TBC heroic dungeons are harder level 70 versions of Outland's five-player dungeons. Since October 22, 2026, each key costs Honored reputation with its faction instead of Revered. Buy the key from that faction's quartermaster, set Heroic difficulty, and every boss drops Badges of Justice, which buy raid-level gear in Shattrath.
What are TBC heroic dungeons?
Heroic mode is a level 70 version of each Burning Crusade dungeon with stronger enemies and better loot. It is the main way to gear a fresh level 70 for raids on Anniversary realms. The Gods of Zul'Aman update on October 22, 2026 made heroics much more accessible: keys now need Honored instead of Revered, and every heroic is set to its final, reduced difficulty.
| Fact | TBC Anniversary heroics (October 2026) |
|---|---|
| Group size | 5 players (1 tank, 1 healer, 3 damage dealers) |
| Difficulty | Heroic, level 70, final reduced tuning |
| Unlock | Level 70 and the heroic key for that dungeon's faction at Honored |
| Item level / gear | No item level gate; quest greens and normal dungeon blues are enough to start |
| Lockout | Each heroic can be cleared once per day |
| Main rewards | Rare (blue) gear, Badges of Justice from every boss, Primal Nether |
Magisters' Terrace, the last TBC dungeon, arrives with the Sunwell phase, which has no date yet. Check our coming soon page and the latest patch notes for updates.
Which key opens which heroics?
| Key | Faction | Heroic dungeons |
|---|---|---|
| Flamewrought Key | Honor Hold (Alliance) or Thrallmar (Horde) | Hellfire Ramparts, The Blood Furnace, The Shattered Halls |
| Reservoir Key | Cenarion Expedition | The Slave Pens, The Underbog, The Steamvault |
| Auchenai Key | Lower City | Mana-Tombs, Auchenai Crypts, Sethekk Halls, Shadow Labyrinth |
| Warpforged Key | The Sha'tar | The Mechanar, The Botanica, The Arcatraz |
| Key of Time | Keepers of Time | Old Hillsbrad Foothills, The Black Morass |
How do you unlock heroic dungeons?
- Reach level 70. Heroic mode is level 70 only. Our TBC Anniversary beginner guide covers levelling.
- Earn Honored with the faction. Normal-mode runs of that faction's dungeons and its Outland quests give the reputation. Most players reach Honored with several factions while levelling.
- Visit the quartermaster. Honor Hold or Thrallmar in Hellfire Peninsula, Cenarion Refuge in Zangarmarsh, Lower City and the Sha'tar in Shattrath, and the Keepers of Time in the Caverns of Time in Tanaris.
- Buy the key. It goes on your keyring and lasts for good.
- Check normal-mode access. The Shattered Halls, The Arcatraz and The Black Morass have their own access steps in normal mode, so make sure your group can enter.
- Set the difficulty to Heroic from the party leader's portrait before anyone zones in and walk into the instance portal together.
Each player needs the key to enter on Heroic, so check the whole group before you travel.
What do you need before you start?
- Gear: quest rewards and normal dungeon blues are fine for the easier heroics such as Ramparts, Slave Pens and Underbog. Save Shattered Halls, Shadow Labyrinth and Arcatraz for when your tank and healer have some heroic gear.
- Party: one tank, one healer and three damage dealers. Crowd control (sheep, sap, trap, shackle) still matters on big pulls.
- Consumables: healing and mana potions, food and an elixir or two help a lot in the harder heroics.
- Tools: threat meters, timers and other add-ons Blizzard's interface allows. No automation or cheats.
Which heroics give the best gear and badges?
Every boss in every heroic drops one Badge of Justice per player, so the fastest runs per badge are short dungeons with several bosses. Here is how the heroics compare for most groups.
Fast badge runs
Hellfire Ramparts, The Slave Pens, The Underbog, Mana-Tombs and The Mechanar are short with straightforward pulls. Easy wins for a newer group.
Best gear runs
The Shattered Halls, Shadow Labyrinth, The Arcatraz and The Black Morass hold several strong pre-raid pieces. They have tougher pulls, so bring crowd control and a geared tank. The Steamvault and The Botanica are good for caster and healer items.
The Caverns of Time
Old Hillsbrad Foothills and The Black Morass are escort and wave events. On Black Morass, protect Medivh while the group kills portal bosses; damage dealers must switch to portals fast.
Auchindoun
Mana-Tombs, Auchenai Crypts, Sethekk Halls and Shadow Labyrinth share the Auchenai Key. Shadow Labyrinth is the longest and toughest, with strong gear from Murmur at the end.
For more on group carries, read raid and dungeon carries explained or browse all raid and dungeon guides.
What loot and rewards can you get?
