WoW Anniversary Edition: Brave the Shadow of the Necropolis

The Scourge marches again - face the massive attack upon Azeroth as the Lich King's servants prepare their assault, engage in battles within floating necropolises, destroy necrotic shards, and fend off waves of undead mobs, while completing quests and earning loot.

"Minions, servants, soldiers of the cold dark... Obey the call of Kel'Thuzad!"

Horrors of the past and new terrors yet to be unleashed are gathering inside the necropolis. Prepare yourself for an onslaught of chilling adventures and legendary challenges that await:

• World Event: Defend Azeroth from the Scourge Invasion by facing off against relentless undead forces.
• Raid: Gather your allies and take on Kel'Thuzad in the challenging Naxxramas raid.
• Class Sets: Collect the iconic Tier 3 sets for your class, each with unique and powerful bonuses.
• Legendary Staff: Embark on an epic quest to assemble Atiesh, the Greatstaff of the Guardian.
• Updated Reputation Rewards: Earn new and improved rewards by increasing your standing with the Argent Dawn faction.
• World PvP Objectives: Battle for control of key locations in Silithus and the Eastern Plaguelands, securing advantages for your faction.

Face the Horrors within Naxxramas

Floating above the Plaguelands, the necropolis known as Naxxramas serves as the seat of one of the Lich King's most powerful officers, the dreaded lich Kel'Thuzad. Horrors of the past and new terrors yet to be unleashed are gathering inside as the Lich King's servants prepare their assault. The Scourge marches again.

"You have made a grave mistake..." -Kel'Thuzad

The air grows cold, and the skies darken. A massive necropolis looms above the land, casting a shadow of death across Azeroth. Perched ominously above the Eastern Plaguelands, Naxxramas is the seat of one of the Lich King's most powerful agents: Kel'Thuzad, the undead lich who once served as a mortal necromancer under the Scourge banner.

Location: Eastern Plaguelands
Raid Size: 40 players
Loot Level: 86-92 (Tier 3)
Lockout: 1 Week
Minimum Requirements: Level 60, Honored with the Argent Dawn (higher reputations will significantly reduce the required materials for entry-Exalted reputation enters for free)

• Honored: "The Dread Citadel - Naxxramas" quest, Gold (60), Arcane Crystal (5), Nexus Crystal (2), Righteous Orb (1)
• Revered: "The Dread Citadel - Naxxramas" quest, Gold (30), Arcane Crystal (2), Nexus Crystal (1)
• Exalted: "The Dread Citadel - Naxxramas" quest

Divided into four distinct wings, the necropolis houses a variety of grotesque enemies, ranging from venomous spider queens to patchwork abominations. At the core, face Kel'Thuzad himself in a multi-phase battle. Complete all four quarters to unlock the fifth and final wing.

"An ancient Nerubian ziggurat, Naxxramas, was torn free from the ground by agents of the Lich King to serve as Kel'Thuzad's base of operations as he spreads the plague throughout Lordaeron."

Arachnid Quarter

• Anub'Rekhan: Anub'Rekhan was brought under the control of the Scourge when he and his commander, Anub'arak, were finally defeated by the Lich King many years ago. It is said he was the most loyal of Anub'arak's commanders.
• Grand Widow Faerlina: The Grand Widow Faerlina, a botanist in life, breeder and caretaker of arachnids in death, oversees the spider wing, developing the most potent of poisons for the Lich King.
• Maexxna: Born deep within the mountains of Northrend many ages ago, Maexxna was captured within the dread citadel Naxxramas, where she gives birth to her brood, feeding them the corpses of all who dare venture too deeply into Naxxramas.

Plague Quarter

• Noth the Plaguebringer: Responsible for the creation of the process that distills the souls of the living and places them within the cold cage of undeath, Noth was observed to be refining his techniques even now.
• Heigan the Unclean: The mastermind behind the plague cauldrons that turned the wilderness of Azeroth into the Plaguelands. It is said that Heigan has rigged the very walls and floors of Naxxramas itself with a vast array of traps, which he can trigger at will.
• Loatheb: The hideous result of fusing the living plague of the Plaguelands with the bog beasts of Azeroth, Loatheb is said to control the power of healing itself.

