Excavation Site: Wetlands
| Dungeon reference | |
|---|---|
| Zone | Wetlands |
| Range begins | 26 |
| Range ends | 31 |
| Party size | 5 |
| Loot records | Garb of Florid Feathers, Glinteye Slippers, Golemsight Long Gun, Greenhouse blueprint, Raptor's Gaze, Raptorclaw Greaves, Reliquary Mantle, Ring of Power Regulation, Saltscale Girdle, Satchel of Potions, Supple Bellyskin Leggings, Titan Relic |
Excavation Site: Wetlands opened in the October 1 beta update with an announced 26–31 range.[1] Its announced setting lies above Whelgar’s Excavation in Wetlands.[2]
Availability
The opening announcement supersedes this page's September 27 availability note. The older preview listed 24–29.[3] Icy Veins describes 26–33, while Wowhead recommends 26–32.[4][5] These are different source descriptions, not verified door requirements. The infobox uses the newer official announcement. See Beta guide for current testing scope.
Setting and access
Icy Veins places the uphill approach south of Thelgen Rock cavern.[4] Entrance coordinates and mandatory unlock quests remain unverified here.
The Forever client distinguishes the instance (map 2998, area 16732) from an exterior area (17732) in Wetlands.[6][7] The outdoor dig site and the dungeon should therefore be documented separately.
Beta client evidence
The difficulty record supports a five-player capacity (MapDifficulty 6012).[8] This is client configuration, not a report of a completed beta run.
Encounter preparation
The written Icy Veins guide covers three bosses. These are guide-reported tactics, with no exact gameplay build supplied.[4]
| Encounter | Preparation |
|---|---|
| Saltspine | Expect a movement slow on the tank and reduced hit chance near the boss. Ranged players can stand back. |
| Shadetooth | Clear nearby enemies before the fear. Control or defeat his two Thicket Hunters; remove their healing-reduction effect. Save stops for the low-health enrage. |
| Relic Guardian | Activate the Archival Panel on the boss's right. Prepare for tank stuns and knockbacks; keep unnecessary players outside melee Thunderclap. |
Historical client encounter names
The client associates these names with map 2998.[9] They are research leads, not a tested route or a statement that every encounter is mandatory. Mechanics, optional-event conditions and drops need separate evidence.
| Client encounter name | Record ID |
|---|---|
| Saltspine | 3480 |
| Shadetooth | 3481 |
| Highland Horror | 3644 |
| Relic Guardian | 3482 |
Highland Horror also appears in the independently read Horrors in the Highland objective. The four historical client rows and a guide's three-boss presentation describe different evidence; they do not establish a hidden fourth boss or a tested mandatory route.
Quest preparation
The table groups the documented quest chains by faction using the written guide. Follow-ups have their own records and rewards.[10]
| Faction | Quest or chain |
|---|---|
| Horde | Changing Tastes |
| Horde | Dragonmaw Rumors → Open the Maw |
| Horde | Elder Knowledge → Earthen Echo |
| Alliance | Highland Hides |
| Alliance | Songblade Search |
| Alliance | Horrors in the Highland |
| Alliance | Seeking Caitlin → Lost in the Thicket Things → Heartwoven |
| Alliance | Lost Relic Carry → Prehistoric Prism |
Wowhead's written table lists 24 for the dungeon quests and follow-ups.[5] This reported acceptance level is separate from the instance level band; individual articles leave uncertain quest-level fields blank. The arrows show documented connections, not proof that every breadcrumb is compulsory. See the Highland Hides and Seeking Caitlin articles for prerequisite disagreements, and Songblade Search for conflicting pickup coordinates.
Quest reward summaries can describe an entire chain: the individually opened records place the relic-chain gear on Earthen Echo and Prehistoric Prism, and the Alliance Satchel of Potions reward on Heartwoven. See those articles for the exact record citations.
Legacy connection
The client places this dungeon under Novice Spelunker in the Legacy completion criteria (row 230761).[11] Completion rewards and availability should be checked in the active build.
Rewards
| Item | Source | Method | Version | Review |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Garb of Florid Feathers | Dungeon drop (database-listed) | Forever beta tooltip; exact capture build unreported | Source checked | |
| Glinteye Slippers | Dungeon drop (database-listed) | Forever beta tooltip; exact capture build unreported | Source checked | |
| Golemsight Long Gun | Dungeon drop (database-listed) | Forever beta tooltip; exact capture build unreported | Source checked | |
| Greenhouse blueprint | Dungeon drop (database-listed) | Forever beta written records; exact capture build unreported | Source checked | |
| Raptor's Gaze | Dungeon drop (database-listed) | Forever beta tooltip; exact capture build unreported | Source checked | |
| Raptorclaw Greaves | Dungeon drop (database-listed) | Forever beta tooltip; exact capture build unreported | Source checked | |
| Reliquary Mantle | Dungeon drop (database-listed) | Forever beta tooltip; exact capture build unreported | Source checked | |
| Ring of Power Regulation | Dungeon drop (database-listed) | Forever beta tooltip; exact capture build unreported | Source checked | |
| Saltscale Girdle | Dungeon drop (database-listed) | Forever beta tooltip; exact capture build unreported | Source checked | |
| Satchel of Potions | Quest reward | Forever beta written records; exact capture build unreported | Source checked | |
| Supple Bellyskin Leggings | Dungeon drop (database-listed) | Forever beta tooltip; exact capture build unreported | Source checked | |
| Titan Relic | Dungeon drop (database-listed) | Forever beta written records; exact capture build unreported | Source checked |
See Dungeon loot for the evidence needed to connect an item to its source; compare level bands in Dungeons.
Help document this dungeon
Evidence still needed
Build-tagged entrance and entry restrictions; Current encounter observations; Conflicting quest prerequisites and coordinates; Exact reward and drop observations
Record the Forever build, observation date, and a source or screenshot. Update the article and remove only the tasks your evidence resolves.
Sources and scope
The availability and infobox level band come from the October 1 announcement. Written guides and individual Forever records were checked October 8; their exact capture builds are unreported. Historical client records retain their September 27 build labels and are not silently refreshed. No wiki run is claimed, and no gameplay fact is inferred from another WoW edition. No video source was used.
- ↑ Blizzard, October 1 notes.
- ↑ Blizzard, Forever What’s Next written recap, 12 September 2026. Reviewed 27 September 2026.
- ↑ Kaivax, Blizzard, Dungeon level clarification, 15 September 2026.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Neryssa, Icy Veins dungeon guide, updated October 3; reviewed October 8, 2026.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Riyani, Wowhead Forever dungeon guide, updated October 4; reviewed October 8, 2026.
- ↑ Blizzard client table, Map, Forever beta 1.60.1.70009, enUS. Export retrieved and reviewed 27 September 2026.
- ↑ Blizzard client table, AreaTable, Forever beta 1.60.1.70009, enUS. Export retrieved and reviewed 27 September 2026.
- ↑ Blizzard client table, MapDifficulty, Forever beta 1.60.1.70009, enUS. Export retrieved and reviewed 27 September 2026.
- ↑ Blizzard client table, DungeonEncounter, Forever beta 1.60.1.70009, enUS. Matched by MapID. Export retrieved and reviewed 27 September 2026.
- ↑ Neryssa, Icy Veins quest guide, reviewed October 8, 2026; header October 2, changelog October 3.
- ↑ Blizzard client table, CriteriaTree, Forever beta 1.60.1.70009, enUS. Export retrieved and reviewed 27 September 2026.