Crown Shattered, Realm Opened
If you haven’t indulged in World of Warcraft in a while, it’s not unlikely that you’ve forgotten where you last left off. For that, here’s a refresher: by the end of Battle for Azeroth, Sylvanas destroyed the Lich King’s crown, as she believed that it would free their world from all the chaos that engulfed it. What happened was the exact opposite: a hole opened in the roof of the world.
This portal led to Shadowlands, which is considered their nether realms. To make sure that the dead did not threaten the living, and to make sure that they achieved dominance by harnessing the untold powers this land holds, both the Alliance and the Horde ventured forth into the unknown.
Land of the Dead, Divided
What sets Shadowlands apart from other expansions is that its zones are divided into four Shadowlands-exclusive factions. All of them wish to rule the World of Warcraft Shadowlands, but each of them has a different plan for the land. And despite their appearances and creeds, none of them are any more noble or corrupt than the others.
You ultimately use the lore and your own moral compass to decide which faction to support. But more likely than not, the deciding factor for most players–and more likely than not, including you–will be the unique abilities that a particular faction can give.
The factions are as follows:
- Kyrian – guardians whose duty is to bring souls to their rightful place in the Shadowlands. Their domain is Bastion, a citadel for those who lived a life of service back in Azeroth.
- Necrolord– these dead warriors fight never-ending battles in all sorts of dimensions. Residing in Maldraxxus, a cruel land that is the birthplace of necromancy.
- Night Fae – guardians of nature, they ensure that Azeroth’s flora and fauna are born and reborn. They inhabit Ardenweald, an expansive forest where the cycle of life and death of both worlds’ natural domain takes place. Its trees are magical, as they absorb and give out soul essence to nature spirits that are meant to be reborn.
- Venthyr – comparable to wardens, they punish the souls of sinners in Revendreth, a gothic village-like purgatory where they either atone for their transgressions or plunge themselves deeper in them. Either way, the Venthyr gather anima from them.
The process of gaining these factions’ favor is called a Covenant. After being in one, you’ll be able to take on missions that will eventually grant you not only the unique skills and WoW Classic gold, but also mounts and other content that are worth your time and effort.
The Living Can Wait
Despite this unique inclusion, not a lot of fans are pleased with World of Warcraft Shadowlands. The players that were given the chance to test the expansion said that it has a few balancing and technical issues. However, Blizzard didn’t give any specifics to these complaints. Instead, they opted to just delay the release date from October 27, which is only a few weeks from now, to sometime later this year. It’s frustrating on the part of the players itching for new content, but this is the right move.
Will Shadowlands be the expansion that brings World of Warcraft back to prominence, or will it be another filler expansion that just keeps the game going. Time and the player base will tell.