With our own world going through something of a moment right now, there’s never been a better time to escape to a fantasy realm. And really, what better world to lose yourself in than Azeroth? Ever since 2019’s release of the long-awaited nostalgia trip, World Of Warcraft: Classic, Blizzard’s beloved MMO has burst back into the public consciousness, enjoying a level of popularity it hasn’t in a decade. Yet in the upcoming expansion World Of Warcraft: Shadowlands, Blizzard’s no longer looking to the series’ past – it’s showing us Warcraft’s future.
While there’s a fair amount of new content in Shadowlands, the clear highlight of this juicy new expansion is what is being touted as an ‘Infinite dungeon’. Called Torghast: The Tower of the Damned (try saying that after a pint of Pandaren ale) this procedurally generated twist on Wow’s raids aims to transform the series’ grind into something fresh and exciting.
Towering ominously in a realm at the centre of the Shadowlands called The Maw, Torgahst is a prison that houses the souls of the biggest (and baddest) demons in the universe. Probably not an ideal holiday spot, then. Yet if you do dare to take a trip to this hellish, ever-changing tower, you will be well-rewarded. Inspired by the procedurally generated levels popularised in the roguelike genre, this is an endless dungeon that players can choose to brave either solo or with up to four other people in their party.
While guilds have always enjoyed replaying raids in order to nab themselves high-level loot, Torghast’s randomly generated floors means that this time around, replays will offer a fresh experience. On each new visit, floor layouts change completely. New traps will appear. Different monsters will ambush you, and most importantly – completely new loot drops await.
As you’d expect from something inspired by a roguelike, things start off simple. At first, you’ll face few enemies, but with each floor you climb, the challenge grows greater and more elaborate. Luckily though, so do the powers at your disposal. After clearing a floor, you and your party can gain temporary buffs known as Anima Powers. These hidden upgrades are invaluable to defeating the horrors of Torghast, improving one of your Covenant class or signature abilities, by adding a variety of randomised powerful properties. But here’s the twist – these upgrades only last for your current run. Once you and your party have logged out, you are stripped of all your fancy new upgrades.
It’s why you’ll want to do your best to clear the tower, unlocking that sweet, sweet legendary loot chest. As you’d expect, each chest contains rare materials that you can take out of Torghast and use to craft powerful gear of your choice. Gnarly.
In a nice touch, there are no pesky time limits holding you and your party back here. Need to pop to the loo? No problem. Want to treat yourself to some Hot Devil Drumlets after those lengthy hours of demon-slaying? Well, you go Glen, Coco! In fact, mercifully, Torghast seems to let players spend a generous amount of time AFK (away from keyboard). And even in the unlikely event that you do somehow manage to get disconnected from everyone’s favourite tower of terror, as long as one of your party still remains in Torghast, you’ll be able to connect right back to floor 18 where you left off. Trust us – after surviving hours and hours worth of hellish demons, you really won’t want to be sent plummeting right back to the pesky perils of floor one. So, cheers for that Blizzard.
Still, if your friends aren’t online (or you just feel like some demon-slaying-tinged alone time) this is also an experience that feels fun (and achievable) solo. Why? Because Torghast scales to your party size. Thankfully, it also offers the same rewards no matter the party size. This means that lone warriors can dive into the everchanging tower each week and grab a shiny legendary item at their own pace. Where equally, hardcore guilds can keep coming back to the tower for more legendary gear, mining it to their heart’s content.
All in all, the terrifying tower of Torghast is a wonderfully refreshing MMO endgame experience. Unlike most high-level content, Torghast seems to be a mode that fits around your playstyle and time commitments – rather than a raid that forces you to spend hours you don’t have in order to get the necessary gear. This terrifying tower feels like the start of a new Blizzard, the culmination of everything it has learnt about how WOW players spend their time. And most importantly, it’s a place where you could spend hours after hours exploring and yet somehow still find new things to discover. Take that, repetitive grinding.
