Maw

This article is about the Shadowlands zone. For the quest, see  [53-60] The Maw. For other uses, see Maw (disambiguation).

The Maw
Level: 50 - 60
Capital(s)	Torghast
Races	Maw guard Maw caster Soul Shade Kyrian Maw necromancer Charred behemoth Maldraxxi
Ruler(s)	Zovaal the Jailer †
Major settlements	The Tremaculum Perdition Hold Desmotaeron
Minor settlements	Ve'nari's Refuge
Affiliation	Mawsworn
Location	Shadowlands
PvP status	Contested territory

The Maw, Wasteland of the Damned, is one of the realms of the Shadowlands. This horrific place houses the most vile and irredeemable souls in existence. Ruled by the enigmatic Jailer, the Maw inspires nightmares and legends even among the denizens of the Shadowlands. No one has ever escaped this vile place, and any foolish enough to venture here are never heard from again. At its center lies Torghast, a cursed otherworldly prison where the most wicked souls in the universe are locked away. In recent years, the machinery of Death has been broken, and all souls who enter the Shadowlands are now condemned to torment in the Maw, no matter their deeds in life. This has caused the Maw to begin growing larger and more powerful while the rest of the Shadowlands wither from a lack of anima. The Maw is antithetical to Oribos.

The Maw is a max-level zone designed for exploration and (somewhat) open-ended play, without settlements or inns to let players catch their breath.

Patch 9.1 added new areas to the Maw with Korthia and Helgarde Keep.

Background

Concept art of Mawsworn.

In the deepest depths of the Shadowlands lies the inescapable Maw. The wretched souls imprisoned in this hopeless realm are the unforgiven and irredeemable. They are imprisoned forever and suffer without end, until they are twisted into a mere shade of their former glory. It is then that the tormented willingly serve their tormentor.

Normally, few souls are sent directly here, as even the most evil and prideful beings in existence are given a last chance to atone for their sins in Revendreth. If they fail or refuse to seek redemption, they are condemned to an eternity in the Maw. Still, few souls that the Arbiter found completely irredeemable would be sent directly to the Maw.

The landmass within the Maw consists of pieces of land that have been ripped from a realm that was destroyed upon entering the Maw's atmosphere and whose pieces have become burned and desiccated. The Jailer pieced these together into a single landmass by throwing out chains in every direction within the Maw from Torghast and pulling them inwards. The Maw was sealed and made inescapable with the magic of the Heart of the Forest, with the goal of banishing The Jailer forever.

As the Jailer's dwelling, the Maw is a tumultuous, hopeless maze of torment chambers and endless despair. The laws that bind the Shadowlands are meaningless within the Jailer's realm. Reality is ever-changing within the Maw, which is continually altering itself to the whims of its singular master who resides in Torghast, Tower of the Damned.

The eye of Odyn had been brought to the Maw by Mueh'zala long ago.

Recent history

Souls flowing into the Maw.

Around the time of the Burning Legion's third invasion of Azeroth, the machine of death was broken, causing all souls who enter the Shadowlands to pour directly into the Maw as part of the river of souls. As a result, the Maw grows larger and more powerful while other parts of the Shadowlands have become deprived of anima and have started withering. During this time, Mueh'zala brought Helya to the Jailer's side.

Sylvanas Windrunner has been working with the Jailer since her attempted suicide at Icecrown Citadel and has been perpetrating acts to bring about great amounts of death in the world of the living. As she has fed the Maw with new souls, both she and the Jailer have grown more powerful.

Thanks to their intimate connection to Azeroth's world-soul, adventurers are able to escape the Maw and further explore the Shadowlands, though some of their allies were left behind.

After Tyrande Whisperwind jumped into the Maw by herself, Shandris Feathermoon received visions of Tyrande in the Maw, including specific locations within the Maw of where she'd be able to find her.

During the Chains of Domination campaign, the Jailer uses massive chains to drag Korthia into the Maw. With the power of the new Korthian Waystone to Oribos, covenant forces are able to come and go as they please (instead of piggy-backing alongside the Maw Walker's anima) and start their own assaults on the Maw.

