Shadowlands Alpha - Intro Questline Playthrough (Story Spoilers)

Posted 2020/06/25 at 6:51 PM by Neryssa

Shadowlands Announcement Trailer

WARNING: SHADOWLANDS STORY SPOILERS AHEAD!

Acherus' Arrival

Highlord Darion Mograine: Before her minions abducted key leaders, the Banshee Queen attacked Icecrown. She cut a path to the Frozen Throne and seized the Helm of Domination.
Highlord Darion Mograine: Look to the sky and you will see the results of her actions. I... have never beheld anything like this.
Highlord Darion Mograine: But shattering the helm also freed Bolvar Fordragon from the burden of being the Lich King.
Highlord Darion Mograine: Bolvar has recovered, and believes he knows where the Banshee has taken those she abducted.

Alliance: Muradin, Tyrande, Greymane, Mekkatorque, Alleria

Horde: Lor'themar, Rokhan, Thalyssra, Valeera, Calia

Through the Shattered Sky

Lor'themar Theron: ...the peace remains tenuous. These are troubled times. Our people need stability--Alliance and Horde alike.
Lor'themar Theron: We cannot risk sending Azeroth's leaders on what might well be a suicide mission. Our friends who were abducted would offer the same counsel.
Tyrande Whisperwind: Coward! I would pay any price to see the Banshee impaled upon my glaive!
Genn Greymane: I too want Sylvanas to answer for her crimes. But Lor'themar is right. Anduin wouldn't want us to risk the well-being of the Alliance for his sake.
Calia Menethil: The Kaldorei need you if they are to have any hope of finding peace, High Priestess.
Tyrande Whisperwind: You dare speak to me of peace? After the atrocities your kind inflicted?!
Highlord Bolvar Fordragon: Enough! The war is over. We can ill afford to start another.
Highlord Bolvar Fordragon: A far more pressing threat is at hand, and we must prepare to face it.
---
When Sylvanas shattered the Helm of Domination, her soul became indelibly linked to the helm, much as mine had become when I donned it the first time.
I can sense her presence, and I know where she has gone.
If you wish to rescue your leaders, the shattered helm can open a path. It cannot bring you back, however. That, you must do on your own.
---
Highlord Bolvar Fordragon: When the Banshee shattered the helm, it tore a gaping wound through the veil between our world and the Shadowlands.
Highlord Bolvar Fordragon: During my vigil upon the Frozen Throne, I caught fleeting glimpses into the realms of Death. Among them, I saw a place of inescapable darkness.
Highlord Bolvar Fordragon: This is where you must go, if you are to save those Sylvanas has taken. Together, we can open the way.
Highlord Bolvar Fordragon: The dangers you face will be considerable. Alone, you may well be outmatched.
Highlord Bolvar Fordragon: To aid in this task, the Knights of the Ebon Blade shall lend you their strength. Darion Mograine has volunteered to fight at your side.
Highlord Bolvar Fordragon: Living mortals were never intended to cross beyond the veil. Where you are going, you may be unable to return.
Highlord Bolvar Fordragon: But there is no other course. Death comes to claim Azeroth. It falls to you to defend her.
Highlord Bolvar Fordragon: The time has come. Take up the shattered helm and we will open the rift.

Into the MawA Fractured BladeMawsworn MenaceRuiner's EndFear to Tread

Highlord Darion Mograine: Frost magic. Looks like the work of our friend, the Lord Admiral.
Highlord Darion Mograine: The conflict seems to move in this direction. We should follow the trail before it grows... cold.
---
Highlord Darion Mograine: More of Lady Proudmoore's handiwork.
Highlord Darion Mograine: It would be unwise to break the enchantment. Let's move along.

