World of Warcraft is moving forward with a big update, slated to launch in the near future. World of Warcraft's latest expansion, Shadowlands, takes players into the afterlife, where the spirits of the dead coalesce and are judged. The cycle of death and rebirth has been shattered by the Banshee Queen Sylvanas Windrunner, and her grim ally, the Jailer.
So far, players have been raiding the gothic Castle Nathria dungeon and digging through Mythic+ difficulty tiers, but the content is starting to get a bit stale. Typically, raids last a few weeks before Blizzard reveals the next big patch tier, and at Blizzcon 2021, the company revealed what's coming next.
The next big content tier is called Chains of Domination, and furthers the story in unexpected ways. Spoilers are ahead.
- The Maw continues to grow in power, with the powers of the Shadowlands debating over the next move.
- Anduin has become enslaved by The Jailer, although it appears Sylvanas is having doubts.
- Korthia is a new section of The Maw endgame zone set in a lost city. Players will learn about the "First Ones," and unlock new cosmetic rewards.
- The new raid is called the Sanctum of Domination, and will feature Tarragrue, Kel'Thuzad, and Sylvanas.
- A new eight boss megadungeon called Tazavesh is coming, set in a Broker trader city. It also has a pirate dragon. For reasons.
- Torghast gets a new wing, in addition to new enemies, powers, and designs.
- Flying is coming, unlocked via Covenant activities rather than rep. Each Covenant gets a unique mount.
- Shadowlands Season 2 will come with new Mythic+ difficulty affixes, honor talent refreshes, and new PvP rewards.
Blizzard has more details over on its official forum.
World of Warcraft remains one of the world's most popular MMO games, despite entering its 16th year. The game goes through phases of popularity and decline, but the pandemic coupled with WoW: Classic has buoyed it in recent months. It remains to be seen whether Shadowlands will wind up regarded as one of the game's better expansions, but these additions will refresh the content for those still on board.
World of Warcraft goes to the afterlife
World of Warcraft is in its 16th year, with an expansion set in the shadowy afterworld of the Shadowlands.
