[GameSpot] - World of Warcraft: Shadowlands' Final Patch Will Put An End To The Jailer's Plans

[343iBot]

World of Warcraft's patch 9.2, Eternity's End, has been revealed, and it will be "the final chapter of one book of the Warcraft saga," says lead narrative designer Steve Danuser in a new developer preview.

Patch 9.2 will take players to the realm of Zereth Mortis, described as a workshop for the mythical First Ones, and the location responsible for all creation. The Jailer, the big bad of the Shadowlands expansion, seeks to breach the Sepulcher of the First Ones in order to rewrite the rules of creation. Of course, it will be up to players to stop him, in what will be the expansion's final raid. Along the way players will confront Anduin, the fallen King of Stormwind who is under the control of the Jailer's domination magic.

Most WoW expansions conclude after three, or sometimes even four, major content patches before moving on to the next expansion. Based on comments made by Danuser in the developer preview, where he says the Shadowlands expansion is a story told in three acts and that this is the "final chapter," it certainly sounds like patch 9.2 will mark the end of the expansion. If that is in fact the case, Shadowlands will be the second expansion in the game's history, alongside Warlords of Draenor, to have received only two content updates.

Some of the most exciting news to come from the developer preview is that class-based Tier sets are making a welcome return after being absent since the game's Legion expansion. The sets will be obtainable through the Sepulcher of the First Ones raid, PvP, and Mythic+ dungeons.

While exploring Zereth Mortis, players will aid the Enlightened, a group of brokers that arrived long ago and have devoted themselves to the pursuit of knowledge. Along the way, players will team up with the realm's automa to decipher a lost language and unlock more of Zereth Mortis' secrets. Patch 9.2 will, as expected, also bring new mounts, a new PvP season, changes to professions, and updates to various Shadowlands systems like Soulbinds.

There's no word yet on when patch 9.2 will be arriving, or even when it will be added to the game's public test realm, but Blizzard says more details will be coming as those dates draw closer.

WoW recently received patch 9.1.5. While not a content patch, it brought major fan-requested changes to various Shadowlands' systems alongside the removal or alteration of older content the WoW team has found to be problematic in the years since the content's original release. WoW game director Ion Hazzikostas recently said in an interview that the changes to old content are being made in order to make sure Azeroth is a welcoming and inclusive environment.

The effort to take a second look at some of the game's older content comes as Activision Blizzard continues to deal with the fallout related to sexual harassment and discrimination allegations described in multiple lawsuits and investigations.

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