Shadowfang Keep

Shadowfang Keep is a haunted castle in southern Silverpine Forest, taken over by the mad archmage Arugal and the worgen he brought into the world. The dungeon is built for characters around level 22 to 30 and is a regular stop for Horde players leveling out of the Undercity, though Alliance groups run it as well for its loot.

Background

Before the Third War, the keep belonged to Baron Silverlaine, a noble who watched over the village of Pyrewood below. When The Scourge swept through Lordaeron, the wizards of Dalaran found that every mage who fell in battle rose again as an undead soldier for the enemy. One of them, the archmage Arugal, ignored the warnings of his peers and summoned beings from another realm to fight for Dalaran: the worgen, savage wolf-men.

The worgen killed the undead, then turned on the mages and soldiers around them. They overran Silverlaine's keep and killed the baron. Arugal, broken by guilt, took the worgen as his children and settled in the keep, which became known as Shadowfang. His huge wolf Fenrus guards him, and the ghost of Baron Silverlaine still walks the halls. The curse also spread to the villagers of Pyrewood, who turn into worgen at night.

During the events of World of Warcraft, Sylvanas Windrunner sends Forsaken agents into Silverpine to find the source of the worgen. They trace it to Arugal, and the Forsaken order him killed.

Bosses

The keep's best-known drop is not from a boss. [Shadowfang], a rare sword that can strike its target with a bolt of shadow on hit, drops at a tiny rate (well under one percent) from the worgen and undead in the dungeon. It became a prize for players who keep low-level characters for battlegrounds and dueling.

Quests

Most quests here are for the Horde, from Silverpine and the Undercity.

• Arugal Must Die: Dalar Dawnweaver at the Sepulcher in Silverpine asks for Arugal's head. The reward is [Seal of Sylvanas], a rare ring.
• Deathstalkers in Shadowfang: High Executor Hadrec at the Sepulcher wants news of two missing Forsaken agents, Deathstalker Adamant and Deathstalker Vincent. Reward: [Ghostly Mantle].
• The Book of Ur: Keeper Bel'dugur at the Royal Apothecary Society in the Undercity wants the Book of Ur from the keep's library. Rewards include [Grizzled Boots].

Alliance players have no regular Shadowfang Keep quests in patch 1.12, though class quests such as the paladin's and the warlock's send them inside for specific items.

Strategy notes

• Rethilgore, the cell keeper, waits in the first courtyard. Kill him and the two prisoners in the cells nearby can be freed. Sorcerer Ashcrombe helps Alliance groups and Deathstalker Adamant helps Horde groups; either one opens the door to the castle courtyard.
• Razorclaw the Butcher works in the kitchens.
• Baron Silverlaine's ghost, Commander Springvale and Odo the Blindwatcher each guard a room on the way up. Springvale is a paladin who heals himself and casts Hammer of Justice; interrupt him when you can.
• Fenrus the Devourer is in a room by himself. Wolf Master Nandos, on the walls, calls packs of worgen to his side.
• Arugal fights on the top floor. He teleports between spots in the room, casts Void Bolt and uses Arugal's Curse, which briefly turns a player into a worgen that attacks the group. Spread out, and dispel or crowd-control cursed players.

Many of the worgen and undead in the keep cast curses and silences, which makes the dungeon harder than the levels suggest for groups without a dedicated healer.

History

Shadowfang Keep was part of World of Warcraft at launch in November 2004. Its worgen were a mystery for years: in-game text called them extra-dimensional, and their full origin was only explained in later expansions.

Later history

Cataclysm (patch 4.0.3a) made the worgen a playable Alliance race and redesigned the dungeon around a new final boss, Lord Godfrey of Gilneas, with a heroic mode at level 85. Arugal remained but no longer served as the last encounter. The original version returned with World of Warcraft Classic in 2019.

Sources

• Shadowfang Keep (Classic), Warcraft Wiki
• Shadowfang Keep, Warcraft Wiki
• Arugal, Warcraft Wiki
• WoWDB quest and loot data for patch 1.12