Greetings, brave adventurer! Are you ready to delve into the fiery depths of Blackrock Mountain and face the challenges that await in Upper Blackrock Spire? This iconic dungeon, or as it was once known, raid, holds some of the most sought-after pre-raid gear and thrilling encounters in WoW Classic. But before you charge in, sword or spell ready, there's a crucial question to answer: How many people do you need for Upper Blackrock Spire?
Let's cut right to the chase, because knowing this is your first step to success!
Step 1: Understanding the Player Count for Upper Blackrock Spire (UBRS)
So, you're wondering, "How many people for UBRS?" The answer, in WoW Classic, is a resounding 10 players!
Yes, you heard that right! While most other dungeons in Classic are designed for 5-man groups, UBRS stands apart as a 10-player instance. This makes it a unique "mini-raid" experience, bridging the gap between standard 5-man dungeons and the full-fledged 40-player raids like Molten Core.
A Little History Lesson: It's worth noting that in the very early days of vanilla WoW (pre-patch 1.3), UBRS was actually a 15-player raid! It was later adjusted to 10 players, which is the version you'll encounter in WoW Classic. In later expansions, it was even reduced to a 5-man dungeon. But for the true Classic experience, prepare for a 10-player party!
Why 10 players? Because UBRS is tough. It's designed to challenge a larger, more coordinated group, preparing you for the demands of 40-man raiding. The trash pulls are dense, the bosses have mechanics that benefit from a larger roster, and the overall difficulty is a significant step up from a typical 5-man.
QuickTip: Scan the start and end of paragraphs.
Now that we've got the headcount sorted, let's dive into putting together your dream team!
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| How Many People For Upper Blackrock Spire |
Step 2: Assembling Your 10-Player UBRS Dream Team
Building a balanced 10-player group is key to a smooth UBRS run. While exact compositions can vary based on gear and player skill, here's a general guideline for a solid setup:
Sub-heading: The Core Components
- Tanks (2-3): You'll want at least two, preferably three, dedicated tanks.
- Main Tank (MT): A well-geared Warrior is typically the go-to for holding aggro on bosses like Rend Blackhand and General Drakkisath.
- Off-Tanks (OTs): Another Warrior, a Feral Druid (in Bear form), or even a Paladin (for holy wrath AoE threat on adds) can serve as excellent off-tanks. They'll be crucial for handling adds during boss fights and picking up additional trash mobs.
- Healers (3-4): Sustained healing is vital in UBRS.
- Priests offer strong single-target and AoE healing.
- Shamans (Horde) bring powerful totems and chain heal.
- Paladins (Alliance) provide strong single-target heals and utility.
- Restoration Druids can offer HoTs and emergency heals. A good mix ensures you have a variety of healing tools at your disposal.
- Damage Dealers (DPS) (4-5): A blend of melee and ranged DPS will maximize your group's effectiveness.
- Melee DPS: Warriors (Fury), Rogues, and Feral Druids (Cat form) can dish out significant damage.
- Ranged DPS: Mages (for AoE and crowd control), Warlocks (for curses and burst), Hunters (for utility and range), and Balance Druids (if well-geared) are all valuable.
- Hunters are especially valuable in UBRS due to their ability to kite General Drakkisath, a common strategy for an easier final boss fight.
- Mages are excellent for polymorphing dangerous trash mobs.
Sub-heading: Important Considerations for Class Utility
Beyond just roles, consider the utility each class brings:
- Crowd Control (CC): Mages (Polymorph), Rogues (Sap), Warlocks (Fear), Hunters (Freezing Trap), and Priests (Shackle Undead) are all incredibly useful for managing large trash pulls. Effective CC can make or break a UBRS run.
- Buffs/Debuffs: Ensure you have a good spread of buffs (e.g., Arcane Intellect, Power Word: Fortitude, Battle Shout, Blessing of Might/Wisdom/Kings, various Totems) and debuffs (e.g., Sunder Armor, Faerie Fire, Curse of Elements/Shadow).
- Dispel/Purge: Priests (Dispel Magic), Shamans (Purge), and Paladins (Cleanse) can remove harmful effects from your group or beneficial effects from enemies.
Step 3: Getting Attuned - The Seal of Ascension
Unlike many other dungeons, UBRS has a unique requirement: at least one person in your group must have the Seal of Ascension to open the door. This isn't just a simple key; it's the culmination of a multi-part quest chain that starts in Lower Blackrock Spire (LBRS).
Sub-heading: The Attunement Questline - A Mini-Adventure
- Obtain the Unadorned Seal of Ascension: This drops from various trash mobs within Lower Blackrock Spire. You'll likely need to run LBRS a few times to get it.
