Welcome to a guide for the Ruby Sanctum in WOTLK Classic Phase 5. For anyone still playing and didn’t quit after getting Shadowmounre, Ruby Sanctum has 3 mini-bosses and the main boss, Halion.

Please remember to use your WOTLK Classic Gold to equip yourself well before fighting. This way, combined with this guide, you will defeat these bosses more easily!

3 Mini-Bosses

For Baltharus, don’t stand in the Blade Storm. Move out with Innovating Brand so you don’t make him a gigachad. When he spawns his clones with a raid-wide knockback and a stun, pick them up but keep focusing on the main one.

For Zarithrian, tank swap before you lose all your armor. Trem to him, his raid-wide fear, and interrupt the ads while they pulse AOE damage.

For Saviana, face her frontal breath away, try to shot the Enrage, so she doesn’t deal raid-wide damage. When she flies up, move out of the raid if you get Conflagration.

Halion

Now for the real boss, Halion, who has 3 health-based phases. In every phase, he is a dragon, so stand to the side to avoid getting hit by the tail or the frontal. And tanks, all you have to do is to survive the frontal breath and a bit of movement. 

During Phase 1, he gives someone Mark of Combustion, which makes you explode and drop a pool when dispelled or decursed. The longer you have it, the bigger the explosion in the pool. So, move out as soon as possible, call for a dispel, or you’ll probably all die .

On Heroic, the pools give stacking dots, so don’t touch them unless you need to pad your healing. He also casts Meteor Strike, which looks like Hellfire on the ground, dealing big damage to anyone hit and spawning an X of fire. On Heroic, this also spawns a bunch of ads, so pick them up and nuke them down.

Stack the raid on one side of the boss, then when it appears, move through the boss to the other side, but watch out for the fire. At 75%, the boss phases into the shadow realm, so click the portal to follow him, but have a tank and healers stay behind for Phase 3.

He now casts Mark of Consumption (Soul Consumption), which is the same as Phase 1, so move out and dispel as soon as possible, but the pool now sucks you in, so don’t touch it. On Heroic, the pool also slows you, so throw a freedom on whoever has it to get them back quicker.

Two orbs rotate around the edge of the room, occasionally firing a laser between them that’ll hit you. When the laser starts, rotate the boss and everyone along with it, but don’t go too fast or too slow, or you might be hit by the laser, the tail, or the frontal.

Every cast of will throw a fit until this phase ends. On Heroic, there are now 4 orbs and 2 lasers to split the room into four, so there’s even less space to move, and there’s ticking damage in the shadow realm to keep healers pressing their buttons.

At 50%, the boss splits into both realms. Split the raid with ranged in the main realm, melee in the shadow realm, and healers and tanks split evenly. Each realm is the same as the previous phases, but he now has a buff called Corporeality. This stacks are based on the damage in each realm, reducing his damage taken and increasing his damage done. So, split the raid as evenly as you can to keep it at 50% in both realms.

But if you put everyone in 1 realm, he eventually takes no damage and heals while you sit around. On Heroic, assign more damage in the main realm for the ads. But if you have some AOE blasters, you should be fine.

The other main Heroic change is the pools are visible in every realm, and they never disappear. So, drop them as close to each other as you can to save room space. Then, kill the boss before you run out of space.

Think back to if you’ve ever looked with envy at someone riding Invincible’s Reins or wielding a Shadowmourne and wondered how on earth they could afford it? Or maybe you’re gearing up to take down Lich King in your weekly Heroic Dungeons, but you find yourself a little short on gold.

Today, we don’t just reveal any secrets. I’ll also share something that most gold farming guides don’t talk about, which is the untapped wealth in Northrend. Once you understand it, you will make huge profits for yourself.

GDKP History

If you're a veteran of WoW, you've probably heard of GDKP raids. GDKP stands for “Gold Dragon Kill Points”, a loot distribution system popular in WoW raids. During a GDKP run, players can bid for items dropped during a raid. Then at the end of the run, the raid leader will distribute the earned WOTLK Classic Gold to raid members.

Unlike the traditional DKP system, players earn points by participating in raids and can spend these points on loot. This means that players with more gold have a better chance of winning items, but everyone has a chance to bid on and win items.

To take part in a GDKP run, you’d better bring enough gold to bid on items relevant to your class and needed for your character.

During a raid, bidding will take place in the raid chat and the highest bidder will win the item. If two or more players bid the same amount, the winner is determined by rolling. The winning gold is then collected by the raid leader and distributed to raid members at the end of the match.

It’s worth noting that running GDKP isn’t for everyone. If you are new to raiding or do not have a large amount of WOTLK Classic Gold, you may find it difficult to take part in GDKP events. But don’t worry, you can also use code “Lich” to get 3% off.

Overall, GDKP runs are a unique and exciting way to distribute loot in WoW raids. They require some preparation and gold, but they can be a fun and rewarding experience for participants.

GDKP Pros & Cons

GDKP runs are becoming increasingly popular in WoW raids, and for good reason. The advantages are significant, and here are a few reasons why you might want to consider running with GDKP:

First, in a GDKP run, players bid on items using their own gold. This means that the players who want an item the most are usually willing to bid the highest amount of WOTLK Classic Gold to buy it. This ensures that we distributed fairly the loot and everyone has a chance to get the items they want.

When players have to bid for items with their own gold, they have more incentive to perform well in raids. This means you’re less likely to encounter warriors who aren’t pulling their weight or players who aren’t performing at their best. When players are motivated to perform well, you can expect to see an increase in DPS. This means we will faster kill bosses, making raids go more smoothly.

While GDKP is running, players can bid on items even if they didn’t contribute much to the raid. This means players who progress through raids can still get loot, which can be a great way to motivate them to keep playing.

Modern GDKP Runs

Because WOTLK Classic has most of the features of Master Loot system, Modern GDKP varies in terms of skill level and gold amount. But on average, in today’s game, you can make more money using this method than other methods in WOTLK Classic.

So let’s talk about Modern GDKP scenario and how you can benefit from it. The first thing you need to know about GDKP scenario is that there are four important metrics.

The first is your gear score, which is something we can easily fix. GDKP has different gear score requirements, currently getting at least 5,000 should be the minimum requirement.

The second metric that raid leaders care about is the amount of gold you’re willing to spend. This number will vary from run to run, but in my experience, 5,000 is the minimum. You can reach this amount in just 5 hours by running Gamma Dungeons to farm Primordial Saronite.

Then there are the actual classes you’re playing with. For example, it’s easier to get into a running state as Holy Paladins than as Frost Mages.

The fourth important metric is Logs, but it only really matters for the most severe GDKP situations.

How To Get Into A Serious GDKP Run?

To complete a qualified GDKP run process, you need to pay attention to the following aspects.

First, AFK while GDKP is running may cause players to lose the opportunity to bid on items or even be kicked out of the team. Therefore, it’s important to stay active and engaged during the run to ensure a fair distribution of the loot.

