All 7 Dungeons from D&D World of Warcraft Revealed

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Table of Contents

• Introduction
• Azjol-Nerub
• Blackfathom Deeps
• The Deadmines
• Dire Maul
• Onyxia’s Lair
• Scarlet Monastery
• Shadowfang Keep

Dungeons have been a major part of World of Warcraft since the game first launched in 2004, with millions of players spending countless hours (and more than a few party wipes) battling through dozens of legendary locales. So it’s no surprise that the new D&D World of Warcraft supplement brings some of the MMO’s most iconic dungeons to the tabletop, with the book now available from your local game store, D&D Beyond, Noble Knight Games and Amazon.

In total, the new supplement adapts seven of WoW’s most famous dungeons for D&D 5.5E, spanning every tier of play from level 1 all the way to 20. Each dungeon comes with adventure hooks tied to Azeroth’s factions, a breakdown of its key areas, encounter and treasure tables, and custom stat blocks for its bosses.

Below, we get our Leeroy Jenkins on and raid all the dungeon details.

*** MINOR SPOILERS AHEAD ***

Azjol-Nerub

Character Levels: 17-20

Factions Involved: The Scourge

What is it: Azjol-Nerub is a vast underground ruin built by an ancient race of spider-like beings known as the Nerubians. Located beneath the frozen continent of Northrend, it was once a thriving center of art, philosophy and learning, with sprawling libraries and great academic institutes carved out of the bedrock using giant worms.

When the Lich King invaded Northrend with the undead army known as the Scourge, however, the Nerubians were quickly overrun, with the countless dead being resurrected as servants. This included their king, Anub’arak, who was killed during the battle and later reanimated as a powerful crypt lord in the service of the Lich King. The few surviving Nerubians dug deeper into the earth, where they encountered a new threat in the form of the Faceless Ones, hideous Cthulhu-like eldritch minions of the old god Yogg-Saron. The Nerubian survivors now fight a war on two fronts: the undead Scourage above and the Faceless Ones below.

In the real-world, the dungeons of Azjol-Nerub were introduced in the Wrath of the Lich King MMO expansion in 2008. In the new D&D World of Warcraft supplement, the dungeon is presented as a high-level threat, with two potential boss battles and an epic final showdown.

Blackfathom Deeps

Character Levels: 5-10

Factions Involved: The Old Gods

What is it: Blackfathom Deeps is a flooded temple to the moon goddess Elune, located on the rain-soaked western coast of Ashenvale in Kalimdor. Built by the night elves thousands of years ago, it once held a sacred moonwell, before much of the temple sank beneath the sea and was swallowed by the grottos and tidal caves that now surround it.

Today, the temple has been defiled by the Twilight’s Hammer, a doomsday cult devoted to the Old Gods. The cultists were drawn to the ruin by Aku’mai the Devourer, a monstrous, many-headed spawn of the Old Gods that lurks in an inky pool at the heart of the dungeon. To protect it, the cult has forged an uneasy alliance with the Naga and Murlocs who infest the caves, while its leader, Twilight Lord Kelris, offers up sacrifices on a cursed altar.

In the real-world, Blackfathom Deeps was one of the original dungeons included in the launch of World of Warcraft in 2004, before being reworked in the Cataclysm expansion in 2010. In the new D&D World of Warcraft supplement, it’s presented as a mid-level dungeon crawl through murloc grottos, naga patrols and cultist shrines. The highlight is the battle with Kelris, who lights four ritual braziers in the middle of combat, with each one summoning a new wave of reinforcements (from giant crabs to water elementals) until the doors to Aku’mai’s lair finally swing open.

The Deadmines

Character Levels: 1-4

Factions Involved: The Alliance and the Horde

What is it: The Deadmines are a network of abandoned gold mines beneath the town of Moonbrook in Westfall, a farming province on the border of the human kingdom of Stormwind. Occupied by orcs and ogres during the First War, the tunnels sat empty for years before becoming the secret headquarters of the bandits known as the Defias Brotherhood.

