How to Complete The Defias Brotherhood Quest Chain in WoW: Forever (All 7 Steps to VanCleef)

The Defias Brotherhood is the story chain of Westfall – seven quests that take an Alliance player from Sentinel Hill to Redridge, Stormwind's spy headquarters and finally the bottom of the Deadmines to face Edwin VanCleef. It's still in World of Warcraft: Forever and still one of the best-rewarded chains under level 25. Below is every step in order, where each NPC is, and how to handle the escort that some players have had trouble with in Forever.

This guide is checked against World of Warcraft: Forever as live on November 10, 2026.

Quick answer

The chain at a glance

Step-by-step

1. Start at Sentinel Hill. Talk to Gryan Stoutmantle at the top of the hill at /way 56.3 47.5Copy. You need to be level 14. He sends you to find a contact in Lakeshire.
2. Go to Lakeshire in Redridge. Wiley the Black is upstairs in the Lakeshire inn at /way 26.5 45.4Copy (Redridge Mountains). Hand in, then take his note straight back to Gryan. Grab the Lakeshire flight path while you're there.
3. Take the note to Stormwind. Gryan sends you to Master Mathias Shaw, head of SI:7, in the Old Town at /way 75.8 59.8Copy (Stormwind City). Shaw gives you a report for Gryan – fly back to Sentinel Hill.
4. Kill the Defias Messenger. Gryan wants the Messenger caught. He spawns in front of the blacksmith in Moonbrook, walks north past the Gold Coast Quarry and the Jangolode Mine (going into both), then heads back to Moonbrook. Wait somewhere on that road, kill him and loot A Mysterious Message. Everyone in your group can loot it from the same kill.
5. Pick up the escort. Hand the message to Gryan. The next quest comes from the Defias Traitor, who stands near the foot of the Sentinel Hill tower ramp at /way 55.7 47.5Copy. It's marked as a group quest for two players.
6. Escort the Traitor to Moonbrook. He walks south-west to the Defias hideout in Moonbrook and reveals that VanCleef is hiding in the Deadmines. Stay right next to him, kill anything that attacks him and don't let your party members wander off – anyone too far away fails their copy.
7. Report to Gryan. He gives you the final quest: kill Edwin VanCleef at the end of the Deadmines and bring back his head.
8. Run the Deadmines. The entrance is inside a building in Moonbrook, down a mine tunnel. VanCleef is the last boss, on the pirate ship. Loot the Head of VanCleef and turn it in to Gryan.

Rewards

Choose one from the final quest:

Reward	Type	Stats (Classic)
Chausses of Westfall	Mail legs	173 armor, +11 Strength, +5 Stamina
Tunic of Westfall	Leather chest	92 armor, +11 Agility, +5 Stamina
Staff of Westfall	Staff	49–74 damage, +11 Spirit, +5 Intellect

Warcraft Tavern notes that a few Deadmines quests have updated rewards in Forever, so check the tooltip at Gryan before you pick. The whole chain also gives a good amount of Stormwind reputation (about 675 across the seven quests).

Forever notes

• The Traitor escort. A third-party bug tracker lists The Defias Brotherhood among the escorts where the NPC can vanish in Forever, marked as acknowledged but not fixed. Blizzard hasn't listed it in its hotfix notes as of November 10. If the Traitor disappears, abandon the quest and re-accept it from him when he respawns at Sentinel Hill. If another player has him out, wait until he reaches Moonbrook and resets.
• No follow-up after the message? One player reported on November 8 that the escort quest didn't appear after turning in A Mysterious Message. The escort comes from the Traitor, not Gryan – look for the NPC at the tower ramp before assuming it's bugged.
• More dungeon XP. A November 8 hotfix raised the experience from dungeon kills by 50%, so the finale is a strong leveling stop.

Tips

• Pick up Red Silk Bandanas from Scout Riell in the Sentinel Hill tower before you go into the Deadmines.
• Do the travel steps together. Steps 1–4 are pure delivery – combine them with Redridge and Stormwind errands.
• Don't pull the Messenger near Moonbrook. The town is packed with Defias; catch him out on the road.
• Bring the whole group to the escort. It's easier with two, and everyone needs the quest before he starts walking.

Common mistakes

• Looking for Wiley downstairs. He's on the upper floor of the Lakeshire inn.
• Waiting at Gryan for the escort. It's the Traitor who gives quest six.
• Running the Deadmines before step 7. VanCleef's head only drops for you if you have the final quest.

Every WoW: Forever guide is on our quests page.