Death is only the beginning of a new journey. An exciting one full of epics and moments to remember, of battles against fearsome enemies and the reunion of old acquaintances. If you thought that Blizzard could not surprise you, in the analysis of World of Warcraft: Shadowlands you will see that this expansion has plenty of virtues to amuse every MMORPG fan for many hours.
When Sylvanas Swiftwind ripped the skies of Azeroth opening the gates to the world of the dead… well, I think we all imagined that something great was about to happen in the World of Warcraft universe . And so it has been. Shadowlands paints a promising future that is hard not to get excited about. It doesn’t matter if you’re a veteran of the Blizzard MMORPGOr that these are your first steps in this colossal fantasy world. Its action, the PvP, the group dungeons, its beautiful and at times terrifying staging, the story, its characters … there are so many good things to talk about, so many details to comment, that I feel like there is no better moment than this to get lost in the Shadowlands and unravel the great mysteries of what remains one of the most successful games of the moment .
There are content and challenges for all tastes, for all kinds of players, with a progression that values your time , which does not require spending countless hours doing tedious tasks to unlock the best content and rewards. And so, of course, it is even more fun. You fight, you explore and almost without realizing it you are already fighting in the most challenging scenarios, fighting with other players, equipping yourself and improving yourself to always be up to the new challenges that lie ahead. And here Shadowlands is strong with a good final content capable of keeping you glued to the PC for hours delving into the new options that the eighth expansion incorporatesfrom World of Warcraft. Not everything is perfect, of course; some gameplay mechanics feel even more outdated than ever today, and while the main adventure is fun and exciting, it is unimaginative in its mission design. Kill this, go there, find this other, bring me flowers … and so on for hours.
The story accompanies, the setting is great, but I admit that due to this kind of missions and game mechanics my first hours were a bit uphill. Then Shadowlands picks up momentum, shows its best side, and you forget; but it’s a shame that, even with important news, the game feels overly conservative. But what does the immediate future hold for us? Having seen what has been seen, there are reasons to be excited.
The war in the Hereafter
World of Warcraft Shadowlands Launch Trailer, Another Must-See Cinematic!
At this point, after more than 15 years enjoying the WoW universe , it could be said that everything has already been seen, that Blizzard have difficult to surprise with new stories capable of catching us as before. I am the first to have some doubts about Shadowlands but within a few hours I was hooked on their characters, their worlds, the epic of many of the battles that you face. It is also a game that knows how to strike a chord with every World of Warcraft fan, because in the Shadowlands, where the souls of the dead go, we will meet old enemies and great allies to relive some of the most iconic moments of the saga. All this with the usual mastery to which Blizzard has accustomed us, which perfectly combines image and sound to create cinematics(even in comic style) shocking that it’s hard not to vibrate with sheer emotion. But what the hell are we doing in the Shadowlands? What is Sylvanas planning? And who is this strange and malevolent Jailer ?
There is a good taste for the work in the design of the scenarios, the characters, the dungeons, etc.
The great heroes of Azeroth have fallen prey to this despicable being who rules in the Maw , a hell where the souls of the most fearsome creatures of all planes of reality go to rest. You can imagine the atmosphere that is breathed there, and it is something that Blizzard wanted to enhance with a final scenario that is, in truth, a real hell also for those players who decide to enter it. He doesn’t want to be fun, he wants you to have a hard time, to feel the pressure of death on your head, and I think he does it in a remarkable way. The more enemies you kill, the more noise you make, the worse for you as the Jailer, like Sauron in Mordor, he will set his eyes on you sending his most dangerous hosts. And escaping from it is a nightmare. But before facing such a challenge, you will enjoy a fun and epic journey through the Shadowlands, divided into several kingdoms that once again surprise with their artistic design .
Each region feels unique on all levels. Their music, their characters, the stories that you will live in them; And it is important because once you reach the end of the road you will have to choose the faction you will join, with four curiae that have their own unique missions and abilities with which to increase the customization options. I have read some users unhappy with this need to choose, because certainly, some houses seem the most obvious choice for a certain class of characters, but in my case, I have loved being involved in their stories and being part of their struggle in a new world . There’s a whole new bonus campaign to keep exploring the Shadowlands, but also exclusive gear, mounts, and even miscellaneousSide activities that are so much fun, like a forge where instead of creating weapons, you will make frightening creatures Frankenstein style. And when it comes to unique abilities, more of the same. They are not a mere aesthetic addition, they have a real weight in the action, with powerful effects that can make the difference in the most tight duels … or avoid them. That if you join Venthyr you will get the power to teleport to avoid unnecessary battles.
Blizzard has done a great job designing a main campaign with everything you expect from World of Warcraft, but its efforts to get the final content to grab you and keep you in the fight for a long, long time after you meet your main goals are also noticeable. . And again I have to tell you about these pacts with the curiae, because they are associated with a great fortress that will be yours, and there is nothing more exciting than making it grow under the watchful eye of your allies. Here the Anima is used as the main currency of exchange; a resource that is obtained in most activities in the end game . And what I like the most is that in the end, as a good RPG adventure that it is, Shadowlands urges us to make decisionsthat will affect the course of the game. You can even organize parties! And creating a good guest list is a challenge, because the goal is for everyone to have a good time. You included.
