Game Guide/BC Raid Areas

This article is a copy of "Burning Crusade Raid Dungeons", an official article from the World of Warcraft Community Site. It overviewed the raids present in World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade. The original article is no longer available, but it can still be viewed through online archives (see below).

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One of the most compelling features of massively-multiplayer games is the near infinity of things to do in them - content to suit many different playing styles. 'Raids' are assaults by larger groups of players on powerful monsters or dungeons and in World of Warcraft can include everything from a group of lower level characters tackling a quest well above their level to the epic end-game, high-level attacks against god-like foes.

Click on a screenshot or raid area name to go to a more detailed page on that raid area.

Karazhan

Between Duskwood and the Swamp of Sorrows lies the desolate region of Deadwind Pass, where jagged, brooding spires of granite loom over petrified, lifeless forests. As its name suggests, it is a land devoid of life.

“But it was not always so...”

Medivh, the Last Guardian, made his home in Deadwind, in the bright tower of Karazhan. Though he was the greatest wizard of his day (and humanity's intended custodian) Medivh was secretly possessed by the dark spirit of Sargeras, the Destroyer of Worlds. Through Medivh, Sargeras opened the Dark Portal and allowed the orcs to wage war upon the mortal kingdoms of Azeroth.

As the war progressed, Medivh fought against Sargeras' control. The raging conflict within him finally drove the wizard irrevocably insane. His childhood friend and the king's lieutenant-at-arms, Anduin Lothar, suspected the mage of treachery. With the aid of Medivh's young apprentice, Khadgar, Lothar stormed Karazhan and killed his one-time comrade. Since that day, a terrible curse has pervaded both the tower and the lands around it - casting a dark pall over Deadwind Pass and the region that is now known as Duskwood.

In recent years, nobles of Darkshire ventured into Deadwind Pass to investigate the blight that had settled over the region. They entered the dark tower – but never emerged. In fact, witnesses maintain that the dread spirits of the nobles now reside within Karazhan's walls, cursed to revel in the tower's crumbling opera house for eternity. Yet far more perilous spirits reside within Medivh's macabre study, for it was there that demonic entities responded to the deranged wizard's summons.

Despite the myriad terrors that lie within, adventurers are still drawn to Karazhan - tempted by rumors of unspeakable secrets that may be found within the tower's arcane libraries. It is said that the vast, magical halls house the powerful spellbooks of Medivh himself.

Only one thing is certain when visiting the dreaded tower of Karazhan...

...you may never find your way out.

The decrepit tower of Karazhan once housed one of the greatest powers Azeroth has ever known: the sorcerer Medivh. Within its halls and corridors, he summoned all manner of otherworldly beings, researching magics no other would dare touch. Karazhan now stands abandoned; with its master gone, the monstrous things and untamed powers have grown unchecked, waiting to pounce on whoever is brave or foolish enough to enter its halls. Forge a group of ten stalwart adventurers and journey to the wasted land between Duskwood and the Swamp of Sorrows known as Deadwind Pass, where the mystical tower lies. Only the strongest need apply: only those who have achieved level 70 are skilled enough to face what lies within.

• 10 Player Limit

Zul'Aman

The latest major content patch for World of Warcraft, The Gods of Zul'Aman, adds an impressive array of new challenges, features, changes, and rewards to World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade.

Zul'Aman is a 10-person raid dungeon located in the Ghostlands, with enemies and spoils that pick up where Karazhan leaves off. This outdoor raid dungeon is home to the vicious Amani forest trolls and their leader, the infamous Zul'jin. You and your band of heroes will battle the dungeon's six bosses, including four avatars of Zul'Aman, each bearing the aspect of a different ferocious creature. Zul'Aman also features a challenging bonus reward structure based on completing certain objectives within a time limit, which provides an extra level of challenge – and thrills – for seasoned raid groups.

The other defining characteristic of The Gods of Zul'Aman is the bounty of rewards, both material and intangible, that it offers many types of players. The powerful epic items found in Zul'Aman are just the beginning. There is a host of new purchasable rewards as well, from the gladiator rewards of Arena Season 3, to the dozens of new Badge of Justice rewards and the full set of new Honor rewards. There are also more useful and fun items such as the new Flying Machine flying mounts, which can be built and operated by skilled engineers. Among the more abstract benefits to players are faster leveling to 60, the revamping of Dustwallow Marsh with new quests, new daily quests for dungeons and battlegrounds, and many class balance changes. This is just a sampling of the bounty that awaits in The Gods of Zul'Aman.

