World of Warcraft Shadowlands: Chains of Domination

On June 29th, we recently saw the release of the first big content update to Shadowlands, titled Chains of Domination. Within this update, we are going to see tons of new stories as well as gameplay. This is definitely an exciting addition for players who have been enjoying Shadowlands and have been hungry for more content. This is doubly exciting for players who have been looking forward to gaining the more useful abilities that they are accustomed to having in other regions of the game.  This is also an amazing opportunity for new players to buy cheap WoW accounts to jump directly into the fray without having to grind for weeks.

            That's right, as anticipated as Chains of Domination is, one of the big highlights players are anticipating is getting the ability to fly again. Now I know some of you been impatiently awaiting this and your wait has finally paid off, and then some. The one down side of that is you do need to have renown level 44 within your chosen covenant, so you have to make sure and keep up with your weekly quests and objectives with similar rewards if you want to get back on your flying mount any time soon.        

            But aside from some new locomotion, what does Chains of Domination have to offer? Going over the list of everything Blizzard has shown us, it seems like a lot.

            Firstly, the four covenants have forged a pact in order to stop the enigmatic Jailer from tearing the Shadowlands a new one, as it were. The covenants have established safe zones within the Maw so that players can stay there. The covenants will each have additional plots, but they all seem to tie in very similar to the central plot involving The Maw and The Jailer.

            A new mechanic, a sort of wanted-level-like system, will determine how long you can explore The Maw before you are forced to leave. You should be able to add more time each day, making your ability to nullify the Eye of the Jailer, the wanted system, stronger and stronger.

            What is there to explore in The Maw, though? It’s just a wide-open, windswept nether pit. Well, that might have been more true before, but with this update comes a new addition to The Maw. A zone referred to as Korthia, City of Secrets will be the primary place for the additions to the campaign, and we players get to explore this new city and meet its denizens.

            The new campaign in Korthia is not the only new gameplay addition. Players also have the Sanctum of Domination to look forward to. The Sanctum is a 10 boss raid featuring some of the most notorious characters in Warcraft lore like Kel’Thuzad, new threats like the Terragrue, and even the increasingly important Sylvanas Windrunner. The full roster is unknown as of right now but with this raid taking place on the highest floors of Torghast, the tower where the most villainous souls in the Shadowlands are kept, you know there is going to be a few more familiar faces.

            Another huge new piece of content is Tazavesh, a mega-dungeon being added to the Shadowlands with the rest of this content. This dungeon involves exploring a hidden bazaar and learning about some of the Shadowlands’ most mysterious inhabitants, the brokers. The first half of the dungeon is most exploring and learning, along with helping sort out Tazavesh’s backed-up mail room problem. The latter half of the dungeon has been kept under wraps, for the most part, a mysterious boss is seeking an object of power is about all we know about the story. The one nice detail we do have is that one of the bosses you will face in this mega-dungeon is apparently a pirate dragon. People seem very excited about the pirate dragon. I don’t get it, but if you do and you are amped up by it, then the more power to you.

            But this is just the new playable content that's being added directly, there are still other changes coming with the Chains of Domination patch that will deeply impact how players interact with Shadowlands. Yes, we know that flying is the one that everyone is excited about but there are others too! Like new mounts! If you are going to be doing a bunch more flying in the Shadowlands then you are going to need new Shadowland-themed mounts to do it on, right?

            And all those covenant renown levels you are going to need to earn to gain flying. Well, they are stacking 40 new ones on top of that, and those levels are rife with cosmetic rewards, conduits, and everyone's favorite new mechanic, new soulbinds. Yes, it may be unbalanced, but when has that ever stopped us from using exploitation to acquire an unnecessary amount of power?

            Torghast is getting a new raid in the form of the Sanctum of Domination, but those aren’t the only new additions to how this tower is going to play. Torghast will also be getting a whole new wing to explore and for players to play around in. The Torghast loot system is also being overhauled so that players are rewarded no matter how well they perform, including failed runs. So if the new raid and the new wing didn’t tempt you, then perhaps the opportunity for extra treasure will.

            Speaking of bonus loot, the Sanctum of Domination is also introducing a rework of raid loot as well. While there are fewer details on what this entails, it is meant to make raids more poignant and rewarding to us players. Which is the polite way of saying they are going to give us more loot. I always love hearing that, no matter how they want to say it.

            There you have it, the most recent add-ons to the Shadowlands expansion. Which ones are you most looking forward to checking out? We are excited to see the full roster of the new raid. Call us suckers for familiar face Easter eggs but I’m dying to know who makes up that roster. Especially because it will mean the return of any number of already dead baddies. We can’t wait!