Insomniac's Guide to Proper Party Makeup And Behavior (Group and Party Guide for World of Warcraft) Please view full screen for proper spacing Update 5/14/07- Fixed Spelling Errors -----Table of Contents 1. The basics 2. The lingo 3. Finding a party 4. Know your role 5. Classes 6. Technique 7. Loot Rules 8. Raids 9. Etiquette 10. Instance List 11. Legal Stuff --------------------------- 1.The Basics---- A. What is grouping? Grouping is a term used when 2 or more players join forces to create a group or party as it is usually called. B. How do I create a group? A group is formed when one player "invites" another player to join his or her group. This can be done in one of three ways b1- The Click-- Select the player you wish to invite, right click his picture and scroll down to invite b2- The Slash-- Open up your chat log and type /invite Player name. So for example if you wanted to invite the dwarf paladin Tyson to your group, you would type /invite Tyson b3- The List-- If the player your inviting is on your friends list, you can simply highlight his name on the friends list and click the [Group Invite] button. Upon sending the invite to the targeted player, they will hear a drum roll, and a box will appear on there screen reading [YourName Invites you to a group] followed by a yes or no button __________________________________________________________________________________ 2.----The Lingo---- A. Party Chat Party chat is the general form of communication umong parties. It has limitless range, so your party will always be able to hear you. Simply type /p and then your message, for example /p okay guys, lets do this! B. Common Terms Add-- Will usually refer to any additional monsters that have started fighting your group after you are already engaged in combat. For example, if you are fighting a bear and half way through the battle a wolf comes along and begins attacking you, this would be considered an "add". AFK-- Is short for "Away From Keyboard". You can active the AFK flag on your character by typing /afk in the chat line. It also automatically activates if your character is idle for an extended period of time Aggro-- This refers to aggressive actions against a player. If a monster turns and attacks you, you have gained aggro. AOE-- Is short for "Area of Effect". This is when a spell can affect all targets in an area instead of being directed at a single target. Blizzard, Frost Nova, and Hellfire are all examples of AOE spells. BOE-- Is short for "Bind On Equip". This means that when you equip the item, it will no longer be tradable to another player and can only be sold to a vendor. BOP-- Is short for "Bind On Pickup". This means that when you loot the item from the monster, it will no longer be tradable to another player and can only be sold to a vendor. Buff-- A spell cast on a player, pet, or mob which enhances a specific statistic for a set time period. Spells such as "Mark of the Wild" and "Power Word: Fortitude" are examples of buffs. De-Buff-- A spell cast on a player, pet, or mob which places a negative effect on a specific statistic for a set time period. Spells such as "Demoralizing Shout" and "Curse of Weakness" are examples of de-buffs. DOT-- Is short for "Damage Over Time". This refers to a spell or effect that slowly deals damage over an extended period of time, rather than all at once. GG-- Is short for both "Good Game" and "Good Going" depending on the context in which it is used. If you happen to save a party member, someone might say "GG" meaning good going. If you beat some one in a duel, the other person might say "GG" meaning good game. HOT-- Is short for "Heal Over Time". This refers to a spell or effect that slowly heals damage over an extended period of time, rather than all at once. Instance-- A unique copy dungeon, when entering one, it is you and your party alone in this zone, no outsiders can interfere with you. This is where most "Boss fights" take place and almost always require a group to be efficient inside LFG-- Is short for "Looking For Group". LFM-- Is short for "Looking For More". Mob-- Is another word for a hostile and is used to describe non playable creatures that you kill in the game. NPC-- Is short for "Non-Player Character". These are computer-controlled characters. Quest givers, merchants, inn keepers, etc. Not to be confused with Mob. Proc-- A term used to denote when a special effect of an item randomly triggers or what the special effect of said item does. Proc only refers to a randomly triggered effect that arises from attacking or being hit. Heres an example Searing Blade Binds when equipped Two-HandTwo-Hand Sword 39 - 59 DamageSpeed 2.50 (19.6 damage per second) Requires Level 18 Chance On Hit: Hurls a fiery ball that causes 70 Fire damage and an additional 9 damage over 6 seconds. The fiery ball would be considered a proc, as it is a random spell that is triggered by a hit PUG-- Short for Pick up Group, this is a party made up of strangers, these groups may be difficult to work with, as often times its an every man for himself ordeal, loot is often horded, and deaths are plentiful. however, it is possible to find a good pug, where everyone looks out for each other and teamwork is visible. XP-- Is short for Experience Points note- all these and more can be found in the Glossary section of your world of warcraft manual __________________________________________________________________________________ 3.