Dalaran
- This article is about the in-game city. For lore and history of Dalaran, see Dalaran (kingdom). For the area in the Hillsbrad Foothills, see Dalaran Crater.
 Dalaran City | |
|---|---|
 Concept art of Dalaran. | |
| Type | Capital city |
| Races |
  Human  High elf  Blood elf  Half-elf  Dwarf  Gnome   Night elf  Draenei  Worgen  Orc  Troll  Tauren  Forsaken  Goblin  Pandaren Blue dragon Ethereal |
| Government | Magocracy[1] |
| Ruler(s) | Council of Six |
| Languages | Common, Thalassian, Various languages |
| Faiths | Holy Light, Various |
| Affiliation | Kirin Tor, Magocracy of Dalaran, Silver Covenant, Alliance, Sunreavers, Horde |
| Former affiliation(s) | Alliance resistance, Alliance of Lordaeron, Arathorian Empire |
| Location |
 Broken Isles Crystalsong Forest Hillsbrad Foothills |
| PvP status | Sanctuary |
“Ah, Dalaran. The city of spires perches itself once more between you mortals and the end of your world.”
Dalaran (or the City of Dalaran and Dalaran City, pronounced DAHL-uh-RAWN)[3] is the capital of the magocratic nation of the same name. Founded as a city-state by magi of the Arathorian Empire after the Troll Wars, it is ruled by the Kirin Tor, an elite cadre of the most powerful wizards in the known world, under the leadership of the Council of Six. Originally located near the southern coast of Lordamere Lake in Lordaeron, Dalaran was magically lifted and moved to Northrend at the time of the Nexus War and the war against the Lich King, until it was teleported to the Broken Isles during the third invasion of the Burning Legion. The Violet Citadel, the city's inner fortress described as a sanctum and haven for mages,[4] has served as the focal point for magi and the study of the arcane throughout human history.
By the time of the Third War, Dalaran was home to many of the greatest sorcerers of the time,[5] while most contemporary human and high elven mages of Quel'Thalas bowed to both the sovereignty of the Kirin Tor.[6] However, the Siege of Dalaran by the Scourge forced the Dalaranian people to flee their kingdom, while the Kirin Tor's leadership and its surviving members were scattered after Archimonde destroyed the city. In the aftermath of the Third War, the survivors returned to rebuild the ruins of Dalaran and created a vast, magical dome around the heart of their city. After Dalaran was restored to its former glory, the Kirin Tor magically floated the city so that no ground assault by the undead could ever reach them again.[7] The nation has since become one of the foremost forces standing against the threats posed to Azeroth's survival, with Dalaran serving as a neutral ground where the heroes of every kingdom could join together against their mutual foe; a place where all were welcome, so long as they behaved themselves.[8]
The city of Dalaran has the greatest concentration of magic in the world, other than the lands of Quel'Thalas, and is defended by some of the most powerful magi in Azeroth.[9] The Kirin Tor Guardians patrol and protect the surface of Dalaran, while the Underbelly Guard are the guardians of the Underbelly, the sewer system beneath the capital.
History
- Main article: Dalaran (kingdom)#History
In-game evolution
Classic
Dalaran was originally "hidden" behind an impassible magic dome in the Alterac Mountains. In truth, the area behind the dome was empty. With Wrath of the Lich King, the area was replaced with the Dalaran Crater since the city had then been added in Northrend.
Wrath of the Lich King
In Wrath of the Lich King, Dalaran acts as the shared-faction sanctuary city and can be accessed via the teleport crystal in Violet Stand or through flight. There is a portal trainer at the Violet Gate, but also an arena master and battlemasters in the Underbelly sewer system. Like the Stormwind Stockade and Ragefire Chasm, Dalaran has its own instance within the city: the Violet Hold.
The city contains areas that are faction-specific in the same manner as Shattrath City is divided amongst the Aldor and Scryers. Certain parts of the city can only be reached by Alliance players (Silver Enclave) while others are strictly for Horde use (Sunreaver's Sanctuary). The majority of the city remains neutral. Portals are located within the Alliance and Horde districts of the city, connecting to the factions' main capital city. When first added there were originally no class trainers - with the notable exception of mage trainers, given the city's history.
Dalaran was also originally a no-fly zone, dismounting flying characters when approaching the city's rooftops. Krasus' Landing was an exception, to serve as a landing area for flight paths.
Cataclysm
The portals to the faction major cities were removed in patch 4.0.3a and replaced by class trainers.[10] However, the portals to Stormwind City and Orgrimmar were restored in patch 4.1.0. The formerly engineering-only auctioneers — Steam-Powered Auctioneer in Silver Enclave and Steam-Powered Auctioneer in Sunreaver's Sanctuary — now serve anyone and flying is allowed in the capital.
