WoW Wrath of the Lich King Guide

"I will show you the justice of the grave, and the true meaning... of FEAR!" - The Lich King Arthas

The Burning Crusade was the first expansion set for the massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) World of Warcraft. Wrath of the Lich King is the second expansion set. It was released on November 13, 2008, and it became the fastest-selling computer game ever at that time after selling 2.8 million copies on its first day.

The new continent of Northrend, home to The Lich King Arthas and his undead minions, was one of the game's many additions to the game world. Players needed to be at least level 68 to progress through Northrend, with level 80 serving as the expansion's maximum. The Death Knight, the first hero class, was created and begins at level 55.

The Lore of WoW: The Wrath of The Lich King

An eerie calm had descended upon the world following the purification of the Sunwell. The undead Scourge suddenly erupted in a massive assault on Azeroth's cities and towns, this time reaching far beyond the Eastern Kingdoms. Warchief Thrall dispatched an expedition force to Northrend under the command of Overlord Garrosh Hellscream under pressure to respond with a full army. Meanwhile, Varian Wrynn, the missing human king, finally made his way back to Stormwind City and reclaimed his throne. He dispatched Bolvar Fordragon as the commander of an equally potent Alliance army to defeat the Lich King and any opposing Horde forces.

The Wrathgate, the entrance to the Lich King's fortress of Icecrown Citadel, was eventually the target of a joint offensive by the Alliance and Horde (headed by Dranosh Saurfang). Grand Apothecary Putress and his Royal Apothecary Society adherents (renegade Forsaken), however, stopped them in their tracks by unleashing a new plague that killed both friends and foes, while his treacherous counterpart, the dreadlord Varimathras, seized the Undercity in a coup that almost killed Sylvanas. Armies of the Alliance and Horde defeated the usurpers and killed them for their evil deeds, restoring the Forsaken capital. However, the incident raised questions among the Horde about Sylvanas' allegiances.

Secrets of Ulduar (Patch 3.1)

Numerous victories were achieved during the Horde and Alliance armies' march through Northrend, but they were nothing compared to what the explorer Brann Bronzebeard found inside the ancient titan complex of Ulduar. The Old God Yogg-Saron, a being of unfathomable evil whose influence had extended into the continent of Northrend itself, had long been imprisoned in this mysterious fortress. Small groups of Alliance and Horde champions infiltrated Ulduar with Brann's help to confront Yogg-Saron. Yogg-Saron blasted the invaders with cryptic visions, including the assassination of Stormwind's King Llane and a glimpse into the future of the Lich King.

Call of the Crusade (Patch 3.2)

The Argent Crusade, an alliance of holy warriors from the Order of the Silver Hand and the Argent Dawn, established a base close to Icecrown Citadel to gather supplies and choose the champions who would lead their army's final offensive against the Lich King. A competition was set up by Highlord Tirion Fordring to evaluate potential Horde and Alliance heroes, but the event was quickly undermined by agents of the Scourge. The monstrous crypt lord Anub'arak appeared at the height of the undead assault and attempted to destroy Tirion's elite force before it could be assembled.

Fall of the Lich King (Patch 3.3)

The human sorceress Jaina Proudmoore and the Banshee Queen Sylvanas Windrunner traveled to the frozen core of Northrend as the final confrontation with the Lich King drew near. Jaina wanted to find out if Arthas Menethil, her former lover and friend, still had any remaining parts, while Sylvanas wanted to exact revenge on her former foe. These two heroes helped the champions of Azeroth storm Icecrown Citadel and defeat the Lich King's minions. There were thousands of souls consumed by Arthas' blade, Frostmourne, during their battle with the Lich King. Arthas was ultimately defeated, and the heroes who overcame him discovered a terrifying truth regarding the existence of the undead Scourge.

The Ruby Sanctum (Patch 3.3.5)

For ages, the red dragonflight and its noble matriarch, Alexstrasza the Life-Binder, have dedicated themselves to preserving all life on Azeroth. Recently, the very heart of this virtuous dragonflight has come under threat.

