World Of Warcraft: The War Within - Delves Explained

With World of Warcraft's tenth expansion, The War Within, expanding the world of Azeroth, it has brought a novel feature to the game called Delves. Delves are a new type of instance and a feature that is meant to fit into the pre-existing gameplay loops of the game.

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Scattered throughout the expansion's setting of Khaz Algar, there are 13 Delves in total, and they can be entered and explored solo or with a few friends. They contain treasures and experience that are valuable both for leveling and end-game characters, making them worthwhile to any who dare to enter them.

What Are Delves?

Delves are instances, like Dungeons and Raids, but are much smaller and less structured. They are highly flexible instances, able to be completed by up to five adventurers at a time, as well as their NPC companions.

Delves tend to end in a boss encounter, but they rely more on exploration and objectives, rather than going up against boss after boss.

Delves also have various difficulty levels, with 11 tiers available to test your skills, with better treasure and gear coming from higher tiers.

Where Can You Find Delves?

The 13 Delves are spread out throughout Khaz Algar, with three located on the Isle of Dorn, two in the Ringing Deeps, four in Hallowfall, and four in Azj-Kahet.

Delve

Zone

Earthcrawl Mines

Southwestern Isle of Dorn

Fungal Folly

Central Isle of Dorn

Kriegval's Rest

Eastern Isle of Dorn

The Dread Pit

Eastern Ringing Deeps

The Waterworks

Western Ringing Deeps

Mycomancer Cavern

Northeastern Hallowfall

Skittering Breach

Southeastern Hallowfall

The Sinkhole

Central Hallowfall

Nightfall Sanctum

Western Hallowfall

The Spiral Weave

Northern Azj-Kahet

Tak-Rethan Abyss

Southern Azj-Kahet

The Underkeep

Extreme Southern Azj-Kahet

Zekvir's Lair

Southwestern Azj-Kahet

How To Enter Delves

Unlike other instances, Delves stand out for not having loading screens when you enter and exit them. They are found in cavernous entrances throughout the world, and a misty wall is all you need to walk into to enter one.

Upon touching the misty wall, an interface window will pop up, briefly explaining the name of the Delve, what threats lie within, what your objective is, and a list of difficulty tiers to choose from.

After selecting your desired tier and clicking Enter on the interface, your character will simply walk into the Delve, parting the misty wall, beginning your subterranean adventure.

How To Complete A Delve

Once you are in a Delve, you will find an NPC to talk to or interact with, which will explain your objective in the instance and allow you to descend deeper down.

While you will usually end up defeating a boss in the end, your initial objectives in Delves include the usual questing fare; rescuing NPCs, recovering supplies, and defeating enemies. As you complete one objective, the next one becomes available to you.

Delves usually only have a few objectives, as they are generally confined to a singular chamber and aren't tied to major storylines like Dungeons and Raids.

While completing objectives and exploring a Delve, you will come across treasure chests, interactable items, and rare encounters that will grant you temporary buffs or abilities and treasure (consisting of renown, resonance crystal currency, and sometimes gear).

Like when you traverse the open world, you will come across resource nodes like herbs, ore veins, and fishing pools within Delves, allowing you to practice your gathering professions while exploring them.

After completing all objectives in a Delve, your companion—or the NPCs you aid—will guide you to a treasure room full of gold and treasure chests. Within these chests awaits gear appropriate to the difficulty tier you chose, resonance crystals, renown, and companion experience and gear.

Upon reaching a treasure room, a Gnomish mini-copter will spawn, allowing you to easily return to the entrance of the Delve.

Delve Companions

When you explore Delves, an NPC companion will accompany you, providing you with aid and some guidance within these instances. Each season of The War Within will grant you a different NPC to spelunk with, with famed dwarven explorer Brann Bronzebeard joining adventurers in Season One.

Delve companions can be assigned different combat roles based on your needs, with Brann having access to being either a healer or damage dealer. These NPCs also level up as you delve with them, gaining experience up to level 60.

Basically, anything you do within a Delve grants your companion experience, like killing mobs. Treasures found within the treasure room and the greater Delve will sometimes have extra experience for your companion as well.

As companions level up, they will learn new abilities that they will utilize on their adventures with you, with different abilities being available to different combat roles. You will also come across trinkets during your Delves that can be equipped to your companion once you unlock them by using them.

Within Delves, you will come across crates of Explorers' League Supplies, which, when interacted with, will allow you to repair your armor, sell items, and purchase some rudimentary supplies.

Additionally, you will be able to access your companion's interface from these crates, allowing you to change their roles and equip them with different trinkets.

Your reputation tab within your character's interface shows your companion's experience and level as well.

Delve Rewards

In addition to the gear, renown, gold, and companion goodies you can obtain from Delves, there are other rewards you can receive through them in Dornegal, the Earthen's capital on Khaz Algar.

Completing Delves will count toward the World tier of your weekly Great Vault efforts, providing you with a selection of appropriate gear for your choosing at every weekly Tuesday reset.

Additionally, the resonance crystal currency you obtain from Delves and other activities on Khaz Algar can be used to purchase rewards from the quartermasters found at the Algari Expedition's post in Dornegal. These rewards include high-level gear, cosmetic transmogs, and collectibles like mounts and battle pets.

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