At the end of the expansion it is made clear by the new Arbiter that no soul will be sent to the Maw ever again and that all will receive a judgment of redemption.

Getting there

Players enter the Maw by jumping into the Soul Pillar from the second layer of Oribos.

Geography

Maps and subregions

Map of the Maw in patch 9.1 with Korthia in the south.

The Beastwarrens Desmotaeron Echoing Caverns Helgarde Keep Hungering Wastes Marrow's Coppice Death's Roar Prodigum Pit of Anguish Ravener's Lament Mother's Den Soulstained Fields Torturer's Hovel Calcis Desolate Hollow Cocyrus Ve'nari's Refuge Crucible of the Damned Detrithos Gorgoa: River of Souls Perdition Hold Altar of Domination Face of Oblivion Woeful Cavern Planes of Torment Forlorn Respite Ruin's Cradle The Tremaculum Extractor's Sanatorium Torghast, Tower of the Damned Sanctum of Domination Zovaal's Cauldron

• 

  Map of the Maw prior to patch 9.1 without Korthia in the south.

Instances

Instance name	Level range	Group size	Approximate run time
Torghast, Tower of the Damned	60	1-5 player	Unknown
Sanctum of Domination	60++	10-30 player (20 on Mythic)	Unknown

Adjacent regions

Zone Name	Faction	Level Range	Direction	Access
Oribos		50-60	n/a	Waystone to Oribos
Korthia		60	southeast	On foot, or using the Animaflow Teleporter from Ve'nari's Refuge

Gameplay mechanics

The Maw is not a typical zone, and it has some unique mechanics to encourage players to drop by, gain some currencies by doing activities, and then leave. To start, players can at first not mount up in the Maw, and will travel on foot in general to most locations. However, you can unlock the ability to use a mount in the Maw by doing the Korthia questline.

The three currencies

The overall objective of the Maw is to gain Stygia and the reputation to use it with Ve'nari, but balanced against drawing the Eye of the Jailer. Additionally, the covenants would really like some more freed souls to power their way of life once a week.

Nearly everything in the zone affects some or all of the "currencies". Looting generic mobs will award a granule or two of Stygia. Freeing lost souls for the weekly covenant quest will award much more Stygia, but also advance the Eye of the Jailer progress. Rares and events will award more stygia, advance the Eye progress, and award reputation with Ve'nari. Completing quest objectives will advance Eye threat at that moment, while turning in will award the reputation and Stygia.

To direct players' efforts, there are several high-level activities that players are encouraged to complete daily and weekly:

Maw currencies

Source	Reputation	Stygia	Threat	Threat per rep	Threat per Stygia
Generic mob	0	≈1	6	∞	6.00
Generic elite	0	≈2.5	12	∞	4.80
Rescue soul	0	≈20	100	∞	5.00
Event mob	40	≈45	300	7.50	6.67
Rare mob	80	≈50	300	3.75	6.00
Rare elite mob	100	≈75	500	5.00	6.67
Daily quests	75	140	500	6.67	3.57
Wrath of the Jailer (weekly)	250	100	500	2.00	5.00
Perdition/Beastwarrens daily	100	225	667	6.67	2.96
Weekly quests	850	425	1000	1.18	2.35
Beastwarrens Hunt	525	≈300	1000	1.90	3.33
Perdition Hold weekly	1100	700	1200	1.09	1.71
Maw Lore (one-time)	100-150	0	0	0	0

The Eye of the Jailer

The Eye interface

To keep players from grinding Ve'nari reputation and Stygia all day, the daily Eye of the Jailer comes into play until the launch of patch 9.1. This mechanic gently encourages players to not idle in the zone and, after a while, less-than-gently encourages players to leave the zone as more advanced threats are unleashed. Eventually, the Jailer will have had enough and starts rapidly eroding the player's life force, killing the Maw Walker outright.

The Eye of the Jailer threat level resets daily, alongside daily quests.

