In the latest World of Warcraft expansion, The War Within, there is a new way to gain experience and loot solo or in a group. These new instanced scenarios, known as Delves, can be quite lucrative if you know how they function and where to look for the best loot after completion. With the help of a seasonal NPC, we can take on several scenarios that give us loot at the end of each Delve, and the end of the week, just as with Raids, Mythic dungeons, and PvP.
There are many moving parts to Delves and how they function, so let’s take a look at all you need to know to score big items each week.
Delves function in a similar way to Mythics dungeons—the scenarios are static and do not change by the week, but there can be variations in the hazards that are seen as the underground dwellings are traversed. The objectives, bonuses, and bosses can also switch up on a dime, so we may not always have to run the Delve the same way each time to bag bonus rewards.
During the Main Story quest line, you’re introduced to Delves and run your first one in the Isle of Dorn. This main quest line shows you the ropes, teaches you how to make your NPC stronger or swap their role, and gives you the nitty gritty on what to expect as you make your way through the other Delves all around the map. There are also Delve Tiers, unlocked once your character has reached level 80.
One thing worth noting is that there are 11 Tiers total, but you will not have access to tier four or higher Delves until you have reached level 80, have a 548 item-level piece of armor in every slot, and complete the entire Campaign for The War Within. To unlock Tiers higher than four, you will need to complete the previous Tier in its entirety—completing Tier four opens up Tier five, completing Tier five opens up Tier six, etc.
Delves are a great way to score some hefty loot solo, but of course also works well with a party if you would rather bring a few friends. Some rewards can only be earned via achievements by completing multiple Delves, including the mounts Delver’s Dirigible and the Ivory Goliathus. At the end of each Delve, you will come upon a Treasure room that has trunks containing gear specifically for your class and level, as well as quest items, Resonance Crystals, Undercoins, cosmetics, Companion Upgrades, and more.
The higher Tier the Delve, the better rewards you can get your hands on, but Tier 11 is just there to boast about to your friends and gain achievements from. There’s also a weekly World Event known as the Delves Bonus Event, that gives better rewards for completing Delves that week.
As for the Great Vault, The War Within replaces the PvP line in the vault with the World option. Just as with Mythics or Raids, you will need to complete three, six, or 12 Delves to unlock all of the available loot within the Great Vault. The quality and Item Level of the gear within the Great Vault will depend on the difficulty of the Delves completed.
Delves are a great way to bolster your loot intake in The War Within, and completing weekly events and unlocking slots in the Great Vault can get you some gear equivalent to Heroic Raid gear and Mythic 15+ quality.
For more information on what’s new in The War Within, check out our guide to the new Talent Tree, and the Warband System to see how you can trade your newly acquired gear to Alt characters to make even more progress!
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