They usually organize GDKP runs as PUGs, which means players from different guilds can join the run. This allows for a wider player base and more gear opportunities. Meanwhile, this also ensures that all players have access to the same content and an equal opportunity to bid for loot.

It is important to note that BOE items are valuable in GDKP runs, as we can sell them on the auction house for large amounts of WOTLK Classic Gold. We often bid separately these items from other loot and can fetch high prices.

Overall, GDKP runs are a great way to get rare gear quickly, especially for players who are new to raids or have limited access to gear. By using gold to bid on items, players can get gear they wouldn’t otherwise be able to get.

So GDKP can be an excellent system for earning gold and getting free gear, and that’s the beauty of it. This is a kind of snowballs because the more runs you make, the more WOTLK Classic Gold you earn and the more gear you can acquire.

By the end of Phase 4, you can even take home tens of thousands of gold coins every week in pure profit. You just need some excellent planning to maximize your gold for the remainder of Phase 4. Then you can get rare items like Invincible’s Reins or Shadowmourne!

Hallow’s End is coming to WOTLK Classic Phase 4. Hallow’s End includes tons of creepy rewards, activities to take part in, and mini-events for Horde and Alliance to enjoy across Azeroth.

This guide outlines everything you need to know about WOTLK Classic’s 2023 Hallow’s End Holiday Event. Includes the location of Headless Horseman boss, how to defeat it, and more items players can earn during the event.

Activity Time

Hallow’s End Holiday Event 2023 has a start date of October 18, 2023 and is expected to end on November 1, 2023.

So the residents of Azeroth have about two weeks to accomplish everything they want from Hallow’s End. Including completing achievements, enjoying the celebrations, and killing Headless Horseman repeatedly to get some loot.

How To Find Headless Horseman Using RDF?

According to developers, Headless Horseman at Hallow’s End in 2023 may add more story backgrounds and tasks, and may add a hard mode.

As the boss of WOTLK Classic Hallow’s End, Headless Horseman is located in Scarlet Monastery. Players must queue for encounters via RDF, otherwise Headless Horseman will not appear.

The reward for completing this activity for the first time each day is a Loot-Filled Pumpkin. However, only players at level 45 or higher can get Loot-Filled Pumpkin drops.

Therefore, it is very necessary to invest more WOTLK Classic Gold to help you upgrade quickly. Note that you can also take advantage of the code “Lich” to get 3% off. Potential rewards from this Loot-Filled Pumpkin include:

• Horseman’s Sinister Slicer
• Horseman’s Horrific Hood
• Horseman’s Reins Mount
• Magic Broom
• Sinister Squashling
• Hallowed Helm

You can only get a bag full of loot and 2 Emblems from Random Dungeon Finder Tool’s queue once per day. After that, you can continuously farm Headless Horseman to get more chances of dropping rings. However, you are still limited by the 5 dungeons per hour rule. Headless Horseman loot you can earn includes:

• Horseman’s Signet Ring
• Seal of Ghoulish Glee
• Band of the Petrified Pumpkin
• Wicked Witch’s Signet

Hallow’s End Items

There are a lot of items to get during Hallow’s End Holiday Event 2023. These include Creepy Crate, which provides players with Battle Pets, as well as Sinister Squashling and Naxxy.

You can also purchase Creepy Crawlers in Garrison to spawn wild pets, including Spectral Spinner, Ghastly Rat, and Ghost Maggot.

Of course, this isn’t the only Hallow’s End item. Players can get Candy through “Trick or Treat”, and after eating it, various attributes can be enhanced.

Speaking of Candy, players can purchase Hallow’s End Pumpkin Treat from Katrina Shimmerstar or Rachelle Gothena. It has unique effects depending on which one you get.

There are also a ton of Marks and Wands available for players to acquire during Hallow’s End, with our favorite being Little Wickerman. We can purchase these items through Tricky Treat, which brings us to the next section.

How To Get Tricky Treat?

There are many Tricky Treats you can farm during Hallow’s End. Here’s how you can get more Tricky Treats:

• Complete daily missions at maximum level to earn up to 17 Tricky Treats every day.
• Complete the onetime Hallow’s End mission to receive 10 Tricky Treats.
• You can find 4-6 Tricky Treats in Loot-Filled Pumpkin.
• Get up to 3 Tricky Treats from each Candy Bucket.
• Convert Spooky Supplies in Garrison into Tricky Treats.

As you can see, there are many ways to get Tricky Treats. But the fastest way is probably to open those Candy Buckets in Azeroth.

Candy Bucket

During Hallow’s End Holiday Event, Candy Buckets will be available at every hotel. These Candy Buckets are located near Innkeeper, and each Candy Bucket provides a onetime mission.

Players can complete these tasks to earn WOTLK Classic Gold and some Treats. These Treats contain 1-3 Tricky Treat items, and may also contain snacks, masks, and more. 

However, note that to see Candy Bucket in certain areas, max-level players will first need to talk to NPC Zidormi in Silithus or Darkshore.

Wickerman Festival Buffs

During Hallow’s End event, players can earn Wickerman Festival buffs every four hours.

For Alliance, this buff is called Unburdened, while for Horde, it’s called Grim Visage. Both buffs are the same, providing players with 10% experience and reputation for two hours.

That’s everything we know about WOTLK Classic’s 2023 Hallow’s End event. Includes all the details about Headless Horseman and other spooky activities players can take part in to celebrate Hallow’s End.

Warriors of Azeroth, welcome to our detailed guide to WOTLK Classic Phase 4 Icecrown Citadel. In this guide, we’ll walk you through the different strategies for Normal and Heroic Mode to help you overcome the challenges in this iconic raid.

Icecrown Citadel is a powerful fortress with various bosses. We’ll delve into each encounter and share strategies and advice to ensure your success.

1. Lord Marrowgar

Lord Marrowgar is the first boss you encounter in Icecrown Citadel. To defeat him, you must arrange your team with tanks on one side and ranged DPS on the other while the boss is in the center of the room. This setup helps handle his abilities efficiently.

Lord Marrowgar has Tank Buster's ability, which can hit the main tank and the two closest players. To mitigate damage, use three tanks and stack them on top of each other.

Also, you’ll want to watch out for a line of frost from the boss, Coldflame. It will randomly target players and you just need to avoid it to avoid taking damage.

Lord Marrowgar can also use Bone Spike to pierce and incapacitate players, causing massive damage. You need to make sure it healed players in a timely manner and focus on killing the spikes as quickly as possible.

Therefore, it is very necessary to use WOTLK Classic Gold to get enough Healing Potion in advance. Note that you can also use the code "Lich" to get 3% off.

In Heroic Mode, Lord Marrowgar can target three players with his Bone Spike, requiring quick action to save them. Also, he casts Bone Storm every 30 seconds, dealing group-wide damage. He will randomly charge at players, leaving Coldflame behind, so be alert.

