Dungeons are group content in World of Warcraft, made for 5 players. They offer some of the best gear, lots of XP, and fun boss fights. You can start running them around level 10 and continue through level 60.
WoW Classic Dungeons are also a key part of the leveling experience. They offer better gear, group gameplay, and a fun change of pace from solo questing. Many max-level players in WoW carry their friends through the starting instances to show them the game and speed up the leveling process. Each dungeon has its own level range and theme, from early-game caves to end-game strongholds.
Whether you’re looking to gear up, earn XP, or just explore iconic 5-player instances with friends, knowing the right level for each dungeon helps you make the most of your run.
This guide breaks down every WoW Classic dungeon by the minimum and recommended level so you can plan your adventures more easily. Below, you will also find a brief overview of each Vanilla dungeon, including the items that are worth farming.
Why Run Dungeons in Classic WoW?
Great XP: You level faster with a good group.
Better Loot: Blue gear from bosses is often better than quest rewards.
Group Practice: Learn your class role in a party (tank, healer, DPS).
Dungeon Quests: Many give you rare gear, WoW Classic gold, and various useful items.
WoW Classic Dungeons by level
Dungeon Name
Level Range
Faction
Location
Ragefire Chasm
13–18
Horde
Orgrimmar
Wailing Caverns
15–25
Horde
Northern Barrens
The Deadmines
18–23
Alliance
Westfall
Shadowfang Keep
22–30
Neutral
Silverpine Forest
The Stockade
22–30
Alliance
Stormwind
Blackfathom Deeps
24–32
Neutral
Ashenvale
Gnomeregan
29–38
Neutral
Dun Morogh
Razorfen Kraul
30–40
Neutral
Southern Barrens
Scarlet Monastery
26–45
Neutral
Tirisfal Glades
Razorfen Downs
40–50
Neutral
Southern Barrens
Uldaman
42–52
Neutral
Badlands
Zul’Farrak
44–54
Neutral
Tanaris
Maraudon
46–55
Neutral
Desolace
Temple of Atal’Hakkar
50–60
Neutral
Swamp of Sorrows
Blackrock Depths
52–60
Neutral
Searing Gorge
Lower Blackrock Spire
55–60
Neutral
Blackrock Mountain
Upper Blackrock Spire
55–60
Neutral
Blackrock Mountain
Dire Maul
55–60
Neutral
Feralas
Scholomance
58–60
Neutral
Western Plaguelands
Stratholme
58–60
Neutral
Eastern Plaguelands
Leveling in WoW Classic Dungeons: Tips and Comps
If you prefer dungeons over quests, you can grind them to level up.
Tips for Running Classic Dungeons:
Bring a balanced team: 1 tank, 1 healer, 3 DPS.
Grab quests before you go: Many give rare items.
Clear trash mobs: Don’t skip too much or you’ll fall behind in XP.
Use CC (crowd control): Mages, hunters, and rogues can make pulls safer.
There are two popular group styles for leveling in WoW Classic dungeons:
Ragefire Chasm is a low-level dungeon for Horde players, located inside Orgrimmar. It’s designed for levels 13–18 and is a great introduction to group play.
Lore
Hidden beneath Orgrimmar, Ragefire Chasm is overrun by corrupted troggs and cultists from the Shadow Council. Thrall hopes these enemies will reveal deeper threats lurking within the Horde’s capital.
Wailing Caverns is a level 15–25 dungeon found in The Barrens. It’s the first non-linear dungeon in WoW Classic and a key place for early agility-based gear.
Lore:
A night elf druid named Naralex tried to heal the Barrens using the power of the Emerald Dream. But his ritual backfired, twisting the creatures inside the cave. Now, the Wailing Caverns are filled with hostile beasts and corrupted druids, and Naralex is trapped within his own nightmare.
The Deadmines (18-23): Location, Bosses, Loot Table
Dungeon:
The Deadmines
Entrance Location (Map):
Loading Screen:
Brief Overview:
The Deadmines is a level 18–23 Alliance dungeon located in Westfall. It’s one of the first group dungeons for new players and offers solid early gear.