----Finding a Group---- A---The Overview Finding a group is something that differs between classes, for example, a hunter or rogue may have trouble finding a group due to the fact that many many players play those classes. On the other hand, healing classes usually find a group rather quickly, as they are needed for nearly every instance run, and are usually in short supply. B---The How-To There are a few ways to find a group, they are as follows. b1- The LFG tool-- The LFG tool is found on a small green button on your menu bar (next to your bags) clicking it will open up a window asking if your looking to join a group, or if your looking for more to your current group. Simply pick one, and then fill out the pull down tabs. for example, it may look something like this [][][][][][][][]--Looking for Group--[][][][][][][][] [] [] [] {} Auto Join [] [] [] [] I'm Looking for a group for: [] [] [Dungeon, Quest, etc] [] [] [Dungeon, Quest's Name] [] [] [] [] I'm also Looking for a group for: [] [] [Dungeon, Quest, etc] [] [] [Dungeon, Quest's Name] [] [] [] [] I'm also Looking for a group for: [] [] [Dungeon, Quest, etc] [] [] [Dungeon, Quest's Name] [] [] [] [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]] More information can be found about the LFG tool and how to better use it at... http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/ b2- The General Channel-- If you happen to be in the zone an instance is located (for example your in westfall looking for a deadmines group) you can use the general channel to look for a group. for example if you were say, a level 20 druid, you would say something like /1 level 20 druid LFG deadmines /1 being the command for general chat, then your level, your class and what instance your looking for. You could also add what your specialization is (healing, Damage, Etc) b3- The Guild-- If you happen to be a member of a guild, its often your best option to group with them, guilds tend to look out for each other, and not horde loot. Although every guild is different, they'll often be more organized than a regular PUG (Pick up group (see above)) __________________________________________________________________________________________ 4.----Know your Role---- A.---The Overview Every class has a role to play in a group. Listed below are all the roles that may come into play when grouping. a1---The Tank, The player up front, taking all the hits, there often efficiently known as the meat shield. The tank keeps "aggro" (or the attention) of the mobs the group is fighting, He/She takes the damage so the squishy mages, warlocks priests etc don't get hit. While the tank is keeping the aggro, the healers are able to focus there heals on one person, instead of across the entire party. A simple phrase that sums up the tanking roll is "I'll hold him, you beat the hell out of him". The tank is usually played by a warrior, however with the recent patches, paladins and druids are also able to tank quite effectively. Tanks are usually the #1 Priority in a group. a2---The Healer, The Player in the back, keeping the group alive. healers are the life blood of the group, if they die, everyone else dies. Thus is the reason you have the tank up front taking the hits, so players like the healer can stay nice and safe behind enemy lines. Healers are a rare breed, but most of them are very good at there job. Healers are right behind tanks in group priority, however, if you have 2 tanks and 1 healer, the healer, of course, is the VIP. The healer role is usually played by a priest, paladin, or druid a3---The Glass Cannon, The Player in the back, pumping out huge dps. Although he/she is very very fragile This role us usually filled by mages or warlocks, however shadow priests make excellent DPS as well as some nice de-buffs that complement warlock DPS. When things go wrong (the tank dies), the glass cannon is usually the first to die. a4---Base DPS, The Player throwing down solid DPS, but also has some survivability, Usually filled by Rogues and Hunters (and sometimes arms/furry warriors), they usually top the damage charts in large raids. However, these classes are also the most played in the game, so finding a group as one could be difficult depending on your server/guild. a5---Buffs, Almost always a second thought, the classes that can throw out buffs to improve the parties performance, Paladins are the prime buff class, but priests, shaman, and druids all have special unique buff spells. _________________________________________________________________________________________________ 5.----Classes---- The following is the information given for each class as found on the world of warcraft home page http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/info/classes/index.html ------------------------------------------ Druid Druids are the keepers of the world and masters of nature with a diverse array of abilities. They are powerful healers, capable of curing poisons and raising fallen comrades in the thick of battle. Druids also command nature's wrath, calling down ranged blasts of energy, summoning swarms of insects, or entangling their foes in the earth. But druids are also masters of the wild, able to shapeshift into a great bear, cat, or even sea lion, gaining their powers in combat or travel. Druids are a diverse class with a variety of playstyles, capable of filling any role. Available to: Night Elves, Tauren Type: Hybrid, Primary Healer Standard Bars: Health/Mana (Druid form/Aquatic form), Health/Rage (Bear form), Health/Energy (Cat form) Available Armor: Cloth, Leather Available Weapons: Staves, One and Two-handed Maces, Daggers, Fist Weapons Comments: Excellent soloing class; excellent healers --------------------------------------- Hunter Hunters are deadly marksmen, capable of bringing their enemies down from a distance with bows or rifles. Skilled survivalists, they can track enemies or lay traps to damage and entrap their foes. Hunters also possess a primal connection to the beasts of Azeroth, capable of taming and training them to keep as loyal guardians. Wearing light to medium armor, hunters can also dual wield weapons in combat, fighting beside their pets in battle. Available to: Night Elves, Dwarves, Orcs, Tauren, Trolls, Blood Elves, Draenei Type: Ranged Physical Damage Dealer Standard Bars: Health/Mana Pet