Ragefire Chasm

Ragefire Chasm is a short five-player dungeon in the volcanic caves beneath Orgrimmar. It is usually the first dungeon a Horde character sees, aimed at players in their low-to-mid teens, and it pits them against hostile troggs and a demon-worshipping cult hiding under the Horde's own capital.

Background

The chasm is a network of lava-filled tunnels under the Cleft of Shadow, the shadowy lower district of Orgrimmar where warlocks, rogues and shady traders keep their tents. Two threats live in it.

The first is the Ragefire troggs, a tribe of the brutish cave dwellers that climbed up out of the deep tunnels. Magatha Grimtotem of the tauren tried to open talks with them and was answered only with violence.

The second is the Searing Blade, an offshoot of the Burning Blade cult that serves the demonic Shadow Council. Its leaders are a felguard named Taragaman the Hungerer, an orc warlock named Jergosh the Invoker and a satyr named Bazzalan. The cult hides in the chasm and plots against Thrall's Horde from directly below his throne room. In-game quest text suggests Thrall knows of the cult and has let it be, hoping it leads him to the Shadow Council itself.

Bosses

All four bosses are level 16 elites. Their rewards are uncommon (green) items rather than the rare (blue) items most dungeon bosses drop, so most players come for the quest rewards and experience instead.

Quests

Ragefire Chasm's quests come from Orgrimmar, the Undercity and Thunder Bluff, so all three Horde capitals send players into the same small dungeon.

• Testing an Enemy's Strength: Rahauro in Thunder Bluff wants 8 Ragefire Troggs and 8 Ragefire Shamans killed.
• Searching for the Lost Satchel and Returning the Lost Satchel: find the corpse of Maur Grimtotem inside the chasm, then return his satchel. The follow-up rewards a choice of [Featherbead Bracers] or [Savannah Bracers].
• Slaying the Beast: Neeru Fireblade, who stands next to the dungeon entrance, asks for the heart of Taragaman ([Taragaman the Hungerer's Heart]).
• Hidden Enemies: the last step of Thrall's Hidden Enemies chain. Kill Bazzalan and Jergosh the Invoker and report back to the Warchief.
• The Power to Destroy...: Varimathras in the Undercity wants the books [Spells of Shadow] and [Incantations from the Nether], which drop from Searing Blade cultists and warlocks. The reward is a choice of three uncommon leggings, such as [Ghastly Trousers].

Strategy notes

Every enemy in the chasm is elite. A group of five players around level 15 can clear it in well under an hour, and it is one of the few dungeons that groups often run with fewer than five people once they outlevel it.

• The first stretch has fire elementals and Ragefire troggs. Shamans heal and cast lightning, so interrupt them or kill them first.
• Oggleflint stands in the trogg cave. He has no special mechanic beyond hitting hard for his level.
• Taragaman the Hungerer stands in a pool of lava in the middle of a large cavern. He uses Fire Nova, which damages everyone close to him, and Uppercut, which knocks the target back. Melee players should watch their health and avoid being knocked into extra packs.
• The Searing Blade area past Taragaman has cultists and warlocks, and the warlocks bring voidwalkers. Pull them two or three at a time.
• Jergosh the Invoker casts Immolate and Curse of Weakness. Bazzalan, the satyr at the end, uses poison and Sinister Strike. Both are short fights.

The graveyard is outside Orgrimmar's gates, so a wipe means a long run back down into the Cleft of Shadow.

History

Ragefire Chasm shipped with World of Warcraft at launch in November 2004. The Alliance's counterpart at a similar level is The Deadmines, and the two share the title of lowest-level dungeon in the original game.

Later history

Cataclysm (patch 4.0.3a) rebuilt Ragefire Chasm with new bosses and a revised layout, and Mists of Pandaria (patch 5.0.4) redesigned it again around the Dark Shaman storyline that led to the Siege of Orgrimmar raid. The 1.12 version described here returned with World of Warcraft Classic in 2019.

Sources

• Ragefire Chasm (Classic), Warcraft Wiki
• Ragefire Chasm, Warcraft Wiki
• WoWDB quest and loot data for patch 1.12