World of Warcraft: Shadowlands – Chains of Domination Interviews

With the Chains of Domination content update for World of Warcraft’s Shadowlands expansion launching shortly, we can now check out a couple of interviews with the game’s developers that focus on the update’s new features, development, lore, the big Sylvanas raid encounter, and more.

First, here’s a Eurogamer interview with lead quest designer Johnny Cash and technical director Frank Kowalkowski:

Will we learn more about the First Ones in Korthia?

Johnny Cash: There’s a lot of secrets hidden in Korthia, right? And we’ve heard little snippets here and there about some of these groups, like the First Ones. The Primus’ message to us early in Shadowlands has a mention of these First Ones in a vague kind of way. That kind of information is something we would never want the Jailer to find out. Will we learn more about them? What will we learn? I don’t want to spoil the coolest parts of the patch! But what I can tell you is there are a lot of things players have learned a little bit about in Shadowlands so far – and characters like Uther, Tyrande or what the Jailer’s up to, what his ultimate plan is – we’re going to learn more about a lot of those things in Chains of Domination. We’ll get some more questions, too! But we’re also going to answer a lot of things. Some of the answers players have really been searching for are going to be really satisfying to finally hear.

And then, there’s also this AusGamers interview with game director Ion Hazzikostas:

“The encounter that has been crafted at the end of the Raid – I think it’s epic,” Ion continues. “It’s on a scale that exceeds the vast majority of what we’ve ever tried to pull off in past Raids. And there is a combination that I can’t spoil, but I am looking forward to seeing the community discuss and dissect as they try to figure out what’s next for her. And what’s next for the Shadowlands as a whole.”

Having Sylvanas show up as the final boss in 9.1’s big Raid is something born from the nature of World of Warcraft’s biggest confrontations. “When we’re contending with these major figures, characters who are at a power level such that no single adventurer could ever hope to stand against them, it’s going to require the combined might of a Raid to push the narrative forward,” Ion says. “And through them, as it were.”