2. Lady Deathwhisper

Lady Deathwhisper presents a two-stage encounter. In the first phase, you need to manage the mob and break her mana shield to transition to the second phase.

Lady Deathwhisper will spawn multiple mobs in Phase 1. So you need to assign tanks to each side and decide whether to spread out the melee or keep them in the death ball to deal with the adds effectively.

There are two types of these mobs, Fanatics and Adherents. Fanatics provide healing absorption and damage buffs that can be stolen or cleared. Adherents inflict diseases and curses, which increase spell cooldowns. Both mob types will gain additional abilities after being empowered.

At this point you need to assign tanks to each side and do AOE damage to eliminate the adds. Also, keep an eye out for changes in Phase 2 to avoid additional adds.

Lady Deathwhisper’s abilities change in Phase 2. She continues to cast spells and abilities, but her threat generation is reduced.

In Heroic Mode, Lady Deathwhisper can use Mind Control to control some players. So you have to Crowd Control or clear their buffs.

In Phase 2, she needs to tank and apply threat-reducing debuffs, so swap tanks accordingly.

3. Gunship Battle

The goal of Gunship Battle is simple: destroy enemy ships with cannons. Therefore, you assign four players to operate the cannon and fire on the enemy ships. Use Cannon Blast to generate heat and Explosive Shot to damage enemies.

Players not in the cannon should focus on killing Rifleman and Axe Throwers on the opposite deck.

In Heroic Mode, surrounding enemies will deal higher damage. Healers should focus on keeping the tank alive. Coordination and speed are critical to success.

4. Deathbringer Saurfang

Deathbringer Saurfang only has one phase, but his damage increases as the battle progresses.

Every attack from Saurfang or a mob will cause stacked damage. At 100 energy, he leaves a permanent debuff on the player, causing them to take melee damage. Therapists need to monitor these players carefully.

In addition, Saurfang will summon five mobs, and players must destroy them quickly. These mobs will cause damage to anyone they come in contact with. Use stun, push, or slow to stop them.

In Heroic Mode, mobs deal triple damage and slow down nearby players. You need to kill them quickly, especially when the boss only has 30% health left, as his damage and attack speed increase.

5. Festergut

The fight against Festergut is a DPS match with a strict 5-minute Enrage timer. During this time he will cause splash damage to players and disorient some players. Please avoid getting hit and stay away from affected players.

In addition, his Gas Spore will target three players and explode, applying continuous damage. We should spread spores throughout the team, including the melee, to allow players to stack points without getting hit.

Festergut can also reduce DOT damage group-wide through Inhale, but it will increase his damage and attack speed by 30%. You can only survive during this phase by using your personal cooldown.

In Heroic Mode, Festergut’s damage is higher, making this encounter more challenging. Healers need to be especially careful, and players should watch their stacks and timers to prevent spawn points.

6. Rotface

Rotface is the second boss you encounter in Plagueworks, and this encounter requires precise tanking and positioning.

Watch out for Rotface’s random frontal attack, Slime Spray. In addition, Rotface will also cast a DOT, Mutated Infection, which reduces the player’s health. Infected players will spawn an uncontrollable mob.

When two players have Mutated Infection, one player should move between the mob and the edge of the room before dispelling it.

In Heroic Mode, remote players will explode due to Rotface’s Vile Gas. You need to stay 10 yards away from melee combatants to avoid getting disoriented. Meanwhile, his Mutated Infection’s healing reduction is stronger and you have to move to dispel it immediately.

7. Professor Putricide

Professor Putricide’s abilities are mainly related to positioning and awareness. Professor Putricide will throw Malleable Goo at random players. Players must stay out of its path to avoid damage.

Meanwhile, like Rotface, he also has a DoT that reduces health, Mutated Infection. We should dispel players when affected. However, when dispelled, they spawn a mob that cannot be taunted but can be Crowd Controlled.

In Heroic Mode, Malleable Goo’s enhanced damage is higher, and players should be more vigilant to avoid using it. In addition, the reduction in healing effect caused by Mutated Infection is more effective and requires players to eliminate it.

8. Blood Prince Council

Blood Prince Council consists of three bosses with the same health and unique abilities. It empowered a boss every 45 seconds. The three bosses take turns gaining empowerment and changing their abilities. You need to adjust your focus accordingly.

• Prince Valanar: He will cast Shock Vortex, causing splash damage to players hit.
• Prince Taldaram: Uses Glittering Sparks, which applies heavy DoT to players hit. He will also cast Conjure Flame on ranged players. Deals less damage over time, but explodes, dealing splash damage to nearby players.
• Prince Keleseth: Uses Shadow Lance, a high-damage skill. He also spawns Dark Nucleus, which applies Shadow resistance debuff to the target.

In Heroic Mode, Shadow Lance’s attack power is stronger and requires multiple layers of debuffs to survive. Players must treat the increased damage with caution.

Shadow Prison, which deals a lot of damage while moving but does nothing while stationary, also affected the entire team. Therefore, correct positioning is crucial.

9. Blood-Queen Lana’thel

Blood-Queen Lana’thel presents a two-stage encounter. In the first phase, you need to deal with her abilities and gradually transition to the second phase.

First, she will drop purple fire under a random player. Make sure they place it against a wall to prevent damage to the team.

Her Twilight Bloodbolt will target ranged players, causing them to deal splash damage. Therefore, make sure ranged players spread out to minimize damage.

Blood-Queen Lana’thel also transforms DPS players into Vampires, increasing their damage by 100%. These players must bite the newcomer within 1 minute or risk being mind controlled.

Lana’thel will fly into the sky at specific intervals, terrorizing everyone. After the scare passes, players must spread out to avoid taking damage from Bloodbolt.

In Heroic Mode, group-wide damage replaces the fear in the air phase. Players must manage incoming damage and ensure the bite goes smoothly.

10. Valithria Dreamwalker

Valithria Dreamwalker is a unique encounter where your primary goal is to heal the boss to win.

Valithria Dreamwalker relies on healing to win battles. Therefore, you need to bring as many healers as possible, including single-target healers. Focus on keeping the boss alive and keeping your healing output high.

During phases 1 and 2, Valithria generates Nightmare Cloud, which provides healing and damage buffs. You’ll want to make sure these buffs did not n’t affect your DPS players, as they can be used to increase your damage. Healers should enter portals to maintain these buffs.

Next, you need to split your DPS and tanks into two groups on either side of the room. This setup allows you to deal with mobs effectively.

Heroic Mode replaces a single portal with a full raid portal. Stack and move slowly to avoid falling debris and stay healed.

11. Sindragosa

Sindragosa has one health-based phase and two intermissions.

In the first phase, you’ll deal with abilities such as Vile Gas, Gas Spores, and Inhale. In addition, Sindragosa will also send Frost Sphere to the team. If it touches the player, Frost Sphere will explode. Ranged DPS should eliminate these Frost Sphere promptly.