An eerie silence has settled over the Ruby Sanctum, the red dragonflight's sacred lair within the Chamber of the Aspects. This troubling development has led to fears that the sanctum, home to Azeroth's largest clutch of red dragon eggs, has been breached by an unknown, sinister force. If these claims are true and immediate action is not taken, the benevolent red dragonflight might be crippled forever.

The Hero Class: Death Knight

The death knight was the first "hero class" in World of Warcraft to be introduced, and it remained the only one until the demon hunter was made available in Legion. Hero classes begin the game at a level higher than the standard level 1. The requirement that a player had to have reached level 55 on that realm to create a death knight was removed in late 2014.

Death Knight Lore

The Lich King has raised fallen heroes from the Alliance and the Horde to be the undead Scourge's champions. These heroes are known as death knights. They can fulfill the damage dealer and tank roles. Blood, Frost, and Unholy are the three specializations available to Death Knights. The blood specialization focuses on the manipulation of blood, using the blood of an adversary against them and the blood of the death knights for their own gain. Frost specializes in control, counters, and combination strikes using frost-related abilities.

Skills, Spells, & Abilities

Unholy specialization focuses on poisoning your opponent and sending the player's permanent, controllable pet ghoul to attack the enemy. Death knights wear plate armor and wield weapons with rune engravings (permanent weapon enhancements), which are achieved through the death knight profession called runeforging by utilizing the runeforge in Acherus.

A death knight uses a system of runes and runic power (both displayed under the player portrait), which is generated by using runes, as opposed to using rage, energy, or mana as combat resources. Initially, the death knight had two of each type of rune—blood, frost, and unholy—on hand for use. A ten-second "cooldown" period follows the use of a rune before it can be used again, and runic power wanes over time when not in use. The death knight can also change their runes into death runes, which can be used as any type of rune, with certain talents.

The three presences available to the death knight are blood, frost, and unholy. Blood presence increased damage done and restored a portion of the damage dealt as healing; unholy presence increased attack speed, increased movement speed, and lowered the global cooldown on all abilities. Frost presence increased threat generated, increased health, and decreased damage taken.

Compared to newly created characters of other classes, death knights start out with a more extensive repertoire of spells and skills. To join the rest of Azeroth, players must complete all the quests in the death knight starting area in the Eastern Plaguelands. The class begins the game without any talent points, so they must first unlock the talent tiers that are appropriate for their level. All in-game races can join the death knight class.

In the subsequent expansion, Cataclysm, blood was designated as the tanking specialization, and the effects of blood presence were changed to include threat and damage mitigation while frost presence's effects were changed to include an increase in all runic power generation. Death knights now have six death runes instead of three different types of runes, and presences have been eliminated. The effects of each individual presence are now automatically included in their respective specializations.

The Continent of Northrend

Players can travel through ten new zones on the continent of Northrend as they engage in battle with the Lich King Arthas and his massive army of the Undead Scourge.

Howling Fjord

The dangerous Vrykul live in Howling Fjord and have recently heard the Lich King's call. The Alliance has taken control of Prince Arthas' former camp, known as Valgarde, to face this new adversary. Additionally, the Forsaken has established a brand-new base called Vengeance Landing, which features all-new Forsaken construction. Players can enter both camps through one of two entrances using the vehicles of their own faction. The area has a ton of brand-new quests that pit players against the Lich King's new ally. Utgarde Keep and Utgarde Pinnacle are two additional dungeons that are situated nearby.

Grizzly Hills

The Furbolgs and their capital city, Grizzlemaw, are situated in the forested region known as Grizzly Hills. Drak'Tharon Keep's Ice Trolls have been invading the area to wreak havoc on the landscape. The primary dungeon in this area is called Drak'Tharon Keep. You will encounter Drakuru here, who has a lengthy and central quest chain that passes through Zul'drak.

Dragonblight

Old dragons on the verge of death congregate in Dragonblight to pass away. All five dragonflights have shrines in this area dedicated to them, but Wyrmrest Temple, a titan structure, stands out because the Red Dragonflight has occupied it and turned it into an embassy for all dragonflights. The undead Scourge has begun attacking the shrines to create more undead dragons for the Lich King to use in his army. To expel the plague from the land, The Scarlet Onslaught, formerly known as the Scarlet Crusade, has established a base of operations here. The Alliance and the Horde have established two bases that surround Angrathar the Wrath Gate, the entrance to Icecrown, to set up for their siege toward Arthas' doorstep to take the fight against the Lich King and his forces. The Eastern Plaguelands' necropolis, Naxxramas, is located in this region and has recently launched a new offensive against the living.

