WoW: Patch 9.1 Release Date Announced

I’ve got to be honest with you, folks. Despite how excited I was when World of Warcraft: Shadowlands launched back in November, I haven’t been able to consistently get back into the game after my lengthy hiatus that began toward the end of Battle for Azeroth. I have no clue why that is. At the time of writing, I don’t even have a max-level character yet.

My character that’s closest to that point, my level 55 Paladin who’s been my main since Warlords of Draenor, is still about a quarter of the way through Shadowlands’ second leveling zone because I haven’t been in the right mindset to advance further through the story. That’s why I’ve produced so little written content about WoW as of late aside from the odd bit of news or editorial about The Burning Crusade Classic. It would seem that time has left me behind because I can’t get my head in the game, so to speak.

In any case, I’m not here today to lament the fact that I can’t seem to focus on progressing through Shadowlands’ story despite how much I feel like I want to. What I’m here to do is tell you that the tale which the expansion pack seeks to tell is about to be expanded upon via its first major content patch. This patch, officially entitled “Chains of Domination,” will introduce several new aspects of the current story arc.

Among these new factors are a new raid, a new eight-boss “mega dungeon,” a new questing zone, and most importantly, the unlockable ability to ride flying mounts in all Shadowlands zones except Oribos and The Maw. I’ll briefly go over the details of everything I’ve just mentioned, and then I’ll conclude by providing you with the currently-scheduled release date for the Chains of Domination patch. Let’s begin with the new raid.

This new challenge is known as the “Sanctum of Domination.” What we’ve got here is a ten-boss raid which will pit players against a couple of familiar faces in the form of certain bosses, namely Kel’Thuzad and the Banshee Queen herself, Sylvanas Windrunner. The Sanctum of Domination itself is (according to Wowhead) located within Torghast, the Tower of the Damned. The raid can be entered through a portal in the northeast area of The Maw.

Wowhead also reports that this raid will feature a new legendary item in the form of none other than Sylvanas Windrunner’s bow. This Hunter-exclusive legendary, known officially as “Rae’shalare, Death’s Whisper,” grants any who equip it the ability to fire Sylvanas’ signature Wailing Arrow.

This ability deals Shadow damage to your primary target and any enemies close to them, in addition to silencing all foes hit by this ability upon impact. Sanctum of Domination will reportedly unlock on Tuesday, July 6th, 2021, but it is worth noting that this release date is not the same as that of Patch 9.1 itself.

Let us now turn our attention to the new “mega dungeon,” known as Tazavesh, the Veiled Market. As was the case with the previous so-called “mega dungeon,” Operation: Mechagon, Tazavesh will start out as a Mythic-only instance. That is to say that when Patch 9.1 goes live, Tazavesh will have no Mythic Plus version, nor any version with a difficulty set below Mythic. Based on precedent set by the aforementioned Operation: Mechagon, I would imagine that Mythic Plus and Heroic versions of this dungeon could be added eventually.

Moving on, the new questing area that will be implemented in Patch 9.1 is known as Korthia, the City of Secrets. This zone will be the setting in which the majority of this update’s story content takes place. Its quests will see players and their Covenants working to beat the Jailer to the punch when it comes to unlocking the secrets and powers of the Shadowlands. Wowhead reports that the quest lines present in Korthia will, at least in part, be unlocked as players continue to build Renown with their chosen Covenant.

The idea of players continuing to establish Renown with their selected Covenant leads me nicely to the final topic I wish to briefly discuss before we get to what you’ve all been waiting for. When the Chains of Domination update reaches live servers, players will find that there are an additional forty levels of Renown that they can unlock. Working toward unlocking all of these levels is imperative if players wish to progress through Korthia and unlock the ability to fly in most of Shadowlands content.

Soon after you unlock the main hub area in Korthia, you’ll be granted an item called “Memories of Sunless Skies.” Upon using this item, all characters on your account regardless of level, story progression, or other factors will become able to fly in Bastion, Maldraxxus, Ardenweald, and Revendreth. Again, this item does not allow flight within Oribos or The Maw. Additionally, you’ll still need to use Flight Masters to travel between zones and return to Oribos.

Alright, folks, I’ve kept you waiting long enough. Unless anything cataclysmic happens in the next few weeks, Patch 9.1: Chains of Domination is currently slated to release on North American servers on Tuesday, June 29th, 2021. That translates to the patch releasing on June 30th in Europe and July 1st in Asia. I hope to be able to rejoin you in Azeroth when that fateful day arrives!