If you're getting into World of Warcraft's Wrath of the Lich King Classic expansion, then one of the big things that you'll be doing is the many dungeons. There's a good amount of them, each with some special mechanics that need to be handled. As such, our Violet Hold dungeon guide will cover everything about the dungeon, especially if you're doing it for the first time.
This dungeon is a mid-level dungeon in the expansion, and is found in the main hub city, Dalaran. It's a bit different than all the other dungeons though, as one run won't be the same as the next.
While you're here, if you're looking to figure out what class and spec you want to play in Wrath Classic, be sure to check out our DPS tier list, Healer tier list, and Tank tier list. Also be sure to check out our speed leveling guide.
Violet Hold dungeon guide
When you enter Violet Hold, you'll see a quest to beat the last boss of the dungeon. You'll also see an open arena with crystals highlighted on the walls. We'll talk about those in a moment. Speak to Lieutenant Sinclari to begin the dungeon.
This dungeon involves a loop of fighting six waves of adds followed by a boss. There's a bunch of bosses in the dungeon that can show up, but you'll encounter a random subset of them. The crystals on the wall can be used in the event you're getting a bit overrun to kill off any units in the arena at the time.
After each boss, there will be a short intermission to heal up and refill mana, and then the next set of waves will start. After 18 waves and two bosses, you'll fight the final boss. We'll go through each boss's mechanics and what to look out for.
Erekem
Erekem has a few abilities in his main arsenal and comes with a couple adds. Here are the main abilities of Erekem.
- Earth Shield
- Chain Heal
- Bloodlust
- Lightning Bolt
- Break Bonds
When Erekem is unlocked, he will bring two adds with him. These adds should be CC'd, and the tank should pull the boss 20 yards away from the adds. The Adds should be kept CC'd for as long as possible while you kill the boss. Break Bonds will free any CC'd adds within 20 yards, so pulling him away will keep that from happening.
Moragg
Moragg is a straight forward fight that can be a little bit intensive for the healers. Most of his abilities will ramp up dot damage or reducing armor's and healing. Here are his abilities.
- Optic Link
- Corrosive Saliva
- Ray of Pain
- Ray of Suffering
Ichoron
Ichoron is an add heavy fight that will require some fast damage to deal with the mechanic effectively. Here are her abilities.
- Protective Bubble
- Burst
- Splash
The fight starts with Ichoron encased in the Protective Bubble. The bubble will soak 35 attacks or spells, at which the bubble will burst, knocking back all players within 15 yards. From this point, the bubble will split into 10 Globules, which will remove 3% of her health.
The globules will attempt to crawl back to the boss, and heal her for 3% of her health if they reach her. The team should be dealing with these globules as quickly as possible, utilizing Area of Effect damage and CC to keep them from reaching the boss. You will repeat this until the boss is killed.
Xevozz
Xevozz is a single boss encounter that is fairly straight forward but for one bit. Here are his abilities.
- Arcane Bolt
- Arcane Barrage Volley
- Arcane Buffet
- Ethereal Sphere
The main gimmick of this fight is the Ethereal Sphere. Xevozz will cast this sphere and it will move towards him. Each sphere that reaches him will empower him, which you do not want to happen. To mitigate this, the tank should kite the boss around the arena, utilizing the ramps and upper platforms to ensure the boss doesn't get empowered. If you can manage that, the boss should go down fairly easy.
Lavanthor
Lavanthor is a Core Hound and another straight forward fight. Here are it's abilities.
- Firebolt
- Flame Breath
- Lava Burn
- Cauterizing Flames
The big things to watch out for here are the Lava Burn and Cauterizing Flames. Cauterizing Flames will increase all fire damage taken by all players by 35% for three minutes. Lava Burn will drop a pool of fire at a random player's feet. Simply put, players should avoid standing in the pool, and if the pool is in melee, the boss needs to be moved.
Zuramat the Obliterator
Zuramat the Obliterator is a single boss fight with some adds and an interesting twist. Here is the abilities for Zuramat.
- Summon Void Sentry
- Void Shift
- Shroud of Darkness
Zuramat will summon invisible Void Sentries that will shoot players. These are invisible to players who aren't shifted into the void with his Void Shift ability. Players who do get void shifted should be targeting down these sentries as fast as possible. Additionally, when the boss casts Shroud of Darkness, stop damage on the boss as any damage will reduce healing received by the attacker for 10 seconds.
Cyanigosa
Cyanigosa is the final boss of the dungeon. She is a big dragon so many of the typical dragon tactics apply. Here are her abilities.
- Uncontrollable Energy
- Tail Sweep
- Blizzard
- Arcane Vacuum
- Mana Destruction
For this fight, players should avoid standing directly behind the boss, as well as directly in front of her. Players should be off to the sides of her, especially if you're in melee, but ranged also should be off to the sides as well. This is to avoid getting hit by Tail Sweep and Uncontrollable Energy. Arcane Vacuum will pull all players to the boss, so be sure to reposition yourself afterwards. Otherwise, there's nothing else to this boss.
And that's the dungeon! As we said earlier, you'll get two random bosses of the ones noted above, including Cyanigosa, so each run will be a little bit different than the last. Be sure to stay tuned to our other dungeon guides in Wrath Classic as well. That being said, while you're here, if you're interested in more Classic content, be sure to check out our guide for the must have addons for Wrath, as well as our guide to making your very own Death Knight.