For those who’ve been taking part in World of Warcraft for lengthy sufficient, you’ve got in all probability heard tales about datamined and reduce content material through the years – a lot of which has been repurposed finally. Take the Dragon Isles, as an example, which have been a zone initially reduce from the sport manner again within the unique sport’s alpha, however which are actually the frilly setting for the latest Dragonflight enlargement. And now, Blizzard could have simply teased the canonization of one in all its most infamous, creepy items of reduce content material: the Karazhan Crypts.

The Karazhan Crypts have been a badly-kept secret from manner again in unique WoW. It was an enormous, hidden space behind the Karazhan tower that, whereas gated off, may very well be simply accessed by gamers again within the day who have been savvy sufficient to clip their manner in. The crypt included areas with creepy names just like the Effectively of the Forgotten and the Pit of Criminals, and was stuffed with piles of bones and dreary surroundings. The realm was most infamous for an enormous water-filled cavern often known as the Upside-Down Sinners, which featured dozens of lifeless our bodies chained by their toes to the ground and floating, the wrong way up, within the pool.

Dozens of articles and movies have catalogued the weird space through the years, nevertheless it was by no means formally opened, nor was its function ever totally defined by the builders. The crypt was finally formally opened to gamers pursuing an especially obscure and complicated optionally available puzzle in World of Warcraft: Legion, however aside from choosing up a quest reward, there wasn’t a lot else occurring there. That will quickly be about to vary, although.

Throughout a deep dive into upcoming adjustments to World of Warcraft: Traditional, Blizzard could have simply teased the official return of the Karazhan Crypts. The tease got here on the very finish of a dialogue on the upcoming Season of Discovery, which sees Traditional lessons and raids get uncommon revamps, similar to a reimagined Blackfathom Deeps raid challenged by tank warlocks and healer mages. On the tail finish of the panel, the ultimate slide on display screen confirmed three teases for what gave the impression to be future Season of Discovery raids or dungeons: Gnomeragan, Scarlet Monestary, and at last a screenshot displaying a dim hallway labeled “Pauper’s Stroll”, which was the identify of an space within the unfinished Karazhan Crypt.

Although it isn’t confirmed precisely what Blizzard will do with the Crypts, the obvious speculative guess could be that Karazhan Crypts are being reworked right into a dungeon or raid for a future Season of Discovery, and can lastly let gamers discover a completed model of them that is stuffed with content material. It is attainable that is both a standalone occasion, or that it is half of a bigger, reworked Karazhan – we can’t know till Blizzard shares extra. However no matter the way it’s dealt with, it is cool to see this creepypasta reduce content material be given a second life after so a few years.

It has been an enormous day for World of Warcraft, with Blizzard asserting not one, not two, however three upcoming expansions at BlizzCon 2023 as a trilogy referred to as The Worldsoul Saga. The primary of those, The Battle Inside, is predicted out subsequent 12 months. In the meantime, World of Warcraft: Traditional is introducing the Cataclysm enlargement subsequent 12 months alongside a brand new Season of Discovery that may see new twists on current lessons, raids, and managers. You may make amends for all the things introduced proper right here.

Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. Acquired a narrative tip? Ship it to rvalentine@ign.com.