World of Warcraft digs deep beneath the Dragon Isles in its first major content patch, Embers of Neltharion. Patch 10.1, which currently has no release date, takes players to the Zaralek Cavern, a vast expanse beneath the Dragon Isles where the Earth Aspect once kept its secret laboratories. Players will have to face off against the remaining Incarnates, powerful elemental villains with a longstanding grudge against the Aspects. In their spare time, the heroes of Azeroth can hang out with cute little mole friends and visit the snail races.
“This story and setting represent the convergence of many different threads, all sharing the common theme of legacy,” said Ion Hazzikostas, game director at World of Warcraft, talking to Polygon. Our friends, the Dragon Aspects, race to the lab against the evil incarnations. Meanwhile, Dractyr on both sides of the conflict wants to investigate the lab and find their own origins.
Embers of Neltharion brings three major updates to the game. The first is Zaralek Cave, which has three different biomes: there are pools of sulfur, plagued by corrosive chemicals, where Neltharion (aka the raid boss Deathwing) dumped his failed experiment. There are also huge crystalline pieces with stalactites and ethereal teal lighting. Finally, there are natural volcanoes and lava pools. It’s not all danger and mischief; players will encounter the drug bar (last seen in Legion) and an awesome new race of mole people called the Niffen with a new familiar circuit.
Image: Blizzard Entertainment
Hazzikostas notes that there were technical challenges in creating the cave. “Our engineers have done a lot of work over the years to — sorry, pardon the analogy — laying the groundwork for this. There used to be assumptions in the basics of the game that terrain would never be above or below other terrain. We can float platforms or geometry and things in the air, that’s no problem.” But the ground level was much harder to crack and required an investment in underground areas that will likely pay off in future patches and expansions.
The second major update is new content on the Dragon Isles. The fire Incarnate Fyrakk attacks the Dragon Isles, moving to peaceful locations and bathing them in flames. There will also be new questlines about the Blue Dragonflight and the titan Tyr. The Dragon Isles are connected to the Cavern via tunnels and natural entrances, meaning there are no loading portals or instance zones. Players can ride a dragon through the islands and descend into the cave in Thaldraszus, Azure Span, or the Ohn’ahran Plains to traverse that vast zone, all without dismounting.
“We don’t want this to feel like — okay, you’re done with your fun in the four zones of the Dragon Isles you’ve visited so far,” says Hazzikostas. “Now it’s time to spend all your time in Zaralek and never go back.”
Finally there is Aberrus, the Shadowed Crucible. It’s a nine-boss incursion into the heart of Neltharion’s ancient laboratory and all the various draconic factions in the dragon flight racing conflicts to get there first.
World of Warcraft players will return to the Dracthyr starting zone of the Forbidden Reach in the upcoming 10.0.7 patch, launching March 21st. This patch will set up the new antagonists and give players a bit more context about dragons and the Dracthyr, as well as unlock Heritage Armor Quests for orcs and humans. While no release date is available for 10.1, that final patch will include cross-faction guilds and other quality of life updates.