Blackrock Depths
Blackrock Depths, better known as BRD, is the largest non-raid instance in World of Warcraft. Trying to accomplish everything in the instance could easily take over 5 hours, even with a highly skilled team. As a result of the size and length of time, we tend to break BRD up into manageable chunks:
- In Preparation: Quest gathering & chains outside the instance.
- Initial Quests: Prison, Arena, and the Shadowforge Key. Coming soon.
- Middle Quests: Dark Iron Highway, Manufactory, and The Grim Guzzler. Coming soon.
- The End: Dark Iron Smelting, and Molten Core. Coming soon.
- Extra Credit: The prisoner, Thrall, The Emperor, and The Princess. Coming soon.
- Farming: XP, phat lewt, and shards. Coming soon.
- Arena Runs: Shards and a repair bill. Coming soon.
- Homecoming: Just when you thought you were done with BRD, more quests… Coming soon.
♣ Hellfire Club favored instance!
Due to the massive amount of quests involved both inside and related to Blackrock Depths, this instance can singlehandedly make leveling from 52 to about 56 very easy, as well as heavily assist in upgrading a lot of low and mid-level equipment to a good starting platform for the pre-raid endgame instances.
In Preparation…
Although you can just jump into BRD at any time, and do quests whenever you want, because there are so many quests and chains, BRD can make leveling to the mid-50s very easy… you just need to know where to start:
- Steamwheedle Port, Tanaris. Talk to Yorba Screwspigot to get the quest [53] Yuka Screwspigot (Burning Steppes). Don’t worry about taking care of the quest just yet…
- Head off to Kargath, Badlands. There are lots of quests to pick up before heading on:
- From Thunderheart get [52] Disharmony of Flame (Blackrock Mt).
- From Hierophant Theodora Mulvadania get [54] The Rise of the Machines (Burning Steppes).
- From the Wanted Poster on the Kargath Inn, get [52] KILL ON SIGHT: Dark Iron Dwarves (BRD).
- And, from Vivian Lagrave get [55] Lost Thunderbrew Reciepe (BRD).
- Mount up and head west into the Searing Gorge, and north of the Cauldron, find Kalaran Windblade for [48] The Flawless Flame (Searing Gorge). You want to take care of this quest chain right now, and you will want friends later in the chain, so you should give them a call before you work on the towers. Plus, while you’re taking care of assembling your Dragon Molt, you can work on several other Searing Gorge and Thorium Point quests. When you’re about done, you’ll be sent to the Burning Steppes…
- Run through Blackrock Mountain to the Burning Steppes. Head towards Flame Crest and take care of [54] The Rise of the Machines, before actually getting there.
- At Flame Crest, there’s a couple things you’ll want to do:
- Talk to [53] Yuka Screwspigot and she’ll ask you to take care of her brother, [53] Ribbly Screwspigot (BRD).
- From Maxwort Uberglint get [58] The Heart of the Mountain (BRD).
- Head to the far eastern side of the Burning Steppes and the cave of Cyrus Therepentous for [58] A Taste of Flame (BRD).
- Afterwards you can head back to Kargath however you best see fit. Turn in quests, including a side trip to the middle of the Badlands to talk to Lotwil Veriatus about [58] The Rise of the Machines (BRD).
- Log off. Relax. You’re ready for BRD… or are you?
- During the next couple of steps, should you happen to die while in Blackrock Mountain, including after entering the instance, travel down along the chain to find Franclorn Forgewright for [52] Dark Iron Legacy (BRD). You must be dead to get this quest, you must listen to his story, and you must get this quest if you want the Shadowforge Key.
- On your way to the instance, kill Overmaster Pyron and as many dwarves as you desire. Head back to Kargath to upgrade the quest.
- If you are level 55 or higher, talk to Lothos Riftwaker for [60] Attunement to the Core (BRD). If you’re not 55, don’t worry… you’ll be back.
- Meet up with your group again, and head into Blackrock Depths.
Although you could do all of the prep work the same night as the instance, you’re looking at a few hours of preparation, and then the instance is huge, adding another several hours, and well… all that time will add up. You will definately want to take a break part of the way through the preparations.
Initial Quests
So… you’re all ready for your first run thru BRD. The first thing you should do is make sure you have all of the initial quests:
- [52] KILL ON SIGHT: Dark Iron Dwarves to kill Dwarves.
- [52] Commander Gor’shak to find the prisoner.
- [52] Dark Iron Legacy for the Shadowforge Key.
- [54] The Last Element to kill fire elementals.
