World of Warcraft: Shadowlands completely changes the Maw

The Maw is World of Warcraft: Shadowlandit is the most polarizing feature. It becomes more difficult to survive inside The Maw as players spend more time there, and the zone’s Eye of the Jailer debuff eventually forces the heroes of Azeroth to retreat to the next day.

On the one hand, The Maw does a great job of making players feel overwhelmed in a hostile area – after all, it’s the most hellish version of World of Warcraft‘Shell. But it is not everyone’s favorite resource. “One of the fun things about sending The Maw looking as oppressive as it looks, is that it has polarized a little bit in terms of how players feel about it,” said Jeremy Feasel, one of World of Warcraftleading game designers from.

In an interview with Polygon before the opening ceremony of BlizzConline, Feasel and Frank Kowalkowski, World of Warcraftthe technical director, talked about how The Maw will expand and evolve in World of Warcraft: Shadowlandsnext patch 9.1, Chains of Domination. The Maw is about to become a war zone, ironically making it a much safer place for the Champions of Azeroth.

Image: Blizzard Entertainment

At the beginning of Chains of Domination, The Jailer drags Broker’s kingdom, Korthia, to The Maw. This fundamentally changes parts of the zone, as the Jailer grafts this new realm to the side of the game space, allowing players to explore a completely new area.

“We want it to look like a contiguous space,” said Feasel. “Then [The Maw and Korthia] everything will be a perfect zone now. ”

9.1 Maw will be a new and familiar mix – although Kowalkowski has confirmed that there will still be a pre-Korthia instance of Maw for new characters. Players will attack these new lands alongside their Covenants, who will establish safe zone bases within the hostile zone.

These bases generate several benefits. “An attack in this area, and really bringing everyone [the Covenants] forces to endure, pushes back much of that oppression, ”said Feasel of The Maw’s current restrictions. “The presence of the Covenants and having a base there will mitigate the effects of the Wailer’s Eye. This will allow you to spend much more time at The Maw. “

Players can expand their Covenant’s strengths through side missions, such as one focused on the Warden’s Eye. This mission will not only teach players why the debuff exists and the history of this mysterious entity, but it will also allow them to purify themselves of the debuff over time.

Players are also unable to use their own mounts in The Maw, except for two very specific mounts that are difficult to find. This makes The Maw especially tedious for slow classes like Paladins, Death Knights and Warlocks. The war against Jailer will solve that problem as well.

Image: Blizzard Entertainment

“Having the Covenants here, in space, will also allow your mounts to respond to your call once again,” said Feasel. However, Blizzard confirmed that while the flight is arriving in the Shadowlands in version 9.1, players will never be able to fly The Maw.

Feasel and Kowalkowski want this new war on The Maw to make players feel liberated, as if their Covenants are making a difference in the cruel world they have known in recent months. “This feeling of the Covenants having that impact would not have been possible without things looking a little difficult to deal with before,” said Feasel.

Although The Maw has certainly frustrated us and a legion of other players at times, Feasel certainly makes a good point. Players will have to wait and see how impactful these changes will be when Chains of Domination is released later this year.