by After many months of waiting, here is finally the eighth expansion of the game which will arrive this Tuesday, November 24 (at midnight): Shadowlands. And there are new things! And others that will change! How about we do a little update together on what awaits us?
The areas
These are five new areas that await us in the Shadowlands. The first of them, the Den, will serve as an introduction. We can then visit Oribos, the new capital. We will then have the opportunity to progress in the four other zones, each connected to a congregation:
- Level 53: Stronghold, Kyrian area
- Level 55: Maldraxxus, Necrolord area
- Level 58: Ardenweald, Night Fae Zone
- Level 60: Revendreth, Venthyr area
The Congregations
Four in number, these are the ruling factions of the Shadowlands. Each of them offers unique bonuses, including armor sets as well as special abilities.
During the adventure, it will be necessary to choose a congregation to fight for. This choice is not final, it will be possible to change later.
Before that, during the leveling up, narrative arcs dedicated to each covenant will allow, among other things, to benefit from these capacities during this time, thus giving a useful overview to decide later.
Once the Congregation has been joined, a series of quests can be started, giving you access to new skills, but also to the Sanctum, which you can improve to unlock new content.
Torment, the Tower of the Damned
The Congregation quest suite is imperative to be able to unlock the Tower of the Damned, accessible at level 60. This is a game mode with increasing difficulty, intended for 2 to 5 players.
The goal is to climb the floors of the tower, the difficulty of which increases as you go. The specificity of the Tower is that its content changes each time.
There is no loot to obtain directly inside, but it is possible to obtain Anima, the main resource of the extension. The Tower is also the only place where legendary items can be crafted.
Note that not all floors of the Tower will be open immediately, but this Wednesday 25 the first three floors will be accessible. Stages 4-6 will be crafted on December 9, while Stages 7-8 can be explored on the 16th. floor 6 for this.
Dungeons and Raids
8 in number, 4 dungeons will be unlocked during level up and 4 others will arrive at level 60.
- In Normal mode, the equipment obtained will have an ilvl 158
- In Heroic difficulty, an ilvl 171
- Finally, in Mythic mode, an ilvl 174.
The expansion’s first raid, Castle Nathria, will open its doors on December 8 in Normal and Heroic difficulty. Mythic mode will be available a week later, on the 15th. The first wing will be available on LFR on the same day, with subsequent wings being available on January 5th, February 19th and February 2nd.
The Den
After getting a glimpse of it in the introduction, it will be possible to return to the Maw to perform various tasks, including daily and weekly quests.
But be careful, because the Jailer is keeping watch. The more time you spend in the Maw, the more attention you will attract. Much like the Corruption in BFA, five threat tiers will be applied, bringing various negative effects. It will be, for example, enemies who will chase you, or even bombardments which will destroy your area, even for the last level, increasing damage which will increase exponentially as well as an increasingly reduced speed.
However, the risk is worth it, as this area allows you to improve your covenant’s Sanctum.