Zul'drak

The Ice Trolls' capital city, Zul'drak, boasts magnificent troll architecture and the most formidable troll warriors. Two central plots are present in the zone. Players will cooperate with the Knights of the Ebon Blade in the Western region of Zul'Drak to destroy Drakuru's scourge operation from within. The player will encounter several corrupted troll temples to various animal gods as he travels east, starting with a snake and then a cat. This leads to the Gundrak Dungeon, which houses the biggest temple and several troll bosses.

Lake Wintergrasp

In Wrath of the Lich King, the brand-new world PvP zone is called Lake Wintergrasp. In this zone, players will engage in combat to earn their faction new rewards and benefits and to start brand-new quests. Any of the two factions will have the chance to take on various bosses that have been added by each distinct major patch if they are in control of the main stronghold. There are currently 5 bosses, with Toravon the Frost Lord being the newest. He drops Tier 10 (Hands and Legs) pieces, as well as the corresponding PvP pieces and 2 Frost Emblems.

The Storm Peaks

The Raid of Ulduar, which is open to all intrepid travelers willing to brave the halls of the historic Titan base, is featured in The Storm Peaks as a continuation of the Titan storyline from Wrath of the Lich King. Features well-known characters from Warcraft lore like Brann and Muradin Bronzebeard, unlocks the Sons of Hodir daily hub and includes the Frost Giant Jokkum and Thorim, a titan who would later become a boss in Patch 3.1: Secrets of Ulduar.

Sholazar Basin

With its abundance of jungles and exotic animals, Sholazar Basin is comparable to Un'Goro Crater. It is the territory of the battling tribes of Gorlok and Wolvar, referred to as The Oracles and The Frenzyheart, respectively. The renowned hunter Hemet Nesingwary's new residence is also where players can engage in the well-known quests of eliminating X mobs.

Icecrown

The Scourge of the Dead's headquarters. The Lich King commands his army to carry out his orders from his perch atop a powerful throne here in Icecrown. The creatures that heroes encounter when they enter this area are the strongest they have ever encountered. Those who want to face off against the Lich King personally must be prepared for the treacherous journey they will have to make and to confront death itself.

Dalaran

Dalaran, a magical city, has relocated to the north. The Kirin Tor, under the leadership of Rhonin, has relocated Dalaran from its former location in the Eastern Kingdoms to Northrend to confront the Blue Dragonflight and their campaign to purge the world of all magic users. The new Shattrath of Northrend in Wrath of the Lich King will be Dalaran, which will have all the amenities that Shattrath had in Outland, such as battleground masters for the Alliance and Horde. Use a portal below the city that is hovering in the air, or mount a flying creature, to enter Dalaran. Please be aware that flying mounts are not permitted in the majority of Dalaran.

Dungeons & Raids

All raid content in Wrath of the Lich King is available as either a 10 or 25-man dungeon, with entirely independent progression paths. This is one of the game's key new features.

The layout of the dungeon is the same for both the 10 and 25-man versions, and it won't change. Each will be modified for its player size, tuned, and balanced, though. This makes it possible for more players to raid Wrath of the Lich King's content in the way that suits them best. However, compared to those who play the 10-person versions, raiders in the 25-man dungeons get better quality and more loot. At launch, the new expansion included 12 5-man dungeons (8 for leveling up and 4 max-level, each with heroic versions) and 3 new raid dungeons.

