World of Warcraft is renowned for its expansive set of locations, from barren deserts to lush forests, but some of the most interesting zones are densely inhabited, like Suramar or Tiragarde Sound. The first major patch for The War Within expansion adds another such area with Undermine, the goblin capital and a massive urban center that’s not quite like anything else seen on Azeroth.
On Thursday, Blizzard released a video of Undermine detailing what to expect from the goblin capital. The goblins have been underserved by World of Warcraft; since their introduction all the way back in 2010’s Cataclysm, they’ve mostly served as goofy comic relief for the Horde. The goblin starting zone in Cataclysm is similarly advanced, with cars, highways, and even a personal assistant for the player — but it was destroyed by the emergence of Deathwing.
Some of the goblin collectives in Patch 1.1 (which is cleverly titled Undermined) have been enemies in past patches. Luckily, they’re interested in working with the heroes of Azeroth, and they won’t hold past transgressions against you — so if you’re the kind of player who slaughtered guards in Booty Bay and racked up a terrible reputation with the Blackwater cartel, Baron Revilgaz won’t be hostile towards you.
Undermined includes a car, which you can upgrade by collaborating with the goblin cartels. Blizzard is introducing the D.R.I.V.E. (Dynamic Revolutionary Improvements to Vehicular Experiences) mechanic alongside these goblin cars; they’re much faster than a ground mount — and even a little bit faster than a flying mount in the air. For anyone who wishes World of Warcraft had more drifting, this is the patch for you.
Undermined will also include new Delves (one of which has an alarming amount of Void constructs hidden away), a new Arena, and a new dungeon called Operation Floodgate. Raiders can look forward to the Liberation of Undermine, an eight-boss raid. Here, players finally get to beat up Gallywix, the ultra-capitalist goblin who betrayed his people during the Cataclysm yet somehow managed to fail upward to leading the faction. Gallywix is, true to form, inside a giant mech that has been build to look like his face.
Blizzard hasn’t announced a release date for Undermined quite yet, but it looks like an interesting spin on The War Within’s zones so far. The goblin antics will tie back into the greater plot with Xal’atath, so there will be some interesting mysteries in store.
