Your Guide to Dailies: Unlocking Blade's Edge
Once you are familiar with the daily quests offered in Skettis, you will begin searching for more dailies. After all, you can complete up to 10 of them per day. By completing only two or three, you are bypassing a large amount of guaranteed gold. Unlocking these quests will also increase your grind toward a nether ray flying mount.
The next step then is to set your sights on Ogri'la and the Skyguard Outpost in Blade's Edge Mountains (see map above). Unfortunately, you won't be able to fly up there, do a little dance, and expect them to hand you out the quests. In fact, you might as well buckle in, because the upcoming chain is long and involved. Fear not; by following this guide, and consulting the map, you should be welcomed by Ogri'la in no time.
It all begins with a naaru residing in the Terrace of Light, a long way from the mountainous regions inhabited by ogres.
The precursors
The naaru V'eru in the heart of Shattrath City will grant you a quest, Speak with the Ogre, which will lure you down into Lower City, to have a conversation with Grok, an ogre parked near Griftah.
Grok will guide your journey towards Mog'dorg the Wizened, who dwells atop a tower near the Circle of Blood. Alternatively, you can bypass the first part of the chain by locating Chort just outside the Circle of Blood. He will also direct you to Mog'dorg (A).
In fact, it turns out Mog'dorg has been ordering his followers to venture forth for aid. Chort will let it slip that he had been asked to find someone of your race and class. If you speak with Grok, you will realize his entire reason for being in Lower City of Shattrath is that Mog'dorg sent him forth to find help. Soon, you yourself will be recruiting help of your own.
When you reach Mog'dorg, you will be rewarded with 44 silver or 1 gold 89 silver at level 70, and a slew of group quests, the first three of which can be completed in any order.
Notes
There is one important fact to note before you suit up and march against the Gronns. The targets in these quests, like Grulloc, can be looted by anyone, including passers-by who are not in your party, or who are even of the opposite faction. These leeches will not ruin your group's ability to acquire the loot, so I don't recommend becoming angry. Not everyone, especially on small servers, can find a five-man group willing to spend a great deal of time working outside of an instance. Some players may even help if the fight turns nasty.
In addition, the skull, and further drops in the chain, will not be looted from the body. Instead, an item will drop next to the body for you to pick up. Beware stopping to drink and eat. The item will last a mere couple of minutes, and while you're recuperating and deciding where to go next, it will disappear. This has happened to my own group members; it's a common oversight.
Keep in mind that you will earn much more gold at 70 while completing this chain, than below it. In addition, completion will render you neutral with all of the ogres, so you might want to first complete all other quests in the Blade's Edge Mountains involving ogres, for maximum experience and/or gold.
Grulloc has two Skulls
You will be told of a Gronn named Grulloc (C), son of Gruul. In order to help the ogres regain their freedom, you will need to kill Grulloc and steal his most valued possession; a dragon skull from the day he rejoiced in his father's slaying. Grulloc resides to the east of Mog'dorg, at the end of Dragon's End, at the Cursed Hollow (C).
Here is where the recruitment comes into play. You will need to locate four players to make a group of five. Preferably, you will have a strong healer and tank, and a group that will be willing to take you through the chain in its entirety all at once. This might take an hour or three. If you are lucky, some of your friends and guildmates may also need to complete this chain.
For your reward, claimed from Mog'dorg, you will receive 8 gold and 80 silver, or 18 gold and 28 silver at level 70, as well as the knowledge that Grulloc is no longer hovering over the ogres.
Maggoc's Treasure Chest
Maggoc (D) polices the eastern mountain range, preventing passage. You must slay him, and take his most valued possession; a treasure chest, the contents of which you may keep, provided you can show the chest to Mog'dorg as proof of your actions. He is one of the giant monsters you'll encounter walking around on the ridge.
Again, most likely you will want your five-man group. Maggoc has a few tricks up his sleeve; he will throw boulders at random party members, knock back players, and he hits fairly hard.
To your dismay, the closely guarded treasure chest will be empty, although Mog'dorg will be pleased to see it. He will reward you with another 8 gold 80 silver, or 18 gold 28 silver at level 70, and light up with the prospect of freedom, when the ogres can determine their own destinies.
Even Gronn Have Standards
Prepare to meet Slaag (B), a Gronn who exiled himself, then proceeded to take control of the Barrier Hills (B), an area full of ogres just above Aldor Rise, Shattrath. You must travel to those hills and kill Slaag, returning with his standard, lest he should return once his other brothers have been slain.
Slaag will be positioned inside a unique looking building on the western end. One of the best tactics in this fight is for the tank to tank in the entryway, so that the healer can remain well away from the action. Slagg will stir up dust, causing a great deal of damage to everyone in it, and making it difficult for the healer. Unlike Maggoc, Slaag is stunnable.
When you return to Mog'dorg, you will receive another 8 gold, 80 silver, or 18 gold 28 silver at level 70, and he will take the standard and display it, as a symbol of hope for the mountain ogres.
Grim(oire) Business
Unfortunately, you have only now completed the easy part. You must have finished the above three group quests to gain access to this quest, although you need not do them in any particular order. There is one more Gronn that Moggy wants slain, named Skulloc Soulgrinder. Mr. Soulgrinder has hidden himself away, and it will take some doing to coax him into a fight.
