World of Warcraft Dragonflight Patch 10.1: Embers of Neltharion has been revealed by Blizzard, and with it, a swath of new content is coming to the game. The patch will be the biggest content update WoW has received since the Dragonflight expansion launched last November, and players can expect a full sweep of many of the game’s systems.
In Patch 10.1, WoW Dragonflight will continue extensively, diving into the history of the Black Dragonflight, Neltharion, and all of his kin (including Wrathion and Sabellion). The newest zone being introduced to the game is a fully-underground area known as Zaralek Cavern, and it’s there that players will be able to dive into the new raid, Aberrus, the Shadowed Crucible.
Beyond a new zone and new raid, players will be able to continue their open-world adventures in the ever-reaching Dragon Isles, while a new and refreshed Mythic+ season with eight new dungeons will be waiting for the game’s most intrepid players.
Here’s everything you can expect to find in the upcoming WoW Patch 10.1: Embers of Neltharion.
New zone: Zaralek Cavern
The first new zone coming to Dragonflight will be the Zaralek Cavern, a totally underground area found deep within the earth. The zone will be literally under the Dragon Isles themselves, and entry points to Zaralek Cavern can be found in the pre-established zones of the continent.
Zaralek Cavern will be WoW’s first completely underground zone since Deepholm was introduced to the game alongside the Cataclysm expansion in 2010. In Zaralek Cavern, players will find the environment to be much different from that of the Dragon Isles, as the new zone will feature crystalline and volcanic biomes that react with volatility to the underground space.
According to Blizzard, Zaralek Cavern is slightly bigger than WoW’s last extra-additive zone from Shadowlands, Zereth Mortis. Thankfully, players will be able to use their Dragonriding mounts right from the get-go when they arrive in Zaralek Cavern, making the journey deep underground a little less daunting.
In Zaralek Cavern, players will be able to unlock a new Renown track with a race of mole people called the “Niffen.” Although little is known of these denizens as of now (apart from the fact that they have an extremely strong sense of smell), WoW players can expect to make friends with the native race as they battle their way through the harsh environments that the Cavern has to offer.
New raid: Aberrus, the Shadowed Crucible
Players will be able to dive into Neltharion’s secret laboratory: Aberrus, the Shadowed Crucible. It’s in this place—deep within Zaralek Cavern—that Neltharion performed some of his “darkest experiments,” according to Blizzard. In Aberrus, Neltharion ultimately gave in to the will of the Old Gods, becoming entranced with madness and turning into the creature known as Deathwing.
Aberrus is a nine-boss raid where raiders will have the opportunity to continue their battle against the Incarnates, as well as the Sundered Flame faction that they pursued in the Azure Vault. The final boss of the raid has yet to be revealed, although possible candidates include Scalecommander Sarkareth and Iridikron.
All three non-LFR difficulties of Aberrus, the Shadowed Crucible will release simultaneously, similar to the Vault of the Incarnates.
Expansion of open-world content
The campaign of Dragonflight will be expanded upon in Patch 10.1, giving players access to more quests in both Zaralek Cavern and the already-existing zones of the Dragon Isles. These quests will revolve around the Blue Dragonflight, as well as the Titan Keeper Tyr.
Additionally, players can look forward to assaults from Fyrakk, one of the Primal Incarnates. Similar to Legion assaults and Primal Storms, Fyrakk’s assaults will happen every so often on the world map, giving players a chance to earn gear and other rewards.
Additional Dragonriding mount and glyphs
A new Dragonriding mount will be added to WoW with Patch 10.1. The mount is inspired by WoW’s classic Cloud Serpent model, and with it, players will have the opportunity to collect new Dragonriding glyphs and Drakewatcher Manuscripts.
Refreshed Mythic+ dungeon rotation
A new set of Mythic+ dungeons will be entering the pool for Dragonflight season two. The foundation of the pool will be made up of the four dungeons from the current expansion that have yet to make a Mythic+ appearance—Neltharus, Brackenhide Hollow, Halls of Infusion, and Uldaman: Legacy of Tyr.
Beyond those four dungeons, Blizzard has also hand-picked four dungeons from expansions past to fill out the rest of the pool. The four legacy picks in Dragonflight season two will be Freehold, the Underrot, the Vortex Pinnacle, and Neltharion’s Lair, the latter of which was selected largely due to its relevance with Patch 10.1’s central storyline surrounding Neltharion.
WoW Patch 10.1: Embers of Neltharion has yet to receive a release date, although fans should expect to arrive on live servers in the coming months. The patch is expected to launch this spring.
