Blackrock Depths

Blackrock Depths Route & Boss Strategy

Blackrock Depths is a city, and nobody clears a city in one sitting. Groups run it in pieces: the prison and the arena for quests, the forges and the vault for the key and for loot, and the long road through the garrison, the tavern and the Lyceum to the Emperor. This walkthrough follows the full route in order; choose the stretch that holds your quests. The full clear takes three hours or more.

1. Detention Block

   • The first ring of cells. Turn off the entry tunnel into the cell block for the interrogator; the Prison Cell Key she drops opens the cells of Marshal Windsor and Kharan Mighthammer for the Alliance chain and for What Is Going On?. Horde players find Commander Gor'shak in a cell here as well.
   • Dark Iron Fanny Packs, Essence of the Elements and the kills for both KILL ON SIGHT quests come from the dwarves and elementals all through the city.

2. High Interrogator Gerstahn

   Boss

   Shadow Word: Pain

   Shadow damage over time. Dispel it.

   Mana Burn

   Burns mana and deals the same in damage. Interrupt it.

   Psychic Scream

   Fears players near her.

   • She stands in the cell block with guards. Clear around her so the fear costs nothing, and keep interrupts on Mana Burn.

3. Lord Roccor

   Optional

   Ground Tremor

   Stuns everyone near him.

   Flame Shock

   Fire damage up front and over time.

   • A fire elemental patrolling the tunnel beyond the entrance. Pull him back to cleared ground.

4. Houndmaster Grebmar

   Optional
   • He keeps his Bloodhounds in the kennel under the arena. Pull the hounds in small groups, then the houndmaster.

5. Ring of Law

   Boss
   • Walk into the arena and the gates lock. High Justice Grimstone sends waves of beasts, then one of six champions chosen at random: Gorosh the Dervish, Grizzle, Eviscerator, Ok'thor the Breaker, Anub'shiah or Hedrum the Creeper.
   • Fight with your backs to the wall under the stands and save cooldowns for the champion. When it dies the upper gate opens.

6. Pyromancer Loregrain

   Optional

   Fire Nova

   Fire damage to everyone near him.

   Flame Shock

   Fire damage up front and over time.

   • A rare spawn in the garrison quarters past the arena. He drops a recipe enchanters want.

7. The Forges and the Shadowforge Key

   • The lower road from the arena runs through the workshops to the Black Anvil. This half of the city is where the key is made.
   • For Dark Iron Legacy, speak as a ghost to Franclorn Forgewright at his tomb outside the instance, kill Fineous Darkvire for the hammer Ironfel, and set it in the hands of the statue at the Shrine of Thaurissan. The Shadowforge Key it gives opens the locked doors to the upper city, and one key serves the party.

8. Lord Incendius

   Boss

   Fire Storm

   Fire on the ground under the party.

   Mighty Blow

   Knocks the tank back.

   • He guards the Black Anvil, the only place Dark Iron gear can be forged. Tank him with your back to the anvil's stairs so the knockback cannot throw you into the lava.
   • His kill is the goal of Incendius! and Disharmony of Fire.

9. Fineous Darkvire

   Boss
   • The chief architect patrols the hall of craftsmen with a healer's kit: he heals himself and shields. Interrupt him and take Ironfel from his body.

10. Warder Stilgiss

    Boss

    Frost Nova

    Freezes players near him.

    Frostbolt

    Heavy Frost damage. Interrupt it.

    • He and his hound Verek guard the door of the Black Vault. Kill the hound first while the tank holds the warder.

11. The Vault

    Optional
    • Inside are twelve relic coffers. Relic Coffer Keys drop from the dwarves of the city; open all twelve and Watchman Doomgrip arrives with four constructs. Fight them in the vault doorway.
    • The secret safe he unlocks holds the Heart of the Mountain for its quest.

12. Bael'Gar

    Boss

    Magma Splash

    Fire damage that lowers armor, stacking on the tank.

    Summon Spawn of Bael'Gar

    Small fire elementals join the fight.

    • A molten giant at the end of the Dark Iron Highway. Kill the spawns as they appear and heal the tank harder as the stacks grow.
    • His death finishes A Taste of Flame.

