With the release of the Dragonflight expansion, eight new have become available for players to explore and defeat. While the Mythic+ season was formatted to use four of these dungeons and then rotate four from previous expansions, all eight are still available to be cleared.

In their normal iteration, four are available while leveling, Ruby Life Pools, Brackenhide Hollow, The Nokhud Offensive, and Uldaman: Legacy of Tyr. Upon reaching level 70, four more become available, Neltharus, The Azure Vault, Halls of Infusion, and Algeth’ar Academy.

We’ve ranked all eight based on difficulty, lore, and design layout to see how whether these dungeons add something to the game or end up being another dungeon to grind. Read on to find out which one is best and why!

8. Brackenhide Hollow

One of the leveling dungeons, this is located in The Azure Span. Thematically, it is a rotting, gnoll dungeon that is close to both alliance and horde flight paths. The bosses are fun, dynamic fights and it is notable for the unique interaction with any alchemists in the party, but there are two major downsides that keep this at the bottom of the list.

The first is if you dungeon ground your way to 70, this was on the list. Which means you are sick of this place, forever. The second part ties into that experience: this place has so many trash mobs and the packs involve some of the most frustrating mechanics Blizzard has ever devised. The tedium of clearing through all that trash over and over will just break your will, and even if you didn’t spend time leveling up in here, it will wear you down pretty quickly.

Dungeon Pros/Cons:

• If you have an alchemist with you, have them periodically cleanse the “Decaying Cauldrons” for a cleanse rot item that can be very handy.
• The boss fights are highly mobile fights, that involve a “PvP fight”, an add control fight, and one where you fight your way out of the stomach of a giant rotting tree. Pretty cool!
• Has trash mobs that are difficult for your tank to survive. Vicious Hyenas reduce healing, and the Claw Fighters deal high damage with a bleed effect. The combination is dangerous.
• Trickclaw Mystics are caster mobs that get empowered by a Rotchanting totem that must be targeted first or it will supercharge the mob.
• Certain mobs will empower nearby allies, making even medium pulls dangerous if you don’t know which targets to focus down first.
• Several “mini-boss” style trash mobs leading up to Treemouth, have much higher health than the average mob and deal an annoying frontal cone disorient
•  Late in the dungeon, you will run into Vile Rothexer mobs that spread diseases. Stay 5 yards away from each other which can be difficult to maintain in a heavy melee group that isn’t paying attention.

Dungeon Rating: 73/100

7. Neltharus

Neltharus is one of the dungeons that become available at level 70. It’s in the Waking Shores, and involves the lore of the sworn enemies of dragonkin, the djardin. It features a lava-themed aesthetic inside which I am particular too (I’m one of those weird people who think classic BRD is cool because of its in-depth development and careful aesthetic design). Much like Brackenhide Hollow, the bosses are fun, but there is quite a bit of trash to clear and this gets old very quickly.

We’ve ranked it slightly ahead of Brackenhide because of the “extra-action button” that is available to your party members that speed things along, the two professions provide bonuses and the fact that there is a secret passageway (always cool).

Dungeon Pros/Cons:

• Two professions have interactive elements in here, including cooking which is available to everybody.
• Having 25+ skill in Blacksmithing will allow you to pick up an Aegis off the first boss, which will help deal lots of damage and clear the rest of the trash out more easily.
• Having 25+ skill in Cooking will unlock a “extra action button” which provides a 50 second speed buff for each player with 3 use charges.
•  Lots of magma ground effects which is thematically appropriate but can destroy group members that aren’t paying attention. If this keeps happening it will make the dungeon even longer since the runbacks take a fair amount of time.
• Much like Brackenhide Hollow, there are mobs that enrage their allies which can lead to wipes very easily if not properly focused, and also features mobs leading up to the last boss that will hit your tanks very hard.
• Plenty of caster mobs that will hit your group very hard if you don’t interrupt their casts. Knowing which ones are a priority and having a group that has a good amount of interrupts is important, especially as you start to up the difficulty level of the dungeon.

Dungeon Score: 79/100

6. Halls of Infusion

An out-of-use, lost-to-history titan facility, this dungeon becomes available at max level. It reminds me slightly of the mall scene from episode 2 of Last of Us and discovering the first forerunner facility in the first Halo all those years ago. Aesthetically and thematically, it is super cool to look at, and for those that love titan lore, it’s another piece to the puzzle.

The boss fights are solid and there aren’t too many packs of trash. The main drawback is based on when you need to run back after dying. It is a very indirect style of dungeon layout which means you have to run quite a bit to not get very far if that makes sense. Of course, this can be avoided by not dying…

Dungeons Pros/Cons:

• If you have a party member with 25+ engineering skills, you can get a powerful “Limited Immortality” buff, which will prevent the next death for each party member. Super strong as it applies to every group member.
• For those with herbalism, you can grant your party members a “Cleansing Spores” buff, which will cure a poison or disease every 5 seconds. Not as strong as the previous buff but still useful.
• The types of mobs are more varied in their appearance and abilities than in the previous two dungeons which do keep things interesting.
• There is a gauntlet that must be run, where you have to dodge incoming swirls of water as you simultaneously fight your way across a bridge. It is much more interesting than most trash packs.
• The runback is frustrating if you die…so don’t die.
• The last boss is the most interesting fight, with you and your group members dodging huge ice attacks behind walls that will melt away throughout the fight. It is the most interesting boss fight in the instance, the others are just pretty average.

Dungeon Score: 81/100

5. Uldaman: Legacy of Tyr

This sneaks our way into number thanks to a heavy dose of nostalgia. A much more streamlined and smaller remake of the classic dungeon Uldaman, this has fun boss fights and not too much trash. The lore is important and related to titans which is always cool. Somehow it being a remake of an old dungeon is both what makes it cool, and holds it back from making the top half of this list.

