Wailing Caverns is in the Barrens in World of Warcraft: Forever, southwest of the Crossroads at the Lushwater Oasis. The entrance is a cave mouth in the hills above the oasis, and the instance portal is deeper inside, beside a pool in a large cavern patrolled by elite monsters. It is a five-player dungeon for levels 15 to 24.
Below we cover the route from Orgrimmar and from Alliance territory, how to find the portal once you are inside the cave, the seven quests and who gives them, the bosses, and the escort that ends the run. Everything is checked against Blizzard’s WoW Forever posts and development notes as of November 7, three days after launch.
Where Wailing Caverns Is
The Barrens keep their original layout in WoW Forever, and so does Wailing Caverns. Look for the Lushwater Oasis, a green pool with trees in the dry grassland southwest of the Crossroads, and the rocky hills that rise behind it. The dungeon is a network of caves under those hills.
Finding the portal is the part that trips people up:
- Find the large cave mouth in the hillside above the oasis.
- Walk in and follow the tunnel down. It opens into a big cavern with a pool.
- Look for the instance portal by the pool. The outer cave is not part of the instance, and elite monsters patrol it, so a low-level character on their own should not go far in.
Two quest givers, Nalpak and Ebru, are on the hill above the main entrance rather than inside it. Talk to them before you go down.
How to Get There
Horde, from Orgrimmar:
- Leave Orgrimmar by the main gate and follow the road south to Razor Hill.
- Turn west across the bridge into the Barrens and ride to the Crossroads. Learn the flight path there.
- Take the road south out of the Crossroads toward Camp Taurajo, and turn off to the west for the oasis.
That road is the same one our guide to getting to Thunder Bluff follows, so Tauren coming from Mulgore can use it in reverse from Camp Taurajo. On later trips, fly to the Crossroads and ride the last stretch.
Alliance: the Barrens are Horde country. The neutral boat between Booty Bay in Stranglethorn Vale and Ratchet on the Barrens coast is the usual way across; from Ratchet, ride west across the Barrens. The Crossroads is a Horde town with guards, so give it a wide berth, and on the PvP rulesets expect company; our ruleset guide explains what each ruleset means for world PvP.
Level Range
Wailing Caverns runs from 15 to 24, and its monsters are a step up from Ragefire Chasm’s. A group in the high teens has an easier time with the elites in the outer cave and the bosses inside. If you have just finished Ragefire Chasm, level a few times in the Barrens first.
Wailing Caverns Quests
| Quest | Who gives it | Where | Faction |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deviate Hides | Nalpak | Hill above the cave entrance | Both |
| Deviate Eradication | Ebru | Hill above the cave entrance | Both |
| Trouble at the Docks | Crane Operator Bigglefuzz | Ratchet, the Barrens | Both |
| Smart Drinks | Mebok Mizzyrix | Ratchet, the Barrens | Both |
| Serpentbloom | Apothecary Zamah | Pools of Vision, Thunder Bluff | Horde |
| Leaders of the Fang | Nara Wildmane | Elder Rise, Thunder Bluff | Horde |
| The Glowing Shard | Drops from the final boss | Inside the dungeon | Both |
Notes worth knowing before you go in:
- Smart Drinks has a prerequisite. Mebok Mizzyrix gives an earlier quest, Raptor Horns, first.
- Leaders of the Fang comes from a chain that starts with Tonga Runetotem at the Crossroads and his quest The Forgotten Pools, before Nara Wildmane in Thunder Bluff sends you after the leaders inside.
- Watch for snakes. Blizzard’s beta notes mention Serpentbloom Snakes in Wailing Caverns and made them despawn after a couple of minutes, so they will not hang around for long.
- The Glowing Shard starts from an item the last boss drops, so you cannot pick it up in advance.
Alliance characters can still take the four neutral quests from Nalpak, Ebru and the goblins in Ratchet.
The Bosses
Wailing Caverns has more bosses than most early dungeons: Lady Anacondra, Kresh, Lord Cobrahn, Lord Pythas, Skum, Lord Serpentis and Verdan the Everliving, plus a rare Deviate Faerie Dragon that does not always appear. Four of them are the Druids of the Fang that Leaders of the Fang sends you to kill (Anacondra, Cobrahn, Pythas and Serpentis), so bring them down before you head for the end.
The escort at the end. The Disciple of Naralex waits near the entrance of the instance. Once the Druids of the Fang are dead, talk to him and he walks to Naralex and starts a ritual to wake him. Waves of monsters attack during it, and the ritual ends with Mutanus the Devourer, the final boss. Clear the rest of the dungeon first and do the escort last, so nothing else joins the fight.
How to Get a Group
WoW Forever has no automatic Dungeon Finder, so everyone travels to the cave. Our guide to whether there is a Dungeon Finder shows how the Group Finder listings work. Gather at the Crossroads or at the oasis before you go in, because the outer cave’s elites can catch a lone player.
Tanks and healers are always in demand; our best tank class and best healer class guides cover who can fill those roles at this level. Every WoW Forever guide we have is on our World of Warcraft hub.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Wailing Caverns in WoW Forever? In the Barrens, southwest of the Crossroads, in the hills above the Lushwater Oasis.
Where is the Wailing Caverns instance portal? Inside the cave, by the pool in the large cavern at the bottom of the entrance tunnel. The outer cave is not part of the instance.
What level is Wailing Caverns? Levels 15 to 24. A group in its high teens has an easier time.
Can Alliance players do Wailing Caverns? Yes. Take the neutral boat from Booty Bay to Ratchet and ride west. Four of its quests are open to both factions.
Where do I get the Wailing Caverns quests? From Nalpak and Ebru on the hill above the entrance, two goblins in Ratchet, and Apothecary Zamah and Nara Wildmane in Thunder Bluff.