November is a historical month for the Warcraft franchise. Not only was it the month when Warcraft: Orcs and Humans released back in 1994, it also marked the release of World of Warcraft 10 years later. It is fitting, then, that Blizzard has announced the next major content patch for World of Warcraft's Shadowlands expansion right around the 17th anniversary of the MMORPG.
Content patch 9.2, called “Eternity’s End,” promises otherworldly twists and turns in an ancient realm known as Zerith Mortis. This alien place, which once acted as a forge for the First Ones who created the universe, will be the battlefield where players confront the Jailer, one of several characters who have taken center stage in the narrative web of Shadowlands. Game Rant spoke with lead narrative designer Steve Danuser and lead game designer Morgan Day about what’s in store for the heroes and villains of Shadowlands, and for the story of World of Warcraft overall.
The High King and the Banshee Queen
It is impossible to talk about the story of Shadowlands without Sylvanas Windrunner, Anduin Wrynn, and Zovaal the Jailer. “That triad was core to the story we are telling,” Danuser said. The story of Shadowlands first saw Anduin captured by Sylvanas after she left the Horde, then saw him transformed into the Jailer’s puppet with Domination magic. At the end of World of Warcraft’s last patch, “Chains of Domination,” Sylvanas turned on the Jailer but was defeated and captured by players and their allies.
Anduin replaced Sylvanas as the Jailer's hand, and now accompanies him as he plunges into Zerith Mortis to claim the secrets of the First Ones and rewrite existence. Anduin is in quite the predicament, and dealing with him will be the only way players can hope to confront the Jailer according to Day. After all, unless his Domination magic can be countered, Zovaal could do the same against anyone who stands in his way.
Sylvanas is in a predicament of her own. Now that she is in the custody of the heroes, she'll need to be grilled for information. As she was the Jailer’s right hand until recently, she knows much of his schemes, and getting that information may be the only way to stop him.
However, Danuser hinted at an unexpected character’s role. When players last saw her, Sylvanas had a portion of her soul returned to her body after it was shattered during her death at Arthas’ hand – a fate that shares similarities to Uther the Lightbringer's fate in Shadowlands. Because of this shared history, Danuser said the paladin-turned-Kyrian may prove integral to the story of “Eternity’s End.”
"In fact, [Uther] can serve as something of a guide for her through that process; he had no one to help guide him, but Uther understands what it is like to go through something like that, and you’ll see how maybe he can help guide Sylvanas through those treacherous waters."
Danuser and Day are tight-lipped about the fates awaiting Anduin and Sylvanas. Anduin is a hero beloved by many players, but considering he is in a vice-grip by the Jailer, players can only hope he will be saved. On the other hand, Sylvanas has much to answer for after the events of Battle for Azeroth. “Eternity’s End” will reveal if Anduin will be the same if he survives this ordeal, or what kind of punishment Sylvanas will receive for her sins.
The High Priestess
Tyrande Whisperwind was absent from the announcement trailer for “Eternity’s End." Considering the events of Battle for Azeroth and Shadowlands, it is no surprise Tyrande and Sylvanas are on a “collision course," as Danuser called it. He confirmed the High Priestess of Elune will appear in “Eternity’s End,” and will come face-to-face with a very different Sylvanas than she battled during the opening scenario for “Chains of Domination.”
“I would say those two figures have a lot to – I don’t know if ‘resolve’ is the right word, because can you ever resolve something that happens on the scale of an entire civilization nearly being wiped out? There is going to be some very heavy interaction between those characters, and that is pivotal to the final conclusion of how ‘Eternity’s End’ and the Shadowlands saga wraps up.”
Many Night Elf players have had mixed reactions to Tyrande’s story arc. While Tyrande has had several epic moments, many of the events she has been involved with have included elements some found unsatisfactory. One such event took place during their last encounter, where Elune withdrew her powers from Tyrande at the last minute, preventing her from getting justice for the near-genocide of her people at the Banshee Queen’s hand.
An End and A Beginning
With the stakes this high, it is impossible not to sense the finality of the story. In the history of World of Warcraft, expansion packs have followed a release cycle that consists of three major content patches, which fill the two-year gaps between expansion packs. With “Eternity’s End,” however, it seems World of Warcraft is breaking that tradition. “We set out to plan the Shadowlands story as this drama in three acts,” Danuser said. “We have intended for "Eternity’s End" to be the culmination of that story.” While he clarified there may be more content to come, patch 9.2 is the grand finale of Shadowlands. A patch 9.3 could still be forthcoming, but Danuser's statements and the delays and cancellations both Blizzard and Shadowlands have suffered over the last year, suggest otherwise.
That means there is plenty of speculation as to what will come next for World of Warcraft. With the high-concept nature of Shadowlands, many are eager to get back to more grounded concepts back on Azeroth, though others hope to see a continued escalation of the epic, cosmic themes World of Warcraft has been ramping up over the last several expansion packs. Danuser doesn’t see this as a binary choice; he claims there is room for sweeping, cosmic narratives and small, personal stories alike.
“Don’t assume it’s just going to be one thing. There’s storylines building up for the next great book in the Warcraft saga. Some of that groundwork is laid here, but there’s a lot more back on Azeroth we need to get back to, and delve into some storylines and characters there.”
Day said, “There are tons of opportunities to find lots of things we feel we can translate in a very understandable way that also has exciting gameplay attached to it while the cosmic story is taking place.” While admits that sometimes “the literal scale of things gets pretty wild,” he recognized players want to see the small things that flesh out the world as well. It may seem impossible for World of Warcraft to downscale after fighting titans, gods, and giant dragons, Danuser and Day seem confident they delivered a balanced experience in “Eternity’s End,” and will continue to do so in Warcraft’s future.
World of Warcraft: Shadowlands is available now on PC. "Eternity's End" is currently in development.