INTRODUCTION

Read our WotLK Classic: Icecrown Citadel Guide. In this post, we will explain where the Icecrown Citadel is located. Which bosses you’ll encounter there, and in depth tactics for all of them. We will also go through the rewards that you can expect going into this final true Raid of WotLK on Classic realms(Ruby Sanctum – lol). As with all of our posts, before we dive into the topic, we will talk a bit about the history. We do this so that you can better understand the story behind it and why it’s important for WoW.

A bit of history regarding the Icecrown Citadel and the Lich King

Icecrown Citadel is the greatest, unyielding, and impregnable fortress in WoW Wrath of the Lich King expansion. It is the home of one of the greatest antagonists of WoW, the Lich King. This fortress once held the First Lich King Ner’zhul in a prison of ice, known as the Frozen Throne. Under his influence the Scourge along with the Dreadlords built the Icecrown Citadel. Arthas Menethil and Illidan Stormrage fought for control over it. Arthas won and shattered Ner’zhul’s prison, and by doing that he merged with him and became the new Lich King.

The fortress can be seen from almost every corner of Northrend, it rises up from the Icecrown Glacier and is made entirely out of Saronite and then layer after layer of cursed metal that’s wrapped around it. Breaching the Icecrown Citadel is close to impossible, unless you manage to get through one of it’s Gates that are protected by armies of the dead, and various other Scourge.

Aside from it being the greatest fortress, it is also one of the best Raids in WoW’s history, with Lich King as the Final Boss. If you need help with anything in WotLK Classic, the Raid itself or if you’d like to wield Shadowmourne, feel free to check out our services.

Now, without further ado, lets get into it!

Official Trailer

What will the Icecrown Citadel Guide cover?

This guide will focus on everything regarding the Icecrown Citadel, which includes:

• Icecrown Citadel entrance and map location
• The Raid versions and Lockout system
• Important Vendors & NPC’s
• Icecrown Citadel Bosses Review 
• Ashen Verdict Reputation
• Obtainable Mounts
• Shadowmourne Questline

Icecrown Citadel Entrance and Map Location

The Icecrown Citadel is located in the far south of the Icecrown zone on Northrend. It is back to back with the Wintergrasp Fortress, and the closest flight path is the actual Wintergrasp flightpath. However, we do not advise going there during the battle activity, so that you avoid being teleported to Dalaran!

Alternatively, you can simply choose to fly over there yourself, it is a short flight West from Dalaran.

Icecrown Citadel Raid Versions & Lockout

Icecrown Citadel(ICC) is a Raid filled with various types of mobs, as well as Bosses. It is a Level 80 Raid instance that has 10 & 25 man versions both of which have a Normal & Heroic Difficulty. It’s important to note that you can do this instance twice per week, once on 10 man, and once on 25 man. HOWEVER, the Normal and Heroic difficulty Share a lockout. Blizzard initially wanted to make 10 & 25 man share the same lockout. Thankfully, since they listened to the community, they made it only share a lockout between the Normal & Heroic difficulty.

For example: If you were to kill a boss on 25 man Normal, you won’t be able to kill that boss on Heroic that week. As is the case today in WoW Dragonflight – Retail. But, you will be able to kill that boss on 10 man, on either Normal or Heroic.

Another important thing to note, is that you won’t be able to kill a Boss on Heroic difficulty, unless you’ve killed all of the previous Bosses on Heroic difficulty in that week. This means that you won’t be able to kill the Lich King on Heroic, unless you’ve killed all the bosses on Heroic difficulty in that lockout period.

Important Vendors and NPC’s in Icecrown Citadel

As with all the new Raid Tiers, there have to be NPC’s from which you can take Raid Quests, Vendors that sell the new gear upgrades as well as set pieces for each of the Classes. When it comes to ICC, the majority of such NPC’s are located as soon as you enter the Raid. Some of the more notable ones are:

• Alchemist Finklestein
• Goodman the “Closer”
• Highlord Darion Mograine – Once you become Friendly with the Ashen Verdict. He will offer you the Quest called: “The Sacred and the Corrupt”, which is the first step towards obtaining Shadowmourne.

If you’re interested in our Shadowmourne service, feel free to look at this page.

Ashen Verdict Reputation

Ashen Verdict is one of the most important Reputations to farm in WotLK Classic. Once Icecrown Citadel Raid is out, you will be able to increase your reputation and gain various rewards along the way.

Icecrown Citadel Reputation Farm

Before we go into which Rewards you can obtain and which of the Quests you’ll be able to do. We must talk about the best ways of reaching Exalted with the Ashen Verdict. You will also be awarded with the achievement – The Ashen Verdict, and you will get of the Ashen Verdict title.

Unlike many other factions, the Ashen Verdict does not have a tabard. Tabards are usually used so you can grind Reputations while doing Dungeons, this won’t be the case here. There are two ways of farming the Ashen Verdict rep, one mediocre, the other extremely fast. Those are:

• Mediocre farm: Includes you doing the Weekly Quests for 10 & 25 man Icercrown Citadel. Doing the Shadowmourne Questline, as well as doing full weekly clears of 10 & 25 man ICC.
• Extremely fast farm: Find or make a Group that will clear all of the trash in the Instance and then go out, reset and rinse and repeat. It’s imperative that you don’t kill any of the bosses or you will be saved, thus rendering yourself unable to reset the Instance. By farming Icecrown Citadel this way, you should be Exalted in exactly 52 trash runs or 47 if you play a Human Character. This should take somewhere around 10-12 hours depending on your Group.

If you need help with with any of the Reputations in WotLK Classic, please check out our services!

Rewards

• Best in slot Ring for each Class & Specialization. Getting your Reputation up, will allow you to upgrade these Rings.
• Various Crafting Recipes that you can purchase from the Vendor by spending Primordial Saronite
• For Warriors, Retribution Paladins, and Death Knights the Shadowmourne Questline that can be started when you reach Friendly.

Best in-slot Rings

We will go through all of the Rings for different Specializations that you can obtain by reaching Exalted with the Ashen Verdict. These Rings are obtained by starting the Quest called: “Choose your Path“

• First and foremost, the Tanking Ring: Ashen Band of Courage, which provides you the Ashen Band of Endless Courage once you reach Exalted.
• The Healer Ring: Ashen Band of Wisdom, once you reach Exalted it will be upgraded to the Ashen band of Endless Wisdom.
• Then we have the Caster Ring: Ashen Band of Destruction, which will be upgraded to the Ashen Band of Endless Destruction once you get Exalted.
• The Agility Physical DPS Ring: Ashen Band of Vengeance, which on Exalted becomes the Ashen band of Endless Vengeance.
• The Strength Physical DPS Ring: Ashen Band of Might, that turns into the Ashen Band of Endless Might once you reach Exalted.