The Defias began as the Stonemasons Guild, the workers who rebuilt Stormwind after it was razed by the Horde. When the city’s corrupt nobles refused to pay them for years of labor, the guild rioted, Queen Tiffin Wrynn was killed by a stray stone and King Varian outlawed the guild. Its leader, Edwin VanCleef, tied a red bandanna over his face and swore revenge, turning the guild into a criminal empire. Deep in the mines, his followers (along with goblin engineers and Bloodsail pirates) are secretly building the Juggernaut, a massive battleship designed to destroy Stormwind City.

In the real-world, the Deadmines has been part of World of Warcraft since the game’s launch in 2004, with a story that has roots in the very first Warcraft RTS game. The dungeon was later revamped in the Cataclysm expansion, with Edwin’s daughter Vanessa VanCleef taking up his mission of revenge. In the new D&D World of Warcraft supplement, the dungeon is presented as an entry-level adventure, and is used as an example of how a D&D dungeon doesn’t have to be a gauntlet of combat. Characters who don a red bandanna or a pirate hat can bluff their way past guards, sneak aboard the Juggernaut and confront VanCleef in his cabin without fighting his entire crew.

Dire Maul

Character Levels: 11-16

Factions Involved: The Burning Legion

What is it: Dire Maul is a sprawling ancient night elf city located in the wilds of Feralas in Kalimdor. Originally known as Eldre’Thalas, it was renamed Dire Maul by the Gordunni ogres who have since claimed its ruins, and is now home to vengeful spirits, cruel arcanists, sinister satyrs and opportunistic ogres.

Twelve thousand years ago, the city was ruled by a Highborne prince named Tortheldrin and his secret order of mages, the Shen’dralar, who guarded Queen Azshara’s arcane libraries during the War of the Ancients. When the Well of Eternity was destroyed, the elves discovered they were addicted to its magic. Tortheldrin summoned and imprisoned a demon called Immol’thar so his people could feed off its endlessly replenishing power, and when it could no longer sustain them all, he ordered the culling of his own people. Today, ogres under King Gordok rule the city’s north wing, a satyr cult has corrupted its gardens and a band of outcasts known as the Crimson Ring hosts gladiatorial games in the old coliseum.

In the real-world, Dire Maul was added to World of Warcraft in Patch 1.3 in 2005 as three connected dungeons. In the new D&D World of Warcraft supplement, it’s the largest dungeon in the book, keeping the three-wing structure and offering adventures for characters of levels 11–16. One of the coolest features is the “Ogre Tribute” rule: by ogre tradition, anyone who slays King Gordok in single combat becomes the new king, which means a character disguised as an ogre can claim the crown (if they survive a duel against a king who secretly cheats).

Onyxia’s Lair

Character Levels: 17-20

Factions Involved: The Dragonflights

What is it: Onyxia’s Lair is a volcanic cavern hidden in the southern wilds of Dustwallow Marsh in Kalimdor. It’s home to Onyxia, the brood mother of the black dragonflight and daughter of the dragon aspect Deathwing, whose lair sits close enough to threaten the Alliance port of Theramore and to spy on the Horde capital of Orgrimmar.

Like her father, Onyxia is a master manipulator. For years, she took on the guise of a human noblewoman named Lady Katrana Prestor, who used her influence in Stormwind’s royal court to sow chaos from within (and who was secretly backing the Defias Brotherhood). Now unmasked and back in her lair, she continues to spin her schemes, and both the regent of Stormwind and the Warchief of the Horde have offered huge rewards to anyone who can bring them her head.

