Excavation Site Guide: WoW Forever Wetlands Dungeon

Excavation Site: Wetlands is WoW Forever's new level 24–29 dungeon, on a hill above Whelgar's Excavation that earlier Classic versions never let you reach. In Blizzard's overview, a strange mist drifts down from the mountains, light flashes on the horizon, and past the dig site lies "a place seemingly frozen in time" where titan constructs and dangerous wildlife guard something that has awakened.

It is short, with three bosses, but it is not easy. Raptors hide in the tall grass, the second boss fears you into them, and the last boss is level 31. This guide covers the entrance, every quest for both factions, how to handle the grass, the bosses and the loot. We used Wowhead's Excavation Site guide, GameSpot's Excavation Site guide and the Warcraft Wiki entry, checked on 4 November 2026.

Excavation Site at a glance

Level range	24–29 (Blizzard); Wowhead recommends 26–32
Group size	5 players
Location	Wetlands, near Thelgen Rock and Dun Algaz, above Whelgar's Excavation
Bosses	3: Saltspine, Shadetooth, Relic Guardian (level 31)
Quests	8 Alliance, 4 Horde
Wipe recovery	Long. The zone's only graveyard is across half of the Wetlands

Wowhead's quest difficulty rating: hard at 22, medium at 24, at level from 26, easy at 29.

How to get there

New roads lead up the hill to the meeting stone and entrance.

• Alliance: from Menethil Harbor, which now has a boat connection to Stormwind via Auberdine, or on foot through Loch Modan. Most Alliance players will already have the Wetlands flight path by this level.
• Horde: a longer walk through Hillsbrad Foothills and Arathi Highlands. Wowhead suggests picking up the Tarren Mill and Hammerfall flight paths on the way.

Wipes are expensive. Wowhead points out that the Wetlands has only one graveyard, the one anyone who made the old Teldrassil-to-Ironforge run will remember. A full wipe means running across half the zone, so play it safe on the second boss.

Excavation Site quests

Alliance

Quest	Starts	Objective	Reward choice
Highland Hides	James Halloran, Menethil Harbor	Bring 4 Thicket Raptor Hides	XP, silver, Stormwind reputation
Horrors in the Highland	Rethiel the Greenwarden, Wetlands	Bring the Horrible Rootcore from a Highland Horror	Ironwood Destroyer, Curl of Life or Hornbeam Heft
Lost in the Thicket Things	Caitlin Grassman, Menethil Harbor	Learn what happened to Ardin Grassman	Unlocks Heartwoven
Heartwoven	Ardin Grassman, inside the dungeon	Return the Reed-woven Heart to Caitlin	Potions or a Satchel of Potions
Songblade Search	Dorin Songblade, Lakeshire, Redridge	Look for his brother Daewyn	Unlocks Fallen in the Fen
Fallen in the Fen	Daewyn's corpse, inside the dungeon	Return to Dorin in Lakeshire	Daewyn's Girdle or Songblade Stabilizer
Lost Relic Carry	Titan Relic, dropped by the Relic Guardian	Bring it to Prospector Whelgar	Unlocks Prehistoric Prism
Prehistoric Prism	Prospector Whelgar, Wetlands	Bring the relic to High Explorer Magellas, Hall of Explorers, Ironforge	Explorer's League Dustcover, Heavehammer or Healer's Staff

Prerequisites to sort out early (GameSpot and the Warcraft Wiki):

• Highland Hides needs James Halloran's earlier chain. The Wiki lists Daily Delivery, then Young Crocolisk Skins, then Highland Hides.
• Horrors in the Highland starts with The Greenwarden from First Mate Fitzsimmons in Menethil Harbor, then Rethiel's chain: Tramping Paws, Fire Taboo and Blisters on the Land.
• Lost in the Thicket Things has a breadcrumb, Seeking Caitlin, from Llana in Astranaar, Ashenvale. Take it if you level in Ashenvale first.
• Songblade Search starts in Lakeshire, so pick it up while you are in Redridge.

Horde

Quest	Starts	Objective	Reward choice
Changing Tastes	Borstan, The Drag, Orgrimmar	Bring 4 Thicket Raptor Meat	Satchel of Potions or Serrated Raptor Claw, plus a cooking recipe
Open the Maw	Deathstalker Agent, on the hill outside the entrance	Kill 2 Dragonmaw Saboteurs and 4 Dragonmaw Warders and retrieve the Dragonmaw Dispatch	XP (prerequisite: Dragonmaw Rumors from Zaruk, Hammerfall)
Elder Knowledge	Titan Relic, dropped by the Relic Guardian	Bring it to Bashana Runetotem, Thunder Bluff	Unlocks Earthen Echo
Earthen Echo	Bashana Runetotem, Thunder Bluff	Bring the relic to Muln Earthfury, Skywatcher Plateau	Heavehammer, Healer's Staff or Furs of the Earthen Ring

Horde players should take Dragonmaw Rumors from Zaruk in Hammerfall on the walk in, which unlocks Open the Maw at the entrance. Take Changing Tastes in Orgrimmar before you leave Kalimdor.

