The first contact with this extension may surprise those who have not followed the news of the game in recent months, since Blizzard imposes a "level squish" on all characters. This global, automatic and mandatory reduction in levels will therefore bring your level 120 heroes back to level 50. Thereafter, the content of Shadowlands will allow you to reach the new maximum level, set at 60. Obviously, everything has been updated. scale, whether it's the power of items, enemies or your blows. In concrete terms, you don't lose anything... or gain anything, for that matter. As a result, we are still looking for the interest of the maneuver, especially since the increase in the maximum level has always been presented as a selling point each time a new extension is released. So let's move on to this somewhat strange choice, and let's take a closer look at the brand new starting area brought by this new add-on. Entitled Les Confins de l'Exil, it allows you to quickly raise a newly created character from level 1 to level 10. Particularly well done, it is both didactic and enjoyable. Casually the developers will teach you the intricacies of your class, how to look for a group for dungeons, and even how to use a "/ sign". This mini-adventure, which takes place on an island following the sinking of your boat, has absolutely no downtime since in one hour of time, you will have the opportunity to ride a giant boar, to be carried in the air by a reconnaissance drone, or even being transformed into an Ogre to infiltrate an enemy base. The highlight of this starting area is a first small dungeon (the Nightmaul Citadel), after which you will be more or less released into the wild, free to explore the Battle for Azeroth narrative arc in order to pass from level 10 at level 50. Shadowlands naturally takes control from level 50 to level 60 and then reveals its main scenario. This one stars Sylvanas Windrunner who, following an attack on the Ice Throne, tore the veil separating the world of the living from that of the dead: the Shadowlands.
TO INFINITY AND THE BEYOND
Listening only to his courage, your hero will therefore travel the Shadowlands in pursuit of Sylvanas. This journey will give him the opportunity to visit a new capital (Oribos) and five new regions, including the Maw. This particularly inhospitable place, guarded by an impressive Jailer, will be your favorite endgame playground. But before getting there, you will have to go through the regions of Bastion, Maldraxxus, Sylvarden and Revendreth. The scenario imposes the order of visitation on you in a linear way, but it is rather a good thing because you will then have to swear allegiance to one of the four congregations corresponding to these four regions. You will be able to make your choice in full knowledge of the facts, whether for aesthetic, scriptwriting or gameplay considerations. Because it is one of the strengths of this extension to be able to offer us atmospheres that are extremely different from each other. The land of the Kyrians, the Bastion, turns out to be truly heavenly. It favors light, pastel tones, while its winged, blue-skinned inhabitants team up with robots in glittering gold armor and helpful little humanoid owls.
Conversely, the Necrolords of Maldraxxus are all about violence and combat. Besides, your first steps in this region will take place in an arena where dozens of players face dozens of creatures, each more sticky than the other. The next step is intended to be a little more serene since, despite their horns and cloven hooves, the Night Fae of Ardenweald prove to be more mystical than diabolical. They live in an enchanted forest, where small winged creatures and a gentle, nocturnal atmosphere go hand in hand. Finally, the last congregation that remains to be mentioned is that of the Venthyrs of Revendreth. Back to the dark, since Gothic architecture and vampiric creatures will be your daily life here. It is really pleasant to be able to progress in such varied places even if, within the same region, the quests are quite unequal. If some are heavily scripted and use little gameplay tricks, they are still too many to rely on the classic "bring four things and kill five things".
SHADOWS OF THE SHADOWLAND
Fortunately, the Shadowlands experience is not limited to the rise to level 60. It is precisely once you have reached this level that you have to join one of the four congregations. In doing so, we are entitled to specific missions, skills, mounts, pets and armor. There are still some common principles between the different clans, such as the adventure table. The latter allows adventurers to be sent on "offline" and "off-gameplay" missions, with a small additional tactical subtlety compared to usual: the possibility of freely placing units on a grid, which will have its importance when resolving (automatic and turn-based) combat. The new Soulbinds system is even more important. As its name suggests, it offers us to link the soul of our character to that of a hero of the congregation to which we have pledged allegiance. Concretely, this gives us access to a particular passive talent tree. Naturally, Shadowlands also has its share of new dungeons and raids. Thus, you will come across four dungeons during your progress (Necrotic Wake, Maleplague, Mists of Tirna Scithe, Halls of Atonement) and will be able to farm four others once the maximum level has been reached (Arrows of Ascension, Theater of Pain, The Other Side, Bloody Depths).
The first raid to emerge is Castle Nathria, which is located in Revendreth and therefore gives pride of place to ghouls, gargoyles and other vampires. Torment, the tower of the damned, is a more unexpected novelty since it is an infinite dungeon, inspired by rogue-like game mechanics (temporary powers, content randomly generated in each game, increasing difficulty... ). This should ensure an even longer lifespan for a game that is already not lacking in longevity. Moreover, if the sixteen years of WoW necessarily feel graphically, the artistic direction once again saves the day. The engine continues to be improved over time, of course, but the "great" technical novelty of this 2020 version left us completely unmoved. This is the essential ray tracing support. Except that the latter is limited to the management of shadows and not to reflections, for a result that is very difficult to discern… apart from the loss of framerate!
