WoW Shadowlands devs hint Anduin will be “forever changed” after Chains of Domination

After BlizzConline revealed WoW Shadowlands’ upcoming 9.1 patch, titled ‘Chains of Domination’, fans are undoubtedly on tenterhooks to see just where the storyline will go next for iconic characters like Anduin and The Jailer.

Dexerto sat down in an exclusive Q&A interview to get some insight into the future of WoW Shadowlands and beyond, and how Anduin’s corruption will shape the world.

The upcoming patch provides fans with a slew of fresh new content to keep players occupied. The Sanctum of Domination 10-boss raid will culminate in a standoff that is “one for the ages” against Sylvanas Windrunner — and there’s something for everyone in the highly-anticipated content drop.

How will Anduin’s corruption shape WoW Shadowlands going forward?

As revealed at BlizzConline, the Jailer and the Maw continue to grow, as “the Banished One conscripts a terrible new champion in his service.” Revealed in the trailer to be none other than the almost flawless King of Stormwind, Anduin Wrynn of the Alliance, this corruption is undoubtedly going to leave a mark on the leader.

Speaking with Game Director Ion Hazzikostas, he stated that “there is a mystery there” with how Anduin’s corruption will shape the world of WoW going forward.

• Read More: WoW Shadowlands devs reveal class changes coming after Chains of Domination

“It’s something that will be delved into deeply, […] even if Anduin were to break free of this experience, if we were to free him, or however that happened — he would be forever changed by this experience.”

In the reveal trailer, Kingsmourne, we see a brief glimpse of sorrow flash across the hero’s eyes after being compelled into service to slay the Archon, before the Jailer regains control once more.

“Anduin has always been this youthful, almost flawless character. He’s fought for the side of justice, and righteousness — whether it was against the Legion, whether it was against the Horde in Battle for Azeroth, but there’s no coming back from this completely intact.”

Does the brief flash of guilt and sadness across his eyes indicate that Anduin will rejoin the fight with the champions of Azeroth against The Jailer and the Maw once more, or is something darker planned for Anduin Wrynn as WoW Shadowlands progresses into the future?

Whatever the case may be, we’ll have to wait and see what that means for World of Warcraft.