- Author: Luxrah
- Date: December 19, 2024
- Updated: December 19, 2024
- Expansion: World of Warcraft
With Patch 11.0.7 now live bringing us to Siren Isle, Blizzard is already giving us another look at what we can expect to see from the next major story campaign patch, 11.1, titled “Undermined.”
The patch takes us to the goblin capital of Undermine, a place overflowing with goblin flavor: machinery, explosives, and shady dealings. There’s a new customizable vehicle that you’ll use exclusively in Undermine, D.R.I.V.E., a tricked-out goblin car that goes even faster than a Skyriding mount.
We’ll get two new Delves in this patch: Excavation Site 9, a void-infested Titan ruins in The Ringing Deeps, and Side Street Sluice in the Undermine sewers. We’ll also see new goblin themed variants of existing Delves and a new Zekvir-style single-boss Delve that awards a new customizable mount. Brann Bronzebeard will remain our companion throughout The War Within, and will be getting a new ranged Tanking specialization that the designers hope will help healers play through Delves without feeling the need to change their role.
The new dungeon will be called Operation: Floodgate, and it will be a 4 boss instance with its entrance in The Ringing Deeps. This dungeon will be part of the new seasonal dungeon rotation, which will also include the remaining four launch dungeons from The War Within plus three legacy dungeons, Mechagon Workshop, MOTHERLODE, and Theater of Pain.
The new raid is Liberation of Undermine, and in keeping with Blizzard’s recent approach to raid design, this will be an 8 boss instance. There are some fun-looking bosses such as a DJ and a mechanical T-rex.
Season 2 will begin a week after the patch goes live, and will include a new PvP arena, Cage of Carnage, as well as the new rotation of Mythic+ dungeons and the new raid.
Community Manager Bethany Hudson sat down with Game Designer David Hollings and Assistant Lead Quest Designer Mark Kelada in the latest episode of WoWCast to talk about the update. You can find the video along with Blizzard’s announcement below.
Join Game Designer, Battleground and Arenas David Hollings, Assistant Lead Quest Designer Mark Kelada, and host Community Manager Bethany Hudson for WoWCast as we go deep underground to the Undermine to learn more about what’s coming in the next content update in The War Within— Undermine(d).
Journey into Undermine
Players will travel deep into the goblin city of Undermine, the capital of the goblin’s trade empire! It is a city like none other seen before in World of Warcraft and stands as a testament to goblin intelligence and creativity as experts in both technology and alchemy. As our adventures continue, we’ll learn more about goblin culture and society that we have never been able to see before. We’ll learn what’s important to them, the problems they are trying to solve —everything that makes them truly unique, and what they’re capable of as a society. We’ll dig a bit deeper beyond just their humor and explosions, though there will still be explosions and a LOT of mayhem to be found.
You’ll arrive in an Undermine that’s in conflict as things heat up between Gallywix and the Darkfuse.
While in the Undermine, you’ll meet the four major goblin cartels: Steamwheedle, Blackwater, Bilgewater, and the Venture Company. Each cartel is run by notorious goblins like Monte Gazlowe, Baron Revilgaz, Marin Noggenfogger, and more. There may also be a fifth cartel waiting in the wings to learn about a bit later. Which of these cartels you align yourself with is up to you.
Your experience will change within the Undermine depending on which of these cartels you ally with. As you progress, you’ll gain access to customizations for your car within the Undermine, new transmog appearances, toys, and more.
Get in Your Car and D.R.I.V.E
A cool acronym needs a cool meaning, and the goblins haven’t skimped on the meaning of D.R.I.V.E.’s. Standing for Dynamic and Revolutionary Improvements to Vehicular, Experiences, you’ll want to make sure you have your sweet ride to roll around town in. Players can earn a customizable vehicle early on that’s designed just for use in Undermine. You’ll push the boundaries of locomotion on the roads of Undermine and speed through its causeways and byways at a higher rate than a ground mount can.
As a part of the progression with your car, you’ll meet up with Nanny Talullah who will send you out on “Shipping and Handling” activities to earn currency and buy parts for your ride.
Players can adjust the car’s characteristics such as adjusting its color or by buying parts to add a little extra grip to hug the roads or adjust to slide and glide as they drift around corners. Want to accelerate faster? Then, you may have to sacrifice a little speed. How you customize your car’s characteristics is up to you.
Join in Timekeeper races to challenge yourself in four different courses both forward and in reverse.
New Delves Ahead
There will be two new Delves: Excavation Site 9 and Side Street Sluice. There will also be new variants of goblin themed Delves for the majority of the current The War Within Delves. Players will also experience a new Zekvir-style encounter with all new rewards including the new Delver’s Gob-Trotter mount with customization options including a gold variant for the challenge mode.
Side Street Sluice takes place in the sewers of Undermine and you’ll get to learn more about what Darkfuse is trying to accomplish in the sewers along with see a more unfiltered goblin culture out of the eye of the public.
Excavation Site 9 takes place in a new section behind Opportunity Point in the southern portion of the Ringing Deeps. Players will experience the Void corruption here as it overtakes Titan ruins and experience the ongoing conflict between the Void and Titans.
Adventures will continue beside Brann Bronzebeard in The War Within Delves. In Season 2, Brann will also gain a new Tanking specialization allowing him to utilize some ranged tanking skills to help players who are more healing focused through the Delves. Players will be able to continue leveling Brann with the addition of more levels as you progress.
New goblin-themed curios will make their way into Delves adding their own twist to these adventures including a new curio that will allow Brann to call in a mech that players can pilot themselves in the Delve.
The War Within Season 2
Beginning one week after the Undermine(d) content update, Season 2 will offer a new PvP arena called Cage of Carnage. This is a small intimate arena where players will be dropped into the arena through a trapped door and into an area with metal ramps running through the center as the heart of the grounds.
New Dungeon- Operation: Floodgate
Located in the Ringing Deeps, this new dungeon offers up four boss encounters. Operation: Floodgate builds on the narrative of Undermine as players race to stop a group of goblins from blowing a dam that will bring ruin to the Ringing Deeps.
This new dungeon will be available immediately as a part of the new The War Within Season 2 dungeon pool on Heroic, Mythic, and Mythic+, alongside the four other launch dungeons and three legacy dungeons: Mechagon Workshop, MOTHERLODE, and the Theater of Pain.
New Raid- Liberation of Undermine
Arriving a week after the launch of the Undermine(d) content update, players will experience a new 8-boss raid dungeon that takes you through the city streets and into the magnificent Gallagio— brimming with color and extravagance, it houses the dark secrets of its owner— Gallywix. Here, things are done the goblin way and encounters are bound to get a little zany. Players can expect encounters such as the Cauldron of Chaos where a gorilla and mechanical tyrannosaurus face off in combat, a tank that shoots flames, and a DJ boss fight where you’ll be compelled by the power of sound to listen to Gallywix alone, as well as encounter Gallywix himself and his fantastical mech.
Of course, there will also be some epic mounts to earn from these encounters to take out into the world of Azeroth along with new gear sets and set bonuses themed around the magnificent Gallagio. The two-set bonuses will be unique per role while the four-set bonuses will cater to a specific specialization, lending themselves a little something special to everyone.
Players can access the Story Mode of the raid dungeon a week after the launch of the raid.
There’s more at play here than it first seems, and goblin politics are treacherous and fraught with the underpinnings of something more where Xal’atath is concerned. Keep an eye out for the Public Test Realm (PTR) in the new year ahead.
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