Showing posts with label stratholme. Show all posts
Showing posts with label stratholme. Show all posts

Saturday, September 7, 2019

Gear Your Shadowcaster FAST - A Simplified Max-Level Gearing Guide for Warlocks and Shadow Priests

Hey dudes, Silvite Soltis here and today I'm excited to be doing another get geared fast guide!

With Classic out and people quickly (or slowly, in my case) approaching level 60, I thought it'd be fun to explore my original character's spec - the shadow priest. And since spriests and warlocks focus on obtaining the same gear for the most part, this guide will apply to both.

Also, I'd like to quickly apologize for the inaccuracies in any previous guides. All of my guides were made under the assumption (hinted by Ion Hazzikostas) that only items that were obtainable between patches 1.0-1.2 would be available in phase 1. Since my last guide, we found that Classic is using the patch 1.9 loot tables until phase 5 - meaning that there are MANY more items that can be obtained for most of the classes I went over previously, and for much longer. That being said, the dungeons themselves are pretty much the same for those classes, so the guides still hold up, though they don't necessarily give ENOUGH information now. Sorry for that.

But anyway, with that little blurb out of the way, let's talk about how YOU can gear up your shadowcaster fast whenever you cap in phases 1-4 of WoW Classic! As always, keep in mind that you can jump around the different steps as you please, so think of them more like 'To Dos' rather than steps...


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Step 1 - BRD Detention Block and Arena Farms

Starting at around level 50 or so, you should try to get into some BRD runs for the first portion of the dungeon - the Detention Block and Arena. Now, the full dungeon contains 16 potentially useful items for shadow priests and warlocks, but honestly speaking, there's not a huge reason to run the full dungeon as a shadow priest or warlock, since most of the best items you can obtain here drop toward the beginning.

In particular, you'll want to try to pick up the Kentic Amice from High Interrogator Gerstahn, the Spritecaster Cape from Houndmaster Grebmar, and, most importantly of all, the Ban'thok Sash from Ok'thor the Breaker in the Arena event. This last item is extremely important to aim for, as it's one of only 3 dungeon items you can obtain with +Spell Hit (the other two being another belt with no +damage and a necklace in Strat Live). So, get started early!

There are many other items you can try for later on in the dungeon as well - such as the Omnicast Boots from Golem Lord Arglemach and Burst of Knowledge from Ambassador Flamelash. At early levels, however, it might be difficult to go that far into the dungeon. Still, they're also great items worth your attention at 60, so expect to come back here again...


Step 2 - Quests (When You Need a Break from Dungeons)

As you get closer to level 60, or when you're tired of running BRD repeatedly, try to complete the quest chains ending with In Dreams, It's Dangerous to Go Alone, The Battle of Darrowshire, and Order Must Be Restored (Alliance) or The Scarlet Oracle, Demetria (Horde) for the quest rewards. All four items you get as a reward are solid items which can serve you well at 60. If you managed to get the cloak from Houndmaster Grebmar, you can skip "In Dreams," or choose a different reward (shadow priests can snag the ring reward for healing instead, for example).

Getting the wand, Stormrager, might be particularly challenging due to the elite quests involved, but it's a guaranteed wand that's halfway decent, so it's better than praying to RNGeesus constantly later on...


Useful Non-Dungeon Quest Rewards:


Neck

Archlight Talisman from The Battle of Darrowshire.

Back

Shroud of the Exile from In Dreams.

Offhand

Spirit of Aquementas from It's Dangerous to Go Alone(+20)

Ranged

Stormrager from Order Must Be Restored [ALLIANCE] / The Scarlet Oracle, Demetria [HORDE].


Step 3 - More Dungeons (BRD, Stratholme UD, and Scholomance)

Ok, assuming that you're now at level 60 and you've done all the quests you really feel like knocking out, it's time to focus on the dungeons. After combing through all of the loot tables and available items in phases 1-4, I've found that three dungeons in particular are the most lucrative for shadowy spellcasters - Blackrock Depths (of course), Stratholme Undead, and Scholomance.