0. None
1. Soulseekers attack you on sight
2. Towers bombard your location, dealing damage and slowing you
3. Assassins are sent to kill you
4. Winged Abductors hunt you from above
5. The Jailer rapidly erodes your life force

At tier three and above, the Jailer will send Assasins to harry the player as they enter combat. Defeat it to survive. Defeat 100 to earn the achievement  [Who Sent You?].

At tier four, with no warning at all, a Stygian Abductor will snag the player from the ground and fly up high, winding up a long cast that will likely throw them off the edge of the zone.

At tier five, players lose 10% incoming healing every 20 seconds. Once all incoming healing is gone, players lose 3% of their max health every tick. Thus, once players hit the maximum for the day, they have 200 seconds (3 minutes, 20 seconds) to exit the Maw or make it to Ve'nari's Refuge.

During this tier, players are ineligible to loot any additional Stygia or gain reputation with Ve'nari. However, should they desire to run Torghast, they have enough time between landing in the Maw and running down hill to the refuge to make it to her Torghast portal.

During the Chains of Domination campaign, players will permanently fend off the Eye (so it can become a boss in the Sanctum of Domination) during the quest  [60] Focusing the Eye. Once that quest is complete, the Eye mechanic is removed for that player, allowing them to stay in the Maw indefinitely.

Ve'nari and her refuge

Ve'nari's Refuge

On the southeastern part of the mainland is Ve'nari's Refuge, home to the broker Ve'nari. At the refuge, players are immune to the Eye of the Jailer, have easy access to Torghast, and slowly build out a portal network to other points in the zone. Ve'nari trades in Stygia, acquired from various sources in the Maw.

However, Ve'nari is not a trusting character, and the Maw Walker will need to gain standing with her over time to purchase more of her wares. Such standing comes from completing her daily and weekly quests, killing notable foes, and taking part in other events in the zone. Additionally, two subzones, Perdition Hold and the Beastwarrens, are gated behind her reputation standing, and will award the achievements  [Prepare for Trouble!] and  [Make it Double!] when unlocked.

Standings

Standing	Overall rep	To next level
Dubious	0 - 999	1,000
Apprehensive	1,000 - 6,999	6,000
Tentative	7,000 - 13,999	7,000
Ambivalent	14,000 - 20,999	7,000
Cordial	21,000 - 41,999	21,000
Appreciative	42,000	n/a

Stygia

Ve'nari

A graveyard in the Maw

Completing objectives in the Maw (freeing souls, daily quests, bonus objectives, etc...) will award some [Stygia]. Ve'nari will trade the player's gathered Stygia for various upgrades, like a portal network, or quality-of-life improvements in Torghast, like the ability to always see at least two Anima power choices when interacting with Anima hoards.

Should players die in the Maw, they will drop roughly 20% their Stygia, but they can loot their corpse to recover it. Players respawn instantly at a graveyard with the [Edict of the Eternal Ones] buff and will need to run back to their corpse while alive. However, if players die again before looting their first corpse, the Stygia on that corpse will be lost permanently. Should players fall off the edge of the Maw, the lost Stygia is gone permanently.

Use stygia to unlock permanent rewards and earn the achievements  [To 'Ghast, Two Curios] and  ['Ghast Five].

