World of Warcraft: Zul’Gurub
Lore:
Ok, so remember when we talked about the sunken Temple? And a bunch of troll priests camped out there trying to rustle up an ancient troll god? Well, they’re still at it, this time in the ancient troll capital of Zul’Gurub.
So a bunch of their most powerful priests set up shop there and successfully summoned Hakkar, who immediately sets about mind controlling everybody in sight. So now your job is to run on in there, take out the priests and kill a god.
Degree of Difficulty: Hard
Even at 80 there are are some difficulties to be had with the trash. Firstly because there is a lot of it, and everywhere. And secondly because they almost all have some sort of gimmicky power. Raptors give disease, Hakkar’s guardians steal mana, Champions and Berzerkers have hard knockbacks, Axe Throwers do stuns, etc. It’s nothing you won’t be able to beat, but it’s still very annoying.
The bosses range from very difficult to very easy. Jeklik has a heal, for example. It can be interrupted, but it’s still difficult to DPS all the way through. Thekal has two minions, both of whom need to be DPSed in tandem with him or they will resurrect each other and a very annoying silence. Mandokir has an enrage when you kill his raptor that will easily kill even the highest geared 80s unless you’re prepared. Hakkar himself has all the powers of his minions, unless you’re able to kill them all before you reach him.
Special Features:
The big thing, of course, is the two mounts that drop in the instance. Mandokir has a small chance to drop his raptor mount. Thekal drops a uniquely skinned tiger mount. No word on whether or not these will still remain in Cataclysm. They are, however, very cool and worth a run a couple times a week to see if you can get one (or both) to drop.
Recommended for Levels: 55-60
Zul Gurub is the first “big” endgame raid in World of Warcraft. The rewards are actually pretty minimal, but overall it’s a fun, challenging raid which will net you a lot of good money if not particularily good gear (even at 60).
The bosses and their gimmicks are fun the first few times, but they get pretty damn annoying most of the time. It’s still worth running though, just for the cash influx and that chance you’ll get one of those ellusive mounts.