City of Dalaran is the largest of the four brand new dungeons in WoW Forever. Behind the violet barrier in Alterac Mountains, the city of mages has been sealed off and its experiments have gone wrong: necromancers raise the dead in the streets, arcane constructs malfunction, mana-hungry creatures drain anyone who comes near, and the ghost of a great archmage waits at the end. Six bosses stand between you and the Shade of the Archmage, plus the secret boss Lyn the Ignored, who only appears if you bring the right book from Shadowfang Keep.
The dungeon is tuned for levels 28 to 35, and you need a key from an attunement quest before you can enter. Every boss drops new gear at around 30%, including a caster set that can summon an arcane elemental and an axe that grants over a thousand armor. Below you will find how to get the key and reach the entrance, the quests worth picking up, what makes the dungeon different, a strategy for each boss, the best loot for each role and tips for a smooth run.
The dungeon entrance is outside the walls of Dalaran, on the northwest side of the city in Alterac Mountains. Both factions travel through Hillsbrad Foothills: Alliance players fly to Southshore and Horde players to Tarren Mill, then ride north to the city.
You cannot simply walk in. Each faction first needs a key from a short attunement chain. Alliance players start with An Alarming Request from Emissary Jacques in Southshore, and Horde players start with Key to the City from Magus Wordeen Voidglare in Tarren Mill. Do the chain before you form a group, or you will wait at the door.
Both factions have four dungeon quests here, all of them level 33 quests. The one to prioritize is Heart of Disruption, which both factions get at the end of their attunement chain and which sends you to the heart of the city. Alliance players can also take Starving Arcane, Power Overwhelming from the Mage Quarter in Stormwind and A Green Sample from the Park. Horde players get The Grave Knight in Tarren Mill, Source of Power in the Undercity and Opportunistic Education from Rexxie Copperclutch inside the dungeon.
Every quest, where it starts and what it rewards is listed in our WoW Forever dungeon quests guide.
City of Dalaran plays differently from every other early dungeon. Much of the damage here is Arcane, including many melee attacks, so tanks cannot block a lot of it, and several enemies burn mana. It is also the only dungeon with a secret boss unlocked from another dungeon.
The trash is a mix of undead, fallen Kirin Tor and arcane creatures, and each type needs a different answer. These are the enemies and abilities to watch:
Each boss drops three items at around 28 to 37%. These are the ones worth knowing:
| Item | Boss | What It Does |
|---|---|---|
| Graveweave Bindings | Atrexis the Grave Knight | Cloth bracers with Strength, mana regeneration and spell power |
| Bonebinder's Signet | Atrexis the Grave Knight | Ring with Strength, Spirit and bonus armor |
| Gravespike Repeater | Atrexis the Grave Knight | Crossbow with Attack Power and a bonus against Humanoids |
| Mana-Warped Chain Shirt | Arcane Anomaly | Mail chest with Strength, Stamina and mana regeneration |
| Ephemeral Grips | Arcane Anomaly | Cloth gloves with Shadow and Arcane spell damage |
| Runemender's Seal | Arcane Anomaly | Ring with Spirit and healing |
| Drape of Shifting Energy | Arcanic Enigma | Cloak with Spirit and 12 Attack Power |
| Violet Sorcerer's Robes | Arcanic Enigma | Cloth chest that can lower your threat when you take damage |
| Wand of Mana Concentration | Arcanic Enigma | Arcane wand with Intellect and mana regeneration |
| Guardian's Dualblade | Unstable Sentinel | Two-handed axe that can grant 1,080 armor for 12 seconds when you are hit |
| Unstable Crystalline Shoulderpads | Unstable Sentinel | Leather shoulders with Agility and Stamina |
| Refractory Scaleguards | Unstable Sentinel | Mail legs with Strength, bonus armor and Arcane Resistance |
| Blightleaf Rope | Fel Ancient | Cloth belt with Intellect, health regeneration and spell power |
| Garb of Fallen Felbark | Fel Ancient | Leather chest with Agility, Stamina and Intellect |
| Felbough Arm | Fel Ancient | Polearm with Agility and 1% hit chance |
| Manascale Treads | Mana Devourer | Mail boots with Strength, Intellect and 0.5% crit chance |
| Slitherwrap Girdle | Mana Devourer | Leather belt that drains 2 mana from every attacker |
| Spine of the Devourer | Mana Devourer | Caster staff with 36 spell power and Spell Penetration |
| Ponderous Orb | Shade of the Archmage | Healer off-hand with Spirit and healing |
| Archmagister's Faceted Pendant | Shade of the Archmage | Necklace that raises experience from Undead kills by 10% for 5 minutes |
| Violet Sorcerer's Mantle | Shade of the Archmage | Cloth shoulders, part of the Violet Sorcerer's Vestments set |
Unstable Sentinel can also drop Blueprint: Spinning Wheel for Tailoring, and the Shade of the Archmage can drop Blueprint: Arcane Salvager for Enchanting.
The Violet Sorcerer's Vestments is a five-piece cloth set for damage casters. Two pieces give 5 Arcane Resistance, three give 10 Spirit, four give your damaging spells a chance to let 15% of your mana regeneration continue while casting for 15 seconds, doubled in strongholds and cities, and all five give your damaging spells a chance to summon an arcane elemental. Violet Sorcerer's Robes and Violet Sorcerer's Mantle drop from bosses, while Violet Sorcerer's Leggings, Violet Sorcerer's Sandals and Violet Sorcerer's Wraps come from other sources in the city.
