ICC Rogues' Gallery: Storming The Citadel
Amatera
As of this posting, we still don't know precisely when Patch 3.3 is going to drop (could be tomorrow, could be next month). But we do know that people are going to be packed like sardines in the doorway of Icecrown Citadel once it does, and thought it might help if you knew exactly what you would be up against if you manage to make it past the portal (and the patch-day server issues). Project Lore presents to you the Rogues' Gallery, the first edition of which will cover the first four bosses that you will face whilst Storming The Citadel.
Lord Marrowgar -- At the beginning of the testing phase, this marrow monstrosity wasn't much different from the big old bone guards you see running around outside. Now he looks more like the leavings on your plate after a night of all-you-can-eat wings. As the front gatekeeper of Icecrown Citadel, Marrowgar's imposing visage will be staring you down the moment you enter the dungeon, with only a few trash pulls and a small battalion of Ashen Verdict soldiers (okay, Tirion Fordring and some of his best buds) between you and his mighty axe. Marrowgar may seem like the manifestation of Death himself, but take heart, he's hands down the easiest boss in the Citadel (and as the first, that may not be terribly surprising).
That doesn't mean you won't have to play hard, though. Marrowgar has a handful of menacing abilities that, like any boss, can quickly wipe your raid if aren't paying attention. Melee players will learn to loathe his Bone Storm, which is likely the largest whirlwind effect yet seen in the game. He'll spin like an over-sized top for awhile, shifting across the room and laying down a cross-pattern of Coldflame which inflicts 9000 frost damage per second. Even casters will have to be on the move during this phase. Once Marrowgar's rampage ends, it's time to strike. His Saber Lash deals 300% melee damage to the target and his nearest allies, meaning you might want to have more than one tank on the boss to soak up the extra damage. The only other thing to watch out for -- and it's admittedly a big one -- is his Bone Spike which can, in theory, impale multiple players at once.
Once defeated, Lord Marrowgar will shatter in an explosion of bone and the ice blocks will melt, allowing you to progress further into the dungeon.
Achievements:
Lady Deathwhisper -- Lady Deathwhisper awaits at the far end of the Icecrown Citadel's first level, though looking at her, you'd be hard pressed to find anything feminine about the vile lichess. Deathwhisper's job is to convert and prepare new recruits in the Lich King's service, and she's not afraid to use test the skills of her freshest meat on the next group of heroes that enter her sanctum. As you might guess, this is a fight focused on handling various cultist adds, which you'll have to fight in both normal and re-animated forms.
They come in two flavors: the Cultist Adherent and the Cultist Fanatic. The former is more of a caster-type and features normal ranged spells, curses, and powerful area-of-effect spells. The latter features melee attacks such as a cleave and an ability that absorbs healing on the afflicted player. Both can buff themselves (and perhaps each other).
Deathwhisper, herself, features the usual set of lich-like spells. You've got your Frostbolts, your Shadowbolts, your Death and Decay... but she's not afraid to use her silver tongue (or lack thereof) on your raid members, either. Her Dominate Mind ability not only charms a player for up to 12 seconds, it also boosts their damage 200% and healing 500%!
Crushing the putrescent proselytizer activates a lift on the side of the hall, which will take you outside the citadel to the Rampart of Skulls...
Achievements:
Gunship Battle -- Even in the face of their greatest foe yet, the tenuous partnership between the Horde and Alliance is constantly being tested. The Gunship Battle is evidence of that tension as both factions attempt to beat the other to the upper spire of Icecrown Citadel. Instead of milling about aimlessly in the skies of Northrend (as they have been for the last year), both Ogrim's Hammer and The Skybreaker will finally get their chance to shine.
This is not necessarily a hard fight once you've got the basic tenets under control, but the gimmicks employed are fun! I could've amused myself with the rocket pack on the PTR for hours, but the encounter had to start sometime. After cutting a path through both the Lich King's minions and NPCs of the opposing side, you'll reach your faction's airship. If you're Alliance, your forces are commanded by the dwarf Muradin Bronzebeard. If you're Horde, it's the Orc Elder Saurfang (who plays an even bigger part in the lore of the next boss).
Starting the battle causes your Gunship to lift off from the dock and head upwards, where it eventually sidles up next to the other pirate-style and the cannonballs start flying. Like the last fight, add control is pretty important here, but it's more of a defensive measure than an offensive one. The goal is not to defeat the opposing leader, but to cripple their airship, so killing adds becomes a measure to keep your raid from being overrun.