Vengeance for Zul'jin

Banished from Kalimdor long ago for their use of arcane magic, the forebears of the high elves sailed to the Eastern Kingdoms and made landfall on the shores of Lordaeron. As the elves headed farther inland, they were drawn to the verdant woods of the north, which resembled the elves' former homeland. The native forest trolls of the Amani empire fought the elves' advance to no avail. Unable to overcome the elves' arcane magic, the Amani were driven south, and the triumphant elves founded their kingdom of Quel'Thalas on land that had belonged to the Amani for millennia.

The embittered trolls regrouped and assembled a massive army. Roughly four thousand years after their defeat in the Troll Wars, they unleashed a furious assault on Quel'Thalas, determined to reclaim their ancestral lands. The high elves' magics were no match for such overwhelming numbers. In desperation, the elves allied with the human nation of Arathor and turned the tide of battle, decimating the troll warbands. Over two thousand years later, the trolls began to rise up again, their once-scattered tribes uniting under the cunning warlord Zul'jin.

During the First War, the Horde offered the forest trolls a place in the Horde. At that time Zul'jin refused, for he felt that his people needed no assistance in battling the elves. He only agreed to join the Horde's ranks when the orcs proved their worth by rescuing a group of trolls shortly before the Second War began. Yet Zul'jin grew furious when Warchief Orgrim Doomhammer not only failed to destroy Quel'Thalas, but also abandoned the siege against the high elves in favor of an attack on Lordaeron. The forest trolls stayed behind and kept fighting. Zul'jin slaughtered countless elves, but even so, he was captured. Chained to a crumbling pillar, he endured hours of torture that cost him his right eye. When his captors were attacked by a small troll warband, the resourceful Zul'jin capitalized on the opportunity, using a fallen spear to cut off his own arm and secure his freedom. Returning home, he began rebuilding his army, and even as he remained behind Zul'Aman's walls, his legend grew.

Years later, as the trolls slowly recovered from their devastating defeat, Zul'jin learned that the high elves had nearly been annihilated by the Scourge. He planned a final campaign to end the bloodline of the elves permanently, but soon thereafter many of his mortal enemies (now calling themselves blood elves) joined the Horde. Furious at the Horde's latest betrayal, Zul'jin was pleased when the witch doctor Malacrass approached him with a devious plan to crush the elves once and for all. Malacrass had studied the Zandalari high priests and their ability to call upon the favor of the animal gods. He also knew that the elves had magically bound one of the mighty naaru, using it to channel the power of the Light into their own ranks. Malacrass had devised a similar plan: to seal the power of the animal gods within the bodies of the Amani's strongest warriors. Zul'jin quickly approved the plan and lent his full support. Malacrass experimented tirelessly and succeeded in imbuing four warriors with the essence of mighty animal gods: the lynx, dragonhawk, bear, and eagle. Some adventurers fear that Malacrass may have bound a fifth, even darker essence within his own soul....

Many treasure hunters still seek out the legendary relics of the forest troll empire inside Zul'Aman, ignoring the danger of Zul'jin's return. As more would-be heroes disappear, the warlord's loyal army grows ever stronger from the sacrificial pyres burning within the walls of the city. Soon the time for Zul'jin's vengeance will come.

[The Gods of Zul'Aman Trailer, and The Gods of Zul'Aman Wallpaper]

• 10 Player Limit

Magtheridon's Lair

After the Legion came to Outland, Magtheridon controlled all but small pockets of Outland. Even so, he was taken largely by surprise when Illidan and his allies conquered the Black Temple. Many believed that Magtheridon had been slain in the attack. However, it was discovered that Magtheridon's blood could be used to corrupt the orcs. Beaten and bloodied, the pit lord was dragged to Hellfire Citadel. Bound by chains both physical and magical, Magtheridon survives, wounded to the brink of death and drained of his blood each day by Illidan's minions. From his tainted blood a new army of barbaric fel orcs has risen.

Learn more about Magtheridon's Lair in this special Insider report.

• 25 Player Limit

Serpentshrine Cavern

Whoever controls the water controls Outland.

This is the law passed down by Lord Illidan Stormrage to his most trusted lieutenant, Lady Vashj. Shortly after the Third War, when Illidan requested the aid of the naga, a group of naga led by Lady Vashj answered his call. Ever since, Vashj has displayed a fierce dedication to Illidan. Now the naga witch carefully monitors Coilfang’s operations from her seat of power within Serpentshrine Cavern. Far more at home here among the waters of the reservoir than locked within the cold stone walls of Black Temple, Vashj maintains a close eye on her minions and personally oversees the draining of Zangarmarsh.

