{"id":3557,"date":"2026-04-13T19:43:15","date_gmt":"2026-04-13T19:43:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/5fbd7a6fe4b017964f14a257"},"modified":"2026-04-13T19:43:15","modified_gmt":"2026-04-13T19:43:15","slug":"world-of-warcraft-shadowlands-review-in-progress","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/world-of-warcraft-shadowlands-review-in-progress\/","title":{"rendered":"World of Warcraft: Shadowlands Review in Progress"},"content":{"rendered":"

With around six hours under my shiny new +84 Agility belt, I can already see that World of Warcraft: Shadowlands<\/a> doesn\u2019t only straddle the line between life and death \u2013 it straddles the line between what was and what could be for Blizzard\u2019s 16-year-old MMO<\/a>. While it bombards us with familiar characters like Thrall, Jaina Proudmoore, and Darion Mograine in its opening fanfare, it also proceeds to gleefully kick open the doors to new corners of the Warcraft universe and introduce the intimidating Jailer. As the first main bad guy in WoW\u2019s history who didn\u2019t originate in the RTS games in some way, his arrival seems like the start of a whole new chapter that isn\u2019t so beholden to rehashing past glories.<\/p>\n

This isn\u2019t the first time WoW has ventured outside of Azeroth<\/a>; we\u2019ve already seen the destroyed orc homeworld of Outland<\/a> and even the terrifying depths of the Burning Legion base of operations on Argus<\/a>. But the various afterlives of the Shadowlands are on a completely different plane of existence, and prove that Blizzard\u2019s zone designers can still surprise us. The soaring, angular spires of the city of Oribos and the muted, dreamlike fields of Bastion effectively sell the idea that we\u2019re really not in Elwynn anymore with their otherworldly architecture and diverse denizens. The skies are filled with enigmatic gates and impossible light shows of twisting energy. The colors are far less saturated than we\u2019re used to seeing on terrestrial Azeroth, and the creatures who live here are bizarre, distinct, and wonderful.<\/output>Our introduction to this new world is a bit light on whimsy, though, since we\u2019re dumped pretty much immediately into the Maw \u2013 basically Warcraft\u2019s version of Hell, where the most wicked souls go to suffer eternally. Everything from the foreboding music to the sickly orange color palette feel as oppressive as Icecrown while completely departing from its icy, blue and black look. The wicked enemies and buildings are still in line with the Lich King\u2019s sense of style, though, reminding us that we\u2019re seeing the realm from which his power originated.<\/p>\n

It has all the drama, momentum, and excitement you\u2019d expect in the opening of a blockbuster fantasy movie.<\/p>\n
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Our first trek through this nightmare is fast-paced, action-packed, and introduces us to the menacing Jailer in properly striking fashion. It has all the drama, momentum, and excitement you\u2019d expect in the opening of a blockbuster fantasy movie. I do think it was a bit of a missed opportunity, though, to simply send us here through magic portals. If the Champion of Azeroth had actually died to get to the Shadowlands, that would have been a shocking but hugely effective step on our hero\u2019s journey.<\/p>\n

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Every IGN World of Warcraft Review<\/p>\n