New Dungeons:

• Azjol-Nerub (5-man)

• Ahn'kahet: The Old Kingdom (5-man)

• Utgarde Keep (5-man)

• Utgarde Pinnacle (5-man)

• The Nexus (5-man)

• The Oculus (5-man)

• Drak'Tharon Keep (5-man)

• Gun'drak (5-man)

• The Violet Hold (5-man)

• The Forge of Souls (5-man)

• Pit of Saron (5-man)

• Halls of Reflection (5-man)

• Ulduar: Halls of Stone (5-man)

• Ulduar: Halls of Lightning (5-man)

• The Obsidian Sanctum (10 and 25-man)

• Naxxramas (10 and 25-man)

• Ulduar (10 and 25-man)

• Caverns of Time: Culling of Stratholme (5-man)

• Argent Coliseum: Trial of the Champion (5-man)

• Argent Coliseum: Trial of the Crusader (10 and 25-man)

• Argent Coliseum: Trial of the Grand Crusader (10 and 25-man)

• Icecrown Citadel (10 and 25-man)

• Ruby Sanctum (10 and 25-man)

New Profession: Inscription

The ability to create Glyphs is the primary characteristic of the Inscription profession. Players can use Glyphs to improve certain aspects of their spells by adding them to their spellbooks. The majority of glyphs offer a simple increase in potency or decrease in cast time, though some only offer minor adjustments like eliminating the need for reagents. One of the most well-known glyphs, Glyph of the Penguin, alters the Mage's Polymorph spell so that it turns the target into a penguin rather than a sheep as it does in its unglyphed form. The associated gathering profession for Inscription is herbalism, where different herbs are ground into pigments and inks. The glyphs are then produced by combining the inks with parchment.

In addition to glyphs, Inscription can also create a variety of other things.

• Shoulder Enchants - Much more powerful versions than those available to non-Inscriptionists

• Rare and Epic level off-hand items

• A Random Darkmoon Faire Card - These cards can be combined into sets which are then turned in for powerful trinkets.

• Scrolls - An inscriptionist can create the normal array of scrolls that have been dropping from mobs since the game was first released.

• Vellums - Vellums are special parchments that Enchanters can use as a target for their enchants. The Enchanter can then sell these enchanted vellums in the Auction House like a normal item.

Patch Additions

Secrets of Ulduar (Patch 3.1)

• Ulduar - Level 80 10/25-man raid Instance featuring 14 new bosses, 800 new items, Tier 8 armor sets, and hundreds of achievements.

• Dual Spec - Dual Specialization allows the player to have two different talent specializations - action bar and glyph sets at once, and switch between them at the click of a button.

• The Argent Tournament - The Argent Tournament is a new world event introduced to the game with Patch 3.1. It takes place at the north of Sindragosa's Fall in Icecrown in an area controlled by the Argent Crusade. The new Argent Tournament quest hub gives players the chance to ascend through the ranks and earn rewards in competitions and other trials of skill.

• Dungeon Maps - Beginning with Secrets of Ulduar, players will be able to view maps of Wrath of the Lich King's dungeons, complete with layouts of each floor and indicators showing the locations of bosses and players in your party.

Call of the Crusade (Patch 3.2)

• Crusaders' Coliseum - The construction of the Coliseum on the Argent Tournament grounds was completed. The Crusaders’ Coliseum includes a new level 80 10/25-man raid Instance and a 5-player dungeon, with each encounter being unlocked one week at a time. Each of the Heroic mode instances has a new tribute system that can limit players on the number of attempts they get in the Coliseum each week to present a greater challenge.

• Isle of Conquest - The new battleground pitched teams of up to 40 players against each other in a battle over this small island off Northrend's northern coast. The Isle of Conquest uses a reinforcements system similar to that of Alterac Valley and siege-style gameplay from Wintergrasp.

• New Argent Tournament Updates - The Argent Tournament expanded with Two New Quest Hubs. A new Cult of the Damned camp now sits overlooking the Tournament grounds Located on an island north of Icecrown, the former tuskarr village known as Hrothgar's Landing is a mist-shrouded staging point for Sea Vrykul raids upon the ships of the Silver Covenant and the Sunreavers in the waters between the island and Icecrown.

• Updated Druid Forms - New textures for two major forms, cat and bear. There were five different designs for each of these forms for the Horde and Alliance. Each variation is tied to either hair color (Night Elves) or skin color (Tauren) and can be changed in barbershops in most major cities.

