Patch 5.1 PTR: Guide to the Dagger in the Dark scenario

By Anne Stickney
Patch 5.1 may not have any raid content, but it's got plenty of scenarios with plenty of story. The first scenario you'll encounter as a member of the Horde is Dagger in the Dark. Horde scouts have found what appears to be ancient magic somewhere in the saurok caverns located in the Veiled Stair, and you've been sent to figure out just what's up with all the magic.

But you aren't alone — you're sent to meet up with Vol'jin, who has arrived on Pandaria against Garrosh's wishes. You heard that right. Warchief Garrosh didn't bother asking the Darkspear or their leader along on the trip to Pandaria, citing a lack of loyalty shown by the Darkspear leader. But Vol'jin has arrived, so Garrosh sends him on the mission to the saurok caverns as a test to see whether or not Vol'jin really is loyal to the Horde ... or rather, to Warchief Hellscream.

Unlike most scenarios, this one will most decidedly kill you immediately if you aren't paying attention. But if you know what to look for, everything is a breeze.

Please note: This guide does contain spoilers for patch 5.1 story content. If you're avoiding all spoilers, turn away now.

In order to get into the saurok cavern, you'll have to defeat waves of saurok that are protecting the caves. Vol'jin is most definitely not useless in this mission, and he's terribly glad that you're watching his back. As you fight, Vol'jin will set down a variety of totems to assist you, and throw heals and attacks around while he's at it. Eventually the waves will stop, and you'll face the first boss of the scenario, the Darkhatched Lizard-Lord.

Vol'jin's totems come in extremely handy during this fight. Keep an eye out for trap totems like the one shown above, and kite the boss into the traps. The Lizard-Lord has a frontal AoE attack called Water Jets. It's easy enough to avoid — just look for the small waves on the ground and run out of them. He also summons reinforcements, and if you manage to kite three adds into his Water Jets, you'll get the achievement Watery Grave.

Once he's dead, you and your party will head into the caverns proper. Vol'jin's got a goblin buddy who will fix up one of the boats at the mouth of the cavern, modifying it with a gun. Only one of your party can ride in the boat and fire the gun, the other two will be stuck on foot.

If you're on the boat, your strategy is pretty simple: if it's a lizard and it's moving, blow it up. Things are slightly more tricky for the two players on foot, but there's help for you in the caverns. Along the path into the cavern are glowing blue circles like the one shown above. Standing in the circle will give you the Mogu Power buff. This buff stays with you, increasing your damage done and also healing you as you go along. It'll stack up to 5 times — so as you're smacking saurok around, make sure you run through five circles while you're doing it.

A 50% damage increase makes the cavern relatively easy for those on foot. Your next stop is the cavern interior, where you'll face off against Broodmaster Noshi. The Broodmaster is in a cavern full of — you guessed it, eggs — and he will hatch the eggs as the fight progresses. He'll also fixate on one player and follow that player around. If you have a big pair of eyes over your head, you're it. And if you're it, you probably shouldn't stand there and let the boss hit you.

At the end of the fight, the Broodmaster will hatch all eggs in the cavern and enrage. Vol'jin will cast a giant bubble on the ground — stand in that so you don't take damage, then smack the Broodmaster around until he's dead. If you kite the boss and kill all the eggs before the Broodmaster hits 20% health, you'll score the achievement No Egg Left Behind.

Just when you think everything is over, Garrosh's crony Rak'gor Bloodrazor shows up. When Vol'jin figures out exactly what it is Garrosh is after, he's utterly horrified, and expresses his disgust. This doesn't make Rak'gor happy. And since he's been eager to stick a knife in Vol'jin's ribs in the name of the Warchief, he does so. As Vol'jin collapses, it's up to you to defeat Rak'gor, before he can go running back to Garrosh babbling about your treachery.

Here's the trick to Rak'gor — kite the everloving heck out of him. If you have eyes over your head, get away from him as quickly as possible. Let the other dps work on his health, and when his aggro switches, turn around and kill him. Rak'gor hits like a truck, and if you try to stand there and tank him, you will die. Vol'jin will place healing totems on the ground throughout the fight. If you find yourself low on health, go stand near the totem until you're all better.

If you decide not to use the healing totems, you'll snag the achievement You Mean That Wasn't a Void Zone? once Rak'gor is dead. And even if you don't, you'll still get the Dagger in the Dark achievement for completing the scenario. Do not leave immediately after the boss is dead, at least not the first time you're in there — there is some important story information that plays out after Rak'gor is dead, and you don't want to miss it.

All in all, this is a pretty challenging little scenario. It's also jam-packed full of story relevant to what's going on in 5.1, so it's definitely worth running at least once just to catch up on what's going on. And if you're a Vol'jin fan, you don't want to miss what you'll see here.

Mists of Pandaria is here! The level cap has been raised to 90, many players have returned to Azeroth, and pet battles are taking the world by storm. Keep an eye out for all of the latest news, and check out our comprehensive guide to Mists of Pandaria for everything you'll ever need to know.

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