Ve'nari

Reputation	Item	Cost	Purpose
n/a	[Cypher of Relocation]	60	Teleports the player to Ve'nari's refuge
	[Anima Supricifer]	50	Quest item
Apprehensive	[Vessel of Unfortunate Spirits]	527	Torghast upgrade (death)
	[Extradimensional Pockets]	800	Torghast upgrade (obleron armaments)
	[Encased Riftwalker Essence]	1130	Maw upgrade (Chaotic Riftstones)
	[Soultwinning Scepter]	205	Stat buff
	[Oil of Ethereal Force]	165	Stealth + movement speed buff
Tentative	[Bangle of Seniority]	1135	Torghast upgrade (broker powers)
	[Sigil of the Unseen]	666	Maw upgrade (assassins)
	[Animated Levitating Chain]	1050	Maw upgrade (grappling hook)
	[Animaflow Stabilizer]	1650	Maw upgrade (Animaflow Teleporter)
	[Broker Traversal Enhancer]	875	Torghast upgrade (9.0.5 Broker teleports)
	[Maw-Touched Miasma]	230	Torghast Mawrat skill
	[Sticky-Fingered Skeletal Hand]	210	Torghast lock bypass
Ambivalent	[Soul-Stabilizing Talisman]	775	Maw upgrade (abductors)
	[Ritual Prism of Fortune]	1025	Torghast upgrade (anima powers)
	[Phantasmic Infuser]	3760	Torghast upgrade (phantasma)
	[Memory of Jailer's Eye]	4986	Runecarver memory
Cordial	[Loupe of Unusual Charm]	1330	Torghast upgrade (broker powers)
	[Rank Insignia: Acquisitionist]	1575	Torghast upgrade (broker powers)
	[Unbound Reality Fragment]	1900	Conduit unlock/upgrade
	[Recipe: Crafter's Mark II]	300	Crafting reagent
Appreciative	[Possibility Matrix]	1525	Torghast upgrade (anima hoard)
	[Spatial Realignment Apparatus]	7200	Socket unlock
	[Stygia Dowser]	1500	For  [Bound Shadehound] (9.0.5)
	[Partial Rune Codex]	2000	For  [Bound Shadehound] (9.0.5)

Souls

A Soul Cage

Occasionally, players will find Soul Cages in the zone. Free the Caged Soul inside to gain progress on the weekly quest Return Lost Souls, which requires saving between five and twenty, but players will advance their progress on the Eye of the Jailer. Additionally, Wailing Souls serve the same purpose.

Free 200 (over the course of several months!) to earn the achievement  [Soulkeeper's Burden].

Rares and events

The minimap keeps track of both rare mobs (marked with a star), and Maw events (marked with a skull). Events respawn quickly (roughly every 5 minutes), while rares can take hours.

Killing rares or marked events will award a decent amount of [Stygia], advance the Eye of the Jailer and award some standing with Ve'nari. The rares are also tracked in achievements  [It's About Sending a Message] and  [Better to Be Lucky Than Dead].

• Rares

  

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• Events

  

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• Patch 9.1 rares

  

  Maw

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

9.0 rares and events

Rare	Coords	Location	Type
Agonix	[28.2, 45.5]	Detrithos	Event
Akros	[34.0, 73.1]	Perdition Hold	Event
Apholeias, Herald of Loss	[19.3, 41.7]	Crucible of the Damned	Rare
Borr-Geth	[39.0, 41.2]	Zovaal's Cauldron	Rare
Conjured Death	[27.7, 13.1]	Tremaculum	Rare
Cyrixia	[28.2, 24.8]	Ruin's Cradle	Event
Darithis the Bleak	[60.9, 48.1]	Beastwarrens	Rare
Dartanos, Lord of Chains	[25.8, 14.9]	Tremaculum	Event
Adjutant Dekaris	[25.9, 31.2]	Calcis	Rare
Dolos	[31.0, 60.5]	Perdition Hold	Rare
Drifting Sorrow	[32.0, 21.3]	Planes of Torment	Event
Ekphoras, Herald of Grief	[42.3, 21.1]	Gorgoa: River of Souls	Rare
Eketra, Death's Champion	[23.6, 53.4]	Crucible of the Damned	Rare
Exos, Herald of Domination	[20.9, 69.4]	Perdition Hold	Rare
Eternas the Tormentor	[27.4, 49.5]	Detrithos	Rare
Huwerath	[20.9, 29.7]	Calcis	Event
Ikras the Devourer	[33, 52]	Cocyrus (flies)	Rare
Krala	[30.8, 69.0]	Perdition Hold	Event
Malevolent Stygia	[27.3, 17.5]	Tremaculum	Event
Morguliax, Lord of Decapitation	[16.3, 50.2]	Crucible of the Damned	Rare
Nascent Devourer	[46.2, 74.2]	Beastwarrens	Rare
Odalrik	[38.7, 28.8]	Gorgoa: River of Souls	Event
Orophea	[23.7, 21.4]	Ruin's Cradle	Rare
Orrholyn, Lord of Bloodletting	[25.4, 48.7]	Detrithos	Event
Razkazzar	[27.0, 37.3]	Calcis	Event
Ratgusher	[22.6, 42.2]	Desolate Hollow	Event
Dath Rezara	[19.0, 57.9]	Crucible of the Damned	Rare
Soulforger Rhovus	[35.9, 41.5]	Zovaal's Cauldron	Rare
Sanngror the Torturer	[55.8, 68.1]	Beastwarrens	Event
Skittering Broodmother	[59.3, 79.9]	Beastwarrens	Event
Stygian Incinerator	[36.4, 43.9]	Zovaal's Cauldron	Event
Talaporas, Herald of Pain	[28.6, 11.6]	Tremaculum	Rare
Darklord Taraxis	[49.1, 81.8]	Beastwarrens	Rare
Thanassos	[27.4, 71.3]	Perdition Hold	Rare
Houndmaster Vasanok	[60.1, 65.0]	Beastwarrens	Event
Valis the Cruel	[40.3, 59.8]	Perdition Hold	Event
Yero the Skittish	[37.6, 65.6]	Perdition Hold	Rare
Soulsmith Yol-Mattar	[36.3, 37.5]	Zovaal's Cauldron	Event
Shadeweaver Zeris	[32.9, 66.5]	Perdition Hold	Rare

