World of Warcraft: Shadowlands is well on the way, and some alpha testing has already begun to help Blizzard iron out the earliest of issues – as well as give the community the first look into the expansion. We’ve done a good bit of coverage on the expansion as a whole recently, but one thing that we haven’t been able to discuss too deeply is Torghast, the Tower of the Damned.
Lore-wise, the Shadowlands are essentially the afterlife of the Warcraft universe, with four different realms making up the area as well as numerous other mechanics. The souls of the Damned end up in Torghast, a neverending twisting tower with horrific challenges on each floor. It’s reminiscent of Icecrown Citadel, but the developers are being a bit secretive on what the similarities between architecture and location really mean between the two landmarks.
Mechanic-wise, though, Torghast manifests as an endlessly replayable and ever-changing dungeon that can be tackled with up to five players, though you can also go solo if you’re brave enough. Different classes will interact with the Tower differently, and the dungeon will rarely if ever be the same two runs in a row. There’s also a fun feature called the Tarragrue, a horrific monstrosity that will show up if you die too many times and head towards the exit. If it reaches the exit, you fail; if it reaches you, you die.
Torghast, Tower of the Damend is now available for testing! Check out our first look at the new Shadowlands feature, including the scary traps and the Tarragrue itself! https://t.co/wKGEmCtLbe pic.twitter.com/pGGFRPyGiu
— Wowhead💙 (@Wowhead) April 16, 2020
The Tarragrue replaces a traditional timer mechanic, providing a sense of urgency and existential dread as a juggernaut of horror bears down on you, which is preferable to a ticking clock. Rather than feeling forced forward by a timer that can force you into mistakes, you’ll have the cuddly feeling of absolute terror as you go as quick as you can to avoid death at the hands of Damnation manifest. Neat!
Blizzard laid out the following death mechanics, and once these numbers are capped out, the Tarragrue will begin its march. The death caps are as follows:
- If solo, three deaths are allowed per floor.
- If tackling Torghast as a duo, you will be allowed five deaths per floor.
- Trios will be allowed seven deaths per floor.
- Parties of four will be allowed nine deaths per floor.
- Full parties of five will be allowed eleven deaths per floor.
Again, hitting – or even surpassing – these death caps won’t end your Torghast run, so you can die as many times as you want without failing out. It’s the Tarragrue itself that you’ll need to worry about, who will spawn at the start of the floor thirty seconds after you hit the death cap. If you can make it out of the floor before the Tarragrue does, you’ll be able to continue like nothing ever happened!
