Violet Hold ( original ) The Violet Hold ( previously known as dungeons of Dalaran ) is a prison complex located in Dalaran . It is the third instance to be located within the bounds of a capital city ( after the Stormwind Stockade and Orgrimmar ' s Ragefire Chasm ) . The quest , obtained from Rhonin at level 75 , grants you which is required to unlock the door to the instance . You can enter without the key so long as someone opens the door for you . The quest itself does not need to be completed in order to keep the key . This dungeon used to be to the southeast of Silverpine Forest and to the north east of the Dalaran Crater , but was moved with the city to Northrend . History . Among the ornate spires and enchanted streets of Dalaran , the great Violet Hold stands as a testament to the glory of the city ' s rulers , the Kirin Tor . Yet within its mighty walls , a dark truth awaits . Filled with row upon row of deadly inmates , the hold has long been used to restrain threats to Dalaran . During the aftermath of the Third War , Lord Garithos caught the blood elves - led by Prince Kael ' thas - consorting with Lady Vashj , and forging a desperate alliance with her naga . Garithos branded him a traitor and threw him in a magical cell in the dungeons underneath the city of Dalaran . Kael found himself confined in the prison until Vashj broke him out , during their escape they put to rest the souls of four archmagi : Antonidas , Conjurus Rex , Fordred Aran and Landazar . They found a furbolg and an ogre , which were experiments of the wizards of Dalaran and let them loose upon Garithos ' guards . They also fought against some trapped undead and rescued the rest of the prisoner blood elves . Finally Kael ' thas and the rescued blood elves killed Jailor Kassan , an old friend of Kael ' thas , who guarded the exit to escape . After Kael ' thas ' escape the prison was diligently watched over by the Kirin Tor and it had enjoyed stability for many years … until now . In a sudden , violent assault , Malygos has unleashed his blue dragonflight upon Dalaran , hungry to reclaim arcane dominance over Azeroth . Utilizing a massive crack in the Violet Hold ' s roof , agents of the Dragon Aspect have begun pouring through portals within the prison , testing its integrity and risking the safety of everyone outside its walls . Overwhelmed by the audacious attack , the Kirin Tor has called upon heroes of the Horde and Alliance for assistance , seeking to put a swift end to the invasion . As brave adventurers rush to aid Dalaran , rumors circulate about the escalating ferocity of the battle . Violet Hold defenders seeking a brief respite from the ongoing offensive warn that the dungeon ' s vile inmates have begun escaping from their cells due to Malygos ' reckless actions . And that , the guards caution , is only the beginning . So critical is his quest to destroy Dalaran , Malygos has sent Cyanigosa , one of his most powerful lieutenants , to ensure victory and guarantee that the city is destroyed , along with any who dare defend it . As the onslaught continues to chip away at the Violet Hold ' s defenses , only the brave souls protecting the prison stand between the continued existence of Dalaran and the city ' s utter annihilation . Walkthrough . As you enter , Kirin Tor prison guards are fending off invaders of the blue dragonflight . Under orders from Malygos , the blue dragonflight are using magical portals to enter the hold in an attempt to enter the city by breaking through the hold ' s defenses . When you talk to Lieutenant Sinclari , she will use the Defense Control Crystal near the doors to kill all the mobs in the hold and leave with the guards , closing the doors behind her . Your group is left on their own to defend the hold . Similar to the Black Morass instance , there will be 18 portals opening one after another . These portals spawn either a portal guardian which continuously spawns non - elite adds from the portal or a squad of elite dragonkin who do not spawn adds . Killing the guardian or the squad closes the portal . You must keep the spawns off the door , so that they don ' t break through . On the 6th and 12th portal , an unattackable dragonkin will spawn and open up one of the magically sealed prison cells , each containing a different boss . After you defeat the boss , you will get a small break to catch your breath before the event continues . The most challenging portal trash spawn are the squads of elite dragonkin , which emerge in groups of 3 - 4 . The champions have a knock - back ability , so tanking with your back against a wall is preferable . This is especially true since sorcerers are ranged and will not follow the tank backward , creating a potential aggro problem . For this reason , sorcerers should be downed first , and also because they will target random party members with arcane barrages . The squads of elite dragonkin are especially difficult for the tank when they emerge from a portal in the middle of the balcony . Two mobs will run one way and two will run the other way , taking different staircases down to the dungeon ' s main floor . The ideal response is to be at the portal when they spawn , and establish aggro before they split . If you cannot be there in time , establish quick aggro on one side of the split group . Then , charge to one of the mobs on the other side , followed by taunt or ranged attack on the other mob . Alternatively , you can wait for them to meet again at the stairs near the instance door , but dps and heals should be alerted to wait . On the 18th portal , you will fight Cyanigosa , the blue dragon in charge of the assault on the prison . On Heroic , it awards approximately 1300 reputation . Upon Death , one must fight through all waves , including the bosses , again . However , in Heroic mode , bosses that have already been defeated are replaced by mobs that are the same but differently named , and provide only 250 Reputation and no loot . In Regular , bosses which have to be fought again will drop loot normally . If only a single player or two dies without a wipe , they may simply enter the instance again as a ghost and speak with Sinclari outside the doors of the prison ; she ' ll teleport the player inside the doors . Dungeon Denizens . Bosses . You will encounter three bosses in this dungeon , the first two being randomly selected out of this list of bosses : Finally , you will always face as the 3rd boss . Fishing . Unique items fished up from the waters of Violet Hold ( outside the instance ) :