Easily obtainable and upgradable Rings that will help you get a decent footing in Icecrown Citadel as soon as it launches. We will explain more about how to farm the Ashen Verdict Reputation later on.

Ashen Verdict Crafting recipes and their pricing

As we said before, there’s a lot of crafting recipes that you can purchase from Alchemist Finklestein for 1 Primordial Saronite EACH. We will go through all profession and which recipes are available to them. Those are:

TAILORING – for this profession you will be able to obtain 4 different recipes:

• Pattern: Sandals of Consecration requires you to have HONORED Reputation.
• Pattern: Deathfrost Boots requires you to have HONORED Reputation.
• Pattern: Lightweave Leggings requires you to have REVERED Reputation.
• Pattern: Leggings of Woven Death requires you to have REVERED Reputation.

LEATHERWORKING – will enable you to learn 8 new recipes:

• Pattern: Footpads of Impeding Death requires you to have HONORED Reputation.
• Pattern: Blessed Cenarion Boots requires you to have HONORED Reputation.
• Pattern: Earthsoul Boots requires you to have HONORED Reputation.
• Pattern: Rock-Steady Threads requires you to have HONORED Reputation.
• Pattern: Bladeborn Leggings requires you to have REVERED Reputation.
• Pattern: Legwraps of Unleashed Nature requires you to have REVERED Reputation.
• Pattern: Lightning-Infused Leggings requires you to have REVERED Reputation.
• Pattern: Draconic Bonesplinter Legguards requires you to have REVERED Reputation.

BLACKSMITHING – with this Profession you will be able to purchase 6 new recipes:

• Plans: Protectors of Life require you to have HONORED Reputation.
• Plans: Hellfrozen Bonegrinders require you to have HONORED Reputation.
• Plans: Boots of Kingly Upheaval require you to have HONORED Reputation.
• Plans: Puresteel Legplates requires you to have REVERED Reputation.
• Plans: Legplates of Painful Death requires you to have REVERED Reputation.
• Plans: Pillars of Might requires you to have REVERED Reputation.

If you need Help with any Profession, you can check out our page!

Shadowmourne Questline – ICC

We’ve said that we’ll talk about the Questline, but we only want to touch on the subject. We will write an in depth guide about how to obtain this Legendary weapon and all the specifics in our Shadowmourne Guide! You can also read our WotLK Classic: Icecrown Citadel DPS Rankings / Tier List post, if you’re interested in which DPS Class Specs will be the best in this Raid.

Shadowmourne is the absolute best Weapon that you can have as a Warrior, Retribution Paladin, or a Death Knight. It is also only obtainable by the mentioned Classes. The Questline itself consists of 10 Quests, that are all quite well designed and interesting. However, on the 9th Quest you will obtain the Legendary Axe, while the 10th is to defeat the Lich King! That is the purpose of it’s creation after all. The Quests that you will have to complete are:

• The Sacred and the Corrupt
• Shadow’s Edge
• A Feast of Souls
• Unholy Infusion
• Blood Infusion
• Frost Infusion
• The Splintered Throne
• Empowerment
• Shadowmourne…
• The Lich King’s Last Stand

Most of the Quests revolve around gradually moving towards the Lich King, while obtaining the necessary ingredients to complete the Legendary Weapon.

If you need help in obtaining this amazing Weapon and you need it done by Professionals, then click!

While we’re on the subject of moving towards the Lich King, lets talk a bit about which bosses we’ll encounter.

Icecrown Citadel – Bosses Review

We will do our best to cover all of the Bosses, their abilities and intervals. We will also, give advice on which tactics you should implement to defeat them. The tactics vary as you know from  setup to setup, but still we’ll talk about what should be done overall. Bear in mind that some abilities gain additional effects and an increase in damage depending on the Raid size & difficulty.

Lord Marrowgar

Lord Marrowgar is the first boss in Icercrown Citadel. As usual, the first bosses are always one of the weaker ones in order to follow the natural Raid progression.

Boss Abilities:

• Bone Storm – Every 2 seconds, Lord Marrowgar will leave a bleed effect on you. The damage taken varies depending on how close or far you are from the Boss. The storm lasts for 30 seconds.
• Bone Spike Graveyard – He throws 3 spikes at random Players. These spikes will Impale the targets and inflict a lot of damage as well as do 10% of the targets health in damage per second. The spikes last for 5 minutes.
• Coldflame – This ability sends a line a frost which moves around. Anyone getting caught by it will suffer damage every 1 second for 8 seconds. The flames spawn from the boss and they will do a lot of damage if you’re hit.
• Bone Slice – Does a massive amount of damage that is split. It only hits Players in melee range. This is the Tank mechanic and it’s responsible for the high damage on Tanks.

Strategy:

The fight consists of two phases, which repeat until you kill the boss. At the start of the fight, all of your tanks have to run together to the boss because they have to split Bone Slice damage, otherwise you will risk your Main Tank dying. Your Tanks should always stay together because you can decrease the damage of Bone Slice. The whole raid should stand in melee range because you don’t get hit by the Coldflame there. Hunters can’t do that because they aren’t able to shoot at the boss from there, so they have to stand a little bit behind the Raid and they should always avoid the Coldflame.

Lord Marrowgar will Constantly use Bone Spike Graveyard ability to impale three targets. All melees should do damage to the Spikes to set free the Players that are hit. If you’re all stacked, then the Melee will do all the work via Cleave, Fan of Knives etc. However, if one of your Hunters or Casters gets Bone Spike Graveyard, your Ranged damage dealers are the best option to kill it since it’s useless for all your melees to run away from the boss. As soon as you see that Bone Storm is about to come, start to spread around the room. It’s possible for someone to get hit by Bone Spike Graveyard when the Bone Storm is about to start. Kill these spikes as fast as possible!

How the Bone Storm works – MOST OF THE TIME: When Bone Storm starts, it selects the target that stands farthest away. After the Boss reaches that target, he spawns Coldflame and this cycle repeats until the Bone Storm ends. Generally knowing this fact can help you make the most suitable tactic for your Raid Team.

