After a little bit of teasing, the World of Warcraft team has unveiled the next update to the Shadowlands expansion in Eternity’s End, update 9.2. This will mark the “end” of Shadowlands, as its final major content update to bring the story to its epic conclusion. The developer preview video has also been released, which you can watch below:
In summary, you can look forward to experiencing the following:
- New Zone: Zereth Mortis: Explore the home reality of the First Ones, the mysterious architects responsible for all of the Shadowlands’ afterlives.
- New Raid: Sepulcher of the First Ones: Players will do battle with the Jailer’s most powerful allies before getting the chance to face him in a truly epic encounter.
- Class Tier Sets: Each class will have a unique armor set inspired by the Progenitors, available through Raids, Dungeons, and PvP.
- New Quest Hub: Haven: Players will work with the denizens of Zereth Mortis to aid them as they face the Jailer’s invading forces.
- Tazavesh Updates: As with previous mythic-only mega-dungeons, Tazavesh will be split into two smaller dungeons, with each available on heroic and Mythic+ difficulties.
- And much more!
The update sees the culmination of stories from Warcraft 3, with Eternity’s End dubbed the final chapter of “one book” in the entire saga. Coming into the update, the Jailer has acquired the Sigils of the Covenant leaders, and has taken a Dominated Anduin with him to somewhere. Sylvanas has been captured, after realizing her part in being a pawn of the Jailer and refusing to serve him anymore. The Primus has gotten us to retrieve new Sigils, and now, we pursue the Jailer to Zereth Mortis. We were given an opportunity by Blizzard to sneak a peek at the update, which you can read on below.
ZERETH MORTIS
This alien place greets you with pure white, as you walk on water and finding various shapes, devices and consoles hanging in the space before you. Beyond the gate is Zereth Mortis, where the First Ones created the afterlives. It’s the “behind-the-scenes” of all the zones you’ve seen before, being the progenitor’s workshop. The First Ones have created everything in Azeroth, the Shadowlands and realms known and unknown, their methods and intentions remaining mysterious.
Find floating trees and stones, and the Forge of Afterlives in which a new afterlife will be created and sent to the Shadowlands. The water is meant to represent the catalyst of creation. Being able to walk on the surface separates you and the primordial space right beneath your feet. The duality of Zereth Mortis is as such where a more barren landscape shows you how the world looked like when the First Ones initially arrived, while the lush biomes are a result of their experimentation of life once they were established.
CREATURES
The creatures here are fundamentally prototypes, and don’t look completely organic. In the First Ones’ absence, the Automa remain. These mechanical beings are essentially the caretakers, each having their own role as builders, protectors or casters. Alongside them are the Jiro, the more “quirky” beings that seem to have more sentience than the regular Automa. The Jiro are even capable of pursuing their own desires.
In our pursuit of the Jailer, the Devourers have also followed. As their name suggests, they are hungry, feasting on energy that are making them mutate and fall apart. You’ll find some of the Automa trying to fight them off, and you’ll have to help them chase out these threats.
THE ENLIGHTENED
Unlike the Brokers you’ve seen before, the ones in Zereth Mortis are those who have made this world their home a long time ago. This is a holy sacred place to them, and you’ll be able to mingle with more in the hub area of Haven. The Enlightened have built it out of the progenitor ruins, intending to protect and preserve the work of the First Ones.
Of course, with the Jailer here, they want your help. They want to continue their pursuit of knowledge.
CYPHER OF THE FIRST ONES
You won’t be able to converse with the Automa when you first arrive. You’ll need to learn their runic language with the help of a Construct and new Broker friend to eventually understand the symbols through the Cypher. Uncover the different parts of the alphabet and discover more about Zereth Mortis, and of course, the progenitors themselves.
The language isn’t simply lore flavour. New content can open up to you, offering new daily quests, vendor options, places to explore and side quests. This is your “gateway” into Zereth Mortis, brought together by the entire development team to share with you this musical language. The symbols will gradually become recognizable words as you continue.
SEPULCHER OF THE FIRST ONES
The Jailer’s true goal lies here: a place of power that can help him rewrite the rules of the universe. The latest raid for Eternity’s End promises mind-blowing visuals, with things that break the laws of physics as we know on Azeroth. Gaze upon this “impossible sky” and witness the ancient work of the First Ones.
Expect to face off the retinue of the Jailer’s forces with a Dreadlord or two with whom you’ll need to settle the score. A Consular is one of the bosses you can find, an Eidolon that has been infused with Domination magic. However, before you reach the Jailer himself, there’s the Anduin problem. Free him, and perhaps find a way to resist or fight Domination magic.
PROGENITOR TIER SET
The tier sets return, featuring a mix of the Progenitor’s magic and designs in golds and metals, combined with the recognizable silhouettes of the various classes. The developers call this the perfect point for the sets’ return; in the final act of the Shadowlands saga, at the brink of Eternity’s End, what better place would there be for you to fully unleash the power of your class?
IN CLOSING
There’s plenty to look forward to besides all that:
- New mounts, pets
- Updates to professions, conduits
- New dancing mini game in Darkmoon Faire
- Season 3 of Mythic+ where Tazavesh is split into two
Eternity’s End promises something for everyone, no matter if you’re a keystone collector, achievement hunter, raider, and what else. The team is already hard at work for the stories yet to come, but first, we need to close out this chapter.
Do check out our Q&A session here with Steve Danuser, Lead Narrative Designer, and Morgan Day, Lead Game Designer, for even more juicy details.
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