Military Quarter

• Instructor Razuvious: Pay attention. Instructor Razuvious is Kel'Thuzad's appointed trainer of all death knights. His own technique is so potent that only a disciple of his own training could withstand his might.
• Gothik the Harvester: A master of necromancy and conjuration, Gothik is said to be able to beckon forth legions of the undead at a moment's notice. It is with his guidance that even the weakest of Death Knights can raise the dead.
• Four Horsemen: The most powerful death knights within Naxxramas are the four horsemen. They represent the pinnacle of Kel'Thuzad's guard.
  • Thane Korth'azz holds the power of flame.
  • Lady Blaumeux calls forth the power of shadows, drawing the souls of the living into its voracious embrace.
  • Sir Zeliek, a paladin in life, so strong in his faith that even in undeath, the power of the light still heeds his call, smiting his foes in battle.
  • Lord Mograine was the finest warrior that the death knights had ever seen.

Construct Quarter

• Patchwerk: Behold, Patchwerk. When word of his existence first reached the ears of the Brotherhood, none believed the tales of an abomination with such immense speed and strength.
• Grobbulus: Grobbulus, the first of what was to be an army of flesh giants, carried the plague slime of Naxxramas within its body, injecting the living ooze into its foes. The recipient of this foul injection would usually flee to his allies, bringing them down with him.
• Gluth: Gluth, the foul plague-dog of Naxxramas, was said to have an appetite so voracious that even the living were not enough to satisfy his hunger. It was said that Feugen fed him an army of zombies daily, recycling the remains of undead too weak to use in combat.
• Thaddius: Thaddius, built from the flesh of women and children, it is said that their souls are fused together-eternally bound within that foul prison.

Final Wing: Frostwyrm Lair

• Sapphiron: Once a noble blue dragon within the mountains of Northrend, Sapphiron was slain by Arthas during his campaign through the frozen north. Resurrected to serve him, Sapphiron guards Kel'Thuzad's lair eternally, awaiting those who would dare trespass upon his master.
• Kel'Thuzad: Archlich Kel'Thuzad is the final boss of Naxxramas, located in the Frostwyrm Wing. He serves the Lich King without question, a necromancer of great prowess in life, raised as a lich of incredible power after his death. It is said he is the most loyal of the Lich King's subjects.

Rewards and Loot

Unveil Tier 3 Set items in Naxxaramas, as well as Shoulder enchants from Sapphiron:

• Might of the Scourge
• Fortitude of the Scourge
• Power of the Scourge
• Resilience of the Scourge

Other notable loot includes the blade of the Scarlet Highlord, Corrupted Ashbringer (from the Four Horsemen), The Phylactery of Kel'Thuzad that begins "The Fall of Kel'Thuzad" quest, and Splinter of Atiesh-40 of which are needed to create Atiesh, Greatstaff of the Guardian for Druids, Mages, Priests, and Warlocks.

World Event: Scourge Invasion

The Scourge Invasion looms, and the horrors which serve the Lich King have begun to seed the lands of Azeroth with the plague of undeath. Join with the Argent Dawn in this time-limited world event to put a stop to them.

Where: Azshara, Blasted Lands, Burning Steppes, Eastern Plaguelands, Tanaris, Winterspring, major cities, and select dungeons. The zones under attack are marked with a purple skull on the map.
When: This limited-time event lasts four weeks (ending on October 30), and you have an additional week to spend any remaining Necrotic Runes.

Level 60 players can speak with the Argent Recruiter in the capital city to receive the quest, "Light's Hope Chapel". These players can also undertake a variety of additional quests during this event that can be picked up in the major cities or from defeated Scourge invaders.

Investigate the Scourge activity and thwart invasions throughout Azeroth. Keep your eye on your map (M) to locate these hotspots of activity and put a stop to them.

