac. It was a step taken, between the Horde and the Alliance, to a lasting peace as well as a step taken to rebuild all the fallen Kingdoms lost to the Burning Legion and the Scourge. With Alterac rebuilding, Lordaeron rebuilding, Gilneas reforged, Dalaran even decides to anchor itself back in Dalaran crater, ending its long exile.
Alterac’s storyline shows solidarity between the Alliance and Horde in peace, the solidarity between humans in peace, as well as General Hath being a badass who beats up ogres, Twilights Hammer, and Syndicate. She’s a big woman with big muscles and a big axe, who can and will beat up your dad.
Eversong Woods
Horde zone. Hub: Silvermoon, Sunstrider Isle.
Silvermoon is fully rebuilt and the High Elves are being welcomed back. A large Argent and Cenarion presence can be felt as Lor’themar finally asked them to help heal the scars left behind by the Scourge. Their presence is primarily centered around the Dead Scar in Eversong. Farstrider Druids are finally a thing. Void Elves are still denied entry, and much of the Blood Elf experience is now focused on cracking down on abusers of dangerous magic.
This is why a slumbering beast finally decided to awaken. Considered dead for many years, the Sunfury have been rumored to have returned. Fed up that modern blood elves have more or less allowed an alien religion and alien forces take control of their future, as well as the fact the sin’dorei have further and further refused power at every turn, members of the Sunfury and Dawnblade have come out of hiding to return Quel’thalas to glory. It’s rumored that Pathaleon the Calculator somehow managed to survive his defeat all those years ago, but nothing can be confirmed other than the presence of Blood Magic and corrupted red crystals in the hands of this modern Sunfury movement.
The Blackened Woods
Horde zone. Hub: Tranquillien.
Many sin’dorei have bad memories of what this place looked like during the Second War, and it seems the Argents have taken to returning it to that look. Through use of cleasning fire, the Argent and Cenarion healers have taken to burning down the rotten and dead forests that once made up the Ghostlands. Not all of this place is set ablaze, as the Argents and Cenarions are moving at a careful pace, but the blazing sections of forestland are an inspired sight.
Sunfury operatives do their best to sabotage what they consider is foreign interests overpowering those of Quel’thalas’, and half of the Amani Civil Conflict can be found within Zul’Aman itself. New Lordaeron aids their comrades in the Sin’dorei, and this zone represents their solidarity.
Aman'alar Ridge
Horde and Alliance zone. Alliance hub: Gavan’s Perch. Horde Hub: Aman’ashar.
With no chieftain in charge of them, the remnants of the Amani Empire turned to infighting. Many Warlords and self-named Chieftains of the Amani battled each other, went to war against the elves, and other foolish things. Only one, Chieftain Dera’ka, chose peace. She chose to rebuild. She sent word to other broken and fallen Forest Troll tribes and offered sanctuary among Aman’ashar, among her Ashari. Wisely, she didn’t claim Zul’Aman. Could she? Possibly. Potentially. Probably. But she doesn’t wish to threaten the elves, nor does she wish to threaten her own. But still, Dera’ka’s rise to power threatened “true Amani”. Those who still wished to march against the elves could not stomach peace, and in this, they rallied behind their own Chieftain. Zul’jin’s memory will not be sullied by someone with a weak will, so Chieftain Yul’kan has claimed Zul’Aman against Dera’ka.
The Sin’dorei are reasonably concerned about the Amani’s activities. Dera’ka may dislike them, but she isn’t going to war against them. If Yul’kan beats her, Yul’kan will have successfully united most of the Forest Trolls unlike anyone since Zul’jin himself managed to.
Lordaeron doesn’t need a new Troll War, so the Alliance have deployed Wildhammer and Stromic forces to hold the line alongside the Sin’dorei. Where the elves try diplomacy, Trollbane’s men get up to some good ol’ fashioned Amani slaying.
Some extras:
Dormarch
Created shortly after the Third War by Jesse Chruiteir, Dormarch is based off of an ancient and obscure human folk-tale. An Invisible Army ruled by a Forgotten King, a force dedicated to humanity’s wellbeing was formed and battled tirelessly against the shadows. The King, name long omitted, had a mystical hound that guarded the gateway to his domain. It was both the keeper of his most prized secrets, as well as the hidden guardian of all mankind against the King’s foes. The hound’s name was Dormarch, thus, Jesse named his hidden organization after the King’s hound.