Bars: Health/Focus Available Armor: Cloth, Leather, Mail (level 40) Available Weapons: Axes, Daggers, Guns, Bows, Crossbows, Fist Weapons, Polearms, Staves, Swords, Thrown, Two-Handed Axes, Two-Handed Swords Comments: Excellent for those who like to solo with pets ----------------------------------------- Mage Mages wield the elements of fire, frost, and the arcane to destroy or neutralize their enemies. They are a robed class that excels at dealing massive damage from afar, casting elemental bolts at a single target, or raining destruction down upon their enemies in a wide area of effect. Mages can also augment their allies' spell-casting powers, summon food or drink to restore their friends, and even travel across the world in an instant by opening arcane portals to distant lands. Available to: Humans, Gnomes, Undead, Trolls, Blood Elves, Draenei Type: Primary Ranged Magic Damage Dealer Standard Bars: Health/Mana Available Armor: Cloth Available Weapons: Staves, Wands, Daggers, Swords Comments: Excellent primary ranged damage dealers --------------------------------------------- Paladin Guardians of the Holy Light and defenders of the Alliance, paladins bolster their allies with holy auras and blessing to protect their friends from harm and enhance their powers. Wearing heavy armor, they can withstand terrible blows in the thickest battles while healing their wounded allies and resurrecting the slain. In combat, they can wield massive two-handed weapons, stun their foes, destroy undead and demons, and judge their enemies with holy vengeance. Paladins are a defensive class designed to outlast their opponents. Available to: Humans, Dwarves, Blood Elves, Draenei Type: Hybrid, Secondary Healer Standard Bars: Health/Mana Available Armor: Cloth, Leather, Mail, Plate (level 40), Shields Available Weapons: One and Two-handed Maces, One and Two-handed Swords, One and Two-handed Axes, Polearms Comments: A more melee oriented hybrid ------------------------------------------------- Priest Priests are the masters of healing and preservation, restoring their wounded allies, shielding them in battle, and even resurrecting their fallen comrades. While they have a variety of protective and enhancement spells to bolster their allies, priests can also wreak terrible vengeance on their enemies, using the powers of shadow or holy light to destroy them. They are a diverse and powerful class, highly desirable in any group, capable of fulfilling multiple roles. Available to: Humans, Dwarves, Night Elves, Undead, Trolls, Blood Elves, Draenei Type: Primary Healer Standard Bars: Health/Mana Available Armor: Cloth Available Weapons: One-Handed Maces, Daggers, Staves, Wands Comments: The most sought after class for any group -------------------------------------------------- Rogue Rogues are a lightly armored melee class capable of dealing massive damage to their enemies in a flurry of attacks. They are masters of stealth and assassination, passing by enemies unseen and striking from the shadows, then escaping from combat in the blink of an eye. Rogues can also craft poisons that damage or cripple their enemies, reducing their effectiveness in battle. Groups will find rogues valuable, for not only do they deal massive damage, but they can open locked doors or chests, and disarm hidden traps as well. Available to: Gnomes, Humans, Dwarves, Night Elves, Blood Elves Orcs, Undead, Trolls Type: Primary Melee Damage Dealer Standard Bars: Health/Energy Available Armor: Cloth, Leather Available Weapons: Dagger, Swords, Maces, Fist Weapons, Thrown, Guns, Bows, Crossbows Comments: Favorite among those who like to deal damage ------------------------------------------------------- Shaman Shaman are the spiritual leaders of their tribes and clans. They are masters of the elements, using spells and totems that heal or enhance their allies in battle while unleashing the fury of the elements upon their foes. Shaman can wear medium armor, and even wield massive two-handed weapons in combat. They are a versatile class that can wade into battle, restoring their allies while hurling elemental bolts of lightning at their enemies. Available to: Orcs, Tauren, Trolls, Draenei Type: Hybrid, Secondary Healer Standard Bars: Health/Mana Available Armor: Cloth, Leather, Mail (level 40), Shields Available Weapons: One-Handed Maces, Two-Handed Maces (w/ talents), Staves, Fist Weapons, One-Handed Axes, Two-Handed Axes (w/ talents), Daggers Comments: A more magic oriented hybrid ------------------------------------------------------- Warlock Warlocks are masters of shadow, flame, and demonic power. They are a robed class that excels at plaguing their enemies with disease or curses, hurling bolts of fire or shadow energy across the battlefield, and summoning demons to aid them in combat. While warlocks are powerful casters that deal damage from a distance, their demonic powers can also protect or support their allies in battle, or even summon other players from across the world using ritual magic to conjure portals. Available to: Gnomes, Humans, Orcs, Undead, Blood Elves Type: Debuffer and Cool Guy/Girl Standard Bars: Health/Mana Pet Bars: Health/Mana Available Armor: Cloth Available Weapons: Daggers, Wands, Staves, Swords Comments: Excellent solo class ------------------------------------------------------------- Warrior Warriors can be a raging berserker or an iron-clad juggernaut, capable of withstanding tremendous attacks while protecting their allies from harm. They have a wide variety of attacks that do everything from cripple their enemies, to dealing massive amounts of damage in a single retaliatory blow, and enhancing their allies' fighting ability with battle shouts. They excel at fighting multiple opponents at once, gaining rage from every blow dealt or received to unleash their attacks. Warriors are a versatile class with a variety of play-styles to choose from. Available to: All Races except Blood Elves Type: Primary Tank Standard Bars: Health/Rage Available Armor: Cloth, Leather, Mail, Plate (level 40), Shields Available Weapons: All (excluding wands) Comments: Excellent for those who like to take damage _______________________________________________________________________________ 6.