In the real-world, Onyxia’s Lair was one of the original 40-player raids when World of Warcraft launched in 2004 (and gave the internet the legendary “Many whelps! Handle it!” recording). It was later revamped as a level 80 raid in Patch 3.2.2 for the game’s fifth anniversary in 2009. In the new D&D World of Warcraft supplement, it’s the shortest dungeon in the book, essentially a single high-level boss fight. Onyxia starts on the ground, takes to the air when Bloodied while her eggs hatch whelps around the party each round, then tries to escape through a secret exit, with a 50,000 GP treasure hoard waiting for anyone who can stop her.

Scarlet Monastery

Character Levels: 5-10 and 11-16

Factions Involved: The Scourge

What is it: The Scarlet Monastery is a sprawling cathedral-turned-fortress on the edge of Tirisfal Glades in the ruined human kingdom of Lordaeron. It serves as the headquarters of the fanatical cult known as the Scarlet Crusade, and is divided into a graveyard, a library, an armory and a cathedral, all connected by a web of secret doors and passages.

The Scarlet Crusade began as warriors of the Light, fighting to purge the Scourge from the plagued lands of Lordaeron. But years of loss and pride have warped their zeal into fanaticism. The crusaders now believe that anyone who doesn’t wear their scarlet tabard is plagued, and have abandoned the Alliance to purge Lordaeron of not just the undead, but of all non-humans. Their leaders, Scarlet Commander Renault Mograine and High Inquisitor Sally Whitemane, rule the monastery from its cathedral.

In the real-world, the Scarlet Monastery has been part of World of Warcraft since launch, originally appearing as four linked dungeons that were later condensed into two in the Mists of Pandaria expansion in 2012. In the new D&D World of Warcraft supplement, the dungeon spans two tiers of play, with the lower areas suited for levels 5–10 and the armory and cathedral designed for levels 11–16. Fans of the MMO will also be happy to see the return of the infamous Mograine and Whitemane fight, in which Whitemane emerges from a hidden crypt when Mograine falls and can bring him back to life.

Shadowfang Keep

Character Levels: 1-4

Factions Involved: The Alliance and the Horde

What is it: Shadowfang Keep is an ancient fortress that has stood for generations on the border between Silverpine Forest and the walled kingdom of Gilneas in the Eastern Kingdoms. Conquered countless times over the years, its halls are now filled with restless spirits, undead servants and feral worgen.

The keep was once the base of the archmage Arugal, who unleashed the worgen on the Eastern Kingdoms. Today, it’s held by Lord Vincent Godfrey, a treacherous Gilnean noble raised as one of the Forsaken who is now a fugitive from both the Alliance and the Horde. Both sides want him dead, with the worgen Packleader Ivar Bloodfang leading assaults for the Alliance and Deathstalker Commander Belmont leading the Forsaken for the Horde, as each fights to claim the keep in the war for Silverpine.

In the real-world, Shadowfang Keep was one of the original dungeons in World of Warcraft when it launched in 2004, with Arugal serving as its final boss. It was later revamped in the Cataclysm expansion, which is the version presented in the new D&D World of Warcraft supplement. It’s designed as an entry-level dungeon for lower tier characters, with the party battling ghostly barons, gargoyles and pustulant monstrosities on their way to Godfrey’s tower chamber. There’s also a fun twist in the adventure hooks: rather than simply clearing out the keep, the characters can claim it for themselves and use it as a Bastion.

Final thoughts

For a book that’s trying to bring Azeroth to the tabletop, the dungeons are one of its smartest inclusions, covering a wide range of play and bringing over some of the MMO’s most iconic locations.

That being said, it’s worth going in with the right expectations. As the book itself notes, these dungeons are less detailed than a dedicated adventure and are best thought of as ready-made locations to build sessions around. Most run just six to eight pages (with Onyxia’s Lair getting only two), so DMs will still need to do some work to flesh them out. For more on how the dungeons fit into the rest of the book, check out our full review of D&D World of Warcraft, as well as our guides to the new classes, species and crafting rules.

You can check out all seven dungeons for yourself in the D&D World of Warcraft supplement, which is available now from your local game store, D&D Beyond, Noble Knight Games and Amazon.

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