- Find Vaelan: Once you have the Unadorned Seal, seek out Vaelan, a High Elf found inside LBRS (often near the entrance to UBRS itself). He will give you a quest.
- Collect Gemstones: Vaelan will send you on a quest to gather three different gemstones from specific bosses within LBRS:
- Orb of the Crimson Eye: From Highlord Omokk.
- Orb of the Embershard: From War Master Voone.
- Orb of the Blackened Heart: From Overlord Wyrmthalak.
- Return to Vaelan: Turn in the quest to Vaelan once you have all three orbs. He will give you a chest with items for the next step.
- Encounter Emberstrife in Dustwallow Marsh: The final step involves a challenging encounter with Emberstrife, a black dragon located in a cave in Dustwallow Marsh.
- You'll need a group for this!
- Fight Emberstrife until he's at around 25% health.
- Then, stop attacking and use your Unforged Seal of Ascension.
- At 10% health, use the Orb of Draconic Energy (from Vaelan's chest) to mind control Emberstrife.
- Once mind-controlled, use his Flames of the Black Flight spell to forge your Seal of Ascension!
Congratulations! You now have the key to UBRS. Make sure the person with the key is the first one to click the UBRS door to open it for the entire group.
QuickTip: Keep going — the next point may connect.
Step 4: The Path Through Upper Blackrock Spire - Key Encounters
UBRS is a sprawling dungeon with multiple bosses and challenging trash pulls. Here's a quick overview of what to expect:
Sub-heading: Trash Management is Paramount
- Orc Packs: Many trash pulls consist of groups of Blackrock Orcs. These can hit hard and have various abilities. Utilize your CC (Polymorph, Sap, Fear) to break up large pulls and focus fire down targets.
- Dragonkin: You'll encounter various Dragonkin, including Dragonspawn and Whelps. Be mindful of their abilities, such as cleaves and fire breaths.
- Pats and Proximity: UBRS has many patrolling mobs and groups that are very close together. Pulling carefully and strategically is essential to avoid unwanted additions. Always pull back to a safe spot.
Sub-heading: Notable Boss Encounters
- Pyroguard Emberseer: A fiery caster. Tanks should position him away from the group due to his fire abilities.
- Solakar Flamewreath (and Father Flame event): This is a multi-stage encounter. You'll need to activate "Father Flame" to start waves of whelps and dragonkin before Solakar himself spawns. Focus on killing the Rookery Hatchers to prevent too many eggs from hatching.
- Jed Runewatcher (Rare): A rare spawn that can drop some desirable loot, including the Briarwood Reed trinket.
- Goraluk Anvilcrack: A large orc. Fairly straightforward tank and spank.
- Gyth and Warchief Rend Blackhand: This is a two-phase fight.
- Phase 1 (Gyth): You'll fight Rend while he's mounted on Gyth, a dragon. Focus your damage on Gyth first.
- Phase 2 (Rend): Once Gyth is defeated, Rend dismounts and becomes the primary target. He can hit hard, so tanks need to be ready.
- Strategy Tip: Tanks will need to pick up both Gyth and Rend, or use kiting for one while focusing on the other.
- The Beast: A massive core hound. He has a potent fear ability that can scatter your group, potentially pulling more adds. Position carefully and have your Priests ready to Dispel Fear if possible.
- Lord Valthalak (Summoned): This is an optional boss, summoned via a quest chain (part of the Dungeon Set 2 questline). He's a formidable foe and often requires a dedicated strategy.
- General Drakkisath: The final boss of UBRS and by far the most challenging. He is accompanied by two Chromatic Elite Guards.
- Common Strategy: A Hunter is often used to kite General Drakkisath out of the room while the rest of the group focuses down the two Chromatic Elite Guards. Once the adds are dead, the Hunter Feign Deaths, and Drakkisath returns to be tanked and killed.
- Alternative Strategy (for well-geared groups): Two tanks can pick up the adds while a third tanks Drakkisath, burning down the adds quickly before focusing on the General. Drakkisath has a cleave, fire breath, and a thunderclap, so careful positioning is vital.
Step 5: Looting Your Spoils and Quest Completion
UBRS is a treasure trove of valuable loot, especially for players gearing up for raids. Many "pre-raid Best in Slot" (BiS) items drop here, making it a highly desirable destination.
Sub-heading: Notable Drops
- Tier 0.5 (Dungeon Set 1) Upgrades: Many bosses drop pieces for upgrading your Dungeon Set 1 gear to Dungeon Set 2.
