Delves are a new way to get bite-sized but still worthwhile content in The War Within. Check out this overview to get an idea of how they work.
Delves are a new type of endgame activity in The War Within. Alongside Raids and Mythic+, rewards from Delves will figure in your Great Vault every week.
You can do them solo, or team up with a squad of up to 5. If you have 1-4 players, an NPC will join you. It's the same NPC companion for each season, and they will level up and get stronger and also complement your role. Most importantly, they are fairly short, about 10-20 minutes, and you can do them solo. Ideal if you prefer some low-maintenace gaming.
Check out our overview on Delves in WoW to get a better idea of how they work.
How to unlock Delves in The War Within
Delves will unlock at the beginning of the campaign, so just keep playing The War Within to start them. You will get a full tutorial on how they work and how to use your companion. However, further Tiers need unlocking.
Delves come in difficulties, or Tiers. Initially, you can only do Tiers 1-3. Locate the Delver's Headquarters in Dornogal, the new capital city in The War Within. This is your hub for everything Delve-related, like tracking your progress, unlocking rewards, and buying transmogs with Resonance Crystals.
To get Tier 4 and higher, you need to reach level 80, complete the campaign on at least one character, and have a minimum of ilvl 548 gear in every slot. Then, finish Delves of higher and higher Tiers to unlock them successively, up to 11.
You can't do a high Tier if any of your party members haven't completed it previously, so for example if you have someone who only completed Tier 4 while you've done Tier 7, you can't take them on a Tier 7 Delve.
Tier 8 is what you need for maximum gear rewards, while Tiers past that are mostly for achievements. And glory.
All Delves in The War Within
Isle of Dorn
- Earthcrawl Mines
- Kriegval’s Rest
- Fungal Folly
Hallowfall
- Skittering Breach
- Nightfall Sanctum
- The Sinkhole
- Mycomancer Cavern
The Ringing Deeps
- The Waterworks
- The Dread Pit
Azj-Kahet
- The Spiral Weave
- Tak-Rethan Abyss
- The Underkeep
- Zekvir's Lair
Delve Rewards
The loot will be equivalent to Heroic or Mythic+ at higher levels, and will factor into your Great Vault rewards. There are many rewards exclusive to this activity, too.
- Personal loot that will scale based on the difficulty, up to Mythic +5 keys or Heroic Raid level
- Undercoins, Resonant Crystals, Companion upgrades, quest items, cosmetics, and more
- Great Vault rewards can scale up to Mythic +15 gear
- Weekly world event will grant additional rewards
At level 80, pick up the Bountiful Delves quest to get an extra chest with even greater rewards! You will need a Restored Coffer Key for that, which needs 100 shards collected from various outdoor events and World Quests. Delve locations will switch up so different ones will become Bountiful.
Season 1 Delve Companion: Brann Bronzebeard
Brann Bronzebeard will be your companion for Season 1 in The War Within. He will gain experience and upgrade over time, and you can adjust him to fulfill your needs. Depending on your own class, you have him focus on damage or healing.
View the Explorers' League Supplies to adjust his role and talents. You can find one at the beginning of every Delve and in the middle of them, too, at checkpoints.
You can also further enhance him with Curios: either Combat or Utility ones, to give him additional powers. These also have power levels, 1-4, so you will find upgrades when going into higher Tiers. There is a utility curio that grants a powerful Boon to your party and a bunch of crafting materials, so try that one early on.
That's all you need to know about Delves in The War Within to get started! Get in there and go find some treasures. Don't forget to dig out an awesome SteelSeries gaming headset to sound clearer to your guildmates and immerse deeper into the sounds of Azeroth.
Screenshots and information from Wowhead.com