World of Warcraft: Shadowlands – Expansion Overview

The veil between life and death is no more. Discover what lies beyond the world you know in the next chapter of the World of Warcraft saga--Shadowlands: Coming 2020. In it, you will be able to explore the realm of the dead, pledge yourself to a covenant and shape your destiny, take on the boundless challenge of Torghast, Tower of the Damned, and journey through a new leveling experience.

World of Warcraft: Shadowlands, the eighth expansion for Blizzard Entertainment's acclaimed massively multiplayer online role-playing game, sends players to the ultimate undiscovered frontier-the Shadowlands, an infinite plane where the souls of the dead go to be reborn, serve, do battle, or endure endless torment. There, Azeroth's heroes must forge bonds with the powerful beings who hold dominion over the Shadowlands-among them some of the most iconic figures in the Warcraft® universe-and acquire the unearthly powers they need to uncover the extent of Sylvanas' designs.

Purchase World of Warcraft Shadowlands Today!

World of Warcraft®: Shadowlands is now available for pre-purchase in-game and through the Blizzard Shop!

Sylvanas Windrunner, fallen leader of the Horde, has pierced the veil between Azeroth and the realm of the dead, setting in motion a series of events that threaten to upset the cosmic balance between life and death. Azeroth's heroes will confront the wonders and horrors of the afterlife as they deal with the consequences of Sylvanas' actions.

Explore Azeroth's Afterlife

The Shadowlands are home to an entire universe of the departed. Journey through hidden realms of wonders and horrors that await any who pass to the other side.

Choose Your Covenant

Align yourself with one of the Shadowlands' four Covenants-otherworldly shepherds of the dead, each with their own ambitions, motives, and incredible powers to claim as your own.

Storm the Eternal Prison

Test your limits as you ascend Torghast, Tower of the Damned, a highly replayable ever-changing dungeon in the dark heart of the Maw, where the vilest souls are locked away forever.

Base, Heroic, and Epic Editions

Shadowlands is available for purchase in three digital editions: Base, Heroic, and Epic.

Shadowlands Base Edition

The Base Edition includes:

  • World of Warcraft: Shadowlands
  • Early access to Death Knights for Allied Races and Pandaren starting with the Visions of N'Zoth content update.

Shadowlands Heroic Edition

The Heroic Edition includes:

  • All content from the Base Edition
  • Instant access to a Level 120 Character Boost
  • Ensorcelled Everwyrm Flying Mount

The flying mount has a Guiding Orb that can summon Xolartios the Eternal Traveler. Speak with him to start a quest for the Vestments of the Eternal Traveler transmog set.

Shadowlands Epic Edition

The Epic Edition includes:

All bonuses from the Heroic and Epic Editions are unlocked immediately upon pre-purchase. In addition, pre-purchasing any edition of World of Warcraft: Shadowlands will open the ability for players to create pandaren and Allied Race Death Knights once the Visions of N'Zoth content update for the current expansion, Battle for Azeroth™, arrives in the coming months.

Shadowlands: Expansion Features

A host of new features and activities await players in World of Warcraft: Shadowlands. When they cross into the realm-between-realms, players will be able to:

  • Explore the Realm of the Dead: For the first time ever in World of Warcraft, players will cross into the Shadowlands and experience the wonders and horrors of the afterlife across five new zones-the gleaming fields of Bastion, the scarred battlefields of Maldraxxus, the eternal twilight of Ardenweald, the opulent keeps of Revendreth, and the horrific Maw.
  • Claim a Covenant's Power: Players will be called upon to forge a bond with one of four Covenants that rule Shadowlands' new zones, setting the tone for their journey through the expansion with a full Covenant Campaign. As they level up, they'll get new abilities based on their choice, including class-specific abilities for each Covenant-as well as developing Soulbinds with specific Covenant members, which grant them access to that character's specific traits and bonuses.
  • Ascend Tower of the Damned: At the heart of the Maw lies Torghast, Tower of the Damned, a cursed otherworldly prison where the wickedest souls in the universe are locked away. Highly replayable and inspired by roguelike games, heroes are invited to explore its ever-changing halls and chambers and do battle with the minions of the Jailer, Torghast's vile ruler. Those who brave its trials can claim legendary treasures and help free the heroic spirits wrongfully trapped within.
  • Every Level is Meaningful: Shadowlands will introduce a new leveling system, meant to provide a meaningful sense of advancement with every level achieved. Current max-level characters will begin Shadowlands at level 50 and work toward the new level cap of 60.
  • A New Army of the Dead Rises: To combat Sylvanas' assault on Icecrown, Bolvar Fordragon-the revered former paladin who took on the mantle of Lich King to keep the Scourge at bay-has raised heroes from among all the peoples of Azeroth to bolster the Death Knights of Acherus. With Shadowlands, pandaren and all allied races will now be able to become Death Knights.
  • Improved Character Customization Options: A host of new appearance options for all races will be made available to players when they create new World of Warcraft characters (or alter existing ones at the in-game barber shop).

World of Warcraft BlizzCon 2019 Panels

During the World of Warcraft: What's Next panel at BlizzCon 2019, Game Director Ion Hazzikostas dove into an overview of the world, story, and features coming in the next chapter of World of Warcraft-Shadowlands. Discover what lies beyond the veil between Azeroth and the realm of the dead. Shadowlands takes players on a journey to explore the mysteries of the World of Warcraft universe's afterlife.

In the Deep Dive panel, senior game designer Paul Kubit, lead combat designer Brian Holinka, and lead designer Kevin Martens take you deeper into the various systems and changes that will come with the expansion.

Covenants

Align yourself with one of four Covenants-mysterious sects, each with their own ambition for the Shadowlands-to restore balance to the hereafter.

You'll gain access to your Covenant's Sanctum, where you'll accept unique quests, undertake a sprawling covenant campaign, and call upon your allies to embark on important missions. You‘ll also earn unique abilities based on your Covenant and class, acquire a unique mount and visual appearance, and forge bonds with powerful souls, drawing on their essence to further customize your skills.

Kyrians

Zone: Bastion

Steadfast guardians who carry the souls of the dead.

Living beings have wished to become something greater than themselves since time immemorial. Souls deemed noble enough can prove themselves in Bastion, land of pristine spires and crystalline skies, where those who surpass their trials earn the honor of ascension to a higher calling beside the Archon, first among the winged kyrians.

The kyrians are eternal beings who draw only the most accomplished, principled, and pure into their ranks. But, as souls plunge into the Maw and upheaval rocks the Shadowlands, scores of aspiring kyrians find that they are unable to continue their journey to ascension. With the number of kyrians dwindling, their charge to ferry souls to eternity is in jeopardy. Will the Archon's devoted stand together, or will this test of faith sunder their shining kingdom?

Necrolords

Zone: Maldraxxus

Necrotic soldiers who wage war throughout the cosmos.

In the skull-and-bone laboratories of Maldraxxus, strength is rewarded, and weakness cast aside. Necromancers experiment on the souls of the ambitious and contentious, reforming only the greatest into undead soldiers who protect the Shadowlands. Those who are determined rise to positions of power. The less-promising become fuel for Maldraxxus' malign weapons.

Maldraxxus' brutal selection process has built a vast and capable militia… but its hierarchy is wobbling. The longtime leader of the realm has vanished. In his absence, five of the most eminent necrolords vie for the position, and the responsibility to advance the cause of death throughout the cosmos. Each bids on newly-arrived souls, filling their personal guard with capable soldiers and building armies larger than any yet known.

When they march, will it be towards one another… or the realms they swore to defend?

Night Fae

Zone: Ardenweald

Defenders of nature who uphold the cycle of rebirth.

If the Emerald Dream mirrors the spring and summer of life, then the star-hued plane of Ardenweald reflects life in its twilight.

