TDMVanillaBoth factions

The Deadmines

Level: 17-26
Zone: Westfall
Duration: ~45 min
Updated: Oct 9, 2026

Overview

The Deadmines (TDM) is the first Alliance dungeon, hidden under the town of Moonbrook in south-western Westfall. It is a long, linear mine full of Defias Brotherhood mobs that ends on a goblin-built ship, with Edwin VanCleef waiting in the cabin. The fights are simple once you know what to expect; the real risk is overpulling in the tight tunnels.

Faction: Both (quests are Alliance-only)
Location: Moonbrook, south-west Westfall
Difficulty: Medium (ends with level 20-26 elites)

Group composition

Any tank works. A shield tank makes the pulls safer, and a Warrior or a Paladin is the safest pick at this level. Bring at least one class with crowd control (Sap or Polymorph) for the humanoid Defias, and a poison dispel helps on the ship.

How to get there

Alliance — From Stormwind, take the road west into Westfall and follow it to Sentinel Hill, then continue south to Moonbrook. The entrance is the Defias Hideout behind the buildings at the south-western edge of town: go down the mine tunnel and the instance portal is at the bottom.

Horde — The Deadmines is deep in Alliance territory. The usual route is to travel to Booty Bay or Grom’gol in Stranglethorn Vale and head north into Westfall, then on to Moonbrook; expect to avoid Alliance players on the way. There are no Horde quests here, so go for the loot and the experience.

Westfall — Map pending — the base image will be added after the first real run.

Route

Route 1 — Map pending — the base image will be added after the first real run.

#gunpowder-doorShortcut
The docks door: gunpowder or a rogue.
Before the ship you reach a locked door. Loot the Defias Gunpowder from the alcove to blast it open, or have a rogue pick the lock. Blasting it is quicker, but it alerts Mr. Smite and sends pirates down to the ramp.
#alliance-questsFaction
Almost every quest here is Alliance-only.
The Deadmines is an Alliance dungeon: Horde groups get no quest rewards, only loot and experience. If you are Horde, plan the trip to Moonbrook in advance.
#cookie-optionalBosses
Cookie is the only optional boss.
Skip him if the group is short on time or levels: the rest of the dungeon does not depend on him. If you do kill him, do it fast so he cannot run into other packs.

Tank tips

First time
The Deadmines is usually your first dungeon as Alliance.
If you are an Alliance tank, the Deadmines is probably the first dungeon you will run, and that makes it harder than it looks: pulling, holding aggro, positioning and talents are all new at once. It is normal to struggle here.
Group management
Tell the group you are new.
Say it at the start: it is your first time tanking and you would like to go slowly. Most players respect that. If someone does not, you are not obliged to put up with it.
Preparation
Almost everything here is humanoid.
Sap and Polymorph work on the Defias, so agree on crowd control and marks before the first pull. The Blackguards on the ship are the pulls that most often go wrong.
Mr. Smite
Clear the whole ramp before Mr. Smite.
There are two stealthed Defias Blackguards at the bottom of the ramp. Kill every pirate and both guards before you engage him: his stun on the group during a messy pull is a common wipe.
Bosses
Cookie is optional.
Skip him if the group is short on time or levels. If you do kill him, burn him fast so he cannot run off and pull extra mobs.

Bosses

Rhahk'Zor(opens on Wowhead in a new tab)

Strategy: First boss of the dungeon. He has a lot of armor and hits hard, and he comes with two Defias Watchmen in his room. Pull the adds away from him if you can, kill them first and then focus Rhahk'Zor.

Abilities

Rhahk'Zor Slam: Hits his target and stuns it for 3 seconds; it can catch you out mid-fight.

Tank notes: Face him away from the group and be ready for the Slam stun: the healer has to keep you alive while you cannot use abilities. Kill the watchmen first so they do not add damage during the stun.

Sneed(opens on Wowhead in a new tab)

Strategy: Two phases. First you fight Sneed's Shredder: it is a machine, so bleed and fire effects do nothing to it, and it fears and slows casts. When the shredder dies, Sneed jumps out on foot and disarms. Clear the Mast Room trash before you start.

Abilities

Eject Sneed: The shredder throws Sneed out on foot; the second phase begins.
Terrify: Fears one group member, who runs and can pull extra packs.
Distracting Pain: Slows the target's casting speed; casters lose time on their spells.
Disarm: Sneed disarms his target for 5 seconds, so the tank loses weapon damage and threat.

Tank notes: Tank the shredder where a fear is least likely to reach other packs, and once Sneed is out be ready to lose your weapon to Disarm: keep a threat lead before it lands and taunt back if the fight drags on.

Gilnid(opens on Wowhead in a new tab)

Strategy: The Smelter holds the Goblin Foundry. The Goblin Engineers before him can summon a Remote-Controlled Golem, so clear the foundry carefully and do not fight Gilnid with the golem still up.

Abilities

Molten Metal: Fire damage over time that roughly halves the target's attack and movement speed for 15 seconds.

Tank notes: Molten Metal slows your attacks, so your threat generation drops while it is up. Build threat before it lands and do not let the golem wander to the healer.

Mr. Smite(opens on Wowhead in a new tab)

Strategy: The First Mate guards the ship ramp. Clear all the pirates on the ramp first: there are two stealthed Defias Blackguards at the bottom that must die before you engage. Mr. Smite stuns the whole group with Smite Stomp at 66% and 33% health and swaps to a heavier weapon each time.

Abilities

Smite Stomp: Stuns everyone nearby, including the tank, so nobody can act for a moment.
Smite Slam: Hits and stuns a single target.
Thrash: Grants him two extra attacks, so his damage comes in spikes.

Tank notes: Keep the group out of the ramp before the pull and save a defensive cooldown for the stomps: while you are stunned you cannot build threat, so have a lead before each one. Face him away and be ready for the weapon change, which hits harder every phase.

Captain Greenskin(opens on Wowhead in a new tab)

Strategy: The ship's captain comes with two adds on the deck. Kill the adds first and then burn Greenskin. His Cleave hits whoever stands next to you, so keep the melee tight behind him and the casters away.

Abilities

Cleave: Frontal attack that also hits the nearest ally; keep the group out of it.
Poisoned Harpoon: Ranged hit plus a nature damage over time; a poison dispel helps the healer.

Tank notes: Face him away from the group so Cleave only hits you, and pull him clear of the patrolling deck mobs. Keep threat high: his poison adds pressure on the healer while you also hold the adds.

Edwin VanCleef(opens on Wowhead in a new tab)

Strategy: The final boss, in the cabin at the top of the ship. Kill Captain Greenskin and clear the deck first, then attack VanCleef: two Defias Blackguards come with him, and he summons another pair at 50% health. Burn the adds before they overwhelm the healer.

Abilities

VanCleef's Allies: Summons a pair of Defias Blackguards, first at the pull and again at 50% health.
Thrash: Grants him two extra attacks, making his melee hit in spikes.

Tank notes: Pick up both Blackguards fast with area threat and keep them on you, not on the healer. Use a defensive cooldown for Thrash and the second add wave; VanCleef hits hard for this level.

Cookie(opens on Wowhead in a new tab)

Strategy: The only optional boss. He is the ship's cook, a murloc in the galley. Kill him quickly or he runs off and can pull more mobs; his self-heal can drag the fight out.

Abilities

Cookie's Cooking: Heals Cookie, so burn him fast or interrupt the heal.
Acid Splash: Nature damage over time to nearby players; a dispel removes it.

Tank notes: Optional. Only fight him if the group wants the loot: pull him away from other packs and kill him fast so he cannot run and bring adds. Dispel Acid Splash off the group if you can.