WoW Shadowlands 9.1 was finally revealed yesterday at BlizzConline along with a ton of exciting new information about the future of the expansion. Many the previous World of Warcraft expansions started to fizzle out by the time they received their first major content patches, with Battle for Azeroth being a prime example. Luckily, things are looking very different this time around as Shadowlands is turning out better than a lot of people may have expected.
Just in case you missed yesterday’s announcements, or want a condensed version of what was discussed at BlizzConline 2021, here’s what’s coming in World of Warcraft Shadowlands 9.1 – Chains of Domination:
New Story Missions
Blizzard wrapped up the initial Covenant campaigns a few weeks back, leaving us with more questions than answers in regards to the overarching story. Luckily for us, some of the story-related questions will be answered in patch 9.1 when players will finally get to take the fight to the Jailer. Or at the very least start chipping away at the villain’s power.
We don’t have a lot of new info regarding the upcoming story missions, but we do know it will involve uniting all the Covenants. Which hasn’t happened in many years according to the current lore. The Maw is said to play a much bigger role than before in the upcoming patch, so presumably, the four Covenants are planning to build a united front and assault the Jailer’s domain.
WoW Shadowlands 9.1 will also continue the stories of several previously established fan-favorite characters. These include Anduin Wrynn, Sylvanas Windrunner, Kel’Thuzad, and possibly Uther the Lightbringer, among others. The new Chains of Domination trailer introduced us to the new Lich King and it’s… (*drum roll*) none other than Anduin.
Needless to say, there are many parallels between Anduin and Arthas in the trailer, which seems very much intentional as Blizzard uses visual imagery we’ve seen before when Arthas murdered his father. The music is also quite reminiscent of that scene.
But arguably the most interesting part of the trailer is the appearance of Uther, who seems to be having some serious flashbacks upon seeing Anduin. Hopefully, we’ll get to see more of him in patch 9.1. Arthas is also expected to return in Shadowlands, but we don’t know if he’ll make an appearance in patch 9.1. Fingers crossed.
New Raid – Sanctum of Domination
World of Warcraft Shadowlands 9.1 brings with it a new raid called Sanctum of Domination. The raid will be very much relevant to some of the story points discussed earlier as will feature none other than Sylvanas as its end boss. We all knew that we would have to confront Sylvanas at some point, but I was personally expecting that confrontation towards the end of the expansion. Then again, just because we’re going to fight Sylvanas that doesn’t necessarily mean get to kill her, too.
Sanctum of Domination will feature a total of 10 bosses, only 5 of which have been revealed so far. In addition to Sylvanas, expect to go up against Kel’Thuzad, the Tarragrue from Torghast, the Eye of the Jailer, and the Fate of the Damned. That last one sounds more like an encounter where you fight multiple bosses, but that’s just speculation. We don’t really know much else about the new Shadowlands raid at this point. However, we can speculate that the raid will take place in Torghast judging by the piece of concept art.
Broker Megadungeon
World of Warcraft is getting a new megadungeon with Shadowlands patch 9.1. The dungeon will have 8 bosses and will only be playable in Mythic difficulty. If you’re familiar with Return to Karazhan from Legion you should have a pretty good idea of what to expect. Of course, the theme of this one will be quite different.
The dungeon goes by the name Tazavesh: The Veiled Market and will revolve around the mysterious Brokers. The Brokers are a new faction introduced in Shadowlands that has taken up residence in Oribos. Though you can find some of its representatives in other areas of the Shadowlands, including The Maw.
“Set in a bazaar of the mysterious brokers, you’ll face off against dastardly assassins, four-armed broker guards, an infinite pirate dragon, and other enemies as you chase down a wayward broker before she can unleash the might of a stolen artifact to realize her own designs,” reads the description on Battle.net.
New Zone – Korthia
Korhia, City of Secrets is a new zone coming in Shadowlands 9.1. While technically part of The Maw, Korthia is a detached landmass that will feature unique creatures, quests, rewards, treasures, and more. Korthia is said to be of interest to the Jailer as the zone contains secrets related to the First Ones. This enigmatic group of entities was only recently established in World of Warcraft lore and we don’t really know much about them. For now at least. We’ll no doubt get to learn more in Chains of Domination.
Flying in Shadowlands
We already suspected this was coming but it’s nice to have official confirmation. Shadowlands patch 9.1 will unlock flying in all zones except The Maw. Similar to previous expansions, you’ll need to complete certain activities in order to unlock flying in Shadowlands. Luckily, it seems like there’s no need to grind any reputations this time around. Simply complete Covenant activities and story missions related to the campaigns and you’ll be soaring above the Shadowlands in no time.
New Shadowlands Mounts
Patch 9.1 will add a variety of new mounts in World of Warcraft, some more exciting than others. First off, expect Covenant-specific flying mounts, three for each of the four Covenants. Then, there will be two new mounts that can be acquired from Korthia. One of them is a fairly boring spectral horse but the other is a severed hand mount that looks absolutely amazing.
Next up, we have new variations of Gladiator and Mythic keystone seasonal mounts along with two Vicious Gorm mounts. One for each of the factions. Finally, the highly anticipated Wandering Ancient mount is also expected to make its way to World of Warcraft in patch 9.1. The mount will change colors to match the season and will be free to all WoW players who own Shadowlands.
Aside from all of that, there are a couple of other mounts that have only been hinted at so far. Including one that drops from Tazavesh, The Veiled Market. And since we’re on the subject, it’s worth noting that all mounts will be usable in The Maw starting with patch 9.1. A piece of news that’s no doubt disappointing for those who spent countless hours completing Twisting Corridors. But great news for everyone else!
Miscellaneous
Here’s a quick summary of some other changes coming with Shadowlands 9.1:
- PVP Season 2
- Mythic+ affix
- New Covenant Cosmetic armor sets
- Additional Torghast floors
- New Torghast anima powers
- New Conduits
- Soulbind system overhaul
Shadowlands 9.1 Release Date
While there’s no confirmed Shadowlands 9.1 release date just yet, I think we can make a couple of educated guesses. First off, players will be able to reach Renown level 40 in the week of March 9th, so the release date of patch 9.1 won’t be until March 15th at the earliest. Judging by WoW’s previous patch timeline, though, that would be much too soon for an x.1 patch launch. We suspect the patch 9.1 release date to be set sometime around late May-early June. Perhaps even a bit later.
However, March 15 does seem like a realistic release date for Shadowlands patch 9.0.5. The patch was announced earlier this month and is already on the PTR if you want to check it out. While it won’t bring nearly as much content as Chains of Domination, patch 9.0.5 will introduce quite a few important changes. Visit this page on Battle.net if you want to read the preliminary 9.0.5 patch notes.
- 10 Great Horror Games to Play This Halloween - October 20, 2021
- New World Leveling Guide for Beginners – How to Get to Level 60 Fast - October 18, 2021
- 15 Hybrid Games That Successfully Combined Multiple Genres - October 15, 2021
Your way of telling all in this piece of writing is genuinely
good, all can effortlessly understand it, Thanks a lot.