Lore:
Once the largest gold mine in Stormwind, the Deadmines were abandoned during the First War. Years later, the Defias Brotherhood turned the caverns into a hideout, led by Edwin VanCleef, who secretly built a massive warship beneath the mines. Alliance heroes are sent in to stop them.
Shadowfang Keep is a level 22–30 dungeon in Silverpine Forest. It’s mostly run by Horde players due to nearby quest access. Alliance can run it, but travel is harder.
Lore:
After losing many wizards to the Scourge, Archmage Arugal summoned worgen to fight back. The creatures turned on their summoners and took over the keep of Baron Silverlaine. Arugal, driven mad, adopted the worgen as his children and now hides in Shadowfang Keep.
The Stockade (22–30): Location, Bosses, Loot Table
Dungeon:
The Stockade
Entrance Location (Map):
Loading Screen:
Brief Overview:
The Stockade is a level 22–30 dungeon located in Stormwind City. It’s designed for Alliance players and features quick runs, mostly full of humanoid enemies.
Lore:
Stormwind’s prison has fallen into chaos after a major revolt. Dangerous criminals now control the halls. Warden Thelwater calls on adventurers to stop the uprising, with Bazil Thredd as the main target.
Blackfathom Deeps (BFD) is a level 24–32 dungeon found in Ashenvale. It’s full of underwater tunnels, naga, cultists, and ends with a battle against the hydra Aku’mai.
Lore:
Once a temple to Elune, the ruins now lie beneath the sea. Naga, satyrs, and Twilight’s Hammer cultists seek its power. At the heart of the chaos is Aku’mai, a beast linked to the Old Gods.
Gnomeregan is a level 29–38 dungeon located in Dun Morogh. Once the capital of the gnomes, it’s now overrun by mutant troggs and malfunctioning machines. Both Alliance and Horde players can enter, with Horde using a teleport system unlocked through a quest.
Lore:
The gnome city was lost when troggs invaded. In a desperate move, High Tinker Mekkatorque flooded the city with radiation, hoping to kill the troggs. It failed. Now overrun, the city’s fallen into chaos. Mekgineer Thermaplugg, a former advisor turned traitor, rules inside and must be stopped.
Razorfen Kraul is a level 30–40 dungeon in The Barrens. It’s home to the hostile quilboar tribes. Alliance and Horde players can both access it. Expect twisting tunnels, tribal magic, and dangerous rare spawns.
Lore:
Long ago, the demigod Agamaggan died fighting the Burning Legion. From his spilled blood, thorny vines grew. The quilboar settled here, seeing it as sacred. Now ruled by Charlga Razorflank, they’re rumored to serve the Scourge.
Scarlet Monastery is a 5-player dungeon located in Tirisfal Glades. It’s split into four wings: Graveyard, Library, Armory, and Cathedral. Each wing has a level range and different bosses. It’s popular for its loot, short runs, and XP gains from level 26 to 45.
Lore:
Once a peaceful place of worship and learning, the monastery fell into fanaticism after the undead plague. Now home to the Scarlet Crusade, a group that sees all outsiders as threats, it’s guarded by powerful zealots who purge all they consider impure or infected.
Razorfen Downs (RFD) is a 5-player dungeon for level 40-50 characters, located in the southern Barrens. It’s a maze-like thorny lair filled with undead and quilboar. The final boss is Amnennar the Coldbringer.
Lore:
RFD was once the main capital of the quilboar, but it’s now overrun by the undead Scourge. A lich named Amnennar the Coldbringer has taken control, using the dungeon as a base to spread his dark influence through the Barrens.
Uldaman is a mid-level dungeon (35-45 recommended) located in the Badlands. It’s a long and winding titan vault full of troggs, dwarves, and stone guardians. It holds important lore about the dwarves’ origin.
Lore:
Uldaman is an ancient titan facility where the first creations of the Titans—troggs—were locked away. Inside are titan artifacts, such as the Discs of Norgannon, protected by Archaedas and other stone guardians.
Zul’Farrak is a level 44-54 dungeon in Tanaris. It’s a large outdoor-style troll city with open skies, dangerous mobs, and multiple optional bosses.
