Wikia

Dire Maul

DM - x

Dire Maul loading graphic

Location

High Wilderness, Feralas

Race(s)

Highborne

Night elf

Ogre

Ogre mage

Advised level

Warpwood Quarter: 36-46
Capital Gardens: 39-49
Gordok Commons: 42-52

Minimum level

31 (all parts)

Player limit

5 (10)

Key

[Crescent Key] (north and west) (No longer required)

Bosses

Dire Maul (5)
Warpwood Quarter (East)
Pusillin Hydrospawn Lethtendris and Pimgib Zevrim Thornhoof Alzzin the Wildshaper Isalien and Empyrean
Capital Gardens (West)
Tendris Warpwood Illyanna Ravenoak and Ferra Tsu'zee Magister Kalendris Revanchion (Scourge Invasion) Immol'thar Lord Hel'nurath (summoned) Prince Tortheldrin
Gordoks Commons (North)
Guard Mol'dar Stomper Kreeg Guard Fengus Guard Slip'kik Captain Kromcrush Cho'Rush the Observer King Gordok

Dire Maul is a three-wing instance found in northcentral Feralas. It was once a proud Highborne city called Eldre'Thalas, but now lies in ruins, overrun by ogres, satyrs, and undead. Only a tiny remnant of the original Highborne population remains in the form of a murderous sect called the Shen'dralar. The enemy level range is 36 to 52, but it was once one of the highest-level pre-Burning Crusade instances before having its level range reduced with Patch 4.0.3a. Dire Maul was designed for parties of five, and characters must be at least level 31 to enter the Warpwood Quarter or 37 to enter the Capital Gardens or Gordok Commons.

History

From old World Dungeons site:

Built twelve thousand years ago by a covert sect of Highborne sorcerers, the ancient city of Eldre'Thalas was used to protect Queen Azshara's most prized arcane secrets. Though it was ravaged by the Great Sundering of the world, much of the wondrous city still stands as the imposing Dire Maul. The ruins' three distinct districts have been overrun by all manner of creatures — especially the spectral Highborne, foul satyr and brutish ogres. Only the most daring party of adventurers can enter this broken city and face the ancient evils locked within its ancient vaults.

Geography and Layout

Dire Maul contains three wings in two instances. The wings are known as Dire Maul East, West and North. The West and North wings are contained in a single instance, and are connected via The Athenaeum. At the center of Dire Maul, connecting the three wings, is an open plaza populated by ogres and containing a special PvP arena. This arena, consisting of a rectangular pit with entrances and exits on the east and west sides, is similar to the Gurubashi Arena in Stranglethorn Vale, in that "free for all" PvP combat is permitted within its confines. Every six hours, a rare mob spawns in the arena (Skarr the Unbreakable, The Razza or Mushgog). These mobs drop BoE blue items.

The entrances to the Capital Gardens (Dire Maul West) and the Gordok Commons (Dire Maul North) are unlocked as of Cataclysm (previously locked and could only be opened with the [Crescent Key], with a [Powerful Seaforium Charge] or [Elemental Seaforium Charge], a rogue with Lockpicking of 300 or higher; also by a Blacksmith who has either [Arcanite Skeleton Key], [Cobalt Skeleton Key] or [Titanium Skeleton Key]). The Crescent Key could be obtained by killing the imp Pusillin in Dire Maul East. In addition to permitting access to the other wings of the instance, the Crescent Key allowed characters to enter the Capital Gardens (Dire Maul East) via a short-cut at the Lariss Pavillion, located immediately north of Camp Mojache.

Warpwood Quarter

Warpwood Quarter (aka Dire Maul East) has been taken over by the nefarious Alzzin the Wildshaper, a satyr who has corrupted the Fruit of Fertility tree so that it produces vile [Felvine Shards]. Alzzin has attracted all manner of corrupted plant life, satyrs, mages and demons to his cause. The entire district is overgrown with crazed plant life. Dire Maul East is considered the easiest of the three wings and requires no key to enter.

