In the upcoming World of Warcraft: Shadowlands expansion, players will be launched into the realms of death with the horrific Maw as their first stop. Here in this bleak and hopeless landscape, players will fight against the forces of the Jailer until inevitably succumbing.
During a recent developer update, quite a bit about the new endgame zone was released. Continuing to tease out information, though, Blizzard saw fit to post a lengthy blog post about what we can expect in the Maw.
The Maw is the realm of the Jailer, an ancient evil that threatens to unravel and consume reality. It additionally serves as the game’s version of Hell, wherein the worst souls are sent to suffer for eternity. Unfortunately, the dormancy of the Arbiter has now caused all souls to be forced into the Maw regardless of deeds.
We as players will, of course, be braving the Maw, because what sort of adventurer doesn’t trudge through a bleak and horrid landscape in search of reward and virtue? While your journey begins there, it isn’t until you’ve reached max level and braved the rest of the Shadowlands that you’ll return.
Once you return, the hostile environment will test you in every way possible. The Mawsworn, beings who have sworn their service to the Jailer, will harry players at every turn as you work to free souls that were sent to the Maw unjustly.
Blizzard posted a blog post with their official preview of The Maw, the max level zone of #Shadowlands! #Warcrafthttps://t.co/oHNgCQVeQm pic.twitter.com/KHIm9pkCTg
— Wowhead💙 (@Wowhead) July 10, 2020
Through this, players will collect Stygia, a Maw-specific currency used to purchase tools and buffs from the mysterious broker Ve’nari. The Cyphers purchased from this broker will aid you in the Maw and Torghast, as well as granting some collectible cosmetics.
One of the key mechanics of the zone will be the Eye of the Jailer, the ever-watchful and somewhat Sauron-esque gaze upon you at all times. While you disrupt the Jailer’s activities in the Maw, your Threat level will increase.
As your Threat increases, the challenges you face will gradually increase. For example, the Jailer will send his Mawsworn to hunt you down, launching assassins and even high-damage siege fire to harry you.
At the max Threat level, which caps at 5, players essentially incur death. Life is siphoned from the player until they eventually fall, though the exact rate of drainage hasn’t yet been discussed. Once you’ve fallen, you won’t be able to enter the Maw again until the next day.
All in all, the Maw is shaping up to be an interesting and somewhat-infinite feature for endgame content that will undoubtedly evolve as the lifespan of the Shadowlands expansion continues on. We’re likely to get considerably more information on the mechanic as time moves on, so keep your eyes open!