----Technique--- A.---The Overview There are many many techniques in world of warcraft, im just going to cover a few. During your travels you'll learn many many new techniques, if you hear someone talking about one your not familiar with, ask about it, most of the time they'll be happy to explain it. B.---Boot Camp Heres a list and descriptions of a few great ways to deal death and destruction b1---Pulling Pulling is the act of damaging a mob from range to draw there attention. Its usually used to draw mobs away from each other to more safely dispose of them. There are a few ways to pull, as follows. b1.1---Normal pulling, just have a member of your party shoot the mob, this is usually used for generally safe pulls, or for pulling melee mobs. b1.2---LOS (Line of Sight Pulling) This is my personal favorite, usually used to pull ranged mobs. Simply shoot the mob and run around to a place where it cant see you. Due to the fact that you cant attack something unless you can see it, the mob will be forced to run up to your location so it can attack you. Once you get good at LOS pulling, your guild will often have you pulling entier instances. b1.3---Silence Pulls, Used to pull casting mobs, have a mage or shadow priest aggro the mob, then promptly cast counter-spell or silence on the mob, unable to cast at ranged, they'll have to charge to your safer location b1.4---MC Pull, This is a great pull if you have a priest in your group. Simply have the priest Mind control a humanoid mob in the group your pulling. The mobs near the MCd mob will begin attacking the MC'd mob, eventually killing it (hopefully) this is usually followed by an LOS pull, and you have on less mob to kill, complex, yes, but well worth it. b2---Marks Recently a feature was added allowing a group leader to place marks above player and mob heads. If you are the raid leader, simply right click the player/mob's portrait, go under marks and chose one of many marks to help identify targets b3---Insurance Policy Its a great idea to have a backup plan if your entire party dies (death of an entire party is called a wipe) here are a few ways to keep the train rolling without having to corpse run b3.1---Soulstone Warlocks are able to create what is called a soul stone, this allows the warlock to cast the soul stone on a target player (usually a priest or paladin) after death, the player with the soulstone buff will be able to res as soon as its safe. b3.2---Battle Res Druids have the ability to res people while in combat, unlike priests or paladins. the following tactic is complex, but a life saver. b3.2 STEP 1- Lets say the group is going under, the tank just died, your DPS is going down, theres a dead priest at your feet b3.2 STEP 2- Cast Battle Res on the priest, tell him not to accept the res (its good to tell the party this before you pull, say, for example "If the group goes down and im the last one alive, im going to cast battle res on the priest, priest, DO NOT accept the res until the mobs have reset. That should set you up for the next step b3.2 STEP 3- Have the priest accept the res, only after the mobs have reset, keep in mind that theres an entire 2 min before the res cancels, so it should be plenty of time. After the priest is up, start resign people, and there you have it, wipe evaded. b3.3---Divine Intervention Pallies have an ability named divine intervention, this move sacrifices 100% of the paladins health to cast a shield around a fellow party member, it also takes that party member out of combat, thus making hims "invisible" to the mobs more or less, this can be used on a priest to save a group, and is often the most common way of keeping a group up. If you see a group going down, just spam DI, the pally will know what to do...hopefully. ____________________________________________________________________________________ 7.----Loot Rules---- A.---The Overview One of the worst things that could happen in a group, a dispute over loot, usually ending in someone getting angry and leaving the group in disgust. In this section were going to go over the most common loot rule, known as the G-BoE Pass-BoP system. B.---The System The G-Boe Pass-BoP system is probably the most used method in 5-10 man groups. Simply enough it goes as follows b1- Roll greed (the coin) on BoE greens, if the BoE green is better than what your wearing now, roll need. b2- Pass (Click the red X) on BoPs and BoE blues. Most boss drops are BoP meaning there bind on pickup (see above) these are signified by a gold dragon around the roll frame, if your going by this system, pass, unless told otherwise by your group leader. There will then be a discussion of who needs the item, and an agreement on who will be allowed to roll (thus preventing cloth wearers from rolling on chain mail items for example) followed by the agreed players to roll. b3- Rolling is done by typing /roll you can also type /random the player rolling the highest will pick up the item, and the group will continue as normal. b4- Most cases, the limit is 1 blue item per person, so if you already won something, the person who hasn't will take priority over you, or vice versa. C.