9.1 rares -  [Conquering Korthia]

Encounter	Location	Coords
Traitor Balthier	Desmotaeron	[67.4, 47.8]
Blinding Shadow	The Rift (Zovaal's Cauldron)	[36.0, 41.6]
Deomen the Vortex	Desmotaeron	[66.4, 55.5]
Fallen Charger	Covenant assault location	Varies
Guard Orguluus	The Rift (Soulstained Fields)	[51, 70]
Torglluun, Lord of Shades	The Rift (Ruin's Cradle)	[28.6, 25.1]
Ylva, Mate of Guarm	Desmotaeron	[66.4, 41.9]

Chaotic Riftstones and Animaflow Teleporter

Chaotic Riftstone

Once unlocked with  [Encased Riftwalker Essence], purchased from Ve'nari with Stygia, players can use Chaotic Riftstones to more quickly get around the Maw. Each Riftstone will send the player to it's pair.

• Zovaal's Cauldron ^{[34.8, 43.6]} ↔ Calcis ^{[23.4, 31.3]}
• Crucible of the Damned ^{[19.2, 47.7]} ↔ Tremaculum ^{[25.2, 17.9]}

Animaflow Teleporter

Additionally, players can unlock the Animaflow Teleporter with the  [Animaflow Stabilizer], which provides one-way trips to the Tremaculum and the Beastwarrens:

• Tremaculum: ^{[34.2, 14.7]}
• Beastwarrens: ^{[53.4, 63.6]}

Maw

Covenant assaults

The Necrolord assault on Perdition Hold

After completing  [60] Good News, Everyone! during the Chains of Domination campaign in patch 9.1, covenant assaults unlock. Twice a week, one of the four covenants will take charge on an assault of one of the hubs in the Maw:

•  [60B] Kyrian Assault (Zovaal's Cauldron)
•  [60B] Necrolord Assault (Perdition Hold,  [Undying Darkhound's Harness])
•  [60B] Night Fae Assault (Crucible of the Damned,  [Legsplitter War Harness])
•  [60B] Venthyr Assault (Tremaculum,  [Harvester's Dredwing Saddle])

The assaults are a great source of reputation with the Death's Advance and the covenant factions taking part in the assault, and have a number of achievements associated with them, including:

•  [On the Offensive]
•  [Breaking Their Hold]
•  [Rooting Out the Evil]
•  [Taking the Tremaculum]
•  [Wings Against the Flames]

Additionally, assaults will award an  [Emblem of Renown] for players who are catching up.

Tormentors of Torghast

In patch 9.1, Kel'Thuzad sends out one of the Tormentors of Torghast to attack an area in the Maw. Take out the minions and lieutenants to fill the bar, then defeat the Tormentor of Torghast for 10% progress in  [60W] Shaping Fate, a  [Tormentor's Cache], and likely an item drop or two.