Shadowlands knows how to strike a chord with every World of Warcraft fanThat is why I have enjoyed everything this expansion has to offer so much once you clear the main missions. Even when it comes to getting the legendary equipment , the formula has been improved – and a lot – with respect to what we saw in the remarkable Battle for Azeroth , fleeing from tedious tasks to get that precious loot whenever fortune smiles on you. In Shadowlands you can cultivate the necessary materials to get the desired item and make it yourselfwith sometimes surprising results. To give you an idea, as I write these lines I have on the other hand a friend who is crazy about the legendary team that he has forged, and I think that is a good indication that Blizzard has fully hit the mark with this system. Much remains to be seen, of course, but at least the essence is good and has potential. Which is good for me to tell you about the great novelty of this eighth expansion of WoW: the tower of the damned, or Torghast .
Shadowlands features a great variety of group dungeons with some truly exciting and challenging battles in its mythical version, but when you reach the end of the adventure, a challenge never before seen in the series opens before you whose essence is that of the mythical roguelike . This colossal setting in the Maw spawns its dungeons randomly, rewarding players with random powers as you advance floor to floor, room to room, defeating their fearsome final enemies. Depending on whether you play alone or in the company of friends, the difficulty will increase, also having a limited number of deaths before an invincible enemy appearswhich will force you to escape from the tower. In principle, as I say, you can face your challenges alone, although it depends a lot on how lucky you are with the distribution of skills. In this sense, there are hundreds of abilities with exclusive variants for a certain class of characters and pacts with the curiae, which, in line with other dungeon games, makes you feel more and more powerful step by step. There are abilities that transform you into a giant, or others that reward you with huge amounts of health, or even those that penalize you in some way, such as leaving you blind, in exchange for obtaining a devastating combat force.
The Jailer still has a lot to prove as a villain. What dark plans will he surprise us with in the coming months?
I have had a great time exploring this tower of the damned and I am still looking forward to moving forward until I reach the top of a scenario that promises to bring us many joys in the coming months. In addition, the first Nathria Castle raid is now available , accompanied by the world bosses, who already roam freely in the Shadowlands, being a good example of the great potential that this expansion has. And by this I mean that there is fun for a while, and it is the best news we could have. New character classes are missing, more skills for existing ones, as well as surprises in the jobs or the game mechanics themselves. Here Blizzard has been extremely conservative, but it supplements it with a great variety of dungeons that stand out for their design and their exciting combats, and all that good end game that I talked about before. So, if you haven’t played in a while, or this is your first time, I think there is no better time than now to enter the world of World of Warcraft.
Each Curia has two unique abilities that are powerful and original. Bastion, for example, allows you to summon a creature that will provide multiple benefits.
Shadowlands has also surprised me by the showiness and variety of its settings, which is now tradition. Yes, it is an old game like the most, that does not stand out neither for the animations nor the modeling of its characters; but it’s so well designed, and there’s so much taste in the art behind the scenes, the characters, the dungeons, that once again you have to surrender to the talents of Blizzard artists. From the colorful and luminous Bastion to the grotesque and wild forms of Maldraxxus, passing through the forests of Ardenweald, or the dark lands of Revendreth, which is one of the areas that I have enjoyed the most with its vampire theme. It is a more content game, which in general is quite linear, but not for that reason it is lacking in secrets and areas of interest to visit by going off the main road. And as I said, it is a game with a fantastic art that is accompanied by another great soundtrack that is at a very high level. Each region has its own compositions, and they are perfect, they put you fully into the atmosphere, and when it is noticed… it is impressive.
New classes, more skills, as well as more original game mechanics are missingWorld of Warcraft has many, many years behind it, and it shows, but Blizzard always manages to make its MMORPG look beautiful and is even able to impress with its staging and the already usual great Spanish dubbing . It could innovate more, important novelties are missing in details such as classes, and it requires a better balance between skills, pacts and characters; But if you are looking for a great online role-playing adventure, and you want to enjoy exploring incredible worlds, fighting against powerful enemies and sharing the journey with friends, it is one of the best options you will find. And I insist, it does not matter if you are a veteran or a newcomer; Shadowlands has laid the foundations for a very promising future that I can’t wait to explore.
“Very good”
World of Warcraft: Shadowlands
The journey to the Shadowlands proposed by Shadowlands is a really fun experience that paints a promising future for Blizzard’s MMORPG. His campaign is exciting, it has great epic-laden moments and others that strike a chord with every World of Warcraft fan, but the best comes when you reach the end game and face the most challenging dungeons, that great tower of the condemned which is its main novelty, and you also enjoy the missions and special activities of each of the four houses that rule in this Hereafter. In other words, there is much to discover and many good battles to fight. There are some extra character, class and profession updates missing, but overall this is a great expansion for WOW.
5 Things you should know:
- A fun campaign with very varied scenarios and great moments
- The final contents: the tower of the damned, the pacts and the dungeons
- History, art and music. WoW is still at a great level after 15 years
- The missions, in general, are not very imaginative
- New features are missing in the game mechanics, classes and professionals