At 70% health, Sindragosa enters the intermission phase, and players should move to the edges to avoid AOE damage from the center.

Phase 3 is similar to Phase 1, but Sindragosa now freezes random players in an area of ice, adding to the challenge. Be careful of Shadow Trap and avoid standing in it to prevent damage.

Heroic Mode involves additional challenges, such as group-wide damage during Frost Sphere and increased authorized damage, making the encounter more difficult. In the third phase, Shadow Prison will affect the entire team, dealing massive damage while moving.

12. Lich King

Lich King is the ultimate boss of Icecrown Citadel and is divided into three stages and two intermission periods.

In the first stage, you need to deal with skills such as Infest, Vile Spirits, and Harvest Soul. Players must manage Infest debuff and pass it on to mobs.

The encounter enters its first intermission when Lich King reaches 70% health. Players should move to the edges to avoid AOE damage in the center.

Phase 2 introduces new abilities, including Defile, Soul Reaper, and Val’kyr. Arrange your team correctly to manage Defile, and remember to swap tanks to deal with Val’kyr.

A second pause occurs when health reaches 40%. Players must travel through Frost Sphere and avoid falling ice blocks to reach the center of the platform.

Phase 3 is similar to Phase 1, but Vile Spirits summoned by Lich King can now only be killed by the off-tank. Therefore, correct positioning is crucial.

In Heroic Mode, players face a unique Phase 3 that involves managing raid-wide damage and not refreshing their Shadow Prison stack. Encounters are significantly more difficult due to new mechanics and increased damage output.

This guide provides a comprehensive overview of each boss fight and their respective mechanics. Hope it helps you. Good luck with your future adventures!

Welcome to BIS Gear Guide for Phase 4 of Combat Rogues in WOTLK Classic. The equipment in this guide is mainly obtained from Icecrown Citadel, Trial of the Crusader, Ulduar, Naxxramas, Obsidian Sanctum, and Eye of Eternity. This guide will list recommended gear for Combat Rogues.

Emblems Of Frost

Many players in mail users, plate users, and strength classes consider Agility and Leather items to be the best items in this phase of the slot.

Typically, these classes have mail, plate, or strength items as replacements in these slots. These alternatives don’t technically match them, but are very close to performance. So when there is no other choice, using WOTLK Classic Gold to get this equipment is the wisest choice!

Note: You can get 3% off right now with code “Lich”.

When determining the distribution of loot in a guild, you need to consider what other options each player has, especially for highly competitive items. Because it’s unlikely that everyone who wants it will get it.

Of these you should definitely prioritize equipping your level set with the Emblems of Frost helmet and shoulders. After that, none of the remaining items are BIS, so you can prioritize different things based on your weakest gear slot.

While it may not be BIS, I recommend you to start with Shadowblade Breastplate and Shadowblade Gauntlets. Until your gear is closer to BIS and you can match it all with well-crafted Bladeborn Leggings.

Phase 4 Combat Rogues BIS Gear

Next, we will talk in detail about which BIS equipment you should choose for your Combat Rogues in Phase 4.

Helmet

Sanctified Shadowblade Helmet is definitely your best helmet choice, followed by Non-Heroic Sanctified Shadowblade Helmet.

When you’re ready, you might find yourself with something nice, like Discarded Bag of Entrails. If you use this, make sure your Shadowblade set has at least 2 slots elsewhere to keep the super valuable 2 pieces of loot.

Shoulders

Similar to the helmet, your best choice for shoulders is the item level 277 Shadowblade set, Sanctified Shadowblade Pauldrons. This is also an excellent piece of equipment if you end up using Cultist’s Bloodsoaked Spaulders. Just make sure you still have Shadowblade’s 2 piece bonus in the other armor slots.

Cloak

Because of Combat Rogues’ new strong preference for Armor Penetration in Phase 4, Vereesa’s Dexterity and Sylvanas’ Cunning in Phase 3 are still the best choices in the cloak slot.

The new Shadowvault Slayer’s Cloak’s raw stats may be a little higher, but Armor Penetration Cloak is still slightly better. A cloak like Shawl of Nerubian Silk is only good if it doesn’t let you exceed your Expertise cap.

Usually Combat Rogues can only equip one or two items with Expertise because your Expertise limit is too low.

Wrist

Like most slots, if we can equip a high-level Armor Penetration item, we will. Toskk’s Maximized Wristguards fits this description perfectly, as it’s both the highest level of wrist we can get and has the exact stats we like as Combat Rogues.

Glove

Glove is a good slot for not using your class armor since there is no Armor Penetration for that class. But Aldriana’s Gloves of Secrecy have Armor Penetration as well.

Waist

Astrylian’s Sutured Cinch is a good wax option. Top item level, agility, and lots of slots to give this item more Armor Penetration. If you don’t have this waist after purchasing Level Armor with Emblems of Frost, you can choose Vengeful Noose as your second waist choice.

Legs

Gangrenous Leggings will be the best leg armor for Combat Rogues in Phase 4. Luckily, it comes from a relatively easy boss, Festergut, and there aren’t too many other classes that have it as the best slot. So getting it shouldn’t be too much trouble.

Until you get that, though, Refined Bladeborn Leggings are also a powerful alternative. I recommend that any serious Combat Rogues should consider it.

The above are most of BIS equipment that I think Combat Rogues should consider in WOTLK Classic Phase 4. Hopefully this guide will help you perfect your Combat Rogues’ gear and win the battle!

The time has come and the Citadel gates are opening. Millions of players are sprinting through the gates, ready to do battle with the Lich King.

But most of these players are making a huge mistake. They haven’t planned the optimal raid comp to crush the heroic bosses. So, instead of slaying the Lich King and taking his Frostmaw’s Mane, they’ll be blaming each other for wipes and disbanding their guilds. 

Luckily, I’ve got all the PTR data and 80 hours of personal ICC experience in heroic clears. Here, I will talk about the best raid comps for ICC 10 and 25 Man. Of course, if you have enough WOTLK Classic Gold, the classes you choose will be equipped with better equipment. This will make it easier for you to participate in raids.

Methodology

First, let’s talk methodology.

To make this tier list, I’ve taken data from around 5,000 heroic ICC Logs. With help from my friend and data Wizard Forge, I’ve been able to piece together an optimal lineup for both 10-man and 25-man raids. I’m also factoring in my extensive ICC experience and clears of every heroic boss and Lich King normal. 

But we don’t talk about that. There’s a problem: when you’re building the perfect raid comp for Icecrown Citadel, there’s something everybody tends to overlook. This is a retail style raid where every boss has drastically different mechanics and strategies. That means the optimal raid comp for Saurfang is very different from the optimal raid comp for Sindragosa. 

