Historically, the first time you’d step into a World of Warcraft dungeon as part of The Alliance is The Deadmines. However, World of Warcraft: Forever introduces a new low-level instance called The Hall of Thanes that dishes out blue quality gear like candy on Halloween, getting your character off to a flying start. It’s effectively the Alliance version of Ragefire Chasm, making it the perfect spot to dust off your mechanical cobwebs if it’s been a hot minute, or learn fundamentals if you’re a beginner dungeoneer.
Here, we’ll take you through everything you need to know about WoW: Forever's Hall of Thanes. This includes how to get there, how to clear all five of its associated quests, boss strategies, and, of course, a full rundown of all the juicy loot you can acquire. Based on its difficulty, we’d recommend abstaining from HoT until you reach level 14. The extra spells from this milestone are likely to come in handy, regardless of your class.
How to get to Hall of Thanes
Hall of Thanes is located in Old Ironforge, which is accessible from The High Seat in Ironforge.
Getting to Hall of Thanes could not be easier if you rolled a dwarf or gnome, as you’ll naturally start your journey in Dun Morogh. If you find yourself in Stormwind first, simply take the Deeprun Tram from the Dwarven District to Ironforge.
If you’re a Night Elf hailing from Darnassus, you luckily won’t have to make janky death runs from Menethil Harbor or brave the Wetlands like the old days. First thing’s first, take the portal to Rut’theran Village, before hopping on a boat to Auberdine in Darkshore. From there, board the new ship that takes you directly to Stormwind. Step onto the tram, and you’re good to go.
Now in Ironforge, make your way to The High Seat, which is accessible from The Great Forge (around 44, 52). As soon as you’re inside, hook a left, follow the stairs down, and you’ll end up in Old Ironforge.
Hall of Thanes Map
The route through Hall of Thanes will have you snake your way through the western hall of Anvilmar’s Rest, into the main chamber, and then out to the Dark Iron Ingress in the dungeon’s eastern sector. Once cleared, it’s back into a central hall, before taking a brisk jog north to the Reliquary of Kings. After clearing the dungeon, you'll be able to head directly south through the now-open doors, making for a quick exit.
While Forever's baked-in addons are solid, there is still no native way to check dungeon maps while you're in an instance. If you'd rather open up the HoF map in-game, instead of referring back to the one above, then we'd recommend you install the Atlas addon, alongside the Kalimdor & Eastern Kingdoms map pack.
Hall of Thanes Quests
There are five quests tied to Hall of Thanes. Three can be picked up outside of the dungeon, while the other two are started inside. Detailed reward stats can be found in the loot section of this guide.
| Quest | Start location | Info | Rewards |
| Old Ironforge Incursion | Earthseer Farsen, Gol’Golar Quarry, Dun Morogh (64.9, 58.5) Requires Dark Iron Map (Drop from Dark Iron Spies) | Kill Durgen Dirgehammer and claim his head. Level 15, Alliance-only, Shareable | 4,950 XP Eight Silver One of: Calibrated Blunderbuss, Ironforge Greathammer, or Deepblaze 100 Ironforge Reputation 100 Gnomeregan Exiles Reputation |
| The Restless Dead | Afadra Dunwall, Old Ironforge, Ironforge (33, 47.9) | Kill 15 Enraged Apparitions and ten Tormented Souls. Level 15, Alliance-only, Shareable | 3,550 XP Seven Silver One of: Dusty Belt or Cryptwalker Bracers 100 Ironforge Reputation |
| Important Heirlooms | Thom Filch, Old Ironforge, Ironforge (32.1, 44.8) | Collect eight Dwarven Heirlooms. Level 14, Alliance and Horde, Shareable | 4,600 XP Seven Silver One of: Dwarven Tome or Tomb Robber’s Gloves 100 Gadgetzan Reputation |
| An Ancient Grudge | Ghostly Attendant, Anvilmar’s Rest, The Hall of Thanes | Kill Faldrim Anvilmar and then return to the Ghostly Attendant. Level 14, Alliance and Horde, Shareable | 3,550 XP One of: Catacomb Cloak or Deepgrave Trousers |
| The Treaty of Understanding | Vault item, Reliquary of Kings, The Hall of Thanes | Deliver the Treaty of Understanding to Magni Bronzebeard in Ironforge. Level 16, Alliance-only, Unshareable | 3,900 XP 16 Silver 100 Ironforge Reputation 100 Gnomeregan Exiles Reputation |
Questing is now the optimal way to level in WoW: Forever, with each completed task yielding a ton of experience. Blizzard has made this change so you should no longer be stuck in dungeon run purgatory, unless of course that one piece of gear you desperately need is refusing to drop. Most of the Hall of Thanes quests can be picked up either in Old Ironforge, or within the instance itself, so you won’t have to run around too much before diving into the dungeon.