Mists of Pandaria
During the Purge of Dalaran in Mists of Pandaria, the city had already left Northrend and was in motion.[11][12] However, for game purposes, Dalaran remains unchanged after the questline is completed.
Legion
During the third invasion of the Burning Legion, Dalaran was moved above Karazhan in Deadwind Pass to protect the Eastern Kingdoms.[13][14][15] It was then teleported to the Broken Isles where it served as the capital city for adventurers. During the Assault on Broken Shore, Kil'jaeden sent Legion ships to destroy the city, but they were repelled by the Azeroth allied forces.[16]
The city's layout was overhauled for Legion with notably the Underbelly being expanded and the center of the city becoming a portal hub.[17] The portals were then largely removed.
Maps and subregions
Northrend
Broken Isles
Map of the Chamber of the Guardian.
Lore locations
- Arcane Observatory
- Halls of Magic
- Violet Gardens
- Chamber of the Air
- Dalaran Vaults[18] - May be the same as the city's Arcane Vault.
Instances
| Instance Name | Level Range | Group Size |
|---|---|---|
 The Violet Hold |
63 - 80 | 5 man |
 Assault on Violet Hold |
105 - 110 | 5 man |
Factions
In Wrath of the Lich King, there are three major reputation factions players can deal with in Dalaran:
Kirin Tor - The ruling conclave of magi that leads the nation of Dalaran. Led by 
Archmage Khadgar and the Council of Six.
Silver Covenant - A militant faction of high elves, they are supporters of the Alliance. Led by 
Ranger-General Vereesa Windrunner.
Sunreavers - Representatives of the kingdom of Quel'Thalas and the Horde in Dalaran. Led by 
Archmage Aethas Sunreaver.
Notable residents
- Main articles: Dalaran NPCs, Dalaran (Northrend) NPCs
Getting there
Getting to Dalaran in Northrend
Dalaran is located in the north-central region of the continent of Northrend, floating above the western side of Crystalsong Forest. Players can reach it quickly by using the portal in their faction's portal room to "Dalaran, Crystalsong Forest".
Ships[19] and zeppelins departing from Stormwind and Orgrimmar provide traditional means of access to Northrend from Kalimdor and the Eastern Kingdoms.
- Traveling from within Northrend
- The quest
[10-30] The Magical Kingdom of Dalaran will cause various Kirin Tor NPCs to provide a teleport to Dalaran until you complete the quest. As long as it remains uncompleted, players can speak to the NPC to travel quickly from various Northrend zones to Dalaran. - A set of crystals (Teleport to Violet Stand Crystal and Teleport to Dalaran Crystal) can be used to teleport there. The Teleport to Violet Stand Crystal must be used first by doing [10-30] Learning to Leave and Return: the Magical Way from the portal trainer Archmage Celindra, so you must first reach Dalaran via another method.[citation needed]
- This causes [10-30] The Magical Kingdom of Dalaran to become unavailable.
- This causes
- If your faction has won the previous Wintergrasp battle, you can take the Wintergrasp portal to the Violet Citadel. The portal is inside the Wintergrasp Fortress.
- A separate guide, Getting to Wintergrasp and Dalaran, provides a few ways to get to Wintergrasp.
- A Dalaran portal appears after completing the Trial of the Crusader.
- The flight master at Krasus' Landing in Dalaran is learned automatically by all characters, allowing players to take a flight path there.
- Players who know expert riding can fly directly to Dalaran with a flying mount.
- Traveling from anywhere
- Mages can learn a portal to Dalaran from the portal trainer. Mages can teleport themselves, or provide a portal for others.
- A set of Kirin Tor rings are available to characters that are high enough level. Any of these rings can teleport the character to Dalaran on use.
- The
[Argent Crusader's Tabard] teleports the player to the Argent Tournament Grounds, a short distance from Dalaran.
Getting to Dalaran in the Broken Isles
All players arrive in Dalaran over the Broken Isles on the quest [10-45] In the Blink of an Eye and receive a 
[Dalaran Hearthstone], allowing them to teleport to Dalaran once every 20 minutes. Characters who have the toy but have not visited Broken Isles Dalaran need to travel there once. Completing the quest, or speaking to Amisi Azuregaze in the Legerdemain Lounge to receive another Dalaran Hearthstone, will enable the toy's use.
Each faction's portal room has a portal to Azsuna, where the player can then fly to Dalaran on a flying mount.
