Warning: Spoilers for World of Warcraft: The War Within Patch 11.1, Undermined, below
Summary
World of Warcraftmay have just teased that fans could be heading into the Void itself in Patch 11.2 – potentially even to the lost Ethereal homeworld of K’aresh. Though Patch 11.1 has only just been released,World of Warcraftis already setting things up for the next major content update forThe War Within.
Thefirst part of theWorld of Warcraft: The War WithinPatch 11.1story launched on February 25. During the campaign, the Dark Heart, a relic that was being repaired by Jastor Gallywix as part of a deal with Xal’atath, was repossessed by a group of Ethereals led by Phase-Thief Azir, ostensibly working on the latter’s orders.
However, now that therest of the Undermine(d) story is available inWorld of Warcraft, some surprising twists have complicated matters – and revealed what may be the setting of Patch 11.2. In one of the cinematics in the campaign, Xal’atath confronts Gallywix in order to retrieve the Dark Heart, where it is revealed that the Ethereals were not her agents, but rather a separate faction. Then, near the end of the epilogue cinematic after Gallywix’s defeat, Azir can be seen with the Dark Heart somewhere in the Void, overlooking a glowing vortex surrounded by shattered stone. This has led many viewers to suspect this never-before-seen location may actually be K’aresh, the lost homeland of the Ethereals.
Is World of Warcraft Going to K’aresh in Patch 11.2?
Dimensius the All-Devouring, a powerful Void Lord with a connection to Xal’atath, was responsible for destroying K’aresh in the history ofWorld of Warcraft. According to Locus-Walker during theHarbinger prologue ahead ofWorld of Warcraft: The War Within, the people of K’aresh heard a “radiant song” similar to the one experienced by many on Azeroth inThe War Within, suggesting the planet might have also been a Worldsoul before it was destroyed. Given the prevalence of Ethereals in the story, and the foreshadowing throughout the expansion thus far, it seems K’aresh will probably be a location visited in the Worldsoul Saga – possibly even in Patch 11.2 – and that the area glimpsed in the cutscene is likely a part of the planet.
It is important to note that very little has been officially confirmed about Patch 11.2 yet. While players will likely see this mysterious location again soon, it may not be K’aresh, or it could show up later in the story, rather than as the next patch zone. Either way, this revelation has sparked much theorycrafting among fans about the role of theEthereals inWorld of Warcraft: The War Within.
According to theroadmap forWorld of Warcraftin 2025, Patch 11.2 is expected to arrive this summer. Two more content updates – Patch 11.1.5, tentatively titled “Nightfall,” and the unnamed Patch 11.1.7 – will take place in spring before then, so players can expect to see more hints about the next major content update soon, ahead of its official reveal.
World of Warcraft: The War Within
WHERE TO PLAY
In this opening chapter of The Worldsoul Saga, you’ll journey through never-before-seen subterranean worlds filled with hidden wonders and lurking perils, down to the dark depths of the Nerubian empire, where the inscrutable Harbinger of the Void has gathered her arachnid forces to bring Azeroth to its knees.
