Utgarde Keep
Project Lore Editor
Utgarde Keep is the name of the level 70 section of the first instance players encounter in the Howling Fjord. Utgarde Keep is located in the central part of the Howling Fjord, and it can be entered from the south side through an enclosed area just north of the Alliance town, Valgarde. Inside, players encounter mostly Vrykul and Undead, with a fair number of dragonkin and some beasts as well. There are three boss encounters in the instance, and each one is required to proceed to the next. As with all Wrath of the Lich King instances, there is no special way to unlock heroic mode, one simply needs to be level 80 to enter.
Utgarde Keep is an extremely straightforward and linear instance. Entering, you'll see a pair of Vrykul to kill to start you on your way. Beyond that are a couple of groups along with some wandering pats. If you aren't careful, you could end up pulling all of them together, so take your time and pull them back. Through the next room, you'll be running into many Vrykul as you make your way around the right side. The final pull in the room that extinguishes the third flame is completely optional. Moving up the ramp at the far end of the forge room, you'll enter the Proto Drake Stables, where you can easily skip pulls by hugging either side of the room. Note that the Dragons do have a knock back ability, so take care in your positioning of them. Continue through and you'll run into the first undead that you'll encounter in the instance, and then in the Boss' room, pull the four elites separate from the boss. After that, you're ready to take on Prince Keleseth.
From Prince Keleseth's room, head through the side door and up through the tunnels. There are many more undead, along with many more Vrykul in your path. Eventually you will happen upon the second pair of bosses.
Behind Skarvald and Dalronn, head through the door and make your way through the rooms and up the stairway. Beware of the pat that comes down the stairway, as you may end up pulling it along with the large group at the base of the stairs which could lead to trouble. Moving up the stairs you will eventually come out onto a terrace outdoors. Note that spells usable outdoors as well as mounts are usable in this area. Kill the Vrykul on the path outside the doorway, and then be ready for a Proto Drake Rider to land and attack. Note that riders can be CC'd off of the mount (polymorph, hex). Head down towards the circular platform and prepare for Ingvar the Plunderer!
Early into the fight, Prince Keleseth will summon five skeletons from the doorway at the back of his room. These adds can be killed very quickly, but periodically throughout the fight, any dead skeletons will be revived, so it is also possible to simply tank them while focusing on the boss. The Frost Tomb that Keleseth casts will cause 8000 damage over 20 seconds if it is not destroyed, but it can be dispelled with a PvP trinket or similar effects as well as by a mage's Ice Block and Paladin's Divine Shield. Any Frost Tombs should be targeted immediately, it can be preferable to have a ranged DPS assigned to destroy them as well as a back-up in case that person is the target. Extra care should be taken to destroy tombs on the healer.
No major changes.
Skarvald the Constructor
Dalronn the Controller
The key to this fight is the fact that when either of the bosses is killed, it will be resurrected a few seconds later as an unkillable ghost with all of the same abilities as the living form. Once each boss is killed, the ghosts will be destroyed. For this battle, Skarvald should be the main target of the tank, while the DPS should focus on killing Dalronn first, as he will cast shadowbolts at random targets both while dead and alive. Any abilities that can be used to avoid this damage such as spell reflect, grounding totem, or shadow resistance should be used. Once Dalronn is dead, the DPS can then focus on Skarvald. Note that Skarvald will Charge a random target throughout the fight.
Dalronn will summon skeleton adds that will need to be tanked. The strategy should remain the same, with the tank picking up the extra adds as they appear.
Phase One
Phase Two
No major changes, but all damage is increased
Utgarde Keep is the center of Vrykul activity in the Howling Fjord. Loyal to King Ymiron, the Vrykul are relentless in their dedication to serving the Lich King. In Utgarde Keep, Prince Keleseth along with Skarvald the Constructor and Dalronn the Controller are building a tunnel with an unknown purpose, but given the nature of those involved, it is likely a way for the Vrykul to prove themselves worthy of the Lich King and his Scourge immortality. Ingvar the Plunderer, who is at the end of the instance, is the one commanding the Proto Drake Riders and all of the Vrykul who are attacking both the Alliance and Horde encampments in the Howling Fjord.
Utgarde Keep is an extremely straightforward and linear instance. Entering, you'll see a pair of Vrykul to kill to start you on your way. Beyond that are a couple of groups along with some wandering pats. If you aren't careful, you could end up pulling all of them together, so take your time and pull them back. Through the next room, you'll be running into many Vrykul as you make your way around the right side. The final pull in the room that extinguishes the third flame is completely optional. Moving up the ramp at the far end of the forge room, you'll enter the Proto Drake Stables, where you can easily skip pulls by hugging either side of the room. Note that the Dragons do have a knock back ability, so take care in your positioning of them. Continue through and you'll run into the first undead that you'll encounter in the instance, and then in the Boss' room, pull the four elites separate from the boss. After that, you're ready to take on Prince Keleseth.
From Prince Keleseth's room, head through the side door and up through the tunnels. There are many more undead, along with many more Vrykul in your path. Eventually you will happen upon the second pair of bosses.
Behind Skarvald and Dalronn, head through the door and make your way through the rooms and up the stairway. Beware of the pat that comes down the stairway, as you may end up pulling it along with the large group at the base of the stairs which could lead to trouble. Moving up the stairs you will eventually come out onto a terrace outdoors. Note that spells usable outdoors as well as mounts are usable in this area. Kill the Vrykul on the path outside the doorway, and then be ready for a Proto Drake Rider to land and attack. Note that riders can be CC'd off of the mount (polymorph, hex). Head down towards the circular platform and prepare for Ingvar the Plunderer!