Lady Deathwhisper

Next in line, we have Lady Deathwhisper. This is the second boss of the Raid and is one of the easier ones to defeat. However it can get hectic!

Boss Abilities:

• Mana Barrier – Automatically replenishes Lady Deathwhisper’s health, taking from her Mana to do so.
• Animate Dead – Reanimates a Cult Adherent or a Cult Fanatic and usually raises three of each, once per minute.
• Death and Decay – Inflicts Shadow damage per second to all targets standing within it’s 15 yard radius. The surface covered with this ability is easy to recognize, because the floor will be GREEN.
• Mind Control – Controls an Enemy, increases their Damage dealt and Health. Lasts 20 seconds.
• Dark Empowerment – Grants AoE damage abilities to Cult Adherents raised by Lady Deathwhisper and makes you unable to interrupt their spellcasting.
• Dark Transformation – Transforms a Cult Fanatic into a Behemoth and increases its Size and Damage dealt.
• Shadow Bolt – Cast time 2 seconds and adds Shadow damage. It is used only in Phase 1. 100 yards range.
• Frostbolt – Does Frost Damage and reduces movement speed by 50% for 4 secs. 2 secs cast time. It is used only in Phase 2.
• Frostbolt Volley – Frost Damage and reduces movement speed by 50%. Instant cast.
• Touch of Insignificance – Reduces threat by 20%. Stacks up to 5 times.
• Adherents – have a buff which makes adds almost Immune to Magic Damage.
• Fanatics – a buff which makes adds almost impervious to physical damage.
• Summon Vengeful Shade – Summons a Vengeful Shade that chases a party member and casts Vengeful Blast on them.

Strategy(Phase 1):

Before engaging the Boss, careful planning is essential. Prepare your team by assigning roles to your Tanks and DPS. Organize your raid into two distinct groups: ranged DPS and melee DPS. The ranged DPS should concentrate on Lady Deathwhisper, while the melee DPS should be ready for the waves of adds she summons.

Once the fight starts, position your raid on the upper platform, with the tank positioned to intercept the incoming adds. To keep your healers safe, ensure they remain behind to avoid AoE Damage. Lady Deathwhisper periodically spawns new waves of adds, alternating between sides of the room. It’s crucial for melee DPS to efficiently clear one side before transitioning to the other, systematically dealing with each set. Melee DPS should focus ADHERENTS, and FANATICS by your Casters. Beware of explosive adds that can deal substantial damage. The initial add will unleash a Whirlwind attack, demanding quick control from both you and your tank.

For optimal DPS, consider grouping adds on each side to allow melee classes to Cleave. Keep an eye out for Lady Deathwhisper’s Death and Decay spell, recognizable by its expansive GREEN circle on the floor. Move out of the area to evade its damaging effects.

Throughout the encounter, Lady Deathwhisper takes control over Raid members concurrently. Make sure you crowd control those affected by Mind Control. Fear, Polymorph, Cyclone depending on your Raid setup. Ensuring Crowd Control is maintained is CRUCIAL.

Strategy(Phase 2):

Timing is important when transitioning to the second phase. Lower Lady Deathwhisper’s Mana to approximately 5-10%, then push when she can’t spawn additional waves of adds. The second phase is triggered once you breach her Mana Shield.

Tanks reassume their usual roles in Phase 2, focusing on maintaining aggro due to Lady Deathwhisper’s Touch of Insignificance. A kick rotation should be sorted out so that you can make sure that no Frostbolt comes through. Although conceptually simple, this phase can become chaotic, requiring coordination between Tanks and DPS. While one or two tanks manage the boss, the others alternate between dealing with adds from one side. Adapting to this switching between adds and the Boss makes Phase 2 a bit more challenging.

Gunship Battle

The famous Lootship. It’s the third Boss in line in Icecrown Citadel, but it is arguable the easiest. The abilities that the Boss has are the same, only the Names change depending on your Faction.

Boss Abilities:

• Friendly Ship:
  Heat – Gunship Cannons use Heat as a resource. They generates heat. When a cannon’s heat level reaches 100, the cannon becomes Overheated and inactive for 3 seconds.
  Cannon Blast – Does Siege damage.
  Incinerating Blast – Does Siege damage plus damage per point of heat used to launch. Consumes Heat.
• Muradin Bronzebeard and High Overlord Saurfang:
  Battle Fury – Increases all damage by 12%, stacking. Lasts 20 seconds, refreshed with each stack. Applied every time Saurfang or Muradin strike a target.
  Cleave – Inflicts Weapon damage to up to 3 targets in front of Saurfang or Muradin.
  Rending Throw – Inflicts Physical damage, and applies a stacking DoT that ticks every 3 seconds. Used only when the tank is out of melee range.
• All Adds:
  Experienced – Increases damage by 30%, and attack and casting speed by 20%. Applied if a soldier has been alive for more than ~20 seconds.
  Veteran – Increases damage by 60%, and attack and casting speed by 40%. Applied if a soldier has been alive for more than ~40 seconds.
  Elite – Increases damage by 120%, and attack and casting speed by 80%. Applied if a soldier has been alive for more than 60 seconds.
  Desperate Resolve – Increases armor and attack speed by 60%. Applied when a soldier’s health gets below 20%.
• Skybreaker Sergeant or Kor’kron Sergeant:
  Wounding Strike – Inflicts 200% weapon damage and reduces all healing done to the target by 40% for 10 seconds.
  Bladestorm – Inflicts weapon damage to up to 4 nearby targets every 1 second for 6 seconds.
• Skybreaker Mortar Soldier or Kor’kron Rocketeer:
  Rocket Artillery – Targets an area on the players’ ship and launches a rocket there. The rocket travels for a few seconds, causing an Explosion when it lands, inflicting Fire damage to players and Siege damage to the gunship.
  Explosion – Inflicts Fire damage to party members and siege damage to gunships.
• Skybreaker Sorcerer or Kor’kron Battle-Mage:
  Below Zero – Freezes the enemy gunship’s cannons, rendering them inactive. Channeled spell. Cannot be interrupted.
• Skybreaker Riflema or Kor’kron Axethrower:
  Hurl Axe – Inflicts Physical damage.
  Shoot – Inflicts Physical damage.