• Battleground Experience - In the 3.2 patch, players were able to gain experience within the Battlegrounds for completing objectives and actions that yield honor.

The Brood Mother Returns (Patch 3.2.2)

In honor of the World of Warcraft 5th anniversary, the dreaded brood mother Onyxia was revamped, as part of the 3.2.2 content patch.

• New items have been added to Onyxia loot table.

• Onyxia has been scaled to offer new challenges to level 80 players and is now available for 10- and 25- player modes.

• Adjustments have been made to the encounter to keep it fit for modern raiding, but the fundamental experience of fighting the Brood Mother remained.

• Some classic items Onyxia offered for level 60 players had their stats adjusted appropriately for level 80 players.

• Brood of Onyxia, a very rare 310%-speed mount modeled after Onyxia herself will be available for the luckiest of challengers.

Fall of the Lich King (Patch 3.3)

The Wrath of the Lich King expansion pack's climactic storylines and battles are revealed in the Fall of the Lich King patch. The legendary heroes Highlord Tirion Fordring, High Overlord Saurfang, Muradin Bronzebeard, Highlord Darion Mograine, and King Varian Wrynn will fight alongside players in this battle against the Scourge and their master, the Lich King.

The raid dungeon in Icecrown Citadel is available in 10- and 25-player versions and each version has 12 encounters in addition to three brand-new 5-player dungeons. Each encounter can be completed in heroic or normal mode, and players can quickly switch between them by utilizing a new user interface feature.

• Icecrown Citadel: The Frozen Throne

• Icecrown Citadel: The Frozen Halls

• Tier 10 Armor Sets

• New Quest Feature

• New Dungeon System and Looking For Group system

The Ruby Sanctum (Patch 3.3.5)

• New 10- and 25-player raid dungeon featuring normal and Heroic difficulties. Can be found below Wyrmrest Temple in Dragonblight.

• Battle.net Real ID.

• Various updates to the User Interface (Chat Frame) and Friends List.

Patch 4.0.1 - Cataclysm Systems

Players were able to access a variety of new system features in Patch 4.0.1, which was the last significant patch before Cataclysm.

• Classes: revamped talent trees, updated hunter pet system, new druid, hunter, paladin, and warlock resources, new Mastery stat.

• User Interface: improved Spellbook, new Guild display options, updated PvP interface, expanded and enhanced Professions tab.

• Systems: glyph updates including all-new Prime glyphs.

• New Reforging ability to customize item stats. 40% of any one secondary stat on an item can be allocated to add a new secondary stat to the item.

• New PvP and PvE currency system.

• Cataclysm Launcher Update: allows game data to be streamed while playing.

• Flexible Raid Lock System: the new system allows a character to defeat each raid zone’s encounters once a week. A character may now complete the encounters during the week with different raids of either 10 or 25 players.

WoW: The Wrath of The Lich King Classic (2022)

On September 26, 2022, the World of Warcraft Classic will relaunch in the Wrath of the Lich King era. Blizzard is introducing a new leveling system called Joyous Journeys ahead of the release of the expansion. Starting July 27, players of the Burning Crusade Classic can activate a 50% experience boost by speaking with an innkeeper in one of their faction's capital cities.

With the boost, you can complete leveling an existing character or create a new one. Up until the release of WotLK Classic, the boost will be accessible. It won't be necessary to have a level 55 character already on a server to create a Death Knight once the expansion is released, unlike with the game's initial release.

If you want to reunite your old guild, you won't need to buy Wrath of the Lich King Classic separately because Blizzard will include it with all World of Warcraft subscriptions.

What Do You Need to Play?

1. Make a new Battle.net Account if you're just looking for a fresh start or if this is your first time adventuring.

2. All players with an active World of Warcraft subscription have access to Wrath of the Lich King Classic without having to make an additional purchase. By visiting the Battle.net Shop, you can subscribe.

3. WoW Classic and Burning Crusade Classic are currently playable on PC and Mac. Install the game after downloading the Battle.net desktop application and logging into your account.

If you are as excited as we are for the arguably best WoW expansion there was coming back in a few months, leave a comment and share this guide to summon your guildmates and face the Wrath of The Lich King!