World of Warcraft: Shadowlands and Classic, all the news from BlizzConline

World of Warcraft

Obviously, this year's anomalous BlizzCon online didn't put too much meat on the Blizzard MMORPG. The Shadowlands expansion was released only a few months ago, so we are moving to the first important update at a brisk pace, while as regards the Classic, that is the "vanilla" version included in the monthly subscription that allows you to relive the first, nostalgic years of game, Blizzard has decided to take a step forward and relaunch the historic expansion The Burning Crusade. After hinting at the contents in the opening ceremony, the show dedicated a channel of its own to World of Warcraft - let's see what we found out.

Shadowlands: Chains of Domination

Shadowlands has temporarily concluded with a nice cliffhanger: we saved all the prisoners of Torgast except one, Anduin Wrynn, still in the clutches of the monstrous Jailer who wants to turn him into a weapon. In the cinematics with which Blizzard introduced Chains of Domination, World of Warcraft Update 9.1, we found out what it meant: Anduin, possessed and transformed into a kind of Lich King, assassinated the Archon and brought one of the keys to the Jailer it needs to break free. The cinematic closes with the Outcast, Anduin, and an increasingly enigmatic Sylvanas admiring their next target: Korthia, an ancient city where Primi have kept their secrets and which the Jailer has dragged into the Underworld. This will be the new zone that update 9.1 will implement in the game, a bit like it happened in the past with Nazjatar or Argus: a map full of daily missions, new enemies, rare monsters, secrets and other content for players of the maximum level .

Korthia, the city of secrets. To get to Korthia we will have to go through the Maw, and Blizzard took the opportunity to expand not only the territory, but also the contents which, let's face it, proved to be rather repetitive from the beginning. The expansion of the Maw is intertwined with the new storyline, which will see us unite the Covenants into a single military force to wage war on the Jailer. According to Jeremy Feasel, the producer of Shadowlands, the new missions will serve to close the subplots left in suspense and to weave the distinct campaigns of the Covenants, allowing players who are part of a certain Coven, and who have not raised secondary characters in the others , to discover all the background.

It seems that the ability to fly in the Shadowlands is linked precisely to the new campaign, rather than to the levels of Fame or reputation, but Feasel was very clear: in the Maw you cannot fly, and we will have to settle for few terrestrial mounts able to travel it, among which a new ghostly steed stands out. The Maw should then turn into an even more active map, full of Coven-related events: at some point, for example, the Necroslords might decide to attack the Jailer's forces with their flying Necropolises, and we can decide whether to join or less to the clash.

The Sanctum of the Dominion. The next step in recapturing the Maw will be invading the Sanctum of the Dominion, the new incursion coming with Update 9.2. There will be ten bosses and they will include old and new faces: we will personally meet with the Trucidasque who was breathless in Torgast, we will find out what the Eye of the Jailer really is, we will face good old Kel 'again. thuzad and, above all, we will challenge in a final duel no less than Sylvanas Windrunner himself. Very little has been seen of this foray, but Feasel has promised that she will be compelling and even better designed than the excellent Nathria Castle already live. We are sorry to ascertain, however, that the long-awaited class armor will not make their debut with this content: it will be discussed at least in 9.2 and in the meantime we will have to settle for the look already seen by manufacturing the legendary items in Torgast. Speaking of the latter, new wings full of traps and new enemies are on the way, as well as many new powers of the Animum to experience in the game's first "roguelite" expedition.

Tavaresh, the hidden bazaar. Those looking for a new look will necessarily have to turn their gaze to the Congregas. With the new levels of Renown, new rewards will be unlocked, including various sets for Transmogrification, specific flying mounts and more. Smaller groups of players will be able to take on a new mega-expedition called Tavaresh, the Hidden Bazaar. For the uninitiated, mega-expeditions are Mythic level expeditions that are longer and more complex than normal: we remember Mechagon, in the Battle for Azeroth expansion. In this case we will have to face a faction of rebel Alienators and some of the most bizarre bosses in the game, including an infinity dragon in a pirate hat (sic!). Feasel promises that the second part of the expedition will be spectacular and very original, as we will have to chase the final boss through a series of portals that will lead us to the most disparate places.

The new cosmetic armor of the Coven. Finally, Feasel spoke of upcoming changes to the systems of the Congregations, especially that of Constraints and Conducts. The team intends to develop these mechanics without upsetting them: for example, there will be no new Constraints, but each existing Constraint will acquire at least one new row of unpublished skills. There will also be new Conduits to unlock, but at the moment everything is in the planning stage and Blizzard hopes to work on player feedback once 9.1 is playable on the test realms. The same goes for the second season of PvP, which will reset the Honor system and bring several changes and balances to the classes. This means that there are probably several months left before the release of Dominion Chains, and indeed the BlizzConline presentation did not show anything significant in terms of gameplay.

Classic: The Burning Crusade

If you're an old World of Warcraft fan, The Burning Crusade shouldn't need any introduction: it's the game's first memorable expansion, released thirteen years ago, which launched the motto "You are not prepared!" long before Blizzard translated it into Italian. Considered by the most nostalgic to be the golden age of the Blizzard MMORPG, the Classic version - included in the price of the monthly subscription to World of Warcraft ... or vice versa, you do - allows you to replay the first years as if they were never there were the first expansions. The addition of The Burning Crusade will change this approach, and as Blizzard knows that not all players could appreciate this choice, they will make it their own choice whether to continue the adventure beyond the original level cap in Outland. or whether to stay in their nostalgic corner of paradise at level 50.

Illidan, Kael'thas and Lady Vashj in The Burning Crusade Classic. Alternatively, you can create a snapshot copy of your character to continue playing him separately on both Classic and The Burning Crusade Classic servers. This decision was also made for another reason: the version of the expansion that Blizzard intends to launch on the Classic is not exactly the initial one. For starters, the game will run on new code like Classic does, precisely because the original one is too old. In addition, The Burning Crusade Classic will enjoy some small improvements to the quality of life, compared to the original launch, which were made towards the end of its life cycle, while in some other cases the team will retrace its steps: the bosses of the raids, for example, they will be repurposed in their original versions before nerfs. The Burning Crusade Classic will therefore exist in a version that does not reflect the original 100%, but to know if the community will appreciate this solution we will have to wait at least for the beta, which should start in a few weeks since the expansion of the Classic will be released in the course of the year.

The Burning Crusade Classic.