Strategy:

To win the Gunship battle, split your raid into two groups: one to defend your ship and one to attack the enemy ship. Send most players to attack and leave only a few on your ship to operate cannons and help with defense.

The attackers’ goal is to eliminate the mage and the Rocketeers or Mortars on the enemy ship. After that, they can return to help with defense. On your own ship, four players should manage the cannons, targeting the Rocketeers or Mortars who shoot rockets that can be dodged easily. These enemies have a small knockback effect on their rockets.

The enemy’s commander deals more damage and gets stronger with Battle Fury, which boosts his damage by 12%. The enemy soldiers also improve their skills over time, but these changes shouldn’t be too challenging. Keep an eye out for Axe Throwers or Riflemen who shoot from a distance. Occasionally, a mage will freeze your cannons; attackers must handle the mage, while defenders deal with Reavers or Marines and a Sergeant that teleports in. Both these enemies become more dangerous the longer they survive.

It’s wise to assign ranged DPS to defense, as they can avoid the Sergeant’s attacks and help attackers when possible. Once the mage is defeated and your ship is secure, four defenders can return to the cannons to continue damaging the enemy gunship, repeating the cycle.

Attackers need to watch out for Saurfang or Muradin, who will try to defeat your raid. Assign a tank to handle them and be cautious of their stacking Battle Fury buff, which increases their damage. If the buff gets too high, you may need to leave the ship briefly or have the tank use defensive abilities to buy time. Make sure that you defeat the mages quickly, whenever they appear.

Deathbringer Saurfang

Deathbringer Saufang, also known as Dranosh Saurfang. Was the son of Varok Saurfang, who was one of the highest ranking Horde Members. He is also the 4th Boss in Icecrown Citadel. This fight is not difficult, but does require good positioning and DPS if you plan on defeating the boss.

Boss Abilities:

• Mark of the Fallen Champion – Causes Deathbringer Saurfang’s melee attacks to splash to this target dealing additional Physical damage. If the target dies while under this effect Saurfang is healed for 5% of his total health. Cannot be dispelled or removed by any means, including death.
• Boiling Blood – Boils the blood of an enemy, inflicting Physical damage every 3 seconds for 15 seconds.
• Rune of Blood – leeches health when he performs melee attacks on targets marked with Rune of Blood. Leeches health and heals Saurfang for 20 times that amount.
• Call Blood Beast – Calls forth Blood Beasts.

Strategy:

In this battle, positioning is key. Set your positions before starting and stick to them. Spread out into two groups to minimize the impact of Boiling Blood, which hits players in the same area. Alliance players have a short wait, but Horde players wait nearly 2 minutes with a role-playing event before the fight.

The fight is quite static, providing time to react. The tanks should watch for Rune of Blood debuffs, taunting after it’s applied for faster Blood Power generation and healing from Saurfang’s hits. Mark of the Fallen Champion is challenging for healers. Assign healers for each mark to care for tanks and the raid. Shield spells like Power Word: Shield are good against Boiling Blood and preventing Blood Power generation.

Your DPS must focus on killing 5 Blood Beasts around Saurfang every 35 seconds. Eliminate them quickly to prevent the deadly Scent of Blood debuff. Use snare and knockback abilities to control them. At 30%, Saurfang gains Frenzy, dealing more damage. At this point you should use Bloodlust or Heroism. If well-executed, Saurfang should fall after 2 or 3 Mark of the Fallen Champion.

Festergut

Festergut is a boss that can be found in the Plagueworks wing of the Icecrown Citadel Raid. This boss is mainly a DPS check, and not much tactics involved. However, we will do our best to help you understand the fight!

Boss Abilities:

• Gas Spore – Hits three random party members Causes Physical damage to nearby party members after 12 seconds.
• Malleable Goo – Inflicts Damage in a 5 yards radius and slows casting and attack speed by 200% for 15 secs.
• Gaseous Blight – Inflicts Shadow damage and hits all party members.
• Inhale Blight – Increases Festergut’s damage and attack speed by 30%. 3.5 sec cast.
• Pungent Blight – Does a substantial amount of Shadow damage which damages every party member. 3 sec cast.
• Vile Gas – Inflicts Damage every two seconds. Causes infected party members to vomit and damage other nearby party members. Last 6 sec.
• Gastric Bloat – Inflicts Nature damage. Damage increases by 10% each time it’s cast causes Gastric Explosion when it reaches 10 stacks. Lasts 100 seconds.
• Gastric Explosion – Kills the infected party member and inflicts Shadow damage to nearby party members.

Strategy:

In the beginning, the raid should split into three groups around Festergut. Stay 10 yards apart to avoid Malleable Goo and Vile Gas. Tanks keep Festergut centered throughout the fight. Shamans place totems under the boss for raid buffs.

On Heroic mode, Professor Putricide joins the fight. He throws Malleable Goo, dealing damage and slowing attacks and casting. Avoid this to prevent DPS and healing reduction. Watch for green puddles indicating goo impact spots. Everyone needs 3x Inoculated debuffs, gained near exploding Gas Spores. Stack with healers on the first spore wave for this. Melee players can mark positions and switch to dodge goo.

Keep tanks alive, get Inoculated, Deal damage, and Festergut is doable.

Rotface

Rotface is the second abomination boss that resides in the Plagueworks wing of the Icecrown Citadel. This fight is more of a survival and awareness fight.

Boss Abilities:

• Mutated Infection – Inflicts Damage per second and reduces healing received by 50%. Creates a little ooze when it ends. Last 12 secs.
• Ooze Flood – Inflicts Damage per second and reduces movement speed by 10% per stack. Last 5 secs.
• Slime Spray – Inflicts Nature damage per second. Last 5 secs.
• Vile Gas – Inflicts Damage every two seconds. Causes infected party members to vomit and damage other nearby Party members. Last 6 sec.
• Little Ooze:
  Sticky Ooze – Inflicts Damage per second, reduces movement speed by 50%.
  Weak Radiating Ooze – Inflicts Damage every 2 seconds, merges little oozes with big ooze.
• Big Ooze:
  Sticky Ooze – Inflicts Damage per second, reduces movement speed by 50%.
  Radiating Ooze – Inflicts Damage, merges big ooze with little oozes.
  Unstable Ooze – Increases damage dealt by 20%, stacks up 10 times.
  Unstable Ooze Explosion – Inflicts Damage, 6 yard radius.

