In a developer livestream today, Ion Hazzikostas, game director for World of Warcraft: Shadowlands, revealed a feature no one would have expected: vampire parties.

When Shadowlands launches this fall, players will step into the afterlife of Warcraft. There, four different Covenants struggle against the evil forces that devour the energies of the soul. Each covenant has its own zone that reflects its own style, like the vampiric Venthyr or the massive, gothic citadel of Revendreth. As players level up, they will eventually join forces with one of these covenants, unlocking access to special new abilities and armor sets. They will also help rebuild the Covenant Sanctum, which has unique rooms and structures that unlock a variety of nifty features, including additional fast-travel options. However, as Hazzikostas explains, players who join Venthyr will also be able to host vampire parties.

"If you are at Venthyr in Revendreth, there is also a fourth section of Sanctum called Ember Court, and Ember Court is basically a hosting venue for a pretty awesome party," Hazzikostas said, He explained that before bad things happened that forced players to save the day, Venthyr was all about nobility and elegance." Part of what that means is to show off one's influence by hosting grand feasts for the most important people, not only in the Levandres, but in the entire Shadowland."

Players who sign up with Venthyr will unlock a special mini-game that will help them throw such a party. Hazzikostas said, "In addition to finding guests, inviting them to the party, and arranging catering, they can also come up with different services to please the guests, play the party in real time, and fight off party crashers who try to disrupt the festivities."

Players who succeed in impressing Shadowlands' social elite will receive gifts from each attendee in the form of "sweet Warcraft loot."

Sounds great, honestly. I love the idea of a system that doesn't get caught up in the stakes of saving the world that World of Warcraft usually gets caught up in; Hazzikostas says the system has "amazing depth" and that it's better to spend time attacking dungeons because, once It gives me hope that it won't be the kind of thing that is so easy to play only once and never touch again.

Although Ventia is the only party, each covenant will have one mini-game of this sort, and although Hazzikostas did not go into much depth, those who join Kyrian's covenant will be able to inhabit the souls of prominent members and receive special combat tests with unique abilities, he said, and can undergo special combat tests. The Necrolord's Covenant allows players to combine parts of different monsters to create their own unique Abomination (one of Warcraft 3's iconic units). Finally, Night Fae players have access to a gardening mini-game in which they tend the Garden of Souls.

For more information on WoW: Shadowlands, see our comprehensive overview. Also, we're participating in a special hands-on event today and tomorrow, so we'll have much more to share with you in the coming days.