Gundrak

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Overview

At the northeastern end of Zul’drak lies Gundrak, the Drakkari Ice Troll capital city. There are at least 2 entrances into this troll fortress, the meeting stone is located next to the northern entrance, so that’s where this guide begins.

On normal mode, Gundrak was designed for a 5-man group of players level 76-78. Deep within the troll city, you will find 4 bosses: Slad’ran, Moorabi, Drakkari Colossus, and Gal’darah the High Prophet of Akali. In order to access Gal’darah, you must first defeat the other 3 bosses and activate the altar next to each, a bit like The Steam Vault in Coilfang Reservoir.

There is not a lot of trash in Gundrak, usually no more than 3 or 4 pulls between the boss fights. You should be able to complete a full run in less than 45 minutes.

On heroic mode, it’s possible to get up to 2,250 rep with your preferred faction from a full clear.

Gear and consumables

Like most Wrath of the Lich King dungeons, the Heroic version of this instance is tuned for players who are using high quality level 80 gear, as well as the best flasks and food buffs available. Getting the best possible gear for your character will make this fight a whole lot easier.

In WotLK, professions can be used to craft high quality epic gear. Most raid bosses also drop an epic bind-on-equip item. These items are the easiest way to get your character geared up fast, but they’re expensive to craft or buy on the AH. The easiest way to get your hands on them is to use a guide like WoW Gold Secrets, which has tips for making several thousand gold per day. This is a great way to save time and clear instances faster.

Click here to try out WoW Gold Secrets.

Quests

There are 2 quests that can be picked up by either faction without completing any precursors:

For Posterity – Chronicler Bah’Kini wants you to bring her 6 Drakkari History Tablets from within Gundrak. You can find her at Dubra’Jin, which is near the meeting stone and instance entrance.

One of a Kind - Grab a Drakkari Colossus Fragment (from the 2^nd boss) for Chronicler Bah’Kini while you’re at it.

You can also get a 3^rd quest for Gundrak:

Gal’darah Must Pay – Slay Gal’darah (last boss) for Tol’mar at Dubra’Jin.

In order to attain this quest you must first complete the precursor quests that begin with:

Strange Mojo – You have to loot “Strange Mojo” from one of the trolls at Altar of Sseratus and then take the item to Hexxer Ubungo at The Argent Stand.

Map

A = Entrance

1 = Slad’ran

2 = Drakkari Colossus

3 = Moorabi

4 = Gal’darah

5 = Eck the Ferocious (Heroic Mode ONLY)

Instance map from Atlas. Line added to show basic route.

Den of Sseratus

After you enter the instance, look for the ramp on the right which leads you down into the Den of Sseratus and the first boss, Slad’ran.

Before you can fight the boss, you must clear the room of the following:

Spitting Cobra — 45516 HP. Normal melee damage 1039-1785

Cobra Strike – deals 2919-3414 physical damage
Venom Spit – deals 2115-2257 poison damage to a target and about 576 damage every 2 seconds for 10 seconds

Unyielding Constrictor — 45516 HP. Normal melee damage 615-1230

Vicious Bite – inflicts 726-1295 physical damage

Slad’ran

The High Prophet of Sseratus, he has 176K HP. Normal melee damage 2036-2719.

Abilities

Venom Bolt – inflicts 2275-2601 nature damage
Powerful Bite – deals 100% of normal damage and reduces the target’s armor by 20% for 5 seconds
Poison Nova – deals 1717-2159 nature damage to nearby enemies and 981-1169 damage every 2 seconds for 16 seconds

Strategy

On normal difficulty, this boss can be fought where he stands. You can simply tank and spank Slad’ran until adds spawn at about 30%, but (especially if your group’s DPS is heavily melee) this will require a lot of healing.

To reduce damage taken, melee DPS can move away from Slad’ran’s Poison Nova each time it is cast. If there is a shaman in your group, a Poison Cleansing Totem will also help.

When the snakes spawn, your DPS should try to kill them or at least keep them away from your healer. The Slad’ran Constrictor has the ability to Snake Wrap, immobilizing an enemy and making then unable to cast or attack. Like the cocoon of webs in Azjol-Nerub, you have to attack the Snake Wrap to release your party member.

If your group is wiping on this boss, you can pull him up the ramp toward the instance entrance. By standing one level up from the tank, your healer and ranged DPS can avoid taking damage from Poison Nova. It will also take the snake adds longer to reach you, giving you more time to burn the boss before you have to deal with adds.

Normal Mode Loot

Witch Doctor’s Wildstaff

Cannibal’s Legguards

Embroidered Gown of Zul’Drak

This fight is more difficult on heroic, but the mechanics of the encounter are the same as normal mode.

Slad’ran has about 323K HP on heroic, and deals 4500-7500 melee damage.