We'll start with BRD, since it's the dungeon you've probably already run by this point anyway. There are 16 total caster-appropriate drops here, with 5 items that are especially great. Just as I mentioned in Step 1, you'll really want to run the Detention Block and the Arena to get the shoulders, back, and waist, but once you're capped and working on your MC and Onyxia attunements, you should definitely aim for the other items deeper in - namely the Omnicast Boots from Golem Lord Arglemach and Burst of Knowledge from Ambassador Flamelash. If you don't get the boots from here though, no worries. There's an even better pair of boots in one of the other dungeons...

When you've finished up your attunements, head over to the Eastern Plaguelands to hit up Strat UD. Like BRD, there are 16 potential caster items here, but 4 in particular stand out far more than the rest - the Crimson Felt Hat from Magistrate Barthilas, Anastari Heirloom from Baroness Anastari, Maleki's Footwraps from Maleki the Pallid, and, for shadow priests, Scepter of the Unholy from Baron Rivendare. Of course, there are many excellent items to obtain here beyond these four (and you can see a full list of the drops and quest rewards associated with Stratholme below), but considering how great these ones are, it's hard to even consider skipping this dungeon.

And finally, the third dungeon you should prioritize as a shadow priest or warlock - Scholomance. This dungeon is by far the most lucrative one for shadowcasters - with a whopping 26 potential item drops, 7 of which are amazing. The only reason I put this one behind the others is the clear superiority of some of the other dungeons' items: Crimson Felt Hat beats the Devout Crown for a warlock any day... Plus, there just aren't any boots you can reasonably expect to get in Scholomance (or from crafting) whereas Strat UD and BRD both have amazing boots, so you'll really want to run them anyway.

So, with all that said, you should definitely make it a point to run Scholomance to have a crack at some excellent items. In particular, the Dark Advisor's Pendant from Vectus (a low chance drop), Deadwalker Mantle from Rattlegore, Burial Shawl from the 6 mini-bosses at the end, Alanna's Embrace from Ras Frostwhisper (also low drop chance), Clutch of Andros from Kirtonos the Herald, Witchblade from Darkmaster Gandling, and Bonecreeper Stylus from Darkmaster Gandling are all EXCELLENT items for both shadow priests and warlocks. Combined with all the other potential loot and quest rewards (see below), it's really a dungeon that is worth diving into!


Step 4 - The Tailored Stuff

It should come as no surprise that professions will provide great rewards to those who take the time to level them up. And as a shadowcaster in particular, you have a range of items you could obtain FAIRLY easily. That being said, the dungeons will definitely be the more scenic route with friendly adventures along the way. But if you just CAN'T get an item to drop, here are 5 solid items with plus shadow damage that you could potentially get - the Felcloth Set (minus the Boots).

Worthy Felcloth Set Items:
Felcloth Hood (+30 Shadow)
Felcloth Shoulders (+26 Shadow)
Felcloth Robe (+36 Shadow)
Felcloth Gloves (+33 Shadow)
Felcloth  Pants (+26 Shadow)


I wouldn't recommend working on the Robe of the Void, though simply because the grind is intense and, honestly, you can much more easily acquire Robe of Winter Night instead - which is arguably better due to it having intellect instead of stamina. Plus, if you're a shadow priest...you can't equip the warlock robe anyway...


------------------------------


If it's still phase 1, you should be pretty much done by this point. However, if you've capped in phase 2 or later, read on...


Step 5 (Phase 2 Onward) - DM West and North

If you're capping your shadow priest or warlock in phase 2 or later, you get the added benefit of having Dire Maul available to you right off the bat. Now, unfortunately, there aren't THAT many amazing items in these dungeons, but the ones that are there are REALLY good.

Dire Maul East really has nothing to write home about. The West and North wings, however, have some really interesting loot. Starting with the West, there are 8 potential useful drops and 3 of them are extremely good. They include the Amplifying Cloak from Magister Kalendris, Robe of Everlasting Night from Immol'thar, and Blade of the New Moon from Immol'thar. Again, there are more items that drop, so take a look down below for a full list.