13. The Upper City

    • The Shadowforge Key opens the gates past the Shrine of Thaurissan into the garrison. From here the route runs one way: garrison, golem works, tavern, the ambassador, the tomb, the Lyceum, the throne.

14. General Angerforge

    Boss

    Sunder Armor

    Lowers the tank's armor, stacking.

    Call for Help

    At about a third of his health he calls Anvilrage Medics and Reservists.

    • Clear his hall first. When the reinforcements arrive, kill the Medics before anything else, because they heal him.
    • Horde players need him for Operation: Death to Angerforge.

15. Golem Lord Argelmach

    Boss

    Chain Lightning

    Jumps between players standing close together.

    Lightning Shield

    Damages those who hit him.

    • Every construct left alive in his workshop joins the fight, so clear the whole room.
    • Two Ragereaver Golems stand beside him. Pull the three back to the doorway, kill the golems, then the golem lord.
    • Take his head for The Rise of the Machines.

16. The Grim Guzzler

    • The tavern is neutral until someone breaks its peace, and it is full. Do your business here one piece at a time.
    • The back door is the way onward, and Phalanx guards it. Three keys open it: buy Dark Iron Ale Mugs from Plugger and hand them to Private Rocknot until he staggers over and breaks it down, finish The Love Potion for Mistress Nagmara, or take the Grim Guzzler Key from Plugger himself.

17. Hurley Blackbreath

    Optional

    Drunken Rage

    He hits harder at low health.

    • Smash the three Thunderbrew Lager kegs in the side room and Hurley storms in with his cronies. Fight them inside that room, away from the patrons.
    • He drops the Lost Thunderbrew Recipe for both factions' quests.

18. Ribbly Screwspigot

    Optional
    • Speak to him at his table and he attacks with his cronies. Pull the fight into a corner. His head goes to Yuka Screwspigot.

19. Plugger Spazzring

    Optional
    • The bartender. Rogues pick his pocket for the Grim Guzzler Key. Attacking him turns the whole tavern hostile, so groups that want his loot kill him last, from the doorway.

20. Phalanx

    Boss

    Thunderclap

    Damages and slows everyone near him.

    Mighty Blow

    Knocks the tank back.

    • The golem turns hostile when the back door is broken. A plain tank fight; ranged players stay out of Thunderclap.

21. Ambassador Flamelash

    Boss

    Burning Spirit

    Fire spirits run to him from the braziers and strengthen him when they arrive.

    • He stands in the middle of four braziers. Assign players to kill or slow the spirits before they reach him and burn the ambassador between waves.

22. The Seven

    Boss
    • In the Summoners' Tomb, speak to Doom'rel to begin. The seven dwarf ghosts fight one after another with no pause, each stronger than the last, and Doom'rel comes last with summoned voidwalkers.
    • It is one long fight on one mana bar. Use slow, efficient spells early and save cooldowns for the last two.
    • The Chest of The Seven opens when they fall, and the gate to the Lyceum with it.

23. The Lyceum

    • A great hall of dwarves who never stop coming. Two Shadowforge Flame Keepers walk among them, each carrying a Shadowforge Torch. Kill both, run the torches to the two braziers at the far end, and the door opens.
    • Move as one group and do not stop to fight; the hall refills faster than you clear it.
    • Players on Attunement to the Core take the side passage here across the Molten Bridge and loot the Core Fragment beside the Molten Core portal.

24. Magmus

    Boss

    War Stomp

    Stuns everyone near him.

    Fiery Burst

    Fire damage to everyone near him.

    • The statues along his hall breathe fire, and more of them wake as his health falls. Tank him at the entrance end, as far from the statues as the room allows.

25. Princess Moira Bronzebeard

    Boss

    Heal

    Heals the Emperor. Interrupt it.

    Renew

    A heal over time on the Emperor. Dispel it.

    • She stands beside the Emperor and fights for him, but both factions' quests need her alive. Interrupt her and never damage her; she yields when he dies.

26. Emperor Dagran Thaurissan

    Boss

    Hand of Thaurissan

    Stuns one player and damages them.

    Avatar of Flame

    Raises his Fire damage for a short time.

    • Clear the senators from the throne room before the pull; they all join otherwise.
    • Put every bit of damage into the Emperor and every interrupt into Moira. When he dies she is free, and The Royal Rescue and The Fate of the Kingdom both complete.