Dire Maul



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 47.

The subregion of Dire Maul plays host to two night elf archaeology dig sites: the Broken Commons Digsite and the Dire Maul Digsite.

History

 * Built twelve thousand years ago by a covert sect of night elf 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.

Dire Maul East
Dire Maul East (aka Warpwood Quarter) 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. 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.

Dire Maul West
Dire Maul West (a.k.a Capital Gardens) 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. Tendris Warpwood, a corrupted Ancient of War, also resides in Dire Maul West. It also guards the door leading from Dire Maul West into Immol'thar's prison, where players can also access The Athenaeum.

Dire Maul North
Dire Maul North (a.k.a Gordok Commons) 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.

Breadcrumb Quests

 * Quest:Adventurers Wanted: Dire Maul Warpwood Quarter
 * Quest:Adventurers Wanted: Dire Maul Capital Gardens
 * Quest:Adventurers Wanted: Northern Dire Maul

Dire Maul East

 * Quest:Saving Warpwood Stand alone quest given by Alliance; Telaron Windflight Horde; Hadoken Swiftstrider
 * Quest:Shards of the Felvine
 * Quest:Alzzin the Wildshaper
 * Quest:Lethtendris's Web
 * Quest:Pusillin the Thief

Dire Maul West

 * Quest:The Highborne Stand alone quest given by Alliance; Telaron Windflight Horde; Hadoken Swiftstrider
 * Quest:The Cursed Remains
 * Quest:The Shen'dralar Ancient
 * Quest:The Warped Defender
 * Quest:The Madness Within
 * Quest:The Treasure of the Shen'dralar

Dire Maul North

 * Quest:Eyes in the Sky Stand alone quest given by Shandris Feathermoon
 * Quest:Ogre in the Field Stand alone quest given by Orhan Ogreblade
 * Quest:A Broken Trap
 * Quest:The Gordok Ogre Suit
 * Quest:The Gordok Taste Test
 * Quest:Unfinished Gordok Business

Strategy guides
Some tips for doing Dire Maul in just one visit:
 * Doing Dire Maul in 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 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 (can be acquired at Level 36).


 * 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:
 * Priest Sets
 * Druid Sets
 * Mage Sets
 * Dusty Tome

Loot
See Dire Maul loot.

Resources
Herbs
 * Ghost Mushroom

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


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).