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This week we look at the very popular Zul'Farrak instance. Zul'Farrak is located in the Tanaris desert in the far south of Kalimdor and is a contested zone. It has neither a Horde or Alliance city. The flight points and city of Gadgetzan are neutral and controlled by goblins. Zul'Farrak is generally shortend to ZF while looking for groups in the game. Remember that the Zul'Farrak instance is an outdoor zone, so you may mount up to get around quickly once areas are cleared.



Time



Zul'Farrak is a fairly small instance although the Divino-Matic Rod quest takes a long time. It should take approximately 60 minutes to 2 hours, depending on party level and skill.



Levels



Zul'Farrak is meant for characters of level 44 - 54 however the ideal range is around 48 - 50. You can continue to make loot and experience runs through ZF to about level 54, but after the experience gains and items dropped are generally not worth the effort.



The MOBs in Zul'Farrak range from 35 to 45 normal and 40 to 46 elite. Most of the MOBs in the instance are elite 44. In addition the named or Boss MOBs are up to 48 elite and can be very difficult for low level groups. The pyramid fight which is a very long drawn out fight against MANY MOBs over a period of 4-6 minutes can be very difficult if you are at the lower level ranges.

Map



We have put together a map that shows the layout of Zul'Farrak and marks the location of all the key named MOBs. The map can be found here.



Screen Shots



We have a gallery for screen shots from Zul'Farrak that can be found here.



Tactics

Zul'Farrak is a mid game instance and as such group tactics really start to come into play. The level that they come into play depends on your level relative to what the instance is meant for. If you are all on the very low end of the level range you really need to work as a group to survive (especially the bosses). If you are all above 52 then the instance could be very easy for you and not require all that much in the way of teamwork.

The MOB's in Zul'Farrak are generally found in groups of 3-4. There are some spots where you will be fighting many more than this, up to 10. For these fights you need to practice crowd control and damage concentration. The faster you knock down each of the MOBs the faster you are down to reasonable numbers. Everyone should concentrate on one MOB at a time and not each pick one to deal with. Once you are down to a few MOBs you can fall back to normal group tactics.

There are several key tactical issues to keep in mind for this specific instance.

There are several MOBs in Zul'Farrak that can turn members of your party into a frog. The frogging lasts about 15 seconds if not dispelled. This can be disastrous if your main tank is frogged. Your dispellers should make sure they keep an eye on all players and dispel this as soon as it happens. In case it is missed visually players that are frogged should yell out "ribbit" or "frogged" or some other message so that the despeller sees it.

When fighting Witch Doctor Zum'rah you must defeat him quickly as he will summon zombies from the nearby graves. One tactic to limit the number of zombies is to clear the graves before hand. I have seen this done and it does "seem" like far less zombies appear but I can not confirm for sure, and it takes a LONG time to clear the room. It is much simpler to rush him and do max DPS quickly and take him out before he summons very many zombies.

The fight at the top of the pyramids can be very difficult. It is critical to not leave the top landing once you start the scripted fight sequence. All the tactics for this fight can be found in the Divino-Matic Rod quest write up below.

When fighting the 4 snakes just before Chief Ukorz Sandscalp it is import to realize that the 2 on the opposite side of the room are linked. When you pull the 2 from one side the other side will come as well, so be prepared.

Party Composition

As this is still a mid level instance, party composition really starts to play a factor.

As in any group you will want someone in the party that can heal and someone who can tank. In addition to that you will want a solid DPS person and very likely an AOE dps person.

The healer should likely be a Priest as you want the ability to resurrect people as well. If not a Priest then a Druid with a Paladin or Shaman as backup is a nice combination.

The DPS person can be either a DPS Warrior, hunter, mage or a Rogue. All supply solid DPS. For AOE you generally want a Mage, but a Warlock can be ok too.

Quests

There are 8 quests to be completed in Zul'Farrak. There is 1 Alliance only quest, 1 Horde only quest and the remaining 6 are available for either faction. What follows is a brief outline of each quest, where to collect it, and how to complete it. While reading the quests you may want to refer to our instance map of Zul'Farrak for the exact location of the required MOBs.

Divino-matic Rod

Faction: Both

Starting + Ending NPC / Location: Chief Engineer Bilgewhizzle / Gadgetzan

Level Obtained: 40

Quest Level: 47

XP Reward: 625 - 6300

Item Reward: Masons Fraternity Ring (+13 Agility, +5 Stamina) or Engineer's Guild Headpiece (leather head, 113 armor, +23 Intellect, +9 Spirit)

Search for more information on this quest: TTH Search Tool

Objectives: Bring the Divino-matic Rod to Chief Engineer Bilgewhizzle in Gadgetzan.