Dungeons Pros/Cons:

• For the most part, the boss fights have been reimaged in a fun way, dwarves in a gunship for example.
• The original Uldaman was the first extended look at Titan lore in Vanilla WoW, but it was a huge instance. This is a much more compact version that fits modern WoW.
• The way is designed is great for large pulls, making this dungeon pretty fast.
•  Has 5 bosses, the most of any dungeon
• They did remove the old Indiana Jones-style role-play before one of the bosses which was really cool.
• Nostalgia cuts both ways, either this dungeon can be a fun flash from the past or a tedious reminder of how many times you’ve run Uldaman.

Dungeon Score: 85/100

4. Ruby Life Pools

Ruby Life Pools is a dungeon available as you level. It got a bad rap as one of the most difficult Mythic+ dungeons to complete at the beginning of Dragonflight, with horror stories of hour-long completions circulating. We are not ranking these based just on Mythic+ however, and thanks to tuning and increased knowledge/gear this dungeon has made it into the top half of our list.

Dungeon Pros/Cons:

• As the ancestral nesting ground for all the dragon flights, this is a pretty important part of the Dragon Isles lore(and the future), for those that are into that.
• Only 3 bosses, but there is much less trash than in the previously mentioned dungeons. This means it can be a short/fast run for additional experience if you’re leveling or if you don’t have that much time and want to squeeze in a Heroic or Mythic+.
• The first two bosses are pretty standard fights but the last boss is an extremely volatile fight with all the elements swirling around you with lots of interaction between the different mechanics that cause new mechanics to avoid. Fun at lower difficulties, can still feel super difficult at higher Mythic+ keystones.
•  Features a checkpoint after killing the first boss, speeding up the time it takes to get back and start pulling again if your group wipes.

Dungeon Score: 88/100

3. Algeth’ar Academy

The academy is a dungeon that you unlock when you hit max level. It is a super fun, light-hearted dungeon that doesn’t take itself too seriously and is a great fit between the previous and the next dungeon, both of which are very intense story-wise. This is the magic school of the dragons, there is very little trash, has one of the more unique boss fights in the expansion, and a compact design that gets you in and out.

Dungeon Pros/Cons:

• Each party member can talk to one of the schools of magic to get a buff to one of their stats.
• The way you move around from area to area is with fun air jumps.
• Depending on how you do the dungeon, the 2nd or 3rd boss, Crawth, in which you play a version of Quidditch to get buffs but will also summon additional mechanics to be avoided. You can choose how you want to “play” it to get different buffs/mechanics.
• This is a light-hearted dungeon that doesn’t have you killing a bad guy or anything, it’s just good fun, turn the ambiance and sound up.
• The most dangerous part of the dungeon is the first mob packs that can disorient/stun your tank leading to a random instant death, I swear it happens once per run.

Dungeon Score: 91/100

2. The Azure Vault

This is an intense one. Unlocked at max level it takes us through the story Sindragosa and one of her children. The RP is pretty intense and worth a listen as the actress who voices Sindragosa did a great job. It is a long, winding dungeon that is very cool aesthetically thanks to the association with the magical Blue Dragonflight. These qualities make up for some tricky dungeon pathing which can get confusing but overall, especially because this is such a huge part of WoW lore, The Azure Vault comes in at number two on this list.

Dungeon Pros/Cons:

• Great ambiance and lore explanation, Sindragosa is a major character in WoW’s history so it’s great to see this get the attention it deserves.
• There is a pretty unique bonus available for those who have an Inscription skill of 25+, or if you have a Dracthyr in your party. There are two Tomes in the dungeon that will grant you a “trap”. Place it on the ground and when mobs run through, they will get polymorphed except that you can actually damage them (quite a bit) before it breaks. Use it on especially difficult packs.
• It has a fun “magical” vibe, with tomes available that grant 1-minute random buffs, conjured enemies, traps, and a magical teleportation system.
• The one downside is that the is dungeon can get confusing for players, especially newer ones. Explaining to someone how to move around via the Tomes of Teleportation can get a little old after the 10th time.
• There are some tricky trash mechanics that will heavily punish those who don’t know them or don’t learn them. One example is Erratic Growth which will turn a party member into a sapling. It can be dispelled but if it is, it will turn all nearby party members into saplings as well. If you don’t keep your distance or understand your party members positioning it can get out of control quickly.

Dungeon Score: 94/100

1. The Nokhud Offensive

Number 1 on the list, The Nokhud Offensive. Available while leveling, the whole zone of Ohn’ahran Plains becomes the instance. It’s the only dungeon where Dragonriding is allowed. I’m particularly partial to plains-esque zones and this is no exception. There is plenty of elemental and spiritual magic going on. The boss fights are engaging, it’s gorgeous and you can move around quickly. Thanks to these aspects, we’ve ranked this dungeon as the best Dragonflight dungeon in the game.

Dungeon Pros/Cons:

• Dragonriding! Also features tornadoes throughout the map that helps you fly even faster.
• Can choose which order you want to kill the first three bosses in before you unlock the last.
• Visually exciting boss fights featuring elemental and spiritual magic.
• The damage can get very high as you move up the difficulty level for Mythic+ keystones. It’s super important that everyone in the group knows the mechanics of the boss fights as they are very interactive, otherwise, you will spend a lot of time dying.
• Near the last boss there is a debuff that will appear that will knock you off your dragon mount. Get low to the ground so you don’t die when you get knocked off.

Dungeon Score: 95/100

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