When I first started playing WoW I was pretty jealous about people who went into Scarlet Monastary, because it seemed like a dungeon that only serious players went into, but having been there a couple of times, there’s a symmetry about it that reminds me of doing the Stockades. Frankly, I think it is lacking in imagination. It probably doesn’t help that I’ve been shepherded through there by terrifically generous high level players from the Crusaders of the Flame, so that what is supposed to be a difficult challenge hasn’t been so. Anyhow, I have just spent 4 evenings over the past week and a half in Uldaman, and for me it’s been my “coming of age” dungeon instance. It’s a nice mix of caves, rooms and has a wonderfully dramatic climax. Apart from getting lost inside, there’s a secret back door, plenty of tiny dwarf miners with picks that you can backstab, rooms with lurid green tiled floors, and stone monsters that awaken. You find energy sources, power stones, amulets, urns and finally the disks!. You think you’ve completed all the quests you need, only to find you have to go back inside again and do it all over. Tonight my last quest was done. Whew.
Click here for a bigger shot. I have to confess that when I came to the final room where the massive statue of Archaedus stands, surrounded by 40 stone henchman statues, my right arm started shaking in nervousness. It was only because druid mentor Antheriel was with me, that I didn’t panic too much when Archaedus started awakening his henchmen one at a time. Since they’re all level 40’s and I’m sitting on 41, it is not easy quick battle to eliminate them. Archaedus is a 47 Elite, which makes him pretty much unhittable to me. I stayed right back and did some sorry-arsed healing, and tried to stay alive. Rohana our rogue took his dagger in and stabbed around a lot – Freand (Tardin from Thailand) used his bow, and Bridei banged away with her hammer, and helped heal. We did it no problems, but the pulse was going over 120 I’m sure.
