With nearly 20 years of history, World of Warcraft has a massive number of dungeons to play through. Over the years, players have battled these instances countless times. Some dungeons are remembered fondly, while others cause World of Warcraft players to shudder at the thought of stepping foot in them again.
Between vanilla World of Warcraft and its subsequent nine expansions, over a hundred dungeons, raids, and similar instances can be found across the game world. However, a few dungeons tend to stand out in each expansion. Through fame or infamy, these instances have gone down as the most iconic dungeons in their respective World of Warcraft expansion.
Vanilla World of Warcraft - Blackrock Depths
While there are plenty of memorable dungeons in vanilla World of Warcraft, none are more infamous than Blackrock Depths. The largest of the seven instances in Blackrock Mountain, Blackrock Depths is not only the largest dungeon in WoW, but likely any MMORPG. With over 20 bosses strewn about the massive area, a full clear of Blackrock Depths could take any party between four-to-six hours.
The dungeon can be entered at level 42, but players rarely did until level 53 because of difficult enemies and high mob density. Though few players run Blackrock Depths in contemporary WoW, it was once the hub for many quests, unique recipes and items, and even a special crafting station that Blacksmiths and Engineers had to visit to smelt Dark Iron gear.
Burning Crusade - The Caverns of Time
Burning Crusade introduced plenty of iconic dungeons, like Magisters’ Terrace or the trifecta around Tempest Keep, but instances from the Caverns of Time win out. This quest hub for the Bronze Dragonflight in World of Warcraft got its first dungeons in Burning Crusade, including Escape from Durnholde Keep and Opening the Dark Portal.
These dungeons enabled players to go back in time to major events like Thrall’s escape from slavery and Medivh’s betrayal, allowing them to help prevent the Infinite Dragonflight from changing history. The precedent set by these dungeons allowed WoW to introduce similar ideas later, like the Culling of Stratholme.
Wrath of the Lich King - The Halls of Reflection
Wrath of the Lich King was full of amazing instances with interesting mechanics, like the jousting mini-game from Trial of the Champion, but the Halls of Reflection left a particularly unique impression. This dungeon gave fans a closer look at the story of WoW characters like the Lich King, Uther, Jaina, and Sylvanas.
The most memorable part of the dungeon is its final encounter. Players come face-to-face with the Lich King, and must battle through waves of undead - shattering walls of ice along the way - before Arthas can catch them. This unique encounter set the Halls of Reflection above any other dungeon in Wrath of the Lich King.
Cataclysm - End Time
Cataclysm’s world revamp changed several dungeons alongside its many zones. None of these remakes could compare to End Time. This jaw-dropping instance takes players through an alternative reality where Deathwing wins, and the dungeon's visuals were memorable enough for some World of Warcraft players to recreate End Time in Minecraft over a decade later.
This instance pits players against broken reflections of their favorite WoW characters selected from a random list, giving the dungeon great replay value. The final confrontation with Murozond, leader of the Infinite Dragonflight, also had lasting impacts that may come to a head with Nozdormu’s story in Dragonflight.
Mists of Pandaria - Scarlet Monastery and Scholomance
Though some players have fond memories of Mists of Pandaria dungeons like the Temple of the Jade Serpent, the Stormstout Brewery, or the Mogu’shan Palace, few left a lasting impact. That said, World of Warcraft remade the Scarlet Monastery and Scholomance instances from vanilla in this expansion, and somehow made these beloved dungeons even better.
With updated visuals and storylines involving WoW's Forsaken, these revamped dungeons stole the hearts of many. Players were eager to farm the Scarlet Monastery for High Inquisitor Whitemane’s hat and Herod’s pauldron again, and they were all too eager to explore Hogwarts’ evil twin in the revamped Scholomance.
Warlords of Draenor - Grimrail Depot
No World of Warcraft expansion has as much cut content as Warlords of Draenor. Even so, it had some gems to be found among its instances, such as the Grimrail Depot. This unique dungeon had players battle throughout a moving train - a premise far too impressive not to become iconic.
Cramped arenas and tricky mechanics split the community on loving or hating the Grimrail Depot, and its constantly moving backgrounds led to problems with motion-sensitive players. Thankfully, WoW eventually added a consumable item that deactivates moving backgrounds in dungeons like the Grimrail Depot or Maw of Souls, which was a great win for accessibility in World of Warcraft that opens a fun time to even more people.
Legion - Return to Karazhan
World of Warcraft: Legion had some amazing dungeons, like the Maw of Souls, the Halls of Valor, and the instances in Suramar. Yet Return to Karazhan, another remake of a vanilla instance, won out over the others. The strong encounters and amazing rewards in WoW's Return to Karazhan dungeon make it worth running even years later.
The facelift WoW provided for Karazhan brought players back to the spooky, zany wizard tower with some memorable battles and visuals. Topsy-turvy rooms, alternate dimensions, and even a boss fight where players are shrunk down to the size of an ant provide an unforgettable chapter to Legion.
Battle for Azeroth - Waycrest Manor
Though Battle for Azeroth was a contentious expansion, its zones, visuals, and dungeons were remarkable. Among them, Waycrest Manor left a particularly strong impression as the conclusion of the frightening story of Drustvar, pitting players against some truly ghastly foes.
The design, ambiance, and cadence of the dungeon put it a cut above most, even outside Battle for Azeroth. Its culminating battle against Gorak Tul also led to some interesting implications for both the past and future of Azeroth, some of which were explored during the Ardenweald story in Shadowlands.
Shadowlands - De Other Side
Having been caught between a pandemic and sexual harassment lawsuits, Shadowlands is largely considered one of the worst expansions in World of Warcraft. Even so, it had several iconic dungeons like Tazavesh and the Theater of Pain. None left the same kind of impression as De Other Side, largely thanks to Bwonsamdi.
Following his popularity in Battle for Azeroth, players were eager to see more of the Bwonsamdi in Shadowlands, and De Other Side provided a lot of time to shine. Full of bright colors, cameos from iconic characters like Hakkar and Millhouse Manastorm, and a final battle against the legendary loa Mueh’zalah, players should be sure to clear De Other Side dungeons in Shadowlands at least once.
Dragonflight - The Nokhud Offensive
Dragonflight represents a new era for World of Warcraft, and its dungeons are one impressive facet that helps sell this evolution. Through fierce competition, The Nokhud Offensive wins out thanks to its unique mechanics and wide variety of bosses.
The dungeon itself spans most of the Ohn’ahran Plains zone in Dragonflight. Players must travel using Dragonriding mounts in an all-out war against the Nokhud centaur and their Primalist allies. The dungeon’s tempo, enemy variety, and vast scale show off the best of what Dragonflight has to offer.
World of Warcraft is available now on PC.