Stratholme in WoW Forever
One city, two gates: which entrance to use, how to get the key and who waits on the Main Gate side.
By DecarebiaPublished Updated
Stratholme is a five-player level 58 to 60 dungeon in the Eastern Plaguelands with two entrances.
Ask Our Sweaty Degenerate AI About Stratholme
The Evidence, 4 Facts, Which Gate to Use, Opening the Service Gate, Main Gate Route & More
Anything our guides cover. Answers come from this page and the rest of our guides, with the real values charted and the guide sections linked. It's AI, so check the source before you quote it.
TL;DR
Stratholme is one five-player instance with two gates. Main Gate leads to the Scarlet side, Service Gate to Baron Rivendare's undead side.
- LocationEastern Plaguelands, north edge of the zone.
- Main GateNear 31.3, 15.8.
- Service GateNear 48.4, 21.8.
The Evidence, 4 facts
- Group sizeFive players.
- Recommended level58 to 60.
- Encounters19 client rows, same names as Classic Era.
- Legacy PointsLive and Dead are separate Master Spelunker steps.
Use the Main Gate for the Scarlet half and Balnazzar, and the Service Gate for Baron Rivendare once you hold the Key to the City.
On This Page
Which Gate to Use
The two halves connect inside the city, and both are the same client map, 329. Guides split them because they play differently.Reported, press or datamine, not confirmedSource: wowf.io: Stratholme Main Gate guide, Before you go; Forever client DungeonEncounter, Map 329; checked Nov 8, 2026.
| Main Gate | Service Gate | |
|---|---|---|
| Other names | Live side, Living | Undead side, Dead |
| Held by | Scarlet Crusade | Scourge |
| Runs through | Streets, then the Scarlet Bastion | Three ziggurats, then Slaughter Square |
| Last boss | Balnazzar | Baron Rivendare |
| Key needed | No | Yes, or a lockpick or charge |
| Detailed page | This page | Service Gate guide |
What Level to Bring
Plan on level 58 or higher. The numbers below that come from different places.
Swipe sideways to see all columns.
| Source | Level | What it measures |
|---|---|---|
| wowf.io guide | 58-60 | Recommended range |
| wowf.io header | 59-60 | Listed dungeon level |
| ForeverChanges | 58-60 | Recommended range; minimum unconfirmed |
| wowf.io guide | 45 | Minimum entry level |
| Kami Labs, beta data | 55 | Group Finder level |
| Kami Labs, beta data | 37 | Entry level |
ForeverChanges says Classic lets you in from level 45 and the Forever minimum is not confirmed. Its quests can be taken from level 52.Reported, press or datamine, not confirmedSource: wowf.io: Stratholme Main Gate guide, Before you go; ForeverChanges: Stratholme Main Gate, Before you go; Kami Labs: Stratholme, Getting in; checked Nov 8, 2026.
Opening the Service Gate
The Service Entrance opens with the Key to the City. Magistrate Barthilas drops it, so on a first run go in through the Main Gate and kill him inside the city. wowf.io also lists three other openers: Lockpicking 300, an Arcanite Skeleton Key, or Seaforium charges.Reported, press or datamine, not confirmedSource: wowf.io: Stratholme Service Gate guide, Before you go, checked Nov 8, 2026.
Main Gate Route
wowf.io's route crosses the streets into the Scarlet Bastion and ends with Archivist Galford and Balnazzar. Three things only appear when you trigger them:Reported, press or datamine, not confirmedSource: wowf.io: Stratholme Main Gate guide, Before you go, checked Nov 8, 2026.
- Postmaster Malown: Open three postboxes.
- Timmy the Cruel: Kill every mob in Crusaders' Square.
- Crimson Hammersmith: Click the Blacksmithing Plans.
The Postbox Run
The Stratholme Courier wanders King's Square and drops three postbox keys. The six postboxes stand in King's Square, Market Row, Festival Lane, Crusaders' Square, Elders' Square and in front of Ezra Grimm's shop. Each one you open releases three Undead Postmen, and the third brings out Malown. wowf.io suggests Shackle Undead or Turn Undead for the postmen.Reported, press or datamine, not confirmedSource: wowf.io: Stratholme Main Gate guide, stops 3 and 4, checked Nov 8, 2026.
Main Gate Bosses
The client's encounter list holds 19 rows for the whole city, matching Classic Era on names and IDs, with Flags moving from 0 to 1024. Levels and ability notes below are wowf.io's. They are provisional, since ForeverChanges warns its own boss levels are Classic's.Reported, press or datamine, not confirmedSource: Forever client DungeonEncounter, Map 329, compared with Classic Era DungeonEncounter; wowf.io: Stratholme Main Gate guide, bosses; ForeverChanges: Stratholme Main Gate, loot note; checked Nov 8, 2026.
