Hall of Thanes, Ruins of Lordaeron, The Drowned City: Full Map of All 9 New Dungeons and 4 New Zones in World of Warcraft: Forever From 13 to 60
With its Classic+ reimagining of Azeroth, Blizzard has fundamentally reshaped both the world map and the leveling curve of World of Warcraft: Forever. Rather than leaving players stranded in the same historical bottlenecks between levels 13 and 60, the development team has woven nine brand-new 5-player dungeons and four new outdoor zones across the Eastern Kingdoms and Kalimdor.
To optimize your leveling journey without wasting hours on fruitless travel, you need to know the exact level brackets, meeting stone entrances, attunement keys, and the new dungeon experience math enforced across every instance. Here is the complete breakdown of all 9 new dungeons and 4 new zones in World of Warcraft: Forever to chart the smoothest route from level 13 all the way to level 60 pre-raid gear.
Complete Table of All 9 New Dungeons in World of Warcraft: Forever (13 to 60)
The nine new 5-player instances span the entire progression arc, from your first steps out of the starting zones to pre-raid Best-in-Slot (Pre-BiS) farming at the level cap:
| Dungeon Name | Level Range | Zone & Entrance Location | Bosses & Key Features |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Hall of Thanes | 13 to 18 (LFD: 13-20) | Dun Morogh (Beneath the High Seat in Old Ironforge) | 4 bosses, linear layout (5 Alliance quests, 2 Horde quests) |
| 2. Ruins of Lordaeron | 15 to 20 (LFD: 15-22) | Tirisfal Glades (Surface courtyard above the Undercity) | 6 bosses, undead courtyard and Kings Alley wing |
| 3. Excavation Site | 24 to 29 (Scales 26-33) | Wetlands (Mountain base near the Dun Algaz pass) | 4 bosses (20-35 min run), Dragonmaw Orcs and raptors |
| 4. City of Dalaran | 28 to 30 (Scales 28-35) | Alterac Mountains (Northwest perimeter outside the dome) | 8 bosses + 1 secret boss (Requires Dalaran Sewers Key) |
| 5. The Drowned City | 35 to 50 (Core: 35-42) | Stranglethorn Vale (Off the coast west of Grom'gol) | Sunken tropical ruins, prime mid-30s to 40s milestone |
| 6. Krol'dok Stronghold | 40 to 55 (Core: 40-45) | Riverglades (New mid-level outdoor zone) | Instanced stronghold inside the Riverglades region |
| 7. Alcaz Island Prison | 48 to 53 | Dustwallow Marsh (Alcaz Island off the northeast coast) | Island prison storyline featuring the Defias and Naga |
| 8. Blackmaw Hold | 55 to 60 | Azshara (Behind the sealed northern timber gate) | Sprawling furbolg city + entrance to Barrow Deeps raid |
| 9. Shaper's Terrace | 58 to 60 | Un'Goro Crater (Perched along the crater rim) | Titan complex designed for level 60 pre-raid gearing |
Low and Mid-Level Dungeons (Levels 13 to 30): Entrances, Bosses, and Access
The first half of the leveling journey benefits from four brand-new instances that bridge the gap between early regional hubs and level 30:
- Hall of Thanes (Levels 13 to 18): Hidden beneath the High Seat of Ironforge inside the formerly sealed depths of Old Ironforge (Dun Morogh), this linear dungeon pits groups against four bosses (Faldrim Anvilmar, Magmatus, Plunder, and Durgen Dirgehammer) guarded by undead, Dark Iron engineers, and elemental constructs. Alliance players can pick up five lucrative quests starting between levels 10 and 13, including Important Heirlooms from Thom Filch (2,950 XP) and The Restless Dead (2,300 XP), while Horde adventurers have access to two quests after trekking across Loch Modan and Dun Morogh.