Once a week, players can complete the  [60W] Phantasmagoria quest, which starts from the  [Warped Phantasma] found inside the Tormentor's Cache.

Defeat all of the bosses to earn the achievement  [Minions of the Cold Dark].

Quests

Main article: Maw storyline

Players visit the Maw a few times during the level-up campaign, then at max level have access to a few storylines regarding Ve'nari and Torghast, Tower of the Damned.

During the Shadowlands intro experience, players crash-land in the Maw, fight their way through new enemies, catch up with the kidnapped leaders, and then activate the Eroded Waystone and leave the leaders behind.

Late in the Maldraxxus storyline, the Maw Walker is tasked to return to the Maw to retrieve a Baron of Maldraxxus.

Near the end of the Revendreth storyline, players are asked to return to the Maw again to retrieve Prince Renathal, which ends up sending players into Torghast for the first time.

At max level, midway through the first chapter of their covenant campaign, players are sent to the Maw to recover souls to power their covenant sanctum. While working on Ve'nari's tasks, adventurers see Baine get captured and sent to Torghast!

After completing the first chapter of the covenant campaign, Bolvar Fordrgaon asks players to return to Torghast to save Baine. In the process, they will recover a key that leads to the Runecarver, crafter of artifacts (and legendaries).

After freeing Baine, the rest of the Ve'nari storyline plays out -- which is gated behind her reputation.

Collectables

 [Bound Shadehound]

A great number of mounts, pets, and toys can be acquired from completing tasks in the Maw.

Maw mounts

Item	Source	Notes
[Battlefield Swarmer Harness]	[On the Offensive]	Necrolord only
[Battle-Hardened Aquilon]	[On the Offensive]	Kyrian only
[Bound Shadehound]	[60] Feral Shadehound	Patch 9.0.5 chain
[Bracelet of Salaranga]	[Breaking the Chains]	All 9.1 outdoor content
[Chain of Bahmethra]	[Tormentor's Cache]	Tormentors of Torghast weekly chest
[Corridor Creeper]	[Twisting Corridors: Layer 8]	Torghast
[Fallen Charger's Reins]	Fallen Charger	Rare drop
[Harvester's Dredwing Saddle]	[Harvester's War Chest]	[60B] Venthyr Assault
[Legsplitter War Harness]	[War Chest of the Wild Hunt]	[60B] Night Fae Assault
[Mawsworn Charger's Reins]	[Flawless Master (Layer 12)]	Perfect layer 12s in Torghast
[Mawsworn Soulhunter]	Hunt: Shadehounds	Rare drop from Gorged Shadehound
[Nilganihmaht Control Ring]	Hand of Nilganihmaht	Collect five rings
[Pale Gravewing]	[On the Offensive]	Venthyr only
[Soulbound Gloomcharger's Reins]	[Mysterious Gift from Ve'nari]	Ve'nari paragon reward
[Undying Darkhound's Harness]	[War Chest of the Undying Army]	[60B] Necrolord Assault
[Winter Wilderling Harness]	[On the Offensive]	Night Fae only

Maw combat pets

Pet	Location	Notes
[Amaranthine Stinger]	Tormentors of Torghast	Gralebboih drop
Clinging Remains	Varies	Wild pet, capture
[Copperback Etherwyrm]	[Ascended War Chest]	[60B] Kyrian Assault
Deathroach	Varies	Wild pet, capture
[Fodder]	[War Chest of the Undying Army]	[60B] Necrolord Assault
[Gilded Darknight]	Adamant Vaults	Torghast
[Golden Eye]	Desmotaeron	Helsworn Soulseeker drop
[Grappling Gauntlet]	Varies	Random drop from Mawsworn
Grip of Terror	Varies	Wild pet, capture
[Infused Etherwyrm]	Desolate Hollow	[60B] Night Fae Assault
[Invasive Buzzer]	[War Chest of the Wild Hunt]	[60B] Night Fae Assault
[Lil'Abom]	Perdition Hold	Parts in Perdition Hold
Lost Limb	Varies	Wild pet, capture
[Mord'al Eveningstar]	[Many, Many Things]	The Box of Many Things
[Rook]	[Mysterious Gift from Ve'nari]	Ve'nari paragon reward
Scurrying Mawrat	Varies	Wild pet, capture
[Sly]	[A Sly Fox]	[60B] Kyrian Assault
Vile Deathroach	Varies	Wild pet, capture