Loot

Slad’ran’s Coiled Cord

Snake Den Spaulders

Slithering Slippers

Wand of Sseratus

Tomb of the Ancients

After defeating Slad’ran, your group can proceed to the Tomb of Ancients and the second boss, Drakkari Colossus. You will likely run into:

Drakkari God Hunter — 45516 HP. Normal melee damage 504-1178

Shoot – inflicts 1079-1188 physical damage
Arcane Shot – deals 1132-1624 arcane damage
Flare – exposes stealthed enemies within 10 yards
Deterrence – increases chance to dodge or parry by 25% for 10 seconds

Drakkari Golem — 79653 HP. Normal melee damage 812-2435

Thunderclap – deals 881-1129 nature damage to nearby enemies and reduces attack speed and movement speed by 25% for 10 seconds
Shockwave – frontal cone attack, deals 1720-3182 and stuns enemies for 2 seconds
Body of Stone – increases Golem’s damage by 50% for 12 seconds, but he is rooted in place and attack speed is 50% slower

Drakkari Colossus

This boss has nearly 118K HP and it’s normal melee damage is 2729-3783. This encounter has two alternating phases, when he is Drakkari Colossus and when he releases a Drakkari Elemental.

Abilities

Drakkari Colossus

Mighty Blow – deals 175% weapon damage to a single target
Emerge – Drakkari Elemental emerges from the stone colossus

Drakkari Elemental

Mojo Volley – deals 1961-2239 damage to all nearby enemies
Surge – surges through enemies in a line up to 40 yards, drenching them in Mojo
Merge – returns to the Drakkari Colossus

Strategy

After you clear the Tomb of the Ancients, you will see the Colossus standing there surrounded by Living Mojo mobs. On the pull, those mobs will merge with the boss, you do not have to fight them.

While fighting the Colossus this encounter is a tank-and-spank. Your tank may get a debuff that decreases healing received by 50% during this phase and may hit for about 4k damage on the tank at times, so healers will want to use their biggest heal.

At 50% a Drakkari Elemental (theoretically all of the Living Mojo mobs that merged with each other and the Colossus) emerges and the Colossus is inactive. During this phase, heavy healing is necessary. The elemental will be throwing poison-like purplish mojo on the floor that everyone in your group should avoid. If you stand in the mojo puddles you will start taking 1000-1300 damage per tick. A priest can use Prayer of Healing during this phase. A pally healer can cast Beacon of Light on themselves, so they will get healed while healing their party.

The Drakkari Elemental will also “Surge” or charge, doing damage to anyone it passes. You can actually avoid this damage by moving out of the path of the Drakkari Elemental.

When the Elemental is at about 50%, it will merge with the Colossus again. The Drakkari Colossus then becomes active again until it’s health reaches 20%, then the Elemental emerges again. When you kill the Elemental this time, the fight ends and the body of the Elemental contains your loot.

Don’t forget your quest item for “One of a Kind”.

Normal Mode Loot

Hauberk of Totemic Mastery

Shoulderguards of the Ice Troll

Drakkari Hunting Bow

The mechanics for heroic mode are the same. The only noticeable difference I observed (aside of increased damage) was a new spell Drakkari Elemental has:

Drenched in Mojo – deals 3000-3500 damage to a target, followed by 1000-1500 damage every 2 or 3 seconds

Loot

Helm of Cheated Fate

Living Mojo Belt

Pauldrons of the Colossus

Bracers of the Divine Elemental

Cave of Mam’toth

You will travel through this cave on your way to Moorabi. Here you will likely face:

Drakkari Lancer — 45516 HP. Normal melee damage 801-1127

Impale – deals 1354-1900 physical damage, target bleeds for about 400 damage every 2 seconds for 8 seconds
Retaliation – an effect that counterattacks any enemy that attacks the mob for 5 seconds, dealing 1306-2533 physical damage
Disarm – forces an enemy to stop wielding a weapon for 5 seconds

Drakkari Fire Weaver — 45516 HP. Normal melee damage 600-1091

Lava Burst – deals 1021-1301 fire damage, if Flame Shock is active on the target Lava Burst will do double damage
Flame Shock – inflicts 407-778 damage every 3 seconds for 15 seconds
Blast Wave – deals 1847-2071 fire damage to nearby enemies and reduces movement speed for 6 seconds

Drakkari Medicine Man — 45516 HP. Normal melee damage 875-2038

Cleanse Magic – removes 1 harmful spell from an ally
Mana Link – spells cast draw energy from the enemy target instead of the Medicine Man’s own pool, lasts 20 seconds
Earth Shield – melee attacks will heal the shielded mob
Healing Wave – can heal a friendly target for about 15000 HP

Drakkari Earthshaker — 73964 HP. Normal melee damage 1556-2676, crits up to 5k-6k are possible

Slam Ground – deals normal damage plus 35, with a knockback
Powerful Blow – inflicts 150% normal damage
Head Crack – reduces the target’s Stamina for 20 seconds

Moorabi

The High Prophet of Mam’toth, he has 235K HP. Normal melee damage 886-2010.

