Darkflame Cleft M+ dungeon walkthrough: Strategies and rewards
Complete and easy-to-follow Darkflame Cleft M+ guide in The War Within patch 11.1.5. Learn how to defeat all 4 bosses, counter dangerous trash mobs, avoid wipes, and take ALL candle!
Table of Contents
Key takeaways:
- Darkflame Cleft was introduced as a Mythic+ dungeon in Season 2.
- It features 4 boss fights with dangerous trash in between.
- Check out our boss and trash strategies to make your DC runs smoother.
- Don’t forget to check the loot table and FAQ to find out how to get rare Wick’s Lead mount.
Darkflame Cleft (DC) is a dungeon in The War Within, bringing players face-to-face with some of the most notorious minor villains in WoW—Kobolds. We venture deep into their mine to battle them, claim their candles, and confront their greatest fear—The Darkness itself.
This Darkflame Cleft M+ guide covers everything you need to know about tackling this dungeon at the highest difficulty level, available since the launch of Season 2. We’ll break down encounters with all 4 DC bosses, highlight the most dangerous trash mobs, and provide a full loot table, essential tips, and more to help you succeed.
Related posts:
Darkflame Cleft entrance
You will find Darkflame Cleft in the Ringing Deep, Khaz Algar, located at coordinates [59.0 21.0].
If you need additional guidance in-game, use the following command:
/way 59.0 21.0The entrance itself looks like this.
Darkflame Cleft map and boss location
Darkflame Cleft features 4 bosses and a straightforward map, shown below. The only way to fight these bosses is in the following order:
- Ol’ Waxbeard
- Blazikon
- The Candle King
- The Darkness
There’s no risk of getting lost or straying into unintended areas in this dungeon.
Darkflame Cleft M+ boss strategy
Here, we’ll discuss all Darkflame Cleft bosses, highlighting their abilities, how to counter them, and the key aspects of each fight.
Ol’ Waxbeard M+ guide
Key fight aspects:
- Boss will summon a lot of Menial Laborers. Cleave them and get them hit by Minecarts.
- One player should stay near pillars and kite Reckless Charge.
- Focus Dynamite Mine Cart as soon as it appears.
Boss abilities and counters:
| Ability | Description | Tip |
|---|---|---|
| “Kol”-to-Arms | Summon a lot of Menial Laborers. | Use cleave damage and Minecarts to deal with them. |
| Luring Candleflame | Menial Laborers will target random nearby player affected by this debuff. | Kite Menial Laborers. Try to get rid of them by cleave, Minecarts and Cave-In. If Menial Laborers apply too many Crude Weapons debuffs, use defensives and avoid getting hit until the debuff wears off. Use crowd control to help the focused player survive. |
| Reckless Charge | Ol’ Waxbeard targets the furthest player and charges toward them. Activates Cave-In. | This player should stay near pillars and be ready to dodge the boss’s charge, ensuring it collides with the pillar. Kite Menial Laborers into the charging path. |
| Cave-In | Drops boulders above each player after a short delay. Fatal to Menial Laborers. | Avoid getting hit by the rocks and kite Menial Laborers into them. |
| Underhanded Track-tics | Dynamite Mine Cart will spawn and detonate in 20 sec. | Focus it ASAP. |
| Rock Buster | Ol’ Waxbeard deals a lot of damage and increases physical damage taken by 25% for 6 sec. | Tank should use defensives. |
| Crude Weapons | Menial Laborers inflict stacking debuff, dealing physical damage. | If you reach 15+ stacks use defensives or dispel Bleed. |
Blazikon M+ boss guide
Key fight aspects:
- First, ignite candles with Wicklighter Barrage.
- After Enkindling Inferno use Extinguishing Gust to extinguish candles.
- After Dousing Breath use Wicklighter Barrage to ignite candles.
- Cycle 2 and 3 steps.