On Blackened WingsA Flight from Darkness

Lady Jaina Proudmoore: There's a cave just around the bend. With any luck, we can reach it before they notice.
Thrall: Let us hope so. Our captors will not be please you've managed to slip past the, again.
Lady Jaina Proudmoore: Well, there goes our luck.
Tariesh: You will not evade our grasp, mortals!
---
Lady Jaina Proudmoore: So much for remaining unnoticed. Let's hurry.
Highlord Darion Mograine: What did Thrall mean by "slip past them again"? You've escaped before?
Lady Jaina Proudmoore: Indeed. I've broken free countless times, only to end up back in a cage.
Lady Jaina Proudmoore: I've hid inside this cave before. We can't stay long, but it should buy us a little time.
---
Highlord Darion Mograine: Lord Admiral, before we found you, did you see any sign of the Night Warrior?
Lady Jaina Proudmoore: Tyrande? Here? No, I have not.
Highlord Darion Mograine: She leapt into the rift just ahead of us. She vowed to find Sylvanas Windrunner... at any cost.
Lady Jaina Proudmoore: This is troubling. An ancient ritual infused her with incredible power. I fear it may be growing beyond her ability to contain it.
---
Tariesh: Your cell awaits, Mage!
Lady Jaina Proudmoore: I've had enough of your cages, fiend!
Tariesh: There is nowhere to run! Nothing escapes the Maw!
Tariesh: These allies of yours are insignificant. You will all end up in chains!
Highlord Darion Mograine: Not if we end you first!
---
Tariesh: It is useless... to resist...
Lady Jaina Proudmoore: We should be safe enough here... for the moment.
Lady Jaina Proudmoore: I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to thank you earlier. Your arrival was... most fortunate.
Lady Jaina Proudmoore: I was beginning to lose hope that I'd see anyone from our world again...

A Moment's Respite

Lady Jaina Proudmoore: Alright... where to begin?
Lady Jaina Proudmoore: They call this place "the Maw." From what I gather, it serves as a prison for the most foul, irredeemable souls that ever existed.
Thrall: Something has changed. We have seen pure, noble sounds held captive here as well. They cry out in torment.
Lady Jaina Proudmoore: Indeed. And I'd wager that Sylvanas Windrunner is somehow behind it.
Lady Jaina Proudmoore: It seems she has made a powerful ally. The shades here whisper of someone they call... the Jailer.
---
Lady Jaina Proudmoore: The Jailer rules this realm. We don't know much about him, but he seems to have a special interest in us.
Lady Jaina Proudmoore: He has personally overseen our... treatment here.
Thrall: We have endured countless torments. At times, it felt as if we were being tested. Though for what purpose, I cannot guess.
Lady Jaina Proudmoore: Whatever the Jailer and the Banshee are planning, it won't end well... for any of us.
---
Lady Jaina Proudmoore: The others are being held captive. I have tried to reach them in my many attempts to break free.
Lady Jaina Proudmoore: What I have not found is a way to leave this place. The Maw feels... inescapable.
Highlord Darion Mograine: Some of the souls here have wandered this realm for untold ages.
Lady Jaina Proudmoore: I've only been able to speak to a few souls. Most haven't been here long. Those that have were either aggressive... or broken.
Lady Jaina Proudmoore: They manifest as malevolent shades that wander the dark reaches of this place.
Lady Jaina Proudmoore: If there were some way to extract their secrets, it might tell us what we need to know.
Highlord Darion Mograine: The Ebon Blade has ways to compel the dead to speak. I suggest we have words with them.

Field SeanceSpeaking to the DeadSoul in HandThe Lion's CageThe Lion's Cage

Anduin Wrynn: I will... not... be broken!
Lady Sylvanas Windrunner: Struggle all you like. You will never leave here, little lion.
Lady Sylvanas Windrunner: All that you fought for, all that you struggled to protect, will be consumed by the Maw.
---
Lady Jaina Proudmoore: Damn her! Anduin, are you alright?
Anduin Wrynn: I... will live. It's good to see you.