Next up is DM North. This particular wing is home to 8 useful drops for shadowcasters, only two of which are extremely useful. However, there are also 3 quests with excellent rewards that are associated with this dungeon, making it by far the most lucrative of the DM instances. The best drops here are the Sublime Wristguards from Guard Mol'dar & Guard Slip'kik and, of course, the infamous Rod of the Ogre Magi from completing a Tribute Run. In addition to these, you can also obtain the Beads of Ogre Mojo from Falrin's Vendetta, the warlock's Royal Seal of Eldre'Thalas from Harnessing Shadows (sorry shadow priests), and Gordok's Handwraps from Unfinished Gordok Business. All in all, it's a great dungeon if you're capping after phase 1. Just make sure to get the quests!



Step 6 - Visit the AH (and look for "of Shadow Wrath" greens)

Ok, you're all dungeoned out and getting really tired of summoning people or being forced to heal. Now what? Well, as always, you can head over to the auction house and pick up some high-level greens and blues...just to round out your set. Just remember, though, that people nowadays really know the value of some of these items, so you might need to spend a bit extra to get the BEST items. Still, it beats running Stratholme for the 700th time, I'm sure...


Final Thoughts

Congratulations on getting your shadow priest or warlock to 60 and good luck with the gearing process. Obviously this guide is quite extensive, as there's simply so many things you can do to gear up in Classic, but that's part of the experience. It's worth noting that there are also some potentially great items in Blackrock Spire (particularly the Briarwood Reed) and Stratholme Live, but since the whole point is to get geared as quickly as possible, it didn't seem right to throw in those dungeons just for one or two items. Really, if you just do the quests, run BRD, Strat UD, and Scholomance, then craft some items and check the auction house, you should be good to go in MC and Ony no matter what phase it is.

But anyway, that's it for today. If you enjoyed this guide or found it useful, let me know by leaving a comment down below (underneath the list of all of the dungeon loot and quest rewards). Check out my YouTube channel too, where all of my guides are eventually put into video form. Follow me on Facebook and Twitter for updates on what I'm doing, and consider supporting me on Patreon if you're into that sort of thing. Thanks for reading. And as always...

Take it easy!





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Dungeon Loot List

All caster DPS items that shadow priests and warlocks can make use of that either drop in, or are related to running, the endgame dungeons. (Asterisks* denote good/great items.)

BRD

16 total drops, 5 very good ones.

Head
Chief Architect's Monocle from Fineous Darkvire.

Neck
x

Shoulders
*Kentic Amice from High Interrogator Gerstahn. (+14)

Back
*Spritecaster Cape from Houndmaster Grebmar. (+14)

Chest
Robes of the Royal Crown from Emperor Dagran Thaurissan. (+18)

Wrists
Flameweave Cuffs from Lord Incendius (Random Enchant)

Hands
Silkweb Gloves from Hedrum the Creeper (Arena Event).

Waist
***Ban'thok Sash from Ok'thor the Breaker (Arena Event). (1% Hit, +12)

Legs
Haunting Specter Leggings from the Trial of Seven.

Feet
*Omnicast Boots from Golem Lord Arglemach. (+22)
High Priestess Boots from Princess Moira Bronzebeard. (Terrible)

Finger
Cyclopean Band from Ok'thor the Breaker (Arena Event). (+9)

Trinket
**Burst of Knowledge from Ambassador Flamelash. (+12)

Main Hand
Kindling Stave from Pyromancer Loregrain (has crit chance on it, but no spell power).
Blood-etched Blade from the Trial of Seven. (+6)

Offhand
Enthralled Sphere from High Interrogator Gerstahn.

Ranged
Pyric Caduceus from Pyromancer Loregrain (Good for fire mages, but really just a wand for anyone else. Not useful in MC, however!).

Quest Rewards
Valconian Sash from A Taste of Flame.
Lagrave's Seal from The Last Element.
Manacle Cuffs from The Love Potion.
Eye of Orgrimmar from The Princess Saved? [HORDE]
Songstone of Ironforge from The Princess's Surprise. [ALLIANCE]
Azure Moon Amice from The Rise of the Machines. [HORDE]

Stratholme Undead Loot Summary

16 total drops, 4 very good ones.