In each invasion point, engage with rare undead who each have a chance to drop various helpful items. Find additional foes in Dire Maul, Razorfen Downs, Scarlet Monastery, Scholomance, Shadowfang Keep, and Stratholme.

Along the way, you'll collect Necrotic Runes used to purchase limited-time gear and consumables during the event from Commander Thomas Helleran at Light's Hope Chapel, including Blessed Wizard Oil, Consecrated Sharpening Stone, Major Healing and Major Mana Potions, and more.

Progressing the Event

To ensure all realms can experience the full benefits of this event, we are introducing a new catch-up system to ensure no realm falls too far behind in progress.

If a realm has not reached a minimum threshold of Battles Won against the Scourge each week, the system will raise the realm to said minimum to allow players to have access to that threshold's reward:

This system will only activate on realms that have not met the minimum Battles Won. In addition, realms that have exceeded the Minimum Battles Won will not be lowered.

There is no cap on how many zones can be defended during the 4-week invasion period. The catch-up system will only affect which rewards are available to players.

Scourge Invasion Epilogue

Four weeks after the start of the invasions, realms will progress to the epilogue portion of the event, and invasions will cease to occur. However, players can still turn in their remaining Necrotic Runes for one additional week.

World PvP Events and Rewards

World PvP objectives arrive for both Eastern Plaguelands and Silithus. Assist your faction in the battle to gain zone-wide buffs to benefit all members of their faction.

Eastern Plaguelands

Prepare for battle-capture and control towers for buffs and honor. Four mighty towers await your faction's claim! Rally your allies, overwhelm your rivals, and seize control to unleash potent buffs.

• Northpass Tower: Altar inside the tower grants +5% hit points for 30 minutes, which is also usable in Naxxramas.
• Eastwall Tower: Sends a group of faction NPCs to Northpass Tower, whether you control it or not.
• Crown Guard Tower: Gain access to a graveyard just north of the tower.
• Plaguewood Tower: Fly to any of the other three towers on a ghostly mount.

Zone-wide Buff

Each tower seized not only grants strategic advantages, but together they ignite a zone-wide surge in damage against the undead-turning the tide of Azeroth's fate in your favor! This buff is only effective for those in Eastern Plaguelands and does not affect Naxxramas.

• 1 Tower: 1% damage against undead
• 2 Towers: 2% damage against undead
• 3 Towers: 3% damage against undead
• 4 Towers: 5% damage against undead

Silithus

The battle for supremacy erupts between the Horde and Alliance as champions clash in the shifting sands of Silithus!

The Silithyst Must Flow

The race to gather Silithyst is fraught with peril and glory, and every grain and every second counts. Uncover hidden geysers and seize the Silithyst before your foes, but beware! Claiming it instantly flags you for PvP. With the weight of Silithyst slowing your steps, and unable to use your mount, strategy and courage become your greatest weapons. Alternatively, strike down enemy carriers and watch their Silithyst tumble to the sand, open for any daring soul to snatch.

Deliver each victorious haul to your faction's outpost-marked on your map. Only one faction will reach the goal of 200 Silithyst and claim ultimate victory. Will you be the hero whose actions tip the scales?

The faction that completes the race to 200 Silithyst collected receives Cenarion Favor-a zone-wide buff which increases ;Cenarion Circle reputation gained from killing monsters by 25%. The buff applies to any player within Silithus and the Ahn'Qiraj instances.

Rewards

• 20 Reputation with the ;Cenarion Circle faction
• 1 Honor point
• Traces of Silithyst, a 30-minute buff increasing Melee and Spell damage dealt by 5%

Ready yourselves to make history in the sands of Silithus, and sharpen your strategies before you charge into the fray. Every grain of Silithyst counts-step forward, seize your destiny, and lead your faction to victory.

The battle awaits-will you answer the call?

Answer the call to defend Azeroth in its hour of need. Rally your friends to bring down Kel'Thuzad, rise to the challenge of the Scourge Invasion, and fight for lasting glory in world PvP battles. The fate of the realm hangs in the balance-join the fight today and make your mark!