A massive ancient city complex sprawls underneath much of the continent of Northrend, a place Warcraft III fans will remember as the ancient arachnid city of Azjol-Nerub. Deep in its heart players will find the instance known as Ahn'Kahet: The Old Kingdom.
Again Stockton explained that the team wants these areas to all feel like a consistent part of the lore. Therefore, the architecture and style of the ruined buildings will be familiar to players, as it was usurped by Arthas and Kel-Thuzad for their undead constructions, such as the floating ziggurat of Naxxramas. You can also sense a kind of Egyptian halls of the dead influence, very somber, with lots of purple and gold. Not to mention lots of spider webs and eggs. And spiders. So many spiders...
What's interesting about this instance is that it takes place in an underground cave, but the cave is so vast, it feels like an outdoor area with outdoor terrain. Because this area is so deep underground, it's close to the Old Gods, and the enemies players will find here have been corrupted by their malevolent power.
To support this, the team is trying to create battles that'll feel very different from what players have fought before. One boss monster hatches eggs as you fight her. Another boss will sacrifice her followers to the Old Gods during the battle. You need to kill her victims before she completes the sacrifice or else she'll get a huge buff.
The real crowd-pleaser was a vampire who will periodically throw players onto the ground and start feeding on them. If you're the victim of his attack, your teammates need to rush forward and beat him off of you.
Some old villains are returning to the spotlight in this instance, including the creepy Facelss Ones players may remember from Warcraft III and the Twilight Hammer Clan, which has since become a pawn of the Old Gods. One of the Faceless Ones provides the central boss fight for this instance. In the middle of the fight, he'll teleport you to a shadow realm, where you'll suddenly be attacked ... by your teammates! The game will clone all of your friends and their abilities and use them against you. If you win the fight, you'll be transported to the other shadow phases to help your (real) teammates survive. It sounds like a crazy battle and a unique challenge.
That uniqueness is something Stockton stressed again and again. The design team really wants each of these instances to feel unique, and for every encounter to have its own flavor.