Jesse, now best known under his alias of the ‘Furtive Pilgrim’, first set forth due to his experiences during the Second War. As an undercover infiltrator, Jesse witnessed many of the Horde’s atrocities first hand. With his knowledge and expertise, he amassed a fortune through many legal and illegal methods. In time, he grew a base of support and sponsors, and the Third War only increased the need for a protector of mankind. Dormarch had its recruits, it had its funding.
And so it began its efforts. Dormarch would be instrumental for saving countless refugees from the vile Forsaken, insane Scarlet Crusade, and the ever-malevolent Scourge. It supposedly highly funded the rebuilding of Stromgarde and Alterac, helped Kul Tiras dispose of many Void corrupted officials, and is rumored to be part of the reason Gilneas was so vulnerable during the Cataclysm. It hates anything that corrupts human integrity, apparently.
Dormarch operates to make sure that humanity survives, at all costs. It is highly unpopular to many who are aware of it, humans included. The SI:7’s official stance is that they’re no better than terrorists. Dormarch would simply tell the SI:7 that it lacks vision.
The Furtive Pilgrim has vested interests in current events and is aware of the Forge of Rebirth.
The Forge of Rebirth/The Cyclical Forge
After a long chain of events I won’t really detail too hard, adventurers are able to uncover an eons long organized effort to study and eventually destroy all sentient life on Azeroth. It turns out that there are multiple Titan Facilities and an entire Titan Forge that were lost to the Sundering. Notes from Loken were found detailing his attempts to find the Forge of Rebirth and an enigmatic Keeper named Samsara. A relic within an ancient Trollbane vault depicts the cycle of life and death with Titanic symbols and runes. Certain events are able to be put together, throughout all of Azerothian history, to tell that something has been organizing things a specific way.
It all leads back to the Forge of Rebirth. Crafted by the Keepers to provide a location where souls could be housed and their bodies reconstituted, it was meant as a failsafe in case a Titan Keeper was slain. It was later modified to be able to reforge the Titans themselves, or at least help build a Titanic form. There were many keepers that oversaw this Forge, but only Samsara remained after the Sundering. Samsara has used it as the nerve center of their grand plan, and now plans to use it to slaughter all sentient life on Azeroth and reconstitute their life-force to begin a new age of mortals.
Keeper Samsara
Keeper Samsara is an interesting Titan Keeper, for they were created after the Ordering of Azeroth. Samsara was a Keeper created by Keepers, and likely was forged with the essence of Azeroth instead of the essence of the other Titans. This Keeper was afforded a position not unlike Prime Designate Odyn or Highkeeper Ra and was greatly respected by the other Keepers and Titanforged despite their age.
Samsara was tasked in ensuring the survival of all life on Azeroth. A hefty burden for something so young, Samsara did their best to protect the Forge of Rebirth. Many Titanforged Generals lost during the Ordering of Azeroth were reforged. But when the Titans fell and their memories washed over the other Keepers, Samsara did not understand why they fell into a deep malaise. Samsara had witnessed Odyn relinquish his Prime Designate status for foolish reasons, Samsara had witnessed Ra fall into a depression and give up in his only duty, and they even further witnessed the Keepers forget their duties. Loken was the only Keeper that Samsara spoke to in these times, as Loken was curious about the Forge of Rebirth. A wise soul and a good friend, Loken’s betrayal deeply impacted Samsara.
The Keeper decided to watch the descendents of the other Titan Keepers, worried that the Makers had inadvertently left their directive in the wrong hands. Over many years, Samsara tested mortals time and time again. And ultimately, they are disappointed. They’ve built an impressive following over the ages, reforged and created their own Titanic Generals, and have managed to give the Forge of Rebirth the ability to start a new cycle of mortals.
Mortals cannot escape the call to ruin, no matter how hard they try. It is built into their DNA, as the Old Gods have damned them from their very births. So they shall try again, and see if the mortals of the future can manage it. They are immortal, so they are patient and willing to see. (The Forge of Origination is seen as a last resort by Samsara. They won’t wipe out all life, for they cannot say if Azeroth could survive it.)
Sint is insane. Don’t mind Sint.