WoW Season 2 Delves: Tank Brann, Sidestreet Sluice Guide

Key Takeaways

• Tank Brann launched with the Undermine(d) patch, giving healers a Brann specialisation that taunts enemies and reduces the healer's run-time pressure in high-tier Delves.
• Tier 9 and above Delves received significantly more Runed Crests in their reward track; Gilded Crests became available exclusively from Tier 11 Bountiful completions via the Nemesis Strongbox, directly addressing Season 1 feedback that high-tier rewards felt underwhelming.
• The weekly Delve Map system was revised: one map per week still applies, but each consecutive Delve run incrementally increased the chance to find a map, smoothing out the original streaky distribution.
• Two new Delves — Sidestreet Sluice (Undermine) and Excavation Site 9 (Ringing Deeps) — joined the rotation, with nearly all existing Delves gaining fresh map variants.
• New Curios and random hats tied to a goblin nemesis storyline (Underpin) added seasonal variety, with affixes focused on Underpin's minions scaling across all Delve tiers.

Here is a breakdown of every significant change Blizzard shipped in The War Within Season 2 Delves.

New Features and Changes

Tank Brann: New Specialisation

The Undermine(d) patch introduced a tank specialisation for Brann Bronzebeard, the AI companion who assists players inside Delves. Equipped with a pistol and shield, Tank Brann focused on taunting enemies away from the player, reducing the constant pressure on healers and giving damage-dealer specs more freedom to pull aggressively.

The primary design goal was equalising run times across player roles. Healer and tank player specs had previously struggled with Delve pacing because Brann's default behaviour was not built around absorbing hits — Tank Brann directly addressed that gap.

✏️ Tip: Tank Brann was most impactful in Tier 8+ Delves where enemy damage spikes became frequent. In Tier 4 and below, Healer or DPS Brann remained faster since the enemies die before they threaten the player.

Revamped Map Mechanics

The Delve Maps system (which unlocks bonus chest interactions inside a Delve) was adjusted to reduce the frustrating variance players experienced in Season 1. In Season 2, the chance to find a Delve Map increased incrementally with each consecutive Delve run completed that week, even if the previous runs yielded no map. Players could still receive at most one map per week, but the escalating probability curve prevented the extended mapless streaks that defined Season 1 for many players.

Existing Delve layouts also received mechanical tweaks. Fungal Folly's sporebits were altered, creating a notably different routing challenge compared to the Season 1 version.

Bountiful Delve Rotation Overhaul

Bountiful Delves (the weekly highlighted Delves that award bonus treasure) previously clustered in specific regions, leaving some areas overplayed while others rarely saw Bountiful status. The Season 2 rotation was overhauled to spread Bountiful selections more evenly across all Delve locations on a predictable cycle. Every Delve location rotated through Bountiful status across the season rather than the old near-random system.

📌 Common mistake: Players who completed Bountiful Delves on multiple characters without pre-planning sometimes found their alts in different Bountiful rotations, missing the compounded chest rewards from running the same Bountiful Delve on all characters in the same weekly window.

Season 2 Reward Improvements

Tier 9+ Crest Enhancements

The most significant Season 2 change was the reward bump at Tier 9 and above. Season 1 Tier 9+ Delves already required meaningful player investment — survivability gear, upgraded Brann, coordinated Curio loadouts — but the crest-per-run rate hadn't matched that difficulty. Season 2 increased the rate of Runed Crests in standard Tier 9+ runs, while Gilded Crests became available exclusively through the Nemesis Strongbox in Tier 11 Bountiful completions (7 per loot window, up to three times per week), making high-tier Delves a viable Gilded Crest farming path alongside Mythic+ and Raid.

New Delves: Sidestreet Sluice and Excavation Site 9

Sidestreet Sluice in the new Undermine zone and Excavation Site 9 in the Ringing Deeps joined the Season 2 Delve pool. Nearly all existing Delves also received at least one new map variant — a different layout or mechanic twist on the base Delve — giving returning players new routing puzzles even in familiar locations.