Lore:
Troll stories tell of a lost weapon, Sul’thraze the Lasher, once split in two and hidden here. Mercenaries and ancient powers, including Gahz’rilla, lurk inside.
Maraudon is a level 46-55 dungeon in Desolace. It has multiple wings—Purple (Shadowshard), Orange (Foulspore), and Inner Maraudon—each with unique bosses and loot.
Lore:
Maraudon is a sacred place to the centaur. It is the tomb of Zaetar, son of Cenarius. After birthing the centaur with Theradras, Zaetar was killed by his children. Theradras used his spirit to corrupt the caverns, now filled with angry spirits and earth elementals.
Temple of Atal’Hakkar (50–60): Location, Bosses, Loot Table
Dungeon:
Temple of Atal’Hakkar
Entrance Location (Map):
Loading Screen:
Brief Overview:
The Temple of Atal’Hakkar (Sunken Temple) is a level 50–60 dungeon located in the Swamp of Sorrows. It features trolls, dragonkin, undead, and corrupted priests who serve the blood god Hakkar.
Lore:
The Atal’ai priests, exiled from the Gurubashi Empire, built this temple to summon Hakkar the Soulflayer. Ysera shattered the temple, flooding it. Despite that, cultists and dragons still guard it.
Blackrock Depths (BRD) is one of the largest 5-man dungeons in WoW Classic. It’s the stronghold of the Dark Iron Dwarves, located deep inside Blackrock Mountain. Most groups split the dungeon into two runs: one to get the Shadowforge Key, and another to defeat Emperor Dagran Thaurissan.
Lore:
BRD was once the capital of the Dark Iron Dwarves, led by Emperor Dagran Thaurissan. It’s filled with fire, lava, and powerful enemies, and also holds the gateway to Molten Core. The dungeon is a key location for faction quests, attunements, and rare loot.
Lower Blackrock Spire (LBRS) is a high-level dungeon in Classic WoW for players level 55-60. It is located in Blackrock Mountain and can be entered by up to 10 players. Known for its pre-raid BiS loot, rare spawns, and complex layout.
Lore:
LBRS serves as the barracks for Rend Blackhand’s Dark Horde. It is controlled by orcs, trolls, ogres, and spiders. The dungeon’s design reflects internal power struggles and military organization, with Overlord Wyrmthalak ruling its depths.
Upper Blackrock Spire (UBRS) is a 10-player endgame dungeon in WoW Classic, meant for levels 55-60. It’s found at the top of Blackrock Mountain and requires a Seal of Ascension to enter.
Lore:
Once a Dark Iron stronghold, the spire was taken by Nefarian and his black dragonkin. It now serves as a key base for his war against the dwarves and the forces of Azeroth.
Dire Maul is a level 55-60 dungeon located in Feralas. It’s split into three wings: East, West, and North. Each wing has different themes, enemies, and rewards.
Lore:
Once the city of Eldre’Thalas, Dire Maul was built by Highborne mages to guard arcane secrets. After the Sundering, it fell into ruin and is now filled with ogres, satyrs, and ghosts.
Scholomance is a level 58-60 dungeon located on Caer Darrow island in the Western Plaguelands. It’s known for undead enemies and valuable pre-raid loot. Groups of 5 players are recommended.
Lore:
Once the estate of the Barov family, the crypts beneath Caer Darrow were given to Kel’Thuzad and turned into a school for necromancy. Scholomance is now a haven for Cult of the Damned followers, ruled by Ras Frostwhisper and Darkmaster Gandling.
Stratholme is a level 58-60 dungeon with two sides: Living and Undead. It features many rare spawns, Tier 0 gear, reputation rewards, and one of the rarest mounts in Classic.
Lore:
Once a proud city, Stratholme was purged by Prince Arthas. Now, it is a battleground between the undead Scourge, led by Kel’Thuzad, and the Scarlet Crusade under Grand Crusader Dathrohan.
WoW Classic dungeons are great for gearing up, leveling, and having fun with friends. Whether you run them once for quests or grind them for XP, they’re a key part of the WoW Classic experience.
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