World of Warcraft: The War Within is finally upon us, and with it, a whole host of new content has been unearthed for players to dig into, alongside other new additions like Hero Talents.
Delves are a new style of PvE content introduced with TWW, focusing on solo players or small groups going on expeditions into dangerous locations underground. They’re surprisingly lucrative and worth checking out if you’re looking for treasure, gear, and experience.
Here’s a complete guide to Delves, including how to unlock and complete them, the various rewards and tiers, and where you can find them across the new zone.
How to unlock Delves in The War Within
To unlock Delves, you’ll need to start the main storyline for The War Within. The first Delve will be unlocked automatically once you reach Freywold Village.
The quest “Delve into the Earth” will take you through the first Delve, which is situated nearby in Earthcrawl Mines.
How to complete Delves
Each individual Delve will have a different theme and bosses, but they will all play out like a scenario. You’ll be tasked with killing mobs, rescuing people, or tackling bosses.
Delves can be completed solo alongside the AI companion, or they can be completed in small groups. Groups of 2-4 will still be accompanied by the seasonal companion, but groups of 5 will have to brave the depths alone.
As you progress through the Delve, you’ll be able to level up your companion – this season, it’s Brann, but this will change in the next season – and find Curios to give them to enhance their abilities. You can also choose whether they play as a Healer or DPS.
Alongside Curios and XP boosts, you’ll be able to come across special boons, too, giving you unique powers for that Delve.
For example, in Earthcrawl Mines, defeating the Invasive Species mob will reward you with Fungal Footpads, allowing you access to a healing double jump. Not only is this fun to use, but it’s also impactful as Earthcrawl Mines has lots of spider webs that you’ll need to hop over.
The Delve will get progressively trickier as you head further into it, resulting in a boss battle at the end. While these boss battles are easy to solo, they do still have mechanics that are worth preparing for and being mindful of.
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Delve tiers
Delves can be tackled at multiple tier levels, which essentially reflects their difficulty level and the rewards they offer.
Tier 1 will be unlocked automatically when you gain access to Delves, and Tiers 2 and 3 will become available when you hit level 80 for the first time.
After hitting level 80, finishing the main campaign, and equipping at minimum level 548 gear in each slot, you’ll unlock the War Within Delves achievement. This will give you access to Tier 4 Delves.
After this, you’ll simply need to progress through the Tiers one by one. Completing a Tier 4 will unlock a Tier 5, completing a Tier 5 will unlock a Tier 6, and so on, up until you reach the final level of Tier 11.
Rewards from Delves
There are a lot of rewards to get excited about with Delves. Loot can range from Heroic to Mythic+ rarity, depending on the difficulty level, and plenty of other goodies are up for grabs. These include:
- Crucial quest items
- Resources like Undercoins and Resonant Crystals
- Cosmetics and personal loot to align with your class
- Extra rewards from weekly world events
Delves will also play into the Great Vault system, meaning you’ll be able to access exclusive collectibles like special Delve-themed mounts. There are also achievement-related rewards that can be unlocked by completing specific Delve tasks.
Delve locations
Delves are situated in various locations across the zones in The War Within. At the time of writing, the Azj-Kahet Delves are not accessible, but we’ll be sure to update this guide when they become available.
Here’s every Delve in The War Within and its location:
| Zone | Delves |
|---|---|
| Isle of Dorn | Earthcrawl MinesKriegval’s RestFungal Folly |
| Hallowfall | Skittering Breach Nightfall SanctumThe SinkholeMycomancer Cavern |
| The Ringing Deeps | The Waterworks The Dread Pit |
| Azj-Kahet | The Spiral WeaveTak-Rethan AbyssThe UnderkeepZekvir’s Lair |
Whether you run it solo or with a small group of friends, these new PvE encounters are a lot of fun and can be very rewarding in terms of achievements and gear.
To prepare for the higher-level Delves, make sure to check out our tier list for the best Tanks, DPS, and Healers in The War Within. This expansion has shaken up the meta significantly, which is worth paying attention to for any PvE fans.