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Excavation Site: Wetlands

DungeonLevels 26–315 playersNew in Forever

Dungeon Quests, Map, Bosses & Entrance

Dwarven pickaxes cracked the Wetlands mud and stirred an unforgiving ancient custodian. A level 26–31 dungeon into the Lost Marsh and Site of the Guardian.

Wetlands
Wetlands world map artExcavation Site: Wetlands interior terrain map
Menethil Harbor, Wetlands
Excavation Site: Wetlands entrance47.9, 56.5
—
The external map shows the Excavation Site: Wetlands entrance in Wetlands at 47.9, 56.5. The interior map shows the dungeon inside.
Level
26+
Group Size
5
Bosses
4
Quests
13
Location
Wetlands
Continent
Eastern Kingdoms

About Excavation Site: Wetlands

The dwarves at Whelgar's Excavation set out looking for prehistoric fossils and lost tablets of will, but they drastically underestimated the Wetlands' hostility toward a dry pair of boots. From the beginning, the expedition was a monument to dwarven stubbornness: relentless downpours caved in the trenches, packs of speckled raptors treated the camp like an all-you-can-eat buffet, and Prospector Whelgar’s crew kept right on swinging their pickaxes into the hillside—until they broke through the water table into masonry far older, and far more lethal, than old lizard bones.

Tumbling down through the cracked strata, the resulting dungeon descent is anything but dignified. Parties must first fight through the overrun surface camp at the Lost Dig Site and carve a path through the feral ambush inside Stalker's Thicket. Then comes the real trial: the Lost Marsh, a cavernous, pitch-black subterranean bog where the stagnant water rises past your belt. In the murky gloom, half the fight is telling whether that silhouette drifting through the reeds is waterlogged driftwood, the ancient crocolisk Saltspine, or Shadetooth’s hungry pack maneuvering for a flank.

Should your group make it across the mire without drowning or becoming dinner for the Highland Horror, the footing finally climbs out of the water onto dry, cyclopean stonework. Looming in the cavern's heart is an entrance unrecorded in Ironforge's finest archives: the Site of the Guardian. As it happens, whoever built this vault left no guest book—and the tireless Relic Guardian waiting within has spent several millennia looking for an excuse to throw mud-covered intruders right back up the shaft.

First Run

  • Tucked into the rocky ridges behind Whelgar's Excavation Site in eastern Wetlands. The meeting stone sits near 52, 64, a short walk down the path from the entrance. Alliance can take the main roadway east straight from Menethil Harbor; Horde players can ride south from Hammerfall in Arathi Highlands across Thandol Span.
  • Built for levels 26 to 31. Saltspine and Shadetooth drop gear you can wear from level 26, and Relic Guardian's drops ask for level 28, so a group in the upper half of that range sees every upgrade at once.
  • Navigating the waist-deep waters of the Lost Marsh severely degrades line-of-sight and invites sneaky patrol adds. Pull packs backward onto dry stone ledges before bursting them down.
  • Shadetooth fights alongside two raptors, and every one of them can leave Infected Wound on you, which raises the Physical damage you take for five minutes. Stealth raptors wait in the tall grass of Stalker's Thicket and an area fear ends in 4.3 seconds, so keep the pack away from the thicket's edge and bring a Tremor Totem or fear ward if your group has one.
  • Relic Guardian stands inert until someone presses the console on the right side of its platform. Heal up and set your buffs before you press it. Once awake it uses an area stun and Thunderclap, so keep tank cooldowns ready and watch the stun when you stack on it.

Veteran Notes

  • The main route has three bosses in order: the crocolisk Saltspine, the raptor leader Shadetooth, and the ancient construct Relic Guardian. Highland Horror is the fourth encounter in the client's list and sits off that route.
  • The dungeon is entered through its portal near Whelgar's Excavation Site, with no key and no attunement. Alliance and Horde five-man groups can both go straight in.
  • Relic Guardian drops Titan Relic, which starts a delivery quest. Alliance players follow it to Ironforge and Horde players to Thunder Bluff, where the reward is a choice of the two-handed mace Heavehammer, the staff Healer's Staff, or a faction cloak: Explorer's League Dustcover for the Alliance, Furs of the Earthen Ring for the Horde.