Some fights are better with one tank, while some are better with three. Some fights are better with ranged DPS stacks while some are better with melee stacks. Some fights are better with three healers, while some fights are even better with seven or eight.

And since most players don’t want to be sitting on the bench for half the raid, we have to compromise. Instead of a perfect raid comp for individual fights, we need a flexible raid comp that can get the job done on every fight. There are two keys to make a perfect ICC raid comp.

Balanced Team 

First, we need our team to be balanced to deal with a variety of fight styles in Icecrown Citadel. 

That means far less class stacking than in previous raids like ToC. The side benefit is that we’ll be covering all the relevant class buffs at the same time.

Dual Spec Options 

The second thing is that we need our team to have a lot of Dual Spec options. 

Having your Feral will be able to swap to be a third tank in a fight like council is really big. Also, having your Holy Priest or your Restoration Shaman able to switch to damage on a fight like Saurfang is huge.

When there’s a DPS check, you need to be able to cut Healers and when there’s a heal check, you need to be able to add Healers very easily.

Hybrids can definitely play a role as well. For example, off healing on Boomkin can be a good middle ground to meet DPS checks without losing too much healing.

Best 10-Man Raid Comp

Since we know the keys to a successful ICC raid comp, let’s get into the optimal 10-man raid comp.

The optimal 10 Man starts with the optimal two healers. Holy Paladin and a Disc Priest are the bread and butter of any heroic 10-man team. Resto Shaman is definitely a viable alternative as well.

Remember, you can get Runescrolls of Fortitude or Drums of Forgotten Kings if you’re missing a key buff.

Unfortunately, for Restoration though, this is where the imbalances of the 10-man really start to show you just don’t have the raw tank healing to get through fights, like Lich King.

Moving on to the tanks, we see an overwhelming majority of successful logs in 10 Man, featuring a Prot Paladin tank. A lot of fights do require two tanks and almost every second tank is a Blood Death Knight that dual specs to damage when not needed. This is definitely where some creativity comes in.

You can see a few logs here and there where Prot Warriors and Ferals are brought as well. It’s just not as set in stone as healers.

As for damage dealers, we can’t really get a perfect comp since we’ll always be missing some key buff and we can’t really class stack like in old raids. We can’t use data, however, to look at the most successful comps and tweak things based on our available roster of players.

From the PTR data, Demo Locks are a must have 10-man class with their buffs and their high damage. The data says that 80% of 10-man groups brought at least one to the PTR.

We definitely also want a Boomkin. Boomkin was even brought to the most 10 Man PTRs according to the logs. The main reason for that is that they can easily dual spec or just hybrid heal on more intensive fights like Sindragosa.

Of course, a 10-man raid without a battle resurrection is also pretty miserable.

Next, we have Survival Hunters and they’re just really hot in 10 mans. You really need replenishment anyway and you definitely want a hunter for Lich King. Plus, they just got buffed.

We also definitely have to bring a Shaman for Bloodlust, whether it’s Enhance or Elemental is up to you and what your comp’s focused on. Rounding out the comp, though, we have to decide between Ret Paladin or Mage with their intellect and mage food.

Ret Paladin was the most popular melee class by far for 10 man PTR and their utility is just too good to pass up in my opinion. 

For the last slot, we can get more creative with a Combat Rogue or a Fury or an Unholy DK or even a Feral for more utility. 

Just make sure to bring the correct tanks and heals and prioritize lust and replenishment before filling out any other slots. 

Also Read: The Ultimate Gearing Guide For WOTLK Classic Phase 4 ICC Raid

Best 25-Man Raid Comp

Now, let’s get into the 25-man raid comp, which is a far more creative endeavor.

Once again, we start with the healer core and once again Paladin’s rule. Two Holy Paladins are an absolute must, and these are the backbone of your raid.

Next up, pretty much every successful heroic 25 kill featured one Disc Priest, and they’re just too good to pass up.

Then, we have Resto Shamans, which are also brought as part of the early progression healing core. Having a second Blooslust for pets is great and Mana Tide Totem helps a lot with the long slow progression fights.

For our fifth healer, we have to choose between Resto Druid and Holy Priest. The PTR logs show far more Resto Druids, but Holy Priests have been less popular, so that makes sense. I do consider these healers to be pretty much interchangeable, though I prefer battle res and Innervate during progression.

As for six and seven heel fights, you just dual spec your Elemental Shaman or your Boomkin as necessary.

Moving into tanks, it’s pretty much the exact same story as 10 Man. I would take a Prot Paladin all day alongside a Blood DK. Getting into damage as a wise man once said, “if it looks like a rainbow, you’re probably doing it right.” 

You really want to bring every possible buff and then stack the best ranged DPS to make fights like Lich King a lot easier. This isn’t going to be a Trial of the Crusader with eight Unholy Death Knights, even though there were successful logs with 6 DKs.

Since we’re bringing a little of everything, the question becomes what to bring duplicates of. The most logical class to duplicate early on is the Affliction Warlock with their really high-ranged DPS. 

Later on, in the phase, it’ll make more sense to duplicate Fire Mages instead, but they just aren’t there yet DPS wise.

We also have to decide between one or two Hunters. They just got buffed and they’re amazing on Lich King. 

If you want to replicate that classic feeling and stack melee like Warriors, that’s still on the table as well. The melee stack of your dreams will just have to wait a few months until you get full BIS gear. 

If you want to start working towards that BIS gear, though, you’ll actually have to be allowed in the ICC raid. 

The culmination of Wrath Classic is nearly upon us as the final phase of the expansion sees us delve into Icecrown Citadel to put the reign of the Lich King to an end once and for all.

Today, I’ll be running you through all the new big features to expect in the Fall of the Lich King patch, including the new Legendary raid, how best to catch up on gear and join the fight against the Lich King, new class changes, dungeons, the Ruby Sanctum, and loads more.

Icecrown Citadel

First up has to be the new raid, Icecrown Citadel, one of World of Warcraft’s most well-remembered instances, and for good reason. We finally do battle with Arthus, many years after his story first began in the Warcraft universe.

There are many amazing items that drop here, such as Deathbringer’s Will. Or maybe, this time, you just want a chance to get invincible during the current expansion.

However, if you did raid Icecrown Citadel on launch back in 2010, this time around, there will be a few changes to the pacing of the raid.

- First up, there will be no Timegating in place on the instance. All the bosses will be available from day one.

- On top of that, you will no longer need to have at least one player who has defeated the Lich King on Normal Mode before you can access Heroic Mode.

- You may also be wondering about the Scaling buff that was introduced to the raid a few months after it came out in 2010. These will not be available on the raid’s launch but are planned to be added in a good while afterwards. This will give players time to experience the raid on its intended difficulty and see how well they fare.

- You can’t talk about Icecrown Citadel and not want to mention Shadowmourne either, the iconic legendary that all your Warriors, Death Knights, and Paladins are dreaming of right now.

