Wailing Caverns

The Wailing Caverns is a level 15-24 instance located in The Barrens just southwest of the Crossroads. The recommended character level for doing this instance is 18-24 but a lower level group can do fine fighting the monsters outside of the instance. This will prove to be a challenging and rewarding experience for new folks just starting out. Wailing Caverns takes about 100-150 minutes to do a full clear at the appropriate level. The upper end is if you take your time and clear the rooms, the lower range for if you skip every group of mobs you can via mind soothe, or just walking out of aggro range. The zone respawn seems to be about 2 hours, so if you do die you still should have time to get back to where you died at.

External Guides

InfocepterGuide with directions and annotated map

Quests

Here is a list of all Wailing Caverns related quests. Some of these quests have very good item rewards. The experience gained from completing all the quests is significant for characters up to their mid-20s.

Wailing Caverns] Two quests are obtained in a cave just above the entrance to wailing caverns, it can be tricky to make the jump to get inside so you may want to go around to the hill behind the caverns so you can climb up above them. Then it will be easy to drop down to the cavern entrance which will be on the right side when you are facing the oasis. The cave above the entrance also has a leathercrafting vendor who sells two other deviate hide patterns. The three deviate hide recipes require deviate scales and perfect deviate scales that are obtained in the instance and the pre-instance areas in the cave.

Deviate Hides
Rewards: Slick Deviate Leggings or Deviate Hide Pack (10 slot)
Deviate Hides drop off just about any monster with Deviate in the name, it is usually easiest and fastest to do this on mobs outside of the instance in a small group (2-3).

Deviate Eradication
Rewards: Dagmire Gauntlets or Sizzle Stick or Pattern: Deviate Scale Belt
The monsters for this quest are all inside the instance, unless you skip some monsters you shouldn't have any problem finishing this on one complete run.

Ratchet Either Alliance or Horde may take these quests. The rewards are XP and coin only.

Smart Drinks
These drop from any of the slimes you see inside or outside the instance. While doing some of the other outside the instance quests you will proboably finish this as well. Must have done "Raptor Horns" quest in order to qualify.

Trouble at the Docks
Mad Magglish is a stealthed goblin that patrols the cave outside of the instance. A few spots you can usually find him are:
In an alcove to the right shortly after entering the cave
After the shallow water section where you can go 3 ways, either down the left or right path
Also he could be walking between either of these locations or dead and waiting to respawn.

Thunder Bluff

Serpentbloom
Rewards: Apothecary Boots or Apothecary Gloves
This quest involves picking flowers inside the cave leading up to the instance. A small party can do this while doing the Deviate Hides quest. Serpentbloom can be found in the instance as well.

Leaders of the Fang
Rewards: Crescent Staff or Wingblade
This quest is a part of a quest line which begins having you explore the Oasis of the barrens and eventually sends you off to thunderbluff for this quest. It requires you to kill 4 of the major boss monsters in the zone.

Mutanus the Devourer

The Glowing Shard
Rewards: Talbar Mantle or Quagmire Galoshes
This quest begins as a drop off of the last boss of the zone. Sort of another reward for finishing it all.

Note: Thottbot no longer lists this quest. Allakhazam has the quest listed as Alliance only. - Xibalba

Bosses

Bosses are listed in the order you will probably encounter them. Drops are listed from most common to least common.

Lady Anacondra

• Snakeskin Bag (10 slots)
• Belt of the Fang - Leather Waist, 2 Agi / 3 Sta

Lord Cobrahn

• Robe of the Moccasin - Cloth Chest, 2 Str / 2 Sta / 6 Spi
• Cobrahn's Grasp - Mail Waist, 8 Str / 3 Agi
• Leggings of the Fang - Leather Legs, 5 Str / 9 Agi / 4 Sta

Kresh

• Kresh's Back - Shield, Equip: +6 defence

Lord Pythas

• Armor of the Fang - Leather Chest, 2 Str / 7 Spi
• Stinging Viper - Mace, 15.5 dps, Chance on hit: poison 7 dmg every 3 sec for 15 secs.