Changes in Forever

  • A Dungeon for the Wetlands. Classic never gave the Wetlands an instance of its own, so groups in the mid-twenties had to travel to the Stockade in Stormwind or Shadowfang Keep in Silverpine. Excavation Site puts a five-player dungeon a short ride from Menethil Harbor.
  • Faction-Specific Turn-Ins. The Titan Relic quest ends in a different city for each faction, with a cloak reward that follows the Alliance or Horde side, so the same dungeon pays out differently depending on who you queue with.

Excavation Site: Wetlands Route & Boss Strategy

Excavation Site: Wetlands opens as a marsh and ends at a titan vault: water, then a raptor thicket, then the construct that guards the relic. Three bosses stand on the main route and a fourth sits off it. The thicket is the hard part, because its raptors hide in the grass and its boss fears the group into them. A party in the upper twenties clears it in about forty minutes.

  1. The Lost Marsh

    • The first stretch is waist-deep water that hides patrols and blocks line of sight. Pull each pack back onto the dry stone ledges and fight there.
    • Horde players on Open the Maw kill the Dragonmaw forces they meet inside. Alliance players look for Ardin Grassman and Daewyn Songblade for their two search quests.

  2. Saltspine

    Boss
    Dust Storm
    Cuts hit chance by 25 percent for everyone in melee range of him.
    Tendon Rip
    Slows the tank's movement.
    • The crocolisk lies in a lake on the route. Anyone who does not need to be in melee stays out of the Dust Storm.
    • Otherwise a plain tank fight.

  3. Stalker's Thicket

    • Raptors wait in stealth in the tall grass around Shadetooth. Walk the edges and clear them before the boss, bush by bush.
    • Horde players collect Thicket Raptor Meat here for Changing Tastes.

  4. Shadetooth

    Boss
    Fear
    Sends the group running for a few seconds.
    Rend
    A heavy bleed on the tank.
    Infected Wound
    Applied by him and his raptors: raises the Physical damage its target takes for five minutes.
    Enrage
    He hits harder below 30 percent health.
    • The hardest fight of the dungeon. Pull him back to the crocolisk den you cleared on the way in, well away from the edge of the thicket, so the fear has nothing to run into.
    • Two Thicket Hunters come with him. Kill them first unless you can control them.
    • Save stuns for the enrage, and bring a Tremor Totem or a fear ward if the group has one.

  5. Highland Horror

    Optional
    • The fourth encounter stands off the main route. Alliance players need its root core for Horrors in the Highland; other groups can leave it.

  6. Relic Guardian

    Boss
    Thunderclap
    Damages and heavily slows everyone near it.
    Knockback and stun
    Repeatedly throws and stuns the tank.
    • The construct stands inert on its platform until someone presses the Archival Panel on its right. Heal to full and set buffs first.
    • Everyone who does not need to be in melee stays out of Thunderclap range. Stuns and other control work on it, so use them when the tank is in trouble.
    • It drops the Titan Relic, which starts a delivery quest for each faction.

Excavation Site: Wetlands Quests

Pick up 9 quests before you head in; the other 4 start inside, so you can grab them along the way.

Pick Up Before You Enter 9

Their quest givers are outside the dungeon. Pick them up before you enter so every kill and drop on the run counts toward them.

Changing Tastes

Accept at level 24HordePick up firstEnter the Excavation Site in the Wetlands and bring back Thicket Raptor Meat.Pick up fromBorstanOrgrimmar57.2, 53.3
Quest details
Rewards3,150 XPRecipe: Twice-Spiced Raptor SliceTwice-Spiced Raptor SliceChoose 1 of 2Satchel of PotionsSerrated Raptor Claw
Accept at level
24
Quest level
31
Where it starts
Outside the dungeon: pick it up first
Objectives
  • Thicket Raptor Meat ×4
How to Complete It
  1. Pick up first
  2. Complete
    Enter the Excavation Site in the Wetlands and bring back Thicket Raptor Meat.

Dragonmaw Rumors

Accept at level 24HordePick up firstChain 1/2Travel to the Wetlands and meet the Deathstalker Agent in the hills above the Dragonmaw camp.Pick up fromZarukArathi Highlands74.5, 35.6
Quest details
Rewards250 XP
Quest chainStarts a 2-step chainShow all 2 stepsHide steps
  1. This questDragonmaw RumorsLevel 31 · ZarukArathi Highlands74.5, 35.6
  2. Next · Step 2Open the MawLevel 31 · Deathstalker AgentWetlands
Accept at level
24
Quest level
31
Where it starts
Outside the dungeon: pick it up first
How to Complete It
  1. Pick up first
  2. Complete
    Travel to the Wetlands and meet the Deathstalker Agent in the hills above the Dragonmaw camp.

