The Heart of the Mountain: Maxwort and the Black Vault (Classic Era baseline)
Community-reported, not yet confirmed by Blizzard.
The Heart of the Mountain is a neutral Blackrock Depths quest from Maxwort Uberglint, a goblin at Flame Crest in the Burning Steppes. He wants a gem "the size of your fist" that the Dark Iron dwarves keep in their vault. To get it you open all twelve Relic Coffers in the vault and kill Watchman Doomgrip. That opens the Secret Safe, and the Heart sits beside it. There's no item reward, just XP and money, but the run also gets you the safe's loot. Everything below is the Classic Era baseline. Forever changes are covered in their own section.
Quick facts
Community-reported, not yet confirmed by Blizzard.
| Faction | Both. Maxwort is friendly to Alliance and Horde |
| Quest giver | Maxwort Uberglint (level 42, Booty Bay faction), Flame Crest, Burning Steppes 65.2, 23.8 |
| Level | 55, requires 50 |
| Type | Dungeon, sharable |
| What you need | 12 Relic Coffer Keys, one for each coffer, and a group for Watchman Doomgrip |
| Quest item | The Heart of the Mountain, found next to the Secret Safe |
| Rewards | 5,650 XP and 85s at level 55 (3g 39s at the level cap). No item |
Every quest on this page
Community-reported, not yet confirmed by Blizzard.
| Quest | Level (req.) | Type | Start → end | XP | Money at level cap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Heart of the Mountain | 55 (50) | Dungeon, sharable | Maxwort Uberglint → Maxwort Uberglint | 5,650 | 3g 39s |
Maxwort also gives Tablet of the Seven (level 50, requires 50, 2,350 XP), which has you copy a tablet in the Ruins of Thaurissan. Pick both up together. The full Flame Crest list is on our Burning Steppes: Morgan's Vigil & Flame Crest page.
What Maxwort says
Community-reported, not yet confirmed by Blizzard.
His quest text sums it up: the Dark Iron dwarves "have it locked in their vault". "Fight your way to the Lower Vault of Blackrock Depths, breach its secret safe and gain the Heart. To do that, you must defeat Watchman Doomgrip, and he won't appear until you've opened every relic coffer in the vault!" When you return, he says: "You have the heart! Amazing! It is even more beautiful than I imagined!"
Step by step
Community-reported, not yet confirmed by Blizzard.
- Take the quest at Flame Crest. Maxwort is at 65.2, 23.8. The quest is sharable, so one player can hand it to the rest of the group.
- Open all twelve Relic Coffers. Each coffer is behind its own locked vault door. Every one holds vendor-trash valuables, and the gold adds up.
- Loot the Heart. When every enemy is dead, a hidden door beneath the Dark Coffer opens. It gives access to the Secret Safe and the Heart of the Mountain object. Grab the Heart and open the safe.
- Return to Maxwort. Hand in the Heart at Flame Crest for 5,650 XP.
Who drops Relic Coffer Keys (samples)
Community-reported, not yet confirmed by Blizzard.
| Mob | Level | Key drop (shown) |
|---|---|---|
| Anvilrage Warden | 49–50 | about 13.4% |
| Anvilrage Marshal | 54–55 | about 13.3% |
| Doomforge Dragoon | 54–55 | about 13.0% |
| Anvilrage Medic | — | about 12.8% |
| Anvilrage Guardsman | 50–51 | about 12.6% |
| Anvilrage Footman | 51–52 | about 12.6% |
| Anvilrage Overseer | — | about 12.6% |
At roughly one key per eight kills from these mobs, a full clear of the early dungeon gives a group a fair chance at twelve. You may need a second run, though, or bought keys.
Group and elite note
Community-reported, not yet confirmed by Blizzard.
This is a dungeon quest, not something to solo at level. Doomgrip is an elite boss, and he arrives together with the vault's stone guardians.'s Forever overview lists Blackrock Depths at 52–60. The quest is level 55, so a group of five around 53 to 57 is comfortable. The quest is sharable, and each player in the group can loot their own Heart. If one of you is a rogue, the listed coffer guide describes rogues stealthing into the vault with keys as the most efficient coffer runner. That's for gold farming, though. The Doomgrip fight still needs a group.