Mages can learn a portal to Dalaran over the Broken Isles from a portal trainer, allowing them to teleport other players there.
Leaving Dalaran
- Talking to Portal Trainer Celindra to do [10-30] Learning to Leave and Return: the Magical Way to enable the Teleport to Violet Stand Crystal which teleports to Violet Stand below Dalaran.
- Players can pay to fly from the Dalaran Flight master in Krasus' Landing, to nearby flight masters via a flight path.
- Jumping off the edge of the city or from the sewer tunnel in the Underbelly, though this may result in death without a way to slow the character's descent.
- Characters with expert riding can depart with a flying mount.
Travel connections in Northrend
Flight
- Ebon Watch, Zul'Drak
- Moa'ki Harbor, Dragonblight
- Wyrmrest Temple, Dragonblight
- Argent Tournament Grounds, Icecrown
- Argent Vanguard, Icecrown
- Fordragon Hold, Dragonblight
- Kor'kron Vanguard, Dragonblight
Portals
When Wrath of the Lich King went live, Dalaran supplanted Shattrath City as the major hub for player activity, due to easy access to the capital cities in the southern continents, to Outland via Shattrath, and to the high-level content in Northrend. Those portals were removed in patch 4.0.3a, but portals to Orgrimmar and Stormwind City were added in patch 4.1.0.
Teleport crystals
Travel connections on the Broken Isles
.jpg)
Flight
- Watchers' Aerie, Azsuna
- Shackle's Den, Azsuna
- Felblaze Ingress, Azsuna
- Meredil, Suramar
- Crimson Thicket, Suramar
- Hafr Fjall, Stormheim
- Vengeance Point, Broken Shore
Portals
-
- Other
Teleport circles
Every class hall has a means of transport to it in Broken Isles Dalaran, with the exception of Trueshot Lodge, which has a special, instant-arrival flight acting effectively as a teleport.
Points of interest
- There are 12 mailboxes, one outside The Filthy Animal inn, two outside The Legerdemain Lounge inn, two located outside the north bank, one located outside the south bank, one outside the Eastern entrance to the Underbelly, one outside the Alchemy trainer, one in Krasus' Landing, one at the foot of the stairway leading to The Violet Citadel, one outside A Hero's Welcome, and one outside the Guild Master.
- There are two banks, one located right of the Antonidas Memorial and another located on the other side of Dalaran in The Eventide, to the left of the entrance of A Hero's Welcome. Although they are both near the faction-controlled areas, they are available to both the Alliance and the Horde.
- The well near the Magus Commerce Exchange is an entrance to the Underbelly, when you jump into it you arrive randomly at one of four possible sites in the Underbelly. Jumping down does not cause fall damage.
- All profession trainers (except Fishing, Cooking and Archaeology) are located in the Magus Commerce Exchange.
- All mage trainers are located in the Violet Gate.
Film universe
- Main article: Dalaran (kingdom)#Film universe
In Hearthstone
In Hearthstone, Dalaran is the major setting of the Great Dalaran Heist expansion, being invaded by the League of E.V.I.L.. The Bank of Dalaran (or Dalaran Bank), the Violet Hold, streets of Dalaran, the Underbelly, and Kirin Tor Citadel are areas of battle. At the end of the heist, the League steals the entire city, flying it to Uldum to set up the Saviors of Uldum expansion.
Notes and trivia
- Lore
- Dalaran has a cemetery.[21]
- The city's foundation has cracks.[22]
- The Underbelly has a severe rodent problem.[23]
- The tallest spire in Dalaran City is called Dalaran Spire.[24]
- Among the ornate spires and enchanted streets of Dalaran, the great Violet Hold stands as a testament to the glory of the city's rulers.[25]
- A group of high elf engineers helped build Dalaran's original defenses. These engineers later ended up as blood elves in Kael'thas Sunstrider's army.[26]
- Dalaran used phosphorescent crystals, which beamed with a steady, constant glow, though a research spoke of reflective mirrors, elemental spirits bound within lanterns, and in one case, huge captive fireflies.[28]
- The city's libraries record up to twenty centuries of human history, though the earliest histories are wrapped in legends.[29]
- Dalaran has magic schools where young mages and schoolchildren are educated and trained in the use of magic.[30][31]
- Dalaran has an orphanage, where Alodi was raised.[32] It was originally supposed to appear in-game, at the location of the present-day Sisters Sorcerous's shop.[33]
- The Dalaranium is a rare metal, named after the city of Dalaran, that can be found in trash heaps of Mechagon Island.[34]
- Grasses of the Alterac Mountains are still growing around the outskirts of the floating city. They are hearty and impart a strong, earthy flavor to hot tea.[35]
- Gameplay
[Jaina's Locket] and the 
[Ring of the Kirin Tor] are permanent teleport item to the Northrend version of Dalaran.- While in Dalaran, you may randomly get Manabonked by Minigob Manabonk.
