New in ForeverLevel 35–40

The Drowned City Dungeon Guide

The Drowned City is a new WoW Forever dungeon for levels 35–40, a sunken troll city on Gillijim's Isle off the coast of Stranglethorn Vale. It is not open in the beta yet, so this page covers where it lies, how to get close and what the BlizzCon demo showed.

Level: 35–40
Bosses: ?
Full clear: 40–55min
Difficulty: 6/10

Entrance Show on the map

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Where it fitsDungeon Finder

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Overview

Inside The Drowned City

Blizzard promises naga and pirates around the Drowned City. Its screenshots show a shipwreck in a coral lagoon, a sunken troll city with dead trees and a ship run aground, and a sandy cave arch over a giant skeleton. Show floor reports add undead and trolls, and Saltseer Manhunters drop the Voodoo-Infused Artifact, a quest item that hums with the clashing magic of the city.

BlizzCon players called the dungeon big and non-linear. One of them got three bosses down in the demo, another met a level 45 shark boss in the central pool while the rest of the dungeon was in the late 30s.

The boss list is a preview, not a final roster. Wowhead lists six named encounters from the demo as stages 1 to 6: Zul'Alai, Var'Taka, Captain Dreadrise, Deathless Marrow with a Primeval Elemental, Gill and Min'loth the Serpent. Show floor reports call the second boss Zin'aka instead, so names, count and order can still change. The last boss counts for the Experienced Spelunker achievement.

Level 35–40 is the range the dungeon is tuned for, not a minimum entry level. Blizzard announced this range for Forever.

Beta status

The Drowned City in the WoW Forever beta

Not open in the beta yetConfirmedChecked October 4, 2026

The Drowned City is not open in the beta. Since October 1 the beta cap is level 30, five levels below this dungeon, and Blizzard's list of open dungeons does not include it. Blizzard has not said when it comes to the beta. The day it opens we add the entrance with coordinates, the route, the bosses with tactics, the quests and the loot within 24–48 hours.

Forever vs Classic

What changed in The Drowned City for WoW Forever

What is different from the Classic version you may know. Everything else works as it did in Classic.

A new sunken city off StranglethornBeta data
In Classic the sea off Gillijim's Isle is open water. Forever puts a whole ruined troll city there: walls around a big central pool, a ziggurat to the north and two wrecked ships on the west side. Whether the dungeon uses the same layout is not known yet.

Location

Where is The Drowned City? Entrance and how to get there

The Drowned City lies on Gillijim's Isle, off the southwest coast of Stranglethorn Vale and just west of the Stranglethorn map. The ruins already stand on the island, but the instance portal and the way in are not known yet, so the map shows no entrance.

1Fly to Booty Bay at the southern tip of Stranglethorn Vale. It is the closest Alliance flight path to the island.
2Gillijim's Isle lies west of the coast across open water. The crossing and the portal follow the day the dungeon opens.

1Fly to Grom'gol Base Camp or to Booty Bay. Both are about as far from the island.
2From the coast the island lies to the west. Where the portal is and how you cross, we add as soon as the beta shows it.

Encounters

Boss roster

Roster not published yet

The boss cards with abilities, tactics and loot follow the day the dungeon opens in the beta. The status section above names the bosses the game files already list.

Which class? Our tier lists

Best class for dungeonsDamage specs, tanks and healers for dungeons, ranked with the reason.

Best tank and healerEvery tank and healer spec for dungeons and raids.

Collect

Achievements from The Drowned City

Achievement1

Experienced SpelunkerEarned in The Drowned City, Needs Final boss of The Drowned City

Before you go

Bring crowd control for humanoidsNaga, pirates and trolls are all humanoids, so Polymorph, Sap and Freezing Trap should have plenty of targets.
Plan your 35–40 levels around itWhile it stays closed, Razorfen Downs, Uldaman and the Scarlet Monastery wings cover the same level band.

Tough · 6/10

FAQ

Questions players ask

What level is The Drowned City?

Blizzard lists it for levels 35–40. The beta cap is 30, so nobody can run it at its level in the beta yet.

Where is The Drowned City in WoW Forever?

On Gillijim's Isle off the southwest coast of Stranglethorn Vale. The nearest flight paths are Booty Bay for both factions and Grom'gol for the Horde. The portal is not known yet.

Is The Drowned City open in the beta, and when can you play it?

Not as of October 4, 2026. It was playable at BlizzCon, but Blizzard has not said when it comes to the beta. It is one of the nine new dungeons for the launch of WoW Forever.

How many bosses are in The Drowned City?

Blizzard has not published the roster. The demo pointed to six named encounters, from Zul'Alai to Min'loth the Serpent, but the count can still change.

Who do you fight in The Drowned City?

Blizzard names naga and pirates. Show floor reports add undead and trolls, and one BlizzCon player met a level 45 shark in the central pool.

Is The Drowned City the Sunken Temple?

No. The Sunken Temple is the Classic Temple of Atal'Hakkar in the Swamp of Sorrows for levels 50–60. The Drowned City is a new dungeon off Stranglethorn Vale, and it is not The Drowned Reef in the Arathi Highlands either.