Several emergency patches later, Blizzard almost has WoW's new solo dungeons figured out

GamesMMOWorld of WarcraftSeveral emergency patches later, Blizzard almost has WoW’s new solo dungeons figured outWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

(Image credit: Blizzard)

World of Warcraft The War Within screenshots

After a whirlwind ofpatches, World of Warcraft: The War Within’s Delves are at least in a more stable spot than they were a week ago. Enemies no longer inexplicably becomeeasierto defeat in groups than they are as a solo player, and the run-ending attacks have been pruned back. Delves are currently the challenging solo alternative to normal dungeons that Blizzard said they would be, but a few nagging problems remain.

After some confusionlast week, Blizzard swooped in and tweaked a number of things in Delves to make them harder for group players than solo players. In fact, it may have made them too hard for groups, which now have to grind through enemies with millions more health and dodge more fatal attacks than you do alone.

And then there’s Brann Bronzebeard, your NPC ally in solo Delves, who remains mouthy and impotent. He’s a bad healer, a bad damage dealer, and a bad shot caller, yelling at you to stay out of poison pools while standing in them at the same time. He’s such a pain that someone went and made anaddonthat puts him on mute.

Plenty of people were relieved that someone did the work to shut him up, but some, like Reddit userRagnarolls, prefer him at full volume: “I appreciate ol' uncle Brann being annoying. Getting into imaginary arguments and rolling my eyes every few seconds really makes the game experience more immersive.”

The real, fundamental problem with Delves is that they still don’t quite fit the identity that Blizzard pitched for them. They aren’t actually the class-agnostic answer to WoW’s dungeons and raids, where tank, healer, and damage dealer roles shape the experience and the queue times. Healers and squishy damage classes have it rough in Delves, while tank players can bash their way through with powerful defensive abilities.

They’re also just legitimately difficult to finish compared to WoW’s long history of easy soloable activities. It’s refreshing to see Blizzard willing to subvert expectations that have been around for almost 20 years, but players seem a little torn on accepting that something could be simply too hard to finish for their particular class or gear level. There are entireReddit threadsof people discussing which classes are the best for Delves. Those who are shackled to the weakest classes are going so far as to swap their specialization mid-run just to survive. “It isn’t fun, but it can be done,” Reddit userdesignerlemonswrote. That sure sounds like a glowing endorsement to me!

All of this is fascinating as someone who has been following Diablo 4’srevivalover the last year. As Blizzard adds new endgame dungeon types that demand different skills than normal dungeons, the concept of a ‘best build’ has been fractured, and now players have to commit to a particular type of activity they want to do. ALightning Spear sorceresscan instantly obliterate waves of enemies in the new Infernal Hordes mode, for example, but struggle to kill bosses in other modes like the Pit. Luckily, Diablo 4 makes it fairly easy to level up secondary characters in a few hours.WoW leveling, however, is much more of a chore.It’s possible that Blizzard will leave Delves as an activity that everyone won’t be equally capable of clearing. We might eventually see tier lists dedicated specifically to classes that are more effective in Delves, which, to me, would be cool for an MMO that’s usually only about how well you fit into a group. It’s also possible that Blizzard finds a way to scale everything perfectly so everyone is happy, but I suspect that’s going to take some time as it works out other kinks, like all the players who can’t seem to find anything butcapesin the treasure chests at the end.

The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals

PRODUCTSWorld of WarcraftWorld of Warcraft: The War Within

PRODUCTS

More about world of warcraftWoW’s finally upgrading its dreaded swirlies so players can actually tell where it’s safe to stand’Game has become mahjong': WoW Classic player installs over 3,600 addons in a bout of eldritch madness, somehow only needs to remove 20 to get it to ‘work’LatestTikTok’s time in the US may be ticking to a close as it makes a last stand in the Supreme Court, though Trump now says he ‘opposes banning’ itSee more latest►

More about world of warcraftWoW’s finally upgrading its dreaded swirlies so players can actually tell where it’s safe to stand’Game has become mahjong’: WoW Classic player installs over 3,600 addons in a bout of eldritch madness, somehow only needs to remove 20 to get it to ‘work’LatestTikTok’s time in the US may be ticking to a close as it makes a last stand in the Supreme Court, though Trump now says he ‘opposes banning’ itSee more latest►

More about world of warcraft

WoW’s finally upgrading its dreaded swirlies so players can actually tell where it’s safe to stand’Game has become mahjong': WoW Classic player installs over 3,600 addons in a bout of eldritch madness, somehow only needs to remove 20 to get it to ‘work’

World of Warcraft

WoW’s finally upgrading its dreaded swirlies so players can actually tell where it’s safe to stand

Believe it or not, this is a screenshot of World of Warcraft Classic, though it’s rendered completely incomprehensible by over 3,600 UI addons.

