Two of Pandaria's zones lie beyond the Dragon's Spine, where few pandaren who dare to venture. One of these regions is the terrifying Dread Wastes, home to a sophisticated insectoid race known as the mantid. Why are mantid so terrifying to pandaren, and what will happen next? To find out we spoke with Don Adams, Mission Design Assistant.
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Q: What is happening in the Dread Wastes?
R: El Dread Wastes It is the homeland of the mantid. From here, the Grand Empress Shek'zeer commands a seemingly endless swarm of mantid that hurls itself at the Dragon Spine and is about to overwhelm the shadopan defenders. Historically, mantid swarms have formed at regular and predictable intervals, but this has occurred about ten years in advance and has caught the pandaren off guard. It's not that the empress is getting more strategic; it happens that your society as a whole is in a moment of upheaval.
Shek'zeer has succumbed to Sha of fear and, possessed by it, she is leading her empire to the brink of the abyss. Following Shek'zeer's orders, the mantid abandon themselves to the shah, and deliberately allow themselves to be corrupted and corrupted by their sacred trees and their entire ecosystem. An irrational fear has put the Empress on the warpath, a war that is tearing her civilization apart.
The mantid, however, do not have a collective consciousness. Their race is ancient, very advanced, and highly structured. A council of mantid elders known as the Klaxi they are the stewards of the history and culture of the mantid; and they are driven by far more long-term goals than the Empress. Without revealing the plot too much, I will say that the Klaxi they are basically the custodians of the true origin and raison d'être of the mantid. They have understood that the Empress has lost her mind and that invading all of Pandaria will not do much good if it gives her civilization to the shah. Most of the area focuses on this conflict between the mantid swarm and the Klaxxi, revealing the terrifying magnitude of a swarm at its fullest and the consequences of failing to curb the corruption of the shah.
We also have side stories focusing on a few particularly hardy pandaren who have ventured into the Dread Wastes. The family Thunder Beer has come to stand up to the mantid on their own turf, and they have joined a group of brewers who specialize in brewing beer from tree sap Kypari of the area. Meanwhile, the crew of a wrecked fishing boat has settled on the southeast coast and is reaping the benefits of being the only ones fishermen from beyond the wall.
Q: How does the story unfold? What factions will players find?
R: This area revolves around The Klaxxi, which is a powerful faction that offers level 90 rewards. The course of the missions is designed to combine the progression of "level up" missions and daily tasks for reputation, so that you will start working with The Klaxxi already gain reputations almost immediately after setting foot in the area. Your progression through the Exotic Quests brings direct benefits to daily experience, and your progression to higher reputation levels through the Daily will in turn enable more Exotic Quests.
What will the players do to help the Klaxxi? Although these are wise and powerful, they are not many. They don't have an army, but they do have access to the Paragons - mantid champions of bygone ages who were preserved in amber at the height of their strength and buried throughout the world. Dread Wastes. Some are war masters, others clever alchemists or master assassins. These guys are the Klaxxi's best asset.
When you first arrive in the Dread Wastes, you will encounter one of these paragons. After awakening him, he will introduce you to the council and they will allow you to continue reviving paragons so that you can help them increase their strength. These paragons become your daily quest givers, so as you wake them up you will unlock new dailies. They also grant you perks that allow you to do things like mind control enemies or double jump while in the Dread Wastes.
Q: What are some of your favorite places in the area?
R: My advice to anyone entering the Dread Wastes for the first time is to look up. The sky vibrates with sha energy, it is overwhelming and almost hypnotic: it manages to immerse us in the theme that governs this whole place, which is sha radiation.
At the northern end of the area is the Twilight Barley Garden, where sap masters brew beer from kypari sap. I love the look of this area, with all the brewing and sap extraction equipment.
This sap (or amber) is essential to the mantid way of life, so you will also find impressive mantid chambers under some of the largest trees, where the sap collects in vast golden pools. The Amber Greenhouse comes to mind, but there are several more, including some that lie beneath the Heart of Fear itself.
The Heart of Fear It is, of course, the mantid palace and the residence of the Grand Empress Shek'zeer. There are plenty of quests in the vicinity of the palace, but you will need a gang if you want to enter and challenge the Empress in person. From the palace and up to the Dragon's Spine extend two great marks caused by the constant advance of the mantid swarm. Along these marks you will also see some of the kypari trees completely covered by the sha, with mantid workers collecting their corrupted amber and feeding it to their warriors or using it to accelerate the development of their eggs.
It is a gloomy land, as well as dangerous. I think it perfectly captures the oppressive atmosphere one expects from the end zone of an expansion.
What's next for Pandaria? We have one last area to visit: the Vale of Eternal Blossoms, resplendent heart of the continent and the setting for weeks of level 90 adventure.