Head
***Crimson Felt Hat from Magistrate Barthilas. (+30)

Neck
*Anastari Heirloom from Baroness Anastari. (+13 Shadow)

Shoulders
Soulstealer Mantle from Ramstein the Gorger.

Back
Royal Tribunal Cloak from Magistrate Barthilas.

Chest
x

Wrists
x

Hands
Shadowy Laced Handwraps from Baroness Anastari. (5Mp5)

Waist
Dreadmist Belt from trash.
Thuzadin Sash from Nerub'enkan. (+11)

Legs

Feet
Dreadmist Sandals from Baroness Anastari.
Devout Sandals from Maleki the Pallid.
***Maleki's Footwraps from Maleki the Pallid. (+27 Shadow)

Finger
Seal of Rivendare from Baron Rivendare.

Trinket
x

Weapon
***Scepter of the Unholy from Baron Rivendare. (+19 Shadow) MACE

Offhand
x

Ranged
Banshee Finger from Baroness Anastari.

Stratholme Live Loot Summary

16 total item drops (5 from Postmaster), 2 very good ones.

Head
x

Neck
**Star of Mystaria from Balnazzar. (1% Hit)

Shoulders
Shroud of the Nathrezim from Balnazzar. (1% Crit)

Back
Archivist Cape from Archivist Galford. (Random Enchantment, 4Mp5)

Chest
x

Wrists
Tearfall Bracers from The Unforgiven. (Random Enchantment)
Devout Bracers from trash.

Hands
Devout Gloves from Archivist Galford.

Waist
Grimegore Noose from Timmy the Cruel.

Legs
x

Feet
Magister's Boots from Hearthsinger Forresten [RARE, but common]

Finger
x

Trinket
x

Weapon
Gift of the Elven Magi from Balnazzar. (Pretty terrible though)

Offhand
Tome of Knowledge from Archivist Galford. (Pretty terrible though)

Ranged
*Skul's Ghastly Touch from Skul [RARE]. (+14 Shadow)

Other
Postmaster Set from Postmaster Malown.

Scholomance Loot Summary

26 drops total, 7 very good ones.

Head
Devout CrownDreadmist MaskMagister's Crown from Darkmaster Gandling.

Neck
Heart of the Fiend from Kirtonos the Herald. (Terrible)
***Dark Advisor's Pendant from Vectus. (+20 Shadow)

Shoulders
Dreadmist Mantle from Jandice Barov.
Magister's Mantle from Ras Frostwhisper.
*Deadwalker Mantle from Rattlegore. (+13 Shadow)
**Burial Shawl from 6 mini-bosses. (+20)

Back
x

Chest
*Alanna's Embrace from Ras Frostwhisper. (Very low drop chance!) (+20)

Wrists
x

Hands
Darkshade Gloves from Jandice Barov. (These are terrible though...)
Magister's Gloves from Doctor Theolen Krastinov and trash.
Dreadmist Wraps from Lorekeeper Polkelt and trash.

Waist
*Clutch of Andros from Kirtonos the Herald. (1% Hit)

Legs
Skullsmoke Pants from Vectus. (Very low drop chance!)

Feet
x

Finger
Dimly Opalescent Ring from 6 mini-bosses. (Random Enchant)

Trinket
x

Weapon
Headmaster's Charge from Darkmaster Gandling. (Very low drop chance!)
*Witchblade from Darkmaster Gandling. (+14)

Offhand
Spellbound Tome from Ras Frostwhisper.

Ranged
**Bonecreeper Stylus from Darkmaster Gandling. (+11)
Oblivion's Touch from Death Knight Darkreaver (paladins' epic mount quest boss).

Other
Necropile Raiment from the 6 minibosses at the end. (Very low drop chance for each item, 5 in total - chest, wrists, feet, legs, and shoulders)

LBRS Loot Summary

8 drops total, 2 very good ones.

Head
x

Neck
x

Shoulders
Sunderseer Mantle from Crystal Fang [RARE]. (+8)

Back
x

Chest
x

Wrists
Funeral Cuffs from Shadow Hunter Vosh'gajin.