- When night falls, Windle Sparkshine will light most of the lamps in Dalaran, then stand outside the Alliance section of Dalaran, and will sell
[Windle's Lighter] for 50 Silver. - Compared to other major cities, Dalaran has very many activities. Examples include /Pet'ing Jones, lighting up the city with [Windle's Lighter], seeking
[Higher Learning], and fishing for treasures like the 
[Giant Sewer Rat]. - Dalaran is smaller than the other major cities in the game. At the same time, it has a large number of NPCs, doodads, and objects. This accumulates a high amount of players at a small area, along with causing a player's computer to load several city details at once. Back in the day of WotLK, the result was often a mediocre to a large degree of lag when the player was inside the city. The lag experienced within Dalaran was a very common topic within World of Warcraft; some players even dubbed the city "Lagaran" because of it. It was not uncommon for a character in Dalaran to be unable to perform any action at all, use abnormally much time on simple actions such as walking, or be even repeatedly disconnected when attempting to log in if the character was located in the city. The problem was severe enough that Blizzard had to implement the Argent Tournament in Icecrown away from Dalaran, rather than in Crystalsong Forest directly underneath it as originally planned.
- Since patch 7.0.3, there are five separate "Dalarans" in the game (not counting Dalaran Crater), each reflecting a different time in the city's history: in Northrend, as an instance during the Operation: Shieldwall/Dominance Offensive storyline, over Karazhan (phasing in after the Battle for the Broken Shore), and with Legion, the most recent version over the Broken Isles, as well as an instanced copy with no NPCs that can be seen from the balcony of the Hall of the Guardian.
- Dalaran can be seen in the End Time dungeon, but not in the Dragon Soul raid.
- The version of Dalaran seen in the patch 5.1 storylines (the Operation: Shieldwall and Dominance Offensive quest chains) is located in its own instance, similar to Plaguelands: The Scarlet Enclave, rather than being a phased version of the main-world Dalaran. It uses the Violet Hold loading screen rather than the Northrend one and is floating over what looks like a sea. The world map interface bar shows its location in Eastern Kingdoms. Besides the NPC changes, there is no Violet Hold instance portal in this version, flying is impossible (even at Krasus' Landing), and jumping off the Underbelly pipe kills the player before they reach the water below.
- Dalaran over Karazhan, seen between completing [10-45] The Battle for Broken Shore and [10-45] In the Blink of an Eye, is an intermediate version between the Northrend and Broken Isles Dalarans. The Chamber of the Guardian exists in this version but the teleport pad is not working; the Silver Enclave and Sunreaver's Sanctuary still have those names, rather than their new names in Legion (and both are accessible to both factions); the city is full of Kirin Tor Guardians, and most NPCs only offer gossip text instead of their regular services.
- In an interview with Jesse Cox, Dave Kosak revealed that Dalaran was planned to be in the air above the Siege of Orgrimmar, but technical limitations meant they had to scrap the idea. It is possible this is related to the limitations that prevented the Argent Tournament from being placed in Crystalsong Forest.[36]
- Other
- Strangely, in-game there is no "old gate" on the side of the land mass and the other halves of the houses in Alterac Mountains aren't there either.
- The decision to have Dalaran as the Legion sanctuary resulted in mixed results among players, with some wondering why the Horde would want to return after the Purge of Dalaran and others feeling that Dalaran has left the Alliance and become neutral.
- Dalaran and Dalaran Ruins are melee tilesets in Warcraft III and The Frozen Throne, representing the city before and after its destruction by Archimonde.
Gallery
The Kirin Tor symbol.
Dalaran in-game.
Dalaran in-game.
Dalaran in-game.
Dalaran in-game.
The Violet Citadel
The Violet Hold
The Greyfang Enclave
The Underbelly
A Pipe opening underneath to the Underbelly.
A full view of Dalaran from the air in Icecrown.
Dalaran as seen in Journey Trailer.
The Spire of the Guardian in Legion.
Krasus' Landing in Legion.
With Argus in the sky.
Dalaran as depicted in Warcraft III.
Dalaran in Reforged.
- Art
Early concept art of the city of Dalaran.
Concept art of Dalaran.
Concept art of Dalaran.
Concept art of Dalaran.
