Blizzconline Leak: Chains of Domination and BC Classic

 Well, I've got to imagine it sucks when something this big that you've been working on leaks online. Still, with the info out there, I have to say I'm pretty excited about what this entails.

As a big old disclaimer: none of this is official, and while I think it's unlikely for much of it to change, given how soon Blizzconline is happening, this is still stuff that Blizzard has not pulled the trigger on announcing.

This is coming from MMO-Champion's main page, so it's a pretty reputable source.

If you want to let the announcements speak for themselves, I'll put a spoiler cut here:

First, let's get this out of the way: Burning Crusade will be getting its own Classic servers. This is about as shocking as the sun coming up this morning, given that Blizzard hasn't been particularly shy about asking players how enthusiastic they'd be for such a thing.

It sounds like players will have the option of whether to keep their vanilla classic characters in the 1.X era, or to progress to Burning Crusade. The announcement suggests that existing servers will be transformed into BC ones, though there will be new Vanilla-only servers. I'm assuming there will be free transfers, though I'd also think that this process for conversion will likely be subject to change.

Now, the big stuff:

Chains of Domination is the name for patch 9.1, and will see such things as a new raid, a new mega-dungeon, and what sounds like a whole new zone, along with new story.

So let's go down this list:

The Sanctum of Domination will be a new raid set within the deepest reaches of Torghast. It's a 10-boss raid and will include fights against the true Eye of the Jailer, the Tarragrue, and a final confrontation with Sylvanas Windrunner. Those who are all caught up on the Torghast quests (including your first run of Twisting Corridors) will likely know who else will be featured in the raid. (There's concept art for this character in the leak.)

Korthia is a new area that the Jailer has pulled into the Maw (getting serious Planescape vibes here) known as the City of Secrets. We'll have this new region as a questing hub with various outdoor activities.

Tazavesh is a new 8-boss mega-dungeon that seems to be a vast bazaar run by the Brokers - the dungeon culminates in a heist. I adore the Brokers, so any chance to hang out in their aesthetic (and maybe figure out what they're up to) is very welcome.

Finally, we'll be getting expansions to the existing systems as one might expect - which I assume means new Soublind rows and a higher renown cap. This will also include flying within the four covenant zones.

So, overall, this looks roughly like what I'd expect to see for a 9.1, which is not a bad thing. It's coming a bit later than I'd prefer, but given the pandemic, everything's going to be a bit delayed.