We already have a rough idea of how WoW: Dragonflight will proceed. There are hints everywhere – and there was a big leak that spoils a little.
In the meantime, many players have already experienced the story of World of Warcraft: Dragonflight in detail. Some have even completed all the glory factions at maximum and thus also the last story quest lines. Especially the end of the raid “Vault of the Incarnations” gives a small glimpse of what awaits us soon.
Spoiler warning: If you don’t want to know how it might continue with Dragonflight in 2023, you should not read further. You have been warned.
The beta has already revealed the goal of patch 10.1
Even though there are still many speculations about how patch 10.1 will proceed in Dragonflight, there was already a leak during the beta of Dragonflight that at least roughly revealed how it will continue.
During the beta, an entry of a new zone was discovered, titled “Dragon Isles Underground”. Particularly spicy: In parentheses behind it was still written (translated): “WARNING: MUST be marked as ‘Map in development’ until 10.1”
Someone apparently made a wrong assignment, which is why this information has been circulating since July 2022.
But what could be lurking underground? Who will we meet there and why should we even travel underground?
WoW has already published a whole series of information on this in recent months. Much of this takes place in in-game books, while others have been revealed in quest lines. Here are a few important pieces of information:
The corruption beneath Uldorus: The “Halls of Infusion” are located in Tyrhold, which is actually called “Uldorus”. The halls are used to enrich the water with order magic, which in turn is responsible for the growth of the dragons as we know them. However, in a book from Uldaman, we learned that the water in the depths was actually corrupted by the old god Yogg-Saron. Whatever lurks down there could still exist – and bring even more of that tainted water with it.
The dwarven realm Khaz Algar: One of the books from Uldaman mentions Khaz Algar or, as the titanic creatures call it, “Sector AR-938”. A group of Earth Elementals, who have fallen victim to the curse of flesh, lives there. They have developed similarly to dwarves and even developed a remarkably comparable culture. The Earth Elementals were originally sent to this place to investigate a rift – but what was found there remains unclear.
New whispers of the Old Gods: During the main quest line of Thaldraszus, players briefly travel to the time of the Black Empire and hear various sayings from the Old Gods. While most sayings are already known quotes, one presence – N’Zoth – has new sayings:
- “I … know you. What you were. What you will yet be.”
- “With many eyes they will be able to see again. They will drink and be lifted up.”
- “You will follow him into the depths. The dark waters will flow with his awakening.”
- “Deeper, deeper will his roots reach. Our embrace will greet.”
- “Your dreams sing beneath the surface. Our dreams. Our song.”
In typical fashion of the Old Gods, these sentences are quite cryptic but allow for many possibilities. That N’Zoth speaks of someone seeing again with “many eyes” suggests that the Old Gods are corrupting some creatures – these could be important dragons like the aspects or also proto-dragons, such as the primal incarnations.
Especially Iridikron, who is very connected to the earth, could find the corrupted water of Yogg-Saron “in the depths” and thus gain the power of the Old Gods. But Sabellian and Furorion could also be candidates for the black aspect, becoming “corrupted again” – just like their father Neltharion did.
All these hints clearly indicate that patch 10.1 will take us underground. Whether the location is directly beneath the Dragon Isles or elsewhere is still unclear. However, it seems that the story is developing more towards the Old Gods and their corruption. Whether through direct influences of corruption, the curse of flesh among the Earth Elementals, or a possible manipulation of the Djaradin – after all, they also emerged from the depths.
The YouTuber Bellular also speculates on this topic and has talked about what a possible underground map might look like in one of his latest videos:
In Bellular’s imagination, it could be a huge cavern with dwarven constructions, very similar to what we know from “The Lord of the Rings” with Moria. Combining this with the aesthetics of the Deepholm (Cataclysm) and the size of the current Dragonflight areas, one can already imagine well how it might look in the upcoming patches.
Of course, there is still a chance that Blizzard made this “leak” intentionally to mislead everyone. However, given the past of World of Warcraft, this seems rather unlikely. A new underground map seems to be the next goal – whatever inhabitants we may meet there.
Are you excited about a new “underground” area? Or would you prefer to see more zones of the islands?