There is good news here too, because you will have a much easier time getting hold of one, and that will drop without requiring a player in the raid to have advanced onto the quest a Splintered Thrown. In short, this saves you a lot of farming and allows you to gradually work toward Shadowmourne at both an easier and more relaxed pace.

On top of that, each end-of-wing boss - so Deathbringer Saurfang, Professor Putricide, Blood-Queen Lana’thel, Sindragosa, and the Lich King will now always guarantee to drop one Shadowfrost Shard each.

What’s more, the drop rates of Shadowfrost Shards on Normal mode have been adjusted to match Heroic. So, even if you do need to drop a boss back down to Normal, it’s not hurting your chance at a Shard.

We estimate this over halves the acquisition time of a Shadowmourne to somewhere in the region of around eight to ten weeks. This should mean there are loads more players who get to enjoy using this weapon before the next major content patch.

This raid will also bring a new reputation into the game, the Ashen Verdict. Through defeating enemies and bosses within Icecrown Citadel, you will gradually rank up with them. As you do, you will unlock powerful new craftable boot and leg-slot items.

Also, as you advance the ranks, you will get a ring that steadily upgrades. Its Exalted version is just about one of the best rings in the game.

The way tier gear is acquired also changes once again. You can either get the base item Level 251 version of your tier by being lucky and seeing some of it drop from the Vault of Archavon. Or for the rest of us, using WOTLK Classic Gold to buy it for Emblems of Frost from your class vendor just inside Icecrown Citadel.

To upgrade it to its item Level 264 version, you’re going to need a Mark of Sanctification. These drop from the end-of-wing bosses on 10-player Heroic or 25-player Normal.

The final stage of your tier gear, which is item Level 277, will need a Heroic Mark of Sanctification. These are also from the end-of-wing bosses but on 25-player Heroic only.

All in all, Icecrown Citadel will be a chance for players to see how this raid was during its own expansion, and the changes made should provide a good experience on its rerelease. And if you’re making a return for Icecrown Citadel with hopes of taking on the Lich King, you’re going to need to gear up. But you'd better prepare enough WOTLK Classic Gold.

Gearing For ICC

Fortunately, with Phase 4, there are a whole host of different ways to get your character up to speed.

First up, is the reintroduction of the Looking For Dungeon tool. This will allow you to queue up for dungeon content remotely and be matched cross-server with four other players. This should be a great addition for leveling characters or alts, who will now be able to plan dungeons into their leveling journey much more efficiently. And at level cap, it will be a good gateway into end-game gearing.

Furthermore, you can also join Titan Rune Dungeons through the LFD as well.

Also Read: The Ultimate Gearing Guide For WOTLK Classic Phase 4 ICC Raid

Defense Protocol Gamma

Speaking of Titan Rune Dungeons, a brand-new setting is being planned for the patch, named Defense Protocol Gamma.

When this setting is locked in by your party, enemies gain a large amount of extra health and damage and a Silver Covenant Warden will appear and offer you and your allies a variety of buffs played in the dungeon.

Shatter Armor has a chance for melee attacks to apply a debuff to the targets that increase all damage taken by 20% for ten seconds.

Rallying Cry of the Tournament Champion makes it so spells and ranged attacks have a chance to grant your party 20% haste for ten seconds.

Confessor’s Wrath makes sure direct healing spells increase your spell damage by 20%, stacking up to five times. This effect also lasts five seconds after your next harmful spell cast.

And Shield of Thorns makes it so enemies take damage each time you block, dodge or parry.

In addition to these new buffs, Titan Rune Gamma Dungeons retain their previous extra mechanics, such as the enemies in Coldarra Dungeons spawning mirror images, or the healing pools in the Gundrak Dungeons.

For rewards, you will earn Defiler’s Scourgestones. These can be traded in at your faction vendor in Dalaran, a Trial of the Crusader 25-player Normal loot, Primordial Saronites, or they can be downgraded to Sidereal Essence.

As a side note, with the patch, your daily Heroic will now grant two Emblems of Frost, as expected, and your first Titan Rune Gamma Dungeon of the day will also drop a satchel from the last boss that will have a further three Emblems of Frost for all players.

New Dungeons

And don’t forget about the three new Icecrown Citadel dungeons either, those being the Forge of Souls, the Pit of Saron, and the Halls of Reflection.

These three dungeons give you some more story on the Lich King, as well as providing catch-up gear for players.

These three dungeons will not be available on the Titan Rune Gamma difficulty, so that players can experience them in their original form. However, they will still give rewards as if they were.

You will also have a rare chance to see a Battered Hilt when taking in these dungeons on Heroic difficulty. This tradable item starts a quest chain as well as eventually awarding an item Level 251 weapon.

There will, of course, be other additions to raiding worth mentioning, too. The Vault of Archavon will be getting a new boss. This time, it will be Toravon the Ice Watcher. He will drop Relentless Gladiator PvP gear as well as the Tier 10 gloves and the legs.

Ruby Sanctum

But there’s also one more raid to consider. Let’s not forget about the Ruby Sanctum.

This is a short one-boss raid that’s planned to release sometime after Icecrown Citadel has been out.

Ruby Sanctum will not be treated as its own phase, and it’s more of an extra source of gear to help you finish your Icecrown Citadel progression.

Gameplay Updates

There have also been several general gameplay updates made with this patch.

Your mounts, companion pets and heirlooms tabs have all been updated and consolidated under the new Collections tab. This new tab is a single place where nearly everything you have earned on your characters can be found.

And yes, “characters”, as alongside the new Collections tab is the news that nearly everything kept here will be account bound.

So, this now gives you more reason to chase certain mount drops on alts, cleans up your bank space currently being occupied by companion pets, and you’ll no longer lose track of your heirlooms across your various characters and alts.

Class Updates

There have also been a few class updates made, too.

Hunters have received a new ability, Explosive Trap Launcher. This allows you to fire off your explosive trap from range without having to worry about running in to drop a trap, as you currently do. This ability will not be available in PvP but should smooth out Hunter gameplay in PvE encounters by a large margin.

Druids, Priests, and Shamans, Wild Growth, Circle of Healing, Ancestral Healing, and Divine Hymn spells have all been adjusted to favor players over Guardians and Pets. This should definitely help out in some of the more healing-intensive encounters in Icecrown Citadel.

Warlocks have seen one or two changes, too. Demonic Pact will now update more frequently. This should smooth out gameplay and remove scenarios where you would otherwise not send your pet in to attack. Also, the Warlock’s Summon Infernal ability will reset upon encounter end, similar to other long-duration DPS cooldowns.

PvP Season 8

The final thing to mention is, of course, the new PvP season for Wrath Classic, Season 8.

This will feature the appropriately named Wrathful Gladiator’s gear as well as mounts and titles for the best players in each region come the season end.

Another year, another Brewfest guide. 