Whether her loyalties belong to Illidan alone, however, remains to be seen.

• 25 Player Limit

Gruul's Lair

High King Maulgar

The Bladespire clan was once among the weakest ogre clans, lacking the numbers of the Bloodmaul or the physical strength of the Boulderfist. The birth of Maulgar changed their fate forever. Maulgar was stronger and hardier than any other ogre of his age, and his prowess in battle swiftly drew the attention of the previous high king. The king demanded a demonstration of Maulgar’s might, and Maulgar granted it, snapping the king’s neck where he stood. This action shifted the balance of power from the Boulderfist to the Bladespire, and drew the attention of mighty Gruul himself.

Fanatically loyal to the gronn, Maulgar now serves as Gruul’s right hand and the guardian of the gronn lord’s lair. Maulgar surrounds himself with only the most powerful of his clan and leads these elite few into battle, commanding them to augment his tremendous fighting abilities with their potent magic. With such powerful allies at his side and the rest of the Bladespire clan at his command, Maulgar has become the most dangerous ogre in all of Outland.

Gruul the Dragonkiller

On Azeroth, the black dragonflight has long been hated and hunted by both mortals and other dragons. Not so on Draenor. Indeed, dragons are not a species native to Draenor. When the infamous Dragon Aspect, Deathwing, discovered the Dark Portal and Draenor, he felt sure that few of Draenor's denizens would dare challenge the dragons. Thus it was that during the Second War, he traveled to Draenor and hid clutches of his eggs all over the world. Returning to Azeroth, he left behind only a small number of drakes to guard the eggs.

However, Deathwing had made a serious miscalculation by leaving some of his eggs in Blade's Edge Mountains. The gronn living in the area were not pleased by this potential challenge to their sovereignty. Tension soon erupted into conflict. Led by the mighty Gruul, the gronn and their ogre servants proved too much for the outnumbered black dragon guardians to handle. Nearly every dragon was torn from the sky by the diabolic incantations of the Bladespire clan, and then impaled by Gruul on the stone spires of the mountains. The bones still scattered about Dragons' End serve as a stark reminder of the dragons' defeat.

Today Gruul the Dragonkiller is worshipped as a deity by the ogres of the Blade's Edge Mountains. His powerful sons ravage both the Blade's Edge Mountains and the plains of Nagrand. Gruul's unparalleled strength and experience in battle would pose a serious threat if he ever chose to attack Horde or Alliance forces in Outland.

• 25 Player Limit

The Eye

With Outland serving as the strategic battlefront in the ongoing Burning Crusade, the naaru recently used Tempest Keep to reach the shattered land. However, when the naaru set out from their stronghold, Prince Kael'thas and his blood elves quickly raided the dimensional fortress and assumed control over its satellite structures.

Now, guided by some unknown purpose, Kael'thas manipulates the keep's otherworldly technologies, using them to harness the chaotic energies of the Netherstorm itself.

Though Kael'thas and his minions maintain a tight hold on the keep, a band of draenei recently hijacked one of its satellite structures, the Exodar, and used it to escape Outland. In seeking out other worlds, the draenei, led by the ancient prophet, Velen, hoped to find allies who would stand with them against the Legion and its nihilistic Crusade.

• 25 Player Limit

Hyjal Summit

Deep within the Caverns of Time, the brooding dragon Nozdormu has awakened.

Since the world was young, the bronze dragonflight has safeguarded the winding labyrinth, monitoring the shifting timeways to ensure that the delicate balance of time is upheld.

But now the ancient Dragon Aspect Nozdormu has been roused by an elusive threat to his beloved caverns: dark, sinister agents have infiltrated the timeways, embarking on shadowy missions to alter the course of the past, present and future.

As a result, the bronze dragonflight has begun enlisting heroes to prevent the fabric of history from unraveling forever. For the first time, adventurers will enter the domain of the Timeless One, where they will undertake missions to prevent the sabotage of three key historical events:

The momentous Battle of Mount Hyjal, where Jaina, Thrall, Tyrande, and Malfurion succeeded in turning the tide against the dreaded demon, Archimonde...

The assault on the timeways has begun. The balance of time is in jeopardy, and if the past is not saved...there will be no future.

• 25 Player Limit

Black Temple

Long ago on Draenor, the Temple of Karabor was the center of draenei worship. But the devout priests who prayed there are long dead, slaughtered by marauding, demonically corrupted orcs. In the massacre's aftermath the warlocks of the Shadow Council seized the structure and bestowed upon it a new name: the Black Temple.