Notes: The Rod is held by Sergeant Bly who is held prisoner in one of the cages at the top of the pyramid in Zul'Farrak. To open the cages you simply kill the MOB at the top of the stairs and loot the key. Once you have set Bly and his team free however the base of the pyramid will fill with MOBs.

You must stay on top of the pyramid and fight through many waves of MOBS protecting Bly and his followers. When almost done, Bly will announce that it is time to move forward. It is important to not go beyond the top step of the pyramid until he says this. If you do you can trigger all the MOBs below to rush forward and fight all at once. In between waves of MOBs everyone should try and find time to bandage, drink and eat. The first stage lasts roughly 4 minutes. Once he announces it is time to move ahead, stay behind him until you reach the bottom.

Once there the last MOBs are named mini boss shadowpriest Sezz'ziz and his body guard. You must kill them while protecting Bly and his crew. When they are done wait for the Goblin with Bly to blow the doors to the last boss area before speaking to Bly. Once the door has been blown have everyone rest and heal, then speak to Bly. When you do speak to Bly he becomes insulted and attacks. When you have defeated his crew you may loot him to gain the Divino-matic Rod.

The Pyramid, Bly and the Sezz'ziz can be found on our map of Zul'Farrak at the location of the green dot.



Gahz'rilla

Faction: Both

Starting + Ending NPC / Location: Wizzle Brassbolts / Shimmering Flats in Thousand Needles

Prerequisite: The Brassbolts Brothers

Level Obtained: 40

Quest Level: 50

XP Reward: 700 - 7100

Item Reward: Speedy Racer Goggles (Cloth Head, 53 Armor, +14 Agility, +14 Intellect) or Carrot on a Stick (Trinket, Passive: Increases mount speed by 3%)

Search for more information on this quest: TTH Search Tool

Objectives: Bring Gahz'rilla's Electrified Scale to Wizzle Brassbolts in the Shimmering Flats.

Notes: The hardest part of this quest is actually summoning Gahz'rilla. To summon him you must first enter Zul'Farrak and obtain a tablet that tells you how to get the Mallet of Zul'Farrak. You must start by getting a mallet from the Altar of Zul in the Hinterlands. It is guarded by 2 named 50 elite MOBS. One of the MOBS will drop the Mallet.

Once you have gotten it you must travel to the altar at Jintha'Alor in the Hinterlands. It is located at the far back of the ruins and can be difficult to get to. Once there complete the quest and you will get the Mallet of Zul'Farrak.

Once you have the mallet, Gahz'rilla is relatively easy to summon and defeat. Just make sure you clear the room before summoning him. Summon him by using the mallet on the gong at the south end of his pool. Gahz'zilla is marked by a blue dot on our Zul'Farrak map.

Once you defeat Gahz'rilla, loot his corpse for the Electrified scale and return to Wizzle.

Nekrum's Medallion

Faction: Alliance

Starting + Ending NPC / Location: Thadius Grimshade / Blasted Lands

Prerequisite: Thadius Grimshade


Level Obtained: 40

Quest Level: 47

XP Reward: 500-5300

Leads to Quest: The Divination

Search for more information on this quest: TTH Search Tool

Objectives: Bring Nekrum's Medallion to Thadius Grimshade in the Blasted Lands.

Notes: This quest must be done in conjunction with the Divino-matic Rod quest, or at least is best to do with the quest. The troll that you are looking for (Nekrum) is the elite MOB that spawns during one of the waves of MOBs that run up the pyramid. Kill him to loot the medallion.

Scarab Shells

Faction: Both

Starting + Ending NPC / Location: Tran'rek / Tanaris in Gadgetzan

Level Obtained: 40

Quest Level: 45

XP Reward: 350 - 4000

Search for more information on this quest: TTH Search Tool

Objectives: Bring 5 Un cracked Scarab Shells to Tran'rek in Gadgetzan.

Notes: This quest is very simple. Just find and kill the many scarabs around Zul'Farrak to collect their shells. The drop rate of the un cracked ones is fairly good and seems to be about 10% - 15%. It might take more than one run if the whole group is collecting them, but if just one or two of the group is on the quest is should not be an issue to get enough.

