World of Warcraft Dungeon Companion

reviewed by Derek Meier, November 2006

I haven’t written a review for macCompanion for quite awhile. You see I have a new addiction that has taken up most of my spare time-----World of Warcraft. I am a level 60 Warrior in the guild Inferno on the server Boulderfist. Bradygames is no newcomer to strategy guides, especially concerning World of Warcraft. My first strategy guide I ever purchased was their original World of Warcraft Strategy guide.

The Dungeon Companion is a 448-page strategy guide that provides an in-depth overview into all the dungeons of Azeroth, from the Stockades to the Molten Core.

The guide provides starting information. For instance, who to bring, what levels are recommended, how long to complete and where the instance is. Of course, you can complete the dungeon without going by these suggestions but they do help.

Also covered by the guide are detailed maps of the dungeons. Need to go straight to a certain boss? Well, these maps help you make out the most direct path. Trust me, this comes in handy, since a lot of times you are not doing the whole dungeon and have certain bosses you want the drops from.

Speaking of drops, this guide tells what items drop from which boss. Need a Belt or Valor? Well, you can find this drops from Highlord Omokk, plus a list of more items he drops, as well as stats of the item.

Quests for each dungeon are also included with level, quest giver, goal and experience as well as the quest reward. This comes in extremely handy when going into a dungeon, so you will have all the quests you need in advance, saving that frustrating trip back in just to complete one more quest, especially if its part of a chain.

The guide also goes into strategies in each instance, some of which I already knew and have used before. Others I didn’t and can’t wait to try. The more complicated dungeon bosses require more than just hitting it with all you have and if you don’t have a strategy you won’t be taking them down.

Also included in the guild are coverages of some outside boss encounters such as Azuregos in SouthEast Azshara. Lastly the guide also contains the class armor sets which give you an idea of what your goal for your gear will be and where to get the gear for endgame.

All in all the WOW Dungeon Companion is a highly detailed tome of knowledge of the dungeons of Azeroth. It is nicely laid out and has very helpful maps throughout the guide. This is a must-have for any adventurer in the land taking you from the lowest instance to the 20 and 40 man instances. The only drawback is that dungeons like Naxxramas were not added, due to it being added after publishing. Also the WoW expansion the Burning Crusade is due soon. Hopefully we will see a mini dungeon companion with the dungeons added after publishing of the original, plus the new expansion dungeons. Also check out Bradygame's WoW map poster. It’s a nice addition to any gamer's room.