World of Warcraft: Shadowlands has been out for quite some time now, so it’s only right that it finally gets that traditional not-so-small but not-so-big first update that not just tweaks a few things, but also brings new content. Here’s what players can expect with World of Warcraft patch 9.1 so that they can buy WoW gold as early as now.
Before the Afterlife
For those that have been out of the loop for quite some time now, Shadowlands is the World of Warcraft expansion that came after Battle for Azeroth. The events of Legion caused a short but intense reignition of the war between the Alliance and the Horde, which distracted the two factions from Sylvanas’ rise to power. By the end of the previous expansion, she took down the new Lich King, Bolvar Fordragon. But instead of taking the being’s powers for herself, she smashed the Lich King’s crown instead. This opened a portal to the Shadowlands, which is considered to be Azeroth’s netherworld.
A diverse netherworld that has four realms that are each controlled by one of the four Covenants, the Shadowlands reflect certain powers and principalities found in Azeroth. After all, as below, so above, as both Azeroth and Shadowlands influence one another. However, trouble is brewing in the latter, and the mortals’ arrival couldn’t be more perfect – that’s what we’re going to see in Patch 9.1, also known as Chains of Domination.
The update was announced in this year’s Blizzcon. Or rather, BlizzConline 2021, as the traditional crowds have been exchanged for a virtual one because of the CoViD-19 pandemic. The event itself has been more lackluster compared to previous ones, and so was the announcement of the update. The new content from it, however, is the polar opposite. Players are still fumbling with all the content the original Shadowlands still has, and now they’re going to fumble even more with Chains of Domination.
A Chain of Events
The biggest draw of Chains of Domination is the story. In the original Shadowlands, not much was revealed about The Maw or the expansion’s overarching villain, the Jailer. A rather understandable choice on Blizzard’s part, as they’d rather let players explore the new world they have given them, as well as the new mechanics that tie in with Shadowlands’ lore and its four Covenants. But now, having given most players enough time to explore and gain power through WoW Gold and WoW Items as the current content allows, it’s time to start showing more and more of the Big Bad as well as his domain.
And speaking of The Maw, a new zone in it will be introduced: Korthia, city of secrets. A perfect moniker, as the place is said to hold forgotten knowledge about the First Ones, a group of beings that was just recently introduced in the lore.
Also, with the Jailer being a powerful threat not only to the Shadowlands but also to Azeroth, the four Covenants have decided to unite together against him – something that has not happened for centuries. While an allied front of the Four against the jailer will undoubtedly powerful, the Jailer is himself a sinister force to be reckoned with. On top of that, he has a few aces up his sleeve. Among them is the familiar face such as Tarragrue, and even more familiar faces such as Kel’Thuzard and Sylvanas Windrunner.
Tying into all of this would be Korhia, the city of secrets. Sanctum of Domination, the expansion’s latest raid. It’s where the Jailer is holed up, along with his lackeys. However, given the fact that this is the first chapter of Shadowlands, it’s unlikely that players will be taking down the Jailer here once and for all. The same might be true with Sylvanas as well, but it’s also just as likely that she will face defeat her and her role in the story will change once again. However, it’s a remote possibility that she will be killed for good in here, as Blizzard loves her a little bit too much. Plus, she’s played a very huge role in the overarching story, even way back in the Warcraft 3 storyline, so it would be too unceremonious for her to just die like that.
Sylvanas and the (Ex)-Human Kings
One thing, however, is certain: whatever happens in the Sanctum and to Sylvanas will shape the future of both worlds. This is evident in the new cinematic, where we see Sylvanas trying to make Anduin join her. After a fade to black, we see him managing to infiltrate Bastion and kill Kyrestia the Firstborn in a way that is similar to how Arthas killed his father, complete with Anduin’s skin turning pale, golden hair and white-gold armor turning gray, and even using a Frostmourne-like sword. We even see a soul-form Uther looking at Anduin as he walked down the halls. Blizzard’s not being subtle with his parallelisms with the second Lich King.
However, unlike his predecessor, it seems like all hope is not yet lost, and Sylvanas is showing doubt and concern as to whether Anduin’s forced conversion is right – at least according to certain standards. Perhaps there will be redemption for them both.
Chains of Domination is shaping up to be a solid follow-up to an equally solid expansion release. So there’s no better time to be strong than now, so when Patch 9.1 comes, you’ll be ready to break those chains.