Maw toys

Item	Source	Notes
[Adamant Vaults Cell]	Adamant Vaults	Torghast
[Ancient Elethium Coin]	Morguliax	Rare drop
[Bonestorm Top]	Darklord Taraxis	Rare drop
[Borr-Geth's Fiery Brimstone]	Borr-Geth	Rare drop
[Bottled Shade Heart]	Torglluun	Rare drop (The Rift)
[Box of Rattling Chains]	Layer 9-12 brokers	Torghast
[Experimental Anima Cell]	Layer 9-12 brokers	Torghast
[Helm of the Dominated]	[Twisting Corridors: Layer 4]	Torghast
[Jailer's Cage]	Zovaal's Vault	The Rift
[Orophea's Lyre]	Orophea	Rare drop
[Personal Ball and Chain]	Zovaal's Vault	The Rift
[Vesper of Faith]	[Ascended War Chest]	[60B] Kyrian Assault

Achievements

• Rares
  1.  [Deadly Serious]
  2.  [Better to Be Lucky Than Dead]
  •  [Conquering Korthia]
• Events
  1.  [Handling His Henchmen]
  2.  [It's About Sending a Message]
• Areas
  1.  [Prepare for Trouble!]
  2.  [Make it Double!]
  •  [Explore The Maw]
• Upgrades
  1.  [To 'Ghast, Two Curios]
  2.  ['Ghast Five]
• Other
  •  [Deciphering Death's Intentions]
  •  [Grand Theft Shadehound]
  •  [Guarmageddon]
  •  [Hunting Party]
  •  [Into the Maw]
  •  [Minions of the Cold Dark]
  •  [Soulkeeper's Burden]
  •  [Treasures of Korthia]
  •  [Who Sent You?]
• Assaults
  •  [Breaking the Chains] (meta)
  •  [On the Offensive] (meta)
  •  [United Front]
  •  [Breaking Their Hold]
    •  [This Army]
    •  [Up For Grabs]
  •  [Rooting Out the Evil]
    •  [Jailer's Personal Stash]
    •  [Krrprripripkraak's Heroes]
  •  [Taking the Tremaculum]
    •  [Hoarder of Torghast]
    •  [Tea for the Troubled]
  •  [Wings Against the Flames]
    •  [A Sly Fox]
    •  [The Zovaal Shuffle]

Notes and trivia

• During development, the  [Deciphering Death's Intentions] items had flavor text per item alluding to details otherwise not mentioned in the storytelling. Most flavor text was moved as descriptions of the corresponding quest, but the following were removed:
  • It was implied that there was a time "before the Maw was called the Maw."
  • A night elf Maw Walker had been tortured through physical abuse, gnomish tavern jigs (which led to guards abandoning their duties), and had their soul finally break after 115 repeats of the burning of Teldrassil.
  • There used to be some form of currency in what is now the Maw.
  • The attribution of  [Words of the Warden] to Warden Korrath.
  • All the Korrath's Grimoires were readable; sadly, no player during development wrote down what the books said to the knowledge of the editors.
  • The  [Indecipherable Map] used to have the Waystone to Oribos and other locations of the Maw circled; on live the map is "covered in scribles" and "hint[s] at realms unknown".
  • The  [Discarded Torments] mentioned the Mawsworn use time-based punishments.
• It was previously stated that the Arbiter sends some souls directly to the Maw, but this is not affirmed in-game, where souls are instead always given a last chance at redemption in Revendreth. However, Steve Danuser later confirmed the Arbiter did send irredeemable souls to the Maw, a "trickle".
• Bwonsamdi has been using his powers to prevent troll souls from falling into the Maw, to the point of grabbing Zekhan from it and shoving the soul back into his body.
• Art director Ely Cannon has described the level design of the Maw as being a "very difficult" process, as the artists had to create a zone that was very desolate without being a typical desert landscape. The artists tried to take a few of the themes included elsewhere in the Shadowlands and include them in the Maw, but in a way that was only vaguely reminiscent as opposed to specific parts from other zones. According to Cannon, the pieces of land that make up the Maw are probably not taken from the primary Shadowlands zones players can visit, such as Bastion or Revendreth, but rather from the millions of other possible afterlives that exist; the artists wanted the Maw to showcase something different from the other playable zones while still having elements that would allow players to understand that "this was a place but it's obviously not what it was before".
• Flying will never be added to the Maw.
• The Maw's ground is formed from souls pounded into dust. With enough souls passing through Gorgoa, the Maw can be expanded.

