How to master Delves in World of Warcraft: The War Within

By now, most of us have had a chance to try out Delves, the new solo/small group challenge feature in World of Warcraft: The War Within. So far, the response to this new sort of mini-dungeon has been overwhelmingly positive, especially in comparison to the similar C̶h̶o̶r̶e̶g̶h̶a̶s̶t̶ Torghast feature from World of Warcraft: Shadowlands. Some of us have even tried dipping our toes into higher tier Delves, with mixed results.

If you’re a bit stuck and haven’t yet figured out how to survive your Delves, these tips are for you.

Tip #1: Start low

While you can theoretically jump up to the next tier of Delve as soon as you complete the last one, this may not be the best strategy. When you queue for a Delve, check the recommended item level in the dropdown menu where you select your tier. This number does not have to be considered a hard minimum, as it is possible to complete Delves above your item level with most classes, but you definitely should not be trying a Tier 8 before you’re geared enough for a Tier 7.

Instead, build up your item level by doing Delves at a more comfortable tier first, or in other content such as raids or Heroic/Mythic dungeons. Make sure you are spending your Valorstones and Harbinger Crests on pieces you’re less likely to replace soon, and don’t ignore the gear rewards from quartermasters at certain reputation levels. You should also find out the best stat priority for your spec, or use an addon like Details! to quickly compare your gear before you vendor it.

Starting low will also acclimate you to the Delve’s layout before you have to focus on maximizing your DPS, and give you a feel for which enemies you ought to prioritize first.

Tip #2: Take it slow

Remember that Delves have no timer, and there is no reason to hurry through them. If you’re having trouble, try using crowd control abilities like Polymorph, Sap, or Imprison to pull smaller groups, or simply sit there and wait for your cooldowns to be ready again. You can also step outside to reset your entire instance if your lives drop to zero, so if you absolutely need that Bountiful Coffer to drop good loot, you might consider a fresh start.

There is also no reason to fight everything in the Delve. Defeating empowered groups of enemies might give slightly better loot at the end, but many of these can be bypassed even without stealth. So long as you hit your objectives, you can unlock that end boss—which in some cases is easier to survive than a pack of kobold spellcasters. You can even go back and hunt for treasure after you’ve completed the Delve objectives, if you’re worried about your death count and don’t want to risk any more side trips. (Don’t forget to repair at the Explorers’ League Supplies located beside each respawn point!)

Remember too that reaching the Empowered Restoration Stone near the end of the Delve will grant you an extra life. Don’t be afraid to skip ahead and grab it if you’re running low.

Another thing to consider is that some Delves are inherently easier than others. If there’s one you have down pat and another that’s giving you trouble, you can hold onto your Restored Coffer Keys until the one you like comes up as Bountiful.

Tip #3: Watch your feet

Many Delves involve stuff on the ground which you’ll need to avoid, but one of these can actually be used to your advantage. In Fungarian Delves you will find Sporbits which go off like bombs when they detect movement or are damaged. Since these will injure friend and foe alike, a careful tag-and-kite strategy can clear out entire groups of enemies at once. (Be aware that they will respawn about 15 seconds after they explode.)

Another trick I’ve learned is in Kobold Delves, where you must carry a candle or Air Totem which depletes over time. These can actually be dropped as you begin combat, allowing you to dodge area effect damage without wasting duration. My favorite strategy is to drop my candle at the edge of the next ring of light and give myself even more space to fight in.

Tip #4: Don’t neglect your companion

Brann might seem worse than useless at times, but if you keep him leveled up and choose the right curio abilities, he can actually save your hide multiple times in the same encounter.

First off, make sure that as you explore the Delves you keep an eye out for the Mislaid Curiosities scattered throughout them. These are easier to spot if you toggle Enable Interact Key in your game options. This floating cursor will magnet to nearby interactable objects even if they are partially hidden from view, and you can even grab them with a keypress rather than a mouse click if you prefer. (It’s great for fishing!)

Completing Delves will also grant Brann experience, but be aware that after level 15 he will only gain experience in Bountiful Delves.

As he levels, Brann gains abilities which will make your life easier, such as cleanse and CC breaks. He can also mine, fish, gather herbs, and skin beasts, so make sure he gets a chance to swing next to any nodes and pools you see for a chance at some loot. If you have the Olden Seeker Relic slotted, these will also give you a stat boost which lasts the entirety of the Delve.

Among your Delve rewards, you will find combat and utility curios to upgrade your companion’s arsenal. Be sure to use these curio items to apply them, and then select the ones you want from your companion page.

The current consensus for the best utility curio is the Amorphous Relic, with Olden Seeker Relic, Relic of Sentience, and Streamlined Relic as strong alternates. For your combat curio, choose Porcelain Arrowhead Idol for high damage (substitute Idol of the Final Will if you have it at a higher rank), or Idol of the Earthmother if you’re under-geared and need the survivability boost.

One last question: should Brann be specced as a healer, or a DPS? The answer is, whatever you need him to be at the time. I personally find that there is no instance in which I don’t prefer him as healer, but I’ve been running solo Tier 8s as a Subtlety Rogue since I was ilvl 578, so I need all the help I can get. If you’re at or above the recommended item level, leaving him as DPS is probably ideal, but don’t be afraid to open up your Delves tab (it’s in Group Finder) and swap him over mid-run.

Tip #5: Consider your class

Look, I’m not going to tell you what to play. You know what you’re good at, and whatever that is will probably be what you excel at Delves with.

That said, there are certainly specs and classes which power through them quicker than others. Among the most commonly named are Demonology and Destruction Warlock, Guardian Druid, Retribution Paladin, Beast Mastery Hunter, Windwalker Monk, and Blood Death Knight. Any class with the ability to tank, heal, and DPS at the same time is likely to do well at even low item levels. DPS specialties with high self-heals, such as Shadow Priest, also seem to do well.

For the rest of us, we’re going to need to inspect our utility spells. Crowd control, interrupts, self-healing, and aggro mitigation like Tricks of the Trade or Misdirection will be important here, as will damage reduction cooldowns. Your combat role may also play a big part in what job you assign to your Delve companion. If you struggle, remember that you can repeat lower level Delves as many times as you like for gear, and if your character is truly a one-trick pony, you may want to do yours with a group.

Tip #6: Treat it like the endgame content it is

You wouldn’t go into a Heroic raid without knowing your spec and grabbing a few flasks, so why would you do so in a Delve which drops the same level of gear?

If you’ve never checked out the class guides on Wowhead or Icy Veins, you’re missing out. When I first learned how to put my skills together in a way that maximized damage, I went from being pancaked by main story bosses to soloing elites three at a time. Most of these guides now include a Delve-specific talent tree. These may or may not be optimized for your play style (I’m looking at you, Nimble Flurry), so be sure to tweak as needed.

Gear enchantments are pretty pricey right now, but once you’ve got some pieces that you don’t think you’ll be replacing in ten minutes, you might want to splurge on some. If current-expansion flasks, meals, and temporary weapon buffs like whetstones are out of your reach, I’ll let you in on a little secret—many of the raid items from World of Warcraft: Dragonflight are still usable in The War Within. The reusable Augment Rune I shelled out for last expansion might not hold a candle to the new single-use ones going for 1-2k gold apiece in the Auction House, but it gives me the little bit of edge I need for the low, low price of free.

The two things I absolutely will not Delve without are the Algari Healing Potion and the Cavedweller’s Delight. These instant-use healing items do not share a cooldown, and have saved me more times than I can count. They are usually available at rank 1 or 2 for something much more affordable than the barely-improved rank 3s.

Happy Delving!