On January 15, WoW (buy now 14,99 € ): Battle for Azeroth will receive Patch 8.3, the last major update before the release of the Shadowlands expansion, which is scheduled for release later this year. On the occasion of the upcoming patch, Senior Game Producer Michael Byee and Lead Narrative Designer Steve Danuser answered wowhead's questions in an interview. We have summarized the interesting answers and insights for you.

Table of Contents

  1. 1Newinfo about the gameplay in WoW Patch 8.3
  2. 2Newinfo about the lore of WoW Patch 8.3

New info on gameplay in WoW Patch 8.3

  • Corrupted items came into play primarily as a narrative decision, they should fit the story of the patch - the replacement of titanium forged was "tertiary", that is, incidental. Player choice has been important - how corrupted do you want to get, what can you equip?
  • We get the first corrupted item in the introductory quest line.
  • Corrupted items don't drop in normal dungeons, but only in the new season of Mythic+, which doesn't start on Day 1.
  • The large flying worms during N'Zoth's invasions are not meant to discourage players from flying, but to illustrate how the Old God's influence makes these regions more dangerous. You just have to be a little more careful where you fly.
  • The initial quest line is lengthy when first played (about two hours), but should be shorter for alts by allowing you to skip sections: The scenarios around the Forge of Origin and the Machine of Nalak'sha with Magni will be skippable via dialogue. The rest of the content will boost your character's strength anyway and reward him with reputation, items and currency, so it's not so bad as a repetition from the developers' point of view.

In Uldum and in the Valley of Eternal Blossoms, the flying worms (top left) are ominous harbingers of N'Zoth: Anyone who flies near them will have to deal with debuffs. Source: buffed

  • Death Knights for Allied Races are available to all Shadowlands pre-orderers starting in patch 8.3. This also includes the new launch scenarios, which explain why these races can now suddenly be Death Knights.
  • Will PvP and dungeon rewards be capped in the first week due to the removal of Titan Forged? While World Quest rewards & co will still drop to Season 3 levels in the first week, the item level for these rewards will change to Season 4 the following Tuesday.
  • Lesser visions of N'Zoth are open world and not scenario because the developers were able to better illustrate what the world would look like should N'Zoth win. You enter these areas and are suddenly confronted with them, instead of just experiencing them in a closed area. N'Zoth, as an Old God, can change reality, so this suits him.
  • There is no info regarding catch-up mechanics for the legendary cloak - but late starters should not feel punished.

New info about the lore of WoW Patch 8.3

  • Players who have kept the Gift of N'Zoth, like Sylvanas followers, can look forward to getting special lines of dialogue or the like.
  • Will Ny'alotha end the story of the Old Gods? The developers point out that N'Zoth is the last Old God still "infecting" Azeroth - accordingly, defeating him will bring this story to a "very good conclusion." However, the Void itself remains, to the extent that no one knows if this threat will manifest in another form when we explore the WoW cosmos in the future.
  • Furorion's return - why now? The Black Prince comes into action in this patch because the Black Dragonflight is very closely tied to the Old Gods. Furorion wants to save the world, make amends. The Azerite Essence quests have already hinted that his swarm will play a bigger role in the future.
  • Will Azshara's story end in Ny'alotha? The raid will demonstrate the consequences of the Naga Queen's deal with N'Zoth and what her defeat means. According to the developers, the character's theme will once again become clearer in the raid and "interesting things" will be built up that will pay off narratively later on.
  • What will become of Xal'atath? The developers are already looking forward to when this character returns at some point - as announced by themselves - because Xal'atath is great fun for them.
  • Datamining suggests that Alleria continues to hear voices that sound even louder than before, despite N'Zoth's defeat. The developers remain mysterious, but pose an important question: "Were the Old Gods a conduit for these whispers, or were these voices coming from something greater?"

The Valley of Eternal Blossoms in WoW becomes a target for N'Zoth's forces, but shows back to its former glory when it's not being overrun. Source: buffed

  • Why no new zones, but a rework of the Valley of Eternal Blossoms and Uldum? According to the devs, the two zones lent themselves perfectly and make sense as a setting, as they are of great importance to N'Zoth due to the facilities there. This will be made clear in the quest line of Patch 8.3. It also gave the developers a chance to make the Valley of Eternal Blossoms prettier again, because it was changed at a time when they couldn't incorporate temporary changes like they do today.
  • The Horde looks peaceful after the war campaign, while the Alliance looks restless - will this aspect be addressed further? The aftermath of the war will definitely play a role in the future, players can't just come back from the war and then say "business as usual". Despite N'Zoth, despite Shadowlands: the effects of the Fourth War will affect Azeroth for years to come, according to the devs.

The full interview is available on wowhead in English.

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