Hands
**Hands of Power from Quartermaster Zigris. (+26)

Waist
x

Legs
***Skyshroud Leggings from Highlord Omokk. (+34)

Feet
Ogreseer Tower Boots from Spirestone Lord Magus [RARE].

Finger
Magus Ring from Spirestone Lord Magus [RARE].

Trinket
x

Weapon
Trindlehaven Staff from Overlord Wyrmthalak. (+14)

Offhand
Globe of D'sak from Spiresone Lord Magus [RARE].

Ranged
x

Quest Rewards
Wyrmthalak's Shackles from Maxwell's Mission [ALLIANCE] / Warlord's Command [HORDE]
Astoria Robes from Put Her Down [ALLIANCE] / The Pack Mistress [HORDE]

UBRS Loot Summary

13 drops total, 4 very good ones.

Head
Starfire Tiara from Jed Runewatcher [RARE].

Neck
Tooth of Gnarr from General Drakkisath. (+3M)

Shoulders
Devout Mantle from Solakar Flamewreath.

Back
Frostweaver Cape from The Beast.

Chest
Devout RobeDreadmist RobeMagister's Robes from General Drakkisath.

Wrists
x

Hands
x

Waist
Dustfeather Sash from Solakar Flamewreath. (+9)

Legs
*Spiritshroud Leggings from The Beast. (+19)

Feet
**Dragonrider Boots from Warchief Rend Blackhand. (+18)

Finger
**Band of Rumination from Warchief Rend Blackhand. (5Mp5, 1% Crit)

Trinket
***Briarwood Reed from Jed Runewatcher [RARE]. (+29)

Weapon
x

Offhand
x

Ranged
Serpentine Skuller from Jed Runewatcher [RARE].

Quest Rewards

DM East Loot Summary

5 drops total, 3 good ones.

Head
x

Neck
Tempest Talisman from Hydrospawn. (1% Crit)

Shoulders
x

Back
x

Chest


Wrists
x

Hands
*Gloves of Shadowy Mist from Zevrim Thornhoof. (+19 shadow)

Waist
x

Legs
x

Feet
x

Finger
Ring of Demonic Guile from Alzzin the Wildshaper. (6Mp5)

Trinket
x

Weapon
Quel'dorai Channeling Rod from Lethtendris. (8Mp5)
*Energetic Rod from Alzzin the Wildshaper. (+14) MACE

Offhand
x

Ranged
*Lethtendris's Wand from Lethtendris. (+9)

Quest Rewards


DM West Loot Summary

8 drops total, 3 very good ones.

Head
x

Neck
Elder Magus Pendant from Magister Kalendris.

Shoulders
x

Back
*Amplifying Cloak from Magister Kalendris. (+18)

Chest
**Robe of Everlasting Night from Immol'thar. (+27)

Wrists
x

Hands
Brightspark Gloves from Tsu'zee. (1% Crit)

Waist
x

Legs
x

Feet
x

Finger
x

Trinket
Mindtap Talisman from Magister Kalendris. (11Mp5)

Weapon
Stoneflower Staff from Tendris Warpwood. (1% Crit)
***Blade of the New Moon from Immol'thar. (+19 Shadow)
Mind Carver from Prince Tortheldrin. (+12) SWORD

Offhand
x

Ranged
x

Quest Rewards
x

DM North Loot Summary

8 drops total, 2 very good ones.

Head
Crown of the Ogre King from King Gordok. (1% Crit)

Neck
x

Shoulders
x

Back
Heliotrope Cloak from Guard Mol'dar & Guard Slip'kik. (1% Crit)

Chest
Mindsurge Robe from Tribute Run. (10Mp5)

Wrists
**Sublime Wristguards from Guard Mol'dar & Guard Slip'kik. (+12)

Hands
x

Waist
Oddly Magical Belt from Tribute Run. (+16)

Legs
x

Feet
x

Finger
x

Trinket
x

Weapon
**Rod of the Ogre Magi from Tribute Run. (1% Crit, +23)

Offhand
Kreeg's Mug from Stomper Kreeg.

Ranged
Mana Channeling Wand from Cho'Rush the Observer. (4Mp5)

Quest Rewards




Thursday, August 8, 2019

Dungeon Sets 101 - Episode 1: Devout!

