World of Warcraft: Shadowlands pre-expansion patch notes detail what to expect ahead of the full launch

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The full set of World of Warcraft: Shadowlands pre-expansion patch notes are here

(Image credit: Blizzard)

World of Warcraft: Shadowlands patch notes have landed in advance of the pre-expansion update hitting the game next week, October 13, and they detail everything you can expect from the final major update before Azeroth's afterlife opens up later this year. 

The World of Warcraft: Shadowlands patch notes give a more detailed insight into the overview trailer that Blizzard posted earlier this week, explaining the decisions its made on player levelling, gear, and more in order to prepare Azeroth for the upcoming expansion. You can read the full list of tweaks, updates, and changes below, and find out more info from Blizzard's own blog post here. 

DEATH RISING – LIMITED TIME EVENT

Shortly after the pre-expansion launch, you’ll be called upon to defend Azeroth from an undead invasion as the Scourge sweep across the land. Players will embark on a quest to establish a foothold in Icecrown, where the barrier between Azeroth and the afterlife has been shattered, and prepare for the coming journey into the Shadowlands. This limited time pre-expansion event will only be available until the launch of Shadowlands, so make sure to log in to experience it and earn special rewards.

All of these new options are available at Barber Shops throughout Azeroth, including the option for Druids to choose the appearance of their shapeshifting forms and the ability to swap genders. Now all customization is available in game at any time so the Appearance Change service will no longer be sold in the Shop. 

Exile's Reach is an all-new starting experience that will take you on an excursion that will introduce you to the fundamentals of playing World of Warcraft and the important mechanics for your chosen class. If you’re new to World of Warcraft and have never created or leveled a character, you will automatically begin your journey into Azeroth with the starting experience. If you’re a veteran player or you’ve leveled a character before, you can choose to opt out of the starting experience and begin instead at level 1 in the starting area for your race.

Players who have already experienced Battle for Azeroth and reached level 50 on at least one character can now choose to level any subsequent characters in a different expansion using Timewalking Campaigns. This new feature allows content from locations like Northrend or Pandaria to scale to a player’s level, so they can adventure from level 10 all the way to 50 and experience the stories of these areas at their originally intended pacing. Visit Chromie near the embassies in Stormwind or Orgrimmar to select your expansion leveling experience. If you'd like to select a different expansion to level through, simply speak to Chromie again.

After creating your character and beginning your journey into World of Warcraft for the first time, you will enter the Newcomer Chat channel where you can chat with other new players and experienced players on the same faction who will be your guides as you level through the new starting zone – Exile's Reach. New players and guides will be able to recognize one another in the chat channels and with icons above their characters' heads that only they can see. Upon reaching level 20, new players will be prepared to continue their journey ahead on their own and will no longer have access to the Newcomer Chat.

If you're a veteran player and are interested in guiding new players as they experience World of Warcraft for the first time, head over to Stormwind or Orgrimmar and speak to the guide recruiter once you've met the following criteria:

Unlocking Allied Races no longer requires reaching Exalted reputation with that race’s associated faction.

The “Level Range” filter now also filters battle pets by level.

A “Runecarving” option for Profession-crafted armor pieces for Legendaries has been added under each Armor category. These materials are not yet available until Shadowlands.

Volcanic now deals damage equal to 15% of the player’s health (was 40%).

Sanguine's duration reduced to 20 seconds (was 60 seconds).

With the Black Empire turned to ash upon the defeat of N’Zoth the Corruptor, Corruption effects on items will no longer function.

All Legion Legendary items' bonuses no longer activate.

Glyphs that change the appearance of a Druid’s form are now one time use and unlock the appearance permanently at the Barber Shop.

Gladiator’s Medallion, Adaptation, and Relentless have been removed from Honor Talents. The functionality of removing control-impairing effects will be restored as a powerful PvP trinket option that can be purchased with Honor from Aneka Melae in Orgrimmar and Alice Fischer in Stormwind.

The Brawler's Guild is now temporarily closed. This forum for fisticuffs and furious fighting will return in the future.

Alex Avard
Alex Avard
Former Features Writer

Alex is a former Features Writer at GamesRadar+, which once made him responsible for gracing the internet with as many of my words as possible, including reviews, previews, interviews, and more. Lucky internet!