"The Maw" in WoW: Shadowlands will be the most dangerous endgame zone

The Maw will be an endgame area in WoW: Shadowlands. However, it is supposed to be much more dangerous than any other zone in the game.

A lot was revealed about World of Warcraft Shadowlands at BlizzCon 2019. Although not much is known about the individual areas yet, the developers have already talked about The Maw. This is the endgame zone (Level 60) that players will have to venture into. And it is supposed to be very different from other areas at level 60.

What is The Maw? From a story perspective, The Maw is the darkest area of the Shadowlands. When souls are brought before the Arbiter and deemed so evil that there is no chance for redemption, they are banished to The Maw. In recent years, however, not only evil souls have been sent to The Maw, but all souls that came to the Shadowlands. More about this can be found in our story article about the Shadowlands.

No safe havens in The Maw: The first peculiarity is that there will likely be hardly any allied NPCs in The Maw. The developers explained that this is not the typical endgame zone where you could bind your hearthstone and buy food and drinks from the innkeeper – that will not exist there. Instead, the area is meant to present a constant danger that grows over time. Not only strong enemies are the problem, but also the environment itself and mechanics that are only active in The Maw.

Players have limited time in The Maw: Although there will not be a direct time limit in The Maw, staying there for long periods is not advisable. For in The Maw, there are new mechanics related to the mysterious Jailer. The longer you stay in The Maw and the more actions you take (including defeating an elite opponent, rescuing souls, but also dying), the more likely the following message will appear:

“The Jailer has noticed you.” (“Der Kerkermeister hat Euch bemerkt.”)

At first, this has little impact, but gradually the Jailer will send stronger enemies after you, specifically targeting you to hunt and eliminate. It may also be the case that certain enemies – such as the Shadow Dogs – have a larger aggro radius for the player. Sooner or later, these enemies will become too powerful and overwhelm the character. Then, continuing to play in The Maw becomes nearly impossible, and one should rather retreat.

The basic idea in The Maw is: “Enter with a plan, accomplish your task, and then leave quickly.”

How restrictive these things are that the Jailer sends after the players remains to be seen.

The player is an anomaly: From a story perspective, the player character is indeed an anomaly. For the rule generally is that nothing that enters The Maw ever leaves. However, players will likely gain the ability to leave The Maw during the story, becoming “Maw Walkers.”

This opens up many new possibilities that the covenants, to which players will pledge themselves, want to take advantage of.

It should even be possible to free some souls that have been wrongly sent to The Maw. Since all characters that died in Battle for Azeroth are now in The Maw, there will definitely be reunions with some characters who lost their lives during the war.

The Tower is in The Maw: The Maw is also the location of “Torghast, Tower of the Damned.” This is one of the two major endgame features, along with the covenants. More about Torghast and the players’ tasks there will be available soon. For now, it is important to know: anyone who wants to go to Torghast must traverse The Maw and expose themselves to its dangers for at least a while.