How To Prepare for Phase 3 of WoW TBC Anniversary!

As we approach the tail end of Phase 2 and Tier 5 on the TBC Anniversary servers, players should look to start preparing for the next phase and tier of raids, Black Temple and the Battle of Mount Hyjal. In this guide, we go over what you should look to do before the next phase is out!

Quick Links

• Attunements
• Reputation
• Shadow Resistance & Protection
• Stamina Check
• Unique Consumables
• Stock Up (Price Rises)
• Prepare For Raids

Attunements

Mount Hyjal

Just like every other raid in TBC, both Mount Hyjal and Black Temple require Attunement before you can enter. Mount Hyjal's is very simple; you must first be Revered with the Keepers of Time and then pick up the quest “Vials of Eternity” from Soridormi located at the Caverns of Time in Tanaris. From there, all you need to do is loot the respective vials from Kael’thas Sunstrider and Lady Vashj, and once you turn in the quest, you’re now attuned to Mount Hyjal!

Black Temple Attunement

Just like the previous phase, where one attunement might be short and sweet, the other is a bit more complex. This attunement starts in Shadowmoon Valley, and depends on whether you’re an Aldor or Scryer. Aldor players will speak to Anchorite in Ceyla in Sanctum of the Stars, and Scryer players will head to Altar of Sha’tar and speak to Arcanist Thelis. From here, players will start a series of quests:

Can Be Completed In Phase 2:

1. Tablets of Baa’ri
2. Oronu the Elder
3. The Ashtongue Corruptors
4. The Warden’s Cage
5. Proof of Allegiance
6. Akama
7. Seer Udalo (Dungeon: Normal The Arcatraz)
8. A Mysterious Portent
9. The Ata’mal Terrace (Group Quest)
10. Akama’s Promise
11. The Secret Compromised
12. Ruse of the Ashtongue (Raid: Tempest Keep)

Can Be Completed In Phase 3:

1. An Artifact From the Past (Raid: Battle of Mount Hyjal, Phase 3)
2. The Hostage Soul (Phase 3)
3. Entry into the Black Temple (Phase 3)
4. A Distraction for Akama (Phase 3)

Reputations

In Phase 3, players will be able to purchase “Shattrath” versions of every flask in exchange for one Mark of the Illidari, a token that drops off trash mobs in Black Temple and Hyjal. However, players will only have access to this if they are Exalted with the following reputations:

1. The Sha’tar
2. Cenarion Expedition
3. Aldor/Scryer

Once you have accomplished that, then Arcanist Xorith for the Scryers and Haldor the Compulsive for the Aldor will grant you access to their vendor, each located in their respective banks in Shattrath City.

Shadow Resistance & Protection

Tip: Before buying pure BoE Shadow Resistance Pieces off the Auction House, see how much Shadow Resistance you can obtain through Void Spheres and Shadow Resistance enchants on actual gear with beneficial damage stats on them!

One of the boss encounters in Black Temple, Mother Sharaz, has a mechanic that deals quick and powerful shadow damage: Fatal Attraction. It will teleport 3 players to a random location that will deal shadow damage to all three until they are 25 yards apart from each other. Because of this, players will want to have at least 244 Shadow Resistance, as 244 is the number to always guarantee every tick of damage is partially resisted.

Priests can give players Prayer of Shadow Protection for 70 Shadow Resistance, so with that, players only need 174. Completing the Black Temple attunement will give players the Medallion of the Karabor, an epic necklace with 40 Shadow Resistance, meaning players now only need 134 Shadow Resistance.

BoE Shadow Resistance Pieces

The ideal slots to get Shadow Resistance pieces will be the Cloak, Bracers, Rings, and Helmet. A Shadow Resistance Cloak can also be given +15 Shadow Resistance through an enchant from player enchanters, and the Helmet can get +20 Shadow Resistance Enchant as well if they’re Honored with the Lower City. Every level 70 uncommon piece of gear with the suffix of “Shadow Protection” will give +21 Shadow Protection to it.