Hey all! Silvite Soltis here and today I'm proud to announce a little mini-series I'm starting.

As we all know, many of us playing Classic are those who played it back in the day. However, times have changed a lot - marriages, families, and work commitments might keep us from enjoying the game as fully as we'd like to. We may not have time to raid hardcore or grind out those battlegrounds for the best gear possible.

But there is one end-game path we CAN take to look badass - collecting the dungeon sets!

So, for those of us who may only be able to do a dungeon or two every week after reaching 60, these guides will help us to look swagtastic. And for others who simply want to collect the gear, it'll help to do it as fast as possible...

Let's get started with my favorite class, the priest...


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Vestments of the Devout
You may already be aware, but in case you aren't there are 8 items in each dungeon set - helm, shoulders, chest, bracers, gloves, belt, legs, and boots. Three of these items - the bracers, gloves, and belt - are Bind-on-Equip, meaning they can often be found in the auction house. The other five, however, are drops from specific dungeon bosses.


As a priest, you will typically want to aim for the Devout set, a blue and lavender set of robes that somewhat resembles pajamas in my opinion. These items are spread throughout 3 instances, though realistically they are in five different dungeons - Stratholme (Live and Undead), Scholomance, and Blackrock Spire (Upper and Lower). Fortunately, you only really NEED to run three, as two dungeons (LBRS and Live Stratholme) contain only the BoE pieces. Still, you can run these dungeons if desired.





Stratholme

Maleki the Pallid drops the boots.
So, to get started hit up Stratholme (Undead) to try and collect the Devout Sandals and Skirt. The feet drop from the boss Maleki the Pallid, typically the third boss encountered in the dungeon, and are a fairly common drop. He's a fairly straightforward tank&spank, like most dungeon bosses in Classic. Just make sure to take out enough trash to not accidentally pull additional mobs.






Baron Rivendare drops the legs.
Progress through the dungeon to Baron Rivendare, the final boss of the undead portion. This boss is the one which drops all of the dungeon set legs, so you've got a one in nine chance of getting your skirt upon victory. When fighting him, remember to stand as far away as possible to avoid his pulsing AoE, and keep Fade ready for when the skeletons spawn.








If you decide to run the live portion of the dungeon, you have a chance to find the Devout Bracers from Crimson Priests, as well as the Devout Gloves from the boss Archivist Galford toward the end of the dungeon. Be careful when healing during this boss, however, as he hits hard. Do note, though, that both Devout items from Live Stratholme are Bind-on-Equip, so it definitely isn't necessary to run it to get them, as you can just buy them from the auction house or get them from a lucky friend or guildmate.

Crimson Priests drop the bracers.
Archivist Galford drops the gloves.



Upper Blackrock Spire

There are three pieces of the Devout set to acquire in UBRS - the Devout Robe, Belt, and Mantle. The first two are fairly straightforward. The shoulders, however, require a bit more planning.

Blackhand Summoners drop the belt.
First, set up a group with the Rookery event in mind. Many groups will want to skip this room because it's generally a pain in the ass. The shoulders drop from the 2nd boss of this dungeon, Solakar Flamewreath, and are one of several possible drops. Before you get there, however, you have a chance to pick up the Devout Belt from Blackhand Summoners in the first room of the dungeon. It's a low chance, but it's the BoE piece you're most likely to encounter since it drops from mobs you need to clear.





Solakar Flamewreath drops the shoulders.
Anyway, onward to the shoulders. Work your way up towards the Rookery for the biggest challenge in completing the set, in my opinion. To briefly summarize, the event requires your group to pop the eggs and kill a bunch of the whelps in the Rookery before starting. Then, one person clicks the crystal at the back of the room, triggering waves of elite dragonkin to start spawning. After what'll seem like ages, Solakar Flamewreath will spawn. Defeat him and hope you get the shoulders.



General Drakkisath drops the chest.
Clear the rest of the dungeon to the final boss, General Drakkisath. This fight is pretty straightforward for priests - heal and hope the hunter(s) know how to kite. Again, keep Fade handy just in case you get targeted by the boss during the Conflagrations. Similar to Baron Rivendare, he drops all nine dungeon set chests, so pray to RNGeesus that yours is the one that drops during your runs.







