The City of Dalaran is World of Warcraft: Forever’s new dungeon for levels 28 to 33: the Kirin Tor’s rebuilt city in the Alterac Mountains, with eight bosses from the sewers up to the Violet Citadel and four quests per faction. Blizzard opened it for testing with the October 8 beta build. City of Dalaran in WoW Forever has one rule the other new dungeons don’t: someone in your group needs the Dalaran Sewer Key, and both factions get it from a quest that needs level 30.
This guide covers the key, the entrance, every quest with its current XP, boss tactics from the first beta runs and the loot. It is the fourth new dungeon in our WoW Forever guide series, after the Hall of Thanes, the Ruins of Lordaeron and the Excavation Site: Wetlands.
Beta note: the beta stopped at level 30, so nothing above 30 was tested. Data as of October 14. WoW Forever launches November 4, and Blizzard can change any of it before then. Updated November 2: since the October 15 build, Dalaran’s guards attack Horde players in the open-world city (the dungeon stays open to them), and Horde players no longer gain Kirin Tor reputation.
City of Dalaran Entrance and Location
The City of Dalaran entrance is a sewer grate on Dalaran’s west wall, at 8.8, 59.6 on the Alterac Mountains map (Zockify; Warcraft Wiki rounds it to 8, 61). A summoning stone stands next to it, and the gate opens only if at least one player in the group carries the Dalaran Sewer Key (Warcraft Wiki, wowhandbook). The Image of Archmage Modera, who hands out the key, floats a few steps west on the lake shore. That spot counts as Silverpine Forest, so a coordinate addon shows 68.6, 45.2 there.
Earlier beta data, used in our WoW Forever new dungeon locations guide, described a separate Alliance way in through a pipe at Cantrips & Crows. In Method’s beta guide both factions use the west gate, and the instance starts in the sewers on the Cantrips & Crows side. The client lists a second entry point that nobody has reported using.
Getting There: Flight Paths for Alliance and Horde
Dalaran has no flight master in the beta client’s flight data (build 1.60.1.70374), and wowhandbook lists none elsewhere in Alterac. The nearest flight paths are Southshore (49.4, 52.1, Alliance) and Tarren Mill (60.2, 18.8, Horde) in the Hillsbrad Foothills. Ride west to Hillsbrad Fields and head north, where a road climbs to Dalaran’s south-east corner; the gate is on the outside of the west wall. Horde players take the bat from the Undercity to Tarren Mill; Alliance players fly from Stormwind to Southshore. Our WoW Forever flight paths guide lists every route.
How to Get the Dalaran Sewer Key
Both factions get the Dalaran Sewer Key from the Image of Archmage Modera outside the entrance, after a lead-in quest that needs level 30 (Warcraft Wiki, wowhandbook). The key is a permanent soulbound item, not a quest item, and it starts the dungeon quest Heart of Disruption. One key opens the gate for the whole group, so players under 30 can still go in with someone who has it.
Alliance: An Alarming Request
Take An Alarming Request from Emissary Jacques in the Southshore town hall (Hillsbrad 48.3, 60.1) and report to the Image of Archmage Modera. She gives you the key with Heart of Disruption.
Horde: The Tarren Mill Chain
Horde players work for Magus Wordeen Voidglare in Tarren Mill (Hillsbrad 61.6, 20.8). Since the October 15 build, Dalaran’s guards attack Horde players on sight in the open-world city, and this chain no longer grants open access to it; Blizzard’s development notes say access to the dungeon is unaffected. The chain:
- Key to the City and Prison Break In: at the Lordamere Internment Camp near Dalaran, kill Ricter, Alina, Dermot and Kegan Darkmar. Kegan is upstairs in the large building, where the Warden’s Footlocker holds the Grimy Key (Zockify). Blizzard’s dungeon overview names both as the start of the Horde chain, so do both (Method had called Prison Break In optional).
- Dalaran Patrols: kill 6 Dalaran Summoners and 12 Elemental Slaves east of Dalaran (wowhandbook, Warcraft Wiki; Zockify says 8 slaves). Interrupt the Summoners, or they call in more enemies.