The Afflictor's KeyAn Undeserved FateFrom the Mouths of Madness

Highlord Darion Mograine: Ah, you're just in time.
Highlord Darion Mograine: I think our... friend has something to share.
Highlord Darion Mograine: Speak! How do we leave this place!
Tormented Amalgamation: Futile! The path... sealed... long ago...
Highlord Darion Mograine: So there is a way out! Tell us where to find it!
Tormented Amalgamation: Waystone... at the Cauldron... perhaps...
Tormented Amalgamation: No! Dormant... broken...
Tormented Amalgamation: Nothing... escapes... the Maw...
Highlord Darion Mograine: That's all we'll get from it. Could you make sense of what it said, Lord Admiral?
Lady Jaina Proudmoore: The Cauldron he speaks of lies beyond the River of Souls. I believe Baine is being held captive here.
Highlord Darion Mograine: Then it seems our course is clear.

By and Down the River

Lady Jaina Proudmoore: You're troubled, Thrall. What is it?
Thrall: Tyrande is out there, somewhere in this madness. We cannot leave her behind.
Lady Jaina Proudmoore: Agreed, but we have no idea where she is. We will do our best to find her, but this waystone may be our only means of escape.
Lady Jaina Proudmoore: If there's a way out of the Maw, then there has to be a way back in. We will return for her.
---
Thrall: Hold. I hear something...
Helya: Your unworthy souls will feed the coming darkness!
Lady Jaina Proudmoore: "Unworthy"? I hear you were beaten quite soundly by "unworthy" champions, witch!
Helya: You will pay for that insult! The skies of your world will be darkened by the wings of my Mawsworn!
Thrall: For Azeroth!
Helya: Drown! Drown among the souls of the damned!
---
Lady Jaina Proudmoore: What is this madness?
Thrall: This noise... it's unbearable!
Anduin Wrynn: Keep moving!
Thrall: Look! Upon the precipice above! Is that...
Lady Jaina Proudmoore: The Jailer.
Anduin Wrynn: He has Baine!

Wounds Beyond FleshA Good AxeDraw Out the Darkness

Anduin Wrynn: I think he's coming to.
Anduin Wrynn: Baine, can you hear me?
Baine Bloodhoof: Anduin? I had thought my end had come...
Thrall: It almost did, were it not for this champion.
Baine Bloodhoof: Then you have my eternal gratitude, <player>.

Leaving The MawThe Path to Salvation

Thrall: We seek a waystone located beyond the cauldron. Have you seen it?
Baine Bloodhoof: I spotted an obelisk of ancient stone upon the high ridge.
Baine Bloodhoof: It didn't seem important. The Jailer's forces pay it little heed. What do you think it is?
Lady Jaina Proudmoore: Our way out of here--we hope.
Baine Bloodhoof: The Jailer has many forces here--too many for us to defeat on our own.
Thrall: Jaina, can you hide us from their sight?
Lady Jaina Proudmoore: My spell will get us past most of his guards, but there will likely be some who can see through it.
---
Baine Bloodhoof: The size of the Jailer's army rivals that of the Legion... and it's growing larger.
Anduin Wrynn: So many souls pouring into the Maw. The dead of Azeroth... Draenor... worlds beyond our imagination. All damned to this place.
Baine Bloodhoof: To be forged into weapons for the Jailer.
Thrall: Despite all Sylvanas has done, I never thought she would be part of something like this.
Lady Jaina Proudmoore: Look! On the platform ahead! That must be the waystone!
Lady Jaina Proudmoore: We need to reach it before the Jailer takes notice.
Anduin Wrynn: The waystone was said to be dormant, yet it seems to be reacting to our presence.
Anduin Wrynn: And yet... I can't find a way to activate it.
Lady Jaina Proudmoore: I don't think the stone is responding to us. I think it's responding to <player>.

