10,000 Years ago Azshara, Last Queen of the Kaldorei Empire, was overcome struck a deal with the Titan Sargeras to grant the Burning Legion entry into Azeroth.

Summoning an initial strike force spearheaded by the Pit Lord Mannoroth, Azshara worked to harness the powers of the Well of Eternity into opening a massive portal to bring Sargeras to Kalimdor. Demonic forces massacred the citizens in the city of Zin-Azshari below her palace, and the first battle of the War of the Ancients began.

Players are brought to the Well of Eternity by the Bronze Dragonflight, seeking to temporarily recover the Dragon Soul from the battlefield and use it to stop Deathwing during the Cataclysm. And while you’re only ever meant to travel through the center of the palace and a small portion of shoreline, more curious heroes can use the method showcased in the video above to escape the palace and take a tour of the lower tiers of the city and palace gardens.

Travelling into Zin-Azshari, we see that the majority of the city has already been set ablaze by massive infernals. Much like the demons in the Sunwell inside Magisters Terrace, they are untargetable and cannot be injured or attacked. At the time the Well of Eternity dungeon takes place, the battle has already been going on for several hours, and most citizens inside the city had already been killed.

Heading along the mountain range, we find ourselves above the area where you fight Mannoroth and Varo’than, the last bosses of the dungeon. While you can jump down, they’re unattackable until you talk to Malfurion and Illidan farther up the shores of the Well.

Scaling the mountains nearest the palace grounds, you can jump up and explore the inaccessible palace gardens. The buildings are only meant to be seen from over the walls of the Courtyard of Lights, so the interiors are all undecorated and the buildings are identical.

Interestingly, the opposite side of the doorway leading into the Palace of Lights (the pavilion where you fight Peroth’arn) has a staircase in front of it, despite it not being visible from anywhere inside the dungeon.

While access to the Well of Eternity is normally blocked by an invisible wall, players can jump from the upper reaches of the palace garden and glide over the boundary and into the well. Inside we discover that the well contains not water, but a flat conical object placed inside of a sunken portion of terrain to give the appearance of a whirlpool.

The Well of Eternity provides us with a spectacular first hand example of the devastation of the Burning Legion, and provides us with a dark glimpse at the future of Azeroth that almost was.

So whether you’re an avid explorer, or you’re just trying to keep track of how many times Mannoroth has died at this point, the Well of Eternity is well worth the visit.