Shadowlands Alpha - Introduction Experience

[Feedbot]

Shadowlands Alpha - Introduction Experience
The Shadowlands Alpha servers are back up and the introduction experience is now available for testing!

CONTAINS MAJOR SPOILERS

• You begin by taking a portal to the top of Icecrown to find the leaders of the Alliance and Horde talking to Bolvar and his death knights. Anduin, Jaina, Baine, and Thrall are suspiciously absent from this meeting however.
• Darion Morgraine greets you, explaining that "before her minions abducted key leaders, the Banshee Queen attacked Icecrown. She cut a path to the Frozen Throne and seized the Helm of Domination. Look to the sky and you will see the results of her actions. I...have never beheld anything like this. But shattering the helm also freed Bolvar Fordragon from the burden of the Lich King. Bolvar has recovered and believes he knows where the Banshee has taken those she abducted."
• As you approach, you find the two factions arguing. Lor'themar remarks that these are troubled times and both factions need stability. He doesn't seem to believe that sending Azeroth's leaders on a potential suicide mission is smart, and thinks those who are not present would also agree.
• Tyrande calls him a coward and exclaims that she would pay any price to see the Banshee impaled upon her glaive. Genn says he wants the same, but agrees with Lor'themar. Anduin wouldn't want them to risk the well-being of the Alliance for his sake.
• Calia tells Tyrande that the kaldorei will need their leader to have any hope of finding peace, to which Tyranda responds by scoffing at the idea of the Forsaken speaking of peace after what they have done.
• Bolvar silences everyone, stating that the war is over and a more pressing threat is now at hand.
• When you talk to him, Bolvar explains that when Sylvanas shattered the Helm of Domination, her soul became indelibly linked to the helm, much as his had when he donned it. He can now sense her presence, and knows where she has gone. He says the helm can bring us to where we need to go to rescue our leaders, but it cannot bring us back. Only we can do that on our own. He asks you to complete the ritual at the Frozen Throne to open to the rift into the Maw.
• As you place the shards of the helm around the center rune, Bolvar talks about how he glimpsed many realms of death as the Lich King, and always felt a dark presence at the edge of his consciousness. It was not Arthas or Ner'zhul but something else. He now senses it lurking in the sky above, and it cannot be left unchecked. He lends you the Knights of the Ebon Blade for your travels.

​

• A cutscene that has not been implemented yet shows you and the Ebon Blade fall through the portal and crash into the Maw. The Ebon Blade is scattered and you are surrounded by Mawsworn enemies.
• You and Darion must rally 10 death knights while also defeating 8 Mawsworn forces. You also are tasked with bringing down Ruiner Maroth.
• After you must scout Calcis for any signs of your allies. You get the extra action ability Ebon Clarion, which is a 3 minute cooldown spell that summons Ebon Blade reinforcements to help you.
• You find Mawsworn frozen and a sheep which Darion remarks looks like the work of Jaina. You find her taking care of a few enemies and then attending to an injured Thrall. You prepare to find shelter when suddenly Mawsworn Kyrian descend from the sky. You slay a few of them before Jaina teleports all of you away, leaving some mirror images behind to distract them.
• You follow Jaina to Forlorn Respite, a cave just down the hill, while fending off Mawsworn Kyrian and taking out their leader. Darion asks Jaina if she saw Tyrande before they arrived as she had leapt into the portal just before us, but Jaina says that she has not. She fears the Night Warrior Power might be too much for Tyrande to contain.

​

• Jaina says that Anduin knew their allies would come to help, but she had started to lose hope. She doesn't even know how long it's been since time loses all meaning here. She decides to tell you what she knows about this place, conjuring ice sculptures as she does. She says this place is called The Maw and is a jail for the most irredeemable souls, but Thrall cuts in saying that they have seen pure, noble souls held captive here as well. Jaina agrees, and says Sylvanas must be behind it. Sylvanas has made a powerful ally that the shades here call...The Jailer.
• She explains that the Jailer seems to be particularly interested in them and has overseen their treatment here personally. Thrall says it seems that all the torments that have been facing were as if they were being tested. The others are still being held captive and they have been unable to save them. She says the Maw seems inescapable. Darion suggests that they ask the souls here if there is a way out. Jaina has talked to a few of them, but most haven't been here very long and were either aggressive or broken. She says that if she could extract their secrets it might tell us what we need to know, and Darion says the Ebon Blade have a way to compel the dead to speak.
• He suggests you subdue some shades and use the shattered helm of domination to compel them to speak. They provide nothing, and you then find a stronger soul, the Tormented Amalgamation, to subdue and bring back to the cave. You find out that Anduin is being held in a place the shades call The Tremaculum and you must try to rescue him with Thrall and Jaina. She leaves behind her staff so she can teleport back once you succeed.

​

• You find a portal not too far outside the cave and use it to get up to The Tremaculum. There, you find a maze of traps and spikes before a restrained Anduin being taunted by Sylvanas. He says he will not be broken, to which she says, "struggle all you like. You will never leave here, little lion. All that you fought for, all that you struggled to protect, will be consumed by the Maw."
• Jaina and Thrall watch while hidden, and there is an unimplemented scene where Sylvanas taunts Anduin and leaves. You approach Anduin, and he tells you to collect the Afflictor's Key from Phael the Afflictor while also collecting keys from Mawsworn to free 15 shackled souls.
• With Anduin free, Jaina teleports everyone back to the cave and says Baine should be being held on the far side of the soul river. She tells you to speak to Darion to see what he's learned. Anduin heals Thrall's wounds.
• You find out from the amalgamation that the path out was sealed long ago, but it is a waystone located at the Cauldron where Baine is being held. Jaina says that we must now head to Zovaal's Cauldron to rescue him and investigate the way out by crossing the River of Souls. Anduin joins the party as well.

​

• As you cross the River of Souls via a bridge, Helya suddenly erupts from the river, saying your unworthy souls will feed the coming darkness. Jaina taunts her by saying that Helya was beaten soundly by "unworthy champions," and Helyva gets angry, flinging you into the river as Thrall throws his axe at her.
• You escape to find that the Jailer has Baine. There is an unimplemented scene where he throws Baine off of Sovaal's Cauldron, but you must rescue him during it as in the next scene Anduin is attending to his wounds. Baine's spirit is weakened, and Thrall says he has seen something like this very far from here. He says the Shadowmoon Clan used to use similar dark magic to kill the spirit even as wounds healed. He suggests you find the dagger used to curse Baine while also helping him get a replacement weapon for himself.
• You then use the dagger to rid the spirit curse from Baine and ask him about the waystone. He remembers seeing one up the ridge. Jaina conceals you and you head through the Jailer's forces. Baine remarks that the Jailer has an army that rivals the legion. Thrall says that more are pouring in from Azeroth..Draenor...worlds beyond our imagination. All are damned to this place.
• There are eyes you need to avoid to stay hidden, but you eventually make it to the obelisk and try to find a way to activate it, but it only seems to be responding to you. Anduin says it doesn't seem to be Titan markings, and suggests you try to activate it.
• The Jailer takes notice that "a relic of the first one is responding to a mortal," which he deems impossible and sends his minions to stop it. You must hold them off while the obelisk charges. The Jailer taunts you, saying all you know will be undone and death comes for the soul of your world. As his minions close in, you activate the waystone. A placeholder scene says that the heroes hold off the minions long enough for you to escape to Oribos, but they are not with you when you arrive which probably means they don't make it through with you.

​

Continue reading...