City of DalaranNew in Forever

City of Dalaran in WoW Forever: the mage city as a dungeon

City of Dalaran is one of the nine new dungeons of WoW Forever and has been testable in the beta since 8 October. According to Blizzard, the magical barrier around the rebuilt city of Dalaran has fallen: enchantments fail, constructs run amok and magical energy floods the streets. In the English client the instance is called „City of Dalaran" (the German client simply says „Dalaran"; our German page calls it „Stadt Dalaran" to tell it apart from the open city). Per the game data the city lies in the Alterac Mountains; the dungeon list gives level 28 as a guide value, the quests are level 33 and can be taken from level 24. According to Blizzard, City of Dalaran is a dungeon for levels 28 to 33 in Alterac Mountains, and you need an attunement quest chain to get in. With nine encounters Dalaran is a long run. All ability details are beta state and may change before launch.

Approach and key

According to Blizzard, you enter City of Dalaran through the sewers and can take several routes through the city to the source of the disturbance. Access requires an attunement quest chain: the Alliance starts with "An Alarming Request" from Emissary Jacques in Southshore, the Horde with "Key to the City" and "Prison Break-In" from Magus Wordeen Voidglare in Tarren Mill.

Both factions enter the dungeon through the sewers, per the quest text at the northern edge of the city. For that you need the Dalaran Sewer Key. The Horde starts with Key to the City (from level 30) at Magus Wordeen Voidglare in Tarren Mill (Hillsbrad Foothills 61.6, 20.8): in the camps around the city you find a Grimy Key. The same quest giver also offers Blood in the Streets, which leads you to the Image of Archmage Modera at Lordamere Lake (Silverpine Forest 68.6, 45.2); per the quest text she adjusts the key to the wards. Blizzard names "Prison Break-In" as the second Horde attunement quest; Blood in the Streets is another quest from the same quest giver, and our quest data don't confirm an order. The Alliance starts with An Alarming Request at Emissary Jacques in Hillsbrad Foothills (48.3, 60.1), also from level 30, and gets the key from Modera with Heart of Disruption.

Important for the Horde: according to Blizzard the open city of Dalaran attacks you on sight, and the key quest chain no longer opens the city. The dungeon itself stays open to both factions. Only the Alliance gains reputation with the Kirin Tor; our quest data show +100 reputation for Heart of Disruption and Starving Arcane, the Horde counterparts give none. The flight path to Dalaran is not confirmed for Forever.

Alliance Skyborne arrive in Dalaran directly by skyship after their starting zone.

Quests before and inside the dungeon

Quest and NPC names are per our quest data (daten/quests, en field; npc_index).

Alliance: - Heart of Disruption – Image of Archmage Modera (Silverpine Forest 68.6, 45.2). Fetch the Arcane Mote from the city; choice of Spellguard Pauldrons, Renewing Footpads or Defender of Dalaran (blue, addon names only). Then Friend of the Kirin Tor at Archmage Celindra in the city. - Starving Arcane – Modera. Defeat eight each of Seeking Remnants, Saturated Remnants and Mana Echoes in the city. Choice: Fallen Guard's Pendant or Arcane Infused Rod. - A Green Sample – Shylamiir in Stormwind City. Pick a Fel Infused Blossom in the gardens. Choice: Vine Pruner's Cloak or Thorn Protecting Girdle. - Power Overwhelming – High Sorcerer Andromath in Stormwind City (37.6, 81.6). Kill the Mana Elemental; the quest credit is called „Arcanic Enigma" in the client. Choice: Violet Sash or Runebound Gloves, plus gold.

Horde: - Heart of Disruption – Modera, after Blood in the Streets. Arcane Mote; choice of Battle Spaulders, Enchanted Sandals or Striking Staff (blue). Then Shrewd Negotiations at Celindra. - The Grave Knight – Melisara in Tarren Mill (Hillsbrad Foothills 62.6, 20.6). Defeat Atrexis the Grave Knight. Choice: Gravewalker Boots or Undead Knight's Bracers, plus gold. - Opportunistic Education – Rexxie Copperclutch at the sewer entrance. Fetch the book „The Founding of Dalaran". Choice: Solid Gold Band or Larcenist's Belt. - Source of Power – Doctor Martin Felben in Undercity (46.6, 74.4). Six Cracked Sentry Cores from the constructs. Choice: Unstable Power Core or Construct Cloak.