- Blood in the Streets: carry the Grimy Key along Lordamere Lake to the Image of Archmage Modera. She says it won’t get past her wards, then enchants it: you leave with the Dalaran Sewer Key and Heart of Disruption.
City of Dalaran Level and Requirements
The City of Dalaran is a level 28 to 33 dungeon by Blizzard’s dungeon list; Warcraft Wiki prints 28 to 34 and Method 26 to 33. The Group Finder lists it from 28.
| What | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Dungeon quests | Accept at 24, quest level 33 | Beta client (Warcraft Wiki, wowhandbook) |
| Dalaran Sewer Key | Lead-in quests need level 30 | Warcraft Wiki, wowhandbook |
| Final boss | Level 31 | Warcraft Wiki |
| Boss loot | Item level 31 to 35, requires 25 to 30 | Wowhead’s Forever database |
| Lockout | None in the beta | wowforevertalents |
| Length | A little over an hour | wowhandbook |
Go at 30 to 32. At 30 you can get your own key, the last boss’s drops need 30, and under Classic rules these level 33 quests pay full XP until 38 (we found no report that Forever changed that). See our WoW Forever dungeons by level list and leveling guide for what comes before and after.
City of Dalaran Quests for Alliance and Horde
The City of Dalaran has eight dungeon quests in the beta client, four per faction, plus the key quests and one short follow-up per faction to Archmage Celindra in the Violet Citadel (Warcraft Wiki, Zockify, wowforevertalents). Numbers match the maps.
Alliance quests
| # | Quest | Starts at | Task and turn-in |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A Green Sample | Shylamiir, the Park, Stormwind 31.5, 62.6 | Fel Infused Blossom at the Fel Ancient, back to Shylamiir |
| 2 | Power Overwhelming | High Sorcerer Andromath, Wizard’s Sanctum, Stormwind 48.7, 87.6 | Kill the Arcanic Enigma, back to Andromath |
| 3 | An Alarming Request (key) | Emissary Jacques, Southshore 48.3, 60.1 | Report to the Image |
| 4 | Heart of Disruption, then Friend of the Kirin Tor | Image of Archmage Modera (with the key) | Arcane Mote from the Shade of the Archmage, back to the Image, then to Archmage Celindra |
| 4 | Starving Arcane | Image of Archmage Modera, Alterac 7.4, 59.2 | Kill 8 Seeking Remnants, 8 Saturated Remnants and 8 Mana Echoes inside, back to the Image |
Horde quests
| # | Quest | Starts at | Task and turn-in |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | Source of Power | Doctor Martin Felben, Apothecarium, Undercity 46.6, 74.1 | 6 Cracked Sentry Cores from the constructs, back to Felben |
| 6 | The Grave Knight | Melisara, Tarren Mill 62.6, 20.6 | Kill Atrexis the Grave Knight, back to Melisara |
| 6 | Key to the City, Prison Break In, Dalaran Patrols, Blood in the Streets (key) | Magus Wordeen Voidglare, Tarren Mill 61.6, 20.8 | See the key section |
| 4 | Heart of Disruption, then Shrewd Negotiations | Image of Archmage Modera (with the key) | Arcane Mote from the Shade, to Voidglare, then to Archmage Celindra |
| Opportunistic Education | Rexxie Copperclutch, inside at the start of the sewers | The Founding of Dalaran, a book up in the city, back to Rexxie |
- Starving Arcane starts at the Image of Archmage Modera, not at Archmage Modera inside the city (beta logs on wowforevertalents and Warcraft Wiki). Guides list it as Alliance, but the client data shows no faction lock, so Horde players should check the Image too.
- Source of Power needs six Cracked Sentry Cores that drop by chance, so a full Horde group may need two runs (wowhandbook).
- Kirin Tor reputation: Starving Arcane and the Alliance Heart of Disruption give 100 each, the Horde quests none in the client data, and Blizzard’s October 15 notes fixed a bug that let Horde players gain Kirin Tor reputation. What the new reputation unlocks is unknown.
City of Dalaran Bosses and Tactics
The City of Dalaran has eight bosses: Atrexis the Grave Knight in the sewers, Lyn the Ignored if you summon him, and six in the city above, which you can take in almost any order before the Shade of the Archmage. The client lists a ninth name, Mana Wraith, that no beta group has reported fighting. Tactics come from Method’s and wowhandbook’s beta runs.
