Greetings, champion! Ready to brave the molten depths of Blackrock Foundry and confront the formidable Warlord Blackhand? This isn't just a simple stroll; it's a journey into the heart of the Iron Horde's war machine, a place where steel and fire collide! Whether you're chasing that elusive Ironhoof Destroyer mount, a cool transmog, or simply want to relive some Warlords of Draenor nostalgia, I'm here to guide you every step of the way.
Let's forge your path to Blackhand!
Tip: Check back if you skimmed too fast.
Step 1: Locating Blackrock Foundry – Where the Iron Roars!
First things first, you need to know where to go. Blackrock Foundry is a raid from the Warlords of Draenor expansion, meaning you'll need to head to the continent of Draenor.
QuickTip: If you skimmed, go back for detail.
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1.1 Getting to Draenor:
- For Horde Players: Take the portal to Ashran (Warspear) from the Orgrimmar portal room.
- For Alliance Players: Take the portal to Ashran (Stormshield) from the Stormwind portal room.
- Alternatively, if you have your Garrison hearthstone, you can use that and fly from there.
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1.2 Navigating to Gorgrond: Once you arrive in Ashran, you'll need to fly or ride to Gorgrond. Blackrock Foundry is located in the northern part of this zone.
- The entrance coordinates are approximately 51.4, 28.7 in Gorgrond.
- Look for a massive, imposing industrial gate built into the mountainside. You can't miss it – it practically screams "evil orc fortress!"
- The closest flight path is typically Arcanist Windlebop, which is a neutral flight point between Everbloom Wilds and Highpass, but flying directly from your Garrison or Ashran is often quicker.
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| How To Get To Blackhand In Blackrock Foundry |
Step 2: Entering the Foundry – Choosing Your Challenge!
Now that you've found the entrance, it's time to step inside. Before you do, however, you'll want to adjust your raid difficulty.
Tip: Don’t just scroll to the end — the middle counts too.
- 2.1 Setting Difficulty:
- Right-click on your character portrait.
- Go to Raid Difficulty.
- You can choose between Raid Finder, Normal, Heroic, or Mythic.
- For soloing for transmog or the mount, Mythic difficulty is often preferred as it yields the best transmogs and is the only difficulty on which the Ironhoof Destroyer mount can drop from Blackhand.
- If you're new to soloing older raids, starting with Normal or Heroic might be a good way to get a feel for the mechanics.
Step 3: The Path to Blackhand – Clearing the Obstacles!
Blackrock Foundry is a sprawling complex with multiple wings. To reach Blackhand, you generally need to defeat bosses in certain wings. However, there's a fantastic skip available that can save you a lot of time!
Tip: Revisit this page tomorrow to reinforce memory.
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3.1 Understanding the Traditional Path (and why we often skip it!): Traditionally, to unlock Blackhand, you need to defeat bosses in three different wings:
- Slagworks: Contains Gruul, Oregorger, and Blast Furnace.
- The Black Forge: Contains Hans'gar & Franzok, Flamebender Ka'graz, and Kromog.
- Iron Assembly: Contains Beastlord Darmac, Operator Thogar, and Iron Maidens.
- You'd typically need to clear Blast Furnace, Kromog, and Iron Maidens to open the path to Blackhand's Crucible. This can be a lengthy process, especially the Blast Furnace encounter, which has some unique mechanics.
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3.2 The Glorious Blackhand Skip! (Highly Recommended) Thankfully, Blizzard implemented a skip that allows players to bypass most of the raid and go straight to Blackhand after completing a short questline. This is invaluable for mount and transmog farming!
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3.2.1 The Quest: "Sigil of the Black Hand"
- To unlock this skip, you need to find an NPC named Goraluk Anvilcrack. He is located inside Blackrock Foundry, usually near the entrance area or slightly deeper in.
- He offers a quest called "Sigil of the Black Hand."
- This quest requires you to collect 4 Embers of the Mountain.
- These embers drop from specific mobs within the raid, typically some of the initial trash mobs.
- Important Note: You do not need to kill any bosses for this quest. Just kill the trash mobs until you get the embers.
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3.2.2 Completing the Quest and Activating the Skip:
- Once you have all 4 Embers of the Mountain, return to Goraluk Anvilcrack and turn in the quest.
- Upon completion, he will then allow you to activate a skip directly to Blackhand.
- What this does: Once activated, a gate that normally blocks the path to Blackhand (often requiring you to go through the Workshop's bridge across the slag pool) will lower, and any flames blocking the way will turn off. This means you can just run straight to Blackhand's platform.
- This skip is usually account-wide once completed, meaning your other characters on the same account should also be able to utilize it!
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Step 4: Confronting Blackhand – The Final Showdown!
You've made it! Now for the main event: Warlord Blackhand himself. Even at max level, it's good to have a basic understanding of his mechanics, especially if you're going for Mythic, as a few abilities can still cause issues if you're not careful.
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4.1 Blackhand's Arena: The Crucible
- Blackhand's fight takes place in a multi-phase encounter that transitions through three different areas as the floor collapses.
- Phase 1 (100%-70% HP): You fight him on the initial platform.
- Phase 2 (70%-30% HP): The floor collapses, and you fall to a lower level. You'll encounter some adds here.