Curios, Affixes, and Underpin

Season 2 Curios (the passive bonuses Brann equips before a run) were expanded with items themed around Underpin, a goblin nemesis character introduced in the Undermine storyline. New Curios were available from the start of Season 2 (not gated behind weeks of progression), and random hats for Brann were added as cosmetic rewards tied to the storyline.

Affixes in Season 2 focused on Underpin's minions, providing a balanced mix of new challenge types that scaled across Delve tiers rather than only appearing at the top end.

⚠️ Warning: Several high-value Curios from Season 2 required completing specific Delve objectives rather than simply reaching a tier threshold. Check your Curio tooltip's acquisition method before planning your farming route — some required a specific Delve completed at Tier 8 Bountiful, not a generic Tier 8 completion.

Vignettes and Treasure Power-Ups

Season 2 increased the frequency and reward value of vignette encounters and treasure power-ups found mid-Delve. These mid-run discoveries (temporary buffs, bonus mob spawns, additional caches) were redesigned to present clearer risk-versus-reward decisions: taking a detour for a vignette could save time via a powerful buff or cost time on a hard-timed Tier 9+ run.

The Delves system carried forward into WoW Midnight with the same tiered structure and Brann companion. Players who want to clear the current Midnight Delve content at high tiers can explore Midnight Delves tier carries to push beyond their current progression.

FAQ

What is the best Brann specialisation for Season 2 Delves?

Tank Brann was the recommended spec for Tier 8 and above, where enemy damage became frequent enough that having a taunting companion made survival consistent. For Tiers 4–7, DPS Brann remained faster because enemies died before the extra threat management was needed. Healer Brann was a fallback for specs that struggled with sustain on single-target fights in the 6–8 tier range.

How do Delve Maps work in Season 2?

Each player could find one Delve Map per week. In Season 2, the chance to find a map increased with each Delve completed that week — so running three mapless Delves made the fourth run more likely to yield a map. Maps unlocked an additional treasure interaction inside the Delve, providing extra loot on top of the standard completion reward.

What rewards do Tier 9+ Delves give in Season 2?

Tier 9+ Delves awarded Runed Crests on standard completions. Gilded Crests were exclusive to Tier 11 Bountiful completions via the Nemesis Strongbox: 7 crests per loot window, available up to three times per week without requiring a key. The improved crest rates at high tiers made Delves a practical path for upgrading gear into the Myth track alongside Heroic Raid and high Mythic+ dungeons.

Where is Sidestreet Sluice located?

Sidestreet Sluice is a Delve in the Undermine zone, added in the Undermine(d) patch. It required reaching the new Undermine area introduced in Season 2 to access, and was included in both the standard and Bountiful rotation from the start of the season.

What are Underpin's affixes in Season 2?

Underpin's minion affixes appeared across all Delve tiers in Season 2, introducing mob types tied to the goblin antagonist storyline. Each affix added a specific challenge — such as shielded minions requiring interrupt setups or burst-priority adds — that scaled in difficulty from Tier 1 through Tier 11.

Can healers complete high-tier Delves efficiently in Season 2?

Yes. Tank Brann's introduction in Season 2 was specifically designed to normalise run times across roles. With Tank Brann handling enemy aggro, healer specs could complete Tier 9+ Delves in comparable time to DPS specs — a direct improvement from Season 1, where healer specs spent significant time managing threat that Brann couldn't absorb.

Are Season 2 Curios available immediately at season start?

Yes. Several new Season 2 Curios were available from the first week of Season 2 without additional unlock gates. Some specific Curios required completing objectives at Tier 8 Bountiful or above, but the general Curio pool expanded from day one, giving players immediate access to new loadout options when the season launched.

Last reviewed 2026-06-13 against The War Within Season 2 (Undermine(d) patch). Maintained by WowCarry's WoW team.