Stand as One

Lady Jaina Proudmoore: When the Jailer realizes our plan, he'll send all his forces against us.
Lady Jaina Proudmoore: Our only chance is to keep them at bay long enough for the waystone to fully charge. Every second counts!
Baine Bloodhoof: I think the stone is gaining power!
The Jailer: A relic of the First Ones... responding to a mortal?! Impossible!
The Jailer: Mawsworn, take them! Nothing escapes the Maw!
Lady Jaina Proudmoore: Hold the line! The waystone must finish charging!
The Jailer: Yield to the inevitable. My forces are endless!
Thrall: We have stopped endless armies before. We will never yield!
Lady Jaina Proudmoore: It's nearly charged! Do not falter!
The Jailer: You cannot stop what is to come! All that you see--all that you know--will be undone!
Anduin Wrynn: The Jailer's forces are closing in! Stand your ground! For Azeroth!
The Jailer: Death comes for the soul of your world!
Lady Jaina Proudmoore: The waystone is fully charged! Activate it, <player>!

Into the MawBastion

12 37

Comment by IianaWhy the hell is calia there? She doesnt lead anybody and has no right to stand with the horde. Theyre going to end up making her the forsaken leader arent they.....Comment by biscuitcrumbsNice write up. I do feel it should be mentioned, Anduin/Jaina/Thrall/Baine have been in the Maw an undetermined amount of time prior to this intro, so the weird time stuff might not be TOO weird.Comment by tw1ZTERcant wait for 1000 people waiting at the top of icc for the release of sdComment by knight85that's been in the works since saurfang died. lillian voss was the one who asked her to do it after sylvanus ran offComment by VerBeekerI feel as though some context is still missing, how did Jaina, Thrall, Baine and Anduin get into the Maw? They aren't stated to be there when meeting with Bolvar.Comment by Matrixwolfthe thumbnail has a spoiler in it, the helm is shown in multiple pieces.... sylvanas only ripped it in half. DiD she stomp it after? RemovedComment by Heartless4Love all the people who are angry that Calia is leading the Forsaken, forgetting that Sylvanas was Alliance in life as well, and tried to join them first after founding the Forsaken.Comment by MusedMooseI feel as though some context is still missing, how did Jaina, Thrall, Baine and Anduin get into the Maw? They aren't stated to be there when meeting with Bolvar.Comment by TheLustfulWhy the hell is calia there? She doesnt lead anybody and has no right to stand with the horde. Theyre going to end up making her the forsaken leader arent they.....Comment by ButterflywitchIf they don't fix the helm and crown a new Lich King, I'm done with the expack even if I do get the customization I want. I'll probably get over it after a couple years and return but I'm not sure.

But why is Calia there? Why? I hope they're not doing what I think they are...Comment by Enril766Why the hell is calia there? She doesnt lead anybody and has no right to stand with the horde. Theyre going to end up making her the forsaken leader arent they.....Comment by RasaricSylvanas captures hated characters like Baine and Anduin, and anyone still playing will still be forced to oppose her, even after choosing to support her over said characters, and go rescue them?Comment by ChunkyCoffeeI feel as though some context is still missing, how did Jaina, Thrall, Baine and Anduin get into the Maw? They aren't stated to be there when meeting with Bolvar.Comment by DarkhayWhy the hell is calia there? She doesnt lead anybody and has no right to stand with the horde. Theyre going to end up making her the forsaken leader arent they.....Comment by DropbeatsRemovedComment by LisannaMessWhy the hell is calia there? She doesnt lead anybody and has no right to stand with the horde. Theyre going to end up making her the forsaken leader arent they.....Comment by navysilanSo legion 2.0?
Legion: Dalaran near Karazhan
Shadowlands: Acherus next to ICC

Legion: First quests in the zone which we're going to visit later on max level
SL: First Quests in the zone which we're going to visit later on max level

Legion: Krosus as a big boss
SL: Helya

Legion: Leaving Broken shore in the last minute
SL: Leaving Maw in the last minute

Legion: Gul'dan as main host of the event
SL: Sylvanas as main host of the event

Legion: Jaina and her fight with Khadgar
SL: Tyrande and her fight with Calia

Still can't wait to play :)Comment by ChunkyCoffeeSylvanas captures hated characters like Baine and Anduin, and anyone still playing will still be forced to oppose her, even after choosing to support her over said characters, and go rescue them?Comment by NerukWhy the hell is Calia there?Comment by AlwindIt does say. Sylvanas's forces snatched them.

12 37