However, the first quest you’ll want to grab, Old Ironforge Incursion, has you make a quick detour to the Gol’Bolar Quarry. Killing Dark Iron Spies in the area east of the quarry (around 76, 60) will eventually yield a Dark Iron Map, which must then be handed over to Earthseer Farsen at (64.9, 58.5). He’ll then give you the quest to go into the Hall of Thanes, kill Durgen Dirgehammer and retrieve his head, then hand said noggin over to Magni Bronzebeard in the throne room. We’d recommend doing Earthseer Farsen’s quest chain before hunting down the map, as one of them has you dispatch Dark Iron Spies anyway -- we’re all about XP efficiency here. This kicks off with A Visitor to Dun Morogh, which you can pick up from Beldin Steelgrill just to the east of Kharanos at (50.4, 49).
Now we’re done touching grass, let’s delve into Old Ironforge. Here you’ll want to grab The Restless Dead from Afadra Dunwall, and Important Heirlooms from Thom Filch. Afadra is at the top of the staircases you can follow to your left as you enter Old Ironforge, while Thom is pretty much directly below her. The Restless Dead is a simple kill quest, so nothing to really note there. Important Heirlooms, meanwhile, has you scour The Hall of Thanes’ nooks and crannies for collectibles. We found the highest concentration of these in the vaults you can crack open after dealing with Durgen right at the end of the dungeon. However, you can find plenty here and there, so give each area a good mouse-over.
An Ancient Grudge is the first actual in-dungeon quest you can pick up. As you fight your way through the first few mobs, you’ll naturally happen upon the Ghostly Attendant. All you have to do is head into the next area, kill Faldrim Anvilmar, then report back to her. Easy stuff. Finally, The Treaty of Understanding can be yoinked out of one of Durgen’s vaults, before being handed over to Magni Bronzebeard in The High Seat.
Hall of Thanes Bosses
The Hall of Thanes has four bosses: Faldrim Anvilmar, Magmatus, Plunder, and Durgen Dirgehammer. As the denizens of an introductory dungeon, these bosses don’t have any particularly complex mechanics. However, what Hall of Thanes does teach you is to ensure you clear out nearby mobs before aggroing the main threat. As you proceed through the dungeon, take the time to practice using any crowd control skills you may have unlocked, such as Bash (Druid) or Polymorph (Mage) that can help make fights more manageable.
Faldrim Anvilmar
Our first encounter is with Faldrim Anvilmar, who wanders around the middle of Anvilmar’s Rest. This massive room is full of ads, so make sure you carve out a chunk of the trash so Faldrim doesn’t bring unwanted friends with him when you begin the fight. He’ll cast Anvilmar’s Curse on the tank, reducing their attack and casting speed by 20% for ten minutes, before going to town on your party with basic attacks and the odd Mind Blast.
Magmatus
As much as you can try and clear Magmatus’ area, he always comes as a package deal with a Dark Iron Summoner. On pull, the tank should keep Magmatus as far from his party as possible. This is because the boss occasionally sends out a Fire Nova, which will put a huge strain on your healer if you’re all caught up in it. Magmatus also uses Combust, which inflicts a set amount of damage plus a damage-over-time effect to a random player. Healers, it’s your time to shine. Focus down the summoner before turning your attention to the boss, who should go down without too much issue.
Plunder
Plunder has the hilarious ability to knock an ally back, which can cause chaos if they’re slung into a mob of enemies. To maximize safety, clear the pack to the right as you enter the arena (one Dark Iron Looter and two Bloodhound Runts, for reference). Then, when you pull the boss, lure him all the way back to the now-empty corner, ensuring your group’s positioned by the wall. Now, even if he does fling you with Knock Away, you won’t be in any danger of tagging extra foes. Tank, spank, and move on.
Durgen Dirgehammer
Hall of Thanes’ grand finale requires a bit of groundwork before you can tackle Durgen. The boss has an AoE fear, which necessitates your squad remove as many of the tertiary Dark Iron Looters as you can before pulling. Alternatively, you can pull Durgen and his two Lesser Stone Golem lackeys back into the hallway you entered from, mitigating the chances of disaster striking.
Once the encounter starts, focus on getting the golems gone, before turning your collective attention to the big kahuna. Durgen may Rend his target, which deals a chunk of damage over time, so healers will need to stay on top of that. Aside from that and the aforementioned fear, there’s nothing to really note. Pump out the DPS, and don’t forget to grab his head when he’s dead for the quest.
Hall of Thanes Loot
Quest Rewards
| Item | Type | Stats | Quest |
| Calibrated Blunderbuss | Gun (Ranged) | 15-29 Damage 2.30 Speed (9.57 DPS) +3 Stamina | Old Ironforge Incursion |
| Ironforge Greathammer | Two-handed Mace (Main Hand) | 39-60 Damage 3.10 Speed (15.97 DPS) Chance on hit: Blasts a target for 42 Fire damage. | Old Ironforge Incursion |
| Deepblaze | Wand (Ranged) | 22-41 Fire Damage 1.70 Speed (18.53 DPS) +3 Fire Resistance | Old Ironforge Incursion |
| Dusty Belt | Leather belt (Waist) | 41 Armor +2 Agility +2 Spirit | The Restless Dead |
| Cryptwalker Bracers | Mail bracers (Wrist) | 69 Armor +2 Strength +2 Spirit | The Restless Dead |
| Dwarven Tome | Book (Off-hand) | +1 Spirit Equip: Increases damage and healing done by magical spells and effects by up to three. | Important Heirlooms |
| Tomb Robber’s Gloves | Cloth gloves (Hands) | 19 Armor +1 Stamina +2 Intellect | Important Heirlooms |
| Catacomb Cloak | Cloak (Back) | 15 Armor +2 Stamina | An Ancient Grudge |
| Deepgrave Trousers | Leather trousers (Legs) | 64 Armor +3 Agility +3 Spirit | An Ancient Grudge |
Boss Drops
| Item | Type | Stats | Boss |
| Aetherwisp Bracers | Cloth bracers (Wrist) | 15 Armor +30 Armor Equip: Increases damage and healing done by magical spells and effects by up to three. | Faldrim Anvilmar |
| Ephemeral Choker | Necklace (Neck) | +5 Spirit | Faldrim Anvilmar |
| Spiritwraith Drape | Cloak (Back) | 17 Armor +3 Agility +4 Spirit | Faldrim Anvilmar |
| Fang of Magmatus | Dagger (Main Hand) | 9-18 Damage 1.70 Speed (7.94 DPS) +4 Intellect Equip: Increases damage and healing done by magical spells and effects by up to 18. | Magmatus |
| Flamefist Grips | Leather gloves (Hands) | 51 Armor +5 Agility +5 Spirit | Magmatus |
| Kindlegem Girdle | Mail belt (Waist) | 100 Armor +7 Stamina | Magmatus |
| Golemguard Chest | Mail armor (Chest) | 178 Armor +6 Stamina +60 Armor | Plunder |
| Golemheart Stave | Two-handed staff (Main Hand) | 30-46 Damage (11.88 DPS) +9 Fire Resistance Equip: Increases damage and healing done by magical spells and effects by up to 18. | Plunder |
| Treads of the Protector Golem | Mail boots (Feet) | 122 Armor +5 Strength +50 Armor | Plunder |
| Direhammer Leggings | Leather trousers (Legs) | 72 Armor +4 Agility +7 Stamina | Durgen Dirgehammer |
| Durgen’s Crescent Axe | One-handed axe (Main Hand) | 20-39 Damage 2.40 Speed (12.29 DPS) +4 Strength | Durgen Dirgehammer |
| Robes of the Disgraced Thane | Cloth armor (Chest) | 35 Armor +4 Spirit Equip: Increases damage and healing done by magical spells and effects by up to eight. | Durgen Dirgehammer |
With the Hall of Thanes now conquered, you're ready to move onto even tougher challenges. If you're Alliance, you could go for a classic Deadmines run, or mix things up with the Ruins of Lordaeron--that is, if you can hack the journey. The Ruins should also be a welcome challenge if you favor the Horde, seeing as it's on far friendlier turf.