---What if? In some cases your going to have a person who just cant grasp the pass on bop rule, if you see someone roll greed on an item you want, feel free to roll need, after telling this person what they have done, switch the loot rules to master looter and distribute the green and blue items manualy, by right clicking them, then clicking on the name of the recipient. In other cases, you'll have what is called a ninja looter, people who know the rules, but chose not to obey them, they see something they want, they don't bother rolling, they simply pick the item up, leave the group and hearthstone home. these people are usually to be put on your ignore list, then promptly telling everyone over trade if necessary that they are a ninja looter, to prevent people from grouping with him again. ____________________________________________________________________________________________ 8.----Raids---- A.---The Overview Raids are groups of 6 to 40 people bound together under one party, while in a raid they share EXP (although there is a small penalty to it) drops, and a communication channel, like the /p party channel, the raid channel is /ra B.---Why Raid--- Raids are usually formed to take down the biggest and hardest bosses in the game, yielding some of the best loot in the game. Raiding is almost done exclusively in raiding guilds, like normal guilds but bigger, and a deal more organized. I'm not going to go into great detail about raiding, as its not needed in the early game. ____________________________________________________________________________________ 9.----Etiquette---- A.---The Overview The following is directly from the world of warcraft homepage, its there general guide to being polite in groups, follow it or suffer the stains of a bad reputation. ---Stay Until the Job is Done Don't leave a party after completing your portion of the quest. Stick around until everyone in the party has completed the quest. For example: each party member must collect 5 items. You collect 5 but there are still members in the party that haven't collected 5 yet. It is bad manners to suddenly leave the party once you have collected your share without helping out the remaining party members, or receiving their permission to leave. If you leave like that, people often think that you just used them to complete the quest, and abandoned them once you got what you wanted. ---Loot If you receive an item that you cannot use, but there is another party member that can use it, you should give it to that party member. For example: you loot a really nice Staff, but you are a Warrior. Certainly you could sell that Staff for money, but if there is a Mage in that group using Staves, you should give them the Staff. This also includes trade skill item components and recipes. Consult your party or group leader for the current rules of the group. This situation has a potential to blow up if you loot an item that you cannot use, and refuse to give it to someone who could have really used it. ---Don't Loot During Battle! You should usually avoid trying to loot a monster during battle (unless you're all about to die). You need to focus on the battle and make sure everything is safe before looting. If your party is fighting, while they see you standing around and not helping, you could offend them. Fight first, loot later. This is especially true for treasure chests. You shouldn't try looting a chest while the rest of your party is fighting. That is rude. The only time you might want to bypass this rule is when you are traveling with very good friends, or if other players outside your party might be close to looting it. Let the group leader determine who is going to loot. A good way is to type "/random 1 100" to generate a number from 1-100 for each player. Whoever rolls the highest number can loot the chest, get the item, etc. ---Healing If you have healing and a party member needs it, heal them. If you were unable to heal them, make sure you say sorry if you were the primary healer in the group. You can't always prevent people from dying, but you can at least let them know that you tried your best. Returning to the Party When you return to your party's location after going somewhere else, make sure you don't get followed by a "train", or bring monsters with you that may attack them. This offends players greatly. If you need assistance getting to your party's location, ask them for help to clear the way. ---Buff up your Party If you have Buff spells that are beneficial to your party, pass them out. Ask party members to inform you when the buffs have worn off. If players know you have these buffs but you don't use them, they might not respect your ability to play your class. On the other hand, if you buff well they will say "Hey, that person was a great player." ---Don't Wake Up More Monsters While you are fighting, scan around you for patrolling monsters. If one comes near, make sure you don't set it off so that it joins into your current battle. ---Trade Skills If there are multiple people with the same trade skills, share the items or resource nodes between you. Don't be greedy. ---Go the Extra Mile whenever possible, go the extra mile to do things for your party. Play your best. Do whatever you can to help party members. If you impress them, they may look back on you with good memories. This can build good relations for the future. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________ Finally here is a list and description of all the World Dungeons in the game thus far. listed from lowest level to highest. A.