During this morning’s Blizzcon(line) 2021 presentation, Blizzard revealed the next major content update for World of Warcraft: Shadowlands. The upcoming patch, Chains of Domination, will include a brand new raid, a new mega-dungeon, new areas to explore in the Maw, and more. We don’t know exactly when Chains of Domination is expected to launch but since the next minor patch is scheduled for March, it’s likely that Chains of Domination will launch sometime after, possibly in Mid-April or even later in May or June.
You catch watch the announcement trailer below:
EXPLORE: Korthia, City of Secrets
Chains of Domination launches players into the dark and thrilling new chapter of Warcraft’s story now that Anduin Wrynn’s fate is in the hands of Syvanis and the cruel Jailer. We see the King of Stormwind devolve into a sullied, bloodthirsty killer and something tells me we’ll need a group of Azeroth’s most powerful champions to get him back. At the conclusion of the trailer, Goth Anduin returns to the jailer who uses the power of the slain Archon to conjure spectral chains (chains of domination, perhaps?) and pull a mysterious landmass into the grip of the Maw.
This landmass, according to narrative designer Steve Danuser and lead encounter designer Morgan Day, is called Korthia, the City of Secrets. Korthia isn’t intended to be a new zone, instead, it’s more of an expansion of the Maw. Here, hints Danuser, players may be able to complete tasks that alter the way the Eye of the Jailer system works, presumably allowing players to spend more time in the Maw on a daily basis.
DUNGEON: Tazavesh, the Veiled Market
The narrative of Chains of Domination is evidently pretty grim, so the development team are also working on a more light-hearted experience for players; a palate cleanser for the champion’s of Azeroth, it seems. Tazavesh, the Veiled Market is an eight-boss mega-dungeon that tasks players with an interdimensional heist. Here, players will learn more about the mysterious Brokers that operate and interdimensional market bazaar, where they trade and collect all sorts of oddities.
RAID: The Sanctum of Domination
Finally, Chains of Domination will introduce an all-new ten-boss raid, where players will eventually meet with Sylvanas herself. We don’t have too many details on the raid for the time being but presumably, it’ll feedback into the cinematic trailer above and perhaps we’ll learn more about the relationship between Sylvanas and her enigmatic benefactor, the Jailer.
