Adventure awaits in Azeroth in an all-new starting experience arriving with Shadowlands. If you're new to World of Warcraft and the Shadowlands beta, this introductory excursion is a great way to begin forging your path through the world.
An expedition has gone missing, and you have been called to be a part of a new crew of novice adventurers charged with discovering what's become of them. As with many such journeys, you'll find yourself as part of a crew aboard a ship bound to their last known location. When things take a turn for the worse, you'll make landfall on the island of Exile's Reach.
It's here that you'll begin to face the challenges the island presents, each increasing in difficulty as you work your way through your first 10 levels. As you progress, you'll begin to learn more about using the new skills and abilities at your disposal.
At the culmination of your adventure, you'll face two new bosses in a "mini-dungeon" designed for 1 to 5 players.
Learning New Skills
This new experience is carefully crafted to teach you a variety of skills needed to be successful in Azeroth and beyond.
As you make your way through Exile's Reach, you'll learn all about the fundamentals of playing World of Warcraft, while also diving into some of the most important mechanics for your chosen class. Warriors will learn the essentials of a good Charge; Rogues will go through the gauntlet of proper use of combo points; while Hunters will learn how to tame and stable their pets.
Along the way, you'll encounter new allies in Exile's Reach who are willing to teach you more abilities for your class. Paladins will encounter the ghost of a former paladin willing to teach them Divine Shield, while Monks will receive guidance through meditation to learn Touch of Death.
These fundamentals are the building blocks you'll need to take on the many challenges waiting in Azeroth, and will help you along the path to success—wherever your adventure takes you.
Beginning Your Beta Journey
To begin your journey in the Shadowlands beta, you'll need to login to the beta realm and select the "Create New Character" option. From there, you'll be able to customize your character by choosing their defining features along with their new name.
How to join the Shadowlands test
If you'd like to join us in testing Shadowlands, all you need to do is opt in to become a tester. Players who have opted-in can be selected to be a tester, and invitations will go out regularly throughout the test.
Once you've been added:
- Open the Blizzard Battle.net App and select World of Warcraft from your Games list.
- In the selector above the Play button, change your Region / Account to Alpha: Shadowlands.
- Click Install to install the PTR client. This becomes a Play button when ready.
- Click Play to log in to the PTR, and select any of the available Test Servers.
- Create a new test character.
- Enter the game and test the new content!
If you have issues installing and operating the Shadowlands Alpha, please first check our Common Technical Issues and Solutions to begin troubleshooting.
We look forward to hearing what you think on the beta forums as you play through this new experience.