Brewfest 2023 runs from September 20th to October 6 th. There are several new rewards this year that have big implications for gearing and for Cataclysm as well. 

Intro

First, let's cover the primary goal of the event. Like last year, our main goal is to complete the six specific achievements for the Brewmaster title and progress towards the Violet Proto-Drake. If you don't have it yet, this is absolutely the time to start working on your mount.

Mounts are account wide in Phase 4, so this is the easiest way to be at 315 speed on all your alts. 

Speaking of alts, you really don't want to forget the 10% XP bonus. At around 610 server time in the morning and at night you can receive a 10% experience buff at the Brewfest Camps. These camps are located outside of Ironforge and outside of Orgrimmar. You really should make sure to take full advantage of it.

While you're at the camp, we might as well knock out the Brewmaster title as well for a Violet Proto-Drake to get the Brewmaster title. We'll need to obtain 200 Brewmaster Prize Tokens, which are the currency for the event. 

You'll need the 200 to join the Brew of the Month Club, which is one of the achievements. You'll also need another 40 if you get unlucky with mount drops from Coren Direbrew later.

How To Get Tokens Fast?

Next, let's talk about the best way to earn currency for the event.

Ram Racing

The best way to earn currency per day is the Ram Racing. After the intro quest, you can start the repeatable daily quest from either Neil Ramstein for Alliance or Ram Master Ray for Horde.

Pay attention to your chat box instead of the graphics whenever you receive a keg to maximize runs. With perfect play, you'll be able to get at least 30 tokens per day, so this should be your main priority.

Just doing Ram Racing every day is enough to farm 200 tokens and knock out the Brew of the Month Club achievement and that means we only have five achievements left.

Obtain Tokens Via Questing

After Ram racing, you can also go to Belbi Quikswitch or Blix Fixwidget to pick up your 2023 Brewfest Stein.

Also, just like last year, Chug and Chuck is worth another 10 tokens per day at Boxey Boltspinner or Bizzle Quicklift. Pick up the mug behind the quest giver and then use the mug from your inventory to throw it at the walking style robot.

There's also the Barking quest for 15 tokens. You go into either Orgrimmar or Ironforge and you make sure to complete each objective with your RAM. The big secret is to dismiss your RAM once the objectives are complete and then just use your actual mount to ride back to the quest giver. 

Another repeatable source of prize tokens is the ‘This One Time, When I Was Drunk’ quest. Every 30 minutes, Dark Iron Dwarves will attack your Brewfest Camp. When they’re done, you can loot the Cog and turn it in for 10 more tokens. This also counts for the second of the six Brewmaster achievements, so you should definitely do it at least once. 

While you’re here, you might as well get the Wolpertinger’s Tankard as well by doing the quest from Goldark or Glodrak just ask for the synth through goggles and then use your net on five stunned Wolpertingers for achievement number three ‘Does your Wolpertinger Linger?’ knockdown.

Also, if you still need it, you can complete ‘The Brewfest Diet’ achievement nearby. All you have to do is using your WOTLK Classic Gold to buy all the foods listed below:

• Dried Sausage
• Savory Sausage
• Spicy Smoked Sausage
• The Essential Brewfest Pretzel
• Pickled Sausage
• Spiced Onion Cheese
• Succulent Sausage
• The Golden Link

New Rewards

We’ve only got two achievements left to go, so let’s talk about all the new rewards. 

Almost everything new comes from Coren Direbrew, which is perfect since killing him knocks out our fourth achievement. This year, Coren Direbrew is up to level 80, which means 200 item level trinkets. Since we don’t have RDF yet, you’ll have to join LFG in either Direbrew’s Remote or fly all the way to Blackrock Depths.

Coren dropped some really excellent new items, including previous trinkets. This is just in time for all year olds to get ready for RDF in the new game mode. There are two new summoning trinkets (Bubbling Brightbrew Charm & Bitter Balebrew Charm) that are both designed for tanks with a solid 170 stamina.

Meanwhile, the Ancient Pickled Egg is the perfect fresh 80 healing trinket. Then, melee will want to grab the Coren’s Chromium Coaster, which is just a free mirror of truth. Rounding out these trinkets is the brand new Brawler’s Souvenir, which has an activatable 335 dodge bonus.

On top of the trinkets, we’re technically supposed to get two new weapons. Whether we get them or not remains to be seen because they came with the RDF system, which won’t be in the game until October 10th.

The first weapon is the 200 item level dagger called the Direbrew’s Bloody Shanker. Far more interesting, however, is the 226 item level Tankard O’ Terror. This is the highest item level BoE weapon in the game right now and if it’s available, it’ll be very profitable to sell in the Auction House.

On top of the new items, we have the soon to be account wide Swift Brewfest Ram and the Great Brewfest Kodo getting at least one Brewfest Mount as our sixth and final achievement. So, definitely try to get one.

If you get unlucky, you’ll just need to form 40 tokens and buy the Direbrew Hops from the fender to knock on our last achievement.

Hold on a minute. We still have my most anticipated boss drop left, which is the Direbrew Remote. This remote teleports you directly to the Grim Guzzler and BRD, which means you’re a quick instance teleport away from Searing Gorge. This is by far the fastest way to get to the upcoming Cataclysm Blackwing Descent raid unless you do some RDF Shenanigans.

Warriors of Azeroth, it’s time to wield your mightiest armor and most fearsome weapons. It’s time to use your best enchantments and the most powerful buffing consumables.

In Phase 4, we will get a new Random Dungeon Finder system, automatic cross-realm prompts for dungeons, and huge bonus rewards that only appear. Let’s talk about all the new features of RDF system and how you can take advantage of it to upgrade quickly.

RDF System Overview

RDF is the automated dungeon-finding interface introduced in WOTLK Classic Phase 4.

First, you choose your role, whether it’s a tank, a healer, a DPS. If you’re flexible, you can even choose multiple characters.

Next, you can queue into a random dungeon or a specific dungeon. If you want to queue a specific dungeon, use the drop-down menu and check the box for the dungeon you want to find the group for.

The major difference between this and RDF is that it automatically matches players and characters, even across realms. This means you no longer need to interact with them manually. When your party is full, you’ll automatically teleport to the dungeon, saving you the trouble of going there.

Also Read: What Epic Changes Are Coming To Shadowmourne Questline In WOTLK Classic Phase 4?

One of the biggest advantages of RDF system is the bonus rewards it offers.

By choosing the random dungeon option, you will receive substantial rewards. At level 80, you’ll receive two Emblems of Triumph and the bonus WOTLK Classic Gold. If you’re below level 80, you’ll gain scaling experience and gold. Players below level 70 will also receive a pack of useful items.

This satchel contains a randomly bound armor piece to pick up. The type of armor you receive depends on your class. For example, Rogues get leather items. This makes queuing randomly with RDF an excellent way to gear up, as you’ll receive dungeon rewards and bonus backpack items.

