Since Vanilla Shadowfang Keep has sat in crumbling disarray on its hill, overlooking the Greymane Wall and the town of Pyrewood Village.

With the opening of Gilneas in Cataclysm, the dungeon saw an update to reflect the changes made to Silverpine Forest in the live version of the zone. And while the same measures designed to keep players from exploring outside the dungeon are still in place, inventive adventurers can still get past these boundaries (using the method detailed in the video above) and travel into the instanced copy of the surrounding zone.

Looking down on the keep from above, we can see that the sections of the building not visible from the courtyard haven’t been rendered. Players can glide freely into many of the rooms below, but the bosses inside these rooms won’t spawn until all preceding fights have been completed.

Heading further into Silverpine Forest, we can see where the old and new versions of the zone overlap. Sections of the original stone road can still be found within the dungeons. One such example is this bridge, which has been replaced by a more elaborate Forsaken bridge on live. Farther south in the Sepulcher, you can see a more jarring transition, where the ground juts up several feet and the original road is suddenly replaced by the new purple one.

At the Northeasternmost corner of the map, where Fenris Isle should be located, a massive untextured portion of map spans the area. The ground has no texture or terrain mapping, but players can freely run about on it without being disconnected. A similar untextured area can be found on the opposite corner of the map at the eastern end of the Greymane Wall.

Returning towards Pyrewood Village, we’re free to explore the town. However be careful not to get too close to Shadowfang Keep or the road leading to its entrance, there’s an invisible boundary surrounding the keep which will teleport you outside the instance.

By climbing a mountain range on the southeasternmost edge of the map, we can get on top of the Greymane Wall and explore from a higher vantage point.

From the wall we can see that while the waterfall effects are still being rendered, all the water is missing. The many schools of fish which normally swim throughout the lake below the waterfall can still be found swimming through the air.

Making our way along the wall, we’re treated to a beautiful view of the Gilneas lighthouse, Pyrewood Village, and Shadowfang Keep below.

Shadowfang Keep not only holds an interesting snapshot of two different versions of Silverpine Forest laid over top of one another, but provides players with a relaxing place to explore the villages and camps throughout the zone in peace. So whether you’re an avid explorer, or just an Alliance player getting ready to retake the north, the instanced version of Shadowfang Keep is well worth a visit.