Strategy:

Set up your Raid positions like you did on Festergut. Before the fight, pick players to spread around Rotface, so melee Classes stay safe from Vile Gas. You’ll need around Players outside the circle. Vile Gas causes big damage, so avoid spreading it. Start with Bloodlust or Heroism right away.

For this fight, use two tanks. One stays on Rotface, the other handles small oozes. Keep Rotface in the room center, and the second tank guides oozes around him.

Little oozes show up when Mutated Infection ends. The first kiter makes two oozes merge by leading them close. Healers can cleanse the kiter when they’re near the second ooze, or wait for the infection to end. The small and big oozes combine after five small ones merge. The big ooze explodes, so healers watch for this and the Off-Tank keeps it away.

Don’t lead oozes through others! The DPS has 4 seconds to move from the exploding ooze. Stay out of green Ooze Flood, as it slows you down and hurts. Whenever Rotface turns his head, quickly move to avoid Slime Spray. Watch out for big ooze explosions and avoid small ooze grenades.

Before returning to your spot, check for Vile Gas. Don’t rush back into melee range if it’s coming. For healers, stand beside the boss for wide reach. Paladins can use Divine Shield and Hand of Sacrifice for Unstable Ooze Explosion.

Professor Putricide

Professor Putricide is one of the hardest Bosses in ICC. He is also the one who made Festergut and Rotface as well as various other Scourge abominations. He also made the Forsaken! So far you’ve had it easy, when this one comes, many Groups and even Guilds will have issues. Putricide is the final Boss of the Plagueworks wing in the Icecrown Citadel. He requires A LOT of DPS and movement.

Boss Abilities:

• Unbound Plague – Inflicts damage per second. The damage is increased every second the Blight remains on you.
• Unstable Experiment – This is the ability that spawns either Gas Cloud or Volatile Ooze.
• Slime Puddle – Creates a puddle of slime on the target locations.
• Choking Gas Bomb – Professor Putricide throws gas bombs around him, dealing Damage per second and explodes in 20 seconds.
• Choking Gas Explosion – This is the explosion caused by gas bombs about 20 seconds after they hit the ground. The gas explosion deals Damage and reduces hit chance by 100% for 20 secs.
• Malleable Goo – Inflicts Damage to anyone who stands in its path, as well as reducing attack and casting speed by 250%.
• Mutated Strength – Increases Putricide’s attack speed and damage by 50% and inflicts increasing damage every 3 secs.
• Mutated Plague – Heals Professor Putricide for A LOT for each stack of Mutated Plague that was on the target.
• Voatile Ooze and Green Ooze:
  Ooze Eruption – Inflicts huge Damage, shared with nearby targets, knocking them back in all directions.
  Volatile Ooze Adhesive – Bonds the target to Volatile Ooze, inflicting Damage per second and rooting the target.
• Gas Cloud and Orange Ooze:
  Gaseous Bloat – Inflicts Damage every 2 seconds.

Prepare for a challenge with Professor Putricide in ICC. This boss fight demands adaptability. Let’s break down each of the phases:

Strategy(Phase 1) 100-80% HP:

In the beginning, the raid splits into three groups: two for ranged and healing, and one for melee. The disease spreads among players. For melee, it hops quickly, so they must spread out fast. Pass the disease around safely, around 8-10 seconds. Crucially, time the phase transition well to deal with oozes. Prioritize the green ooze.

Strategy(Phase 2) 80-35% HP:

Phase 2 brings more challenges. Ooze adds and Choking Gas Bombs start to show up. Dodge Malleable Goo and Choking Gas Explosion. Stick to the group formations from Phase 1. Keep passing the disease. Melees and tanks need to watch out for Choking Gas Bomb. Control where the boss stands to avoid the debuff. Transition wisely and slowly around 37% to handle oozes effectively.

Strategy(Phase 3) 35-0% HP:

In the final phase, proper positioning is key. Watch out for oozes and Choking Gas Bomb. Since Slime Puddle can’t be soaked anymore, maintain a clear center. Boss movement is vital to avoid debuffs on melee. Tanks coordinate taunts to minimize Raid damage. Focus on healing tanks, let some players go down if needed. Use Bloodlust/Heroism after oozes, make sure you plan ahead. Consider letting Players with the disease die and revive them later.

Blood Prince Council

This is the first encounter in the Crimson Hall wing in Icecrown Citadel. The Council consists of 3 Bosses. Princes Keleseth, Valanar and Taldaram. This fight is pretty straightforward with just a few things to look out for.

Boss Abilities:

• Shadow Prison – The Shadow Prison is a debuff cast on every player that moves. Every time you move you get one stack of this effect, every stack does Damage. For example you run around for 10 seconds, so you have 10 stacks and suffer Damage per second. An important fact at this point is you stop taking damage as soon as you stop moving! So if you notice that you have a lot of stacks on you, just stop moving and let the debuff wear off. It’s better to stop wherever you are when you have too many debuffs rather than risk dying just because you wanted to get to the boss to deal damage.
• Kinetic Bomb – The entire fight these bright spheres (up to 4) fall from the ceiling. As soon as one touches the bottom it explodes, dealing massive damage and throwing the entire raid through the room. In many cases this leads to a wipe, so you should always keep them in mind. Damaging these bombs will make them fly up again.
• Prince Valanar:
  Empowered Shock Vortex – A wave of force emanates from the caster, inflicting Physical damage and knocking nearby friends away.
  Shock Vortex – Deals Damage to all enemies within A yards and knocks them back.
• Prince Keleseth:
  Shadow Lance – Hurls a bolt of dark magic at an enemy, inflicting Shadow damage.
  Empowered Shadow Lance – Hurls a bolt of dark magic at an enemy, inflicting Huge Shadow damage.
  Summon Dark Nucleus – Keleseth periodically summon Dark Nucleus, which have Shadow Resonance ability.
• Prince Taldaram:
  Conjure Flame Sphere – He creates a BIG Flame Sphere above him which speeds towards a player in the distance. When the sphere reaches its target it explodes, dealing massive damage in a small radius. But it is possible to reduce this explosion – when flying over other players, the sphere shoots small fireballs at them. This reduces the size of Flame Sphere, and with it the damage of the explosion at its target. In his normal form, Taldaram sometimes casts SMALL Flame Sphere on players in the raid, but these do only a small amount of damage, which can be ignored.

