Shadowlands Alpha - Ardenweald Quest Chain Preview

[Stoy]

Shadowlands Alpha - Ardenweald Quest Chain Preview
Today we are taking a look at the main story quests for the Ardenweald zone on the Shadowlands Alpha. *CONTAINS SPOILERS*

Chapter 1 - Welcome to Ardenweald

• When you first arrive there are two faeries having a conversation near a slumbering tirnenn. One, named Lady Moonberry, tells her companion, Featherlight, that this will be a prank to remember. She then notices you, exclaiming that they haven't seen anyone come through the gateway in a long time.
• You tell her that you have a message from the Primus of Maldraxxus, but she warns you that the Winter Queen doesn't have time for pranks, however, she would be more than happy to partake. She asks you to bring a lily to her assistant and then you can discuss things further.
• You retrieve a nearby lily which spawns a spriggan. Once defeated, you hand the lily to Featherlight and the two faeries awaken the slumbering tirnenn, Zayhad, who recites a rhyme upon waking up.
• You ask to be brought to the Winter Queen and Lady Moonberry tells you to follow her. On the way, she laments that the queen cannot grant you an audience. Her spirit is spread thin across Ardenweald. The drought threatens the entire forest and for now the Night Fae must act in her stead.
• At a nearby camp up ahead, spriggan are attacking on a giant moth. Lady Moonberry says she will seek out the queen on your behalf, but would like you to take care of things in her stead while she is gone. She asks you to help her friends with the spriggan problem. You kick the leader off of the moth and defeat him and are then tasked with helping Korenth recover his wildseed.
• You discover that a nesting Valeshrieker has stolen the wildseed. Korenth also explains that wildseeds are the purpose of Ardenweald. They contain slumbering nature spirits that are to be reborn. He requests your help with the valeshrieker. Featherlight turns you into one and you distract it long enough for Korenth to get the egg, but the valeshrieker turns hostile and you are forced to put it down.
• Next, Featherlight informs you that the nearby Heartwood Grove is being shut down and not all of their wildseeds are being redistributed. You are tasked with bringing the list of saved wildseeds to Droman Krelnor. Upon arrival, you have to rescue some souls in peril from starving wildlife with the wolf spirit Te'zan.
• This completed everything on this list in this part of the forest, and Featherlight tells you to meet her up ahead in Tirna Vaal. On the way you find a crying sylvar named Nelwyn who's grandma fell sick on the way to Tirna Vaal. She is hiding in a nearby cave and needs help. Upon arriving there "granny" turns out to be a feral cat spirit and Nelwyn 3 stacked spriggan playing a trick on you.
• You arrive in Tirna Vaal to see Featherlight recounting your valeshrieker experience with Lady Moonberry. She informs you that the Winter Queen is actually on her way here and you should be able to have your audience with her.

Chapter 2 - Tranquil Pools

• Droman Tashmur tasks you with finding the Dreamweaver here to address the song of Tirna Vaal being discordant. They also want you to find Choofa in the Spirit Glen. Apparently souls that come to Ardenweald come to rest before rebirth, but those who don't play in the forest for eternity as whatever form they choose. Souls in the north, however, have fallen into unrest.
• At the Tranquil Pools, Dreamweaver says the beasts are anima starved and so you need to slay 8 of them while also collecting a basket of animacones to use on 4 wildseeds since the tenders are missing.
• With these tasks completed, Dreamweaver wants you to recover 25 animacones from gobbling blossoms and free 16 wildseed tenders from inside devouring hydra. With this done, you must then accompany Dreamweaver to feed anima to wildseed in Tirna Vaal. On the way, she explains that this particular wildseed was one of the last group to arrive before the anima drought began. You infuse it with the animaseeds and it bonds to you. Dreamweaver exclaims that this is a rare event. She tells you to go tell the droman. As you leave, she remarks that nightmares still linger in this wildseed and now it will only take anima from its bonded one.
• The wildseed has been named Dreamer, and this is apparently the first time this has happened in Ardenweald's existence.

Chapter 3 - Spirit Glen

• In the Spirit Glen, Choofa wants you to defeat spriggans and use the soulweb to drain them of their stolen anima while also restoring soul shapes to Slanknen, Rury, and Awool.
• Next you must defeat the leader of the spriggan, Mizik the Haughty, with the help of your new animal spirit friends.
• Finally, you report your success to the droman in Tirna Vaal.

Chapter 4 - Waning Grove

• With the Vaal now ready for the Queen's arrival, your last task is receiving Ardenweald's essence from Lady Moonberry. She raises you into the sky to grant you this essence, but notices sylvar fleeing from Heartwood Grove. She releases you down and rushes off, but the droman catches you and grants you your Ardenweald covenant ability.
• You take a stag to investigate while fleeing sylvar beg for you to help Niya. You find her fighting on a bridge. She is the sylvar in charge of the wildseeds in Heartwood Grove, which is under siege by corrupted sylvar. She tasks you with slaying 8 possessed creatures, recovering 6 wildseeds, and bringing the Heart of the Grove to Tirna Vaal. You find Korenth where the heart should be, and he exclaims that the heart was taken to the Shrouded Mire, and also that the grove's droman has a mask like the other corrupted sylvar. Korenth sadly doesn't make it.
• Next you must collect 25 animacones from the possessed and also rescue survivors.
• With this complete, you then use the animacones to save Wagonmaster Derawyn from dying. She refuses to take the anima and instead returns to the cycle. You find the droman of Heartwood Grove possessed and draining anima. He must be stopped! You use some of Te'zan's anima to break the barrier and defeat Droman Krelnor, but the heart is destroyed in the process. You return to Tirna Vaal to inform them what happened.
• The Winter Queen then arrives and there is a placeholder cutscene where she infuses the grove with her power, but vanishes again before you can speak with her.

Chapter 5 - Glittering Falls

• Lady Moonberry is apologetic, and you ask her where you should go next. She directs you to find Hunt-Captain Korayn in Glitterfall Basin. She is the leader of the Wild Hunt, who will be needed to restore balance.
• Korayn tells you that strange creatures have intruded just outside the grove, and wants you to find her best hunters while also slaying blighted and taking their weapons. These blighted turn out to be Drust! Out of 4 hunters, only Ara'lon and Mimera are still alive.
• Next you must destroy foul totems and slay blighted with Korayn. You get an extra action button for Korayn to do large damage to elite brutes in the area. During this, you are taunted by a drust named Lorkron the Hunter who reveals that these drust are fallen hunters that Korayn sent out and never returned. You are tasked with slaying him. He reveals he serves a new master during the fight, but escapes before you defeat him. Korayn tells you to return to Glitterfall Basin and talk to Ara'lon. Her hunt continues for Lorkron.
• You must return to Tirna Vaal, and are given a Spirit Cradle to hold your wildseed. You return to find it under attack by nightmares from the wildseed. Dreamweaver is unable to calm it and asks you to confront the nightmares for her. You then soothe the wildseed.

Chapter 6 - This is the Way

• Dreamweaver has never seen a wildseed quite like this before. No seed has ever imprinted on an outsider. She wants you to bring the wildseed to Hibernal Hollow and have Niya help.
• Dreamweaver flies ahead to the Droman while you travel with Niya and the wildseed by foot to reach the Hollow. Niya uses a harp to sooth any nightmares the seed has, which also attracts spriggan. On the way, you are stopped by the Wild Hunt who say the area is not safe. Ara'lon recognizes you and asks you to rescue 5 wounded defenders in the area. With this done, you must also take care of the Blighted Monstrosity wrecking the area. During the fight you must blow a horn for the Wild Hunt to arrive and help defeat it.
• You ride back to the road slicing down drust on the way. The Wild Hunt then escorts you the rest of the way. Niya tells Ara'lon about the wildseed and what happened to her hollow. He remarks that his hollow was also chosen to give its heart so that others could live. Niya wonders if it bothers him, but he says he has faith in the Winter Queen. When you reach the grove, Dreamweaver introduces you and asks for aid from Droman Aliothe, a giant bear spirit.
• You are given the shared Night Fae ability Soulshape and are tasked with recovering anima from Proglo, a nearby frog spirit, while in your new form, which will help in a ritual to purge the nightmares from the wildseed. You do so, and complete the ritual to purge the nightmares. However, more work still needs to be done and Ara'lon asks you to meet him in Tirna Noch to retrieve more anima.

Chapter 7 - The Fallen Tree

• In Tirna Noch, drust are now in possession of the grove. You are tasked with taking plundered anima from stores nearby as well as investigating the depleted soulwebs and collecting stolen mementos from slain enemies.
• With these tasks completed, you must then confront the leader of the drust presence here, Vroth, Bulwark of Thros, and make your way to the Heart of the Fallen Tree. You defeat him, and destroy the barrier blocking the heart to collect its anima. During the fight Niya wonders if the anima could be used to restore their groves, but Ara'lon says we must protect what remains. There is a cutscene after where the drust invade the area. Dreamweaver shows up and helps you escape by granting you wings and allowing you to bomb drust from above.

Chapter 8 - Visions of the Dreamer

• Back at Hibernal Hollow, you prepare for the ritual while taking out some angry drust. You must attune to dreamshrines and free trapped spirit tenders in the process.
• You then bind yourself to the wildseed and are tasked with viewing the spirit's past. You have to enter a vision to see what plagues her mind, which shows a great betrayal and the spirit's origins.
• Inside the vision, you find the origins of the dragons. You must kill 10 vision proto-drakes, soothe some whelps, and destroy the vision of Deathwing before you can leave. You also see Malfurion and Tyrande visions while in here.
• Next, you must enter the nightmare of the spirit's death which keeps repeating over and over in its mind. This is where it is finally confirmed that this wildseed is indeed Ysera!
• You play as her in corrupted form during the events of Valsharah, falling to the temple defenders once more.
• You exit the vision and Dreamweaver confirms that Ysera is at peace and must have bonded with you because you are from the same world.