Skum

• Tail Spike - Dagger, 11.1 dps, 2 Str / 2 Agi
• Glowing Lizardscale Cloak - Back, 6 Agi / 2 Spi

Lord Serpentis

• Savage Trodders - Mail Feet, 6 Sta
• Serpent Gloves - Cloth Hands, 4 Agi / 4 Int
• Footpads of the Fang - Leather Feet, 4 Agi / 4 Sta
• Venomstrike - Bow, 11.5 dps

Verdan the Everliving

• Living Root - Staff, 21.2 dps, 2 Sta / 12 Spi / 5 Nature res.
• Seedcloud Buckler - Shield, 6 Int / 3 Spi
• Sporid Cape - Back, 3 Sta / 2 Spi

Mutanus the Devourer

• Deep Fathom Ring - Finger, 3 Sta / 3 Int / 6 Spi
• Slime-encrusted Pads - Equip: Restores 3 hp every 4 sec
• Mutant Scale Breastplate - Mail Chest, 13 Str / 5 Sta

Rare Spawn Monsters

Boahn

• Brambleweed Leggings
• Boahn's Fang

Deviate Faerie Dragon

• Firebelcher

Trigore the Lasher

• Serpent's Kiss

Item links here seem to be out of synch, like thottbot has renumbered them or something. Mashunit

Item Links updated to be thottbot searches to avoid indexing issues. DeliriumTremens

Item List

Cloth

• Apothecary Boots - Feet
• Talbar Mantle - Shoulders
• Slime Encrusted Pads - Shoulders
• Robe of the Moccasin - Chest
• Apothercary Gloves - Hands
• Serpent Gloves - Hands

Leather

• Rigid Shoulderpads - Shoulders
• Gloves of the Fang - Hands
• Belt of the Fang - Waist
• Armor of the Fang - Chest
• Footpads of the Fang - Feet
• Leggings of the Fang - Legs
• Brambleweed Leggings - Legs
• Slick Deviate Leggings - Legs

Mail

• Dagmire Gauntlets - Hands
• Cobrahn's Grasp - Waist
• Quagmire Galoshes - Feet
• Savage Trodders - Feet
• Mutant Scale Breastplate - Chest

Weapons/Shields/Ranged

• Wingblade - 1H sword
• Stinging Viper - 1H Mace
• Serpent's Kiss - 1H Axe
• Tail Spike - Dagger
• Boahn's Fang - 2H Axe
• Crescent Staff - Staff
• Living Root - Staff
• Venomstrike - Bow
• Sizzle Stick - Wand
• Firebelcher - Wand
• Worn Turtle Shell Shield - Shield
• Kresh's Back - Shield
• Seedcloud Buckler - Shield

Jewelery

• Deep Fathom Ring - Ring

Misc

• Glowing Lizardscale Cloak - Back
• Sporid Cape - Back
• Pattern: Deviate Scale Belt - Leatherworking Plans
• Deviate Hide Pack - 10 slot bag
• Snakeskin Bag - 10 slot bag

Walkthrough

This is a dungeon that many people complain about being confusing. However it is a lot simpler than most people know. First off a quick run through of the cave leading into the instance. This cave located SW of crossroads has most of the quests in it. Deviate Hides, Serpentbloom and Smart Drinks can all be done here, or later in the instance. Trouble at the Docks is only done in the this cave. As you enter the cave the path quickly heads right and then to your left will be a path with a shallow pool of water and 3 paths to choose. To head to the instance just continue down the middle path, however the other 2 paths are frequented by Mad Magglish for the Trouble at the Docks quest so you may want to check those out. Also as you travel through the caves keep your eyes open for serpentbloom a small plant that grows in these caves and in the instance. After following the center path from the shallow pool room you will get to another section with deeper water. There are some Deviate Threshers that will proboably attack you as you swim through it. Then you will enter a large room. This is a great place to run around and kill stuff for your quests and pick serpentbloom. If you just want to goto the instance then just follow the right wall, but look out for the hole in the path.

So now you are in the instance, you will be greeted by a friend Druid of Naralex that will cast Mark of the Wild on you if you talk to him. To get started the first boss is Lady Anacondra. Just head down the path killing the monsters in your way till you come to a large room with a river running through it. Stay on the upper level here above the water and take a left. Anacondra can spawn in a few spots but if you walk around this area you will find her. She can spawn inside any of the 4 circles of torches in this area. Once she is down, jump into the river and walk to the left (left as if you just entered the room). The little river will stop and open into a bigger room that has only one exit. Take that exit and you get to a hill covered with Stalagmites/Stalactites and some big snakes and druids.

