Shadowlands is WoW‘s next expansion after Battle for Azeroth, revealed during the BlizzCon 2019 opening ceremony. WoW’s eighth expansion features the very first level squish, and new features such as Covenants, a procedurally generated mega-dungeon in Torghast, Tower of the Damned, and 6 new zones. Players will level to 60 in the Shadowlands.
Here is a compilation of everything known about the WoW expansion so far.
Launch Information
Launch Date
There is currently no announced launch date for Shadowlands. According to Blizzard’s press release announcing the new expansion, Shadowlands is slated to be released sometime in 2020.
Expansion Pre-Orders
Shadowlands pre-orders started on November 1st. This time around, Shadowlands pre-orders have different tiers of rewards with different pricings:
- Base Edition: ($39.99) Includes a pre-purchase* of World of Warcraft®: Shadowlands™ and early access to Death Knights for Allied Races and Pandaren starting with the Visions of N’Zoth content update.
- Heroic Edition ($59.99): Includes everything in the Base Edition, plus instant access to a Level 120 Character Boost and the Ensorcelled Everwyrm flying mount. The flying mount grants a quest for the Vestments of the Eternal Traveler transmog set.
- Epic Edition ($79.99): Includes everything in the Heroic Edition, plus 30 days of game time, the Anima Wyrmling pet, an otherworldly Eternal Traveler’s effect for your Hearthstone, and Illusion: Wraithchill, a cosmetic effect for your weapon. As with other Illusions, Wraithchill cannot be applied to certain weapon types.
There are currently no mentions of a special Collector’s Edition for Shadowlands.
Shadowlands Lore
Sylvanas Windrunner, fallen leader of the Horde, has pierced the veil between Azeroth and the realm of the dead, setting in motion a series of events that threatens to upset the cosmic balance between life and death.
In recent years, the machine of death has broken, and souls brought to the Shadowlands no longer go through The Arbiter, instead being sent straight to The Maw. As a result of this, The Maw and its Jailer have grown far stronger, while the other domains of the Shadowlands are becoming deprived of Anima, a fundamental resource in the Shadowlands. Sylvanas Windrunner has been working with the Jailer for a long time to inflict as much death as they can, and with each death and soul sent to The Maw, her and The Jailer grow stronger. Many innocent souls, including the thousands of civilians killed during the War of the Thorns, are now languishing in torment in The Maw.
As adventurers arrive in the Shadowlands, they too will be sent straight to The Maw, but their innate connection to Azeroth will save them from an eternity of torment within The Maw. However, some of their allies will be left behind, while the adventurers are tasked with exploring the Shadowlands to understand the realm of the dead and hopefully becoming strong enough to return to The Maw and save their allies.
New Character Customizations
Many new character customizations are being added in Shadowlands. Some customizations were previewed at BlizzCon, but more can come through the development cycle for Shadowlands.
- Trolls and Dwarves will receive new warpaint options.
- Forsaken will be able to customize their levels of decay.
- Humans will receive more ethnically diverse faces.
- Draenei will be able to customize tail length and crystalline decorations.
- Eye color can be different than skin color.
Leveling in Shadowlands
Level Squish
With Shadowlands comes the very first level squish in WoW history. WoW previously had two item squishes in its history, one at the beginning of Warlords of Draenor, and one at the beginning of Battle for Azeroth. In Shadowlands, a level squish will be applied – Players at the current level cap of 120 in Battle for Azeroth will be squished down to level 50 in Shadowlands, with the Shadowlands expansion level cap being reduced to 60. It is currently unknown how the squish will be applied on every single level below 120.
Talent rows are unchanged as of the BlizzCon 2019 announcement, with the same seven-row talent system that has been in the game since Mists of Pandaria. However, new talents will be received every 5 levels, starting from level 15.
Naderi's Online Blog 