Chapter 9 - Awaken the Dreamer

• While you were in the vision the drust have attacked the Hollow. You must find 6 possessed spies and slay them. You then must sound a horn at each entrance to call the Wild Hunt. There seems to be a missing part of the quest here, as Captain Exposition gives you the next quest while explaining that the drust attack in full force, but with your help the battle seems to be turning in favor of the Night Fae - when Drust Leader Gorak Varr unleashes a mighty monster and returning villain Lorkron. After a pitched battle, the monster is slain and the drust retreat, but at a terrible cost...Ysera's wildseed has been mortally wounded!
• Dreamweaver says you must take Ysera's wildseed to the Heart of the Forest and beseech the Winter Queen to save her. There, you are told to bring her to the Grove of the Ancients for rebirth. There, a cutscene happens in which the Winter Queen saves Ysera and awakens her, but she was only able to do so by having her be reborn in Ardenweald and bound to it forever. She will no longer be able to return to Azeroth.
• You then give the message you were sent to deliver, and the Winter Queen is concerned. She says if the Banished One stirs, there may be even greater danger than this drought. She tells you to visit her in her court in The Heart of the Forest.
• There, she explains that Ardenweald's anima is barely enough to sustain the groves, let alone contribute to keeping the Banished One held. Groves will die because she has sustained "this" instead. It then says "a cool thing happens here" and the quest chain is brought to a close. You are then told to travel to Revendreth via Oribos to continue your journey.

[huth]

"Captain Exposition"

What's next, Cpt.s Placeholder, Exposition and Obvious lead the charge against Torghast?

[Relapses]

"Captain Exposition"

What's next, Cpt.s Placeholder, Exposition and Obvious lead the charge against Torghast?

I guess this was the major lore announcement Blizzard was teasing would be revealed last week. :^)

[------------------------]

god, i want the winter queen to step on me

[MrLoque]

Am I the only one totally unimpressed by these new zones? This place is 90% blue and 10% some other depressing color. The entire zone is utterly depressing, to be honest. Is it supposed to be like that? It's the exact opposite of the place where I would like to be leveling my toons...

[Wekko]

Am I the only one totally unimpressed by these new zones? This place is 90% blue and 10% some other depressing color. The entire zone is utterly depressing, to be honest. Is it supposed to be like that? It's the exact opposite of the place where I would like to be leveling my toons...

It's clear that this expansion, like Legion, is about different aesthetics and getting players to enjoy a style they like. Sucks that you couldn't get into one, but there is still time.

[maulgryve]

Am I the only one totally unimpressed by these new zones? This place is 90% blue and 10% some other depressing color. The entire zone is utterly depressing, to be honest. Is it supposed to be like that? It's the exact opposite of the place where I would like to be leveling my toons...

Looks like Val'shara at night time to me.

[Asotcha]

It also reminds me of Shadowmoon Valley in WoD.

[Orisai]

god, i want the winter queen to step on me

She looks like Lisa Simpson on steroids

[vilememory]

She looks like Lisa Simpson on steroids

And now I can't unsee it.

[Hyral]

Am I the only one totally unimpressed by these new zones? This place is 90% blue and 10% some other depressing color. The entire zone is utterly depressing, to be honest. Is it supposed to be like that? It's the exact opposite of the place where I would like to be leveling my toons...

Not just you. This expac is as unimpressive to me as Legion was. Not that I'm calling these zones bad or ugly (they were bad in Legion though), just the aesthetics they've chosen don't say Warcraft to me at all. Just look like a generic MMO. There's a pic floating around comparing shots from SL to Allods side by side and it's uncanny.

[MrLoque]

There's a pic floating around comparing shots from SL to Allods side by side and it's uncanny.

Can't find it, could you point me in the right direction?

[azuraji]

Can't find it, could you point me in the right direction?

The plagiarism is so thick you can taste it

[Sunderella]

The plagiarism is so thick you can taste it

the resemblance in most of those screenshots is pretty scary dude. I don't know that other game but hell, the plagiarism is thick indeed

[Hyral]

the resemblance in most of those screenshots is pretty scary dude. I don't know that other game but hell, the plagiarism is thick indeed

I wouldn't call it plagiarism. The style they are going with is just really generic.

[MrLoque]

I wouldn't call it plagiarism. The style they are going with is just really generic.

Well... The tombstone attachment is clearly taken from the other game.