Everything that’s coming in WoW Shadowlands patch 9.1

Patch 9.1: The Chains of Domination, the first major content patch of Shadowlands, promises plenty of improvements and new content for players to enjoy. Continuing the pattern of the last couple expansions, patch 9.1 brings a new zone, a new raid, and a new mega-dungeon, while also expanding options for PVPers and extending the Covenant Campaigns — which will reward us with flying!

So what exactly will we encounter as we explore the new patch? This is all of the patch 9.1 content we know about so far.

Covenant campaigns continue as we invade the Maw

There’s a lot of Covenant content in this patch. In addition to the extended campaign, Renown will increase by an additional 40 ranks, and will likely be tied to Covenant progression, just like it is now. As we advance the story, the four Covenants will unite and start bringing the fight to the Jailer in the Maw. In exchange for our aid we’ll unlock new Covenant cosmetic outfits and mounts.

As we progress in the campaign, we’ll also be able to fly in the original four Shadowlands zones for all characters on your account, though sadly not right away — but we don’t have to wait too long. Flying will unlock when you complete the 3rd chapter of the story, which becomes available at Renown 44 the week after the patch goes live.

The Maw gets a new zone, invasions, and some quality of life improvements

As the Covenants head into the Maw, we’ll encounter our first new Shadowlands zone: Korthia, a daily quest hub that promises to delve into the lore of the First Ones and the leaders of the Shadowlands. Korthia’s arrival in the Maw will also help players overcome two of its biggest obstacles: lack of mounts and the Eye of the Jailer. Mounting and the ability to “cleanse” ourselves of the Eye of the Jailer will become available almost immediately as we explore Korthia right after the patch arrives.

It’s a good thing these improvements are happening, as the new patch introduces Assaults to the Maw. Similar to the patch 8.3 Minor Assaults, each Covenant gets half a week to offer us quests and rewards as they work to take the fight to the Jailer — and I can’t begin to imagine how painful that would be if the Eye of the Jailer was still glaring at us while we ran around.

Lots of group content, with a new raid, new dungeon, and changes to Torghast

Torghast will be getting some major updates as well, with a brand new wing, highly desirable quality of life changes, and the addition of new levels to climb will also give us the opportunity to further upgrade our Legendaries.

The Tower of the Damned is also the setting for the Sanctum of Domination raid, the new 10-boss raid coming in 9.1. This raid features some old enemies — including Kel’Thuzad and the Tarragrue — and is capped off with a fight against Sylvanas Windrunner, the whole reason we’re in the Shadowlands to begin with. While we’re not fighting the Jailer yet, an assault on his major prison will not go unnoticed and will be sure to have serious repercussions down the line.

The other major new group content arriving with patch 9.1 is Tazavesh, the Veiled Market, a Broker-themed mega-dungeon with 8 bosses — including the Infinite Pirate Dragon — that will only be available in Mythic difficulty at launch. Rewards for completing this heist-like dungeon include a mount (not the Infinite Pirate Dragon, sadly) and some cute pets.

For those playing Mythic+ dungeons, Season 2 will start with the arrival of 9.1, bringing a new “domination-themed” affix and increased item level rewards. Players who complete the Season 2 Keystone Master achievement will get a recolored version of the Sintouched Deathwalker.

Updated PVP talents and PVP gear

For those who prefer to fight other players rather than the villains of the story, PVP will be getting some new content in 9.1 as well with the arrival of Season 2. PVP talents will be getting a refresh, focusing on improving those that are rarely used. And as usual there will be two new mount rewards, with Gladiators getting a recolor of the Season 1 Soul Eater mount and other PVPers unlocking the Vicious Gorm mounts pictured above.

In addition, Blizzard is making changes to PVP gear that’ll make them more powerful in PVP situations and less desirable for PVE.

More looks for your characters

The highlight of patch 9.0.5 was most assuredly the Rhinestone Sunglasses, but those not interested in pursuing them (as they can be quite pricey) will be happy to find out that patch 9.1 is adding a whole series of eyeglasses for your characters to wear. We don’t currently know how they’ll be acquired, but hopefully it won’t be an arduous process.

Fans of shoulder armor have a lot to look forward to in the upcoming patch. First off, we’ll now be able to transmog each shoulder separately, a long-desired feature that was first datamined back during Shadowlands beta. There are also a slew of shoulder transmogs arriving in Torghast in 9.1 — and while RNG will remain a factor in acquisition, there are two methods of acquisition which should make it easier to acquire the look you want.

There’s a lot of new content coming in 9.1 that should appeal to all players.

Originally published on March 26, 2021. Updated on June 29, 2021.