Capital Gardens

Capital Gardens (a.k.a Dire Maul West) is haunted by the ghosts and skeletons of deceased Highborne, and is home to a variety of arcane creatures, including ancients and mana surges. Yet the most notable resident of Dire Maul West is Immol'thar, a demon imprisoned on this plane by Prince Tortheldrin. Millennia ago, the Prince, aided by his Shen'dralar loyalists, constructed five mystical pylons to bind Immol'thar so that they could siphon his energy to sustain their immortality. Warlocks must go to this prison and summon their dreadsteed for the quest [60D] Dreadsteed of Xoroth. Tendris Warpwood, a corrupted Ancient of War, also resides in Dire Maul West. Alliance paladins must slay him as part of the quest [60D] Ancient Equine Spirit in order to obtain their charger. In addition, Tendris Warpwood also guards the door leading from Dire Maul West into Immol'thar's prison, where players can also access The Athenaeum.

Gordok Commons

Gordok Commons (a.k.a Dire Maul North) is considered the hardest, or, at the very least, the most interesting and unusual, wing of Dire Maul. The district is now occupied by a tribe of ogres known as the Gordok. Dire Maul is unique in that parties adventuring there have a choice. They may, in the traditional fashion, kill all the various bosses in the instance for some guaranteed rare drops, or they can use a series of crafting, questing and sneaking tasks to perform a "tribute run." In a tribute run the characters only kill King Gordok, ruler of the Gordok tribe, while keeping the other bosses alive. As a reward for sparing the lives of the other instance bosses, the characters receive higher quality, though fewer, rare drops from a tribute chest. In addition, the Gordok proclaim the characters as kings, which grants access to a variety of two-hour buffs and the quest [60D] Unfinished Gordok Business.

Maps and subregions

The Athenaeum • Broken Commons • Capital Gardens • The Conservatory • Court of the Highborne • Eldreth Row • Gordok's Seat • Halls of Destruction • The Hidden Reach • The Maul • Prison of Immol'thar • The Shrine of Eldretharr • Warpwood Quarter

Cataclysm

This section concerns content exclusive to Cataclysm.

Dire Maul was lowered to a level 36-52 dungeon in Cataclysm.

Quests

Feathermoon Stronghold

[57D] Lethtendris's Web (Alliance) Stand alone quest given by Latronicus Moonspear, enters Dire Maul East
[61D] Elven Legends (Alliance) Given by Scholar Runethorn, enters Dire Maul North/West. Completion allows the conversion of a Libram into an Arcanum via quest

Camp Mojache

[57D] Lethtendris's Web (Horde)
[61D] Elven Legends (Horde)

Feralas

[58D] Pusillin and the Elder Azj'Tordin Stand alone quest given by Azj'Tordin at the Lariss Pavilion, enters Dire Maul East

Dire Maul

[60D] Free Knot! Free Knot Thimblejack from inside Dire Maul North.
[60D] The Gordok Taste Test
[60D] The Gordok Ogre Suit
[60D] Unfinished Gordok Business
[61D] The Madness Within
- [61D] The Treasure of the Shen'dralar
[60D] The Forging of Quel'Serrar (Warrior, Paladin only)

Moonglade

[60] A Reliquary of Purity Given by Rabine Saturna in Nighthaven, takes you to Silithus
- [60] Shards of the Felvine Again given by Rabine Saturna in Nighthaven, enters Dire Maul East

Libram Quests - Lorekeeper Lydros will give you these quests if you have completed "Elven Legends" already

Class Quests

Class Book Quests - each starts with a rare drop book, leading to each class' version of the Royal Seal of Eldre'Thalas.

