Many challenges await the heroes of Azeroth in Legion, and among the most dangerous are the dungeons found in and around the Broken Isles. In this preview, we take a look at two of the expansion’s new dungeons: Halls of Valor and Maw of Souls.
Halls of Valor
Minimum Level: 98
Location: Stormheim
Bosses: 5
In the clouds high above Stormheim, the titanic keeper Odyn has called the greatest vrykul warriors of Azeroth to be his Valarjar. Amidst feasting halls and hunting grounds, these ascended vrykul test themselves and prepare for the great war that is to come. Adventurers must pass through these halls and prove their worth if they hope to stand before Odyn and claim the Aegis of Aggramar.
Developer Insights: The look and feel of this dungeon was inspired by the Norse mythos of Valhalla, and we began by asking ourselves: What would the greatest and fiercest vrykul warriors look forward to as their eternal reward? Our answers to that question defined each of the major locales within the Halls of Valor: feasting, drinking, hunting, smithing, and testing their combat prowess. The scale and architectural style hint at the titan influence over the vrykul, as well as Odyn’s origins as the titan Pantheon’s Prime Designate charged with watching over Azeroth before the turmoil chronicled in the Storm Peaks during Wrath of the Lich King.
The Halls of Valor can be found in the southeast of Stormheim. You’ll need to fight your way to the Gates of Valor to gain access to what lies beyond. In this multi-level dungeon, you'll prove your worth against five mighty bosses.
Fields of the Eternal Hunt
Fenryr: In the Fields of the Eternal Hunt, the greatest vrykul champions keep their skills sharp, competing to see who can fell the largest beast. But man and beast alike give a wide berth to the fearsome worg Fenryr, true master of the Fields, who stalks his prey and pounces with unnerving quickness.
The High Gate
Hymdall: Clad in gleaming golden armor, with an imposing frame that looks to have been chiseled from granite, Hymdall remains ever vigilant at the gates of the Halls of Valor. Tasked by Odyn to keep the unworthy from entering the Halls with deadly storm drakes circling nearby ready to heed the call of his horn, he will never falter in his charge.
Hyrja: In life Hyrja was a warrior without equal, defending the Valkyra from all threats. Her valor and courage drew the attention of Eyir, a titan watcher. Upon her death and ascension to the Halls of Valor, Eyir has awarded Hyrja with her greatest honor, transformation into a Val’kyr.
Halls of Valor
God-King Skovald: Gul’dan approached the vrykul king Skovald with a simple proposition: he could join the Legion and receive ultimate power, or he could see his people destroyed. Dreaming of conquest and glory, Skovald has taken up the Legion’s offer and been set to a single crucial task. He must claim the Aegis of Aggramar from Odyn in the Halls of Valor and deliver it to Gul’dan. Only then can his endless conquest begin.
Odyn: Odyn, a titan keeper, was empowered by the titan Pantheon to lead the titan-forged armies against the Old Gods. In the aftermath, he raised the Halls of Valor into the skies, assembling a force of the greatest vrykul champions to defend Azeroth. But when Ulduar fell into the clutches of Yogg-Saron, he was betrayed by Loken and cursed by Helya, now trapped within these halls for eternity.
Maw of Souls
Minimum Level: 110
Location: Stormheim
Bosses: 3
While the greatest vrykul warriors are spirited away to the Halls of Valor to glory eternal, shiny and gold, the cursed and damned find themselves on the shores of the Maw of Souls. Amidst fog and mist, they await the Naglfar, a fearsome ship formed from sinew and bone, which comes to deliver these poor souls to Helheim, and the clutches of Helya.
Developer Insights: This max-level dungeon is the direct counterpoint to the Halls of Valor. If the Halls were based on Valhalla, the Maw of Souls was based on the mythos of the Naglfar. We decided early on that, just as the Grimrail Depot dungeon in Warlords had largely taken place on a moving train, that the ship itself would be the location for most of the action in the Maw of Souls. Our art and encounter team explored a few different concepts, including an eerie sea of mist and ghosts, before one of our effects artists demonstrated a prototype of a tumultuous ocean that did an incredible job of making the player feel like they were caught in a terrible storm. Once we saw that, we quickly honed in on that vision, and the rest was history.
Beginning in the Hellmouth Cliffs, players will make their way to the cursed ship Naglfar to experience a cruise of a more sinister kind.
Hellmouth Cliffs
Ymiron, the Fallen King: Ymiron, one-time king of the vrykul of Northrend, was a mighty warrior held in awe by his people. The gates of the Halls of Valor awaited him in the afterlife. But, hungry for more power, he struck a dark bargain with the Lich King. When adventurers struck him down, he found the eternal Halls closed to him. And so, the damned king waits in purgatory on the shores of the Maw of Souls.
The Naglfar
Harbaron: The mysterious ferryman of souls stands at thehelm of the Naglfar, gathering the damned and bringing them to Helya’s domain. His connection with the fallen queen of the val’kyr is unclear but when the breeze catches Harbaron’s cloak, an expanse of shimmering stars unfolds beneath. Strange.
Helya: Helya, fallen queen of the Val’kyr, was once at Odyn’s right hand, raising the spirits of vrykul champions to the Halls of Valor to prepare for the final battle for the fate of Azeroth. But following Loken’s betrayal, she was persuaded to join him and turn upon her master. She now lurks in the shadowy realm beneath the world, plotting her revenge.