Inspirations

• The Maw could be seen as the Warcraft equivalent of Hell, though the region draws inspiration from many different depictions of various torturous realms of death, such as the underworld of Greek mythology and other underworlds, real or fictional.
  • For Zovaal's cultural inspiration, see The Jailer#Notes and trivia.
  • The soul river Gorgoa is similar in concept to the rivers that flow through the Greek underworld, but named for the Gorgon, and the subzone Cocyrus and the [Stygia] currency are respectively named after two of said rivers: Cocytus and Styx.
  • The flowing molten stygia gestures to the river of fire named Phlegethon.
  • Furthering this comparison, many of the inhabitants of the Shadowlands use the Maw in a style reminiscent of mortal and real-life expletives involving Hell. e. g. "The Maw take you!"
  • The fact Zovaal was banished here after doing something such that the Eternal Ones felt forced to do so is likewise comparable to the way Satan is dealt with in multiple Abrahamic traditions. Specifically, the ice-like nature of Stygia and the cold themes of Desmotaeron are parallel to how the last circle of Hell in Dante's Inferno is frozen over.
  • The term "Maw" itself used for this hell-like realm could be a reference to the medieval Anglo-Saxon depiction of what the entrance of Hell looks like, the Hellmouth, in the West derived from Roman depictions of Orcus.
  • The  [Ancient Elethium Coin] holds several references.
    • The inscription reads "Vala Mortalis", the latter word being Latin for "death" or "mortality". "Vala Mortalis" is also a reference to the High Valyrian phrase Valar morghulis (meaning "All men must die") from the A Song of Ice and Fire novels; a phrase that has also been associated with special coins.
    • The name "elethium" is likely derived from the River Lethe.
  • Elements of both the Maw and Torghast resemble Oblivion, such as Coldharbour in comparison to the Coldheart Interstitia both in appearance and the name, from Elder Scrolls.
    • The capture of Korthia resembles the Dark Anchors of Coldharbour.
  • The way Odyn's eye was given to Mueh'zala and then given to Zovaal in the Maw gestures to how Odin gave his eye to the Mímisbrunnr.
  • The race of giants sent to the Maw long ago that were later punished by Zovaal due to his feeling threatened by them are likely a reference to the Hecatoncheires from Greek myth. One of the giants name is "Bahmeht", likely referring to Behemoth or Bahamut.

Gallery

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  Map of the Maw in the Grimoire of the Shadowlands and Beyond.

• 

  Concept art

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  Building concept

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  The Maw in Afterlives.

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  Uther casts Arthas into the Maw in Afterlives.

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  On the loading screen for Shadowlands.

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  The Maw as it initially appears when seen from Oribos.

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  The Maw as seen from Oribos after completing The Master of Lies.

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  Overlooking the Maw from Revendreth, pre-The Master of Lies.

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  The Maw, being fed Revendreth's anima, as seen from Revendreth post-The Master of Lies.

Videos

• Shadowlands: The Maw from Above

Patch changes

• Patch 9.1.0 (2021-06-29): Korthia zone added and Helgarde Keep subzone made available to players.
  
• Patch 9.0.2 (2020-11-17): Added.
  

External links

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