How to Complete The New Plague and The Wrath of Rath'mael in WoW: Forever (Ruins of Lordaeron Prerequisites)

The Ruins of Lordaeron is one of the new dungeons in World of Warcraft: Forever – a level 15–22 Horde instance above the Undercity. Its two best quests, The New Plague and The Wrath of Rath'mael, don't show up for many players because both now need prerequisite chains that weren't there in the beta. If you've walked up to the quest givers and found nothing, this is why. Here's exactly what to do first, plus the third dungeon quest, Unending Torment.

This guide is checked against World of Warcraft: Forever as live on November 10, 2026. For the dungeon itself, see How to Enter the Ruins of Lordaeron.

Quick answer

Faction: Horde only. Level: the quests show as level 21–22 in your log but can be picked up from about level 15.

The Wrath of Rath'mael: do Rear Guard Patrol first

1. Find the camp south-east of Brill. Deathguard Kristof (quest giver for Wrath of Rath'mael) and Deathguard Linnea stand together at /way 65.2 60.2 Deathguard KristofCopy (Tirisfal Glades).
2. Rear Guard Patrol (part 1, level 11). From Linnea. Kill 8 Bleeding Horrors and 8 Wandering Spirits at the Balnir Farmstead and report back.
3. Rear Guard Patrol (part 2, Forever-only, level 13 elite). Linnea now asks you to kill Riptear, a level 13 elite that roams Venomweb Vale in the far east of Tirisfal. Loot Riptear's Heart and bring it back for a choice of Riptear's Cleaver, Riptear's Spare Arm or Thrice-Stitched Flesh. Riptear enrages at low health, so save a cooldown or a potion for the last 20%. Players have soloed him around level 12, but a second player makes it safe.
4. Pick up The Wrath of Rath'mael from Kristof.
5. Kill Rath'mael at the end of the Ruins of Lordaeron and turn in to Kristof for a choice of the Forsaken Greataxe or the Gnarled Necromancer's Staff, plus Undercity reputation.

The New Plague: do A Recipe for Death first

Theodore Griffs in the Apothecarium only offers The New Plague once you've finished the Silverpine apothecary chain:

1. A Recipe for Death (part 1, level 12). From Apothecary Renferrel at The Sepulcher in Silverpine Forest (/way 42.8 40.9Copy). Collect 6 Grizzled Bear Hearts from bears and 6 Skittering Blood from spiders in the Skittering Dark, then deliver them to Master Apothecary Faranell in the Apothecarium.
2. Part 2 (level 15, group). Faranell sends you back to Renferrel and on to the Pyrewood Village inn for Berard's Journal.
3. Part 3 (level 18). Collect 6 Lake Skulker Moss, 6 Lake Creeper Moss and a Hardened Tumor in Silverpine Forest and bring them to Faranell.
4. Pick up The New Plague from Theodore Griffs in the Apothecarium (around 46.6, 71.6 on the Undercity map).
5. Kill Witherfang, the first boss of the Ruins, and loot the Highly Toxic Strain. Turn in for Plaguefang (a one-handed sword) or Blight Gloves (cloth).

Expect to be level 18 or so by the time you finish this chain – which lines up nicely with the dungeon.

Unending Torment: the boss drop

The second boss, The Baron, can drop an Abominable Head that starts Unending Torment. It isn't shared, so every player needs their own. Blizzard's November 6 hotfix fixed the level check – the head now offers the quest to Horde players at level 15 (it was 16).

The chain takes you through the Undercity: bring the head to Master Apothecary Faranell, visit the Unfinished Abomination next door, gather a Toxic Skullcap from the wandering vendor Tawny Grisette, Blisterweed from the herbalists, and Essence of Agony from a poison vendor, then use the Hissing Serum as instructed and report back. Rewards include a choice of the Monstrous Cleaver, Grave Shroud or Slain Baron's Signet.

Why the prerequisites?

Blizzard hasn't explained it. Players who tested the dungeon in the beta say neither chain was required then, and a third-party bug tracker classifies it as a deliberate change rather than a bug. Either way, the quests work as long as you do the lead-ins.

Tips

• Start Rear Guard Patrol early. Part 1 is a level 11 quest you'll pass on your way through Tirisfal anyway.
• Group for Riptear. He's elite, and others in the area will need him too.
• Grab all three quests before you zone in. The Ruins are long, and you don't want to run it twice.
• Check your bags after The Baron. The head starts a quest only for you.

Common mistakes

• Waiting at Kristof without doing Riptear. Wrath of Rath'mael simply won't appear.
• Skipping Silverpine. The New Plague needs the whole Recipe for Death chain.
• Leaving the head in the dungeon. Loot it and start the quest straight away.

Every guide is on our WoW: Forever quests page.