[62D] Codex of Defense
[62D] Frost Shock and You
[62D] Garona: A Study on Stealth and Treachery
[62D] Harnessing Shadows
[62D] Holy Bologna: What the Light Won't Tell You
[62D] The Arcanist's Cookbook
[62D] The Emerald Dream...
[62D] The Greatest Race of Hunters
[62D] The Light and How To Swing It

Strategy guides

Doing Dire Maul in one visit

Some tips for doing Dire Maul in just one visit:

Start with Dire Maul East to get the key.
Plan to do a Tribute Run. Keep Captain Kromcrush and Stomper Kreeg alive as quests are available from them after the tribute run is complete.
Remember to speak to the Shen'dralar Ancient before killing Immol'thar.
You need to kill Immol'thar to make Prince Tortheldrin hostile and to loot the chest behind the Prince to complete Captain Kromcrush's quest.

Dire Maul East

Enter from the northwest (there are three entrances) or make your way there and speak with Pusillin (#1 on the map), in the northwest corner by the broken walkway, to get him to move (this is on the 2nd floor of the room that Old Ironbark, #2 on the map, is in). Chase Pusillin to the north east corner of this main room and then speak with him again.
- Follow him east into the large room and go upstairs (#5 on the map). Speak with him again to fight him. Pick up the [Crescent Key] from his corpse.
When you return towards the main room, turn south and enter a large room (#3 on the map). Three bosses reside here (Hydrospawn, Lethtendris, and Zevrim Thornhoof), but only Zevrim Thornhoof must be killed to finish Dire Maul East.
After killing Zevrim Thornhoof, take the spiral stairway downstairs to safely reach the room with Old Ironbark (#2 on the map). Speak with him to have him break down the door on the north side. Go through the passage to #4.
In the final room make your way down one side of the circle, clear the mobs in front of Alzzin the Wildshaper, and then kill him.
- Grab a Felvine Shard, the red crystals located near the back by the thorny vine, if you have [60D] Shards of the Felvine (can be acquired at Level 56). This quest requires the pre-requisite [60] A Reliquary of Purity, which takes you to Silithus.

Dire Maul West

Dire Maul North

Notable Loot NPC

From a combination of bosses, you can collect the majority of the pre-MC 'do-it-yourself' armor sets:

Loot

See Dire Maul loot.

Resources

Herbs

Ore

Rich Thorium Vein

Dungeon Denizens

Notes, Tips, & Additional Info

Also known as DM, which is an abbreviation shared with The Deadmines. When in doubt, check the level of the person asking for a group (shift click their name). Some players try to avoid confusion by abbreviating Dire Maul to DiM or The Deadmines to VC (after the final boss Edwin VanCleef). This may not apply, however, since before the dungeon finder people running Dire Maul would abbreviate what part of Dire Maul they are running, i.e.: Dire Maul: East (DM East), Dire Maul: North (DM North), etc.
Dire Maul is one of seven 5-man instances added to the game via patch, the other six being Maraudon, Magisters' Terrace, Trial of the Champion, Forge of Souls, Pit of Saron and Halls of Reflection.

World of Warcraft: The Comic

This section concerns content exclusive to the World of Warcraft: The Comic.

In World of Warcraft: The Comic, Dire Maul is featured prominently as the location of the Crimson Ring's annual championship gladiator matches. The gladiatorial games begins with individual single combat matches and which ever gladiator team can survive the individual trials intact can advance to team combat matches to vie for the team championship. It is presumed that members of the teams who were unable to advance to team combat matches continue to fight in single combat matches to vie for the single combat championship(such as Bloodeye Redfist).Rehgar Earthfury's team, consisting of an amnesic Varian Wrynn, Broll Bearmantle, and Valeera Sanguinar, claimed victory over the previous year's team champions: Giago, Two-Heads, and Brlee (members of the Gordunni Clan of Ancient Draenor).

Patches and hotfixes

Patch 4.0.3a (2010-11-23): Level significantly lowered to 36-52 and [Crescent Key] removed and no longer needed to unlock North and West doors.
Patch 1.6.0 (12-Jul-2005): Dire Maul has had several spawn locations changed and a slight increase in population.
Patch 1.4.0 (2005-05-05): The minimum level requirement on the Dire Maul meeting stone has been properly assigned.
Patch 1.3.0 (07-Mar-2005): Added.