- Weapons: Dal'Rend's Sacred Charge and Dal'Rend's Tribal Guardian (from Rend Blackhand) are highly sought-after one-hand swords for many melee DPS. Felstriker (also from Rend) is a fantastic dagger for Rogues.
- Trinkets: Eye of Rend (from Rend) is a popular trinket for Hunters and melee DPS. Painweaver Band (from General Drakkisath) is a great caster ring.
- Recipes and Plans: Blacksmithing plans (like Plans: Arcanite Champion) and crafting recipes (like Recipe: Flask of Chromatic Resistance) can drop from various bosses.
Sub-heading: Quests Within UBRS
Several important quests are completed within UBRS, including:
- Onyxia Attunement: Both Alliance and Horde have quest chains that require a UBRS run to complete their attunement for Onyxia's Lair.
- Molten Core Attunement: A portion of the Molten Core attunement questline also takes you into UBRS.
- Class Quests: Some class-specific quests, particularly those for Dungeon Set 2, will send you into UBRS.
Remember to pick up all relevant quests before entering, as some are instanced only and cannot be picked up inside!
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Step 6: Post-Run Analysis and Future Preparations
After your UBRS run, take some time to review your performance. What went well? What could be improved?
Tip: Read mindfully — avoid distractions.
Sub-heading: Learning and Growing
- Communication: Did your group communicate effectively during trash pulls and boss fights? Callouts for CC, incoming damage, and target switching are crucial.
- Execution: Did everyone understand their role and execute their abilities properly?
- Gear Check: Did anyone struggle with survivability or damage? This can indicate a need for gear upgrades or a different approach to their rotation.
UBRS is a fantastic learning ground for higher-level raiding. The coordination required, the importance of class utility, and the sustained nature of the encounters all prepare you for the challenges of Molten Core and beyond.
10 Related FAQ Questions
Here are 10 frequently asked questions about Upper Blackrock Spire, focusing on "How to" aspects:
How to Enter Upper Blackrock Spire? You need at least one person in your group to have the Seal of Ascension key. The entrance to UBRS is found inside Lower Blackrock Spire (LBRS), which is itself located within Blackrock Mountain. Once inside LBRS, the first door on your left is the UBRS entrance.
How to Get the Seal of Ascension? The Seal of Ascension is obtained by completing a lengthy quest chain that starts with acquiring an Unadorned Seal of Ascension (a random trash drop in LBRS), then collecting three gemstones from LBRS bosses, and finally forging the seal with the black dragon Emberstrife in Dustwallow Marsh.
How to Find a Group for UBRS? You can find groups by using the Looking For Group (LFG) chat channel, joining a guild, or using community discords dedicated to WoW Classic. Specify that you're looking for a "UBRS 10-man" group.
Tip: Every word counts — don’t skip too much.
How to Deal with General Drakkisath in UBRS? The most common strategy involves a Hunter kiting Drakkisath out of the room while the rest of the group focuses on killing his two Chromatic Elite Guards. Once the guards are down, the Hunter Feign Deaths, and Drakkisath returns to be engaged by the main tank.
How to Manage Trash Pulls in UBRS? Utilize crowd control (Polymorph, Sap, Fear) on dangerous or numerous mobs. Focus fire on priority targets, and always pull back to a safe area to avoid aggroing additional packs.
How to Respec for UBRS? While not strictly necessary, some classes might find it beneficial to adjust their talent builds for UBRS. For example, Mages might prioritize AoE and CC talents, while Warriors might ensure they have sufficient tanking talents. However, most standard dungeon/raid specs will suffice.
How to Get to Blackrock Mountain? Blackrock Mountain is located in the eastern part of the Eastern Kingdoms, between the zones of Searing Gorge and Burning Steppes. There are flight paths to nearby areas, or you can simply run there from major cities.
How to Prepare Consumables for UBRS? Bring plenty of healing potions, mana potions (for casters and healers), and possibly some elixirs or flasks to boost your stats. Food and water are also essential for regenerating between pulls.
How to Handle the Rend Blackhand Fight? The fight starts with Rend mounted on Gyth. Your group should focus damage on Gyth first. Once Gyth is defeated, Rend will dismount, and your tanks will need to pick him up as the primary target. Be prepared for high single-target damage in the second phase.
How to Maximize Loot Chances in UBRS? While loot is always subject to RNG, running UBRS with a dedicated group of guildmates or friends can allow for better loot distribution through a "master loot" system or fair "roll rules" compared to pugging. Running it multiple times also increases your chances of seeing desired items drop.
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