Now, as you might recall from my initial introduction, I never really raided during official, retail Vanilla World of Warcraft. I did Onyxia once, as well as UBRS/LBRS (which might be considered raids, since they were 10-man when I did them), but that's about all I actually did. As such, my main instanced content from Level 1 until TBC was dungeons.
And man, I did a lot of them. Since my leveling experience took nearly a full year, and I was still a noob upon capping anyway, I spent a lot of time in dungeons. I've forgotten a lot about my experiences then, but looking back now, I still remember these five, for some reason or another, far more than the rest.
So without further ado, here are my top 5 Classic WoW dungeons:
#5 - Zul'Farrak (ZF)
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| Zul'Farrak |
So back when I was first leveling my priest, Silvite, I hit a wall around level 45-52. I'd gone to Tanaris and eventually got a quest for this dungeon. Over the next few weeks of my time in this bracket, I must have run this dungeon at least 10 times. And many more since then.
Zul'Farrak is the quintessential dungeon for the late 40s in Classic WOW. There are tons of mobs which allow for great amounts of grinding experience, a bunch of quests (including the one that awards the "Carrot on a Stick" trinket), and, lots of great loot to be had within. Plus, it's got one of the most interesting boss fights in any vanilla dungeon in my opinion, the altar encounter where you release the prisoners, then fight hordes of trolls as they run up the stairs. Sure, it can be a bit time consuming if you clear everything along the way, but it's still a wonderful dungeon that has given me tons of memories and fun over the years.
#4 - Upper Blackrock Spire (UBRS)
Now I know this can technically be considered a raid, but if you asked anyone back in the day, they would've said it's a 10-man dungeon. You could also argue that LBRS and UBRS are the same dungeon, Blackrock Spire, which is true, but for me, UBRS will always be its own dungeon.
When I first hit level cap back in the day, this was one of the first dungeons I did with my friend, Leika. And though I'd done Stratholme and Scholomance by that point, this was where I really started to get a taste of the epicness of endgame content. Running around the dragon-infested halls with 9 other players, getting destroyed by whelps in the Rookery, and eventually (after many deaths) getting to the top just before the final boss and getting knocked off the bridge to my doom were some of the best memories I have of vanilla as a whole. Plus, as any World of Warcraft player knows, this is where the infamous Leeroy Jenkins video is set:
I ran this dungeon so many times back in the day, for my chest piece and every time, I learned something new about myself as a priest, as a player, and as part of a team. And I loved every run we did. For that reason, it's my number 4.
#3 - Scarlet Monastery (SM)
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| Scarlet Monastery |
Scarlet Monastery - THE dungeon for players in the 30-40 level range. With four wings, tons of bosses, and some of the best loot and quests until this point, you'd be hard-pressed to find a better place to go when you're sick of getting ganked in Stranglethorn Vale.
First off, the Graveyard. Now, this wing was super short and quick from what I can remember. And though there weren't really any quests for Alliance as far as I recall, it was still fun to do because you could start doing it from level 29 or so. The super-memorable boss Interrogator Vishas was in here as well, and his shouting about ripping the secrets from my flesh still ring in my mind whenever I think of this dungeon.
Across the hallway was the Library. Now, admittedly, I hardly ever did this level 33-34ish wing of the dungeon, but it was still necessary as it was how you got the Scarlet Key (the item that unlocked the Armory and Cathedral wings). There were some quests here if I remember correctly, but it was definitely less memorable for me than the other two wings.
The Armory, next to the Library wing, was definitely a big step up in difficulty and really started to show some difficulty for weaker groups. Tight packs of mobs, patrols, and some great and memorable experiences were had here. Plus, on my warrior and eventually on my paladin, this is where I got Herod's Shoulder, the last mail armor I'd get before level 40. Super fun and super memorable.