The basic flow of battle goes something like this: bomb the crap out of opposing faction, using the cannons mounted on the side -> once a quarter of the enemy ship's health has been lost, they'll send out a Mage -> the Mage freezes your cannons -> you send a boarding party over using rocket packs to kill said Mage -> your boarding party comes back. This is repeated until one side's health is reduced to zero, and you'll need to keep some of your party members on the deck of your own ship the entire time to pick up and whittle down the adds.
Once the enemy explodes into a fire-y ball of fire, a war chest opens up on your ship for loot and you dock on the next level of the citadel. Of course, despite what happens to either ship, the story dictates that both actually make it to the upper spire. However, in the way of both factions stands an imposing foe...
Achievements:
Deathbringer Saurfang -- The Wrathgate was only a setback! But unlike Kael'Thas' wussified turn in Magister's Terrace, the younger Saurfang is arguably much more powerful after being risen from the dead than that pansy Blood Elf ever was. While the ultimate fate of Alliance hero Bolvar Fordragon is still up in the air (he's being tortured as you enter Icecrown Citadel), Elder's son has been given the Death Knight treatment and the job of ass-kicking gatekeeper.
As the final boss of the first content release, he's far from a push-over and, arguably, presented the greatest challenge to anybody who encountered him on the PTR. Fighting against Deathbringer Saurfang can roughly be described as running into a brick wall. The kind of brick wall that, despite exuding a strong sense of structure and steadfastness (as most walls do), you have a hard time actually connecting with. You just sort of find yourself sprinting towards it and tripping over your own feet before you get there, but your face is hurt and bleeding as if you did make contact. Oh, and did I mention that should you manage to chip some of the stone of with your bruised and fleshy body, that it has an unhealthy (for you) habit of regenerating that lost concrete?
This is a roundabout way of saying that Deathbringer is one tough mother and that on the PTR he both had an extraordinarily high dodge rate and most of his abilities healed him in one way or another. He also summons adds like every 15 seconds. While some people will no doubt continue to clamor for Icecrown Citadel to be released all at once, I have a feeling that Saurfang will keep most guilds veeerrrryyy busy until the next wing is available.
The inevitable defeat of Deathbringer serves as both an appropriate bookmark in your ICC raiding career and the lore associated with some of Azeroth's greatest heroes.
Achievements:
Lord Marrowgar -- At the beginning of the testing phase, this marrow monstrosity wasn't much different from the big old bone guards you see running around outside. Now he looks more like the leavings on your plate after a night of all-you-can-eat wings. As the front gatekeeper of Icecrown Citadel, Marrowgar's imposing visage will be staring you down the moment you enter the dungeon, with only a few trash pulls and a small battalion of Ashen Verdict soldiers (okay, Tirion Fordring and some of his best buds) between you and his mighty axe. Marrowgar may seem like the manifestation of Death himself, but take heart, he's hands down the easiest boss in the Citadel (and as the first, that may not be terribly surprising).
That doesn't mean you won't have to play hard, though. Marrowgar has a handful of menacing abilities that, like any boss, can quickly wipe your raid if aren't paying attention. Melee players will learn to loathe his Bone Storm, which is likely the largest whirlwind effect yet seen in the game. He'll spin like an over-sized top for awhile, shifting across the room and laying down a cross-pattern of Coldflame which inflicts 9000 frost damage per second. Even casters will have to be on the move during this phase. Once Marrowgar's rampage ends, it's time to strike. His Saber Lash deals 300% melee damage to the target and his nearest allies, meaning you might want to have more than one tank on the boss to soak up the extra damage. The only other thing to watch out for -- and it's admittedly a big one -- is his Bone Spike which can, in theory, impale multiple players at once.
Once defeated, Lord Marrowgar will shatter in an explosion of bone and the ice blocks will melt, allowing you to progress further into the dungeon.
Achievements:
- Storming The Citadel (10/25/Heroic) -- Defeat the first four bosses in Icecrown Citadel.
- Boned (10/25) -- Defeat Lord Marrowgar without any raid member remaining impaled for more than 8 seconds.
Lady Deathwhisper -- Lady Deathwhisper awaits at the far end of the Icecrown Citadel's first level, though looking at her, you'd be hard pressed to find anything feminine about the vile lichess. Deathwhisper's job is to convert and prepare new recruits in the Lich King's service, and she's not afraid to use test the skills of her freshest meat on the next group of heroes that enter her sanctum. As you might guess, this is a fight focused on handling various cultist adds, which you'll have to fight in both normal and re-animated forms.
They come in two flavors: the Cultist Adherent and the Cultist Fanatic. The former is more of a caster-type and features normal ranged spells, curses, and powerful area-of-effect spells. The latter features melee attacks such as a cleave and an ability that absorbs healing on the afflicted player. Both can buff themselves (and perhaps each other).