Scholomance

The third and final dungeon you'll have to run in your adventures to collect the Vestments of the Devout, Scholomance is no walk in the park. Long, filled with bosses, and offering little in terms of useful items for priests, you might wonder if it's worth the effort. Well, if you want your helm, it is.

Darkmaster Gandling drops the helm.
The only piece you'll find here is the Devout Crown, which drops from the final boss of the dungeon, Darkmaster Gandling, along with all of the other dungeon set helms. The good news is that there are several good items for tanks and dps classes here, as well as one of the only alchemy labs in the game (needed to craft flasks for the try-hards), so you'll be able to find groups fairly easily as a priest.

When fighting Gandling, keep in mind that he randomly teleports party members into different rooms to fight small groups of mobs by themselves. As a priest, you can use Shackle Undead on one enemy if this happens to you so that you can burn down the other enemies present. No matter what though, get back to your party ASAP.

One more time, pray to RNGeesus that you get your helm when he falls...


Final Thoughts

So, basically that's the guide. Run Undead Stratholme, UBRS, and Scholomance, then pick up the Gloves and Bracers from the auction house when someone puts them up for cheap. Again, you COULD run Live Stratholme for a shot at the two BoEs there, but it's not really necessary. Either way, best of luck with getting your badass priesty set.

If you liked this guide or found it useful, let me know by following my blog here and leaving a comment down below. Also, check out my YouTube channel where I upload video versions of all of these guides and more on a (mostly) weekly basis! Follow me on Facebook and Twitter for updates, and consider supporting me on Patreon if you'd like to get some additional perks as well.

Thanks for reading. And as always, take it easy! :)

List of set pieces, levels, and locations (courtesy of https://wow.gamepedia.com/Vestments_of_the_Devout)

Wednesday, July 17, 2019

Memories of Vanilla #31 - The Thunderfury Rogue

Thunderfury, Blessed Blade of the Windseeker
Hey dudes. Silvite Soltis back again with another installment of Memories of Vanilla for you.

Last time, I told you all about the time I tried to get into a Molten Core raid, only to find that I needed to be "attuned". At the time, it was really disappointing, but that experience taught me a lot about the endgame of WoW. Well today, I've got a story that's a bit more cheerful...

So, as always, sit back, relax, and enjoy as I recount the tale of how I ended up running a dungeon with one of the best rogues on my server...




-----------------------------------------------------

Stratholme, Our Destination
I'd been level 60 for a little while at this point - probably about a month or so. And while I had a foreign exchange program fast approaching (August 2006), I was still on Warcraft constantly. After all, I had to enjoy this time with my priest before going halfway across the world.

So, one day in July of 2006, I found myself in a group for Stratholme. I'm not sure what I was doing there, but it probably just involved me trying to get gear without knowing where the best items were. I was slated to be the healer, of course, but our group couldn't find a tank for the life of us. After spamming the various channels repeatedly for about 30 minutes, though, a rogue was invited to the group.

Now, I was by no means an expert on the different classes and roles of WoW, but even I understood that a rogue was NOT a tank. And so, I asked about our new ally:

"Hey, um...isn't this guy a rogue?"

"Yeah. It's ok, he'll be able to tank for us," our party leader replied. I was skeptical, but figured that it would be better to at least try and see how it went - especially considering the alternative option of sitting and waiting around more...

And so, we headed up to Stratholme. Silvite's hearthstone was set to Light's Hope Chapel, since I constantly found myself running Strat and Scholo back in those days, so I was the first to arrive at the entrance. Once inside, I took a quick break to hit up the bathroom and grab a drink before we started the dungeon. When I sat back in my chair, I found that 2 others had joined me - a mage and our rogue tank...

This guy was GEARED!

Thunderfury, Blessed Blade of the Windseeker
It was a female night elf rogue, decked out in the black and red colors of the Bloodfang set. Though there were a few pieces missing (which I learned later had been parts of the AQ set), I was amazed by the sheer epicness of this rogue. One thing, however, stood out above everything else this character had equipped...the weapon.