The Cathedral was my favorite though, as it just had some of the most epic pulls, and wipes, of any dungeon that I have ever experienced even to this day. It really felt like a big step up from the other three and added a level of progression even to this single multi-winged dungeon. The trash was TOUGH, with so many random patrols walking up and aggroing onto anyone that was stood slightly apart from the group. After getting up the stairs by the fountain and reaching the door, you had to clear EVERYTHING in the cathedral itself before pulling the boss, Scarlet Commander Mograine, otherwise mobs would run out from all of the rooms and the hallways and wipe the floor with you. Plus, after defeating Mograine and damaging High Inquisitor Whitemane enough, you had the epic moment when she would stun the whole party and resurrect him, making you fight both at once. Combine that with the hidden undead boss, High Inquisitor Fairbanks, behind the wall in a back room of the Cathedral, and you've got one engaging and fulfilling dungeon.
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| SM Cathedral |
#2 - The Deadmines (VC)
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| The Deadmines |
Ok, as a WoW player that started the game with a human priest, The Deadmines HAS to be on this list. It was my first dungeon and, as such, it holds tons of memories and nostalgia. Back in vanilla, you had to do a long and epic quest chain in Westfall to discover the mysteries of the Defias Brotherhood, eventually exposing Edwin VanCleef as the mastermind behind the organization. There was great lore behind the dungeon, and as such, you felt really invested when you went in.
Even getting to the dungeon felt like an adventure. As I described in my Memories of Vanilla series, it was easy to get lost in the caves underneath Moonbrook as a new player. There were tons of elite mobs and an entire undead section outside the dungeon to complete, so you really needed to have a group invested in completing everything if you wanted to get it all done.
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| Edwin VanCleef |
With interesting fights, tight packs of mobs, patrols, and the epic reveal of the ship at the end that you had to fight your way to the top of, The Deadmines has definitely earned its place in my top 5 Classic WoW dungeons.
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Honorable Mentions
Stratholme (STRATH) |
| Stratholme (UD) |
A wonderful dungeon with two different paths - Live/Scarlet or Undead (UD), I did Stratholme many, many times back in the day. I remember that 45 minute Baron runs were all the rage, and SUPER tough to complete back then, which might seem absurd to a player of modern WoW. It was a dungeon that really taught me about mana management and careful pulling.
I'm sure a lot of WC3 players hold this dungeon near to their hearts, along with WotLK's The Culling of Stratholme. However, since I didn't play WC3 before doing this dungeon, it's just not quite as significant to me. Still a great dungeon with great bosses and awesome loot though.
Wailing Caverns (WC)
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| Wailing Caverns |
As an Alliance player for most of classic, I never really had a reason to go to Wailing Caverns. However, I did go when eventually leveling a tauren druid towards the very end and this place blew me away. What VC is for Alliance, WC is for the Horde - a sprawling underground labyrinth with twisting passages, tons of bosses, and, of course, the single-greatest obstacle in vanilla - that one jump that everyone missed once. If you did WC back in the day, you know what I'm talking about.
Wailing Caverns is definitely not my favorite dungeon by any means, but it still deserves to be mentioned for what it was. And I'm glad that I'll get to experience it as it was again come next summer.
Mauradon (MARA)
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| Mauradon |
Alright, so Mauradon is one of those dungeons that I have a love-hate relationship with. I love the huge, sprawling labyrinth that it is, with tons of bosses and good loot for the mid-40 range. However, I absolutely hated it for the same reasons: it never ends! Still, it deserves a spot on this list purely because of my memory of getting lost in it back when I did it for the first time on my friend's account. He actually came home from work early and started kicking me off the server until I called and begged for him to let me finish the dungeon.
It's also the dungeon that was used in one of my favorite WoW music videos of all time, "She's Too Fat For Me," which always reminds me of my adventures trying to finish this beast of a dungeon.
Yeah, my reasons are a bit personal and don't really reflect the dungeon itself, but it's because of these memories and experiences that I thought it deserved at least a mention.
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Dishonorable Mentions
Gnomeregan (GNOMER) |
| Gnomeregan |
Long, confusing, crap quests, and overall just a horrible experience. I think I was able to finish it once or twice back in the day. The mobs are all too closely packed and it was possible to aggro the entirety of a wing at once by standing too close to the ledge going down to the final boss. Horrendous design.