Earthen Echo

Accept at level 24HordePick up firstChain 2/2Bring the Titan Relic to Muln Earthfury at the Skywatcher Plateau in northwest Mulgore.Pick up fromBashana RunetotemThunder Bluff71.1, 34.2
Quest details
Rewards3,150 XP6000Choose 1 of 3HeavehammerHealer's StaffFurs of the Earthen Ring
Quest chainStep 2 of a 2-step chainShow all 2 stepsHide steps
  1. Step 1Elder KnowledgeLevel 31 · ItemStarts from a looted itemTitan Relic
  2. This questEarthen EchoLevel 31 · Bashana RunetotemThunder Bluff71.1, 34.2
Accept at level
24
Quest level
31
Where it starts
Outside the dungeon: pick it up first
Objectives
  • Titan Relic
How to Complete It
  1. Pick up first
  2. Complete
    Bring the Titan Relic to Muln Earthfury at the Skywatcher Plateau in northwest Mulgore.

Horrors in the Highland

Accept at level 24AlliancePick up firstChain 4/4Kill a Highland Horror in the Excavation Site and bring its root core to Rethiel the Greenwarden.Pick up fromRethiel the GreenwardenWetlands56.4, 40.4
Quest details
Rewards3,150 XPChoose 1 of 3Ironwood DestroyerCurl of LifeHornbeam Heft
Quest chainStep 4 of a 4-step chainShow all 4 stepsHide steps
  1. Step 1Tramping PawsLevel 21 · Rethiel the GreenwardenWetlands56.4, 40.4
  2. Step 2Fire TabooLevel 23 · Rethiel the GreenwardenWetlands56.4, 40.4
  3. Step 3Blisters on The LandLevel 26 · Rethiel the GreenwardenWetlands56.4, 40.4
  4. This questHorrors in the HighlandLevel 31 · Rethiel the GreenwardenWetlands56.4, 40.4
Accept at level
24
Quest level
31
Where it starts
Outside the dungeon: pick it up first
Objectives
  • Horrible Rootcore
How to Complete It
  1. Pick up first
  2. Complete
    Kill a Highland Horror in the Excavation Site and bring its root core to Rethiel the Greenwarden.

Lost in the Thicket Things

Accept at level 24AlliancePick up firstChain 2/3Find Ardin Grassman in the Excavation Site.Pick up fromCaitlin GrassmanWetlands11.9, 58.8
Quest details
Rewards2,500 XP
Quest chainStep 2 of a 3-step chainShow all 3 stepsHide steps
  1. Step 1Seeking CaitlinLevel 31 · LlanaAshenvale35.0, 48.5
  2. This questLost in the Thicket ThingsLevel 31 · Caitlin GrassmanWetlands11.9, 58.8
  3. Next · Step 3HeartwovenLevel 31 · Ardin GrassmanInside Excavation Site: Wetlands
Accept at level
24
Quest level
31
Where it starts
Outside the dungeon: pick it up first
Objectives
  • Learn what happened to Ardin Grassman
How to Complete It
  1. Pick up first
  2. Complete
    Find Ardin Grassman in the Excavation Site.

Open the Maw

Accept at level 24HordePick up firstChain 2/2Slay the Dragonmaw forces within the Excavation Site and return to the Deathstalker Agent outside with anything you recover.Pick up fromDeathstalker AgentWetlands
Quest details
Rewards3,150 XPBloody MapChoose 1 of 2Knife-Polishing RagDirt-Heavy Bracers
Quest chainStep 2 of a 2-step chainShow all 2 stepsHide steps
  1. Step 1Dragonmaw RumorsLevel 31 · ZarukArathi Highlands74.5, 35.6
  2. This questOpen the MawLevel 31 · Deathstalker AgentWetlands
Accept at level
24
Quest level
31
Where it starts
Outside the dungeon: pick it up first
Objectives
  • Dragonmaw Saboteur slain ×2
  • Dragonmaw Warder slain ×4
  • Dragonmaw Dispatch
How to Complete It
  1. Pick up first
  2. Complete
    Slay the Dragonmaw forces within the Excavation Site and return to the Deathstalker Agent outside with anything you recover.

