When visiting the Undercity, players typically head underground past the ruined palace. The surface area, once the heart of Lordaeron, served merely as a brief point of passage, while Sylvanas and her Forsaken claimed the dungeons beneath Lordaeron's royal palace to create the "Undercity." In World of Warcraft: Forever (hereafter Forever), players turn their footsteps back toward the long-overlooked center of Lordaeron.
The ruins of Lordaeron, destroyed by the Scourge A suspicious mist shrouding the home of the Forsaken
Newly introduced in Forever, the Ruins of Lordaeron is a low-level dungeon set in the old city streets above the Undercity. Recommended for levels 15 to 20, it is an ideal destination for Horde players who have finished leveling in Silverpine Forest and the Barrens.
The player's objective is to assist the Forsaken in reclaiming the Ruins of Lordaeron. Although the Forsaken built their capital of Undercity underground, an unholy mist has spread across the ruined streets and graveyard directly above it. Remaining Scourge forces conceal themselves within the mist, and Forsaken scouts point to Necromancer Rath'mael as the source behind it.
In Silverpine Forest, Tabitha Heartweaver tasks players with finding her husband, Edward. Following Arthas's massacre of Lordaeron, her husband had been visiting the Lordaeron graveyard every week in search of their lost son, but he has recently failed to return.
Alongside this quest, the Forsaken Paladin Morbin Lightbane asks players to slay Scourge forces and collect 25 Intact Limbs. Replacement limbs are required to repair the decaying flesh of damaged Forsaken bodies. Players venture into the Ruins of Lordaeron to safeguard the future of the Forsaken and eliminate Rath'mael.
Swarms of spiders infesting the ruins The former Alliance Grand General, Othmar, turned into an Abomination
Upon entering the ruins, players are immediately greeted by swarms of dozens of spiders. The first boss encountered, Witherfang, is also a giant spider. The Forsaken Apothecary Theodore Griffs takes interest in rumors that Witherfang's venom can dissolve even undead flesh. Players extract a sample to bring back to him and press onward.
Exploring the ruins reveals a large Crest of Lordaeron. Alliance players can deliver it to Lady Dina Kennedy in Stormwind, while Horde players can hand it in to Oran Snakewrithe in the Undercity.
Deeper inside, traces of the Scourge grow clearer with skeletal warriors and banshees spawning. The second boss, The Baron, is a massive Abomination, and players later learn through a quest that his head belonged to Othmar, a former Grand General of the Alliance. A follow-up questline tied to this is highly recommended for Horde players to experience firsthand.
Scourge forces making their full appearance Undead including ghouls surge forth from every corner of the ruins
As players continue forward, disturbing the fire inside a specific building's fireplace triggers successive waves of Scourge enemies. Surviving five waves summons the third boss, Viktor the Vile. Behind a statue in the market area, players can also encounter a giant banshee named The Abandoned.
In the central area, a giant ghoul named Bjork appears, accompanied by flesh golems and packs of ghouls. Defeating Bjork grants access to the graveyard, where players finally confront Necromancer Rath'mael, the mastermind behind the crisis.
Upon defeating Rath'mael, who spread the mist to conceal the Scourge, Edward's body can be found in a corner of the graveyard. Returning to Tabitha to inform her of her husband's death completes her quest, but the narrative continues into an Alliance-side questline.
Alliance players can discover a blood-stained letter in the graveyard. Bringing it to the Stormwind Orphanage reveals that Tabitha and Edward's son, Jeremy, survived and was adopted by a woman in Duskwood. His adoptive mother mentions that Jeremy has been mute since the tragedy of Lordaeron, promising to hand him the letter once he recovers. The questline concludes with her words.
As a dungeon built around the slaughter of Lordaeron—one of the pivotal events in the Warcraft franchise—the Ruins of Lordaeron weaves together numerous compelling stories. It leaves players eager to see how Arthas might reappear in Forever, and what steps the Scourge and Forsaken will take next.
