Hall of Thanes

0:27 Hall of Thanes is a five-player dungeon for levels 13 to 18 in World of Warcraft: Forever, the lowest-level of its nine new dungeons, set in the tombs of Ironforge's kings directly beneath the city's throne room in Dun Morogh. Blizzard's Launch Dungeons video of Oct 14, 2026 calls it "the first dungeon available for Alliance characters", built like the Horde's Ragefire Chasm "to teach group play to new players and shake the rust off returning ones". Dark Iron dwarves have tunneled in to loot the tombs, the restless spirits they woke now stalk the vault alongside them, and defeating the first boss, Faldrim Anvilmar, opens the gates deeper in, toward the final vault. It has been playable in the beta since Sep 17, 2026, and opens to everyone at launch on Nov 4, 2026.

Quick facts

Setting and story

21:44 Blizzard introduced Hall of Thanes on the What's Next panel at BlizzCon on Sep 12, 2026. Lead Software Engineer Nora Mills described Ironforge's mighty halls running deep into the mountains of Dun Morogh and, beneath the city, the Hall of Thanes, "a final resting place for the dwarven monarchs of old", long tended and left undisturbed until someone broke in. She suspected the Dark Irons, invited Alliance players to "uproot these intruders", and warned that "ghostly whispers echo these corridors", recommending levels 13 to 18.

Blizzard's dungeon article of Oct 20, 2026 tells the same story: the burial halls have been broken into by suspected Dark Iron dwarves, and a group must drive the trespassers out and learn what has stirred in the ancient vaults, which are still haunted by ghostly sounds. The Launch Dungeons video adds what the thieves are after: the tombs of Ironforge's kings, and "whatever the Dark Iron Dwarves came here to find" in the final vault.

How it plays

The Launch Dungeons video presents Hall of Thanes as the place "where the fundamentals get tested". Patrols drift through the halls, so pull discipline matters; healers learn to manage mana across a full run rather than a single fight; and positioning decides "whether one pack becomes two". As in every Forever dungeon, threat and crowd control matter, because tanks hold threat on only three or four enemies at once (see Classes and Talents). Like the original dungeons, it has no map in the interface: Blizzard's encounter designers said on Oct 8 that maps make groups take "the shortest route possible", and they want players to explore.

The Horde and Hall of Thanes

20:38 Hall of Thanes is not Alliance-only, but the Alliance has the easy road in. Asked on the third WoW: Forever Podcast, on Oct 8, 2026, why the Horde had to find a way through Ironforge, Blizzard's encounter designers said the choice had been "a little bit spicy" inside the team. They decided it "makes sense that the Alliance have easy access to it and the Horde don't", and that the story in the world mattered more than faction parity: "not all content is for every race class combo".

22:27 The journey is part of the design. "Dungeons aren't just the experience inside. It's the journey to get to it," the designers said, which is why Forever has no summoning stones. Asked about a Horde entrance, they would only say "there may not be a Horde entrance" or "there may be one. You'll have to find out", and pointed to the Ragefire Chasm in Orgrimmar, which has never had an Alliance entrance. They described the excitement of seeing "a group of level 12 horde trying to make their way through Iron Forge" and making it.

In the beta

2:24 Hall of Thanes opened with the beta on Sep 17, 2026, with the Ruins of Lordaeron. On the first WoW: Forever Podcast, on Sep 24, Blizzard's Josh Greenfield said he had run the dungeons on an Alliance Druid, called Hall of Thanes "a banger" and said "So good".

3:13 Lead Classic Designer Tim Jones said on the same episode that he had taken a Human Warlock to level 20 in the beta, run Hall of Thanes and got his "spell damage dagger".

54:21 Later in the episode, on how Forever's gear now carries spell power, one of the developers said caster weapon upgrades "actually feel very impactful" and gave the example of the dagger "from the fire elemental boss in Hall of Thanes". Blizzard has not published the dungeon's loot list.

The experience it gives has been tuned since. Blizzard raised the experience from kills in dungeons by about 20% on Oct 8, 2026, and dungeon quests give the most experience the first time they are done (see Leveling Guide). Every unique dungeon boss item in Forever is rare (blue) quality, and uncommon and rare drops grant their appearance to every eligible looter for transmog.

Frequently asked questions

What level is Hall of Thanes in WoW Forever? Hall of Thanes is for levels 13 to 18, the lowest of World of Warcraft: Forever's nine new dungeons.

Where is Hall of Thanes? Hall of Thanes lies directly beneath the throne room of Ironforge in Dun Morogh. Alliance players reach it from inside the city.

Can the Horde do Hall of Thanes? Yes, but it is hard to reach: World of Warcraft: Forever lets the Horde in, but Horde players must travel through Alliance territory and Ironforge to get there. Blizzard has not said whether a Horde entrance exists.

Who is the first boss of Hall of Thanes? Faldrim Anvilmar, Blizzard's Launch Dungeons video of Oct 14, 2026 says. Defeating him opens the gates deeper into the hall.

What is the Horde version of Hall of Thanes? The Ruins of Lordaeron, for levels 15 to 20, in the ruined city above the Undercity in Tirisfal Glades. Blizzard also compares Hall of Thanes with the Horde's Ragefire Chasm as a first dungeon.

Is Hall of Thanes in the beta? Yes. Hall of Thanes has been in the World of Warcraft: Forever beta since it opened on Sep 17, 2026.

Sources

• Explore the New Dungeons of World of Warcraft: Forever, Blizzard Entertainment, Oct 20, 2026
• World of Warcraft: Forever What's Next Panel Recap, Blizzard Entertainment, September 2026
• WoW Forever Beta Development Notes - Updated October 8, Blizzard Entertainment (Kaivax), World of Warcraft forums, Sep 24 to Oct 8, 2026
• Launch Dungeons | World of Warcraft: Forever, World of Warcraft, Oct 14, 2026 (video)
• World of Warcraft: Forever - What's Next Panel | BlizzCon 2026, World of Warcraft, Sep 13, 2026 (video)
• Unpacking Beta Launch ft. @Xaryu | Episode 1 - The WoW: Forever Podcast, World of Warcraft, Sep 24, 2026 (video)
• Dive into Dungeons with Devs ft. @hammerdancegaming | Episode 3 - The WoW: Forever Podcast, World of Warcraft, Oct 8, 2026 (video)