The Prophecy of Mosh'aru

Faction: Both


Starting + Ending NPC / Location: Yeh'kinya / Tanaris

Prerequisite: Screecher Spirits

Level Obtained: 40

Quest Level: 47

XP Reward: 600 - 6000

Leads to Quest: The Ancient Egg


Search for more information on this quest: TTH Search Tool

Objectives: Bring the First and Second Mosh'aru Tablets to Yeh'kinya in Tanaris.

Note: This is quest is a simple collection quest. The tablets drop from Theka the Martyr and Hydromancer Velratha. Theka the Martyr is marked by the red dot on out map of Zul'Farrak, while Hydromancer Velratha can be found in the room where Ghazz'rilla spawns (marked by the blue dot on the map).

The Spider God

Faction: Both

Starting + Ending NPC / Location: Master Gadrin / Sen'Jin Village in Durotar

Prerequisite: Consult Master Gadrin

Quest Level: 45

XP Reward: 600 - 6000

Leads to Quest: Summoning Shadra

Search for more information on this quest: TTH Search Tool

Objectives: Read from the Tablet of Theka to learn the name of the Witherbark spider god, then return to Master Gadrin.

Note: You must find and kill Theka the Martyr to loot the tablet from him. He can be found in the room marked by the red dot on our map of Zul'Farrak. Near the end of the fight he will become immune to physical damage and will need to be finished off by magical attacks.

Tiara of the Deep

Faction: Both

Starting + Ending NPC / Location: Tabitha / Dustwallow Marsh


Level Obtained: 40

Quest Level: 46

XP Reward: 600 - 6200

Item Rewards: Spellshifter Rod (Two-Handed Staff, 22 - 116 Damage, 2.7 Speed, 35.7 dps, +6 Stamina, +16 Intellect) OR Gemshale Pauldrons (Plate Shoulders, 334 Armor, +10 Strength, +9 Stamina).

Search for more information on this quest: TTH Search Tool

Objectives: Bring the Tiara of the Deep to Tabetha in Dustwallow Marsh.

Note: This is fairly simple collection quest. You just need to find and kill Hydromancer Velratha. She can be found in the room where Ghazz'rilla spawns marked by the blue dot on our map of Zul'Farrak.

Troll Temper

Faction: Both

Starting + Ending NPC / Location: Trenton Lighthammer / Gadgetzan

Level Obtained: 40

Quest Level: 45

XP Reward: 400 - 3900

Search for more information on this quest: TTH Search Tool

Objectives: Bring 20 Vials of Troll Temper to Trenton Lighthammer in Gadgetzan.

Note: This is another simple collection quest in Zul'Farrak. When you kill the various kinds of Trolls in the zone they will drop Troll Temper. Just collect 20 of them and return to Trenton.

Phat Loot found in Zul'Farrak

Phat loot is defined as Rare or better items found in the instance. In Zul'Farrak there are many good drops for the level required.

The best is probably a very nice combination of one handed blue swords that drop that can be combined to turn into a very nice epic two handed sword. Jang'thraze drops from Chief Ukorz Sandscalp while Sang'thraze drops from Antu'sul. They are as shown below:

Jang'thraze the Protector

Unique Main Hand Sword

1.9 Speed

44 - 83 Damage

33.4 dps


Requires level 45

Use: Combines with Sang'thraze to form the mighty sword, Sul'thraze

Chance on Hit: Shields the wielder from physical damage, absorbing 55 to 85 damage. Lasts 20 seconds.

Sang'thraze the Deflector

Unique One-Hand Sword

1.7 Speed

34 - 65 Damage

29.1 dps

Requires level 44

Use: Combines with Jang'thraze to form the mighty sword, Sul'thraze

Passive: Increases your chance to parry an attack by 1%.

Sul'thraze the Lasher

Unique Two-Hand Sword

2.6 Speed

108 - 163 Damage

52.1 dps

Requires level 50

Chance on Hit: Strikes an enemy with the rage of Sul'thraze. Lowers target's strength by 15 and deals 90 - 210 Shadow damage with an additional 125 damage over 15 seconds.

Named MOB Drops

The following named MOBs and Boss MOBs can be found in Zul'Farrak. The links for each search the various internet databases for items related to the MOB, so that you can view all the sites with ease.

• Antu'sul
• Chief Ukorz Sandscalp
• Gahz'rilla
• Hydromancer Velratha
• Shadowpriest Sezz'ziz
• Sergeant Bly
• Theka the Martyr
• Witch Doctor Zum'rah