Upper Blackrock Spire in WoW: Forever: raid guide for ten players

Upper Blackrock Spire in WoW: Forever is a ten-player run where level 60 groups learn to raid: a wave event, a dragon with a rider and a last boss that needs two tanks. If Onyxia is on your list you have to come here anyway, because both attunements end with General Drakkisath. Full loot per boss is on the Blackrock Spire instance page.

Getting there and access

Blackrock Spire is inside Blackrock Mountain between the Searing Gorge and the Burning Steppes. Lower and Upper Spire share an entrance, and the UBRS door is just past it. It only opens if someone in the group carries the Seal of Ascension.

Getting the seal (quest from level 57):

1. Vaelan stands just inside Lower Blackrock Spire and gives the quest.
2. Collect the three gemstones from Highlord Omokk, War Master Voone and Overlord Wyrmthalak in LBRS, plus the unadorned seal.
3. Take the unforged seal and the Orb of Draconic Energy to Emberstrife in the Wyrmbog of Dustwallow Marsh. Beat him down, place the seal, use the orb.
4. Vaelan turns the forged seal into the key.

One key opens the door for everyone. Still, have a few people carry one, or every run depends on a single player showing up.

Preparation

Nearly every boss does fire damage. Fire resistance on the tanks helps on Emberseer, The Beast and Drakkisath. For The Beast's fear you want Fear Ward, a Tremor Totem or Berserker Rage. Bring interrupts and CC, because a lot of the trash are casters.

Group setup

What works for ten:

• Two tanks, and for Drakkisath ideally a third player who can tank in a pinch.
• Three healers, one assigned to the main tank.
• Five DPS, mixed melee and ranged, with at least one strong AoE class for the stadium event.

Plan spots in the raid comp planner and the date in the raid planner.

Pyroguard Emberseer

In the Hall of Binding, Blackhand guards hold Emberseer captive. Pull one and they all come. Once they're dead you wake Emberseer at the altar, and the door shuts behind you.

He wraps himself in a ring of fire, throws heavy fire spells at single players and puts a stacking fire debuff on the tank.

• Tank: Gather the guards and keep Emberseer in the middle of the room. When the stack gets too high, the second tank taunts.
• Healers: The fire ring hits everyone near him. Pre-heal the tank and top up melee after every ring.
• DPS: Guards first, one at a time. Ranged stay outside the ring.

Solakar Flamewreath

In the Rookery you touch the Father Flame in the middle. Waves of dragonkin guardians and whelps follow, then Solakar himself. Don't step on the eggs or extra whelps hatch.

• Tank: Pull each wave into the middle so it dies together. Main tank takes Solakar, second tank picks up what's left of the wave.
• Healers: Stand between the eggs, never on them. Most damage comes from the waves, not from Solakar.
• DPS: AoE the whelps, single-target the guardians, then everything on Solakar.

Jed Runewatcher sometimes spawns as a rare in the hall before the stadium. Simple melee fight, kill him if he's up.

Goraluk Anvilcrack

The Dark Horde's blacksmith stands in his forge and has no special mechanics. Pull the guards around him one by one first. Blacksmiths need him for The Demon Forge quest.

Gyth and Warchief Rend Blackhand

The stadium is the hardest part. Once it starts, the Blackhand send wave after wave of dragonspawn, dragon handlers and whelps into the arena. Last comes Rend riding Gyth. Once the dragon is low enough, Rend jumps off and fights on foot.

Gyth breathes several kinds of dragon breath to the front and knocks players away. Rend whirlwinds and hits everything around him.

• Tank: Back into a corner near the entrance so the waves only come from one side. Point Gyth's head away from the group. When Rend jumps down, the second tank takes him.
• Healers: Stand behind the tanks in the corner. The waves drain a lot of mana; drink between them whenever you can.
• DPS: CC the dragon handlers and AoE down the whelps. Everyone stays to Gyth's side. When Rend whirlwinds, melee step out.

After the stadium, the wounded blue dragon Awbee lies by the path. He gives a quest that sends you to Winterspring.

The Beast

The giant core hound waits in its den past the stadium. It throws fireballs, sets people on fire, blasts everyone nearby away with a burst of flame and fears the group with a roar.

• Tank: Back to the wall so the knockback can't throw you. Fear Ward or Berserker Rage keeps you in place through the roar.
• Healers: Keep your distance. Anyone feared into the corridors can easily pull trash there.
• DPS: Clear the den first, then pull The Beast. Ranged spread so fireballs hit as few players as possible.

General Drakkisath

Drakkisath stands in the throne room with two Chromatic Elite Guards. He rains pillars of flame on the floor, cleaves everything in front of him and sets his current target on fire, which costs them control for a moment.

• Tank: Two players drag the guards away from Drakkisath, ideally the second tank and a warrior or bear. If the burn takes the main tank out of control, someone has to be ready to take over for those seconds.
• Healers: Get out of the fire on the floor. The main tank and the guard tanks take the most healing.
• DPS: Guards first, one after the other, then Drakkisath. Ranged spread so a flame pillar doesn't hit several people. Nobody stands in front of him.

Anyone on the Onyxia attunement loots the Blood of the Black Dragon Champion here.

Lord Valthalak

Valthalak is not a regular boss. He only appears when someone summons him with the brazier from the quests for the second tier of dungeon sets. Don't bother until your group kills Drakkisath reliably.

Trash

UBRS trash hits harder than anything in a five-player dungeon. Three rules:

• Casters first: Blackhand summoners and shadow casters get interrupted or CC'd.
• Turn the dragonkin: dragonkin and dragonspawn hit to the front. Tanks face them away from the group.
• Pull slowly: a lot of packs stand close together. Run ahead and you'll have two at once.

Key loot

Every boss has its own table of blue gear. The most wanted pieces are from the dungeon sets: Drakkisath drops the chest pieces of all nine sets, from Breastplate of Valor to Dreadmist Robe, Rend drops Spaulders of Valor and The Beast drops Lightforge Spaulders. On top of that come weapons like Rend's two-hander, the Blackhand Doomsaw, and Drakkisath's shield, the Draconian Deflector. Everything sorted by boss with item links is on the instance page.