Prehistoric Prism

Accept at level 24AlliancePick up firstChain 2/2Bring the Titan Relic to High Explorer Magellas in Ironforge's Hall of Explorers.Pick up fromProspector WhelgarWetlands38.8, 52.4
Quest details
Rewards3,150 XP6000Choose 1 of 3Explorer's League DustcoverHealer's StaffHeavehammer
Quest chainStep 2 of a 2-step chainShow all 2 stepsHide steps
  1. Step 1Lost Relic CarryLevel 31 · ItemStarts from a looted itemTitan Relic
  2. This questPrehistoric PrismLevel 31 · Prospector WhelgarWetlands38.8, 52.4
Accept at level
24
Quest level
31
Where it starts
Outside the dungeon: pick it up first
Objectives
  • Titan Relic
How to Complete It
  1. Pick up first
  2. Complete
    Bring the Titan Relic to High Explorer Magellas in Ironforge's Hall of Explorers.

Seeking Caitlin

Accept at level 24AlliancePick up firstChain 1/3Speak with Caitlin Grassman in Menethil Harbor.Pick up fromLlanaAshenvale35.0, 48.5
Quest details
Rewards630 XP
Quest chainStarts a 3-step chainShow all 3 stepsHide steps
  1. This questSeeking CaitlinLevel 31 · LlanaAshenvale35.0, 48.5
  2. Next · Step 2Lost in the Thicket ThingsLevel 31 · Caitlin GrassmanWetlands11.9, 58.8
  3. Next · Step 3HeartwovenLevel 31 · Ardin GrassmanInside Excavation Site: Wetlands
Accept at level
24
Quest level
31
Where it starts
Outside the dungeon: pick it up first
How to Complete It
  1. Pick up first
  2. Complete
    Speak with Caitlin Grassman in Menethil Harbor.

Songblade Search

Accept at level 24AlliancePick up firstChain 1/2Look for Dorin Songblade's brother, Daewyn, in Whelgar's Excavation Site.Pick up fromDorin SongbladeRedridge Mountains25.7, 46.4
Quest details
Rewards3,150 XP
Quest chainStarts a 2-step chainShow all 2 stepsHide steps
  1. This questSongblade SearchLevel 31 · Dorin SongbladeRedridge Mountains25.7, 46.4
  2. Next · Step 2Fallen in the FenLevel 31 · Daewyn SongbladeInside Excavation Site: Wetlands
Accept at level
24
Quest level
31
Where it starts
Outside the dungeon: pick it up first
How to Complete It
  1. Pick up first
  2. Complete
    Look for Dorin Songblade's brother, Daewyn, in Whelgar's Excavation Site.

Starts Inside the Dungeon 4

Nothing to prepare: an NPC inside hands these out, or an item you loot starts them along the way.

Elder Knowledge

Accept at level 24HordeItem starts itChain 1/2Take the Titan Relic to the Elder Rise in Thunder Bluff and look for someone who can tell you more about it.Use itemTitan RelicStarts from a looted itemTitan Relic
Quest details
Rewards630 XP
Quest chainStarts a 2-step chainShow all 2 stepsHide steps
  1. This questElder KnowledgeLevel 31 · ItemStarts from a looted itemTitan Relic
  2. Next · Step 2Earthen EchoLevel 31 · Bashana RunetotemThunder Bluff71.1, 34.2
Accept at level
24
Quest level
31
Where it starts
An item starts it: Titan Relic
Objectives
  • Titan Relic
How to Complete It
  1. Use item
    Titan Relic
  2. Complete
    Take the Titan Relic to the Elder Rise in Thunder Bluff and look for someone who can tell you more about it.

Fallen in the Fen

Accept at level 24AllianceStarts insideChain 2/2Return to Dorin Songblade.Pick up fromDaewyn SongbladeInside Excavation Site: Wetlands
Quest details
Rewards3,150 XPChoose 1 of 2Daewyn's GirdleSongblade Stabilizer
Quest chainStep 2 of a 2-step chainShow all 2 stepsHide steps
  1. Step 1Songblade SearchLevel 31 · Dorin SongbladeRedridge Mountains25.7, 46.4
  2. This questFallen in the FenLevel 31 · Daewyn SongbladeInside Excavation Site: Wetlands
Accept at level
24
Quest level
31
Where it starts
Inside the dungeon
How to Complete It
  1. Pick up inside
  2. Complete
    Return to Dorin Songblade.

