The Hall of Thanes is one of four brand new dungeons in WoW Forever and the first one most Alliance players will see. It opens up Old Ironforge, the sealed part of the city under the High Seat, where Dark Iron dwarves have dug into the burial vaults of the old dwarven kings and woken the dead. Four new bosses wait inside, from the cursed ghost Faldrim Anvilmar to the Dark Iron leader Durgen Dirgehammer, and every one of them drops new gear with drop chances of around 30%.
The dungeon is tuned for levels 13 to 18, so it plays the same role for the Alliance that Ragefire Chasm plays for the Horde. Below you will find how to find 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 entrance is hidden in Ironforge itself. Walk to the High Seat, where King Magni Bronzebeard sits, and turn left right inside the throne room into the passage covered in spider webs. It leads down into Old Ironforge. Afadra Dunwall stands above the entrance gate, and Thom Filch waits on the bridge just before the instance portal.
Alliance players simply fly or take the Deeprun Tram to Ironforge. For the Horde there is no back door: the portal sits deep inside an Alliance capital full of elite guards, so Horde groups have to fight or sneak their way through the city to the High Seat. Most Horde players will run Ragefire Chasm at this level instead.
The Hall of Thanes has a short quest chain that starts in Dun Morogh and several quests at the dungeon door. The one to prioritize is Old Ironforge Incursion, the end of the chain that starts with A Visitor to Dun Morogh: kill Durgen Dirgehammer and bring his head to King Magni Bronzebeard for a choice of the Ironforge Greathammer, the Calibrated Blunderbuss or the Deepblaze wand. Grab The Restless Dead from Afadra Dunwall and Important Heirlooms from Thom Filch on the way in, and pick up An Ancient Grudge from the Ghostly Attendant inside.
Horde players can do An Ancient Grudge and Important Heirlooms too. After the last boss, a tablet in one of the vaults starts The Treaty of Understanding, a short lore quest for the Alliance.
Every quest, where it starts and what it rewards is listed in our WoW Forever dungeon quests guide.
The Hall of Thanes is short, but it does not play like a starter dungeon. The trash hits harder than most players expect at level 15, the bosses all have one mechanic that can wipe a careless group, and the loot drops far more often than in the Classic dungeons.
The dungeon has two halves. The first halls are full of restless spirits, which are the easiest packs of the run, and the second half belongs to the Dark Iron tomb robbers and their golems. These are the enemies and abilities to watch:
Each boss drops three items, and each of them has a drop chance of around 20 to 35%, so a full clear usually gives the group four pieces:
| Item | Boss | What It Does |
|---|---|---|
| Ephemeral Choker | Faldrim Anvilmar | Necklace with Spirit |
| Aetherwisp Bracers | Faldrim Anvilmar | Cloth bracers with bonus armor and spell power |
| Spiritwraith Drape | Faldrim Anvilmar | Cloak with Agility and Spirit |
| Kindlegem Girdle | Magmatus | Mail belt with Stamina |
| Flamefist Grips | Magmatus | Leather gloves with Agility and Spirit |
| Fang of Magmatus | Magmatus | Caster dagger with Intellect and 18 spell power |
| Golemheart Stave | Plunder | Caster staff with 18 spell power and 9 Fire Resistance |
| Treads of the Protector Golem | Plunder | Mail boots with Strength and bonus armor |
| Golemguard Chest | Plunder | Mail chest with Stamina and bonus armor |
| Durgen's Crescent Axe | Durgen Dirgehammer | One-handed axe with Strength |
| Direhammer Leggings | Durgen Dirgehammer | Leather legs with Agility and Stamina |
| Robes of the Disgraced Thane | Durgen Dirgehammer | Cloth chest with Spirit and spell power |
The quest rewards are as good as the boss drops, and a few of them stand out. The Ironforge Greathammer from Old Ironforge Incursion can blast the target for 42 Fire damage, the Deepblaze wand is one of the best wands for casters under level 20, and the Catacomb Cloak from An Ancient Grudge gives extra Attack Power against Humanoids.
