Nine new dungeons at launch — raids unlock December 9
BlueCommunityHall of Thanes through Shaper’s Terrace fill the 1–60 ladder. Barrow Deeps, Hyjal Summit, and Onyxia open a month after launch.
This recap mixes Blue official Blizzard copy with Community demo notes and creator videos. Creator-cited lines sit in a warmer gold so community statements read apart from the recap. Sources at the bottom are split the same way.
Launch includes nine new dungeons: Hall of Thanes beneath Ironforge (Alliance 13–18, Horde can enter), Ruins of Lordaeron (Horde ~15–20 reclaiming the city, Alliance can find a way in), City of Dalaran (~20–35, barrier down), the Wetlands excavation above Whelgar’s (24–29), Drowned City off Stranglethorn (35–40), Krol’dok Stronghold (35–40, Scarlet Monastery alternative), Alcaz Prison (48–53), Blackmaw Hold (55–60 furbolg city), and Shaper’s Terrace in Un’Goro (58–60).
Raids do not open on day one. On December 9, 2026 Blizzard unlocks Barrow Deeps (10-player), Hyjal Summit (20-player), and Onyxia’s Lair as a 40-player encounter. Barrow Deeps has three world entrances and is described as a Night Elf prison for especially dangerous captives.
A 15 vs 15 battleground, Darkspear Islands, mixes Arathi Basin-style flag captures with Eye of the Storm-like layout off the coast of Kalimdor.
WillE states Hall of Thanes is the Ironforge door players have glitched or that Cataclysm later opened, and that both factions can complete it, with Horde using an alternative entrance. He describes City of Dalaran as a mid-level dungeon and also “a bit more of an open-world zone.” WillE, 2:41 WillE, 2:52
Xaryu’s show-floor dungeon run is labeled Drown City / Sunken Hollow. Trash includes fears and a shark pack. A first-boss emote is “It’s time for a little blood.” Loot called out: Giant Club of the Boar; Twilight Armor of the Eagle; Maze of Healing, read as 53 healing and 14 intellect — Xaryu says those stats look like a typo. The demo client had no dungeon map. Xaryu, 6:37 Xaryu, 16:36 Xaryu, 15:23
Ace’s recap of the raid slide: new raids shown so far are 10-player or 20-player; Onyxia stays 40. WillE notes the roadmap still lists Onyxia as 40 and asks whether 10 and 20 are hard caps or flexible — unanswered in these videos. Ace, 1:54 WillE, 5:28
WillE describes Darkspear Islands as 15v15 in an Eye of the Storm format with capture-the-flag and holding points. WillE, 8:19