‘Game has become mahjong’: WoW Classic player installs over 3,600 addons in a bout of eldritch madness, somehow only needs to remove 20 to get it to ‘work’

LatestTikTok’s time in the US may be ticking to a close as it makes a last stand in the Supreme Court, though Trump now says he ‘opposes banning’ itSee more latest►

Latest

TikTok’s time in the US may be ticking to a close as it makes a last stand in the Supreme Court, though Trump now says he ‘opposes banning’ it

A phone displaying the TikTok logo in front of the US flag.

TikTok’s time in the US may be ticking to a close as it makes a last stand in the Supreme Court, though Trump now says he ‘opposes banning’ it

See more latest►

Most PopularToday’s Wordle answer for Friday, January 10We may not have a roadmap or balance patch just yet, but at least Path of Exile 2’s bugfix patch notes are funnyDeus Ex: Mankind Divided writer didn’t like the ending either: ‘Nothing is resolved’It seems like Square’s finally consistently taking the PC ports of Final Fantasy seriouslyLike a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii looks more like a zany RGG take on Black Flag than I dared hopeThe most important tool in Remedy’s new co-op FPS is the shower: ‘Saving water is essential’If you missed it over the holidays, this noir Half-Life 2 mod turns you into a hardboiled detective in Prohibition-era ChicagoPath of Exile 2 players are calling foul on Elon Musk’s high-level hardcore character after he streams his struggles with core game mechanicsAlan Emrich, the game designer and writer who coined the term ‘4X,’ has diedTrack down a missing person in this ‘Geoguessr-inspired detective game’ set on an alien planetOld meets new as classic MMO players worship a famous Vtuber via gifts of bones so she can max out the Prayer skill

Most Popular

Today’s Wordle answer for Friday, January 10

We may not have a roadmap or balance patch just yet, but at least Path of Exile 2’s bugfix patch notes are funny

Deus Ex: Mankind Divided writer didn’t like the ending either: ‘Nothing is resolved’

It seems like Square’s finally consistently taking the PC ports of Final Fantasy seriously

Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii looks more like a zany RGG take on Black Flag than I dared hope

The most important tool in Remedy’s new co-op FPS is the shower: ‘Saving water is essential’

If you missed it over the holidays, this noir Half-Life 2 mod turns you into a hardboiled detective in Prohibition-era Chicago

Path of Exile 2 players are calling foul on Elon Musk’s high-level hardcore character after he streams his struggles with core game mechanics

Alan Emrich, the game designer and writer who coined the term ‘4X,’ has died

Track down a missing person in this ‘Geoguessr-inspired detective game’ set on an alien planet

Old meets new as classic MMO players worship a famous Vtuber via gifts of bones so she can max out the Prayer skill

HARDWARE BUYING GUIDESLATEST GAME REVIEWS1Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads2Best graphics card for laptops: the mobile GPUs I’d want in my next gaming laptop3Best mini PCs in 2025: The compact computers I love the most4Best 14-inch gaming laptop: The top compact gaming laptops I’ve held in these hands5Best Mini-ITX motherboards in 2025: My pick from all the mini mobo marvels I’ve tested1Thank Goodness You’re Here! review: An anarchic treasure trove of jokes and skits2Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island review—like juggling chainsaws on horseback3WD Black SN850X 8 TB NVMe SSD review4Ikea Utespelare desk review5Asus ROG Harpe Ace Mini wireless mouse review

HARDWARE BUYING GUIDESLATEST GAME REVIEWS

1Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads

A bunch of the best Steam Deck accessories on a blue background.

1Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads

Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads

2Best graphics card for laptops: the mobile GPUs I’d want in my next gaming laptop

Best graphics card for laptops: the mobile GPUs I’d want in my next gaming laptop

3Best mini PCs in 2025: The compact computers I love the most

Best mini PCs in 2025: The compact computers I love the most

4Best 14-inch gaming laptop: The top compact gaming laptops I’ve held in these hands

Best 14-inch gaming laptop: The top compact gaming laptops I’ve held in these hands

5Best Mini-ITX motherboards in 2025: My pick from all the mini mobo marvels I’ve tested

Best Mini-ITX motherboards in 2025: My pick from all the mini mobo marvels I’ve tested

1Thank Goodness You’re Here! review: An anarchic treasure trove of jokes and skits

Thank Goodness You’re Here review

1Thank Goodness You’re Here! review: An anarchic treasure trove of jokes and skits

Thank Goodness You’re Here! review: An anarchic treasure trove of jokes and skits

2Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island review—like juggling chainsaws on horseback

Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island review—like juggling chainsaws on horseback

3WD Black SN850X 8 TB NVMe SSD review

WD Black SN850X 8 TB NVMe SSD review

4Ikea Utespelare desk review

Ikea Utespelare desk review

5Asus ROG Harpe Ace Mini wireless mouse review

Asus ROG Harpe Ace Mini wireless mouse review

The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals#

The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals