World of Warcraft Shadowlands brings a good feeling of finally discovering something completely fresh – because Blizzard managed to create new things without pressure.
I, Cortyn from MeinMMO, have spent a lot of time in the Alpha of Shadowlands in recent weeks and months. Since my heart beats primarily for the story of World of Warcraft, I am always looking for small details and rejoice when there are new races, new lore, and fresh background knowledge. That is exactly what awaits in Shadowlands in abundance.
In Battle for Azeroth, there were new areas with new content, but the underlying story was largely known. It was already clear what the Zandalari Empire was or how the Kul Tirans lived. While many small knowledge gaps were closed, it wasn’t something “completely new”. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it did lead to a lack of particularly large surprises.
In Shadowlands, that’s different. At first glance, there is little that is familiar. The big picture is the unknown, and there are only a few details that seem familiar – exactly the opposite of what we have experienced in the last expansions.
Shadowlands brings back the feeling of discovery
While leveling and playing the Shadowlands areas, I feel reminded of my best times in Vanilla WoW. The entire game world is new and still unknown. There are no major constants that clearly dictate how the story in an area should unfold. Back then, that was the case because I didn’t know all the details about Warcraft. I didn’t know exactly how the centaur tribes in Desolace operate and had no idea about the apothecaries of the Forsaken and their machinations.
Today, in Shadowlands, the “unknown” is back, even though I know pretty much most of the details about Warcraft. Still, I have no idea what these strange tree beings are or what purpose the fairies serve before entering Ardenweald.
I don’t know exactly what role the angelic Kyrians play and whether they are really as good and holy as they seem at first glance. It puzzles me why everyone in Revendreth carries strange gravestones on their backs. It’s new; I have to discover it to understand. I am not looking forward to the outcome of the story as such, but I first have to grasp the underlying concept of a new civilization again.
I feel like I am 15 years younger, experiencing World of Warcraft for the first time again.
Sure – there are always small parallels. Especially in Maldraxxus, much is reminiscent of the Scourge, and there we also meet many well-known heroes from the past. But it quickly becomes clear that the Scourge in Azeroth was just a small detail of a much larger construct that we are now experiencing in its entirety.
Of course, in the end, this only affects the story experience during leveling. It does not provide insight into how good the repetitive content like dungeons, raids, or Torghast will ultimately be. But at least the leveling experience offers a fresh game world that not only impresses visually but can also delight many lore veterans with fresh ideas.
Shadowlands is endlessly expandable
The great thing about the Shadowlands setting is also that it is endlessly expandable – even beyond the Shadowlands expansion. Because the Shadowlands consist of countless realms and not just the five we get to know at the launch of the expansion.
Future patches could therefore add even more realms. The design of the capital Oribos even suggests this assumption, as the portals are arranged in such a way that there is still room for more.
This would make the Shadowlands infinitely expandable and could play a role in future expansions whenever a new realm from the Shadowlands – for whatever reason – needs assistance. The mere possibility of going to the Shadowlands creates an almost endless opportunity to add new realms.
This feels much more appropriate than the usual “Oh, there’s another island popping up from the sea,” which has often been criticized by players.
I love getting to know new areas, stories, and entire cultures in a game. If you feel the same way, then at least the leveling experience in Shadowlands will be among the most exciting things you’ve experienced in the past years in World of Warcraft.
Currently, there is a special event running in World of Warcraft to bridge your waiting time until the release of Shadowlands.