---World Dungeons Dungeons are layed out in this format [Name] [Level Range] [Location] [Abriviation] [Description] ---------------------------------------- Deadmines Westfall Level 15-28 VC Once the greatest gold production center in the human lands, the Dead Mines were abandoned when the Horde razed Stormwind city during the First War. Now the Defias Brotherhood has taken up residence and turned the dark tunnels into their private sanctum. It is rumored that the thieves have conscripted the clever goblins to help them build something terrible at the bottom of the mines - but what that may be is still uncertain. Rumor has it that the way into the Deadmines lies through the quiet, unassuming village of Moonbrook. ----------------------------------------- Wailing Caverns The Barrens Level 15-28 WC Recently, a night elf druid named Naralex discovered a network of underground caverns within the heart of the Barrens. Dubbed the 'Wailing Caverns', these natural caves were filled with steam fissures which produced long, mournful wails as they vented. Naralex believed he could use the caverns' underground springs to restore lushness and fertility to the Barrens - but to do so would require siphoning the energies of the fabled Emerald Dream. Once connected to the Dream however, the druid's vision somehow became a nightmare. Soon the Wailing Caverns began to change - the waters turned foul and the once-docile creatures inside metamorphosed into vicious, deadly predators. It is said that Naralex himself still resides somewhere inside the heart of the labyrinth, trapped beyond the edges of the Emerald Dream. Even his former acolytes have been corrupted by their master's waking nightmare - transformed into the wicked Druids of the Fang. ------------------------------------------ Shadowfang Keep Silverpine Forest Level 18-32 SFK During the Third War, the wizards of the Kirin Tor battled against the undead armies of the Scourge. When the wizards of Dalaran died in battle, they would rise soon after - adding their former might to the growing Scourge. Frustrated by their lack of progress (and against the advice of his peers) the Archmage, Arugal elected to summon extra-dimensional entities to bolster Dalaran's diminishing ranks. Arugal's summoning brought the ravenous worgen into the world of Azeroth. The feral wolf-men slaughtered not only the Scourge, but quickly turned on the wizards themselves. The worgen laid siege to the keep of the noble, Baron Silverlaine. Situated above the tiny hamlet of Pyrewood, the keep quickly fell into shadow and ruin. Driven mad with guilt, Arugal adopted the worgen as his children and retreated to the newly dubbed 'Shadowfang Keep'. It's said he still resides there, protected by his massive pet, Fenrus - and haunted by the vengeful ghost of Baron Silverlaine. ------------------------------------------ Blackfathom Depths Ashenvale Level 20-35 BFD Situated along the Zoram Strand of Ashenvale, Blackfathom Depths was once a glorious temple dedicated to the night elves' moon-goddess, Elune. However, the great Sundering shattered the temple - sinking it beneath the waves of the Veiled Sea. There it remained untouched - until, drawn by its ancient power - the naga and satyr emerged to plumb its secrets. Legends hold that the ancient beast, Aku'mai, has taken up residence within the temple's ruins. Aku'mai, a favored pet of the primordial Old Gods, has preyed upon the area ever since. Drawn to Aku'mai's presence, the cult known as the Twilight's Hammer has also come to bask in the Old Gods' evil presence. ------------------------------------------------ Gnomergan Dun Morogh Level 24-40 Gnomer Located in Dun Morogh, the technological wonder known as Gnomeregan has been the gnomes' capital city for generations. Recently, a hostile race of mutant troggs infested several regions of Dun Morogh - including the great gnome city. In a desperate attempt to destroy the invading troggs, High Tinker Mekkatorque ordered the emergency venting of the city's radioactive waste tanks. Several gnomes sought shelter from the airborne pollutants as they waited for the troggs to die or flee. Unfortunately, though the troggs became irradiated from the toxic assault - their siege continued, unabated. Those gnomes who were not killed by noxious seepage were forced to flee, seeking refuge in the nearby dwarven city of Ironforge. There, High Tinker Mekkatorque set out to enlist brave souls to help his people reclaim their beloved city. It is rumored that Mekkatorque's once-trusted advisor, Mekgineer Thermaplugg, betrayed his people by allowing the invasion to happen. Now, his sanity shattered, Thermaplug remains in Gnomeregan - furthering his dark schemes and acting as the city's new techno-overlord. ----------------------------------------------------- Razorfen Kraul The Barrens Level 24-40 RFK Ten thousand years ago - during the War of the Ancients, the mighty demigod, Agamaggan, came forth to battle the Burning Legion. Though the colossal boar fell in combat, his actions helped save Azeroth from ruin. Yet over time, in the areas where his blood fell, massive thorn-ridden vines sprouted from the earth. The quillboar - believed to be the mortal offspring of the mighty god, came to occupy these regions and hold them sacred. The heart of these thorn-colonies was known as the Razorfen. The great mass of Razorfen Kraul was conquered by the old crone, Charlga Razorflank. Under her rule, the shamanistic quillboar stage attacks on rival tribes as well as Horde villages. Some speculate that Charlga has even been negotiating with agents of the Scourge - aligning her unsuspecting tribe with the ranks of the Undead for some insidious purpose. ------------------------------------------------------ Scarlet Monestary Tirisfal Glades Level 29-45 SM GY SM Lib SM Arm SM Cath The Monastery was once a proud bastion of Lordaeron's priesthood - a center for learning and enlightenment. With the rise of the undead Scourge during the Third War, the peaceful Monastery was converted into a stronghold of the fanatical Scarlet Crusade. The Crusaders are intolerant of all non-human races, regardless of alliance or affiliation. They believe that any and all outsiders are potential carriers of the undead plague - and must be destroyed. Reports indicate that adventurers who enter the monastery are forced to contend with Scarlet Commander Mograine - who commands a large garrison of fanatically devoted warriors. However, the monastery's true master is High Inquisitor Whitemane - a fearsome priestess who possesses the ability to resurrect fallen