While working on the new World of Warcraft: Shadowlands expansion, Blizzard seems to have made it their goal to make the new content as existentially horrifying as possible. The endlessly-repeatable dungeon Torghast, Tower of the Damned, has had a few additions to add to the challenge and horror.
Earlier today, we discussed the addition of a few new mechanics to the Tower of the Damned. Blizzard has brought in Break Rooms, similar to the safe rooms of Left 4 Dead in that they grant the player a short reprieve between floors of the dungeon.
Moreover, Blizzard added in a mechanical Soft Timer, which doesn’t work as a clock on a countdown like a Mythic+ dungeon but instead as an incentive to make players finish the floor faster. While no clock is going to disqualify a player, the challenge will slowly increase the longer they stay on one floor through this new mechanic.
Cheerfully referred to as “Torments,” this mechanic adds a debuff to the player that will gradually increase the difficulty. There seem to be six different possible Torments to inflict stressful agony on the player.
It appears that Torghast will, in fact, have a timer in the form of Jailer's Torments, as brought up by @DesMephisto. https://t.co/u0561OJ7PP #WorldofWarcraft pic.twitter.com/ZiyS7awvlL
— Icy Veins (@icyveins) May 14, 2020
The first Torment is Might of the Upper Reaches. This Torment will increase the Physical damage taken by the target by 1% every minute, stacking. There has been no mention on limits of the stacking, hinting that it likely never stops.
Second, comes Mort’regar’s Echoes, which will increase the magic damage taken by the target by 1% every minute instead. Again, this effect stacks, and seems to do so infinitely.
Third, we have Breath of Coldheart, a Torment that knocks down the player’s offensive capabilities instead of their defense. The breath of the Coldheart Interstitia will decrease your damage done by 1% every two minutes and, again, stacks infinitely.
Next is Fracturing Forces, which will increase opposition against you. Every thirty seconds, this effect calls out a Mawsworn Shadestalker when the player is not in combat, denying a reprieve. These minions have 20% increased health and the effect stacks, though it’s unclear if the stacking increases the number of Shadestalkers summoned, their health, or both.
Eye of Skoldus is the fifth with a similar effect to Fracturing Forces. This Torment summons a Mawsworn Seeker every 45 seconds with 10% increased health, an effect of which, like the rest, stacks.
Finally we have Soulforge Heat, which gives a stacking debuff that deals 1% of the target’s maximum health every five seconds. This is fire damage, meaning that it can be blocked by defensive abilities such as a mage’s Fire Ward, but will ramp up quite swiftly.
And those are the six revealed Torments! As the floor number increases, the stacking will eventually place the odds into the impossible, forcing players to act quickly. If you’re going to be challenging Torghast, Tower of the Damned any time soon, good luck!