Heartwoven

Accept at level 24AllianceStarts insideChain 3/3Return to Caitlin Grassman in Menethil Harbor.Pick up fromArdin GrassmanInside Excavation Site: Wetlands
Quest details
Rewards3,150 XPSwiftness PotionSatchel of PotionsChoose 1 of 2Greater Healing PotionMana Potion
Quest chainStep 3 of a 3-step chainShow all 3 stepsHide steps
  1. Step 1Seeking CaitlinLevel 31 · LlanaAshenvale35.0, 48.5
  2. Step 2Lost in the Thicket ThingsLevel 31 · Caitlin GrassmanWetlands11.9, 58.8
  3. This questHeartwovenLevel 31 · Ardin GrassmanInside Excavation Site: Wetlands
Accept at level
24
Quest level
31
Where it starts
Inside the dungeon
Objectives
  • Reed-woven Heart (provided)
How to Complete It
  1. Pick up inside
  2. Complete
    Return to Caitlin Grassman in Menethil Harbor.

Lost Relic Carry

Accept at level 24AllianceItem starts itChain 1/2Bring the Titan Relic to Prospector Whelgar in the Wetlands excavation site.Use itemTitan RelicStarts from a looted itemTitan Relic
Quest details
Rewards630 XP
Quest chainStarts a 2-step chainShow all 2 stepsHide steps
  1. This questLost Relic CarryLevel 31 · ItemStarts from a looted itemTitan Relic
  2. Next · Step 2Prehistoric PrismLevel 31 · Prospector WhelgarWetlands38.8, 52.4
Accept at level
24
Quest level
31
Where it starts
An item starts it: Titan Relic
Objectives
  • Titan Relic
How to Complete It
  1. Use item
    Titan Relic
  2. Complete
    Bring the Titan Relic to Prospector Whelgar in the Wetlands excavation site.

Leads Here from Outside 1

The quests that point you to this dungeon or wrap up the story afterwards. Fit them in around your run to finish each chain.

Highland Hides

Accept at level 24AlliancePick up firstReturn 4 Thicket Raptor Hides to James Halloran, the tanner, in Menethil Harbor.Pick up fromJames HalloranWetlands8.6, 55.7
Quest details
Rewards1,150 XP
Accept at level
24
Quest level
28
Where it starts
Outside the dungeon: pick it up first
Objectives
  • Thicket Raptor Hide ×4
How to Complete It
  1. Pick up first
  2. Complete
    Return 4 Thicket Raptor Hides to James Halloran, the tanner, in Menethil Harbor.

Excavation Site: Wetlands Bosses & Loot

4 bosses wait in Excavation Site: Wetlands.

  1. 01
    Saltspine
    • Saltscale Girdle
    • Supple Bellyskin Leggings
    • Glinteye Slippers
  2. 02
    Shadetooth
    • Raptorclaw Greaves
    • Raptor's Gaze
    • Garb of Florid Feathers
  3. 03
    Highland Horror
  4. 04
    Relic Guardian
    • Golemsight Long Gun
    • Reliquary Mantle
    • Ring of Power Regulation
    • Titan Relic

Where Is the Excavation Site: Wetlands Entrance?

  1. ContinentEastern Kingdoms
  2. ZoneWetlands Levels 20–30 · Contested territory
  3. Nearest flight pathMenethil Harbor, Wetlands Alliance · 9.5, 59.7
  4. Entrance47.9, 56.5

Excavation Site: Wetlands Common Questions

Where is the Excavation Site: Wetlands entrance in WoW Forever?

The Excavation Site: Wetlands entrance is in Wetlands at 47.9, 56.5 on Eastern Kingdoms. The nearest flight path is Menethil Harbor at 9.5, 59.7.

What level do you need for Excavation Site: Wetlands?

Excavation Site: Wetlands is a 5-player dungeon for level 26–31 characters. The surrounding zone, Wetlands, is levels 20–30.

How many bosses are in Excavation Site: Wetlands?

Excavation Site: Wetlands has 4 bosses: Saltspine, Shadetooth, Highland Horror, Relic Guardian. The boss list on this page shows each one's loot.

What quests are there for Excavation Site: Wetlands?

This page lists 13 Excavation Site: Wetlands quests, including Changing Tastes, Dragonmaw Rumors, Earthen Echo and Elder Knowledge. 9 of them must be picked up before you enter, and 4 start inside; 1 more lead-in quests point you here from outside.

Is Excavation Site: Wetlands new in WoW Forever?

Yes. Excavation Site: Wetlands is a dungeon added in WoW Forever and is not in Classic Era. This guide is built from the Forever beta client.

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