"The History of the Expansions" series — Patch 9.1. The story of World of Warcraft told expansion by expansion, with the patches that changed it. The episodes are listed in order at the end of the post.
Shadowlands patch 9.1, Chains of Domination, is the chapter in which the Jailer's plan becomes clear and starts to fail. The heroes enter Korthia, the city of the afterlife's secrets, storm the Sanctum of Domination and face two old acquaintances, Kel'Thuzad and Sylvanas Windrunner, while Anduin Wrynn remains dominated by the Jailer. In the end, Sylvanas makes the choice nobody expected.
Korthia, the city of secrets
After the first months in the Maw, the heroes found Korthia, an ancient city that had been dragged into the Jailer's prison. It held the records of the afterlife, and the Archivists who lived there helped put the puzzle together: what the Jailer wanted and how he planned to get it.
The answer lay in the chains of domination, the same energy used to forge the Lich King's Helm and Frostmourne. It does not only serve to control the undead: it serves to control fate itself, and the Jailer wanted to use it to rewrite the rules of the cosmos.
The Sanctum of Domination
The center of the Jailer's power was the Sanctum of Domination, a fortress at the top of Torghast. That is where the patch's raid took place, and three of the characters most tied to the Lich King's story were there.
Anduin dominated
Anduin Wrynn, kidnapped by Sylvanas at the start of the expansion, was dominated by the Jailer and turned into a warrior in his service. He is not a raid boss: he appears in the final cinematic, when the Jailer takes him away. The heroes only face and free him in patch 9.2, in the Sepulcher of the First Ones. Anduin comes back to himself with the memory of everything he did under the Jailer's control, and that weight follows him into the next expansions.
Read more: Anduin Wrynn: from boy king to corrupted hero.
The final death of Kel'Thuzad
Kel'Thuzad, the lich Arthas brought back at the Sunwell and whom players defeated in Naxxramas twice, was also in the Sanctum. This time, his defeat was the last one: Kel'Thuzad's phylactery was destroyed, and the founder of the Cult of the Damned left the story for good.
Read more: The Cult of the Damned.
Sylvanas and the refusal
The last fight of the Sanctum was against Sylvanas Windrunner. During the battle and right after it, Sylvanas understood what the Jailer really wanted: a universe in which no one had free will. For her, who had been Arthas's slave, that was the one thing she would not accept.
Sylvanas refused to keep serving the Jailer. He escaped with Anduin and with what he needed for the last stage of the plan. Sylvanas was held prisoner in Oribos by Bolvar and his allies and began to help, in her own way, to stop him.
Read more: Sylvanas breaks the Helm of Domination and opens the afterlife.
What patch 9.1 left for 9.2
- The Jailer fled to Zereth Mortis, the land of the First Ones, where the machine able to remake the cosmos stands.
- Anduin was still dominated and was taken by the Jailer.
- Sylvanas switched sides, and her ending in the expansion becomes a sentence to serve, not a victory.
It is the last stage of the expansion, told in patch 9.2.
Read more: The Jailer, Zereth Mortis and the end of Shadowlands.
Where to see it in WotLK
- Naxxramas, in Dragonblight: the first death of Kel'Thuzad that a WotLK player sees.
- Icecrown Citadel: the Helm of Domination and Frostmourne, made with the same energy the Jailer uses.
- Halls of Reflection: Sylvanas (for the Horde) or Jaina (for the Alliance) facing the Lich King, the start of her obsession with the fate of souls.
Frequently asked questions
What happens in Shadowlands patch 9.1?
The heroes explore Korthia and storm the Sanctum of Domination, where they defeat Kel'Thuzad and face Sylvanas, who turns against the Jailer. Anduin remains dominated and is only freed in patch 9.2.
Did Kel'Thuzad die for good?
Yes. In the Sanctum of Domination, Kel'Thuzad's phylactery is destroyed, which ends his story.
Why did Sylvanas betray the Jailer?
Because she realized he wanted a universe without free will, something she would not accept after having been Arthas's slave.
"The History of the Expansions" series
← Previous: Episode 9: WoW History: Shadowlands Next → Patch 9.2: The end of Shadowlands
- Episode 1: WoW Classic at a glance: major conflicts and faction reconstruction
- Episode 2: The Burning Crusade in order: Illidan, Kael'thas, Vashj and the fate of Outland
- Episode 3: WoW History: Wrath of the Lich King
- Episode 4: Cataclysm and the return of Deathwing
- Episode 5: WoW History: Mists of Pandaria
- Episode 6: WoW History: Warlords of Draenor
- Episode 7: WoW History: Legion, the Full Expansion
- Episode 8: The Fourth War in brief: how Azerite reignited the conflict between Horde and Alliance
- Episode 9: WoW History: Shadowlands
- Patch 9.1: Chains of Domination (you are here)
- Patch 9.2: The end of Shadowlands
- Episode 10: The awakening of the Dragon Isles and the return of the Aspects
- Episode 11: Khaz Algar: the underground continent and the four biomes of The War Within
- The War Within, part 1: The Radiant Song and Dalaran
- The War Within, part 2: The Earthen and Isle of Dorn
- The War Within, part 3: The Ringing Deeps
- The War Within, part 4: The Arathi Expedition
- The War Within, part 5: Azj-Kahet and Ansurek
- The War Within, part 6: The War for Khaz Algar
- The War Within, part 7: Undermine and Gallywix
- The War Within, part 8: Ghosts of K'aresh
- Episode 12: Midnight: why Quel'Thalas became the center of the war against the Void
- Episode 13: The Last Titan: what we know about the end of the trilogy
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