shopaholic_man's Full Review: Bradygames - World of Warcraft Dungeon Companion
So there you are just out of the Valley of Trials in Durator. You're a level 10 Orc, and it's your first visit to Orgrimmar. You've been given a quest by Neeru Fireblade to go and kill Taragaman the Hungerer. Apparently, Taragaman is inside something called Ragefire Chasm. World of Warcraft Dungeon Companion is for you my lowly Orc friend. It is the guide to all the original Instances in the World of Warcraft.
What is an Instance?
If you are new to the World of Warcraft, and your toon is less than level 10, it is possible that you've never been to an Instance. Instances are the Dungeons of the World of Warcraft. Inside dungeons, you will complete many hard quests, gain lots of experience and pick up some great drops. It's a lot easier to level up your character going into Instances than grinding.
Kyle - Dude, boars are only worth two experience points apiece. Do you know how many we would have to kill to get up 30 levels? Cartman - Yes. Sixty-five million three hundred and forty thousand two hundred and eighty five. The Lingo
Unless you've played the game for a while, you may not know the lingo, but the book even includes many common terms in the opening chapter Introduction to Raiding I have listed a few from the book and common terms in the game.
Toon your character in Warcraft.
Aggro - This is your toon's threat level to monsters or how much attention you've drawn to yourself. Usually in a dungeon group, one player is designated to draw the Aggro, and keep all the monsters focused on them. (They are called the Tank)
Pull - Deliberately drawing a monster or a Mob of monsters to your character or party for the purposes of killing them. Don't pull too many or you'll be dead.
AoE - Area of Effect. This refers to spells that affect all party members. They could be Buffs, spells that boost stats of your party or spells that weaken the enemy
DoT - Damage over time. Many spells cause damage over a period of time.
DPS - Damage Per Second! Every character in the game wants the Epic gear that boosts his or her damage per second.
PUG - a "pick up group" or a random assemblage of toons banded together in a party to go into an Instance.
A typical dungeon party will consist of a leader (can be any of the roles) who organizes everyone. The Tank is usually a warrior or someone with very high armor who will pull the mobs. Any good party should have a Healer (typically a mage, druid or shaman) who can cast healing spells on party members or if necessary Rez (resserrect) a party member)
What Dungeons are Included?
This is the Classic Dungeon Guide, so you won't find any of the Instances from Burning Crusade or Wrath of the Lich King here. Chances are that by the time you are hanging with the Lich King, you are geared in epics, you know your tactics, you're level 80 you Wowaholic and you don't need a dungeon guide.
Nevertheless, in alphabetical order you will find guides for Ahn'Qiraj, Blackfathom Deeps, Blackrock Depths, Blackrock Spire, Blackwing Lair, Deadmines, Dire Maul, Gnomergan, Maraudon, Molten Core, Onyxia's Lair, Ragefire Chasm, Razorfen Downs, Razorfen Kraul, Scarlet Monastery, Scholomance, Shadowfang Keep, The Stockades, Stratholme, Temple of Atal'Hakkar, Uldaman, Wailing Caverns, Zul'Farrack, and Zul'Gurub. You will also find outdoor encounters of Azuregos, Dragons of Nightmare, and Lord Kazzak. Each Guide is written by actual WoW players.
Most of this book consists of detailed dungeon guides for each of the above dungeons. Each guide is about 4 to 7 pages with color photos, an overview of each section of the dungeon, an overview of each quest available for that dungeon for both Horde and Alliance characters and a list of drops. Directions and locations are given for each. You can even learn how to get there if its in enemy territory. For example, my toon Sanani and her Horde pals all went to Gnomeregan, right in Dun Morough to enter the Gnomeregan Instance. It was easy since I learned how to get and use the Goblin teleport to Gnomeregan located in neutral Booty Bay. (It does help if you are friendly with the Steamwheedle Cartel)
Example Instance - Scarlet Monastery
I love the Scarlet Monastery. Located in the lovely land of Tirisfal Glades, this beautiful old church is located on top of a hill, and it has a lovely courtyard. Grab a goblin blimp to the Undercity and just walk northeast of the UC. The Monastery is guarded by a fanatical group of crusaders. Although this is essentially a Horde Instance, it is possible for Alliance players to get there. In fact, everytime I've gone for a run there, the halls usually contain a few Draenei Paladins and Dwarf Warriors set for their own runs. The Monastery is actually four separate instances, starting with the Grand Vestibul.
Cartman - The battle is sure to be long, so make sure you all have your special abilities macroed to your keyboards.
Once inside the Vestibule, you can get into the graveyard, the library, the armory or the Cathederal. The Cathederal is my favorite, and gives lots of drops, especially silk, which is handy for both tailoring or for gaining reputation with many factions by giving 60 silk to their cloth masters.
The guide gives a background and maps of the Monastery, and also lists all the quests that you can do within, including class only quests.
Horde members can pick up Into the Scarlet Monastery, Test of Lore, Hearts of Zeal and Compendium of the Fallen. Alliance members can find out where to get Mythology of the Titans and In the Name of the Light. Ally Mages can also try Rituals of Power. There is even the safest possible directions for Ally toons to come to this Instance. (They can't exactly take the blimp to the UC, can they?)
Each section of the guide lets you know what the enemies levels are, whether they are elite and what sort of attacks they are likely to use. (Don't kid yourself, they are all elite!) The guide lets you know where the quest items are located. For the boss battles, it also lets you know some of the special rare drops you might find.
Screen shots and detailed paragraphs let you know just how to proceed with your group to make it through alive. Myself I just go through with my son, a Level 80 Blood Elf Death Knight Grimie, or his alt Volkrie a level 56 Blood Elf Paladin, but this may not be an option for you!
Other Features of Dungeon Companion
Item Sets This has the first couple dungeon and raid sets of armor for each class of character. Keep in mind that this guide came out pre Burning Crusade, so you won't see your Blood Elf or Draenei decked out in their Tier 3 Raid set, but it gives photos of most races in this gear.
Summary
Brady Games gives a very thorough examination of all the classic Instances in World of Warcraft.
So if you are ready to take on the likes of Onyxia, Ragnaros the Firelord, High Inquisitor Whitemane, Arugal and Mutanus stock up on supplies, wear your best armor, read up on the enemies in this Dungeon Guide and get ready to raid.
Unless something cataclysmic happens to Azeroth, this Dungeon guide should be good for a long time to come. Don't worry though, the day that happens, Goblins will join the Horde!
special thanks to: Scooty, the Chief Engineeer Goblin of Booty Bay who gave me the Goblin Transporter that got me to Gnomeregan (hmm, do you think WoW developors grew up watching Star Trek?) Grimie (Noble Companions Guild) of Aggrammar (Blood Elf Death Knight Lvl 80 & my son's main toon) Volkrie of Aggramar (Blood Elf Palladin Level 56, my son's first toon) Sanani of Aggrammar (Blood Elf Hunter Lvl 34 my main toon) Marsiferum of Aggramar (Tauren Shaman Lvl 23 my first toon) Blizzard Entertainment & Brady Games
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