City of Dalaran

City of Dalaran Route & Boss Strategy

The City of Dalaran runs in two acts. The sewers come first, with one boss and a second you can summon, and then the stairs lead up into the open city, where six more encounters stand in gardens and plazas you can take in almost any order. Mana is the theme of the whole place: enemies burn it, drain it, and shrug off Arcane spells. Plan on a little over an hour.

1. The Sewers

   • Horde players take Opportunistic Education from Rexxie Copperclutch right at the entrance; the book she wants, The Founding of Dalaran, is up in the city.
   • The undead in the tunnels fear, so fight each pack where a panicked run cannot reach the next one.

2. Atrexis the Grave Knight

   Boss

   Raise Dead

   Summons non-elite skeletons through the fight.

   Disarm

   Takes the tank's weapon for a few seconds.

   Unholy Frenzy

   He attacks faster for a while.

   • The first boss, early in the sewers, and a test of the tank more than anyone else. Tanks carry a shield here.
   • The tank gathers the skeletons as they rise. Hold area damage until they are firmly on the tank, then burn the boss.
   • His death completes The Grave Knight for the Horde.

3. Lyn the Ignored

   Optional

   Shadow Bolt Volley

   Shadow damage to the whole party.

   Curse of Thorns

   A curse that makes your own attacks hurt you.

   Raise Dead

   Summons two non-elite skeletons.

   • A secret boss for groups that carry the Tome of Dalaran. Past Atrexis, where the route turns right toward the surface, keep straight into the tunnel that ends at a purple rune on the floor, and use the tome there.
   • Remove Curse of Thorns from melee players first, rogues above all. A cursed player with no decurse in the group stops attacking until it fades.
   • Heal through the volleys and kill the skeletons as they come.

4. Up into the City

   • Take the right-hand branch and climb the stairs into Dalaran. From here on, almost everything is immune to Arcane damage, and Counterspell fails with it: bring Fire or Frost, and interrupt with stuns and kicks.
   • Mana Phantoms are not elite and cast Mana Burn. Kill them first in every pack.
   • A Saturated Remnant leaves a pool on the ground when it dies that restores mana to anyone standing in it. Kill one last and drink from it.
   • Alliance players count Seeking Remnants, Saturated Remnants and Mana Echoes for Starving Arcane on the way, and Horde players loot Cracked Sentry Cores from the constructs for Source of Power.

5. Arcane Anomaly

   Boss

   Focal Blast

   A beam that cuts across the platform and sweeps around it counterclockwise.

   Arcane Bolt

   Arcane damage to one player.

   • Walk ahead of the beam as it turns, and never cross it. It kills.
   • Small adds appear at the edge of the room when the fight starts. Keep the whole party inside the circle on the platform and they stay out of it.

6. Arcanic Enigma

   Boss

   Manamorph

   Polymorphs one player for eight seconds. Dispel it.

   Silence

   Silences everyone near the boss.

   • Two Mana Phantoms stand with him. Kill both before you touch the boss; no more of them come.
   • Small Arcane Manalings keep spawning. Cleave them down as they arrive.
   • The healer stands well back from the boss, out of reach of the silence.
   • Alliance players need this kill for Power Overwhelming, and the Violet Sorcerer's Robes drop here.

7. Unstable Sentinel

   Boss

   Malfunction

   A short wind-up, then heavy Arcane damage to everyone within 25 yards.

   • Angry Tomes fly out of the buildings as you come near. Kill them before the pull.
   • Ranged players and the healer hold maximum range for the whole fight. Melee step out when the wind-up starts and come back after the burst.

8. Mana Devourer

   Boss

   Debilitate

   Damages everyone within 45 yards and drains 200 mana from each.

   Drain Vitality

   Arcane damage to its target, then more over ten seconds.

   • It waits by the entrance to the Violet Hold. Clear every enemy in the area first; anything left alive joins the fight.
   • After that it is a race. Open with everything, because every Debilitate leaves the healer with less.

9. Fel Ancient

   Boss

   Entangle

   Roots two players and damages them over time.

   Fel Timbers

   Leaves a green pool that damages anyone in it.

   • Step out of the pools at once. A player rooted inside one needs help right away: Blessing of Freedom, a dispel, or heavy healing until the root ends.
   • Alliance players pick the Fel Infused Blossom here for A Green Sample.
   • You can reach this boss without killing the others, so groups after one drop can come straight here.

10. Shade of the Archmage

    Boss

    Arcane Bolt

    Steady, heavy damage to the tank.

    Arcane Explosion

    Damages everyone within 20 yards.

    Bounding Mana

    An Arcane bolt thrown at one player that flies out and back, hitting everyone in its line.

    Mass Polymorph and Evocation

    When his mana runs out he polymorphs the party and channels to refill it.

    • Spread out so Bounding Mana hits one player at a time, and keep casters beyond 20 yards.
    • Line of sight behind the wall saves a caster from Mass Polymorph, but stay inside his room. If he is pulled out of it he resets to full.
    • Loot the Arcane Mote from him for Heart of Disruption. The Violet Sorcerer's Mantle drops here.