World of Warcraft at Ten Ton Hammer

Heroic Utgarde Keep, when regular just doesn't cut it.

I love the smell of fire-belching forges in the morning, it smells like...victory.  If you can name the movie reference in that first line, you are either old like me, or quite the eclectic youngster. Utgarde Keep (UK) is one of the first instances that becomes available to those hearty souls who venture from Azeroth into The Howling Fjord. And while the regular version of the instance is tuned for lower level 70-ish players, the real manly men tackle it as a heroic dungeon at level 80.

Are you prepared?
Just because a player has hit level 80 doesn't mean that a heroic UK run is the best idea though. As a stepping stone to raiding, heroic UK provides good rewards, but will also test your mettle. Also like raiding, you will want to make sure you have the best consumables available to you. Whether it's a Fish Feast or other stat-enhancing food, make sure you bring a good quantity. The same holds true for potions and elixirs. While not as harsh as raiding requirements, a well prepared player will have multiple stacks of health and mana potions as well as role specific flasks and elixirs (i.e. strength/attack power for Retribution spec, spell power for Holy spec and armor/strength bonuses for Protection spec..With four bosses and a fair amount of trash, the instance will probably take a group an hour and half to clear so plan accordingly.

The Paladin Spell Book
Make sure you crack that spellbook and have most of the spells handy - you're going to use a wide variety. The enemies within the keep range from a few beasts and dragonkin to a large number of humanoids (Vrykuls) and even the Paladin's enemy of choice...undead. Be prepared to do some crowd control stuns (Repentance) if you're a Retribution spec as crowd control is helpful for newcomers to the instance. Other than a possible change to Fire Protection Aura when fighting the drakes, your typical aura should work (devotion for Protection spec, retribution for Retribution spec, and player's choice for holy spec). Other key spells and abilities will be needed on the bosses, and we'll look at those shortly.

What about the mad loot?
Protection spec Paladins can look for a couple of blue items like the Tattered Castle Drape (with strength, stamina and 29 defense) or the Unsmashable Heavy Band (with strength, stamina and 30 defense) and don't forget the nice 1h sword, The Infantry Assault Blade that will also increase your defense by 33.

The Holy Paladins among us will want to grab Helmet of the Constructor with a good dose of intellect and +70 spell power.  No other armor drops that is worthwhile, but there is one ring, the epic quality Annhylde's Ring with some good spell power (+59).

Retribution Paladins have even less to look for except one of the best pieces that drop in the whole instance, the Staggering Legplates, epic quality pants that will give 83 strength (very nice!) and improve hit rating by 80 which is almost 2.5% at level 80.

Taking out the trash
Most of the trash pulls (we all know what trash is right? Trash are all of the mobs that aren't bosses) are single to groups of five (with a couple non-elites thrown in for good measure). Standard marking, crowd control and group dynamics apply. The only specialty bad guy would be the proto drakes you'll fight along the way. As a Tankadin, keep those Drakes turned away from the party and don't underestimate how much damage they do. They hit like a truck. Make sure your crowd control and healers are well prepared. Other than that, the fights are nice and easy...usually.

Close Encounters of the Boss Kind
There are four listed bosses, but since one encounter includes two bosses, there are really three boss fights per se. Since another strategy guide will go into more depth on the specific encounters, we'll just discuss some of the Paladin-specific tips and tricks for the battles.

Prince Keleseth (The Frost Tomber)
The Blood Elf Prince is not a particularly tough guy so he beckons a slew of skeletons (four at a time) to help him out. If that isn't enough, the Prince will pace a party member in a Frost Tomb on someone periodically throughout the fight. So let's look at what each different spec should do during these phases of the encounter:

• Tankadin (Protection Spec): During the skeleton summoning, tanking Paladins can pull the skeletons with Consecrate (if you're tanking, remind your party to huddle close together so that your consecrate area is larger than the footprint of the group). Another way to draw some aggro is to use Holy Wrath to apply some damage and it will stun the targets for a swing or two giving your healer a chance to catch up. When someone is Frost Tombed, do not switch targets to kill the tomb, you are the tank, stay on the main target and make sure the Prince keeps you as the primary target.
• Healadin (Holy Spec):  This fight can be healing intensive because not only will the main tank be getting hit, but the other party members will eat a shadow bolt from the Prince occasionally and someone will get Frost Tombed. The person in the tomb is taking a good dose of damage so you will need to split healing between the tank and the tomb. Not only that, you don't want to pull aggro of the skeletons, so make sure you stacked up and within the taunt distance of the tank (see Tankadin for what the tank is dealing with).
• Retadin (Retribution Spec): This fight even has some nuances for the DPS classes. As a hybrid DPS you may need to jump into a healing role if the main healer gets Frost Tombed. Be ready to heal the healer, or whomever is in the tomb if the main healer falls behind. Heck, you may have to heal the main tank. Assuming your healer can keep up, you are going to switch from damage on the boss to damage on the Frost Tomb when it is cast. It is critical to get rid of the tomb ASAP! 

Skarvald the Constructor and Dalronn the Controller
This is the two for one fight where you get to kill two bosses and loot one. It just doesn't seem fair does it? These guys have a nasty habit of reincarnating as a shell of their former self yet still causing the same damage as when they were alive. The real strategy of this fight will be covered in our Boss Strategies but for Paladins of any spec there really isn't anything out of the ordinary here. Skarvald is a melee damage boss and Dalronn doles out shadow damage. If there are two Paladins one will want to use Shadow Resist Aura while the other uses their aura best suited for their spec. For Retadins you may be called on to help even out damage so the bosses die as close together (timing wise) as possible. Healing is going to be pretty sporadic because Skarvald will randomly charge someone and use Stone Strike causing a nice dose of damage that will need to be healed. If you're called on to be the tank, the Tankadin will use standard group taunting (Consecrate, Shield of Righteousness, etc) and once one of the bosses dies and reanimates as a ghost, the ghost can be taunted with undead spells, just not damaged. Try to keep their attention whether alive or dead.

Ingvar the Plunderer
Last but certainly not least is Ingvar. Good old Ingvar throws a few twists into what should be a straight forward fight, but our bag of tricks is well stocked to handle him. Similar to many bosses we've seen in both the Outlands and now Northrend, this guy refuses to die.

Phase I
The fight starts with Ingvar in human form. At this point it is a boss that just needs a tank, DPS and healing. As long as melee DPS (Retadins, that's you!) gets out of the way when he does his Smash attack, Ingvar will drop fairly easily. Healadins will need to watch health bars for some high periodic damage, and the silencing effect of Staggering Roar. Tankadins will want to face the boss away from the group whenever possible (he has a cleave attack) and when the casting bar starts for Smash, run through the boss (not around him) and then flip turn (learn to use the mouse for turning, not the keyboard). During the cast time for Smash the boss will not turn, he will smash everyone within a 10 yard cone.

Phase II
After Ingvar takes a very short dirt nap, a spirit will rez him and he will become a hulking undead ghoul looking guy. All of his abilities get turned up a notch so now it's critical that Tanks and Melee get out of the 10 yard cone of the new and improved Dark Smash. The good news is that now Ingvar is undead and you get another damage spell in the form of Exorcism to use on him. As a healer, this fight can become difficult if you get behind and/or fall under the silencing spell. One strategy that can be tricky to master is using line of sight with the pillars so you can keep the tank in sight, but Ingvar might not be able to zap you.

So get your passport stamped and head to UK!
This instance is quite fun and provides a good return on your time. The scenery is very cool, and offers up some different encounter mechanics to keep you on your toes.