- Badges of Justice: one per boss, per player. Spend them at G'eras in Shattrath. After the October 22 update G'eras sells stronger items, including Nether Vortex.
- Dungeon drops: each heroic boss has a loot table of rare (blue) gear. Drops are random, so you might need several runs for a specific item.
- Primal Nether: heroic end bosses can drop it, and it is no longer soulbound, so it can be traded for crafted gear.
- Reputation: heroic runs keep raising the dungeon's faction toward Revered and Exalted rewards.
- More badges in raids: Karazhan, Gruul, Magtheridon, Serpentshrine, The Eye and Zul'Aman bosses also drop Badges now. Our TBC Anniversary raid guide covers those raids.
Tips to clear heroics faster
- Get Honored keys while levelling. Run normal dungeons for reputation so keys are ready at 70.
- Start with Ramparts and Slave Pens. They are short and forgiving.
- Mark targets on every pull. Skull, cross and crowd control icons cut wipes.
- Pick badge items first. A badge weapon, trinket or ring is often a bigger upgrade than a random drop.
- Keep a regular group. A steady tank and healer turn harder heroics into quick clears.
- Don't skip bosses. Each one is a Badge for every player.
- Use the easier tuning. The final-difficulty heroics let newer players catch up much faster.
How can Boosting Games help?
Our heroic service is on the TBC Anniversary services collection and the TBC Anniversary boosting page. Prices below are starting prices as of October 2026; the exact price for the runs you pick shows before checkout. See how it works for the order steps.
| Service | What you get | Price |
|---|---|---|
| WoW TBC Heroic Dungeon Carry | Heroic dungeon runs you choose, with Badges of Justice from each boss | From $19 |
| WoW TBC Reputation (Netherwing, Sands, Ashtongue) | Reputation progress with the factions named | From $139 |
| WoW TBC Leveling 60–70 | Levelling from 60 to 70 | From $49 |
Honest risk note: Blizzard's terms forbid sharing your account and do not allow paid boosting that breaks its rules. Piloted orders, where a booster logs in, carry the most risk; self-play, where you run the dungeon on your own character with our team, carries less; coaching carries none. Read our account safety page first. We never sell accounts, gold, items, cheats or mods.
Get a heroic dungeon carry
Pick the heroics and the number of runs, choose self-play or piloted, and see the price before you pay.
See TBC Anniversary servicesAsk Boost Up AIRelated reading: what is WoW TBC Anniversary and how to win, our TBC Anniversary raid guide from Karazhan to Zul'Aman, and the full TBC Anniversary guides hub.
TBC heroic dungeons FAQ
What reputation do you need for TBC heroic keys?
Since the October 22, 2026 update on Anniversary realms, heroic keys need Honored reputation with their faction, down from Revered. The five keys are the Flamewrought Key (Honor Hold or Thrallmar), Reservoir Key (Cenarion Expedition), Auchenai Key (Lower City), Warpforged Key (The Sha'tar) and Key of Time (Keepers of Time). Buy them from each faction's quartermaster.
Which TBC heroic is best for Badges of Justice?
Short heroics with several bosses give the most Badges per hour, because every boss drops one Badge per player. Hellfire Ramparts, The Slave Pens, The Underbog, Mana-Tombs and The Mechanar are popular fast runs. Harder heroics such as The Shattered Halls or The Arcatraz give the same Badge per boss but take longer.
Does everyone in the group need a heroic key?
Yes. Each player needs the matching key on their keyring to enter a dungeon on Heroic difficulty. Before you travel, ask everyone to check their keys. If one player lacks the key, the group can swap that player or choose a heroic from a faction everyone has at Honored.
Where do you spend Badges of Justice?
Spend Badges of Justice at G'eras in Shattrath City. He sells armour, weapons, trinkets and rings that are strong pre-raid upgrades, and after the October 22, 2026 update he also sells more powerful items, including Nether Vortex. Badges also drop from many raid bosses now, so raiders keep earning them every week.
How often can you run each heroic?
Each heroic dungeon can be cleared once per day per character. The lockout resets at the daily reset, so you can run several different heroics each day. Spreading your runs across dungeons is the best way to collect Badges while chasing specific drops.
Did TBC heroics get easier on Anniversary realms?
Yes. With the October 22, 2026 update Blizzard set all heroic dungeons to their final, reduced difficulty, matching the later tuning from the original expansion. Combined with Honored keys and Badges from more sources, this makes catching up a fresh level 70 character much quicker than earlier in the Anniversary realms.
Sources: Icy Veins: Gods of Zul'Aman update, Timesaver: October 22 changes, ExpCarry: heroic keys, Icy Veins: TBC Anniversary overview, MassivelyOP: heroic tuning.