First a bit about the druids and their abilities. They can cast Wrath a nature DD, Sleep a mez spell, a nature heal and can shapeshift into giant snakes giving them a good melee boost but taking away casting. You will have trouble getting them to come back to your group, unless you duck behind a corner, column, stalagmite or something similar. Also you can earthshock them as well to interrupt. They can be CCed with Sap or Polymorph. Also the verious beasts and shapeshifted druids can be CCed with hibernate. Using these strategies you shouldn't have any trouble with the pulls in this section.

Ok so you fight your way up this hill and take a left. There aren't really any tricky paths to get in your way, just keep on going and you will eventually get to Lord Cobrahn. You might fight a few large pulls but those should have a few non elite pythons that can easily be dropped by AoE or a rogue while the rest of the groups focuses on elites. Once you kill Cobrahn there is a ledge you can jump out of that will take you back to the starting room next to the river.

Now you need to head down the river going the other way. Along the way you will see Kresh a turtle that sometimes drops a good shield, but usually drops a bad shield. The river will end in a room with some crocs and a path on the other side. You will now goto fighting druids and nature elementals. This path will continue across a short bridge with 4 non-elite plant monsters. They cleave so can be powerfull in melee but die very fast. After that short bridge is a room with a big ledge to the right, just continue on till you get to the first fork in the path. The fork will have a path straight through the water that is the quickest. However if you go left you will still get there, just a tad slower.

Lord Pythas is linked with a druid, and has a wandering elemental that is very near and hard to single pull. You can pull the elemental single by waiting for him to path as far away as possible. Also watch for patrols in the room first to prevent getting adds. There proboably is a slime or 2 and an elemental. Use your CC spells here and the fight will be much easier. After killing pythas keep on moving and following the left wall. You will be in a room with a lot of pillars, take the shortcut going straight right after this instead of turning left. Both ways will get you by however. You will head down to a wet section, and shortly after it come to the pen with Skum in it. Kill his 2 guards and fight him for a chance at a good rogue cloak, or at least a decent dagger. Head on out of this room sticking to the left and you will go through a room that has a lot of wandering mobs. If you want you can sneak past most in the room and almost all if you use mind soothe. After this room there will be a short and easy jump. You can even run off the ledge and land if you do it in the right spot, however if you fall you have a long run to get back.

Now you are in the final stretch, just kill a few mobs while walking up this ledge to Lord Serpentis. You can fight Serpentis solo when he patrols out closest to you. Again like all the Fanglords he is an easy fight. Clear the rest of his room before taking on Verdun. Unlike the fanglords, Verdun is a difficult fight. Good healing power is advised, either a good priest, or a druid/shaman combo. He hits for 200-300 on tank types, so you really don't want to have him attacking the lightly armored types. His attack rate is slow, so if you keep up with heals he shouldn't surprise you much, just heal the tank after every single attack. Once you manage to kill the Everliving you need to return to the start of the zone, luckily they have installed a high dive in the hole right behind Verdun. Jumping in there will take you back to the river section near the beginning.

Head back to the zone in and talk to the Druid of Naralex now that you have killed all the Fanglords and he will go to perform a ritual to wake Naralex. You have a short and easy escort, he will stop at some of the torch circles and some creeps spawn, but nothing should be too difficult. He will even attempt to sleep adds. Just keep an eye on him and peel off any aggro he gets. Eventually he will lead you to Naralex and you have to defend him from a few attacks before Naralex wakes. First you have 3 elite snakes, CC as needed and kill these off. Next you will get 6 or so non elite slimes. AoE if you can, but again it shouldn't be a problem.

Finally in comes Mutanus the Devourer a giant Murloc. He has 2 special attacks a Fear and a Sleep attack. The fear is very short duration and there is nothing nearby to aggro, so it shouldn't cause much problem. The sleep cannot be cancelled by tremor totem so can cause some problems without a priest. However the sleep makes you hostile to your party members, use this to your advantage by having someone hit you to wake you up whenever he puts you to sleep. Remember to loot the item he drops to start the next quest. You need to talk to the goblin in ratchet, then you can turn it in to a Tauren on top of the mountain wailing caverns is in.

Thats it, you've done a full wailing caverns run and it should have taken about 100-150 minutes if you didn't have any wipeouts.