The best boss designs in the WoW: The War Within expansion

Key points

• WoW War Within's dungeons have unique bosses, from the comical Goldie to the intense Rasha'nin.
• Creative mechanics like the bartender's role in combat add depth to encounters, as with Brewmaster Aldryr.
• Fighting the Darkness reveals an unexpected depth in Fey culture, with a terrifying entity to face.

If there's one constant in World of Warcraft, it's the dungeons. Dungeons have been a mainstay of the series for the past few decades and will be a part of the series for many years to come. The War Within expansion offered even more options for a night of dungeon crawling.

Each dungeon consists of three to five bosses, all ready to be fought for their precious, very precious loot. They range from scary to silly, but they're all tough fighters who will battle any would-be hero. These are the best dungeon bosses in The War Within.

10 Goldie Baronbottom

Queen of wickedness

Goldie Baronbottom is an example of how bosses don't have to be scary to be funny. In fact, he's one of the funniest bosses the series has ever had. Goldie has taken over the Cinderbrew Distillery and infested it with Yes Men, killer bees and cheap alcohol. The scandal!

Goldie is fun to fight, and almost every one of his lines is some kind of joke. He begins his fight by calling players “nature-loving monsters” and peppers his attacks with corporate speeches. Goblins, in general, are fun opponents, but Goldie packs the punch in the punchline. It's almost a shame that she has to be defeated.

9 Brewmaster Aldryr

Last call everyone

One of Goldie Baronbottom's minions, Brewmaster Aldryr has taken control of the lower half of the Meadery and is in charge of serving the thirsty patrons who come to drink. He's brash, bold and in control, and he doesn't let anyone ruin this new gig.

Brewmaster Aldryr is known for his unique mechanic: players must actually help him serve customers. During intermission, players will need to briefly turn bartenders and bring out drinks. The fighting resumed afterwards, but for a short time the enemies worked together against a ravenous horde. Hey, customer service is just like that sometimes.

8 The queen's fangs

The double bite

The Queen's Fangs are a pair of double bosses. Fanatically loyal to their queen, they are master spies and professional assassins. Finding them is difficult, as players must defeat multiple mobs to even locate them. But once found, the battle can begin.

The Queen's Fangs are a fun pair of bosses in their own right, but they also serve as a reminder of the very real danger that Nerubian society finds itself in. Queen Ansurek has corrupted everything, and those who are loyal to her are loyal to the end. Defeating the Queen won't be as easy as defeating the Fangs…

7 The Voidspeaker Eirich

The tall speaker fell down

Sometimes people just have very vulnerable faces. There's something about them, whether it's their ego, or their methods, or whatever it is. Since his introduction in the Ringing Deeps storyline, High Speaker Eirich had a very punchable face. But good news: you can, in fact, punch him into the Stonevault.

Voidspeaker Eirich (because obviously he's been corrupted by the Void) is so aggressively smug outside the dungeon that ruining his plans feels like a reward in itself. Kudos to the voice actor for creating a truly annoying character in such a short time. Sometimes people are memorable for all the wrong reasons: Voidspeaker Eirich is one of those people.

6 Prioress Murray

The dark side of light

A big theme of The War Within is devotion to a religion and all the things that come from that devotion. Characters like Anduin are searching for lost faith, characters like Faerin are secure in their faith, and characters like Xal'atath work to corrupt those faiths.

Prioress Murrpray is an example of what happens when devotion to the Light goes too far. In another expansion, he might be a useful NPC. But here, her belief in the Emperor and the Light has turned her into another extremist. It's a surprisingly nuanced addition to the series, and a very welcome one.

5 Rasha'nan

You can't improve on perfection

Rasha'nan is one of the darkest experiments ever undertaken by the Nerubians. He is the deformed and twisted form of a Nerubian who has become “perfect”. It seems that the Nerubians have different ideals regarding perfection, but in any case it is necessary to stop them. However, this is easier said than done.

Rasha'nan has super intense combat: players must chase him in an intermission phase, employing flying mounts in pursuit of the monster. Quick reflexes and timing are everything in this boss, and those willing to face Rasha'nan must never underestimate the power of “perfection”, no matter how flawed it may seem.

4 Shadowcrown spokesperson

Queen of the night

The Void is an insidious force. She is seductive and shapes even the most faithful characters to her whims. Speaker Shadowcrown was once a loyal priestess of the Light. But the Void can corrupt even the purest hearts, and now it must be stopped.

His struggle is in constant motion. For all his strength, Shadowcrown is not in full control of his new powers and will occasionally lose control. Players must jump onto flying mounts and flee from his force, only to return when he regains control. Shadowcrown reminds you of a fact that many NPCs will learn throughout the Worldsoul Saga: the Void is not a toy.

3 Benk Buzzbee

Every office has a nature monster

Benk Buzzbee is one of a kind. Apparently he's not even a professional beekeeper, but one day he showed up at the Meadery and Goldie gave him a job. He gets results, which is all Goldie cares about, and is able to control the bees… much to the player's annoyance.

Fighting Benk requires fighting his bees, which players should focus on while fighting him. He's a pretty simple boss, but his backstory of being a random guy who likes bees makes him endearing. He was truly living the dream: Unfortunately, his dream was putting Meadery at risk.

2 Ip'a

Please drink responsibly

Maybe all those craft beer hipsters were on to something: Craft beers might actually be the best… at creating monsters. Irresponsible work at the Cinderbrew Meadery has created a strange beer creature running amok in the lower levels.

Ip'a is just a really fun concept. Like the other Meadery bosses, he isn't taken too seriously. I mean, it's a floating beer monster. It's inherently silly. But there's something very fun about fighting a strange creature, especially in such a fun setting. The Cinderbrew Distillery is one of the best dungeons when it comes to memorable bosses, and Ip'a is the most memorable of them all.

1 The darkness

Into the unknown

One of the most unexpected and appreciated aspects of The War Within was the character and depth it brought to the Fey culture. After decades of beating them up as fodder, players discovered exactly why they wanted candles so badly. And it's terrifying.

It turns out that the Kobolds have been trying to keep away a beast they call “The Darkness” all these years. The Darkness is a terrifying entity intent on consuming anything in its path, be they Kobolds or otherwise. Players must fight him first in a train chase (a first in the series) and then in a more traditional fight. It is better to light a candle instead of cursing the darkness, but this is a darkness we will curse for years to come.