Life, Death, and Supposed Leaks for WoW Shadowlands
World of Warcraft: Shadowlands, compared to other recent releases, took a bit more time before making it out of the proverbial shadows. It could be that Blizzard is being more meticulous this time, the release simply got affected by COVID, or both. So, is it worth the wait? You be the judge and check out the WoW Shadowlands leak, zones, Covenants, and many others!
After doing that, check out How to Prepare for WoW Shadowlands too, and head on over to PlayerAuctions to find some great deals on WoW Gold, Items, Accounts, and Powerleveling to get you battle-ready for Shadowlands!
Table of Contents
What is World of Warcraft Shadowlands All About?
Before we go to the expansion’s finer details, here’s a lore refresher for the expansion. The last time we saw Sylvanas, she destroyed the Lich King’s crown, thinking that it would free Azeroth from the strife it’s been plunged into since the Burning Legion. Unfortunately, it opened a hole in the roof of the world. This hole leads to Shadowlands, the afterlife in their universe. Now, both Alliance and Horde must ascend to the dead and the unknown in order to save the living–as well as determine which faction gains dominance over the other.
What WoW Shadowlands Leaks have Surfaced?
So, what about so-called WoW Shadowlands leaks? Based on what’s been seen back in April, there will allegedly be new skin and armor options, as well as new races, such as Kyrians, Fauns, and Vampires. Whether they are playable or not remains to be seen, as we’re nearing release date and Blizzard has not officially announced any new races yet.
Will There Be New Allied Races?
Like what’s been previously said, the lack of an announcement despite the nearing release date seems to indivate that there won’t be new allied races. However, levels required to unlock allied races will be removed.
What Are the New Zones and Dungeons?
Much like other games’ afterlifes, the Shadowlands zones are:
- Bastion – the citadel where those that served people during their lives go to, it’s also where adventurers from Azeroth will be meeting the expansion’s toughest challenges
- Ardenweald – an expansive forest that ensures that the cycle of life and death of both worlds’ natural domain is perpetuated. Its many trees absorb and give out soul essence to nature spirits awaiting rebirth
- Maldraxxus – the place where necromancy was born, it’s a place that only knows war between those that have mastered the art and their legions of once-ambitious warriors’ souls
- Revendreth – a purgatory of sorts, the souls that go in this gothic village-like plane of reality either atone for their sins, or indulge in the very transgressions that brought them there in the first place
- The Maw – inarguably the bottom of the Shadowlands, this dark place is where the evilest of souls in the Warcraft-verse are sent upon death. It’s also where an unspeakable ancient evil is chained, and must never be freed, lest reality ceases to exist
True to World of Warcraft tradition, each zone has its own quests, monsters, cities, and dungeons. The new dungeons players will be exploring are:
- The Necrotic Wake (Bastion) – leveling; 4 boss encounters
- Plaguefall (Maldraxxus) – leveling; 4 boss encounters
- Mists of Tirna Scithe (Ardenweald) – leveling; 3 boss encounters
- Hall of Atonement (Revendreth) – leveling; 4 boss encounters
- Theater of Pain (Maldraxxus) – max level; 5 boss encounters
- De Other Side (Ardenweald) – max level; 4 boss encounters
- Spires of Ascension (Bastion) – max level; 4 boss encounters
- Sanguine Depths (Revendreth) max level; 4 boss encounters
What are Shadowlands Covenants?
Shadowlands, however, goes beyond that, with the inclusion of Shadowlands Covenants. Except for The Maw, each zone has its own faction, and each faction has its own plan for the Shadowlands. None are more virtuous or viler than the other, so it’s up to your moral judgment which one you’ll choose. Or perhaps you’ll decide based on your preferred character growth, as you’ll be gaining faction-exclusive unique abilities depending on your covenant selection.
The WoW Shadowlands covenants are as follows:
- Kyrian (Bastion) – guardians that bring the souls of the dead to where they’re supposed to be.
- Necrolord (Maldraxxus) – dead warriors that fight across all sorts of planes of battle.
- Night Fae (Ardenweald) – sentinels of nature, they make sure that its cycle of rebirth continues.
- Venthyr (Revendreth) – those in charge of punishing those that have sinned, they are the ones that gather the anima from them as well.
Being involved in a Covenant means you’ll have to take on the missions they’ll be giving you. Aside from the aforementioned unique abilities, you’ll also be getting mounts and a few visual treats for completing them.
What Are the Changes to Leveling in Shadowlands?
Last but by no means any less important would be the changes to character growth and customization. First off is the leveling. Level 120 will be squished and brought back down to 60, with Shadowlands content accessible at 50. Blizzard will also make leveling faster, and divide it into three segments: the introductory part at levels 1-10, the chance to play any expansion from 10-50, and finally Shadowlands.
WoW Shadowlands PC Requirements and Release Date
World of Warcraft: Shadowlands will be out on October 27 this year, and will have the following PC requirements:
- OS: Windows 7 64-bit
- CPU: Intel Core i5-3450 or AMD FX 8300
- GPU: Nvidia GeForce GTX 760, AMD Radeon RX 560, or Intel UHD 630 (45W) (DirectX 11 compatible GPU with 2GB VRAM)
- RAM: 4GB (8GB if using integrated graphics)
- Storage: SSD, 100GB available space
Ever since Warcraft 3, death has no longer been the end in Azeroth. Fast-forward to now and World of Warcraft: Shadowlands just makes it even truer. So, if you’re “dying” to get back to Azeroth, there’s no better time than in the next expansion!