warriors to do battle in her name. (Note- SM is branched into 4 different instances, Graveyard, Library, Armory, Cathedral) ----------------------------------------------------------- Razorfen Downs The Barrens Level 33-47 RFD Crafted from the same mighty vines as Razorfen Kraul, Razorfen Downs is the traditional capital city of the quillboar race. The sprawling, thorn-ridden labyrinth houses a veritable army of loyal quillboar as well as their high priests - the Death's Head tribe. Recently, however, a looming shadow has fallen over the crude den. Agents of the undead Scourge - led by the lich, Amnennar the Coldbringer - have taken control over the quillboar race and turned the maze of thorns into a bastion of undead might. Now the quillboar fight a desperate battle to reclaim their beloved city before Amnennar spreads his control across the Barrens. ------------------------------------------------------------- Uldaman The Badlands Level 35-52 ULD/ULDA Uldaman is an ancient Titan vault that has laid buried deep within the earth since the world's creation. Dwarven excavations have recently penetrated this forgotten city, releasing the Titans' first failed creations: the troggs. Legends say that the Titans created troggs from stone. When they deemed the experiment a failure, the Titans locked the troggs away and tried again - resulting in the creation of the dwarven race. The secrets of the dwarves' creation are recorded on the fabled Discs of Norgannon - massive Titan artifacts that lie at the very bottom of the ancient city. Recently, the Dark Iron dwarves have launched a series of incursions into Uldaman, hoping to claim the discs for their fiery master, Ragnaros. However, protecting the buried city are several guardians - giant constructs of living stone that crush any hapless intruders they find. The Discs themselves are guarded by a massive, sentient Stonekeeper called Archaedas. Some rumors even suggest that the dwarves' stone-skinned ancestors, the earthen, still dwell deep within the city's hidden recesses. ---------------------------------------------------------- Maraudon Desolace Level 40-58 Mara Protected by the fierce Maraudine centaur, Maraudon is one of the most sacred sites within Desolace. The great temple/cavern is the burial place of Zaetar, one of two immortal sons born to the demigod, Cenarius. Legend holds that Zaetar and the earth elemental princess, Theradras, sired the misbegotten centaur race. It is said that upon their emergence, the barbaric centaur turned on their father and killed him. Some believe that Theradras, in her grief, trapped Zaetar's spirit within the winding cavern - used its energies for some malign purpose. The subterranean tunnels are populated by the vicious, long-dead ghosts of the Centaur Khans, as well as Theradras' own raging, elemental minions. ----------------------------------------------------------------- The Sunken Temple Swamp of Sorrows Level 44-60 ST Over a thousand years ago, the powerful Gurubashi Empire was torn apart by a massive civil war. An influential group of troll priests, known as the Atal'ai, attempted to bring back an ancient blood god named Hakkar the Soulflayer. Though the priests were defeated and ultimately exiled, the great troll empire buckled in upon itself. The exiled priests fled far to the north, into the Swamp of Sorrows. There they erected a great temple to Hakkar - where they could prepare for his arrival into the physical world. The great dragon Aspect, Ysera, learned of the Atal'ai's plans and smashed the temple beneath the marshes. To this day, the temple's drowned ruins are guarded by the green dragons who prevent anyone from getting in or out. However, it is believed that some of the fanatical Atal'ai may have survived Ysera's wrath - and recommitted themselves to the dark service of Hakkar. -------------------------------------------------------------- Blackrock Depths Between Searing Gorge and Burning Steppes Level 48-60 BRD Once the capital city of the Dark Iron dwarves, this volcanic labyrinth now serves as the seat of power for Ragnaros the Firelord. Ragnaros has uncovered the secret to creating life from stone and plans to build an army of unstoppable golems to aid him in conquering the whole of Blackrock Mountain. Obsessed with defeating Nefarian and his draconic minions, Ragnaros will go to any extreme to achieve final victory. -------------------------------------------------------------- Blackrock Spire Between Searing Gorge and Burning Steppes Level 52-61 UBRS LBRS The mighty fortress carved within the fiery bowels of Blackrock Mountain was designed by the master dwarf-mason, Franclorn Forgewright. Intended to be the symbol of Dark Iron power, the fortress was held by the sinister dwarves for centuries. However, Nefarian - the cunning son of the dragon, Deathwing - had other plans for the great keep. He and his draconic minions took control of the upper Spire and made war on the dwarves' holdings in the mountain's volcanic depths. Realizing that the dwarves were led by the mighty fire elemental, Ragnaros - Nefarian vowed to crush his enemies and claim the whole of Blackrock mountain for himself. (Although one instance, its divided into 2 parts, upper and lower. lower is intended for a smaller 5 man group, upper is intended for a 10 man.) ----------------------------------------------------------------- Dire Maul Feralas Level 54-61 DM (North, East, West) Built twelve thousand years ago by a covert sect of night elf sorcerers, the ancient city of Eldre'Thalas was used to protect Queen Azshara's most prized arcane secrets. Though it was ravaged by the Great Sundering of the world, much of the wondrous city still stands as the imposing Dire Maul. The ruins' three distinct districts have been overrun by all manner of creatures - especially the spectral highborne, foul satyr and brutish ogres. Only the most