World of Warcraft’s 17th anniversary is just around the corner, and as part of the celebration, it has announced its second major content patch for Shadowlands – “Eternity’s End.” World of Warcraft would normally be announcing its next expansion pack around this time, as it’s been just about a year since the last one. However, Shadowlands’ delayed release cycle since its launch has led to Patch 9.2 instead, which is to be the final major story chapter in Shadowlands.

In “Eternity’s End,” players pursue the Jailer, Zovaal, across the forgotten realm of Zerith Mortis. Deep in the heart of this primordial place is the Sepulcher of the First Ones, where the battle against the Jailer will end, one way or another. Game Rant had the chance to talk with lead narrative designer Steve Danuser and lead game designer Morgan Day about the fascinating new locations in “Eternity’s End,” and what sorts of creatures and challenges players might expect to see there.

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Zerith Mortis in Eternity's End

Zerith Mortis is an expansive, beautiful area that blends elements from other Shadowlands realms, but with a unique, blueprint-like feel to it. Perfectly-spherical chunks of earth float in the sky, creatures made of geometrical shapes inhabit its various ecosystems, and lakes and streams allow creatures to run across their surfaces without breaking.

Among the creatures players will encounter in Zerith Mortis are the Automa — constructs left behind by the First Ones. Day was especially charmed by these creatures, explaining they would be integral to developing a new system called the Cipher of the First Ones. “We will make a little friend, some Automa buddies, that will come along on our journeys with us. They’ll make little sounds and have symbols that we’ll slowly discover how to interpret and understand.” With the help of these Automa, players will be able to translate the language of the progenitors who created the Shadowlands and the realms beyond.

Players venturing into Zerith Mortis will find some familiar creatures within the ancient realm. In addition to the Mawsworn forces of the Jailer, the anima-eating Devourers have slipped into Zerith Mortis, feeding on primordial energy and mutating in strange ways. Players will also find a group of the Shadowlands realm-travelling Brokers who stumbled into Zerith Mortis long ago and changed their ways, becoming enlightened scholars and protectors of knowledge, rather than merchants and opportunists. These Brokers will help create the Cipher of the First Ones, and will provide refuge to travellers through the hub town of Haven.

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As fascinating as Zerith Mortis it seems, there are concerns among the playerbase about the mystical, cosmic nature of “Eternity’s End” and Zerith Mortis. One of the major complaints about Shadowlands was the height of concept and the detachment from what makes Warcraft recognizable. Danuser admitted “there’s a lot more back on Azeroth we need to get back to, and delve into some storylines and characters there,” implying a return after Shadowlands wraps up. Day likewise ensured they could still expect to see small, engaging stories amid the lofty concepts and epic conflicts taking place, both across the literal sandbox that is Zerith Mortis and in the future.

“Those little side stories are always exciting for us to explore. We have a lot of fun developing the characters and that’s always something we’re looking at opportunities for. People love those little side stories. They love those big epic stories involving Sylvanas and the Jailer, but they also want to know ‘what’s going on in the little woods over here? Who am I going to find in that point of interest over there?’”

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Sepulcher of the First Ones

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The Sepulcher of the First Ones is Zovaal’s end goal. This reality-bending foundry is where many concepts and creatures first came to life, and it holds many secrets the Jailer wants. Considering a sepulcher is a type of tomb, the physical remains of the First Ones themselves could be found here. Speculation aside, the Sepulcher of the First Ones is the raid for “Eternity’s End,” and the epic conclusion of the story of Shadowlands.

The Sepulcher of the First Ones itself is massive — so large, in fact, Day said players will need to use special flight paths to traverse it. “There’s a whole transportation network within the raid you use to move around between the different wings and elements because it is just that big and epic. You can’t just run down the hallway and get to places where afterlives are created, right?“

Besides the dreadlords and the Mawsworn constellar teased in the announcement video, Day also spoke of another encounter where raiders would fight prototype versions of the Pantheon of Death — the lords of the Shadowlands. “You’re familiar with Denathrius — we’ve seen him fight at this point — but what would an incomplete version of that look like, or a version that is a little bit mixed between the finished product we saw?”

The Sepulcher of the First Ones will also see the return of class-specific gear sets. Called the Progenitor Tier Set, this gear seeks to combine the iconic silhouettes of World of Warcraft classes with the aesthetic of the First Ones, affectionately referred to by Day as “Math Magic.”

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Anduin Wrynn, who is still under Zovaal’s control, will play a massive role in the narrative, all the way through the raid. Players must confront Anduin to reach the Jailer in "Eternity's End," and in the process, perhaps learn how to save him. Day described the balance of taking a beloved character like Anduin and turning him into a major boss encounter, and the challenges and possibilities of doing so.

“When you look at something like the Anduin encounter — Anduin has such equity with the players, so when you have that, where it’s so memorable and you can tie that into mechanics that play into the fantasy of 'What is Anduin?' Well, he’s a priest; well he’s also got this Domination magic, and we’ve seen how that has played out in gameplay throughout the Shadowlands. When you marry that fantasy with those mechanics, along with all the equity Anduin has as a character, I feel like that just becomes this multiplicative factor where you really can create something truly memorable.”

Of course, the Shadowlands saga can’t end until Zovaal’s defeat. While Day and Danuser were not forthcoming on the encounter, they emphasized learning how to counter Domination magic would be key. Players will start by interrogating Sylvanas, now a prisoner of the heroes. “Sylvanas is the next best thing we have to understanding what the Jailer’s strategy is,” Danuser said, “So, we are going to need to speak to her and find out what information she has and how that information can help us confront the Jailer.” Through her and Anduin, players will learn about the Jailer’s powers, where they come from, and how to combat them.

The Jailer is not the most popular villain in Warcraft history. Many feel he lacks the gravitas of beings like the Old Gods or Sargeras. While he is certainly powerful, he lacks the equity others have gathered. While it isn’t certain if the Jailer will be destroyed at the end of the Sepulcher of the First Ones raid, his saga is wrapping up in “Eternity’s End,” and Danuser seems optimistic the conclusion of World of Warcraft: Shadowlands will be satisfactory. “It’s been a long road, but hopefully fans will see it’s a very exciting one with the twists and turns coming in this content update.”

World of Warcraft: Shadowlands is available now on PC.

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