- [56] Disharmony of Fire to kill Lord Incendius.
- [58] The Heart of the Mountain to open the Lower Vault.
Under construction.
Middle Quests
After you’ve visited BRD at least once, you should be ready to move on to the second tier of quests. Similar to the Initial Quests, several of the level indicators are not truly representative of the difficulty of the quest.
- [53] Ribbly Screwspigot for a bar brawl.
- [54] KILL ON SIGHT: High Ranking Dark Iron Officials to kill more Dwarves.
- [54] The Love Potion to make a succubus happy.
- [55] Lost Thunderbrew Reciepe for another bar brawl.
- [58] The Rise of the Machines to kill Golem Lord Argelmach.
- [58] A Taste of Flame to kill Bael’gar.
Under construction.
The End
And, just to finish off the instance, or at least without getting all the cobwebs out of the corners:
- [55] The Spectral Chalice for Dark Iron Smelting.
- [60] Attunement to the Core… Molten Core, that is.
Under construction.
Extra Credit
Coming soon.
- [54] What Is Going On? to rescue the prisoner.
- [58] Operation: Death to Angerforge to kill General Angerforge.
Commander Gor’shak
On one of your first, if not your very first, ventures into BRD, you discovered the prisoner, Commander Gor’shak. At the time, it was probably suggested by a high-level member of the team to decline the next quest in the chain: [54] What Is Going On?.
Under construction.
Grark Lorkrub
Lexlort in Kargath allowed you to pick up the quest [58] Grark Lorkrub upon completion of the two Dwarf-slaying Wanted Poster quests, along with giving you a pair of Thorium Shackles. If you are like most of us, you wonder why you bothered keeping this quest, and the inventory-wasting item, since it isn’t a quest you can do around the same time as the remainder of the BRD quests.
In the Burning Steppes, once you find Grark, you have to bind him to start an escort quest [58] Precarious Predicament. Binding him is a chore unto itself, where you use the shackles once to intimidate him, and again when he is around 20% health in order to bind him. This is what starts the escort quest, which is even harder.
The journey will take you from the Burning Steppes, deep into Blackrock Mountain. After many assaults by small groups of elite dragonkin and the like, you will eventually hand over your prisoner to Lexlort. Head back to Kargath and Warlord Goretooth will give you the final quest in this unlinked chain: [58] Operation: Death to Angerforge.
You may have noticed that General Angerforge is one of the optional bosses hit during a farming run. As such, you may already have experience killing him, however, this wouldn’t be much of a guide if it was only suggested to do what you’re used to…
Head into BRD. In your team you will want a Hunter or Rogue, otherwise a standard group composition will suffice. With your Shadowforge Key, unlock the gate, backdoor to the prison, then the other door. Pull the wandering fire elemental back into the prison and destroy it. Then head up the stairs while the Hunter or Rogue closes the Dark Iron Highway gate. Don’t worry about them, since with Feign Death or Vanish they will be able to catch up with the rest of the group.
Meanwhile, the group should make a series of quick pulls heading off to the left from the top of the stairs. If the entire group is high level, cutting corners will work to avoid a few additional pulls, saving time. At the end of the hall, the room opens up. Pull the two fire elementals and two dwarves in the corner ahead of you. Then pull the fire elementals guarding the top of the left set of stairs leading down. Head down the stairs to the middle landing, turn right and pull the fire elementals up to you.
Standing on this middle landing, straight ahead is General Angerforge, surrounded by several non-elite dwarves. To the right is the stairs down, and to the left are three elite dwarves. Carefully jump down to the left, bumping against the wall if necessary. Casters do not have to jump down, but, if they pull agg, keep in mind that the dwarf will run through Angerforge’s groupies to get up the stairs. That would be a rather bad thing.
Now you’re ready to fight Angerforge. Let the tank play with the General alone while everyone else kills the groupies. Occasionally there is an elite or two in the group, but even so, several AOEs make the group much more managable. When Angerforge is alone, focus upon him. Towards the end of the fight, several elite dwarves will join. The tank should drop attention on Angerforge and gather up the new dwarves while everyone else continues to kill the General. A mage can definately help by sheeping one of the adds.
Wrap up the fight like any of the other pulls, enjoy the loot, and head back to Kargath for your [Conqueror's Medallion].
Farming
Coming soon.
Arena Runs
Coming soon.
Homecoming
And you thought you were done…
- [60] The Challenge part of upgrading to Dungeon 2 Armor.
- [60] A Binding Contract for [Sulfuras, Hand of Ragnaros].
Under construction.