How to Survive Ulduar in World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King

Both on Normal and Heroic modes, Ulduar is one of the toughest instances in the game. It requires you to be raid-geared, highly coordinated and have a good class balance in order to get past the first few bosses. Think you’re up to the challenge?

Difficulty: Challenging

Instructions

1. Bring the right group. Good group composition is essential to clearing Ulduar. You will need: two Tanks, three Healers, three Ranged DPS and two Melee DPS. While the DPS can be switched around a little, you will need at least one Ranged or at least one Melee. Having too many of each will cripple your group for several fights. Having three healers and two tanks is absolutely essential. Ulduar cannot be single-tanked and healing with two healers is dangerous for inexperienced groups.

2. Bring the right classes. While there are some classes that are more useful than others, it is very helpful to have a Priest and some form of Replenishment (Retribution Paladin, Shadow Priests, Hunters, Mages and Warlocks) is necessary for extended fights. Priests are necessary both for the healing or DPS capabilities and for the all-important Mass Dispel. Mass Dispel will come in handy on fights like Hodir, which can trap several people at once. While a Holy Paladin can make Cleansing the ice traps easier, a Priest can just hit Mass Dispel and free everyone.

3. Gear up. While you can clear Naxxramas with pre-raid gear, Ulduar is not as forgiving. It is essential to clear Naxxramas at the very least. Getting gear from Sartharion or Malygos is also helpful, as is running any raid on Heroic. Each member of your party must be geared to at least Normal Naxxramas level before you attempt Ulduar. Anything less will put you at a severe disadvantage.

4. Bring Buffs. The right food and the right Flask can make a world of difference. Fish Feasts are the best food to bring, especially if your group has a Paladin. The buff given by Fish Feasts scales with Blessing Of Kings, and every Paladin has it now, so there should be no excuses. Different Flasks are good for different classes, so make sure you get the right one for you. Make sure you are Flasked and have a food buff at all times, and you will see your damage/healing/threat improve.

5. Read up. There is a wealth of information on boss strategies available. Even if your group has a different strategy than what you read about, it is still vitally important to read up on the boss so you know what their attacks and gimmicks are. With the introduction of Ulduar, each boss now also has a “Hard Mode” which, if you can enter it and destroy the boss, will yield better loot. Reading up on Hard Mode strategies is essential if you wish to take on a Hard Mode boss and live.