Concept art of Dalaran City Sewers.
Concept art of Dalaran Underground Market.
Concept art of Dalaran Sewers in Legion.
The elevation of Dalaran in Mage.
Dalaran in Northrend as seen in Mage.
Dalaran attacked by the blue dragonflight in Mage.
Dalaran beginning to fall in Mage.
Dalaran City as seen in the Hearthstone: The Dalaran Heist cinematic trailer.
Decorated Dalaran in Hearthstone.
A vision of Dalaran's fall, as shown by Medivh to Khadgar in Harbingers.
- Maps
Map of the Alterac Mountains prior to Wrath of the Lich King with Dalaran under a magic barrier.
Dalaran map during The Situation in Dalaran
The Underbelly map during The Situation in Dalaran
Map of Dalaran in Deadwind Pass from Calling of the Council until In the Blink of an Eye
Concept art of Dalaran.
Concept art of Dalaran.
Concept art of Dalaran.
- Fan art
The Golden Days of Dalaran by Lost-In-Concept.
The Early Days of Alterac by Lost-In-Concept.
Concept art of Dalaran while still in the Alterac Mountains.
Streets of Dalaran, by Ima Dreamwalker.
Patch changes
- Patch 7.0.3 (2016-07-19): Added in the Broken Isles.
- Hotfix (2016-07-19): Dalaran (Northrend) should again have a Trade chat channel.
- Patch 4.0.3a (2010-11-23): Northrend Dalaran is no longer a no-fly zone.
- Patch 4.0.1 (2010-10-12): Updated maps.
- Patch 3.0.2 (2008-10-14): Added.
See also
References
- ^
Sean Copeland 2018-03-07. Sean Copeland on Twitter. Archived from the original on 2018-03-08. Retrieved on 2018-03-08. “Confirmed! Here's an excerpt from his research: "...although the term is seldom used these days, magocracy has been used in our games and expanded universe. It is still an accurate description of Dalaran, as the nation is still ruled by magi. It's just not commonly used."”
- ^ Aluneth#Locations
- ^ Hearthstone: Announcing the Knights of the Frozen Throne
- ^ The Siege of Dalaran (WC2 Orc)
- ^ Arthas: Rise of the Lich King, chapter 6
- ^ Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos manual, pg. 85
- ^ Sean Copeland on Twitter (2014-01-30) (dead link)
- ^ Exploring Azeroth: Northrend
- ^ a b Arthas: Rise of the Lich King, chapter 20
- ^ Patch 4.0.3a (world changes)#Dalaran
- ^ Vanion's interview with Dave Kosak - "So, in present-day, Dalaran is in motion and we don't say where and we are not sure if we show it in-game somewhere else. Yet we have not decided."
- ^ Dave Kosak on Twitter
- ^ [10-45] Calling of the Council
- ^ [10-45] Anomalous Anomalies
- ^ [10-45] In the Blink of an Eye
- ^ [45] Assault on Broken Shore
- ^ Dev Interviews, Rogue Order Hall, Blue Posts, Warcraft Movie Prop Contest, DLC #500 (2015-08-11).
- ^ [45] The Thieving Apprentice
- ^ The Cataclysm travel guide provides more information on the ship and zeppelin routes to Northrend, item and quest portals to Dalaran, and suggests ways higher level players can shorten travel times between Dalaran and their faction capitals.
- ^ Mumper on Twitter (2014-02-07). “My 1st pass layout of Dalaran for WotLK. Made a few changes along the way, but it came out pretty damn close.”
- ^
Waking the Dead
- ^
Glowing Foundations
- ^
Pesky Pest Problem
- ^ Wowhead
- ^ The Violet Hold (English) (HTML). Wrath Dungeons. Blizzard Entertainment Inc.. Retrieved on 2009-03-17.
- ^ The Crossing (WC3 BloodElf)
- ^ The Archmage Antonidas - Part III
- ^ The Last Guardian, chapter 1
- ^ The Last Guardian, chapter 8
- ^ STAY OUT!!!
- ^ The Old Wizard's Almanac
- ^ Archive of the Tirisgarde#Ebonchill, Greatstaff of Alodi
- ^ File:Dalaran early layout concept.jpg
- ^ [50 Daily] One Gnome's Trash
- ^ The Fate of Apprentice Argoly
- ^ Warcraft Interview: Dave Kosak - 2 NERDS, 1 LORE (Patch 5.4 and beyond)
External links
| Northrend | During the Purge | Broken Isles |
|---|---|---|
| ||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||
.jpg){kind=link}
-s1.jpg){kind=link}
| |||||||||||||||||||