Strategy:

Facing Valanar, Taldaram, and Keleseth together is the challenge. They share health and powers. Valanar begins empowered, and the order afterwards is random. The Cycle always repeats. Arrange players loosely on sides, leaving upper platform for melee. Melees get specific spots to dodge Shock Vortex. Don’t run toward healers during it. Hunters and warlocks handle the Kinetic Bomb.

When Valanar’s empowered, his Empowered Shock Vortex hits all, causing damage and throws. Stay about 10 yards apart. Unempowered Valanar casts a single Shock Vortex, easy to dodge.

Every 45 secs, the empowered prince changes. Be on guard of last-minute special ability. Empowered Taldaram needs melee or far range. Beware of Flame Sphere. Melee should move a bit to weaken it. Healers or Ranged targeted by Flame Sphere should flee.

With Keleseth, focus on threat. Tank chases Dark Nucleus. Keleseth casts Shadow Lance on tank. When it’s Empowered, it is deadly. Tank gathers Dark Nucleus by damaging them. They shoot tank, reducing damage taken. Keep three Dark Nucleus on tank. Holy Paladins heal Keleseth’s tank with Beacon of Light. If Keleseth’s second active prince, use Pain Suppression and Hand of Sacrifice to help tank survive. Tank may lack Dark Nucleus.

Blood-Queen Lana’Thel

Blood-Queen Lana’thel is the leader of the San’layn. The San’layn are a sect of blood elves who were raised from the dead by the Lich King. She is the last Boss of the Crimson Hall Wing in Icecrown Citadel. High awareness and understanding of the fight are crucial. Even one Player dying can lead to a wipe.

Boss Abilities:

• Swarming Shadows – Casted on a random player in the raid. This player will have purple flames appear beneath them and have to carry those out of the raid.
• Pact of the Darkfallen – Links players together with a red beam, causing them to inflict Shadow damage to players within range. To stop this effect all linked players have to be within 5 yards of each other for at least one second.
• Bloodbolt Whirl – Hurls a bolt of dark blood at the target, dealing Damage. Used only in the Air phase.
• Essence of the Blood Queen – Several seconds after entering the encounter the Blood-Queen bites the player. This bite turns you into a Vampire, causing you to deal 100% increased damage and causes attacks to heal the player for 15% of the damage done. After 60 seconds the buff fades and you gain a debuff called Frenzied Bloodthirst. You will now have little time to bite another non-infected player to satisfy your need for blood.
• Shroud of Sorrow – Inflicting Shadow damage every 2 sec. To nearby Enemies.
• Twilight Bloodbolt – Hurls a bolt of dark blood at the target, dealing Damage to the target and surrounding allies within 6 yards.
• Blood Mirror – Links all of the Main Tank damage with another raid member causes shadow damage on that raid member hits whoever’s standing closest to the tank.

Strategy:

Before starting, arrange the bite sequence (who bites whom) and positions for the entire raid. Position healers at the edge of the inner circle for healing coverage. Split remaining ranged DPS to left and right sides, spread out already. Select 4 top DPS players. Typically, a Hunter gets the first bite. After the first bite, that player bites the other 3 top DPSers. Prioritize doing as much damage as possible in order to defeat Blood Queen Lana’thel before she Enrages. Bite only the highest DPS Players that you have in your Raid. Remember, each player can bite only once.

Upon engaging, tanks move to where Lana’thel stands and tank her there for easy raid spread. Healers, take note of raid members with Blood Mirror cast. Heal through it as squishy Classes might take a lot of damage. Avoid losing Raid members in this fight. The Off-Tank should remain close to the Main Tank to share damage. Follow the previously discussed plan. When Swarming Shadows occur, move to the outside, near the wall, leaving the flame. Swarming Shadows damage will kill you if you stay in it. For Pact of the Darkfallen, locate linked Raid members, follow the red lines. Linked members run together to remove Pact of the Darkfallen. Also, expect Twilight Bloodbolt – spread out, healers focus and overheal.

During the air phase, Blood-Queen Lana’thel randomly targets players with Bloodbolt Whirl, damaging the target and those within 6 yards. Stay spread to avoid splash damage. Defensive CDs from all classes are crucial, along with healers using their best AoE healing abilities.

Furthermore, she casts an AoE Fear at the air phase start, causing further chaos. Use abilities like Fear Ward and Tremor Totem. Stay ready to spread out and keep a Healthstone on standby. Don’t forget the bite rotation and stay alive during the air phase. If you manage this, Blood-Queen Lana’thel will be defeated.

Valithria Dreamwalker

Valithria Dreamwalker is the first boss of the Frostwing Halls. She is a Green Dragon that was captured by the Scourge and held captive. This Boss is pretty simple if you have good enough Healers.

Boss Abilities:

• Valithria Dreamwalker:
  Summon Nightmare Portal – Gives you access to the Dream State.
  Twisted Nightmares – While you have this buff you will take Nature damage every 3 seconds but will also gain 200 Mana every 3 seconds and your Healing and Damage is increased by 10%. This buff lasts 40 seconds, stacks up to 100 and it is the key to winning this encounter.
• Blazing Skeleton:
  Fireball – Inflicts Fire damage.
  Lay Waste – Inflicts Fire damage every 2 seconds for 12 seconds. 50,000 yard radius.
• Blistering Zombie:
  Acid Burst – The caster explodes, dealing Nature damage instantly and Nature damage per second to all enemies within 15 yards.
  Corrosion – Inflicts Nature damage every 3 seconds, reduces armor by 10 percent, stacks up to 5 times, lasts 6 seconds, only procs when the zombie lands a melee swing.
• Risen Archmage:
  Column of Frost – Frost damage, 3 yard radius, knock into the air.
  Frostbolt Volley – Inflicts Frost damage to nearby enemies, reducing their movement speed for 4 sec.
  Mana Void – Burns 1,000 mana per second, 6 yard radius, lasts 30 seconds.
• Glutonous Abomination:
  Gut Spray – Deals Nature damage per second and increases Physical damage taken by 25% for 12 sec.
• Rot Worm:
  Spawned by the Glutonous Abomination when it dies, deals Melee physical damage on one target.
• Supressor:
  Supression – Reduces healing received by the target by 10%. Lasts until cancelled.

