No, I don’t have anything better to do. 
All points taken from this stream: https://beam.pro/MicrosoftStudios
#Shadow Lords:
- Shadow Lords replaces Shadow Lab on main menu.
- Early access to selected users estimated to start next week.
- Rukizell will hand out shadow lords codes to early access players.
- Three difficulties, normal, challenging & godlike.
- Unlocks carry over between playthroughs to help with higher difficulties.
- Shadow Lords is the story mode for season 3.
- Season 3 cast are the stars but everyone gets a little love.
- Shadow Lords is not a full cinematic mode like Mortal Kombat.
- Shadow Lords starts you on a tutorial similar to the dojo for new players.
- There will be an option to skip the tutorial mode for experienced fighters.
- Only Kan-Ra and Gargos have voiced dialogue lines in Shadow Lords.
- Both Kan-Ra and Gargos are voiced by the same actor. (Who is awesome BTW)
- Shadow Lords has a lot of written lines of dialogue.
- Kan-Ra was perfect for the shop, due to his love of artifacts and potions.
- If you go idle in Kan-Ra’s emporium he has unique voiced dialogue.
- First playthrough always starts you off as Jago & Kim Wu.
- The “first time user experience” is a telling of the main story.
- Second time through you can choose your captain and two other characters.
- You can swap out characters during a playthrough if certain conditions are met.
- There may be other surviving “Astral” beings like Kim Wu’s dragon.
- You can deploy characters to complete missions without having to play.
- Taunt button uses consumable items, don’t use them on accident.
- Some team bonuses depending on team composition.
- Example being having Mira and Maya on the same team.
- Shadow Lords release date is September 20th.
- Shadow Jago plays a part in Shadow Lords mode.
- When Jago channels energy and is knocked though the portal.
- That is when Shadow Jago somehow becomes his own person. ^
- Shadow Lords is part of season 3, no extra purchase required.
- Guardians were made so you can “break gameplay” in fun ways.
- Between skins, consumables, everything else, around 100 unlockable items.
- At least 20 different character modifiers in SL mode.
- You do not need supreme edition to play Shadow Lords.
- Free rotation characters are going to be playable in Shadow Lords.
- Jago will be FREE to EVERYONE permanently after SL launches.
- There will still be a rotating character so free players will have 2 to play.
- Tutorial is only required to be played once, unless you choose to again.
- Can choose to play with past items, or not. (New game + basically)
- Some characters need to be unlocked before they can be played in SL.
- Eyedol has his own quest chain telling the story up to when he’s resurrected & beyond.
- Shadow Lords mode’s name was intentional from the start because there are multiple lords.
- That means the forums were right in speculating the meaning of the “S” in lords.
- Things can change based on who is in your team, some teams might not be good.
- Gargos corrupts continents, summons “omens” and gives himself buffs.
- Purpose of game is to stop omens to debuff Gargos for the final battle.
- Omens are like mini-bosses with Gargos powers of their own.
- You can send your characters out on missions alone, or fight them yourself.
- Choices you select you might wind up fighting multiple enemies on missions.
- Astral gems are fairly easy to obtain from fights.
- Eyedol and Gargos are playable, you need to beat Gargos to play as him.
- Eyedol when on your team isn’t a “Team player” might leave your team?
- Some characters have different mission choices to pick while playing.
- Not all characters are happy having to team up to defeat Gargos.
- Some events will take characters away from your team…
- New multiplayer mode will use Guardians and potions.
- More features can be added based on player feedback.
- Higher level guardians have better stats & can have secondary abilities.
- You have to feed your pets but green pets don’t need to be fed.
- Three types of buffs for players in Shadow Lords, Guardians, Potions & Artifacts.
- There are unique things that can happen with the story depending on characters.
- However there is one big “global ending” at the end of the mode.
- As well as an ending if you fail.
- Ultratech could be another plot point “after” Shadow Lords is concluded.
- They can add expansion packs to Shadow Lords after the mode is released.
- Eyedol’s quest chain is basically such an expansion, with new artifacts, etc.
- Written dialogue in story will be localized, so everyone can enjoy in their language
- The mode is still under development, they want player feedback.
- An ultratech team would give you better odds on ultratech related events.
- Though its suggested you have a more well rounded team for best results.
- Daily rewards are the only real-time events, you’re not punished for not playing.
- Different chests can drop after a victory in Shadow Lords.
- Tank chests have more health but drop double rewards. (if you can crack them)
- Skeleton chests require keys that come from lesser chests.
- Some missions will have interaction between characters, to some extent.
#Unlockables:
- All characters get unlockable Mimic skins. (even guests)
- Unlocked Mimic skins are both the color & the smoke effect.
- “New cool shaders” that can be unlocked in Shadow lords. (unclear what a shader is)
- Lots of things to unlock through Shadow Lords.
- You must beat Gargos in Shadow Lords to unlock Astral plane stage.
- It can then be used in any mode after that point.
- They weren’t sure if the stage is unlocked in normal or challenging mode.
- There is not a stage ultra on Astral plane.
- Astral plane was not originally planned at the starts of season 3.
- IG found the time to add in Astral Plane so Gargos had something special for SL.
- Omen and Shago are getting colors and accessories. (finally)
- Other colors to unlock in SL mode besides just the mimic colors.
- Other stuff coming…
#Miscellaneous:
- On the point of season 4: “We’re not there yet! Talk to us later!”.
- “All kinds of great stuff coming all throughout this year.”
- Max did work on Shadow Lords cutscenes/trailers.
- Stay tuned for info on tournament funds.
- Currently there is no plan to do an updated arcade mode, but it could happen.
- Season 3 soundtrack will get a digital, CD & vinyl release.
- The KI team would love to do a fully voiced KI story mode someday.
- They would love to add more stage ultras, given they had more time.
- When asked about Shago colors 10 & 11 being re-released, question wasn’t really answered.
- They can’t say ultimates are coming this season but they know we want them…
- “Stay tuned” for possible news for HDR support. “We’ll see”.
- ARIA’s stage ultra animation is goofy looking on purpose.