daring party of adventurers can enter this broken city and face the ancient evils locked within its ancient vaults. (Like SM this is branched into 3 different wings, north, east and west) ---------------------------------------------------------------- Stratholme Eastern Plaguelands Level 56-61 Strat (Live/Dead) or Strat (Scarlet/Barron) Once the jewel of northern Lordaeron, the city of Stratholme is where Prince Arthas turned against his mentor, Uther Lightbringer, and slaughtered hundreds of his own subjects who were believed to have contracted the dreaded plague of undeath. Arthas' downward spiral and ultimate surrender to the Lich King soon followed. The broken city is now inhabited by the undead Scourge - led by the powerful lich, Kel'thuzad. A contingent of Scarlet Crusaders, led by Grand Crusader Dathrohan, also holds a portion of the ravaged city. The two sides are locked in constant, violent combat. Those adventurers brave (or foolish) enough to enter Stratholme will be forced to contend with both factions before long. It is said that the city is guarded by three massive watchtowers, as well as powerful necromancers, banshees and abominations. There have also been reports of a malefic Death Knight riding atop an unholy steed - dispensing indiscriminate wrath on all those who venture within the realm of the Scourge. (Like BRS, this is branced into 2 sides, Live or Scarlet strat, and Dead or Barron strat) ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Scholomance Western Plaguelands Level 56-61 Scholo The Scholomance is housed within a series of crypts that lie beneath the ruined keep of Caer Darrow. Once owned by the noble Barov family, Caer Darrow fell to ruin following the Second War. As the wizard Kel'thuzad enlisted followers for his Cult of the Damned he would often promise immortality in exchange for serving his Lich King. The Barov family fell to Kel'thuzad's charismatic influence and donated the keep and its crypts to the Scourge. The cultists then killed the Barovs and turned the ancient crypts into a school for necromancy known as the Scholomance. Though Kel'thuzad no longer resides in the crypts, devoted cultists and instructors still remain. The powerful lich, Ras Frostwhisper, rules over the site and guards it in the Scourge's name - while the mortal necromancer, Darkmaster Gandling, serves as the school's insidious headmaster. ___________________________________________________________________________________________ B.---Other Minor Instanced Areas -------------------------------------------- Ragefire Chasm Orgrimmar Level 13-22 RFC Ragefire Chasm consists of a network of volcanic caverns that lie below the orcs' new capital city of Orgrimmar. Recently, rumors have spread that a cult loyal to the demonic Shadow Council has taken up residence within the Chasm's fiery depths. This cult, known as the Burning Blade, threatens the very sovereignty of Durotar. Many believe that the orc Warchief, Thrall, is aware of the Blade's existence and has chosen not to destroy it in the hopes that its members might lead him straight to the Shadow Council. Either way, the dark powers emanating from Ragefire Chasm could undo all that the orcs have fought to attain. ------------------------------------------ The Stockades Stormwind Level 22-30 Stocks The Stockades are a high-security prison complex, hidden beneath the canal district of Stormwind city. Presided over by Warden Thelwater, the Stockades are home to petty crooks, political insurgents, murderers and a score of the most dangerous criminals in the land. Recently, a prisoner-led revolt has resulted in a state of pandemonium within the Stockades - where the guards have been driven out and the convicts roam free. Warden Thelwater has managed to escape the holding area and is currently enlisting brave thrill-seekers to venture into the prison and kill the uprising's mastermind - the cunning felon, Bazil Thredd. ----------------------------------------------------- Zul'Farrak Tanaris Desert Level 43-54 ZF This sun-blasted city is home to the Sandfury trolls, known for their particular ruthlessness and dark mysticism. Troll legends tell of a powerful sword called Sul'thraze the Lasher, a weapon capable of instilling fear and weakness in even the most formidable of foes. Long ago, the weapon was split in half. However, rumors have circulated that the two halves may be found somewhere within Zul'Farrak's walls. Reports have also suggested that a band of mercenaries fleeing Gadgetzan wandered into the city and became trapped. Their fate remains unknown. But perhaps most disturbing of all are the hushed whispers of an ancient creature sleeping within a sacred pool at the city's heart - a mighty demigod who will wreak untold destruction upon any adventurer foolish enough to awaken him. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ C.---Burning Crusade Dungeons There are 6 new instances in the BC expansion, however they are not neatly organised like the previus, and there scatterd across there home page. You can see http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/info/burningcrusade/index.xml for more information on these instances. __________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Sorses A- Blizzard Entertainment -World of Warcraft Game Manual -http://www.worldofwarcraft.com All Instance, Class, and Etiquette Descriptions derived from Blizzard Entertainment This FAQ is for the use of http://www.cheathappens.com/ only, if you would like to host this guide on your website, or have any questions, complements, corrections, or coments please PM me through cheathappens.com, or email me at Insomniac142@gmail.com once again please excuse any spelling errors, my usual writing program is on the fritz and this page is far to big to fit on any internet based spell check. 2007, Jacob "Insomniac" Clendenin© All rights reserved