It's one of the only places that I was happy to see redesigned and tuned as the game progressed over the years. Seriously, screw original Gnomeregan.
The Temple of Atal'Hakkar/Sunken Temple (ST)
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| Sunken Temple |
Long, confusing, circular, and possibly the most convoluted dungeon experience in all of vanilla. Only a few quests led here AND is located in the Swamp of Sorrows, so it was a pain to get to as Alliance. Really though, the multiple floored circular design and the puzzles that needed to be completed in order to finish this dungeon just made it a headache and a half to complete.
Screw this place too.
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#1 - Scholomance (SCHOLO)
Scholomance
If I had to choose one word to describe Scholomance as a Classic WoW dungeon, it would be this:
Perfect!
First and foremost, this dungeon is the conclusion of series of quests in the Western Plaguelands that sees you fight off tons of undead and uncover the true nature of this school of necromancy. Eventually, the quest chain rewards you with the Skeleton Key, allowing you to open the door to the dungeon and go face the monsters within. Lore-wise, it's amazing. It is pretty close to a flight point as well, being only a short run away from Chillwind Camp, so it's easily accessible for Alliance players (the Horde have a bit longer run from the Bulwark).
The dungeon itself is EPIC! Upon entering, you are greeted with two skeleton guards in front of a gate to be opened. After defeating them and entering the school proper, you get a view of the sheer number of mobs in this dungeon from the top of a staircase. I remember the first time going in here and thinking to myself..."Whoa. That's a lot of trash!" Well, before getting smacked around by the patrol that walked up and down the stairs there, that is.
Anyway, the trash is fun in its own right, with lots of cc opportunities (especially for priests with Shackle Undead), tight packs, and more than a few patrols spread throughout. On top of that, there are over 10 bosses in this place - 13 in total if you don't count the additional bosses for events and quest chains, and up to 17 if you include all bosses, mini-bosses, and event bosses. So in basically every room, you can expect to find a boss. Many of them are optional, however, such as Jandice Barov in the basement, but all of them had some bit of loot that a party member might need.
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| The Bosses of Scholomance |
That's really one of the biggest reasons I loved classic Scholomance back in the day - the team effort it fostered. I noticed that as I got groups and ran with people, we all had different reasons for going to Scholo. One person might need Jandice for their Tier 0 piece, another might need the Paladin epic mount quest in Rattlegore's room, while another might just be there to finish up the questline. We'd all have to stick together though, as there was only one dungeon with all these paths. It wasn't a place that you could split into wings, like Live and Undead Stratholme or UBRS/LBRS. It was one place - Scholomance.
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| Darkmaster Gandling |
Back in the summer of 2006, I ran this dungeon on a nearly daily basis and I never got sick of it. Eventually, I didn't need anything from it at all, but I still grouped with random PUGs just to do it, since I wasn't a raider and had lots of free time anyway. It was such a fun and engaging dungeon that I never got bored of it. Not even once.
The bosses, the atmosphere, the loot, and the teamwork - they all made Scholomance the amazing dungeon that it was. And while the other dungeons in this list were really hard to place, there was never any doubt in my mind as to what number 1 would be. Scholomance is, in my opinion, the best Classic World of Warcraft dungeon. And I can't wait to run it again when WoW Classic launches next summer!
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Thanks for reading this somewhat different post. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. If you did, let me know by posting a comment down below. Follow me on Facebook and Twitter and subscribe to my YouTube channel for videos with similar content! I look forward to seeing you there! Until next time guys, take it easy!
I gotta give #1 to blackrock depths. I definitely agree with the dishonourable mentions though, I hated gnomer...
ReplyDeleteYeah BRD is pretty good, but back in the day I never really made too many memories with it like I did with the others. Also, it's long as hell and can be confusing, but not nearly as bad as Gnomer or ST.
DeleteMaybe I'll add it in a new updated list after classic is out and I make new memories with it ;)