Shadowlands

Shadowlands is the eighth expansion for the online role-playing game World of Warcraft, developed by Blizzard Entertainment and released on October 27, 2020. It transports players to the Shadowlands, the afterlife realm where souls are judged and prepared for their fate. The central narrative centers on a breach in the afterlife caused by the Jailer, a new antagonist whose plans threaten both life and death.

The expansion introduces four main zones representing different realms within the afterlife: Bastion, Maldraxxus, Ardenweald, and Revendreth, along with the Maw, a harsh punishment zone. Central to the experience is the Covenant system, where players join one of four factions—Kyrian, Necrolords, Night Fae, or Venthyr. Each Covenant offers unique abilities, storylines, and progression through Renown and Soulbinds, shaping character development and playstyle.

Gameplay changes include a level cap squish, reducing maximum character level to 60. Players can opt to progress through Covenants or use the Threads of Fate to level quickly by bypassing Covenant campaigning. Torghast, Tower of the Damned, returns as a roguelike dungeon with increasingly difficult challenges, while the Maw provides a persistent open-world area with ongoing objectives and rewards. Soulbinds, along with a system of conduits and Anima-powered progression, anchor progression within each Covenant.

Content and reception: Shadowlands launched with the Castle Nathria raid, followed by multiple patches that introduced additional raid wings and dungeons, such as Sanctum of Domination and Eternity’s End. The expansion was praised for its storytelling and worldbuilding but faced critique over endgame pacing and the Covenant-driven progression grind.