The Drowned City is off the west coast of Stranglethorn Vale in World of Warcraft: Forever, west of Grom’gol Base Camp. Swim out past the Vile Reef and dive to an underwater cavern, the Sunken Hollow, around 21, 28 on the Stranglethorn Vale map, where the portal is; it is one of Forever’s nine new dungeons, for levels 35 to 40.
The entrance is easy to swim straight past, because nothing marks it above the waves. Below we cover the route for each faction, the dive itself, what is inside, the fixes Blizzard has made since launch, and the quests to pick up before you go. Facts are checked against Blizzard’s new dungeons overview and its hotfixes through November 9.
What the Drowned City Is
Blizzard’s overview describes ancient troll ruins, once lost beneath the waves, that “have risen from the ocean.” Trolls and naga now roam the city, and a pirate ship nearby has been wrecked. Its official location is “off the coast of Stranglethorn Vale, west of Grom’gol,” and its instruction for getting in is just as short: “Dive below the water to find the entrance.”
| Detail | The Drowned City |
|---|---|
| Where | Off the west coast of Stranglethorn Vale, west of Grom’gol |
| Entrance | Underwater, in the Sunken Hollow cavern past the Vile Reef |
| Level range | 35 to 40 (Blizzard’s list) |
| Group size | Five players |
| Faction | Either; both factions have quests for it |
Some sites print a wider range, such as 35 to 42. Blizzard’s own list gives 35 to 40, and that is the range we use; our dungeon level ranges guide shows where it sits among the rest, alongside Scarlet Monastery and Razorfen Downs.
How to Get to the Drowned City, Step by Step
- Get to northern Stranglethorn Vale. Horde characters take the zeppelin to Grom’gol from the towers outside Orgrimmar’s main gate; our guide to how flight paths work covers the routes. Alliance characters have no flight point near the entrance, so fly to Booty Bay at the southern tip and ride north along the coast, or come down from Duskwood and head for the western shore.
- Go to the coast west of Grom’gol. The camp sits on the zone’s west side, so the shore is a short ride away. Alliance characters should give Grom’gol’s guards a wide berth.
- Swim west past the Vile Reef, the sunken reef just off the coast, and keep going.
- Dive at the Sunken Hollow, around 21, 28. The cavern is deep, and a large stone tablet stands beside the portal.
- Watch your breath bar. It starts draining on the way down, and slow swimmers can run short. Any Water Breathing effect makes the trip stress-free: a Shaman’s Water Breathing, a Warlock’s Unending Breath, or an Elixir of Water Breathing from an alchemist.
- Swim into the portal. Blizzard’s November 6 hotfix fixed a bug that stopped the portal from teleporting players inside, so if you tried on launch day and bounced off, it works now.
Once you are through, the swimming is behind you for the most part: the troll ruins inside have risen above the waves, as Blizzard’s description says.
The Bosses and Blizzard’s Fixes
The bosses we can confirm are Zul’Alai, Var’Taka, Captain Dreadrise and the Deathless Marrow encounter, with more beyond them. Blizzard has already tuned this dungeon twice since launch:
| Date | Hotfix |
|---|---|
| November 6 | Fixed creatures inside The Drowned City (and Blackmaw Hold) disengaging when they should not |
| November 6 | The instance portal now correctly teleports you inside |
| November 9 | Fixed creatures doing about 30% more damage than intended |
| November 9 | Deathless Marrow: creature health lowered by 25% |
| November 9 | Deathless Sorcerer’s Fireball damage lowered by 25% |
| November 9 | Deathless Watcher’s Charge damage lowered by 50% |
| November 9 | Deathless Guardian casts Shield Slam about 50% less often |
The November 9 fixes come from Blizzard’s hotfix list. If your group wiped here in launch week, it was harder than Blizzard intended, and it is easier now.
Quests to Pick Up First
Both factions have quests for the Drowned City, so do not walk in empty-handed:
- Horde: The Drowned City, The Only Good Brinescale… and Ancient Gurubashi Idol.
- Alliance: Take Two With Water and Magics of the Drowned City.
Collect them before your first run rather than after it, since a quest picked up later means a second trip down. A quest helper makes this much easier; our guide to using Questie shows how to make it mark quest givers on your map.
Is It Worth Running?
At 35 to 40, it is the new dungeon for the stretch where you are questing in Stranglethorn Vale, Arathi Highlands and Desolace, so it fits naturally into a trip to Stranglethorn. Three reasons to go:
- Better experience than at launch. Blizzard raised kill experience in every dungeon by 50% on November 8, as our dungeon XP hotfix story explains.
- A Legacy Point. Beating the final boss of every dungeon in the 26 to 45 bracket pays a Legacy Point, and the Drowned City is in it; our guide to getting Legacy Points lists the rest.
- Profession drops. Waylaid Crates and Craftsman’s Writs now drop inside dungeons too, after a November 9 bug fix.
There is no automatic Dungeon Finder, so form the group before you dive; our guide to whether there is a dungeon finder shows how to list one. Bring a tank and a healer (our best tank and best healer guides compare them), and if you are still choosing a damage dealer, our best DPS class guide has our picks. Every other guide is on our World of Warcraft hub.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is the Drowned City in WoW Forever? Underwater off the west coast of Stranglethorn Vale, west of Grom’gol. Swim past the Vile Reef and dive to the Sunken Hollow, around 21, 28.
What level is the Drowned City? 35 to 40, according to Blizzard’s list of the new dungeons.
How do Alliance players get to the Drowned City? Fly to Booty Bay and ride north along the coast, or come down from Duskwood, then swim out past the Vile Reef.
Do you need water breathing for the Drowned City? No, but the dive is deep. A Water Breathing spell or elixir saves you from running out of breath on the way down.
Why couldn’t I enter the Drowned City? A bug stopped the portal from teleporting players inside until Blizzard’s November 6 hotfix. It works now.
Was the Drowned City nerfed? Yes. On November 9 Blizzard fixed its creatures doing about 30% more damage than intended and lowered the Deathless Marrow encounter’s health and damage.