Those who pass on with a deep connection to nature are tended here by the mystic night fae, who retrieve anima from mortal souls and infuse it into slumbering spirits, rejuvenating their lives with the remnants of the old.

Ardenweald has suffered more keenly from soul-drought than any other realm in the Shadowlands. For the first time in endless ages, the night fae's Winter Queen must choose which of the land's formerly lush groves-and which souls-will be fed the last precious drops of anima… and which will fade away forever.

Venthyr

Zone: Revendreth

Eaters of sin who harvest anima from wicked souls.

The venthyr have a good thing going. They lord over Revendreth's castles and ceaseless twilight while arrogant souls are delivered to their tables. The harvesters' otherworldly punishments strip the pride from their thralls, sparing them an even worse fate: eternal torment in the Maw.

But souls thus drained can't just leave Revendreth for a better place. They have years of penance to slog through while they reflect on the precarity of their afterlives. And, after eons of service, the venthyr are increasingly ruled by their decadence and pride. The very purpose of the plane may be flawed… and those who were once accusers have become gluttonous and corrupt.

Revendreth must always have a master, and rumor suggests that Denathrius, foremost among the venthyr, may no longer be fit for the role. Crowning a new Sire could return the plane to its former glory… or leave Revendreth mired in the same decadence and sin it is charged with cleansing.

Zones

What lies beyond the world you know? The Shadowlands, resting place for every mortal soul-virtuous or vile-that has ever lived. Journey through planes of torment and imprisonment to those of rebirth and eternal reward.

Bastion

Those who have lived a life of service are drawn to Bastion to assume the highest duty of all-carrying souls to the Shadowlands. Amongst Bastion's gleaming spires and sweeping vistas await challenges to test the mettle of the steadfast kyrians.

Maldraxxus

Within war-torn Maldraxxus, might-of all kinds-makes right. Here, in the birthplace of necromantic magic, those who master the powers of death turn legions of ambitious souls into relentless undead armies.

Ardenweald

A vibrant afterlife for those closely connected to the wild, Ardenweald is a domain of endless restoration tended by the mystic night fae. Within this eternal forest, massive dream trees draw in precious anima-soul essence-to feed the spirits of nature awaiting rebirth.

Revendreth

A realm of looming keeps and gothic villages, Revendreth is home to the venthyr, the harvesters of sin. The wretched souls who arrive here may find penance for their misdeeds… or merely indulge the appetites of their keepers.

The Maw

To be cast into the Maw is to be doomed to a bleak eternity. It is a tumultuous, hopeless land where the vilest souls in the cosmos are imprisoned forever. Should the ancient evil chained here break free, all of reality will be consumed.

Leveled-Up Leveling

World of Warcraft: Shadowlands will smooth out the leveling experience and better prepare new adventurers for what’s to come. Players will level up to 50 before heading to the Shadowlands (new level cap: 60).

We’ve adjusted the experience curve to make it faster than ever to prepare for the newest challenges, and each level along the way will provide more meaningful increases in progress and power. All expansion zones are getting more flexible, too; they’ll be able* to scale to you and your friends while you level to 50, so it’s easy to try a zone you’ve never played.

*You can still outlevel dungeons and crush them for transmogs or fulfillment.

Character Boost Conversions

Planning to create a new character for Shadowlands using a current 110 Character Boost or the recently revealed 120 Character Boost unlocked with pre-purchase*? When the upcoming expansion goes live, both options will create level 50 characters that allow players to jump straight into the new expansion content. In addition, the 120 Character Boost will also provide the character with a Profession boost of their choice.

In the future we will go into further detail of how the Character Boost level conversions work. To learn more about level adjustments and the Shadowlands leveling experience, check out the What's Next Panel Recap.

*120 Character Boost is available in the Heroic and Epic Shadowlands digital copies and in Complete Collection Heroic and Epic Editions physical copies.