Most Powerful Shadow Resistance Pieces

What is most recommended, however, to ultimately maximize your power while having Shadow Resistance, is having alternate pieces of gear such as your Tier sets that have sockets available on them, as you can socket Void Spheres into them, each sphere giving +4 Resist All. The best part is these Void Spheres are very easy to craft from Enchanters, as they only require two Void Crystals.

Shadow Resistance Enchants

Below is a table of every enchant where you can get additional Shadow Resistance for your character:

Shadow Resistance Consumables

In Phase 3, Alchemists who are Honored with the Violet Eye can pick up the Recipe for Flask of Chromatic Wonder, giving 35 Resistance to all schools of magic and increasing stats by 18 for 2 hours.

Along with that, Alchemists can Craft Major Shadow Protection Potions, and can also craft Cauldrons of Major Shadow Protection, which is only obtainable by “discovering” this ability when randomly crafting Major Shadow Protection Potions.

Stamina Check

The first boss of Black Temple, High Warlord Naj’entus, has two abilities that deal intense damage. Tidal Burst will deal 8,500 damage, and Impaling Spine will deal 4,000 damage and tick for 2,750 damage every three seconds, also stunning the target. Because of this, it may be beneficial for players to have a gearset for more Stamina and HP. The easiest way to do this without losing player power is to obtain PvP pieces from Arena Points, as PvP gear has high Stamina. For players worried about this damage, shooting for around 10,000 HP unbuffed would be an ideal mark!

In TBC Anniversary, only the Shoulder Armor requires any sort of rating, so you can easily obtain pieces for this fight. And, once Phase 3 is out, all Season 2 Arena gear will lose its rating requirements and be on a discount, making it much easier to get!

Unique Consumables

Demon Consumables

Many bosses in Phase 3 are either Demon or Undead, which allows for a mix-up in consumables for players to use. The Elixir of Demonslaying, which players may have used in Phase 1 on Magtheridon and Prince Malchazar, will be used much more frequently in Black Temple and Mount Hyjal for physical damage dealers, as there are a total of seven demon bosses in both raids.

1. Antheron
2. Kaz’rogal
3. Azgalor
4. Archimonde
5. Supremus
6. Mother Shahraz
7. Illidan Stormrage

These will guarantee a rise in price once Phase 3 is announced, and once Phase 3 releases. So it may be best to stock up now! This is a Classic Alchemy recipe, requiring Gromsblood and Ghost Mushroom.

Undead Consumables

Horde Players can receive unique consumables that grant either 15 Spell Damage or 30 Attack Power to Undead, from two repeatable quests in the Ghostlands. Magistrix Aminel offers players two quests: Spinal Dust and Rotting Hearts, where players have to collect 10 of each to turn in for one of these consumables. In Mount Hyjal and Black Temple, there are two Undead Bosses:

1. Rage Winterchill
2. Teron Gorefiend

Tip: Both Spinal Dust and Rotting Hearts are NOT soulbound, but the quest rewards are. You can farm these on any character you have and then send the items to the character you wish to obtain the consumable on.

Along with that, the majority of the trash in Mount Hyjal is undead, making these consumables extra helpful in that raid. That being said, all players are able to secure Stratholme Holy Water from lootable boxes located in Stratholme. These deal around 400-500 damage to all undead, and are basically an undead-only sapper that requires no profession to use!

Prepare for Increased Prices…. Again!

With a new phase comes, unfortunately, typically increased prices again for items you probably want and need. With that being said, you and your guild should look to start stocking up on current items such as Haste Potions, Destruction Potions, Large Prismatic Shards, Elixirs of Demonslaying, and Super Mana Potions. Consider all of your personal Best in Slot enchants as well, see which items you will replace from Phase 2, and start looking at your enchant shopping list now and buying ahead of time!

Study Raids Ahead Of Time

As with all Classic raids, these raids have already been out for nearly twenty years! This is the third iteration of The Burning Crusade provided by Blizzard. Do your part as a raider and study the encounters now before setting foot into the Black Temple and Mount Hyjal. Do not prove Illidan right; you, in fact, ARE prepared!