Hall of Thanes is a new five-player WoW Forever dungeon for levels 13–18, located beneath Ironforge in Old Ironforge. It has four bosses — Faldrim Anvilmar, Magmatus, Plunder and Durgen Dirgehammer — plus five documented dungeon quests and 12 Rare boss drops. Alliance players have direct access through Ironforge, while Horde groups can enter but must travel deep into hostile Alliance territory.
For a first clear, level 15–16 is a comfortable target. Bring one tank, one healer and three DPS, and do not rush the trash: crowd control, interrupts and a clean room before each boss matter more here than raw damage.
| Hall of Thanes | Details |
|---|---|
| Level range | 13–18 |
| Location | Old Ironforge, beneath Ironforge |
| Group size | 5 players |
| Bosses | 4 |
| Dungeon quests | 5 documented quests |
| Boss drops | 12 Rare items |
| Alliance access | Directly through Ironforge |
| Horde access | Possible, but requires entering hostile Alliance territory |
| Recommended first clear | Level 15–16 |
Hall of Thanes Location and Entrance
Hall of Thanes is beneath The High Seat in Ironforge. Do not search for a cave outside the city: the route begins inside Ironforge and descends into Old Ironforge.
- Enter Ironforge and travel toward The Great Forge.
- Enter The High Seat, where King Magni Bronzebeard stands.
- Take the passage on the left side of the throne-room area.
- Follow the stone path downward into Old Ironforge.
- Continue descending toward the bridge and instance portal.
The Old Ironforge access route begins around 43.5, 52.0 on the Ironforge map. Stay on the main stone path while descending; exposed lava below the route can turn a missed step into a long corpse run.
Can Horde Enter Hall of Thanes?
Yes. Horde groups can reach Hall of Thanes, but it is primarily an Alliance-side leveling dungeon. Blizzard specifically notes that Horde players must brave the journey into Alliance territory to reach the entrance.
At level 13–18 this is not a normal Horde leveling trip. You need to travel through hostile territory into Dun Morogh and Ironforge, deal with guards and reach Old Ironforge without the convenience Alliance characters have.
The quest situation is also different. Current pre-launch quest data marks Important Heirlooms and An Ancient Grudge as available to both factions, while The Restless Dead, Old Ironforge Incursion and The Treaty of Understanding are tied to the Alliance route.
If you are Horde, run Hall of Thanes primarily for the dungeon itself and boss loot rather than treating it as the equivalent of Ragefire Chasm for your leveling route.
Hall of Thanes Bosses
| # | Boss | Main Mechanic | What to Do |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Faldrim Anvilmar | Mind Blast and Anvilmar's Curse | Clear nearby spirits, interrupt Mind Blast and remove the curse if possible |
| 2 | Magmatus | Fire Nova, Combust and Dark Iron Summoner | Kill the Summoner first and keep the boss away from the rest of the group |
| 3 | Plunder | Knock Away | Fight in a cleared area or pull the boss back so knockbacks cannot send players into trash |
| 4 | Durgen Dirgehammer | Fear, Rend and two Lesser Stone Golems | Clear the entire room, kill the golems and keep the tank stable through Rend |
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Faldrim Anvilmar Strategy
Faldrim Anvilmar is the first boss and patrols around Anvilmar's Rest. The fight itself is straightforward, but pulling him with nearby spirits still alive adds unnecessary pressure.
His Mind Blast can be interrupted. Anvilmar's Curse reduces the affected player's attack speed, so remove the curse when your group has access to a suitable dispel.
Clear a safe section of the room first, keep Faldrim on the tank and use interrupts rather than allowing free Shadow casts.
Faldrim Anvilmar Loot
- Ephemeral Choker — Neck
- Aetherwisp Bracers — Cloth Wrist
- Spiritwraith Drape — Back
Magmatus Strategy
Magmatus is the main Fire-damage encounter. The boss is accompanied by a Dark Iron Summoner, and that add should be your first target.
The tank should move Magmatus away from the group while DPS kills the Summoner. Fire Nova damages players near the boss, while Combust can place sustained Fire damage on a party member.
Do not let another nearby Summoner or Engineer join the fight. Dark Iron Summoners can add Fire Elementals, while Engineers contribute dangerous AoE damage.
Magmatus Loot
- Kindlegem Girdle — Mail Waist
- Flamefist Grips — Leather Hands
- Fang of Magmatus — Main-Hand Dagger
Plunder Strategy
Plunder is mechanically simple but can cause some of the worst wipes in Hall of Thanes. Its main ability, Knock Away, can launch players into untouched trash packs.
Clear the patrol route before pulling. An even safer method is to bring Plunder back toward a previously cleared room and fight with your back toward a wall or safe corner.
The fight is not a DPS check. Good positioning is the entire encounter.
Plunder Loot
- Golemheart Stave — Two-Hand Staff
- Golemguard Chest — Mail Chest
- Treads of the Protector Golem — Mail Feet
Durgen Dirgehammer Strategy
Durgen Dirgehammer is the final boss in the Reliquary of Kings. He fights with two Lesser Stone Golems and uses both Fear and Rend.
Before pulling Durgen, kill the Dark Iron enemies around the outside of the room. Fear is manageable in an empty room; it becomes dangerous when feared players run directly into another pack.
- Clear the surrounding Dark Iron enemies.
- Pull Durgen and his two Lesser Stone Golems.
- Kill the golems first unless your group is significantly overgeared.
- Keep the tank healed through Rend.
- Recover positioning quickly after Fear.
After the fight, do not immediately leave the room. The surrounding vaults contain important quest objectives, including The Treaty of Understanding tablet and Dwarven Heirlooms.