Mog'dorg reasons that if you can find the warlock who trained him, one by the name of Vim'gol the Vile (E), and thieve his grimoire, so that it can be read and information on Skulloc can be obtained.
Summoning Vim'gol takes skill and co-ordination. Many guilds and parties break down into bickering and fighting at this point, because one deviation can wipe the entire group. On the east, on the path to Netherstorm, there will be a path off the road that will lead to the summoning circle (E).
First of all, you will each need to claim a circle. Don't let your party members all step into their circles until you are ready to begin fighting, as doing so activates the summon. At about 30%-40% health, Vim'gol will begin yelling, and channeling a growth spell. At this point, everyone should be back at their circles.
Strategy
The first time I tried this, my group decided that only the tank would ever leave his/her circle, eliminating the need for all of us to have to remember to run back. Upon implementation, we wiped. Why? Because the healer couldn't reach us all. If you choose this strategy, be mindful of who should stand on which circle, and be vocal with the tank about where he/she should tank Vim'gol.
Some groups have suggested that it is easier to ignore the circles all together, and go all out with DPS and tanking. While this will depend on your group dynamics, if you are having difficulty with the circles, it might be worth a shot.
If you do not kill Vim'gol quickly, he will begin sending chain shadow bolts, which will hit not only every party member, but any other players standing by for aid or with the intent of mooching. Shadow protection abilities are helpful for this fight, and healers should take note.
The book drops exactly like the previous drops. It is next to the body and can be looted by anyone during the limited time that it stands. When you present it to Mog'dorg, you will receive 8 gold 80 silver or 18 gold 28 silver at level 70.
Into the Soulgrinder
Once Moggy has absorbed the contents of the grimoire, he is ready to send you out after the final Gronn, Mr. Soulgrinder (F). First, you must locate Soulgrinder's Barrow (F). Head north through Daggermaw Canyon, past the Circle of Blood. You will find the area on your right, before Gruul's lair.
There is one big difference with regards to this quest. Rather than retrieving a box or some bone, you will be going after Skulloc's soul. While this sounds like overkill, you will have freed the ogres by the time you are through.
Once at the barrow, stand at the altar and "read allowed" from the grimoire. An object, known only as the Soulgrinder, will appear, along with the ghosts of Skulloc's victims, who will try to destroy it, preventing him from being summoned. If you can hold them back long enough, you will force him into this world. Once Skulloc spawns, try to tank him at his spawn point, or down near the altar. If he dies on the hillside, you may not be able to loot his soul properly.
Tactics
The first half of the fight consists of non-elite level 70 ghosts spawning which you will need to kill, and they are not difficult, although the tank should watch to ensure no one party member is swarmed, or any clothies are getting into trouble. As you are killing, pylons will begin lighting up, and once all four are lit, after about the two minute mark, Skulloc himself will spawn.
Because this will be a long fight, I recommend trying to conserve mana during the first phase. Auto-shot, wands, etc would be great choices, as the ghosts are weak. You could also use your consumables and cooldowns, as they would likely be back up for the actual fight with Skulloc.
During the first phase, anyone holding a grimoire can approach the altar and click it, which will fear all ghosts for 10-15 seconds. Unfortunately, this can also make them more difficult to kill, and repeated fears can have negative consequences. If you can keep up with killing them as they spawn, it is best to do so. Once Skulloc is in the process of materializing, you will have a short time to eat, drink and bandage. Act quickly.
Unfortunately, the ghosts count as humanoids, so paladins will be unable to use their special abilities for the undead.
Skulloc's abilities
Mr. Soulgrinder can and will periodically spawn groups of the same ghosts you encountered in the first phase. You must use crowd control, damage, and off-tanking in order to manage them, as the fearing trick no longer works.
Skulloc himself will not do a tremendous amount of damage, but he will cast corruption on various group members, which can be quite a problem if not dispelled as soon as possible. He will also randomly banish a player for 10 seconds, which can be dangerous if that player is a healer.
Overall, your group should be able to deal a fair amount of damage, as the adds will become a problem for undergeared groups. Once Skulloc is dead, loot his soul, as you have looted past items.
Rewards
Once you have given Mog'dorg the soul, you will be rewarded with 13 gold 20 silver, or 24 gold 60 silver at level 70. Completing this quest will render you neutral with all of the ogres in the area, and unlock the ability for you to travel to Ogri'la and the Skyguard Outpost and accept quests.
There is one other award that you will receive, but I will not spoil it for those who do not know. I will only offer these hints; try using your emoticons, and get ready to take some screenshots.
Tricks
Because the loot here is a spawn on the ground rather than a normal drop, your group configurations can be quite unique. For example, you could form a 40 man raid group, kill the Gronn, disband, loot the item, and reform for the next Gronn. You could also work in conjunction with members of the opposite faction, either by planning ahead to do so, or by coincidence. All players in the vicinity will be able to loot the item. These are interesting ways to speed up the quest chain, or for guilds to run multiple members through it without having to repeat it.
Rewards stack up
If you are not level 70, and you complete the entire chain, you will earn yourself 48 gold and 84 silver. If you are level 70, you will net 99 gold and 61 silver.
What next?
In the next segment, I'll walk you through unlocking every daily quest that looms around the corner for you in both Ogri'la and the Skyguard Outpost, as well as provide an in-depth guide to mastering them.
Other daily quest guides:
Your guide to dailies: Cooking
Your guide to dailies: Unlocking Skettis
Your guide to dailies: Skettis