Boss abilities and counters:
| Ability | Description | Tip |
|---|---|---|
| Blazing Storms | Blazikon wipes all players with this spell when there are no players in melee combat. | Tank should always stay in melee. |
| Dousing Breath | Deals a lot of damage and extinguishes candles. | Heal up the party and use defensives. |
| Enkindling Inferno | Deals a lot of fire damage and ignites candles. | Stay in a safe spot. Light as many candles as you can with Wicklighter Barrage. |
| Incite Flames | All lit candles create void zones. | Don’t stay in the fire. |
| Wicklighter Barrage | A barrage of slow-falling fire that deals damage and ignites candles upon impact. | Ignite candles with it. |
| Extinguishing Gust | Targeted players are attacked by tornadoes that deal damage and extinguish candles on impact. | Extinguish candles with it. |
The Candle King M+ guide
Key fight aspects:
- Use Darkflame Pickaxe and Throw Darkflame to destroy Wax Statues.
- Interrupt Paranoid Mind.
Boss abilities and counters:
| Ability | Description | Tip |
|---|---|---|
| Eerie Molds | Spawns Wax Statues that deal AoE damage, with their damage stacking over time. | Destroy Statues with Darkflame Pickaxe or Throw Darkflame. Don’t come close to the Statues. |
| Darkflame Pickaxe | The Candle King throws a pickaxe at a random player. It collides with the first target, dealing Shadow damage and knocking them back. If it hits a Wax Statue, it shatters the statue instead. | Hide behind a Wax Statue. |
| Throw Darkflame | The Candle King marks 3 players and hurls flames at them, dealing damage in a 5-yard radius and applying a healing absorb. Wax Statues hit by Throw Darkflame shatter, leaving molten wax pools that deal damage. | Always aim to hit as many Wax Statues as possible when affected by this ability. Use defensives. |
| Paranoid Mind | The Candle King inflicts fear on players for 4 seconds. | Interrupt it. |
The Darkness M+ guide
Key fight aspects:
- Keep Candlelight away from the boss’s abilities and adds.
- You can move Candlelight around and recharge it with Wax Lump.
- Interrupt Call Darkspawn and Drain Light.
Boss abilities and counters:
| Ability | Description | Tip |
|---|---|---|
| Smothering Shadows | Reduces damage and healing by 99%. | Stay in the Candlelight or use Flare. |
| Candlelight | Prevents Smothering Shadows but dims over time and from Umbral Slash, Eternal Darkness, and Shadowblast. If the candle has no heat, boss will cast Rising Gloom. | Move your Candlelight by clicking on it and recharge it with Wax Lump. Keep Candlelight close to the boss. |
| Umbral Slash | The Darkness uses a splash attack toward the Candlelight, dealing damage to players and reducing its heat. | Pick up the Candlelight and move it away from Umbral Slash. |
| Eternal Darkness | Deals heavy AoE damage and reduces Candlelight’s heat. | Replenish Candlelight before each cast of Eternal Darkness. Use defensives during this cast. |
| Shadowblast | Targets a player, dealing damage after 4 seconds, and reduces Candlelight’s heat. | Move away before the debuff ends to avoid cleave and Candlelight heat loss. Try to collect Wax Lump. |
| Call Darkspawn | Summon Wriggling Darkspawns with Drain Light agility. | Interrupt Call Darkspawn and Drain Light. Clear the adds. |
Darkflame Cleft M+ trash strategy
Below is a list of the most important trash mobs and encounters, their most dangerous abilities, and effective strategies to counter them.
Trash before Ol’ Waxbeard
- Beware of Rank Overseer and avoid pulling more than one at a time.
- Look for Royal Wicklighter and avoid pulling more than 2 at once.
- Try to interrupt Wicklighter Bolt.
- Try to dispel Flashpoint.
- As a group, stay near pillars to kite casters and force them to move closer to you.
- If you can, dispel Enrage from Pack Mole and dispel Bleed from Menial Laborer’s Crude Weapons if it reaches 15 or more stacks.
Trash before Blazikon
- Try to interrupt Blazing Fiend to prevent Explosive Flame.
- Avoid pools created by Wandering Candle and Kobold Taskworker.
Trash before The Candle King
- Focus on Sootsnout and interrupt both Candleflame Bolt and Flaming Tether.
- Avoid Burning Candles.
- Avoid Ceaseless Flame.
- When Torchsnarl uses One-Hand Headlock, do everything you can to save your teammate.