Abilities

Ground Tremor – deals 2922-3150 physical damage to everyone in your party
Quake – deals 4581-4728 physical damage (while transformed)
Determined Gore – inflicts physical damage, target bleeds 785-1062 per tick
Determined Stab – deals 1001-1049 physical damage, cannot be parried, blocked, or dodged
Transformation – Moorabi transforms into a mammoth, damage dealt is increased by 25%

Strategy

This encounter is probably the easiest in Gundrak. A tank-and-spank in its purest form, there are no adds and the encounter doesn’t really change when the boss transforms. This fight does however take a lot of healing, everyone in the group will be taking damage from Ground Tremor or Quake. The healer must also have good timing, because heals will be interrupted and/or the healer will be silenced for about 3 seconds during each Tremor.

Moorabi’s Transformation is initially a 4 second cast and it can be interrupted. As the encounter progresses though, his cast time is reduced so the third time he tries to cast Transformation it will probably be little more than 2 seconds. A rogue can use Mind-Numbing Poison to make it easier to interrupt.

Normal Mode Loot

Forlorn Breastplate of War

Frozen Scepter of Necromancy

Arcane Focal Signet

Moorabi’s damage is almost double what it is on normal mode, but there are no real changes to the encounter on heroic.

Moorabi has about 430K HP and can do up to about 4000 normal melee damage.

Loot

Fist of the Deity

Mojo Frenzy Greaves

Ground Tremor Helm

Shroud of Moorabi

There is an additional boss you can fight on heroic, after defeating Moorabi.

Eck The Ferocious

The passage to Eck is in Moorabi’s room, opposite of where Moorabi stands. It opens when Moorabi is killed.

Eck The Ferocious has about 430K HP, and deals 4500-9000 normal melee damage.

Eck Spit – frontal cone AoE poison that deals 1500-3000 damage and drains ~220 mana every 1 second for 3 seconds
Eck Bite – deals 4500-5000 physical damage
Eck Spring – leaps at a target within 35 yards
Eck Berserk – attack speed increases 150% and he deals 500% more damage

Strategy

Because of his nasty spit, your tank should be the only one in front of Eck. The rest of your group (including healer and ranged) should stand close behind the boss. This will also make it easier for the tank to grab the boss when he “springs” at someone else. His spring does clear aggro.

Loot

Gorloc Muddy Footwraps

Engraved Chestplate of Eck

Leggings of the Ruins Dweller

Helmet of the Shrine

Pool of Twisted Reflections

After you defeat Moorabi (and provided your group has activated the altars after each boss), you can jump into the water from Moorabi’s altar to enter the Pool of Twisted Reflections and reach the last boss, Gal’darah. Don’t hang out in the water, there are some very unfriendly fish.

When you come out of the water, you’ll need to head north to cross the bridge defeating these last few trash mobs to clear the way.

Drakkari Battle Rider — 45516 HP. Normal melee damage 132-304

Throw – deals 762-1639 physical damage
Poisoned Spear – inflicts 2531-2630 nature damage and 900-1000 more every 3 seconds for 21 seconds

Drakkari Rhino — 91032 HP. Normal melee damage 1001-1507

Deafening Roar – deals 1471-1574 damage
Charge – charges at an enemy causing 4009 and possible knockback

Gal’darah

The High Prophet of Akali, he has 294K HP. Normal melee damage 1712-3034. This encounter has two phases, when the boss is in Troll form and when he is a Rhino.

Abilities

Troll

Whirling Slash – deals about 1000-1200 physical damage to nearby enemies, then 1554-2388 damage every 3 seconds
Impale – immobilizes a target and deals about 750 damage per second
Stomp – deals 1025-1302 damage
Rhino Spirit – can Stampede causing 4075-4124 damage to a target

Rhino

Puncture – deals about 1000 damage every 3 seconds for 5 seconds, can stack
Enrage – attack speed increases to 125% for 10 seconds

Strategy

Gal’darah transforms into a Rhino at 75%, back into a Troll at 50%, and into a Rhino again at 25%.

When the boss is in Troll form, there will be a Rhino Spirit add that will charge at your party members, doing 3k-4k damage and knocking them back about 10 yards.

The melee DPS and even the tank can move out of his AoE Whirling Slash, to save the healer some mana, or especially if the healer is impaled. Impale seems to last about 5 or 6 seconds, but a lot can happen in that time period when you have no healer.

Aside from that, this is mostly a DPS race. The healer (if possible) should keep a HoT on themselves just in case they become impaled.