Thunderfury, Blessed Blade of the Windseeker

I had heard about this weapon before, and seen it a few times as I ran around Ironforge, but I'd never been in a group with someone wielding it before. Curious, I asked how to get the weapon, but to no avail. The rogue was part of the guild "HERO" - one of the Chinese guilds on the Whisperwind server back in the day. Either way, I figured it would be a fun adventure.





It took only a few minutes for the last two party members to arrive. We buffed up, opened the gate, and began what would become one of the most amazing dungeon experiences I've ever had in the game. Our rogue ran forward, no stealth or anything. Swirly tornadoes appeared out of thin air as the mobs were hacked to bits. Our mage barely had barely begun one Blizzard cast when the last zombie fell, and I knew we were going to have a good time.

Nerub'enkan
We progressed swiftly to the second gate, making sure to loot as much as we could along the way. Our "tank" sliced through every pack like butter, with no crowd control and hardly any healing needed. The first boss, Nerub'enkan, provided little challenge for our group, dying within the first 20 seconds of engagement. The second boss, however, proved to be a bit harder...








Baroness Anastari
We made our way over to Baroness Anastari, the banshee boss. Figuring it would be as easy as the first, we charged up to her. In our haste, however, we forgot one thing...she has a mind-control ability. Now, this wouldn't normally be a problem - after all, each of us had a one in five chance of being mind controlled. But of course, being a very obviously boosted run, RNGeesus decided to troll us by immediately mind controlling the best player in our group. Within a few seconds of the spell being cast, we all lay on the floor dead, with swirly cyclones still spinning on our corpses.

Not ideal, but we got a bit of a chuckle out of it.

Running back from our wipe, we decided to just stand back as our rogue used every tool he had and single-handedly decimated the boss. With her out of the way, I happily scooped up the shadow damage neck piece and we moved on.

The rest of the dungeon was a bit of a blur to be honest - tornados swirling around and everything dying around us. However, when we reached the final area with all of the abominations wandering around, our tank decided to crank it up to 11, pulling several at once and dodging all of their attacks with evasion. I nearly had a heart attack when the dodge chance wore off and his HP plummeted, scrambling to heal him up as fast as I could, but we managed to survive.

Stratholme
It was EPIC!

Ramstein came out, dead.

Skeletons rushed the group, dead.

Black guards came out, dead.

We rushed into the final chamber where Baron Rivendare stood waiting. A mere 40 minutes or so had passed since we first stepped into the dungeon, and we were eager to take him out for the amazing items he possessed. With the same ease as the rest of the dungeon, he fell. And on his corpse, we found Robes of the Exalted - the best healing robes dropped by dungeon bosses.

"Strat Live now?" he asked as I equipped my new robes.

And, of course, we all said yes...


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I hope you enjoyed this story. Though I don't remember the rogue's name anymore, running Stratholme with him was one of the most amazing and eye-opening experiences I had back in vanilla. Seeing how epic the gear looked, as well as how powerful it made him as he slashed all of the enemies to bits, made me thirst for greater gear and rewards in the game, and was probably one of the reasons I started really focusing on my warrior in the Burning Crusade. After completing the undead portion of the dungeon, we moved over to live side and, very similarly to the first half, absolutely destroyed everything there.

When everything was finished, I found that the rogue was actually a friend of one of our other group members, and that he'd simply asked for help. Even now, I think back at how different things were back then - we were forced to make friends in the game and those friends helped each other all the time, not just when it benefited them. Clearly this rogue had no need to run Stratholme or to help us, but he did. This feeling of helping each other - fostering friendships and community, is something I can't wait for come August 27th...

But anyway, that's enough for today. If you liked this story and would like more content like it, check out my other posts here on Blogspot, or my videos over on YouTube. You can also get updates on new content by following me on Facebook and Twitter. There's still quite a few stories to tell, so make sure to stop by again for more.

Thanks for reading and for your continued support as I recount all of these tales. I'm really glad that you all enjoy the stories as much as I enjoy telling them. I can't wait to create more when Classic is released, but for now, and as always, take it easy!