The heroes of "World of Warcraft" have gone to other worlds and realities to face the gods and the heart of the planet, and for 16 years Blizzard Entertainment has not let the war between Horde and Alliance stop Now, the warriors of Azeroth are heading to the Shadowlands, the world of the dead

World of Warcraft: Shadowlands is coming soon, with all-new zones to explore and new fearsome enemies to face, and with this expansion, Blizzard is bringing new dungeons and raids, new character customization options, new gameplay systems, and new ways to play the game, new gameplay systems, and a level squish that revamps the starting experience for new players Lift the veil on the Land of the Dead and get a glimpse of all that is to come in Shadowlands

World of Warcraft: Shadowlands was originally scheduled to launch on PC and Mac on October 27 However, Blizzard has pushed the game back to "later this year" in order to make the expansion the best it can possibly be

"However, as everything began to come together and we listened to and built upon your feedback, it became clear that we needed a little more time for further refinement and to balance and iterate on some interlocking elements, especially those related to the endgame ," Blizzard wrote in a blog post

However, WoW players can look forward to the October 13 Shadowlands pre-patch The update will introduce many of the expansion's key features, including "revamped character levels, a new player experience in Exile's Reach, and numerous new character customization options" [Watch the World of Warcraft story trailer: Shadowlands In the trailer, Sylvanas Windrunner, former chief of the Horde, faces off against the Lich King She wins the skirmish and takes the King's crown and shatters it This creates a rift in the world above the Icecrown Citadel, which is the gateway to the Shadowlands

For a more in-depth look at the game's lore, you can check out the new Shadowlands Afterlives: a short animation of Bastion, above This seven-minute clip depicts the fate of the Lightbringer, Uther, after he goes to the Afterlife and meets Bastion's paragon, DeVos

There is still a chance to participate in the "World of Warcraft" beta: there is still a chance to participate in the Shadowlands beta and see everything this expansion has to offer If you already have a "World of Warcraft" subscription, simply visit the official "Shadowlands" website and click the "Beta Opt-In" button in the upper right corner

You will then be taken to the bottom of the page, where you can click the "Opt-In Now" button If you are already logged in with your WoW account, this is all you need to do; Blizzard is letting players join the beta in waves, so you should eventually receive an email letting you know that you have joined the beta

When players head to the Shadowlands, they are trapped in the Maw, a ruined rocky mountain filled with anguished souls watched over by a prison guard's minions The heroes then move on to other regions of the Shadowlands, each of which is governed by a different path for the souls of the dead The glowing fields of Bastion are ruled by the Killians, whose purpose is to purify the souls under their protection and raise them to nobler duties The Necrolords believe that might is righteousness and fight across the cancerous growth of Maldraxus In the gothic spires of Levendres, Ventil tortures souls, reaping their sins and forcing the dead to do penance for their deeds in life Finally, the vast forests of Ardenwyld are the home of rebirth, where the Night Fae care for the unobtainable flora and fauna

Players will head to each of these zones from the eternal city of Olivos Located in the heart of the Shadowlands, Olivos is the home of the Arbiter, the person who is supposed to determine the final resting place of all souls entering the Land of the Dead Olivos will serve as the social hub for the entire expansion, to which players will return to sell and craft items

The main gameplay added in Shadowland is covenant This system allows players to belong to one of the dominant forces: the Killian, Necrolord, Ventia, or Night Fae Belonging to a covenant gives the player two unique abilities: a general ability and a class-specific skill

They also gain access to Covenant Soul Binding These characters are bound to the Covenant and their souls are bound to your character, unlocking a variety of skill trees These skill trees have a number of new bonuses and abilities, adding new combat skills and mobility capabilities

After passing through each realm and selecting a covenant, you will once again head to the Maw, a time-limited realm where players will fight Jailer's minions At the center of the Maw is the Torghast (cursed tower) At the heart of Maw is the Torghast, a randomized roguelike dungeon with new room configurations, new modifiers, and new enemies each time you enter But you will want to confront Torghast Because in its endless halls are items that can be crafted into legendary equipment

If you're just getting started with "World of Warcraft," Blizzard Entertainment is making things smoother Not only have a number of new character customization options been added to make your character truly unique, but the leveling experience has also been significantly overhauled The current maximum level in World of Warcraft is 120, but in Shadowlands it will be compressed to level 50; players who complete all of Shadowlands will reach the new maximum level of 60

Starting a new character sends them to Exile's Reach, an updated starting experience that illustrates the standard concepts of WoW; Exile's Reach ranges from level 1 to 10, and players can decide which expansion to explore before reaching level 50 You can do so Yes, you can reach the Shadowlands by playing any of the previous expansions: Burning Crusade, Wrath of the Lich King, Mists of Pandaria, Cataclysm, Warlords of Draenor, Legion, Battle for Azeroth We recommend leveling in Wrath of the Lich King or Mists of Pandaria, but ultimately it is a matter of preference

Speaking of new players, Blizzard is also focusing on accessibility by adding controller support to WoW No, it won't be on the console, but controller support will allow you to connect a standard controller or an Xbox adaptive controller This is a new option for playing WoW and one that has been long overdue

As with previous expansions, if you are deep into "World of Warcraft," you can get the Collector's Edition of "Shadowlands" The price for the Shadowlands Collector's Edition is $11999 and can be pre-ordered at many retailers, including Amazon, GameStop, and Best Buy

The Collector's Edition comes with a number of physical and digital extras On the physical side, you will receive four pin badges with symbols of all four Covenants, a hardcover book called Art of the Shadowlands, a mousepad depicting the shattered sky above the Icecrown Citadel, and a Shadowlands digital soundtrack You will receive a key to unlock the Shadowlands digital soundtrack You will also receive an Ensorcelled Everwyrm mount, Anima Wyrmling pet, Vestments of the Eternal Traveler transmog set, Wraithchill cosmetic weapon enchantment, Eternal Traveler's Hearthstone, and other in-game items will also be available As with previous expansions, level boosts will be gained, allowing one character to instantly level up and take on Shadowland content

If you want to keep your shelves clutter-free, the Blizzard Shop has a digital-only Epic Edition for $7999, which gets you all the digital items in the Collector's Edition the Epic Edition and Collector's Edition also comes with a Shadowlands digital key and 30 days of game access