Deathwhisper, herself, features the usual set of lich-like spells. You've got your Frostbolts, your Shadowbolts, your Death and Decay... but she's not afraid to use her silver tongue (or lack thereof) on your raid members, either. Her Dominate Mind ability not only charms a player for up to 12 seconds, it also boosts their damage 200% and healing 500%!
Crushing the putrescent proselytizer activates a lift on the side of the hall, which will take you outside the citadel to the Rampart of Skulls...
Achievements:
- Storming The Citadel (10/25/Heroic) -- Defeat the first four bosses in Icecrown Citadel.
- Full House (10/25) -- Defeat Lady Deathwhisper with at least five different types of Cultists active at the time of her demise.
Gunship Battle -- Even in the face of their greatest foe yet, the tenuous partnership between the Horde and Alliance is constantly being tested. The Gunship Battle is evidence of that tension as both factions attempt to beat the other to the upper spire of Icecrown Citadel. Instead of milling about aimlessly in the skies of Northrend (as they have been for the last year), both Ogrim's Hammer and The Skybreaker will finally get their chance to shine.
This is not necessarily a hard fight once you've got the basic tenets under control, but the gimmicks employed are fun! I could've amused myself with the rocket pack on the PTR for hours, but the encounter had to start sometime. After cutting a path through both the Lich King's minions and NPCs of the opposing side, you'll reach your faction's airship. If you're Alliance, your forces are commanded by the dwarf Muradin Bronzebeard. If you're Horde, it's the Orc Elder Saurfang (who plays an even bigger part in the lore of the next boss).
Starting the battle causes your Gunship to lift off from the dock and head upwards, where it eventually sidles up next to the other pirate-style and the cannonballs start flying. Like the last fight, add control is pretty important here, but it's more of a defensive measure than an offensive one. The goal is not to defeat the opposing leader, but to cripple their airship, so killing adds becomes a measure to keep your raid from being overrun.
The basic flow of battle goes something like this: bomb the crap out of opposing faction, using the cannons mounted on the side -> once a quarter of the enemy ship's health has been lost, they'll send out a Mage -> the Mage freezes your cannons -> you send a boarding party over using rocket packs to kill said Mage -> your boarding party comes back. This is repeated until one side's health is reduced to zero, and you'll need to keep some of your party members on the deck of your own ship the entire time to pick up and whittle down the adds.
Once the enemy explodes into a fire-y ball of fire, a war chest opens up on your ship for loot and you dock on the next level of the citadel. Of course, despite what happens to either ship, the story dictates that both actually make it to the upper spire. However, in the way of both factions stands an imposing foe...
Achievements:
- Storming The Citadel (10/25/Heroic) -- Defeat the first four bosses in Icecrown Citadel.
- I'm On A Boat! (10/25) -- Claim victory in the Gunship Battle without any raid member visiting the enemy gunship more than once (I bet you never thought you'd be here).
Deathbringer Saurfang -- The Wrathgate was only a setback! But unlike Kael'Thas' wussified turn in Magister's Terrace, the younger Saurfang is arguably much more powerful after being risen from the dead than that pansy Blood Elf ever was. While the ultimate fate of Alliance hero Bolvar Fordragon is still up in the air (he's being tortured as you enter Icecrown Citadel), Elder's son has been given the Death Knight treatment and the job of ass-kicking gatekeeper.
As the final boss of the first content release, he's far from a push-over and, arguably, presented the greatest challenge to anybody who encountered him on the PTR. Fighting against Deathbringer Saurfang can roughly be described as running into a brick wall. The kind of brick wall that, despite exuding a strong sense of structure and steadfastness (as most walls do), you have a hard time actually connecting with. You just sort of find yourself sprinting towards it and tripping over your own feet before you get there, but your face is hurt and bleeding as if you did make contact. Oh, and did I mention that should you manage to chip some of the stone of with your bruised and fleshy body, that it has an unhealthy (for you) habit of regenerating that lost concrete?
This is a roundabout way of saying that Deathbringer is one tough mother and that on the PTR he both had an extraordinarily high dodge rate and most of his abilities healed him in one way or another. He also summons adds like every 15 seconds. While some people will no doubt continue to clamor for Icecrown Citadel to be released all at once, I have a feeling that Saurfang will keep most guilds veeerrrryyy busy until the next wing is available.
The inevitable defeat of Deathbringer serves as both an appropriate bookmark in your ICC raiding career and the lore associated with some of Azeroth's greatest heroes.
Achievements:
- Storming The Citadel (10/25/Heroic) -- Defeat the first four bosses in Icecrown Citadel.
- I've Gone and Made A Mess (10/25) -- Defeat the Deathbringer before Mark of the Fallen Champion is cast five times.
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