🪄⚔️ World of Warcraft: Dungeon Crawl
Adventurers, gather ’round! Embark on this WoW-themed retro where we celebrate epic wins, learn from challenging raids, and strategize for our next quest. Ready to power up our team for legendary achievements?
Template Columns
🏆 Looted Legends
Share the wins and magical moments that helped our party conquer challenges.
Base column: What Went Wellđź‘ľ Encountered Elites
Reveal the tough bosses and tricky mechanics that impeded our progress.
Base column: What Went Wrong🛡️ Next-Level Upgrades
Suggest enhancements and new tactics to ensure our next dungeon run is flawless.
Base column: What We Want to ImproveAbout this template
The World of Warcraft: Dungeon Crawl retrospective uses fantasy gaming themes to help teams reflect on successes, challenges, and opportunities for improvement in a fun, engaging way.
When to use this template
This format is great for teams seeking a creative and energizing retrospective, especially after a sprint with high complexity, major achievements, or tough obstacles.
How to facilitate
Kick off the session by welcoming your team of adventurers and introducing the WoW dungeon crawl theme to set a playful, imaginative mood.
Briefly explain the three columns and how their metaphors relate to your team's journey: share stories of success in Looted Legends, discuss blockers in Encountered Elites, and brainstorm improvements in Next-Level Upgrades.
Give participants a few minutes to individually post reflections in each column, encouraging them to use stories and analogies that match the fantasy theme.
Invite the team to review the board together, then discuss and group similar items for each column to find common patterns or related topics.
Facilitate a focused, collaborative discussion—celebrate key wins, openly explore the toughest challenges faced, and co-create actionable ideas for upgrades during the next quest.
Guide the team to select one or two high-impact improvements to try in the coming sprint and assign clear ownership.
Close the retro by highlighting team progress and thanking everyone for their role in the ongoing adventure.
Pro Tips
Encourage participants to get creative with references—naming 'bosses' or crafting 'legendary loot' stories adds engagement and makes reflections memorable.
Tie concrete actions to RPG metaphors for better recall (e.g., 'buff the party's defense' for adding test coverage).
Use character avatars or guild roles to help less vocal members contribute in a playful, low-pressure way.
If energy dips, launch a quick team poll: 'Who earned MVP loot this sprint?' to spark enthusiasm.
FAQ
What if our team isn't familiar with World of Warcraft?
The WoW theme adds flavor but isn't required for a productive session. Encourage the use of game analogies lightly—focus on core questions about wins, blockers, and next steps.
How do we keep the session focused and not distracted by the fantasy theme?
Remind the team of the purpose for each column and steer conversations back to actionable insights when discussions drift too far from real work experiences.
What should we do if we have too many items in 'Encountered Elites'?
Cluster similar challenges, vote on the biggest blockers, and prioritize discussion on those that impacted the team most.
Can this format be used for non-software teams?
Absolutely. The dungeon crawl narrative works for any team seeking a fresh perspective on reflection, regardless of domain.
At a glance
- Duration
45–60 min
- Team Size
4-10 people
- Columns
3 columns
- Base Format
What Went Well, What Went Wrong, What We Want to Improve
Tags
Ready to get started?
Use this template to run your next retrospective