World of Warcraft’s next expansion, Shadowlands, is coming this fall. Players will head to the realms of the dead to investigate the mystery of why all souls are heading to the dreaded Maw to be eternally tortured. Before players show up in the Shadowlands proper, Blizzard is showing off the four Covenants we’ll be meeting in a new animated series called Afterlives.
This first animated short debuted at Gamescom’s Opening Night Live presentation on Thursday, and it shows off the paladin Uther Lightbringer and the Kyrian Covenant of Bastion.
The short follows Uther into the afterlife, after he dies during Warcraft 3. In Bastion, Uther has trouble forgetting his previous life — one of the key parts of living in Bastion as a servant. According to Uther, Arthas irreparably damaged Uther’s soul in Warcraft 3 with Frostmourne, which came from the Maw.
An investigation into Arthas’ Lich King power sends the Kyrians of Bastion into a lengthy debate. Uther and his guardian angel set off on a mission to punish Arthas, betraying the wishes of Bastion’s leaders. These events lead directly into the Bastion part of the Shadowlands campaign, as the Kyrians face a civil war.
Afterlives is very similar in art style and tone to the Warbringer series that preceded Battle for Azeroth, World of Warcraft’s 2018 expansion. Instead of focusing on individual characters, Afterlives looks like it’s taking a broader look at certain stories, and setting up the conflict in each Covenant zone before we arrive and start solving problems.
Blizzard will launch World of Warcraft: Shadowlands, the game’s eighth expansion, on Oct. 27.
