Coming in 4.2: the Dungeon Journal

With 4.2, we’re introducing the new World of Warcraft Dungeon Journal. The feature is currently deep in development, so while we don't have anything to show off just yet, we’ve put together a FAQ with a bit of information. Please enjoy!

Q: What is the Dungeon Journal?

A: The Dungeon Journal is a new piece of UI in World of Warcraft that players can use to find out more about specific dungeons, and the bosses within those dungeons, including what abilities they have and the rewards they offer.

Q: How will I access it?

A: While in a dungeon, hitting "M" (the default key for Map) will open the Dungeon Journal. A new button will also be available in the navigation tray. The Dungeon Journal can be accessed from anywhere - in a dungeon, in a raid, on a boat, etc.

Q: Will I have to experience a dungeon or encounter in order to see the associated Dungeon Journal content?

A: There won’t be any "gating" or limitations placed on what content a player can see in the Dungeon Journal. All boss/dungeon/raid information will be available to all players regardless of level, gear, or content experience.

Q: What will it show me?

A: The dungeon/raid map will display the locations of each boss in their respective locations, marked by unique icons.
Players can access boss information by clicking on boss icons on the map, or by clicking on the boss’ name in the associated tab of the dungeon/raid map page.

General loot information for the dungeon/raid can also be accessed from the dungeon/raid main page by clicking on the Loot tab. This will show all loot dropped - from bosses and trash - in the instance, of a certain quality.

Boss abilities will be available via the boss’ page, either by clicking on the map or by going through the Dungeon tab. The Dungeon tab on the boss’ page will list out all major spells, abilities, and phases for that fight.

Q: Are the descriptions going to be simplified or detailed?

A: Descriptions will be verbose and complete. Our goal is to give a lot of context to the abilities in terms of how they’ll play out; however, we will not be giving any strategy tips in the Dungeon Journal. For example, while the Dungeon Journal might say something like "This ability will cause all players in the affected area to take damage," it won’t say anything explicit like "All players except the tank should stand behind the boss during his Shield phase."

Q: Will this include adds?

A: Yes. If a boss has adds, like Ascendant Council or Erudaxx, their abilities will be listed, too.

Q: What bosses will be included in 4.2?

A: That's still being determined. We want to include as many as possible and add more as we go along. We'll provide additional information on availability as we progress through the Public Test Realm process.

We'll provide a more comprehensive look at the Dungeon Journal, including the interface and examples of the information it provides, as we move closer to the release of 4.2. Have fun storming the castle!

So now noobs dont even have to know how to use google anymore. So cool!

Just kidding. This sounds dumb. There's plenty of online resources already. Don't coddle the players by putting the walkthrough directly in the game

You mistake this implementation as a walk-through. While you will be told the items and abilities the boss will employ, it will not tell you when, how much damage, where to stand etc. This is merely an extra in-game tool to help players get into the encounters, understand them a little better, and enjoy them. The ability to take down the boss is still soundly within player hands and abilities.

05/02/2011 11:34 AMPosted by Squirrelthug

Can we have an option for the lore behind the boss/dungeon? like a second tab or something?

Yeah i remember them saying there was gonna be boss lore in this dungeon journal way back when they first hinted at it. I want that lore!

At the very least put all the lore you'd need to know in a book or in an NPC that brings up a unique interface. There is a lorekeeper in thunderbluff, well was there pre cata not sure where he went if he's not still there. But that guy could do the job no problem along with taking care of the mauradon quests he did. It would be nice to get all the info about the game in the game.

We're planning to include a little bit of flavor lore associated with each boss.

I wanted to come back to this thread to update and clarify some information that I provided previously on how much information we plan to add to the Dungeon Journal. We actually do plan to provide specific information on the abilities and damage that will be done as well as information on the phases. We will not, however, be providing any strategies on how to defeat the bosses. That will be solely up to you to figure out. We hope that by providing this information in an easily accessible way, that it will help people be able to spend their time in game actually taking on these encounters more than spending it out of game doing research.

A little? Your writers have written entire books about WoW, i think you can do better than just "a little".

There has to be a certain balance between the amount of information shared. We want to make sure that what we're sharing is of value to those interested in it, without it being "tldr" for others. We want people interested, we just don't want to overwhelm people either. We'll see how it goes though.