Finishing the Hall of Thanes also counts toward Novice Spelunker, the achievement for clearing the early dungeons, which awards a Legacy Point. Our WoW Forever Legacy Points guide explains what those points unlock.
The Hall of Thanes has four bosses, all level 16. The fights are short, but most of them are surrounded by trash that can join the pull, so clear the room first.
Faldrim Anvilmar is the ghost of a thane who patrols his own tomb in the large central room, reached through the west wing. Clear a couple of Enraged Apparition packs around the room before you pull. The fight is a simple tank and spank: interrupt his shadow blast when you can and remove Anvilmar's Curse from the tank. He drops Ephemeral Choker, Aetherwisp Bracers and Spiritwraith Drape.
Magmatus is a fire elemental who pulls together with a Dark Iron Summoner. Kill the summoner first while the tank turns Magmatus away from the group, because he pulses fire around himself. Healers should watch for Combust on a random player. The area around him is the most dangerous part of the dungeon: use ranged pulls and line of sight to bring casters to you, and crowd control the engineers. He drops Kindlegem Girdle, Flamefist Grips and Fang of Magmatus.
Plunder is a golem who patrols the room before the last boss. He knocks everyone around him back, charges a random player and stuns them for 2 seconds, and stacks an armor debuff on the tank. Pull him alone and drag him back into the tunnel you came from, so his knockbacks cannot throw anyone into another pack. He drops Golemheart Stave, Treads of the Protector Golem and Golemguard Chest.
Durgen Dirgehammer is the Dark Iron leader, guarded by two Lesser Stone Golem adds. Clear the Dark Iron trash along the edges of his room first, but leave the golems, since they pull the boss. Kill the golems quickly, then the boss. He casts a fear on the group and puts a bleed on the tank, so a fear on a bad moment can send players into the remaining trash. If a wipe is coming, burn down one golem first: on the beta, a dead golem stays dead for the next pull. He drops Durgen's Crescent Axe, Direhammer Leggings and Robes of the Disgraced Thane. After the kill, the vaults open with the Dwarven Heirloom items for Important Heirlooms and the Treaty of Understanding tablet.
Between boss drops and quest rewards, the Hall of Thanes can gear a whole group for the mid teens. These are the items worth staying for:
| Role | Best Items |
|---|---|
| Tank | Golemguard Chest, Treads of the Protector Golem, Kindlegem Girdle |
| Melee damage | Ironforge Greathammer, Durgen's Crescent Axe, Direhammer Leggings, Catacomb Cloak, Flamefist Grips |
| Ranged physical | Calibrated Blunderbuss, Spiritwraith Drape |
| Caster damage | Fang of Magmatus, Golemheart Stave, Deepblaze, Aetherwisp Bracers |
| Healer | Golemheart Stave, Robes of the Disgraced Thane, Ephemeral Choker, Dwarven Tome |
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 Hall of Thanes boost clears the dungeon with an organized team, with quest rewards, gear and experience included.
These are the questions players ask most often about the Hall of Thanes.
The Hall of Thanes is tuned for levels 13 to 18, and all four bosses are level 16. A group around level 15 has the smoothest run.
Inside Ironforge. Go to the High Seat, turn left into the web-covered passage right inside the throne room and follow it down into Old Ironforge to the portal.
Yes, but they have to fight through Ironforge to reach the portal. Horde players can do An Ancient Grudge and Important Heirlooms, while the rest of the quests are Alliance only.
In practice, yes. Both are short dungeons for the low teens inside a capital, and the Novice Spelunker achievement accepts either the Hall of Thanes or Ragefire Chasm.
The Ironforge Greathammer and the Deepblaze wand from Old Ironforge Incursion, the Fang of Magmatus and the Golemheart Stave for casters, and the Golemguard Chest for tanks.
These guides help you plan the rest of your dungeons:
