The main entrance to Dire Maul.
Dire Maul is a three-wing instance found in north-central Feralas. It was once a proud Highborne city called Eldre'Thalas (or Eldre'thalas),[1][2] but now lies in ruins, overrun by ogres, satyrs, and undead. Only a tiny remnant of the original Highborne population remains in the form of a murderous sect called the Shen'dralar. The enemy level range is 36 to 47.
The sub-region of Dire Maul plays host to two night elf archaeology dig sites: the Broken Commons Digsite and the Dire Maul Digsite.
History
From the World Dungeons page on the official World of Warcraft Community Site:
- Built twelve thousand years ago by a covert sect of night elf sorcerers, the ancient city of Eldre'Thalas was used to protect Queen Azshara's most prized arcane secrets. Though it was ravaged by the Great Sundering of the world, much of the wondrous city still stands as the imposing Dire Maul. The ruins' three distinct districts have been overrun by all manner of creatures — especially the spectral Highborne, foul satyr and brutish ogres. Only the most daring party of adventurers can enter this broken city and face the ancient evils locked within its ancient vaults.
Eldre'Thalas
Dire Maul when it was still known as Eldre'Thalas.
Eldre'Thalas was one of the capitals of Queen Azshara's Highborne servitors. Within its walls, the elves lived in peace. Among them was a group of powerful arcanists known as the Shen'dralar.[3]
During the War of the Ancients, Eldre'Thalas was protected by Goldrinn.[4] Its ancient defender was Tendris Warpwood.[5]
When the Great Sundering hit, the city barely escaped destruction. Prince Tothreldrin and his followers conjured a spell that shielded the city from the destructive forces of the Sundering.[6]
World of Warcraft: The Comic
Dire Maul
Dire Maul is the location of the Crimson Ring's annual championship gladiator matches. The gladiatorial games begins with individual single combat matches and which ever gladiator team can survive the individual trials intact can advance to team combat matches to vie for the team championship. It is presumed that members of the teams who were unable to advance to team combat matches continue to fight in single combat matches to vie for the single combat championship (such as Bloodeye Redfist). Rehgar Earthfury's team, consisting of an amnesic Varian Wrynn, Broll Bearmantle, and Valeera Sanguinar, claimed victory over the previous year's team champions: Giago, Two-Heads, and Brlee (members of the Gordunni Clan of Ancient Draenor).[7]
Cataclysm
Dire Maul was lowered to a level 36-52 dungeon in Cataclysm. Cho'gall has appeared in Dire Maul and given the Gordunni Ogres power as a reward for their loyalty and work for the Twilight's Hammer clan. Despite his attempts though, Cho'gall was pushed out of Dire Maul by adventurers of the Horde and Alliance.
Traveler
King Gordok had his prisoner slaves here in a pit and watched them fight in an amphitheater.
The Hidden led by Captain Malus entered Dire Maul, killed King Gordok, becoming new leader of the Gordunni ogres. He commanded them to leave Dire Maul and search Feralas for Aramar Thorne.
Next to the amphitheater there was a big dome of thorns, constructed by Chugara Razorflank,[8] serving as a prison for captured wyverns. It was ripped and destroyed when the druid Thalyss Greyoak planted and grew a massive oak over it.[9]
The following day, every ogre left the stronghold and Throgg oversaw its total evacuation.[10] This may imply that the ruined city is completely in the hands of the Gordunni.
Dungeon Journal
Built thousands of years ago to house the kaldorei's arcane secrets, the formerly great city of Eldre'Thalas now lies in ruin, writhing with warped, twisted forces. Competing covens once fought for control of Dire Maul's corrupted energy, but they have since settled into uneasy truces, choosing to exploit the power within their own territories rather than continue to battle over the entire complex.
Geography and layout
Dire Maul contains three wings in two instances. The wings are known as Warpwood Quarter (east), Capital Gardens (west) and Gordok Commons (north). The Capital Gardens and the Gordok Commons are contained in a single instance, and used to be connected via The Athenaeum, but this is no longer the case. At the end of a long hallway not on the official map, you will now find only a dead end, and you will be displayed as nowhere, yet in the Gordok Commons. At the center of Dire Maul, connecting the three wings, is an open plaza populated by ogres and containing what was a special PvP arena. This arena known as The Maul, consisting of a rectangular pit with entrances and exits on the east and west sides, was similar to the Gurubashi Arena in Stranglethorn Vale, in that "free for all" PvP combat is permitted within its confines.
Warpwood Quarter (36-46)
Warpwood Quarter (aka Dire Maul East ) has been taken over by the nefarious Alzzin the Wildshaper, a satyr who has corrupted the Fruit of Fertility tree so that it produces vile [Felvine Shards]. Alzzin has attracted all manner of corrupted plant life, satyrs, mages and demons to his cause. The entire district is overgrown with crazed plant life. Dire Maul East is considered the easiest of the three wings.