Almost everything inside is immune to Arcane damage, Counterspell included, so mages go Fire or Frost and the group needs other interrupts (wowhandbook). Much of the melee damage is Arcane, which shields can’t block (Method). Kill Mana Phantoms first. A Saturated Remnant leaves a mana-restoring pool when it dies, so kill one last and stand in it.
| Boss | Where | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Atrexis the Grave Knight | Sewers, first boss | Disarms the tank and raises skeletons. Tank gathers the adds, kill the first few, then burn him. Completes The Grave Knight. |
| Lyn the Ignored | Sewers, summoned | Shadow Bolt Volley and skeletons; decurse Curse of Thorns from melee. |
| Arcane Anomaly | Krasus’ Landing | Focal Blast sweeps a beam around the platform: walk ahead of it, never through it. Stay inside the circle so the edge adds stay out. |
| Arcanic Enigma | Gardens by the southern bank | Kill his two Mana Phantoms first, dispel Manamorph (a polymorph), keep the healer out of his Silence. |
| Unstable Sentinel | Trade district | Kill the Angry Tomes first. Face Arcing Smash away; for Malfunction (25 yards) ranged stay back and melee step out, or stun the cast. |
| Mana Devourer | Near the Violet Hold | Clear the whole area first. Debilitate drains 200 mana from everyone within 45 yards, so burn it fast. |
| Fel Ancient | Middle of the city | Talk to Grindle Firespark to drop the barriers (Method). Leave the green Fel Timbers pools and free players rooted by Entangle. |
| Shade of the Archmage | Purple Parlor, top of the Violet Citadel | Talk to Archmage Modera for the portal (Method). Spread for Bounding Mana, casters 20 yards out, hide behind the wall from Mass Polymorph, and don’t pull him out of the room. |
How to Summon Lyn the Ignored
- At the end of Shadowfang Keep, take the Black Tome from the table in Archmage Arugal’s room.
- In Ambermill, Silverpine Forest, use it at the Ambermill Leyline Focus, a blue crystal in the main building, to make the Tome of Dalaran.
- In the dungeon, go straight through the sewer tunnel past Atrexis instead of turning right toward the city, clear the room with the purple circle and use the tome there.
The tome isn’t used up and has a three-minute cooldown (Zockify).
City of Dalaran Loot
All 24 City of Dalaran boss drops are blue and bind on pickup, item level 31 to 35, each at roughly a 30% drop chance in Wowhead’s Forever database. The ones worth a run:
| Item | Boss | Stats | For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spine of the Devourer | Mana Devourer | Staff, +36 spell power, +14 Stamina | Casters, healers |
| Tendonscraper Dagger | Lyn the Ignored | Main hand, +36 spell power, +5 Stamina | Casters, healers |
| Violet Sorcerer’s Robes | Arcanic Enigma | Cloth chest, +15 Intellect, +9 spell power | Mages, warlocks, priests |
| Felbough Arm | Fel Ancient | Polearm, 28.8 DPS, +10 Agility, +1% hit | Hunters, warriors |
| Guardian’s Dualblade | Unstable Sentinel | Two-handed axe, 27.9 DPS, armor proc | Warriors, paladins |
| Garb of Fallen Felbark | Fel Ancient | Leather chest, +9 Agility, +13 Intellect | Druids |
| Refractory Scaleguards | Unstable Sentinel | Mail legs, +12 Strength, +100 armor | Warrior and paladin tanks |
| Bonepile Gaze | Lyn the Ignored | Shield, 718 armor, +5 Strength, +5 Stamina | Tanks |
Mail goes to warriors and paladins because Classic hunters and shamans learn Mail at 40. The Robes and the Shade’s Violet Sorcerer’s Mantle start a five-piece set; where the other pieces drop is unknown. Two camping Blueprints drop here: Spinning Wheel (Tailoring 140, about 11%) from the Unstable Sentinel and Arcane Salvager (Enchanting 140) from the Shade, which also drops in the Ruins of Lordaeron (Zockify). Our Enchanting leveling guide and Tailoring leveling guide list what both camp objects need.
