What are Delves? – WoW The War Within

How to unlock delves

When entering your very first delve it will be tier 1. When completed, you can do tier 1-3. To access the rest of the delve tiers you’ll first need to complete the War Within Delves: Endgame achievement. This achievement requires you to reach level 80 and having completed the Khaz Algar main story campaign. You only need to complete this once on your account. It will be unlocked for all your characters.

When you’ve done this you’ll unlock tier 4 delves. To reach tier 11 (which is currently max as of writing this article) you’ll need to have done one delve on the prior tier. So to unlock tier 5 you’ll need to successfully complete a tier 4. This can be done in different delves, as you’ll unlock the next tier for all delves if you complete a prior tier. This is account wide, and will only need to be done on one character to unlock for the rest of your characters.

Delves General

Every delve has a mechanic and a story. The mechanic is special for every delve and wont change for that specific delve, while the story might change. Hover over the delves mechanic to see it. A delve can have up to 4 different stories, as you can see by the delve Stories achievements. You can see what story the delve has when you enter it, the same place as when selecting your tier. There will be specific delve articles out soon here on gaminghero, where we’ll go into further details about the stories and mechanics of the delves. While those are being made, check out our other awesome articles here!

When first inside a delve you’ll see an Explorers’ League Supplies. Here you can adjust your companion’s role and curios, as well as repair your gear and sell to a vendor. In case you die and your companion hasn’t appeared by your side when you revive, you can also call your companion here by using the Explorers’ League Supplies.

Every delve has 4-5 Sturdy Chests hidden throughout the delve. Finding and opening every chest will reward you with a Discoveries achievement. You need to find all chests in every delve for the Glory of the Delver achievement. There will be specific delve articles out soon here on gaminghero, with every location of every chest in every delve. While those are being made, check out more informative articles here!

Throughout a delve it is possible to find herbs and ores for Herbalism and Mining. Brann will gather some materials from these, even if you don’t have the profession required to gather the material. You can also gather materials from these yourself, while Brann also gives you some materials. There will also sometimes be fishing holes in the delve. Brann will also gather materials from these, while you can fish them yourself as well. He will occasionally skin mobs too.

Delve Rewards

At the end of a delve you’ll enter the treasure room. Here the treasures have the chance to reward you with Resonance Crystals, Undercoin, recipes, consumables and/or gear. However it will always reward you with something from that list. If you receive gear from the treasures, it will be specific to your class and is not warbound (see the warbound article to read about warbound gear). The gear’s item level is based on the tier in which you selected upon entering the delve. You can see which item level the possible gear reward will be, by hovering over the Expeditionary Spoils, before entering the delve. Tier 8-11 will reward the same item level gear.

The Great Vault

The Great Vault has a new World reward tier, in place of the old PvP tier. To complete these reward tiers you’ll have to do 3, 6, or 12 world activities. These activities include Assignments, Delves, Events, and Weekly Quests. Depending on which delve tiers you complete for the vault, you have the chance to receive gear equivalent to Heroic raid and/or Mythic 15+ dungeon gear. It is even possible these will be raid tier sets. Here you can see what delve tier rewards in the Great Vault:

Bountiful Delves

To open the bountiful treasure found at the end of the delve, you’ll need a Restored Coffer Key. You can recieve a restored key from Seasoned Adventurer’s Cache, with a current max of 4 restored keys per week. You can also get them by obtaining 100 Coffer Key Shards and turning them into one restored key. You can acquire these key shards by doing world content in Khaz Algar, like looting treasures, Radiant Echoes, World Quests, and outdoor events. The Restored Coffer Keys are a currency and can be found in the currency tab. Open your character info by pressing “C” on your keyboard or left clicking your character in the “Menu” tab (placed in the bottom right corner on both Modern and Classic layout in edit mode). Here open the “Currency” tab.

How to unlock

To be able to access bountiful delves, you’ll firstly need to be level 80. You will need to pick up the Bountiful Delves quest from Brann Bronzebeard in Dornogal at /way 47.6, 44.4. This needs to be done on every character, and is sadly not warbound/account wide. The quest requires you to obtain a Restored Coffer Key and complete a Bountiful Delve. You do not need to open the Bountiful Delves treasures at the end of the delve to receive completion for this quest.