Prince Keleseth
Abilities
- Shadow Bolt: Deals 2975 to 4025 Shadow damage.
- Frost Tomb: Encases a random player including the tank in a block of ice for 20 seconds and causes 400 damage per second. The tomb is able to be damaged and destroyed.
- Raises 5 Vrykul Skeletons which cast Decrepify on their target. Can be crowd controlled.
Strategy
Early into the fight, Prince Keleseth will summon five skeletons from the doorway at the back of his room. These adds can be killed very quickly, but periodically throughout the fight, any dead skeletons will be revived, so it is also possible to simply tank them while focusing on the boss. The Frost Tomb that Keleseth casts will cause 8000 damage over 20 seconds if it is not destroyed, but it can be dispelled with a PvP trinket or similar effects as well as by a mage's Ice Block and Paladin's Divine Shield. Any Frost Tombs should be targeted immediately, it can be preferable to have a ranged DPS assigned to destroy them as well as a back-up in case that person is the target. Extra care should be taken to destroy tombs on the healer.
Heroic
No major changes.
Skarvald the Constructor and Dalronn the Controller
Abilities
Skarvald the Constructor
- Charge: Charges an enemy, inflicting 35% of the caster's normal damage and stuns the opponent for 2 sec.
- Enrage: Increases the caster's attack speed by 30% and the Physical damage it deals by 10% for 10 sec.
- Stone Strike: Inflicts 100% of normal weapon damage and knocks back the enemy.
Dalronn the Controller
- Debilitate: Debilitates the target, lowering melee attack, spell casting, movement, and ranged attack speeds by 50%. Deals 750 Shadow damage every 2 sec. for 8 sec. Dispellable
- Shadow Bolt: Hurls a bolt of shadow dark magic at an enemy inflicting Shadow damage.
- Summon Skeletons: Heroic Only - Summons two skeletal minions near the caster
Strategy
The key to this fight is the fact that when either of the bosses is killed, it will be resurrected a few seconds later as an unkillable ghost with all of the same abilities as the living form. Once each boss is killed, the ghosts will be destroyed. For this battle, Skarvald should be the main target of the tank, while the DPS should focus on killing Dalronn first, as he will cast shadowbolts at random targets both while dead and alive. Any abilities that can be used to avoid this damage such as spell reflect, grounding totem, or shadow resistance should be used. Once Dalronn is dead, the DPS can then focus on Skarvald. Note that Skarvald will Charge a random target throughout the fight.
Heroic
Dalronn will summon skeleton adds that will need to be tanked. The strategy should remain the same, with the tank picking up the extra adds as they appear.
Ingvar the Plunderer
Abilities
Phase One
- Cleave: Inflicts 150% of normal melee damage to a player and its nearest ally.
- Enrage: Increases attack speed by 5% and size by 5% per cast. Stacks up to 50 times.
- Smash: Deals 13125 to 16875 physical damage to all players within a 10 yard cone.
- Staggering Roar: Deals 2188 to 2812 damage to players within 60 yards, interrupting any spells being cast for 6 sec.
Phase Two
- Dark Smash: Deals 8750 to 11250 shadow damage to all players within a 10 yard cone in front of the caster. In addition, deals 1750 to 2250 Shadow damage to all players, knocking them down.
- Dreadful Roar: Deals 3063 to 3937 Shadow damage to players within 60 yards, interrupting any spells being cast for 8 sec. In addition, targets will take 5% more shadow damage. This effect can stack up to 40 times.
- Woe Strike: Deals 200% of normal melee damage to a player and inflicts the target with Woe Strike. Any healing the target receives while afflicted with Woe Strike deals 1313 to 1687 Shadow damage to the healer.
- Shadow Axe: Throws your Shadow Axe at a random target. The axe will arrive at the target and spin in place for 10 sec, dealing 1750 to 2250 damage per second to all nearby enemies.
Strategy
Ingvar appears to be commanding many Proto Drake Riders who are flying around the area, but none of the riders will engage you during the battle at any point. Both Smash in Phase one and Dark Smash in phase two are cone attacks which can be avoided by the tank by running through the boss as soon as Ingvar starts casting them. Any melee DPS should take care to avoid standing in front of Ingvar at any time to avoid both Smash and Cleave. During both phases, he will use an AoE interrupt/silence that also deals damage. This effect can be avoided by breaking Line of Sight with Ingvar by hiding behind a pillar. Once Ingvar is killed in phase one, he will be resurrected and immediately cast dreadful roar, which means all players other than perhaps the tank can hide behind a pillar before he is resurrected to avoid widespread damage.
Once Ingvar is resurrected, he has very similar abilities but he also throws an axe at a random player's location which will spin causing high amounts of AoE damage. For this reason, it is important to both spread out and to be on your toes during phase two, being ready to get out of its way. Additionally, he will use Woe Strike, which causes damage to anyone healing the target, so healers should keep a close eye on their own health at all times. Any cooldowns (trinkets, bloodlust/heroism, etc) should be saved for phase two, as the first phase is much simpler to get through than the second.
Heroic
No major changes, but all damage is increased
Lore
Utgarde Keep is the center of Vrykul activity in the Howling Fjord. Loyal to King Ymiron, the Vrykul are relentless in their dedication to serving the Lich King. In Utgarde Keep, Prince Keleseth along with Skarvald the Constructor and Dalronn the Controller are building a tunnel with an unknown purpose, but given the nature of those involved, it is likely a way for the Vrykul to prove themselves worthy of the Lich King and his Scourge immortality. Ingvar the Plunderer, who is at the end of the instance, is the one commanding the Proto Drake Riders and all of the Vrykul who are attacking both the Alliance and Horde encampments in the Howling Fjord.
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