Capital Gardens (39-49)
Capital Gardens (a.k.a Dire Maul West) is haunted by the ghosts and skeletons of deceased Highborne, and is home to a variety of arcane creatures, including ancients and mana surges. Yet the most notable resident of the Captial Gardens is Immol'thar, a demon imprisoned on this plane by Prince Tortheldrin. Millennia ago, the Prince, aided by his Shen'dralar loyalists, constructed five mystical pylons to bind Immol'thar so that they could siphon his energy to sustain their immortality. Tendris Warpwood, a corrupted Ancient of War, also resides in the Capital Gardens. It also guards the door leading from Capital Gardens into Immol'thar's prison, where players can also access The Athenaeum.
Gordok Commons (42-52)
Gordok Commons (a.k.a Dire Maul North) is considered the hardest, or, at the very least, the most interesting and unusual, wing of Dire Maul. The district is now occupied by a tribe of ogres known as the Gordok. Dire Maul is unique in that parties adventuring there have a choice. They may, in the traditional fashion, kill all the various bosses in the instance for some guaranteed rare drops, or they can use a series of questing and sneaking tasks to perform a "tribute run." In a tribute run the characters only kill King Gordok, ruler of the Gordok tribe, while keeping the other bosses alive. As a reward for sparing the lives of the other instance bosses, the characters receive higher quality, though fewer, rare drops from a tribute chest. In addition, the Gordok proclaim the characters as kings, which grants access to a variety of two-hour buffs, alcoholic brews, and the quest Quest:Unfinished Gordok Business.
Maps and sub-regions
Gordok Commons (North)
Capital Gardens (West)
Court of the Highborne (West)
Prison of Immol'thar (West)
Warpwood Quarter (East)
Conservatory and Shrine of Eldretharr (East)
| Area | Subregions |
|---|---|
|
Central |
|
|
Warpwood Quarter (East) |
|
|
Capital Gardens (West) |
|
|
Gordok Commons (North) |
Quest guide
| Quest name | Quest giver | Zone location |
|---|---|---|
| Warpwood Quarter (East) | ||
| Quest:Adventurers Wanted: Dire Maul Warpwood Quarter | Heroes/Warchief's Command Board | All capital cities |
| Quest:Saving Warpwood (Alliance) |  Telaron Windflight
|
Dreamer's Rest, Feralas |
| Quest:Saving Warpwood (Horde) |  Hadoken Swiftstrider
|
Camp Mojache, Feralas |
| Quest:An Unwelcome Guest (Cataclysm) |  Furgus Warpwood
|
Warpwood Quarter, Dire Maul |
| Quest:Shards of the Felvine | Furgus Warpwood
|
Warpwood Quarter, Dire Maul |
| Quest:Alzzin the Wildshaper | Furgus Warpwood
|
Warpwood Quarter, Dire Maul |
| Quest:Lethtendris's Web |  "Ambassador" Dagg'thol
|
Warpwood Quarter, Dire Maul |
| Quest:Pusillin The Thief | "Ambassador" Dagg'thol
|
Warpwood Quarter, Dire Maul |
| Capital Gardens (West) | ||
| Quest:Adventurers Wanted: Dire Maul Capital Gardens | Heroes/Warchief's Command Board | All capital cities |
| Quest:The Highborne (Alliance) | Telaron Windflight
|
Dreamer's Rest, Feralas |
| Quest:The Highborne (Horde) | Hadoken Swiftstrider
|
Camp Mojache, Feralas |
| Quest:The Cursed Remains |  Estulan
|
Capital Gardens, Dire Maul |
| Quest:The Shen'dralar Ancient | Estulan
|
Capital Gardens, Dire Maul |
| Quest:The Warped Defender |  Shen'dralar Watcher
|
Capital Gardens, Dire Maul |
| Quest:The Madness Within | Shen'dralar Ancient
|
Capital Gardens, Dire Maul |
| Quest:The Treasure of the Shen'dralar | Shen'dralar Ancient
|
Capital Gardens, Dire Maul |
| Gordok Commons (North) | ||
| Quest:Adventurers Wanted: Northern Dire Maul | Heroes/Warchief's Command Board | All capital cities |
| Quest:Ogre in the Field |  Orhan Ogreblade
|
Stonemaul Hold, Feralas |
| Quest:Eyes in the Sky (Dire Maul) |  Shandris Feathermoon
|
Feathermoon Stronghold, Feralas |
| Quest:A Broken Trap | Broken Trap | Halls of Destruction, Dire Maul North |
| Quest:The Gordok Ogre Suit |  Knot Thimblejack
|
Halls of Destruction, Dire Maul North |
| Quest:The Gordok Taste Test | Stomper Kreeg
|
Gordok Commons, Dire Maul |
| Quest:Unfinished Gordok Business | Captain Kromcrush
|
Gordok Commons, Dire Maul |
| Quest:King of the Gordok (Alliance) |  Druid of the Talon (Dire Maul)
|
Gordok Commons, Dire Maul |
| Quest:King of the Gordok (Horde) | Stonemaul Ogre (Dire Maul)
|
Gordok Commons, Dire Maul |
Strategy guides
- Doing Dire Maul in one visit
Some tips for doing Dire Maul in just one visit:
- Plan to do a Tribute Run. Keep Captain Kromcrush and Stomper Kreeg alive as quests are available from them after the tribute run is complete.
