World of Warcraft's delayed Shadowlands expansion gets new November release date

World of Warcraft's Shadowlands expansion, which was delayed earlier this month just week's before its originally anticipated October release date, will now launch on 23rd November.

Blizzard had initially told World of Warcraft fans to expect Shadowlands on 27th October, but made the decision to postpone launch after it decided it had "become clear we need a little more time for additional polish, and to balance and iterate on some interlocking pieces".

In a new statement released alongside today's revised launch date, the developer explained it had use the additional time to "further polish the expansion and shore up the endgame, including overhauling the combat and rewards in the Maw, and reworking the Covenant systems to make your choice more immediately impactful and have clearer-long term goals."

Shadowlands is World of Warcraft's eighth major expansion, and introduces the titular "resting place for every mortal soul - virtuous or vile - that has ever lived", which, in more practical terms, brings five new zones for players to explore: Ardenweald, Maldraxxus, Revendreth, The Maw, and Bastion, home of angelic soul guides the Kyrians.

Shadowlands' "pre-launch event", which sees players attempting to defend Azeroth against a resurgence of the Scourge, will now begin on 10th November, and Blizzard has confirmed that the expansion's first raid, Castle Nathria - which unfolds "in the heart of Sire Denathrius' lair in Revendreth" - will open on 8th December, alongside Shadowlands Season 1.

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