Rewards

At the end of a bountiful delve you will receive the same treasures, like from a normal delve, AND a bonus bountiful treasure. This treasure can only be opened with the Restored Coffer Key as stated earlier. The gear you will be rewarded with is tied to the tier level you selected when entering the delve. Here you can see which Delve tier rewards what item levels within a Bountiful Delve:

Delve Companion: Brann Bronzebeard

Brann Bronzebeard is currently the only companion you can bring on a delve. There are a few ways to see Brann’s level, role, and curios. Certainly the easiest way is through the group finder page, which you can access all over the world.

1. Open “Group Finder” in the game menu (seen in the bottom right corner on both Modern and Classic layout in edit mode).
2. Click “Delves”.
3. Click “Configure”

Brann Level

Brann can reach a max level of 60 and his levels are warbound/account wide. Brann will gain experience from every mob in a delve, with elite and rare mobs rewarding more than regular mobs.

When Brann reaches level 15, he will no longer gain experience from regular delves. He will only gain experience from Bountiful Delves. This means he can only gain experience from 4 delves per day.

There are some quests called Delver’s Call around Khaz Algar, which asks you to complete a certain delve on any difficulty. These will reward you with 500 experience for Brann before he reaches level 15. 

Brann Roles

You can read in detail about Brann’s passive abilities of each role, by clicking the “View Abilities” button at the bottom of his companion menu, but here are some notable highlights.

When Brann is in a damage role he will deal damage to mobs. He will occasionally interrupt mobs, and tanks mobs. He no longer pulls extra mobs, as he did at the very start. He can also execute mobs at 30% HP with his Kill Shot ability. The damage he does becomes better and better the more level he gains. 

When Brann is in a healing role he will occasionally throw Dwarven Medicine on the floor, which you can run over to heal for a fair amount. He will also sometimes dispel you. Occansionally he might throw down Brann’s Cozy Campfire, which will give you a 10 min Well Fed buff. He will still do a very slight bit of damage in the healing role. Also here the healing he does becomes better with every level.

Curio

Brann has two curios, which is kinda like his active abilities. He has a Combat Curio and a Utility Curio. You’ll receive these curios from completing delves and when you’ve acquired all curios, you can rank them up by completing higher tier delves. Each curio has 4 ranks. Curios are the same for both the healer and damage role. As of writing this article there is no meta build for him, as his abilities are kind of useless in the grand scheme of things.

Combat curios

• Brute Force Idol – When Brann calls for it, jumping on him will cause him to hurl players into their enemies, knocking and dealing significant Physical damage split between them.
• Idol of the Earthmother – Brann’s spells and abilities have a chance to awaken the idol, shielding an injured player for 70% of their missing health.
• Idol of Final Will – During combat, Brann designates a player to guide his shot for 4 sec before firing towards their location and dealing tremendous Physical damage to the first two enemies hit.
• Light-Touched Idol – When any player uses a defensive ability with a cooldown of 30 sec or longer, the idol activates and heals them for 4% of their maximum health every 1 sec for 10 sec.
• Porcelain Arrowhead Idol – Brann’s spells and abilities have a chance to weaken enemies, increasing the chance to critically strike them by 50% for 5 sec.
• Rage-Filled Idol – Brann enters an intense rage while in combat, periodically increasing his damage done by 5% every 2.5 sec for 10 sec.
• Brann also suffers 3% of his maximum health in damage every 1 sec while this effect lasts.
• Unbreakable Iron Idol – When any player’s health falls below 40% health during combat, the idol awakens dealing moderate Physical damage to nearby enemies and taunting them for 10 sec. Can only occur every 2 min.