- Phase 3 (30%-0% HP): The floor collapses again, leading to the final circular platform.
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4.2 Key Mechanics (Especially for Mythic): While you'll likely overpower him at max level, here are a few things to watch out for:
- Shattering Smash / Massive Shattering Smash: Blackhand will frequently smash the ground, dealing heavy physical damage and creating a molten slag pool. On Mythic, this can knock you back significantly. Position yourself carefully, ideally with your back to a wall or a safe area, to avoid being knocked off the platform or into dangerous areas.
- Marked for Death / Impaling Throw: Blackhand will mark a target (you, in solo mode) and then throw a spear at them. On Mythic, this will deal high damage. In older content, you could often stand behind the "debris piles" that fall from Demolition to mitigate this, but at current power levels, you might just absorb it.
- Slag Bombs / Attach Slag Bombs: He'll throw bombs that explode after a short delay, leaving fire on the ground. Just move out of the marked area to avoid the damage.
- Molten Slag: Areas of the floor will periodically heat up, dealing fire damage. Don't stand in the fire!
- Iron Soldiers / Siegemakers (Phase 2 Mythic): In Phase 2, particularly on Mythic, he'll summon Iron Soldiers and potentially Siegemakers (large constructs). Prioritize killing them quickly, especially the Siegemakers as they can deal significant damage and have knockbacks.
- Overheated (Phase 3 Mythic): In the final phase, raid-wide fire damage will constantly tick, increasing as the fight goes on. This is effectively an enrage timer. Burn him down as fast as possible in Phase 3.
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4.3 Solo Strategy (General):
- DPS Race: At max level, Blackhand is largely a DPS race. Your raw damage output will likely overcome most of his mechanics.
- Avoid the Edges: The most crucial tip is to always be mindful of your positioning, especially in Phase 2 and 3. Being knocked off the platform will reset the fight. If he casts a knockback ability, try to have your back to a solid wall or a safe section of the floor.
- Movement: Be prepared to move out of fire effects (Molten Slag, Slag Bombs).
- Adds (Phase 2): On Mythic, kill the adds quickly in Phase 2 to prevent them from overwhelming you or adding to the knockback chaos.
Step 5: Claiming Your Rewards!
Congratulations, you've defeated Warlord Blackhand! Now it's time to reap the rewards.
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5.1 Loot:
- Blackhand drops a variety of Tier 17 armor pieces for transmogrification.
- He also drops various weapons and trinkets.
- The Ironhoof Destroyer Mount: This highly sought-after mount has a chance to drop from Blackhand on Mythic difficulty only. It's a low drop chance, so prepare for many runs if you're after it!
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5.2 Achievements:
- Defeating Blackhand will grant you the achievement "Blackhand's Crucible" (and potentially "Mythic: Blackhand's Crucible" if on Mythic difficulty).
- There are also various other achievements within Blackrock Foundry as part of the "Glory of the Draenor Raider" meta-achievement if you choose to explore the full raid.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Here are 10 common questions about getting to Blackhand in Blackrock Foundry, with quick answers:
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How to get to Blackrock Foundry entrance? Fly to Gorgrond in Draenor (via Ashran portals from Orgrimmar/Stormwind), the entrance is a large industrial gate at approximately 51.4, 28.7.
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How to unlock Blackhand in Blackrock Foundry? Complete the quest "Sigil of the Black Hand" from Goraluk Anvilcrack inside the raid (requires collecting 4 Embers of the Mountain from trash mobs) to unlock a direct skip.
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How to skip bosses in Blackrock Foundry to get to Blackhand? After completing the "Sigil of the Black Hand" quest, activate the skip provided by Goraluk Anvilcrack. This allows you to bypass the initial wings and go straight to Blackhand.
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How to solo Blackhand on Mythic difficulty? At current max level, it's largely a DPS race. Avoid being knocked off the platform in Phases 2 and 3, and move out of ground effects like Molten Slag and Slag Bombs. Kill adds quickly in Phase 2.
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How to get the Ironhoof Destroyer mount? The Ironhoof Destroyer mount has a low chance to drop from Warlord Blackhand when defeated on Mythic difficulty.
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How to reset Blackrock Foundry for multiple runs? Leave the raid, right-click your character portrait, and select "Reset All Instances." This will reset the bosses and allow you to re-enter.
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How to share the Blackhand skip with alts or friends? Once you complete the "Sigil of the Black Hand" quest, the skip is typically account-wide. For sharing with others in a group, the person with the skip can enter first, and then others can join their instance.
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How to handle Blackhand's knockbacks? Position yourself with your back to a solid wall or a safe part of the platform before a knockback occurs to prevent being flung off the edge and resetting the fight.
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How to deal with the Blast Furnace encounter if I don't use the skip? The Blast Furnace involves destroying bellows with bombs dropped by Furnace Engineers, then disabling shields on adds by killing Slag Elementals and Primal Elementalists. It's a multi-stage fight.
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How to find a repair vendor in Blackrock Foundry? There are generally no repair vendors directly within Blackrock Foundry. It's recommended to bring a repair mount (like the Traveler's Tundra Mammoth or Grand Expedition Yak) or repair before entering.
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