Durgen Dirgehammer Loot
- Durgen's Crescent Axe — Main-Hand Axe
- Direhammer Leggings — Leather Legs
- Robes of the Disgraced Thane — Cloth Chest
Hall of Thanes Loot Table
Each of the four bosses currently has three Rare dungeon drops, giving Hall of Thanes a 12-item boss loot pool.
| Boss | Item | Type | Best Fit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Faldrim Anvilmar | Ephemeral Choker | Neck | General leveling / caster utility |
| Faldrim Anvilmar | Aetherwisp Bracers | Cloth Wrist | Caster / healer |
| Faldrim Anvilmar | Spiritwraith Drape | Back | Physical leveling |
| Magmatus | Kindlegem Girdle | Mail Waist | Warrior / Paladin |
| Magmatus | Flamefist Grips | Leather Hands | Rogue / Hunter / Feral |
| Magmatus | Fang of Magmatus | Dagger | Caster weapon setups |
| Plunder | Golemheart Stave | Two-Hand Staff | Caster / healer |
| Plunder | Golemguard Chest | Mail Chest | Warrior / Paladin |
| Plunder | Treads of the Protector Golem | Mail Feet | Warrior / Paladin |
| Durgen Dirgehammer | Durgen's Crescent Axe | Main-Hand Axe | Physical melee |
| Durgen Dirgehammer | Direhammer Leggings | Leather Legs | Agility users |
| Durgen Dirgehammer | Robes of the Disgraced Thane | Cloth Chest | Caster / healer |
Do not treat this as a permanent level-60 BiS list. Hall of Thanes is an early leveling dungeon, so the practical value of a drop depends heavily on the weapon or quest reward you already have when you enter.
Hall of Thanes Quests
Five quests are currently documented for Hall of Thanes. The most important preparation mistake is entering before completing the Dun Morogh chain for Old Ironforge Incursion.
| Quest | Faction | Objective | Start |
|---|---|---|---|
| Important Heirlooms | Both | Collect 8 Dwarven Heirlooms | Thom Filch near the entrance |
| The Restless Dead | Alliance | Kill Enraged Apparitions and Tormented Souls and deal with Anvilmar's spirit | Afadra Dunwall near Old Ironforge |
| An Ancient Grudge | Both | Defeat Faldrim Anvilmar | Ghostly Attendant inside the dungeon |
| Old Ironforge Incursion | Alliance | Defeat Durgen Dirgehammer and recover his head | Earthseer Farsen chain in Dun Morogh |
| The Treaty of Understanding | Alliance | Recover the treaty tablet from a vault | Reliquary of Kings after reaching the final room |
Old Ironforge Incursion Quest Chain
Old Ironforge Incursion is the quest most likely to be missed before your first run. Its preparation begins outside Ironforge.
- Progress through the relevant Dun Morogh quest chain.
- Kill Dark Iron enemies around the Ironband's Compound / quarry progression area.
- Loot the Dark Iron Map.
- Use the map to start Underground Map.
- Bring it to Earthseer Farsen.
- Accept Old Ironforge Incursion.
- Kill Durgen Dirgehammer inside Hall of Thanes.
- Loot Durgen Dirgehammer's Head and return through the quest chain.
The reward choices include the Calibrated Blunderbuss, Ironforge Greathammer and Deepblaze.
Important Heirlooms and the Final Vaults
Important Heirlooms requires eight Dwarven Heirlooms. You begin finding them after the early part of the dungeon, and the vaults in the Reliquary of Kings provide additional opportunities to finish the objective.
Its rewards are Dwarven Tome and Tomb Robber's Gloves.
Before leaving the final room, check all three of these:
- 8 Dwarven Heirlooms completed;
- Durgen Dirgehammer's Head looted if you have Old Ironforge Incursion;
- The Treaty of Understanding tablet collected from the vault.
Best Hall of Thanes Loot by Role
Physical melee: look at Durgen's Crescent Axe, Flamefist Grips, Direhammer Leggings and the Strength-oriented mail pieces.
Caster DPS: Aetherwisp Bracers, Fang of Magmatus, Golemheart Stave and Robes of the Disgraced Thane are the most relevant targets.
Healers: prioritize Intellect, Spirit and useful spell-effect upgrades from Faldrim, Plunder and Durgen.
Tanks: the mail drops from Magmatus and Plunder are natural early defensive upgrades, depending on your class and current gear.
Hall of Thanes Trash You Should Not Ignore
- Dark Iron Summoners: high-priority targets; interrupt and crowd control them before they add Fire pressure or extra summons.
- Dark Iron Engineers: dangerous AoE enemies and strong crowd-control targets.
- Restless spirits: several contribute directly to The Restless Dead quest.
- Patrols: clear them before Plunder and Durgen so knockback and Fear cannot chain-pull another pack.
Recommended Group and Preparation
The standard setup is one tank, one healer and three DPS. Warrior, Paladin and Bear Druid can tank; Priest, Paladin, Shaman and Druid can heal.
You do not need an optimized composition. At this level, clean pulls are much more valuable than a theoretical DPS advantage.
- Bring current spell ranks.
- Repair before entering.
- Healers and Mana users should bring drinks.
- Use crowd control on dangerous Dark Iron packs.
- Bring curse removal if your group has access to it.
- Leave bag space for quest items and boss drops.
Is Hall of Thanes Worth Running?
Yes, especially for the first quest-complete run. The dungeon combines five quest objectives with four bosses and multiple Rare early-level items.
Repeated clears are most useful when you are still inside the level range and are targeting a specific weapon or armor upgrade. If you already completed every quest and have moved beyond the dungeon's gear, normal questing may become more efficient.
Hall of Thanes Carry
If you want to complete Hall of Thanes for quests, boss kills or specific dungeon drops without assembling your own group, see our WoW Forever Dungeon Carry.
For more instances and their level ranges, use our WoW Forever dungeon overview.