Bosses and tactics (beta state)

The order below follows the client's boss table; the actual path through the city cannot be read from the data. Spell values come from the game data, the assignment to the bosses – except for Fel Timbers – from our existing tactics texts (dungeon_taktiken.json) and is not confirmed.

Arcane Anomaly (level 30 according to fan sites) shoots the tank with Arcane Bolt. The dangerous part is Focal Blast: a beam channeled forward that per the game data deals Arcane damage every quarter second to every target in front of it and lasts about six seconds. The tank turns the boss away from the group; everyone else stays out of the beam's path.

Fel Ancient (level 32) stands per the beta in the city centre behind a barrier that only falls after a conversation with the right contact. Entangle roots everyone within 15 yards for up to six seconds and deals Nature damage meanwhile. Fel Timbers hurls vines at one player, hits everything within 5 yards and leaves poisonous fumes for ten seconds dealing Nature damage per second. Leave the green patches at once; a paladin frees rooted players with Blessing of Freedom.

Mana Devourer per the beta drags the whole room along if you do not clear it first. Drain Vitality deals Arcane damage and additional damage on the main target for ten seconds. Debilitate hits everyone within 45 yards and siphons up to 200 mana from each. Kill him quickly before the healer runs dry.

Mana Elemental and Mana Wraith: for both there are no confirmed abilities from the beta. The tank turns them away from the group, damage dealers interrupt casts, healers watch their mana. The client has further Arcane spells from the same ID range (Manamorph, Expelling Mana, Arcane Cascade, Mana Leak, Mana Surge) whose owners we do not know yet.

Unstable Sentinel (level 31) hits everything in front of it with Arcing Smash, so turn it away. Per the game data Malfunction makes it release Arcane energy within 25 yards at regular intervals; ranged players stay outside, a stun before the cast prevents it. The tank needs a lot of healing here.

Shade of the Archmage (level 33) is the final boss; per the beta a Kirin Tor archmage opens a portal to him for you. Arcane Bolt hits the tank. Bounding Mana launches an orb at a random player that flies outward and returns to its origin; players hit take Arcane damage and per the game data are silenced for six seconds. Dodge the orb on both legs. When his mana is empty he casts Mass Polymorph on everyone within 50 yards (eight seconds) and refills with Evocation; use the pause to regroup.

Lyn the Ignored is optional and per the beta only reachable with the Tome of Dalaran. He raises the dead, hits everyone with Shadow Bolt Volley and puts Thorncurse on the tank, so that the tank's own melee attacks deal Nature damage to himself. Remove the curse, otherwise the tank hurts himself with every swing.

Atrexis the Grave Knight (level 29) patrols per the beta with three Kirin Tor necromancers. He disarms the tank, calls undead servants with Raise Dead and strengthens allies with Unholy Frenzy: 75 percent more attack speed for 20 seconds, at the cost of Nature damage every two seconds to the one strengthened. Take out companions first and keep stuns ready for the raised dead.

Loot by role (according to fan sites, addon names only)

So far the addon knows only two boss drops: Guardian's Dualblade (melee weapon) from the Unstable Sentinel and Ponderous Orb (off hand, for casters) from the Shade of the Archmage. For the other bosses loot data are missing. More rewarding at the moment are the key quest rewards: Spellguard Pauldrons, Renewing Footpads and Defender of Dalaran (Alliance) as well as Battle Spaulders, Enchanted Sandals and Striking Staff (Horde) are blue per the quest data.

Tips for tank, healer and damage

Tank: Turn Arcane Anomaly and Unstable Sentinel consistently away from the group, and pull the Mana Devourer only when the room is empty. Healer: Debilitate and Drain Vitality target your mana and the tank's health; drink to full before the Mana Devourer and agree on who removes curses. Damage: Interrupts against Raise Dead and Arcane Bolt, stuns against Malfunction, and do not stand still during Bounding Mana.

Group

Tank, healer and three damage dealers are usual; there is no official Forever statement on group size. Useful are interrupts, stuns, a curse remover and a paladin with Blessing of Freedom. Plan more time than for the old dungeons of this level.