The Secret Safe
Community-reported, not yet confirmed by Blizzard.
the listed object data for the Secret Safe lists these blue items. The sample is small, so there are no reliable rates.
| Item | Type |
|---|---|
| Black Steel Bindings | Plate wrist, +10 Strength, +7 Agility, +10 Stamina |
| Magma Forged Band | Ring, +7 Strength, +12 Agility, +7 Stamina |
| Mana Shaping Handwraps | Cloth hands, +16 spell damage and healing |
| Wand of Eternal Light | Holy wand, +9 healing |
| Deathdealer Breastplate | Mail chest, +2% crit |
| Haunting Specter Leggings | Cloth legs, +12 Intellect, +28 Spirit |
| Wraith Scythe | One-hand axe, chance on hit: steal 45 life |
The Dark Coffer (optional)
Community-reported, not yet confirmed by Blizzard.
The Secret Safe appears under the Dark Coffer, but you don't need to open the Dark Coffer for this quest. It takes a separate Dark Keeper Key ("Use on the Dark Coffer in the Black Vault"). Read the Dark Keeper Nameplate in the vault to learn which of six Dark Keepers holds the key in your run. They are: Uggel in the Hall of Crafting, Pelver in the Domicile, Zimrel among the arena spectators, Bethek in the vault itself, Vorfalk in the Grim Guzzler, and Ofgut in the West Garrison. The Dark Coffer holds enchant reagents: Black Blood of the Tormented, Eye of Kajal and Burning Essence. They're used for the Libram of Rumination, Libram of Tenacity and Libram of Resilience quests.
Where the quest giver is
Community-reported, not yet confirmed by Blizzard.
Horde and Alliance
Community-reported, not yet confirmed by Blizzard.
Nothing changes between factions. Maxwort is friendly to both, and the quest is listed as both factions. For the routes into Blackrock Depths from either side, see our Blackrock Mountain guide.
WoW Forever notes
Community-reported, not yet confirmed by Blizzard.
- Not doable in the beta. Blizzard's beta notes say "Players can now level up to a maximum of level 30." This quest needs level 50.
- XP. The notes say "Dungeon quests now reward 50% less extra experience beyond normal quest values." This quest is Dungeon-tagged, so it may pay less than 5,650 in Forever. Exact Forever XP is.
- Secret Safe loot. The item list above is Classic Era data. The Forever loot table is.
FAQ
Where is Maxwort Uberglint? At Flame Crest in the north of the Burning Steppes, at 65.2, 23.8. [Unconfirmed]
How many Relic Coffer Keys do I need? Twelve. One per coffer, and Doomgrip only appears after the last one is opened.
Can I buy Relic Coffer Keys? They aren't Bind on Pickup, and the listed coffer guide mentions buying them on the Auction House. Prices and supply in Forever are unknown. [Unconfirmed]
Do I need the Dark Keeper Key? No. It opens the optional Dark Coffer. The Secret Safe and the Heart only need the twelve Relic Coffers and the Doomgrip fight.
Is there an item reward? No. Just XP and money, though the Secret Safe beside the Heart has a chance at a blue item.
Related
- A Taste of Flame, the other Burning Steppes quest that sends you into Blackrock Depths
- Blackrock Depths guide and every Blackrock Depths quest
- Burning Steppes: Morgan's Vigil & Flame Crest quests
- Zone guides: Burning Steppes, Blackrock Mountain
How this page is checked: the quest's name, ID, level, required level, type, sharing, giver, XP and money come from its page. NPC levels, elite status, abilities and coordinates come, plus key drop rates and safe contents from the item and object pages, all checked 3 Nov 2026 (AEDT). Forever details come from Blizzard's beta notes.
← Back to WoW Forever quests
Sources
- Blizzard — WoW Forever Beta Development Notes (Updated October 26)