A supposed leak about the next addon of World of Warcraft promises many things that sound good. But what exactly does the leak say? And could there be any truth to it?
The final patch of World of Warcraft: Shadowlands is already visible on the horizon. But with the upcoming release of Patch 9.2 Eternity’s End, the popular “leak season” begins around World of Warcraft. Supposed leaks about the next expansion are appearing everywhere. While many of them often only originate from the mind of a troll, sometimes there is more than just a grain of truth in the leaks.
Therefore, this time we will also present some of these “leaks” and explain the most interesting points to you.
However, keep in mind that most leaks concerning WoW expansions often turn out to be forgeries in retrospect, which only makes it more difficult to uncover the actual leaks. So take these leaks with a grain of salt.
The new expansion is said to be called “The Dragon Isles”
According to the leak, the next expansion of World of Warcraft will simply be called “The Dragon Isles”. These have been mentioned several times in the game, and the current story indicates that Wrathion is likely roaming there.
The entire promotional material for Patch 10.0 is said to carry the phrase “Azeroth has awoken!”
How does Shadowlands end? The leak also explains how Shadowlands will end. Accordingly, the Jailer will be defeated in Patch 9.2 and the planet Azeroth will be saved, but there will be “consequences”. Some dialogues that occur after the battle are said to explain the new state of Azeroth, while Magni Bronzebeard loses his diamond form and returns to being a normal dwarf.
The pre-event, which will take place in Patch 9.2.5, is supposed to be huge. It will feature an updated version of many old events, such as the earthquakes in Ahn’Qiraj and the invasions, but simultaneously a massive time-travel event that runs as a kind of “Mini-Season of Mastery” focusing on important dungeons and raids around Azeroth. The goal behind it is said to make players familiar with the story of Azeroth before moving into the new story in 10.0.
The enemies in these events would include crazy troggs, spiked livers, Mantid, and the elemental invasions that would primarily take place in Kalimdor, the Eastern Kingdoms, Northrend, and Pandaria. A new temporary boss would be “Garaddon, Son of Galakrond” – or son of the most powerful dragon that existed in the primordial age of Azeroth.
What’s in the new expansion? According to the leak, quite a lot. The whole thing is supposed to be initiated by the “largest cinematic that Blizzard has ever produced.” The planned cinematics for Shadowlands were allegedly discarded to work fully on this video. There are many parallels to the original launch trailer of WoW, but the cinematic ends with Azeroth being “born”. Furthermore, it is stated in key points:
- “Azeroth the Eternal” is born and is “a kind of dragon”.
- All world souls are unique, and Azeroth’s essence has shaped the planet for eons.
- Dragons are directly connected to Azeroth, which makes her somewhat the primordial mother of dragons.
- Once players reach the Dragon Isles, they must collaborate with Azeroth to “reshape” the world. The story is that the planet has endured a lot over the last decades and that this has serious consequences for its inhabitants.
- Azeroth’s character is described as “Leeloo from The Fifth Element”. An overwhelmingly powerful being with the mind of a child. Players must help her unlock the powers to save the planet. She is located in a temple on the Dragon Isles, along with Thrall and Wrathion. There is much story about the “Earth Warder”, as the three try to accomplish what Deathwing failed to do (before he went mad).
- Azeroth has her own talent tree that looks similar to the classic talent trees. Players help her by “teaching” her things through this talent tree. Each of these talents can also be used by the player via the “world connection” ability.
- There are new abilities that function similarly to covenant abilities, but you never have to commit to anything permanently. Everyone receives the same abilities. Some have secondary effects depending on the zone in which you find yourself.
One of the most important features of the expansion is supposed to be the so-called “World Shaping,” where the zones will massively change over time. For instance, you could turn a desert into a forest. The area will have a strong focus on the story of the Night Elves, who are searching for a way to recreate Teldrassil with the help of Azeroth.
At the same time, “World Shaping” is also supposed to unlock new abilities in individual areas, such as water walking, flying, teleportation, or easier treasure finding – bonuses like those already known from older, similar game systems.
Throughout the course of the expansion, this world shaping will also affect older zones across Kalimdor and the Eastern Kingdoms, which will play an important role over the patches and will be drastically revised.
By the way, there will not be a major villain in Patch 10.0, but rather a series of smaller threats, including the timeless dragonflight, the Netherwing, and some special proto-species on the Dragon Islands – such as an ancient species of troggs that is highly intelligent and advanced.
New Race: Black Dragons
A little highlight and also something rather surprising seems to be the new playable race – black dragons.
They function in their basics like Worgen, having two forms. One is a combative dragon form and the other is a humanoid form. The humanoid form can choose the appearance of any other race – as known from dragons in WoW already. They also have some cosmetic adjustments, such as horns, scales, or tails.
The dragon form is primarily used for traveling (as a flying mount) and for two racial abilities, so it is not a permanent form for fighting.
Historically, these are rather young, new dragons who are growing up on the Dragon Isles – after the dragons lost their magic at the end of Cataclysm. Wrathion wants to teach these dragons (i.e., the players) to fight alongside mortals to help Azeroth and ultimately restore the magic of dragons.
Where does the leak come from? From the MMO-Champion forum. Here, the user “ItsYourself” has released a lot of information about the next addon on a “throwaway account”. According to his own statements, he obtained the information from a “private Discord server of the developers”.
However, this cannot be proven.
Even though supposed leaks sprout like mushrooms before each expansion, they are often interesting and invite reflection on what one really wants in the next WoW expansion.
And who knows – maybe in the end there was indeed a little truth in the leak…
