Some World of Warcraft fans have been pointing out the surprising shortage of friendly Ethereals in the Patch 11.2 zone of K’aresh, despite it taking place on their homeworld. Although the Patch 11.2 update, Ghosts of K’aresh, has been referred to as the “Ethereal Patch,” the majority of allied NPCs are actually Brokers, not Ethereals.
Recently, World of Warcraft revealed Patch 11.2, Ghosts of K’aresh. This update allows players to explore the home of the Ethereals, the mummy-like energy beings introduced in The Burning Crusade, as they unveil the planet’s fate and confront their ancient enemy, Dimensius, the All-Devouring.
However, this zone has a significantly lower number of Ethereals than expected. Players on the Public Test Realm, including Ian “The Red Shirt Guy” Bates, noticed that most areas of K’aresh were dominated by the Brokers. The K’aresh Trust, the World of Warcraft Patch 11.2 Renown faction located in Tazavesh, is comprised almost entirely of Brokers, with most settlements occupied by these Shadowlands-era NPCs.
Of course, there are still some Ethereals present in the patch. Notable figures include Locus-Walker, Alleria’s long-time mentor, and several Ethereals who can be found alongside their more numerous Broker counterparts. The Wastelanders, a new faction of Ethereals who stayed in K’aresh, can also be interacted with. However, the vast majority of Ethereals in Patch 11.2 are aligned with the Shadowguard, a villainous faction led by Nexus-King Salhadaar, who aims to resurrect Dimensius.
Interestingly, the absence of Ethereals makes some sense. It was revealed in WoW Patch 11.1.7’s Ethereal Lorewalking storyline that Brokers are also natives of K’aresh. Burning Crusade groups like the Protectorate and the Consortium left K’aresh for different ventures, while the Ethereum seemingly evolved into the Shadowguard. Yet, many fans still find it peculiar that these groups are not present in a patch centered on their culture.
Regardless, Patch 11.2 releases for World of Warcraft on August 5, with the Manaforge Omega raid opening a week later on August 12. Players will have to explore K’aresh to see the distribution of Ethereals versus Brokers for themselves.