For years the Shadow Council bloodied the Black Temple with foul demonic rituals, but after the Second War the dark spellcasters fell to the Alliance's devastating invasion of Draenor. The shaman Ner'zhul hastily opened several dimensional portals in order to stage a retreat, and the resulting magical backlash ripped the world apart. In what had become the fractured realm of Outland, Ner'zhul's portals were a strategic advantage that appealed to the demon general Magtheridon, who quickly seized the Black Temple as his seat of power.

Magtheridon commanded many of the orcs remaining in Outland and bolstered his army with Legion forces streaming in through the portals. The pit lord's might remained unchallenged until Illidan the Betrayer decided to claim the Black Temple for himself. Illidan and Magtheridon fought a desperate battle on the temple walls, but in the end the pit lord proved no match for the wielder of the Twin Blades of Azzinoth. Illidan battered Magtheridon to the point of death, but the thrill of victory was short-lived....

The skies of Outland darkened as Kil'jaeden himself appeared before Illidan, furious at Illidan's failure to destroy the Lich King. The Betrayer was forced back to Azeroth for a disastrous attack on Icecrown Glacier. Bloodied by the death knight Arthas but not fully beaten, Illidan returned to Outland and established his throne within the Black Temple. And yet, despite Illidan's efforts to seal Ner'zhul's portals, Kil'jaeden's wrath will not be denied. Even now the merciless Doomwalker batters at the temple gates.

Determined to maintain his grip on Outland, Illidan awaits any and all who would challenge his rule.

[Back Temple Trailer, and Back Temple Wallpaper]

• 25 Player Limit

Sunwell Plateau

Long ago the Sunwell radiated its magic to all of the high elves on Azeroth. Now the remnants of this ancient fountain have become the Burning Legion's latest target as the demons prepare to summon their commander, Kil'jaeden, with the last of the Sunwell's energy. Warriors from Shattrath City have joined under the banner of the Shattered Sun Offensive, endeavoring to crush the Legion's invasion before it becomes insurmountable. More heroes join the Offensive every day, but the might of the Legion cannot be easily suppressed. Fierce demonic servants guard the Sunwell Plateau, attacking anyone who interferes with their proceedings. As the time of Kil'jaeden's arrival draws near, Azeroth's heroes have one final chance to save their world from blistering devastation.

• 25 Player Limit

Raid Encounters

Doom Lord Kazzak

When the Burning Legion began its second invasion of Azeroth, Lord Kazzak served as one of the unholy army's greatest generals. At that time the Legion possessed a powerful weapon called the Glaive of the Aspects. Forged by demons during the War of the Ancients, the glaive was imbued with the forces of earth, time, dream, magic, and life: powers taken from the mighty dragons. Even so, Archimonde and his champions were defeated during the Battle of Mount Hyjal, and the glaive was shattered. Knowing the Third War had been decided, Kazzak was forced to withdraw. In the war's aftermath, the shards of the glaive were hidden away for safekeeping.

Recently Kazzak and his minions reactivated the Dark Portal, and Kazzak went through the portal to take command of the Legion's forces in Outland. In his absence, he entrusted his most powerful lieutenant, Highlord Kruul, with retrieving the Aspect Shards. In time Kruul succeeded, and the mighty glaive was reforged.

With the Glaive of the Aspects and the raging desire to scour all life from the universe, the Legion may prove unstoppable.

• No player Limit

Doomwalker

The cunning mo'arg engineers of the Burning Legion pushed their gan'arg workers for weeks in the construction of the first fel reaver, a massive construct that could easily raze fortified towers or tear the wings off an airborne gryphon. Though pleased by the success of their construct, the engineers quickly realized that they could improve upon the design. While the forge camps began to mass-produce these fel reavers to smash the mortal forces of Outland, all the manpower of the mighty Legion Hold in Shadowmoon Valley was dedicated to the creation of a superior machine.

Now unleashed, Doomwalker rages throughout Shadowmoon Valley, annihilating everything in its path. Infused with the captured souls of martyred draenei, the Doomwalker is empowered with unparalleled fury and might. With the fortified strength of its gargantuan body and the unbridled power of countless tortured souls, this newest fel reaver is among the most powerful weapons of the Burning Legion.

• No player Limit

Notes

• Almost all the articles released together in April 2008, except for the one on the Sunwell Plateau, which wasn't added until June 2009.

References

This article can still be viewed here through the Wayback Machine.