After months of waiting, World of Warcraft players are now just days away from the massive Shadowlands pre-expansion patch. Although Shadowlands is no longer scheduled to arrive in late October, the pre-patch is still going to drop on October 13 and make some massive changes to the Blizzard MMO.
Each World of Warcraft expansion at this point is preceded by a pre-patch that sets the stage for the coming content and usually introduces the new main storyline with an introductory storyline that shifts the focus from the last expansion's key characters to those of the new one. That seems to be the case this time as well, as patch 9.0.1 prepares to change Azeroth forever.
The Shadowlands pre-expansion patch will add new character customizations, implement a level squish like the game has never seen before, and roll out a ton of other quality of life improvements and changes. The pre-patch Survival Guide can help players prepare for everything that is to come at a high level, but the patch notes are useful for those who want more nitty gritty details...
Game Rant has highlighted the biggest news from the patch notes below, but players who want to read every detail can find the full, unedited notes in the official update from Blizzard.
Death Rising - Limited Time Event
Shortly after the pre-expansion launch, you’ll be called upon to defend Azeroth from an undead invasion as the Scourge sweep across the land. Players will embark on a quest to establish a foothold in Icecrown, where the barrier between Azeroth and the afterlife has been shattered, and prepare for the coming journey into the Shadowlands. This limited time pre-expansion event will only be available until the launch of Shadowlands, so make sure to log in to experience it and earn special rewards.
Levels, Items, and Stats Adjusted
Levels, items and stats have been adjusted to make reaching a new level feel more meaningful while simultaneously making the leveling experience faster than before. Characters at level 120 will become level 50 after the content update.
New Character Customizations
The character creation experience has been revitalized with a brand new user interface and many new character customization options to choose from. Some of the new options are selecting your eye color, new skin tones, new hairstyles and hair/fur colors.
All of these new options are available at Barber Shops throughout Azeroth, including the option for Druids to choose the appearance of their shapeshifting forms and the ability to swap genders. Now all customization is available in game at any time so the Appearance Change service will no longer be sold in the Shop.
Exile's Reach
Exile's Reach is an all-new starting experience that will take you on an excursion that will introduce you to the fundamentals of playing World of Warcraft and the important mechanics for your chosen class. If you’re new to World of Warcraft and have never created or leveled a character, you will automatically begin your journey into Azeroth with the starting experience. If you’re a veteran player or you’ve leveled a character before, you can choose to opt out of the starting experience and begin instead at level 1 in the starting area for your race.
Upon reaching level 10, new players will continue their journey through Battle for Azeroth and into Shadowlands.
Timewalking Campaigns
Players who have already experienced Battle for Azeroth and reached level 50 on at least one character can now choose to level any subsequent characters in a different expansion using Timewalking Campaigns. This new feature allows content from locations like Northrend or Pandaria to scale to a player’s level, so they can adventure from level 10 all the way to 50 and experience the stories of these areas at their originally intended pacing. Visit Chromie near the embassies in Stormwind or Orgrimmar to select your expansion leveling experience. If you'd like to select a different expansion to level through, simply speak to Chromie again.
Achievements
Flying in Warlords of Draenor and Legion no longer requires earning the achievements, Draenor Pathfinder and Broken Isles Pathfinder, Part Two.
Allied Races
Unlocking Allied Races no longer requires reaching Exalted reputation with that race’s associated faction.
Corrupted Items
With the Black Empire turned to ash upon the defeat of N’Zoth the Corruptor, Corruption effects on items will no longer function.
In the general category, there is a massive list of changes for each individual class. Players should definitely take some time before the content drops to read up on how their main is going to be impacted by these mechanic and balance changes. There's definitely a lot to process here, but this early patch should help make the actual launch of Shadowlands go more smoothly. The pre-patch rolls out on October 13 and many players have likely already downloaded most of the necessary data in the background.
Be sure to check back in the coming weeks as more details about Shadowlands emerge. Until then, For the Horde!
World of Warcraft is available now for PC. At this point, World of Warcraft Shadowlands is expected at some point in late 2020 for PC.
Source: Blizzard