Strategy:

Valithria starts the fight with 50% Health, and your goal is to heal her to 100% while fighting off Scourge enemies that try to stop you. This is primarily a fight for healers, with DPS providing support. Initially, all healers should focus on healing Valithria, but as the battle goes on, healers should be assigned appropriately so that they cover the Raid. Keep in mind, the more the battle goes on, the more damage your raid will take. Assign healers, particularly Holy Paladins, to specific locations near the Portals. Plan a strategy for collecting stacks inside the Portals, as this is crucial. Healing teams should move in groups to make the best use of the stacks. Be cautious, though. If only one stack remains, wait a few seconds after leaving the Summon Nightmare Portal area before collecting it to ensure your buff doesn’t fade. Remember that this buff also damages you on Heroic mode, so some healing might be needed.

DPS players need to be highly aware of their surroundings and follow a priority list. Quickly eliminate Blazing Skeletons to prevent their Lay Waste ability. Prioritize dealing with groups of Suppressors to maintain Valithria’s healing. Suppressors can be slowed down.

Watch out for Risen Archmages with their dangerous Column of Frost and Frostbolt Volley. Interrupt their casts whenever possible. Priests can use Mass Dispel to help the raid. Be cautious around Blistering Zombies, which explode with Acid Burst when defeated. Gluttonous Abominations have high health and spawn Rot Worms upon death. These Rot Worms deal significant melee damage and should be killed instantly.

Sindragosa

Sindragosa is the final boss of the Forstwing Halls Wing in Icecrown Citadel. She was Malygos’ last consort from the time before his madness. She was killed by Neltharion that used the Dragon Soul to mortally wound her. She was sent to the far North where she was ressurrected by the Lich King. Generally this is not a hard fight, but it does require you to stay aware at all times of what’s going on and stay on your toes. Also, you must meet the DPS requirement.

Boss Abilities:

• Tail Smash – Inflicts Damage on enemies within 20 yards of the tail’s impact point, knocking them back.
• Frost Aura – Deals Frost damage to all nearby enemies every 3 sec.
• Icy Grip – Drags all raid members to her in preparation for Blistering Cold.
• Blistering Cold – Deals Huge Frost damage to enemies within 25 yards.
• Unchained Magic – Causes Arcane backlash after 8 seconds.
• Instability – Inflicts Arcane damage per stack while you’re under the effect of Unchained Magic, 5 sec after spellcasting ends. On heroic mode this debuff also damaged all friendly targets in 20 yards from you.
• Frost Beacon – Marks a target for imprisonment in an Ice Tomb.
• Ice Tomb – Conjures spheres of icy energy to entomb enemies in blocks of ice.
• Frost Bomb – Deals Unhealable Frost damage to all nearby targets.
• Mystic Buffet – Buffets all nearby foes with magic every 6 sec, increasing magical damage taken by 10% per stack. Last 8 sec.
• Penetrating Cold – Melee DPS cause physical damage to be inflicted with 1,000 frost damage per stack every 2 sec.
• Frost Breath – Inflicts Huge Frost damage to enemies in a 60 yard cone in front of the caster. In addition, the targets’ attack speed is decreased by 50% and movement decreased by 15%.

The fight unfolds in two phases. Phase 1 from 100-35% HP and Phase 2 from 35-0% HP.

Strategy(Phase 1) 100-35% HP:

In Phase 1, after Sindragosa lands, wait for the tank to establish aggro. The tank should position Sindragosa to the side to avoid dangerous attacks. Melees need to avoid Tail Smash, Frost Breath, and be prepared for Blistering Cold. Keep an eye on your stacks of Penetrating Cold, and don’t let them go beyond 8 or 9 to make it manageable for healers. Stop casting if Sindragosa uses Unchained Magic on you, as it can be lethal. Healers should avoid exceeding 5 or 6 stacks of Unchained Magic and be away from the raid. When Icy Grip is cast, quickly move away from Sindragosa to avoid the following Blistering Cold. Abilities like Blink, Ghost Wolf, or Disengage can help you escape. When Sindragosa takes off, she targets six players with Frost Beacon. Make sure to mark those targeted, and a Paladin should give the main tank Hand of Freedom for a smooth transition to the air phase. During the air phase, DPS focus on destroying Ice Tombs, with all raid members hiding behind them to avoid Frost Bombs.

Strategy(Phase 2) 35-0% HP:

Phase 2  introduces the Mystic Buffet ability. Ensure no more than 5 or 6 stacks of Mystic Buffet accumulate, avoid magic damage during Unchained Magic, and either use a tank cooldown or Pain Suppression and Hand of Sacrifice. Sindragosa doesn’t fly anymore but places Frost Beacons on players who create Ice Tombs on the ground as in the air phase. The raid should stay behind Ice Tombs to avoid Mystic Buffet and periodically move between left and right Ice Tombs to handle Blistering Cold and Frost Bombs. Proper execution of the tactic and following the strategy will lead to success in Phase 2. Psychologically this encounter seems more difficult than it actually is. However, when everything is done right, Sindragosa can be defeated without much trouble.

FINAL BOSS OF ICECROWN CITADEL – THE LICH KING

The Lich King is the Final boss of the Icecrown Citadel Raid. He is definitely a TIER above the rest in this Raid. Killing this Boss will require incredibly good Group setup, awareness, knowledge and teamwork. Many mechanics and abilities that this Boss has going for him will require Players to help each other get out of certain situations.

Boss Abilities:

• Summon Drudge Ghouls – Summons 3 Drudge Ghouls over 3 sec.
• Summon Shambling Horror – Summons a Shambling Horror. The Shambling possesses Shockwave and Enrage abilities.
• Soul Reaper – Strikes the target for 50% weapon damage and afflicts the target with Soul Reaper. This effect deals Huge Shadow damage after 5 sec and increases the caster’s haste by 100% for 5 sec.
• Necrotic Plague – Infests the target with a deadly plague, causing HUGE Shadow damage every 5 sec for 15 sec. If the target dies while afflicted or the effect ends, this effect will gain an additional stack and jump to a nearby unit. If this effect is dispelled, it will lose a stack and jump to a nearby unit. Whenever this effect jumps, The Lich King’s power will increase.
• Plague Siphon – Increases Lich King’s physical damage dealt by 2%. Stack increases each time Necrotic Plague jumps.
• Infest – Deals Shadow damage to all enemy players. In addition, the targets will take increasing Shadow damage per second. This effect is removed when the target has more than 90% health.
• Remorseless Winter – Creates a massive winter storm, dealing Frost damage per second to all surrounding enemies within 45 yards.
• Pain and Suffering – Deals Shadow damage in a cone effect in front of the caster. In addition, the targets will take Shadow damage per second for 3 sec. Stacking up to 5 times.
• Summon Ice Sphere – Ice Sphere deals Frost damage and knockback out of platform every enemy who it reaches.
• Summon Raging Spirit – The Raging Spirit possesses Soul Shriek ability.
• Defile – Defiles the area under a random target. Any enemies got within this area will be dealt shadow damage and cause the area to grow. Lasts 30s.
• Summon Val’kyr Shadowguard – A Val’kyr Shadowguard tries to pick up a random raid member and drop them off the top of Icecrown Citadel.
• Harvest Soul – Attempts to harvest the soul of all nearby enemies, dealing Shadow damage per second. If a target is still alive after the channel is completed, that target’s soul will be transfered into Frostmourne to be devoured.
• Vile Spirits – Creates 10 Vile Spirits which will attack enemies after 30 seconds.
• Shadow Trap – Deals Shadow damage to all enemies within 10 yards, knocking them back.
• Fury of Frostmourne – Deals too much Shadow damage to all enemies and renders them unable to release spirit or be resurrected. Lich King casts it at 10% hp. If you see the Lich King casting this spell, that means your work is done!

The final battle against the Lich King is divided into multiple phases, each with its own challenges and tactics.

Strategy(Phase 1) 100-70% HP:

As the fight begins, the Lich King is positioned at the center of the platform. Off-Tank duties include managing Shambling Horrors, ensuring they are positioned with their backs to the Raid. Raid members should stand at the middle edge of the platform to avoid frontal cone attacks. Necrotic Plague, a debuff cast on players, needs to be managed carefully to ensure it is passed onto Shambling Horrors. DPS should clear Drudge Ghouls and manage their Frenzy state. Infest, a damaging debuff, requires healers’ attention to prevent it from becoming overwhelming. The phase transition triggers when the Lich King reaches 70% health, the raid should move to a new platform at this point.

Strategy(Phase 1.5) Transition phase:

As the raid spreads out, make sure to minimize damage from Pain and Suffering and Ice Spheres. Off-Tank manages Raging Spirits, and Ranged DPS prioritize Ice Spheres to prevent them from disrupting the Raid. The phase involves a delicate balance of positioning and target priority. Transitioning back to the main platform before the mobile one disappears is vital.

Strategy(Phase 2) 70-40%:

In this phase, the Main Tank holds the Lich King in the center, while Off-Tank addresses any remaining Raging Spirits. Managing the Plague Siphon debuff becomes imperative, as it gradually boosts the Lich King’s damage output. DPS and healers should stack properly in order to deal with Val’kyr Shadowguards and Defile. Defile requires the raid to quickly shift away, while Val’kyr Shadowguards necessitate coordinated stuns for maximum efficiency. As the phase continues, careful movement and positioning are crucial to prevent wiping due to Defile. At 40%, the raid moves to the new platform once more.

Strategy(Phase 2.5) Transition phase:

Similar to the first transition, Raging Spirits are managed, but now without the presence of Shambling Horrors and Drudge Ghouls. Off-Tank focuses on Raging Spirits’ control, and the DPS must focus on eliminating them.

Strategy(Phase 3) 40-10%:

The beginning of the final phase involves handling Raging Spirits promptly. As Harvest Soul triggers, raid members must ensure their health is high enough to withstand the stun effect and ensuing damage. Inside the Frostmourne room, the Raid should group up in the center before collectively choosing a location with fewer bombs and moving there together, creating a safe path for bomb drops. After exiting the Frostmourne room, the Raid should deal with Defile and prepare for Vile Spirits. Effective positioning and timing ensure that raid members can safely manage Vile Spirits and Defile mechanics. Successful execution of these mechanics leads the Raid towards the ultimate confrontation with the Lich King.

Once the boss is lowered to 10% he will cast “Fury of Frostmourne”, which will kill the entire Raid. At this point you will be unable to resurrect or act in any way. It will seem like he Enraged and killed everyone. On the contrary, at this point you can consider the Lich King – DEFEATED!

Throughout the fight, tanks, healers, and the DPS have to be in sync, in order to navigate the Lich King’s complex mechanics. Effective positioning, rapid decision-making, and efficient target prioritization will be the key factors that determine the outcome of this amazing encounter.

If you need help with any WotLK Classic raid, we can help you out on any Region, Faction and Realm. Feel free to take a look!

Lastly, Icecrown Citadel offers us some amazing mounts, so lets see which ones we can get from this Raid.

Mounts you can obtain from the Icecrown Citadel

Mounts in general are a show of prestige. If you ever saw someone riding Ashes of A’lar, Rivendare’s Deathcharger, Midnight, Mimiron’s Head and many others, you knew that that Person was either lucky, or dedicated. Here we will mention the mounts that will show off your prestige in the Icecrown Citadel.

• Glory of the Icecrown Raider (25 Player) – getting this achievement will mean that you’ve managed to complete all the Boss achievements listed under this META achievement. By doing this you’ve earned the right to Mount on your Skeletal Dragon – Icebound Frostbrood Vanquisher!
• Glory of the Icecrown Raider (10 Player) – finalizing this META achievement will prove your worth and award you with the Bloodbathed Frostbrood Vanquisher!
• Invincible’s Reins – this is an EXTREMELY-LOW drop chance Mount from the Lich King. If you manage to obtain this mount, you will be awarded with Invincible. One of the most prestigious Mounts in the history of WoW, even now. This mount can drop only on 25-man Heroic version of the Icecrown Citadel and it’s a horse that can fly!

With this we conclude this long post of one of the best Raids in WoW. This expansion was the pinnacle of WoW and had the highest amount of active subscribers to the game. No wonder WotLK Classic is popular – right!

If you need help with anything regarding Mounts, Raids, Dungeons, Leveling or any other type of boosting service, please take a look at our site! We wish you the best of luck getting through Icecrown Citadel once it’s out! We will leave a goodbye present at the bottom for those of you who haven’t seen this WotLK Classic Trailer!

Changes coming to Icecrown Citadel with the Fall of the Lich King in WotLK Classic

You can find all the Updates on our other post – WotLK Classic: Fall of the Lich King Updates!

Newest WotLK Classic TRAILER