Trash before The Darkness
- Pull only 1 or 2 Corridor creepers at a time due to Creeping Shadow on the tank. If dispels aren’t available, use defensives to survive high stacks of the debuff. If a dispel is available, you can pull more Corridor creepers and just dispel Creeping Shadow.
- When Skittering Darkness dies, it leaves Suffocating Darkness on the spot—move away immediately.
- Try to interrupt Shuffling Horror’s cast of Drain Light.
Darkflame Cleft Minecart event
- Stay close to the Minecart—it’s the only way to prevent the Smothering Shadows debuff.
- Hunters can use Flare to remove the debuff.
- To keep the Minecart fire burning, look for small candles in the tunnel. Run through the darkness to collect them, then return to the Minecart.
- You don’t need to click on the candles—just run close to them to collect their light.
- The healer should collect small candles most of the time. If they can’t, a ranged DPS should take on the task.
- Pull large groups of mobs and fight them near the Minecart, utilizing DPS cooldowns for maximum efficiency.
- Focus Corridor creepers.
- When The Darkness arrives and starts chasing the Minecart, attack it using dynamite from the Minecart.
Darkflame Cleft loot
Here’s a complete list of all the loot available in Darkflame Cleft.
Cloth loot
| Item | Slot | Boss |
|---|---|---|
| Candlebearer’s Shroud | Back | The Candle King |
| Flickering Glowtorc | Neck | Blazikon |
| Wick’s Golden Loop | Finger | Ol’ Waxbeard |
Leather loot
| Item | Slot | Boss |
|---|---|---|
| Gleamkeeper’s Buckle | Waist | The Candle King |
| Shimmering Glimclaws | Hands | Blazikon |
| Shadowspawn Leggings | Legs | The Darkness |
Mail loot
| Item | Slot | Boss |
|---|---|---|
| Gloaming Visage | Head | The Darkness |
| Mole Knight’s Grimemail | Shoulders | Ol’ Waxbeard |
| Scent-Strong Candlecord | Waist | Blazikon |
| Gloomstomper’s Sabatons | Feet | The Candle King |
Plate loot
| Item | Slot | Boss |
|---|---|---|
| Waxsteel Greathelm | Head | Blazikon |
| Caliginous Claspers | Hands | The Darkness |
Trinkets
| Item | Stat | Boss |
|---|---|---|
| Conductor’s Wax Whistle | Agility | Ol’ Waxbeard |
| Carved Blazikon Wax | Intellect | Blazikon |
| Burin of the Candle King | Intellect | The Candle King |
| Remnant of Darkness | All | The Darkness |
Weapons
| Item | Stat / Type | Boss |
|---|---|---|
| Crepuscular Carver | Agility / One-hand | The Darkness |
| Rail Rider’s Bisector | Strength / One-hand | Ol’ Waxbeard |
| Dark Zone Headtaker | Intellect / One-hand | The Candle King |
| Poleaxe of Somber Fate | Strength / Two-hand | The Darkness |
| Arcane Scuttle | Intellect / Off-hand | Ol’ Waxbeard |
Conclusion
Darkflame Cleft is a fun, easy to follow, and immersive dungeon that surprises newcomers while giving veteran players a chance to showcase their skills. It’s a good dungeon for M+ runs, provided you know the basics and have a dependable team. If you’re still struggling with this or any other Mythic dungeon, consider using our Mythic plus boost.
Check out our FAQ below to explore other aspects of Darkflame Cleft, including quests, achievements, and more.
Darkflame Cleft FAQ
Where is Darkflame Cleft located?
Ringing Deep at [59.0 21.0].
Are there any quests for Darkflame Cleft?
All TWW dungeons have some campaign quests, except this one. The only quest to do here is Darkflame Cleft.
What are Darkflame Cleft achievements?
There is nothing special, just these 4:
Darkflame Cleft
Heroic: Darkflame Cleft
Mythic: Darkflame Cleft
Keystone Hero: Darkflame Cleft
How to get Wick’s Lead mount?
Wick’s Lead has a small chance to drop from The Darkness on any Mythic difficulty.
Comments
What happens if you don’t throw the dynamite during the minecart phase on The Darknes?
nothing too bad
Dynamite helps you deal 10% more damage to The Darkness, making the boss fight after the cart event shorter