Of course, you can also choose where to buy these items from merchants. Note that you can get a 3% discount with the code “Lich”.

Use RDF For Leveling

RDF is a game changer. Low-level dungeons are often slow to level up and require grouping, which can be challenging. You can now queue into random dungeons and earn expanded bonus experience points from each run.

However, you can only queue for dungeons within your level range. For example, a level 22 Troll Mage can queue up for Blackfathom Deeps. However, a level 12 Alliance Druid cannot queue to enter any dungeons.

Although RDF can provide excellent XP, there are some situations where the task is not advisable. Especially if the dungeons available are not suitable for your level.

Also, don’t forget to equip chest and shoulder heirlooms and other XP boosting items for an additional 10% experience boost.

It’s also worth noting that healers and tanks queue faster than DPS characters. You can use this time to start quests or farm for XP.

Get Raid Ready With RDF

Once you reach level 80 via RDF spam and missions, you can use RDF to prepare for a raid. You can queue up new Titan Rune modes, including Alpha, Beta, and Gamma, which offer gear at different item levels:

• Alpha: 200-213 item level gear
• Beta: 225 item level gear
• Gamma: 232 item level gear

Also, we can find the new Defiler Scourge Stone currency from Gamma Boss, which can be used to purchase powerful items.

If you can get gear from the Auction House that meets Alpha mode requirements, consider skipping normal Heroic mode. Blizzard is making Alpha Mode easier with this patch, making its transition from level dungeons smoother.

If you’re queuing into the new Frozen Halls Dungeons, you’ll need at least 200 item level gear. So be prepared to collect gear to fulfill this requirement.

Overall, WOTLK Classic Phase 4’s RDF system brings significant changes to the dungeon experience, making upgrades and equipment more efficient than ever. So, let’s always be ready to conquer the challenges that lie ahead at Northrend!

If you’ve got your eyes set on the legendary Shadowmourne and the elusive Invincible’s Reins or that killer Tier 10 Armor Set, there’s one monumental obstacle standing in your way, Icecrown Citadel.

How tough is this iconic raid? Is it a Flame Leviathan walk in the park or are we looking at a Lady Vashj level guildbreaker that’ll send you fleeing the Season of Mastery?

Here, we’re going to dive deep into the Frozen Halls of Icecrown Citadel to answer the burning question how hard will the raid be.

Original ICC 

Although ICC technically came out with a 3.3 content patch on December 9th, 2009, we only got the first wing. Blizzard added each wing over the course of two months, so the full release of the raid was technically on February 2nd, which was over two months later.

The other key here is that the Normal Mode was the only mode available until February 9th. That means there wasn’t any Heroic gear being farmed in the first two months. 

When the Heroic Mode finally released, the first 11 bosses didn’t prove to be much of a problem. Guilds were able to clear up to the Lich King in only two days of raiding and they got to the Lich King on February 11th. The Lich King himself though stayed alive for a surprisingly long 46 days, that puts the Lich King as the 10th hardest boss ever in terms of days before being killed.

For reference, Yogg 0 was the third hardest in 87 days. So, if people ask which raid had the hardest fight. Technically, the answer is Ulduar. 

Why Was ICC Hard? 

One of the reasons the Lich King took so long to die though is that there were Limited Attempts, which artificially gated progress.

It’s also important to note that four months after the Heroic Icecrown was released, a buff was introduced called the Strength of Wrynn for Alliance or Hellscream’s Warsong for Horde. This buff increased health and healing by 30% and made the Heroic raid much more accessible. 

We’ll likely be getting this buff in the mid to late stages of the phase since it undermines the original raid balancing. So, we know the Heroic version of the raid was cleared pretty quickly. But that’s because of the gear.

ICC Gear

The top guilds back in 2009 had two months of Normal Mode farming, which gave them a huge advantage. Without the two months of Normal Mode farming, top guilds will be entering the raid with mostly ToC gear. 

From my research, the number one guild in the world progress has a 242 item level, on average, in their top speedrun. That number will go up a bit as well as split runs combined together. With their high understanding of mechanics and gameplay, 242 item levels should be enough to clear the raid.

However, the recommended minimum requirements for full clearing ICC Heroic were around 251 in the original version of the game. Having full 264 gear would, of course, be much better, but the average player is months away from getting to that point.

Catchup Mechanics

Luckily, there are plenty of new catch-up systems, like the Frostwing Halls dungeons, to quickly boost characters to 232 item level.

And then, we can also go back to ToC to farm free gear and get more 277 item level cloaks. We also have the 10-man version of ICC to farm for the 251 and 264 item level gear and progress on our Tier 10 armor sets.

Speaking of Tier 10 gear, it’ll make a huge difference not only for item level but for gameplay as well. For example, the Tier 10 red Paladin set drastically increases your damage. Another example is my Restoration Druid, who will get at least a 10% healing increase since my rejuvenations will randomly jump to extra targets.

Read More: RDF Is Coming Soon In WOTLK Classic! - Affects & Issues

How to Get T10 Gear?

Getting the tear gear is extremely easy as well since you can buy the initial 251 armor sets with Emblems of Frost.

Then, you just upgrade those as you raid with the Vanquisher’s Marks of Sanctification.

One note on tier progression is that there’s a new tour of on boss and Vault of Archavon for 264 legs and gloves. You can farm both the emblem 251 Tier 10 as well as the 264 Tier 10.5 from Toravon each week. That means hitting both the 10 and 25-man Vault of Archavon lockouts each week is now mandatory, unlike in fast phases, to save weeks of time.

Free 264 Items

On top of the new Tier gear, the game will also be throwing free 264 items at us in the form of trash drop throughout the raid like the Wodin’s Lucky Necklace.

Trash farming will be doable on characters much lower than 251 item levels, so it’s highly recommended to boost your numbers. 

Also, while you transform, you’ll be getting Ashen Verdict reputation for a 277 item level ring. You can’t forget the new BoE legs and boots as well the saving WOTLK Classic Gold for these items is highly recommended.

How Long Is ICC?

So, we know the history of the raid and how much gear you’ll need, but how long will the raid actually take?

Historically, the raid took between two and four hours for guilds once it was on the farm. Progression will be way different. And during progression, the most challenging bosses will be Professor Putricide, Sindragosa and, of course, the Lich King.

If you do actually want to kill the Lich King and watch that epic cut scene that concludes the rasstory line, you’ll really need to increase your rating hours per week. I’m already planning for two nights of raiding per week early on for at least four hours each.

Since progression can get annoying though, one of the systems to keep progression from being too frustrating is the Icecrown Weekly Raid. That weekly raid quest will involve something small, for example, swapping one of the mobs on Lady Deathwhisper for a new NPC. Your reward will be gold, emblems, and a chance at a 264 BoE, like the Rowan’s Rifle of Silver Bullets. 

Hopefully free BoEs will keep you motivated!