Wowhead's "best quest rewards" table for this dungeon lists Blackfathom Deeps items, so the rewards above are from GameSpot.

The tall grass: the real boss

The most dangerous part of the dungeon is the trash before Saltspine. Wowhead compares it to Pokémon: walk through tall grass long enough and a Thicket Lurker spawns. They are not stealthed mobs waiting in place. They are created by you walking in the grass.

Thicket Matriarchs stand around the area. Even if you avoid the Lurkers, a Matriarch at low health screeches and calls Lurkers to help.

How to handle it:

• Stay out of the grass. Follow the narrow path, even if it is slower.
• Fight in open ground so nobody backs into the grass mid-fight.
• Kill the other mobs before the Matriarch in mixed pulls, so as few enemies as possible are up when she screeches.

Bosses

Saltspine

Simple, as long as you clear the nearby mobs first. Tendon Rip heavily slows the tank, and Dust Storm reduces the chance to hit by 25% for anyone within 10 yards. Casters should not stand in melee range.

Shadetooth

This is the fight that wipes groups. Shadetooth comes with two Thicket Hunters that apply Infected Wound to their target, which you should dispel quickly. Fighting all three at once is very hard unless you are over-leveled.

• Crowd-control the adds. Keep both controlled while you kill Shadetooth, or control one and kill the other first.
• Rend on the tank, and Terrifying Roar, a 5-second fear that cannot be dispelled. The fear is the real danger, because it can send players into the grass or into uncleared mobs.
• Fight him in the crocodile cove. Wowhead suggests clearing the cove to the left and using it. Thicket Hunters cannot swim, but pulling him back to the previous boss's area resets him.
• He enrages at 30%, and he can be slowed and stunned.

Relic Guardian (level 31)

Start the fight by pressing the Archival Panel on the right side of the inactive Guardian. It is a gear and level check with heavy tank damage and a big health pool.

• Thunderclap hits everyone within 10 yards and heavily slows movement and attack speed.
• The tank is periodically knocked back and sometimes stunned for 5 seconds. Healers should expect damage spikes then.
• It can be stunned and slowed. Use crowd control often and use the nearby structures to kite if needed.

The Relic Guardian drops the Titan Relic that starts each faction's relic chain.

Excavation Site loot

Boss	Item	Type
Saltspine	Glinteye Slippers	Cloth feet
Saltspine	Saltscale Girdle	Mail waist
Saltspine	Supple Bellyskin Leggings	Leather legs
Shadetooth	Garb of Florid Feathers	Leather chest
Shadetooth	Raptorclaw Greaves	Mail feet
Shadetooth	Raptor's Gaze	Off-hand
Relic Guardian	Golemsight Long Gun	Gun
Relic Guardian	Reliquary Mantle	Mail shoulder
Relic Guardian	Ring of Power Regulation	Ring
Relic Guardian	Titan Relic	Quest-starting item
Relic Guardian	Blueprint: Rock Garden	Campsite recipe (Warcraft Wiki)

Boss drop lists are the same across Wowhead, GameSpot and the Warcraft Wiki. The Rock Garden blueprint appears only in the Wiki's list. Our camping guide explains campsite features.

Is it worth running while leveling?

For Alliance players in the Wetlands around 26–29, yes. There are eight quests, most of them along routes you are already on (Menethil, Redridge and Ashenvale), and two relic-chain quests that send you to Ironforge. Horde get fewer quests and a longer walk, so it is more of an optional stop. Both factions should avoid going in at 24.

Next up the level range is City of Dalaran (28–33), and the leveling guide shows where both fit into the 20–30 bracket.

Frequently asked questions

What level is the Excavation Site in WoW Forever?

Blizzard lists Excavation Site: Wetlands for levels 24–29. Wowhead recommends 26–32 and warns against going in at 24 even though the quests are available, because the last boss is level 31.

Where is the Excavation Site dungeon entrance?

It is in the Wetlands near Thelgen Rock and Dun Algaz, at the top of the hill above Whelgar's Excavation, reached by newly built roads. Alliance can come from Menethil Harbor or on foot through Loch Modan; Horde walk through Hillsbrad Foothills and Arathi Highlands.

How many bosses are in the Excavation Site?

Three: Saltspine, Shadetooth and the Relic Guardian. The Relic Guardian is started by pressing the Archival Panel on the right side of the inactive boss.

What quests are there for the Excavation Site?

Alliance has eight quests in five chains, including Highland Hides, Horrors in the Highland, Lost in the Thicket Things, Songblade Search and the Titan Relic chain. Horde has four: Changing Tastes, Open the Maw and the Titan Relic chain of Elder Knowledge and Earthen Echo.

How do you deal with the raptors in the tall grass?

Stay out of the grass and use the narrow path, because Thicket Lurkers keep spawning if you walk through it. Fight in open areas, and when a Thicket Matriarch is in the pull, kill the other mobs first, because the Matriarch screeches for Lurkers at low health.