- Ruins of Lordaeron (Levels 15 to 20): Located directly in the ruined surface courtyard above the Undercity in Tirisfal Glades, this six-boss instance sends parties against skeletal soldiers, shrieking banshees, and the spider-infested corridors of Kings Alley. While Horde players can reach the portal in minutes via the Orgrimmar zeppelin, Alliance groups must sail from Stormwind Harbor through Auberdine and Menethil Harbor to Southshore before marching north, unless they are playing an Alliance Skyborne, who can take the Stormwind portal straight to Dalaran for a major shortcut.
- Excavation Site (Wetlands, Levels 24 to 29): Tucked near the Dun Algaz pass in the Wetlands with a meeting stone at the base of the mountain trail, this dig site overrun by the Dragonmaw Orc Clan, raptors, crocolisks, and giant spiders takes 20 to 35 minutes to clear across four boss encounters. Its questline delivers a massive mid-20s experience boost, highlighted by Songblade Search from Dorin Songblade in Lakeshire, Redridge Mountains (6,150 XP) and Lost in the Thicket Things (4,900 XP).
- City of Dalaran (Levels 28 to 30): Set in the Alterac Mountains, this instanced version of the mage city features eight core bosses plus a secret ninth encounter, Lyn the Ignored, who can only be summoned if a party member brings the Tome of Dalaran. The portal sits outside the northwest edge of the city and requires the Dalaran Sewers Key to unlock the gate: Alliance players earn the key from a quick breadcrumb quest in Southshore, whereas Horde players must complete a short attunement chain before tackling the dungeon's four faction quests.
Mid and High-Level Dungeons (Levels 35 to 60 & Pre-BiS Raid Gear)
From level 35 onward, five major dungeons take over to carry players past their level 40 mount milestone and into level 60 pre-raid preparation:
- The Drowned City (Levels 35 to 50): Located off the western coast of Stranglethorn Vale just west of the Grom'gol Base Camp, this sunken ruin leverages aquatic pathways and tropical temple architecture, serving as a prime gear upgrade stop starting in the 35-42 bracket.
- Krol'dok Stronghold (Levels 40 to 55): Built inside the new Riverglades outdoor zone, this instanced stronghold opens up at level 40 and ensures groups no longer have to rely solely on Zul'Farrak or Uldaman runs to push through the mid-40s.
- Alcaz Island Prison (Levels 48 to 53): Situated on the fortified island off the coast of Dustwallow Marsh, this instance turns one of classic Azeroth's most famous landmarks into a full 5-player prison break intertwining the Defias Brotherhood and Naga forces right across the level 48-53 drought.
- Blackmaw Hold (Levels 55 to 60): Hidden behind the sealed northern gate in Azshara, this massive endgame furbolg city pits players against the Blackmaw clan after its fall to satyr and demonic corruption. Built with sprawling verticality and branching tunnels reminiscent of Blackrock Depths, Blackmaw Hold also houses the physical entrance to the upcoming 10-player Barrow Deeps raid.
- Shaper's Terrace (Levels 58 to 60): Perched high on the rim of Un'Goro Crater, this Titan facility serves as the ultimate 5-player proving ground for fresh level 60 characters hunting their pre-raid Best-in-Slot gear.
All 4 New Zones in Azeroth: From Zephras Isle to Mount Hyjal
Alongside those nine dungeons, World of Warcraft: Forever expands the open world with four new outdoor zones designed to relieve pressure on classic Azeroth's most crowded leveling hubs:
- Zephras Isle (Levels 1 to 12): A floating, elemental-swept island that serves as the dedicated starting zone for the Skyborne, the new elf-based allied race introduced in WoW: Forever.
- Riverglades (Levels 35 to 45): Packed with river basins, grasslands, and local faction skirmishes, this rugged outdoor zone is a lifesaver on both PvP and PvE realms. It provides a dense level 35-45 questing alternative that lets you bypass the notorious Stranglethorn Vale bottleneck while leading directly into Krol'dok Stronghold.
- Shen'Dralas: Nestled between Mulgore and Desolace in Kalimdor, this new adventure zone expands the Highborne lore of Eldre'Thalas and the ancient ruins surrounding Dire Maul.
- Mount Hyjal (Levels 55 to 60): Open to endgame adventurers pushing from 55 to 60, the sacred mountain offers high-end quest chains and sets the stage for the December 9, 2026 launch of the 20-player Hyjal Summit raid alongside the 10-player Barrow Deeps raid.
The WoW: Forever Dungeon XP Rule and Optimal 13 to 60 Leveling Route
Before you lock your party into ten consecutive hours of grinding the same corridor, keep the core rule of World of Warcraft: Forever in mind: to dismantle the static AoE dungeon-cleave meta, Blizzard reduced raw experience from repeatable dungeon trash mobs by roughly 70%. As we broke down in our analysis of Blizzard's 50% dungeon XP buff math and yield calculations, mindlessly farming trash packs without quests remains intentionally inefficient compared to open-world questing.
Instead, the developers shifted the entire reward structure into objective completion: dungeon quests award more than double their original experience and grant high-stat blue weapons and gear capable of carrying a Warrior, Rogue, or Hunter across ten full levels. Furthermore, every dungeon boss has a chance to drop coveted Campfire Blueprints required to upgrade your party's profession campfires across all ten skills.
Your optimal 13 to 60 XP route therefore revolves around targeted quest runs combined with the new outdoor zones:
- Levels 13 to 22: Gather the full quest logs for Hall of Thanes (13-18) and Ruins of Lordaeron (15-20), run each dungeon once or twice strictly to complete every quest and hunt your first Campfire Blueprints, then return to outdoor hubs.
- Levels 24 to 33: Head into the Wetlands to clear Excavation Site (24-29) with your Redridge and Menethil quests in hand, then unlock the Dalaran Sewers Key in Southshore to knock out all four quests inside City of Dalaran (28-30) in the Alterac Mountains.
- Levels 35 to 48: Skip the Stranglethorn Vale gankfest by rotating into Riverglades (35-45) and Shen'Dralas, weaving in full quest runs of The Drowned City (from 35) and Krol'dok Stronghold (from 40).
- Levels 48 to 60: Complete the prison questline inside Alcaz Island Prison (48-53) in Dustwallow Marsh before pushing into Mount Hyjal (55-60) and farming your pre-raid gear across Blackmaw Hold (55-60) and Shaper's Terrace (58-60). Right before turning in your completed dungeon quests, always remember to stack your Camping System, Legacy System, and +5% Cooked XP Food buffs to multiply every single turn-in.
My Field Notes
Tracking North American and European realm progression since World of Warcraft: Forever went live, I am convinced that pairing Riverglades with these nine new dungeons solves the biggest structural flaw of the original 1-60 leveling curve. Where thousands of players used to hit a wall of scarce quests and endless travel between levels 35 and 48, the handoff from The Drowned City and Krol'dok Stronghold into Alcaz Island Prison and Mount Hyjal keeps the momentum flowing all the way to 60. Slashing mindless trash-mob grinding by 70% while doubling dungeon quest XP, upgrading blue weapon rewards, and tying Campfire Blueprints to boss drops makes every single instance run feel meaningful ahead of the Barrow Deeps and Hyjal Summit raid launches on December 9.
World of Warcraft Forever
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Originally from Lyon, France, gaming journalist Bastien "Orion" relocated nearly a decade ago to Quebec City's Saint-Roch district, right in the heart of eastern Canada's development studio hub. Before crossing the Atlantic, he honed his versatile reporting style across classic French gaming web portals and specialist television outlets in the 2000s and 2010s, notably with JeuxVideo.fr and JeuxNews. Equally passionate about AAA blockbusters, North American studio culture, retro preservation, and community modding projects, he anchors Pro-Gamer's transatlantic desk and real-time coverage of US and Japanese industry announcements.
