Excavation Site: Wetlands

Getting there

The portal stands on the hill southeast of Whelgar’s Excavation Site in the Wetlands, at /way 47.8 56.3. New roads lead up the hill; in Classic this part of the Wetlands could not be reached.

Alliance. Menethil Harbor is close, and it now has a boat to Stormwind through Auberdine. Running through Loch Modan works too.

Horde. A longer trek on foot from Undercity or The Sepulcher: south through Silverpine Forest, east through Hillsbrad Foothills and the Arathi Highlands, past Stromgarde Keep. At the big fork in the road, go north to Hammerfall for the flight path and for Dragonmaw Rumors from Zaruk at /way 74.4 35.6: without it, the Horde cannot get Open the Maw. Then head south into the Wetlands. Pick up the flight path in Tarren Mill on the way too.

The last stretch. The path up the hill starts at the meeting stone, at /way 53.9 65.4, left of Thelgen Rock. The spiders along the way are not elite.

The route

1. The Lost Marsh. Crocolisks and young raptors around a lake. Saltspine patrols its edge.
2. The Stalker’s Thicket. A path through tall grass full of raptors. Shadetooth patrols the whole path with two Thicket Hunters.
3. The Lost Dig Site. Orcs of the Dragonmaw clan, with the tent of Daewyn for the Alliance quest.
4. North of the dig site. Highland Horror waits among Oil Slimes; a careful pull leaves the slimes behind. Only the Alliance needs it.
5. The Site of the Guardian. South of the dig site, past Highland Lurkers and Highland Spiders. Relic Guardian stands inactive in an arena; Ardin waits on a wooden structure nearby.

Important trash

The tall grass. The most dangerous part of the dungeon. Thicket Lurkers and Stalkers hide in the grass in packs of three and show up when you come close. Thicket Matriarchs call Lurkers to their aid at low health. Stay on the narrow path, fight in open spots, and when a Matriarch is in a pull, kill the other monsters first.

Raptors. Young Riptooths come in threes and bite hard; kill them one by one. Thicket Hunters cause Infected Wound, a disease that makes the target take more physical damage: remove it quickly. Matriarchs and Lurkers apply Rend Flesh.

Crocolisks. Marsh Skulkers cause Muculent Rot, which lowers Stamina and Spirit, and Tendon Rip slows the target heavily.

Dragonmaw orcs. Saboteurs throw bombs at a spot you can step out of. Warders cast Mortal Strike and Net, a root of 10 seconds. Thaumaturgists cast Immolate and Curse of Weakness and come with a fire elemental: kill the elemental first.

Spiders. Highland Lurkers and Spiders poison their targets. Remove the poison as soon as you can.

Raptors call for help. When one is attacked, the others nearby join in. Clear every pack around a fight, or half the thicket comes running.

Diseases. Infected Wound, Muculent Rot and Highland Venom, from the spiders, which lowers movement speed and damage, are all diseases. A way to cure diseases makes the dungeon much easier.

The bosses

Saltspine

A simple fight once the area around it is clear; it patrols the edge of the lake, so pull it alone. Tendon Rip slows the tank heavily, and Dust Storm lowers the chance to hit of everyone within 10 yards by 25%, so casters keep their distance. Clear a dry spot first and pull it there.

Shadetooth

An unforgiving fight with two Thicket Hunters at his side. Remove their Infected Wound quickly, and crowd control both adds for the whole fight or one while you kill the other. Shadetooth uses Rend and Terrifying Roar, a fear of 5 seconds that easily sends players into the grass: a Tremor Totem or Fear Ward on the tank helps, otherwise clear the grass first. At 20% health he enrages.

Clear the crocolisk cove on the left first and fight there. The Thicket Hunters cannot swim, but do not drag the fight back to the area of the first boss, or it resets.

Highland Horror

An Alliance quest boss without loot of its own: it drops the Horrible Rootcore for Horrors in the Highland. It casts Entangling Roots and Wild Regeneration. The danger is the slimes around it; pull it alone and kill it fast.

Relic Guardian

Start the fight with the Archival Panel on the right of the inactive guardian. The last boss is level 31, so attacks miss more often, and it has a big health pool and heavy hits on the tank. Thunderclap slows everyone within 10 yards, Arcing Smash hits in front of it, Knock Away lowers the tank’s threat, and War Stomp knocks back and stuns everyone near it: ranged players keep their distance. It can be stunned and slowed, and even kited.

What is not known yet

• What the Bloody Map leads to, the reward of Open the Maw.
• When Highland Hides and Prehistoric Prism are fixed: both are bugged on the beta.
• The drop rates of the boss loot, apart from the Titan Relic.