Swipe sideways to see all columns.
| Boss | Level | Where | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Skul | 58 | Near the Main Gate, rare | Frost Armor; interrupt Frostbolt, Arcane Bolt and Frost Shock |
| Hearthsinger Forresten | 57 | Market Row or Festival Lane, rare | Sleep on players; spread for Multi-Shot |
| The Unforgiven | 57 | Near Festival Lane | Kill his ghosts first; Frost Nova roots the group |
| Postmaster Malown | 60 | After the third postbox | Fear, Backhand, two curses |
| Timmy the Cruel | 58 | Crusaders' Square | Thrash and Ravenous Claw; enrages at 20% |
| Malor the Zealous | 60 | Beside the Bastion entrance | Interrupt Holy Light; heals himself and allies |
| Crimson Hammersmith | 60 | Before the Hoard, by click | Attacks whoever clicked |
| Cannon Master Willey | 60 | The Hoard | Calls Crimson Riflemen; use the cannons |
| Archivist Galford | 60 | Archive across from the throne room | Burning Winds; spread; tank retakes threat |
| Balnazzar | 62 | Crimson Throne | Dathrohan transforms mid-fight; Deep Sleep and Psychic Scream |
Quest stops along the way: Ezra Grimm's tobacco shop is at the dead end to the left of the entrance, Malor's strongbox holds the Medallion of Faith, and the Scarlet Archive burns after Galford dies. wowf.io also places the Of Love and Family painting behind the twin moons picture near the end of the building.
The Service Gate holds the eight undead encounters, from Stonespine to Baron Rivendare, and they are on the Service Gate guide.
The 45-Minute Baron Run
Dead Man's Plea asks you to save Ysida Harmon. wowf.io says opening the Gauntlet gate makes the Baron call out and starts 45 minutes. When time runs out he kills his prisoner. Groups on the quest should clear the three ziggurats and Slaughter Square without stopping.Reported, press or datamine, not confirmedSource: wowf.io: Stratholme Service Gate guide, Before you go and stop 2, checked Nov 8, 2026.
Loot and Quests
Item data is thin. ForeverChanges counts 95 drops on the Main Gate side and 112 on the Service Gate side, with 6 and 16 seen in game as of October 3, and says who drops what and the chances are still Classic's. The Stratholme loot page lists what is known per boss. The Stratholme quests page lists the quests.Reported, press or datamine, not confirmedSource: ForeverChanges: Stratholme Main Gate, Before you go; ForeverChanges: Stratholme Service Gate, Before you go; checked Nov 8, 2026.
Deathcharger's Reins is listed on ForeverChanges as a Baron Rivendare drop in Stratholme, a bind-on-pickup level 60 mount. Its Forever record adds "Teaches you how to summon this mount." For gear and travel planning before 60, compare RestedXP and Zygor.Reported, press or datamine, not confirmedSource: ForeverChanges: Deathcharger's Reins, item record, checked Nov 8, 2026.
Common Questions
Is Stratholme one dungeon or two?
One client map, with two entrances that connect inside the city. wowf.io and Forever's Master Spelunker achievement still treat the sides as separate runs.
Do I need the key for the Main Gate?
No. The key is for the Service Entrance.
Is there a lockout?
Kami Labs reported none on the beta, using October data.
Client and Source Notes
- Forever build 1.60.1.70862 and Classic Era build 1.15.9.70576 were compared.
- DungeonEncounter rows for Map 329 are 472 to 484 and 2795 to 2800.
- Achievement 62033 is Master Spelunker; CriteriaTree rows 230790 and 230791 are Stratholme: Live and Dead.
- Kami Labs counts 19 bosses.
- ForeverChanges counts 9 bosses and 2 rares on the Main Gate, and 7 bosses and 1 rare on the Service Gate.
Every row carries an evidence icon: Confirmed, Planned, Reported, Unverified or Not announced. Hover, focus or tap one for its source. Where sources disagree, both stay on the page. How we verify
Sources
- wowf.io: Stratholme Main Gate guidewowf.io
- wowf.io: Stratholme Service Gate guidewowf.io
- ForeverChanges: Stratholme Main GateForeverChanges
- ForeverChanges: Stratholme Service GateForeverChanges
- ForeverChanges: Deathcharger's ReinsForeverChanges
- Kami Labs: Stratholme WoW ForeverKami Labs
- Forever client: DungeonEncounter, build 1.60.1.70862Forever client
- Classic Era client: DungeonEncounter, build 1.15.9.70576Classic Era client
- Forever client: CriteriaTree, build 1.60.1.70862Forever client
- Forever client: Achievement, build 1.60.1.70862Forever client
Reported, press or datamine, not confirmed
Reported, press or datamine, not confirmed
Confirmed, a first-party source
Press · Forever client DungeonEncounter
Confirmed, a first-party source