- Remember to speak to the Shen'dralar Ancient before killing Immol'thar.
- You need to kill Immol'thar to make Prince Tortheldrin hostile and to loot the chest behind the Prince to complete Captain Kromcrush's quest.
- Dire Maul East
- Enter from the northwest (there are three entrances) or make your way there and speak with Pusillin (#1 on the map), in the northwest corner by the broken walkway, to get him to move (this is on the 2nd floor of the room that Old Ironbark, #2 on the map, is in). Chase Pusillin to the north east corner of this main room and then speak with him again.
- Follow him east into the large room and go upstairs (#5 on the map). Speak with him again to fight him. Pick up the [Crescent Key] from his corpse.
- When you return towards the main room, turn south and enter a large room (#3 on the map). Three bosses reside here (Hydrospawn, Lethtendris, and Zevrim Thornhoof), but only Zevrim Thornhoof must be killed to finish Dire Maul East.
- After killing Zevrim Thornhoof, take the spiral stairway downstairs to safely reach the room with Old Ironbark (#2 on the map). Speak with him to have him break down the door on the north side. Go through the passage to #4.
- In the final room make your way down one side of the circle, clear the mobs in front of Alzzin the Wildshaper, and then kill him.
- Grab a [Felvine Shard], the red crystals located near the back by the thorny vine, if you have Quest:Shards of the Felvine (can be acquired at Level 36).
- Grab a
- Dire Maul West
- Dire Maul North
Loot
- Main article: Dire Maul loot
Resources
Herbs
Dungeon Denizens
Dire Maul bosses
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|
Encounters
| Bosses | Monsters | NPCs |
|---|---|---|
| East | ||
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||
| North | ||
| West | ||
| ||
Notes & trivia
- It contains a chamber, that was previously a part of a great stone temple, described as being dedicated to a long-forgotten or at least long-ignored god. King Gordok made his throne room here.[11] Although not named, it may be Gordok's Seat, although the description of the temple doesn't match the section that would be the Halls of Destruction (having no roof and massive wooden door).
- Also known as DM, which is an abbreviation shared with The Deadmines. When in doubt, check the level of the person asking for a group (shift click their name). Some players try to avoid confusion by abbreviating Dire Maul to DiM or The Deadmines to VC (after the final boss Vanessa VanCleef). This may not apply, however, since before the dungeon finder people running Dire Maul would abbreviate what part of Dire Maul they are running, i.e.: Dire Maul: East (DM East), Dire Maul: North (DM North), etc.
- Dire Maul is one of seven 5-man instances added to the game via patch, the other six being Maraudon, Magisters' Terrace, Trial of the Champion, Forge of Souls, Pit of Saron and Halls of Reflection.
- Until Patch 4.0.1 the [Crescent Key] was required to open doors towards and inside the Northern and Western wings of Dire Maul. The key was obtained from the imp Pusillin after a chase through the east wing of Dire Maul.
- Eldre'Thalas is also the name of a French PvP server and an American PvE server.
- During World of Warcraft's early development, Dire Maul was once planned to be in Thousand Needles.[12]
Achievements
Gallery
Patch changes
- Patch 4.0.3a (2010-11-23): Level reduced to 37-47.
- Patch 1.6.0 (2005-07-12): Dire Maul has had several spawn locations changed and a slight increase in population.
- Patch 1.4.0 (2005-04-19): The minimum level requirement on the Dire Maul meeting stone has been properly assigned.
- Patch 1.3.0 (2005-03-07): Added.
See also
References
- ^ The Comic: Prologue
- ^ Quest:Tell Silvia
- ^ Kiley, Ellen P.. Lands of Mystery, 52. ISBN 9781588467843.
- ^ World of Warcraft: The Comic, Destiny Awaits!
- ^ Tendris Warpwood#Adventure Guide
- ^ World of Warcraft: Chronicle Volume 1
- ^ World of Warcraft: The Comic
- ^ Traveler: The Spiral Path, chapter 19
- ^ World of Warcraft: Traveler
- ^ Traveler: The Spiral Path
- ^ Traveler
- ^ Kalimdor early development map
External links
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