Work alongside some familiar faces to restore the ecosystems of K’aresh in Ecological Succession

The War Within patch 11.2, Ghosts of K’aresh, is just days away, but we did get a last trickle of information about one the patch’s new features, Ecological Succession. We already knew that we’d be traipsing across previously visited continents in order to collect critters. These furry, scaly, or feathery “volunteer” animals will populate the eco-domes that a handful of environmentally-minded Ethereals hope will kickstart a thriving ecosystem on the remains of K’aresh.

We’ll be working with some familiar faces in our Pokémon-adjacent quest that is definitely different from the Pokémon-adjacent play mode that already exists in World of Warcraft. Ve’nari, the Broker outcast that we worked with so closely within the hellish realm of the damned that was the Maw, has taken up a more pleasant pastime as the leader of the eco-dome experiment. We’ll also be recruiting a few specialists to help us along the way.

One of those experts is none other than Hemet Nesingwary Sr., the famed monocle-wearing big game hunter that has been dishing out quests to bring down larger and larger sport animals for decades. Hemet has apparently turned a new leaf and hung up his boomstick in order to serve as a wildlife consultant on our re-population mission.

What the event is shaping up to be is a dynamic quest hub and weekly event all rolled into one. The coolest part sounds like it will be the progression —  as you make your way through the Ecological Succession storyline, the main eco-dome will move through several phases. I’m imagining weekly events like Awakening the Machine that could have been so much more vibrant and appealing if instead of the same 20 waves of enemies each week, we progressed through difficulty levels and saw the changes we were enacting in Gundargaz. If this new approach to a zone weekly event is executed right, it could be a favorite for a long time.

As always, the quality of the rewards will ultimately play a huge role in my final opinion of the event. So far we know that the specific cache that is associated with the event, the Wriggling Pinnacle Cache, has a chance to drop pets and mounts. One of those is the Curious Slateback, which got deservedly positive reviews in the Blizzard Watch break room. There will be a lot to do when we arrive on the shattered remains of K’aresh on Tuesday, but Ecological Succession has the potential to be one of the more fun diversions.