Blackrock Depths

[kpjam]

I ended up with a group of people who knew nothing of the place yesterday.  Which made me the resident expert, something I wasn't, and still am not.  But in hopes of helping any of you who find yourself there without suitable escorts.  I'l going to do a small walkthrough of the major points.  If you don't want to know, don't read.

Most quests start at either Morgan's Vigil, the cave in the north center of the map, or the cave in the north-east(there's a dragon inside).  An additional quest is found outside the in Dun Morgh, and from the king of Ironforge.  The prerequisite for the king is to find the artifacts that his advisor sends you for in the Burning Steps.

There is a quest you get as a ghost.  So you have to die, and in the center, inside the tomb, is a quest giver.  When you wipe, or if you have time beforehand to die, get this.  


Now to the instance.  I think you can do all the quests in one run, though that would take a bit of luck(a random drop is required) and a huge chunck of time(ten plus hours).  I also think the random drop might only occur after you've done one step of the quest and reset the instance.  

Anyway.  Straight ahead as you enter is the prison area.  There are seven exits from the area.  4 are two hallways(1, 3, 4, and 5 from the right) that circle back to the main room  -- these contain the prison cells.   One is where the jailors congregate.   The archway you came through and a way that leads to the city(first on the left).   You need the shadowforge key to go this way.

Marshall Windsor is in a cell that is formed by the 1st and 3rd exits from the right.  (The second exit from the right of the entrance cuts through to to the same hallway)

If you're doing the escort quest, you might as take right pathway.  You need to clear this out before the quest if you want to survive.  Make sure to clear out the supply room, becuase if you don't, there will be 8 - 9 elite mobs there instead of the 4-5 when you do the escort.

The key is found on the warden(forgot the name).  If you aren't doing the quest, or at least not right away(there are respawns after a while), take the 3rd entrance from the right.  It's the fastest way to windsor.  He's in the 2nd openable cell on the left as you travel).

That's the basic layout of the prison area that concerns Marshall.

The 4th and 5th hallways also circle back.  Down them, you will find the Ring of Law(required to get key if no one has it) and the Houndmaster(optional as far as I know).  It's helpful to clear this hoallway out before the windsor escort, though not essential.  After windsor gets his gear, he's not as helpless and makes a decent tank(though you can't cast spells on him).

To get to the escort quest.  After you talk to him the first time you'll get a random note drop(this may require resetting the instance, not sure).  Take the note back to windsor and he'll tell you to kill some general and a golemn lord.  after you get the tablets, go back to him and then he'll initiate the escort quest.  He goes to get his gear from the supply room and also has you release other prisoners.


To get the shadowforge key(other quest points will be pointed out along the way).  You need to go into the ring of law.  When everyone enters, an announcer will appear(don't attack him).  There will be two waves.  One of about 10 -15 non-elite level 50 beasts(bats were once and they cast silence(beware).  Once you defeat them, you have time to drink, do so, and a 54-55 single elite will come out.  Defeat him, loot the corpses(usually decent stuff).  And four doors will open.  you will want the one that leads to a barracks.  If you fail, you have to reset the instance to try again.

There are stairs that lead up to the ring of law's spectator section right next to the ramp up.  The spectators should be yellow, since you won and were judge worthy.  If you didn't complete the ring of law, they will be red.  

Go around to another exit.  There's a decently hard fight sitting right outside.  Be careful any AoE doesn't hit spectators.

You can go right or left.  Remember this.  If you go right, you find the statue which is the SECOND part of the making the key.  It's not far in that direction.

So to get the hammer, which is the first part go left.  Fight your way through to a barracks.  Right or left here leads you downstairs to the center of the city.  On the balcony, clear the rabble.  The next door is the vault.  You need to have picked up enough coffer keys to open on the vaults except the last one.

IMPORTANT, when the last vault is open, the four golemns come to life, and the guardian appears.  So 5 elite mobs.  The strategy we ended up usuing was Warrior tanks the golems.  The warlock and mage took the elite guy.  One pally helped with damage, and the other pally healed the tanks.  We made sure to draw the guy out and fight on the balcony because when didn't the first time.  I aggroed two of the golems.  The hit me for 1,200 damage in succession. Dead mage.  dead party.

Anyway.  The heart of the mountain should appear for your taking.  There's still one more vault to open.

The next entrance from the balcony is into the guarry.  Here, one named elite has the key to the last bank vault.  We found some nice stuff in there.  Also, the other vaults all had nice little bags of silver and some gems.

Anyway.  Heading down the guarry, the architect is walking around.  He has the hammer you need for the key.  Once you have the hammer, you backtrack to just before the spectators and go straight to the statue.  Use the hammer on the statue, and viola, you have the shadowforge key.

If you cnotinue through the quarry, you get Incideous(flame).  One of the named that is part of a quest.  If/when you fight him.  He has knockback.  So fighting where he stands is a bad idea.  Draw him back to a doorway for your own protection.

If you continu past him, you get to Bael'(something or other) which the guy in the cave asked you to kill and get his essence.  A little bit before the big guy, is a small way left.  This leads back to the beginning.  (Confused, it isn't much better being there and figuring it out yourself)

But anyway.  The Bael guy has a fireblast(similar to pillar of fire) and he spawns level 52 non-elite slimes.  Once every 30 seconds or so.  Unfortunately, they don't disappear when he dies.  Though, they do dissapear if he's dead and so is your party.(Soulstone ressurect for the win and the loot)

Anyway, you now have the key, and about the half the instance described!

(continued later)