Quest Rewards After the October 8 Changes
Blizzard’s October 8 notes lowered “various dungeon quest rewards” from Rare to Uncommon. In the City of Dalaran only Heart of Disruption still gives blues; all rewards are item level 36 (Wowhead’s Forever database, October 14).
| Quest | Pick one of | Quality |
|---|---|---|
| Heart of Disruption (Alliance) | Spellguard Pauldrons (mail, +11 Stamina, +7 Intellect), Renewing Footpads (leather, +11 Intellect, +11 healing) or Defender of Dalaran (two-handed mace, 31.2 DPS) | Blue |
| Heart of Disruption (Horde) | Battle Spaulders (mail, +11 Stamina, +7 Spirit), Enchanted Sandals (cloth, +10 Stamina, +9 spell power) or Striking Staff (31.3 DPS) | Blue |
| A Green Sample | Vine Pruner’s Cloak (+5 spell power) or Thorn Protecting Girdle (mail, +12 attack power) | Green |
| Power Overwhelming | Violet Sash (cloth, +9 Intellect, +6 spell power) or Runebound Gloves (leather, +12 attack power), plus 1 gold | Green |
| Starving Arcane | Arcane Infused Rod (+11 Arcane damage) or Fallen Guard’s Pendant (+3 Strength) | Green |
| The Grave Knight | Gravewalker Boots (leather, +5 Agility, +7 Stamina) or Undead Knight’s Bracers (mail), plus 1 gold | Green |
| Source of Power | Unstable Power Core (wand, 29.7 DPS) or Construct Cloak (+5 Strength, +5 Spirit) | Green |
| Opportunistic Education | Solid Gold Band (ring, +11 healing) or Larcenist’s Belt (leather, +6 Agility, +8 Stamina) | Green |
How Much XP the City of Dalaran Quests Give
Each of the eight City of Dalaran quests pays 9,400 XP in the beta client’s quest data of October 13 (wowforevertalents, Warcraft Wiki). A normal level 33 quest pays 3,950 (wowhandbook), so the dungeon bonus comes to about 2.4 times normal after Blizzard’s October 1 notes halved the extra XP from dungeon quests.
- Both factions: 4 x 9,400 = 37,600 XP from the dungeon quests, about 80% of the 47,400 XP from level 30 to 31 on the Classic curve, which Blizzard kept (our calculation).
- Alliance extras: An Alarming Request 660 and Friend of the Kirin Tor 270.
- Horde extras: Blood in the Streets 270, Shrewd Negotiations 270, plus the Classic quests Prison Break In and Dalaran Patrols, whose Forever values aren’t confirmed.
Dungeon mob XP also went up about 20% on October 8, plus a party XP fix that Blizzard expects to “dramatically increase experience earned in dungeons for most players”. Our WoW Forever XP changes guide covers the rest.
FAQ
Where is the City of Dalaran entrance in WoW Forever?
At a sewer grate on Dalaran’s west wall, 8.8, 59.6 on the Alterac Mountains map, by Lordamere Lake. The nearest flight paths are Southshore (Alliance) and Tarren Mill (Horde).
How do you get the Dalaran Sewer Key?
At level 30, Alliance players take An Alarming Request in Southshore and Horde players do Magus Wordeen Voidglare’s quests in Tarren Mill. Both end at the Image of Archmage Modera, who gives you the key.
Is the City of Dalaran Alliance only?
No. Both factions have four dungeon quests, use the same entrance and earn the same quest XP. The Horde just needs a longer chain for the key.
Is there a flight path in Dalaran?
No. Dalaran has no flight master in the beta client’s flight data, so use Southshore or Tarren Mill in the Hillsbrad Foothills. Alliance Skyborne arrive at the skyship dock on the city’s north side (Alterac 12.8, 51.2), and its portal to Stormwind is most likely Skyborne-only.
Sources: Blizzard’s beta development notes (October 1, October 8, October 15). Blizzard’s dungeon overview and its earlier level list via Icy Veins; quest, key and NPC data from Warcraft Wiki, wowforevertalents, Zockify and wowhandbook; boss tactics from Method and wowhandbook; item stats from Wowhead’s Forever database. Maps: Blizzard Entertainment.