Utility curios

• Relicblood of Zekvir – Randomly while in combat a bloodbeast will attach itself to Brann, periodically launching morsels of itself near players, granting Bloodstained Blessing upon walking through them. Bloodstained Blessing: Increases damage and healing done by 2%, and reduces maximum health by 3% for 1 min.
• Olden Seeker Relic – When Brann uses Gathering Tools, there is a 50% chance to unearth up to 2 powerful artifacts that grants your party a powerful Boon. Gathering Tools: Brann uses his gathering tools to help players find additional gold, ore, herbs, fish, leathers, and treasures.
• Time Lost Relic – Brann’s spell and abilities have a chance to create bursts of energy, warping the flow of time for all nearby units by 30% for 12 sec. Casting, movement, periodic effects, cooldowns, and attack speeds are affected while time warped.
• Amorphous Relic – Upon entering combat, players gain either Massive or Miniature until combat ends. Massive: Increases your size by 20%, maximum health by 20%, and damage and healing done by 12%.
  Miniature: Reduces your size by 20%, increases movement speed by 20%, and your haste by 12%.
• Streamlined Relic – While out of combat, the party’s movement speed is increased by 40%. Upon entering combat, the party’s haste is increased by 20% for 8 sec.
• Lifeless Necrotic Relic – The idol draws upon unholy energy to prevent fatal damage on players, instead healing them for an amount equal to 100% of their maximum health and turning them Undead. While Undead, they cannot be healed, lose 5% of their maximum health every 1 sec, and gain 12% damage and healing done.
• Relic of Sentience – When a Steel Trap is activated, there is a chance for Brann to throw an additional trap.

Delve Achievements

Glory of the Delver achievements

• War Within Delves: Tier 8 – Complete a Tier 8 delve with revives remaining.
• Leave No Treasure Unfound – Find and open all Sturdy Chests hidden throughout the War Within delves.
  • Title Reward: Seek of Loot
• I TAKE Candle! – Successfully complete a Kobold delve without exhausting an Enchanted Candle or Air Totem on Tier 8 or higher.
• Spider Senses – Successfully complete a Nerubian delve without spawning ambushers from Nerubian Webs or taking damage Nerubian Eggs from on Tier 8 or higher.
• Nemesis – Defeat Zekvir in his lair before the release of the next season of delves. (only available Season 1)
  • Cosmetic Reward: Zekvir’s Raptorial Spine
• Delve Loremaster: War Within – Complete the 12 delve storylines.
• Sporesweeper – Successfully complete a Fungarian delve without being hit by Explosive Spores on Tier 8 or higher.
• Just Keep Swimming – Successfully complete a Kobyss delve without ever losing your breath on Tier 8 or higher.
• Daystormer – Successfully complete an Order of Night delve without being targeted by Artillery fire on Tier 8 or higher.
• Brann Development – Raise Brann Bronzebeard to level 25.

Discoveries achievements

These are the achievements needed for the Leave No Treasure Unfound achievement.

Stories achievements

These are the achievements needed for the Delve Loremaster: War Within achievement. You can see what story the delve has when you enter it, the same place as when selecting your tier. Stories changes daily.

Brann achievements

• Brann Development – Raise Brann Bronzebeard to level 25.
  • Required to complete Glory of the Delver achievement.
• On Brand – Obtain all curios that are available for Brann Bronzebeard.
• Raisin’ Brann – Revive Brann Bronzebeard after he has fallen unconscious.
  • This is done by letting him reach 0 hp and then essentially reviving him, by clicking on him.

Noteworthy achievements

Other achievements

• A Delver’s Bounty – Find and open 10 Hidden Troves using Delver’s Bounties.
• Buddy System – Raise a companion to level 10.
  • This achievement has 6 achievements for every 10 levels all the way to level 60.
• Delver of the Depths – Complete all the War Within delves.
  • This achievement has 3 following achievements for completing every delve at tier 4, 8, and 11. 
• Flying in Style – Collect 9 cosmetic unlocks for Delver’s Dirigible.
• Heavy-Handed – Get killed by Zekvir.
• I’ve Got a Flying Machine! – Obtain the Delver’s Dirigible
  • This achievement will be completed after obtaining Delver’s Dirigible mount from completing the Ship It! quest from Brann Bronzebeard in Dornogal at 47.6, 44.4. You need to be level 80 and have completed the Bountiful Delves quest to pick up the Ship It! quest.
• Perplexing Puzzles – Successfully complete a puzzle within a delve.
• Plentiful Perplexing Puzzles – Successfully complete 25 puzzles within a delve.
• Ready to Turn – Open a Bountiful Coffer with a Restored Coffer Key.
  • This achievement has 3 following achievements for 50, 250, and 500 bountiful coffers opened.
• Strange Delves – Defeat a strange disturbance in a War Within delve 10 times.
• Rare Within – Kill all of the rare War Within creatures within delves
• You’re Getting a Delve! – Complete a delve.
  • This achievement has 3 following achievements for 10, 50, and 100 delves completed.