Lyn the Ignored only appears if a group member brings the Tome of Dalaran. You make it by taking the Black Tome, which lies in Archmage Arugal's room in Shadowfang Keep, to the Ambermill Leyline Focus in Silverpine Forest. Lyn raises the dead, casts Shadow Bolt Volley and puts Curse of Thorns on the tank, so bring a curse removal. Lyn drops Bonepile Gaze, Cartilage Shapers and Tendonscraper Dagger. The full unlock is explained in our Lyn the Ignored guide.
City of Dalaran has seven regular bosses and the secret Lyn the Ignored. The fights below follow the usual route through the city.
Atrexis the Grave Knight hits the tank very hard and raises the dead around him with Raise Dead. Kill a couple of the patrolling Kirin Tor Necromancer enemies before you pull, then kill the first adds he raises and turn to the boss. Watch for Disarm on the tank and Unholy Frenzy on his minions. He drops Graveweave Bindings, Bonebinder's Signet and Gravespike Repeater.
Arcane Anomaly casts Arcane Bolt at the group and channels Focal Blast, an arcane beam that sweeps clockwise or counterclockwise for 3 seconds. Watch which way the beam turns and move with it. He drops Mana-Warped Chain Shirt, Ephemeral Grips and Runemender's Seal.
Arcanic Enigma comes with two Mana Phantom adds. Kill them as fast as you can and interrupt or stun their Mana Burn. Dispel Manamorph from affected players, and ranged players should stay out of range of his Silence. Balance damage between the adds he summons with Summon Manaling and the boss. He drops Drape of Shifting Energy, Violet Sorcerer's Robes and Wand of Mana Concentration.
The tank faces Unstable Sentinel away from everyone so Arcing Smash only hits the tank. Ranged players can avoid Malfunction completely by standing more than 25 yards away, and a well-timed stun stops the cast. He drops Guardian's Dualblade, Unstable Crystalline Shoulderpads, Refractory Scaleguards and Blueprint: Spinning Wheel.
Fel Ancient roots players with Entangle and leaves green pools of Fel Timbers on the ground. Step out of the pools at once, and use root-breaking abilities such as Blessing of Freedom on rooted players. He drops Blightleaf Rope, Garb of Fallen Felbark and Felbough Arm.
Clear the whole room before you pull Mana Devourer, so no leftover enemies join the fight. He drains health and mana with Drain Vitality and weakens players with Debilitate, so burn him down before the healer runs out of mana. He drops Manascale Treads, Slitherwrap Girdle and Spine of the Devourer.
The Shade of the Archmage is the last boss. He casts Arcane Bolt, Arcane Explosion on everyone within 20 yards and Mass Polymorph on the group. When he casts Bounding Mana, move him so the returning mana sphere misses the group. When he casts Evocation, he regains his mana and the fight effectively restarts, so save your big cooldowns for after it. He drops Ponderous Orb, Archmagister's Faceted Pendant, Violet Sorcerer's Mantle and Blueprint: Arcane Salvager.
City of Dalaran has the strongest dungeon gear before level 30. These are the items worth staying for:
| Role | Best Items |
|---|---|
| Tank | Refractory Scaleguards, Bonepile Gaze, Mana-Warped Chain Shirt, Bonebinder's Signet |
| Melee damage | Guardian's Dualblade, Felbough Arm, Drape of Shifting Energy, Unstable Crystalline Shoulderpads, Slitherwrap Girdle |
| Ranged physical | Gravespike Repeater, Felbough Arm |
| Caster damage | Spine of the Devourer, Violet Sorcerer's Vestments set, Ephemeral Grips, Wand of Mana Concentration, Tendonscraper Dagger |
| Healer | Ponderous Orb, Runemender's Seal, Blightleaf Rope, Tendonscraper Dagger |
These are the small things that save the most time and the most wipes:
For the full list of dungeons on the way to 30, see our WoW Forever dungeons overview.
If you would rather skip the group search, our WoW Forever City of Dalaran boost clears the dungeon with an organized team, with quest rewards, gear and experience included.
These are the questions players ask most often about City of Dalaran.
City of Dalaran is tuned for levels 28 to 35. On the beta, with the level cap at 30, groups at 28 to 30 can clear it with a solid tank and healer.
You need a key from an attunement chain. Alliance players start with An Alarming Request in Southshore, and Horde players start with Key to the City in Tarren Mill.
Loot the Black Tome in Shadowfang Keep, turn it into the Tome of Dalaran at the Ambermill Leyline Focus in Silverpine Forest, and bring it into City of Dalaran. Our Lyn the Ignored guide has every step.
The Guardian's Dualblade and the Felbough Arm for melee, the Spine of the Devourer and the Violet Sorcerer's Vestments set for casters, and the Refractory Scaleguards and Bonepile Gaze for tanks.
Many enemies here deal Arcane damage, including some melee attacks, and Arcane damage cannot be blocked. Tanks should rely more on Stamina and the healer on bigger heals.
These guides help you plan the rest of your dungeons:
