Abyssal Maw The Abyssal Maw is part of the Elemental Plane , and is the domain associated with water . It is within these depths that Neptulon and his minions were cast by the titan s . Background . Surrounding the land and constantly assaulting it with waves and storms sprawls the great ocean of the Elemental Plane . The water is vast and in many places very deep , sometimes nearly reaching the realm of fire far below . The liquid itself is constantly changing — sometimes salty or murky , other times fresh and clear . Creatures of the element abound , along with some large beasts such as the kraken , but the seas are otherwise curiously devoid of life . Neptulon the Tidehunter lives within the depths of the seas , jealously protecting his realm from any threat . His kingdom is called the Abyssal Maw . He constantly battles with Ragnaros the Firelord , who is always trying to break through to smite the ocean with his heat . The Tidehunter keeps the seas surging and in constant motion , battering at the earthly realm with waves and storms . A wise and powerful being , Neptulon keeps many secrets , for reasons only a creature of water can truly understand . The surface of the Elemental Plane ' s ocean is dotted with a few small islands of rock that yet resist Neptulon ' s endless assault on the land . At the point farthest from Therazane ' s domain there floats a mile - wide shelf of solid ice known as the Frostland . Like an immense iceberg , the Frostland extends far underneath the surface , almost to the ocean floor . Smaller chunks of ice break free occasionally and drift across the seas , slowly melting as they come nearer to Deepholm . Some of these bergs are occupied by ice elemental conglomerates or other creatures . Traveling beneath the waves , within the Abyssal Maw itself , can be troublesome , and not just because of the need to breathe underwater . Vortices occasionally form of their own accord , creating tremendous tidal forces that threaten to tear apart their victims . Violent temperature shifts also move upward through the waters like bubbles rising from the ocean floor , subjecting travelers to bone - numbing cold . Parts of the Abyssal Maw are thousands of feet deep — so far down that even light doesn ' t reach the ocean floor . Traveling beneath the surface in these areas subjects travelers to intense pressure . Traveling on the surface of the Abyssal Maw can be very dangerous . Visitors rarely have cover , and Neptulon will have no trouble spotting unwelcome travelers . Furthermore , both Neptulon and Al ' Akir contest the border between the Maw and the Skywall , so anyone floating upon the waves can be subjected to the attacks of either realm . World of Warcraft : Cataclysm . In " World of Warcraft " it is a dungeon hub called Abyssal Maw : Abyssal Maw and located in Vashj ' ir . It contains one 5 - man instance , Throne of the Tides , for level 80 - 81 players and was revealed at the official Vashj ' ir preview . The second wing , known simply as Abyssal Maw , was announced at BlizzCon 2009 but was not included in Cataclysm ' s original release . The Dungeons and Raids panel at Blizzcon 2010 featured a preview of this dungeon which will be released as part of the 4 . 1 patch in early 2011 . It would potentially be suitable for a 5 - man level 85 party at both regular and heroic difficulty . Unfortunately for those looking forward to the release of Abyssal Maw in some patch of Cataclysm , ( it didn ' t come to pass in 4 . 1 , so people came to expect it in 4 . 2 alongside Firelands ; that didn ' t happen either ) , Blizzard ' s Cory Stockton announced that they were shelving Abyssal Maw indefinitely , as it did not fit in with the storyline of the Cataclysm patch cycle . This announcement was part of the 30 - minute BlizzCon 2011 : World of Warcraft Dungeon and Raids Panel Q & A . Stockton went on to say that since they had moved on from the Cataclysm story at the time of the Panel , that they would likely not return to the idea of an Abyssal Maw raid in future patches .