By: Bethany Massimilla

Many dangers await in the realm of the Lich King. The will of Arthas echoes through Northrend, ancient frozen kingdoms gripped in his armored fist. Titans keep close to their own secrets buried deep in hidden vaults, and the Blue Dragonflight threatens to tear the world asunder with wild magic. World of Warcraft: The Wrath of the Lich King is still in beta, but many challenging dungeons and dangers already beckon, so we heeded the call. Come along with us as we explore the instanced adventures of the icy north and see what the latest expansion has in store for you. But be warned: though the surface of this article contains only minor spoilers, the rollover images contain the visages of bosses and artifacts you may prefer to remain unknown. And if your thirst for arcana truly knows no bounds, perhaps this video tour of The Nexus will sate you. We will not blame you if you cannot help gazing upon them, but do not blame us, either.

And so, without further ado, we present the dungeons of the Lich King!

Utgarde Keep

The Howling Fjord is a deep glacial gash hewn into a brutal wilderness where Alliance forces cling to their waterside outpost in the oppressive shadow of Utgarde Keep. Now home to a depraved band of brutal men known as the Vrykul, Utgarde Keep clearly marks the bygone golden age of a lost civilization with its sweeping stone architecture and sophisticated engravings. It has been leased to the Vrykul by Arthas in return for the beast men's continued campaign of chaos. If you are ready to travel to Northrend, then Utgarde Keep is ready for you.

The Atmosphere

Forge       Hall       Terrace      

Utgarde Keep is richly atmospheric within and without. From the vantage of Valgarde, the Alliance outpost, Utgarde stands like a giant tombstone on a massive grave. Dragon riders swoop down from stone spires spewing fire on the terrified mortals below, killing the lucky ones. Within, Utgarde contains the regal squalor of a Viking fraternity house; its splendor spoiled by wild and savage tenants. Dragon-head banners bedeck the halls, covering finely engraved eagles, symbols of the bygone builders. A huge war forge greets your entrance, and it is here that the Vrykul invaders look most at home. Clanging hammer against anvil, the beast men forge their war tools before a curtain of fire and an audience of skulls that spew their applause in flames.

The Baddies

Vrykul       Drake       Ghoul      

Do not underestimate the Vrykul--or their dragons. Savage and disorganized though they may seem, these mad warriors are employed by the Lich King, who pays them in more than real estate. They wield his dark power, as well as their own savage implements. They've also tamed both vicious worgs and mighty drakes to cosign their evil deeds. Take extra care when fighting in the dragon pens because one unlucky knock could send you flying into the face of a nearby sleeping monster, doubling your troubles and halving your hopes in one fell swoop.

The Bosses

Keleseth       The Controller       Ingvar      

The agents of Arthas oversee the Vrykul's evil work, and they will stand against you when lesser foes have fallen. When you vanquish his sinister council, a wicked wizard will attack with a host of skeletal friends. Beware his tomb of ice; though you may be loath to attack the encased member of your party, you will find the alternative even worse--and kind of sticky. You will also happen upon a conversation between an exceptionally powerful Vrykul and his necromagical overseer. And finally, Ingvar the Plunderer, leader of the Vrykul, awaits you at the top of Utgarde Keep.

The Nexus

When the Titans created the world, they also created the dragonflights to keep watch over it. The domain of the blue dragonflight was magic, and Malygos was its guardian. Driven insane with grief over the almost utter annihilation of his race by the betrayal of the black dragon Deathwing, Malygos has only recently risen from his stupor to find the world in turmoil. Having decided that the current state of affairs is due to mortals meddling with magic, he now channels much of the world's magical energy to the Nexus, his stronghold in Northrend. You may want to gain a level or two before you challenge him.

The Atmosphere

Spire       Runes       Trees      

If you like the color blue, you'll be right at home in The Nexus. The frost-and-magic design aesthetic from the outer environs continues inside through the citadel's base floor. Much of the instance is inscribed with glowing runes, as well as bristling with crystal and ice. One path to an elemental boss is lined with trees that glitter so brightly they're almost painful to look at--all crystal foliage and shining treants. One wing of the dungeon is almost entirely ripped apart by the overload of magical forces, with a vortex so strong that it's pulling nearby creatures to their deaths. Just from running around, you clearly get the picture that the Blue Dragonflight has gone thoroughly insane--if matters are this out of control at the lowest level of the tower, what's happening at the top?

The Baddies

Dragonkin       Treants       Horde      

Disparate beings populate The Nexus, from mana-hungry elves to blue dragonkin patrolling on behalf of their crazed leader. Magical plant life crowds the halls on one side, waving their limbs and leaves freely under the guard of hulking elementals. Around the unstable vortex, dragonkin fight a losing battle against uncontrolled beings of pure energy that seem to spawn endlessly. One frozen hall contains a whole squadron of Horde entombed in ice, and they'll be quick to turn their ire on you once released. It's best for you to be cautious with the number of enemies you'll fight at one time. Those in your party who can offensively and defensively dispel magical effects will also be kept quite busy.

The Bosses

Telestra       Ormorok       Anomalus      

Upon entering, the first thing you see is a red dragon locked in ice--if you've quested in Coldarra, you'll recognize her as the imprisoned Keristrasza, but you can't help her yet. You'll need to clean the rest of The Nexus first. A master mage awaits you, flinging your party around with arcane magic then splitting her form to embody both fire and frost. Deep in the crystal forest, a great stone giant awaits your arrival with ice that erupts from the ground. In the unstable hall of the rift, a creature of chaotic energy warps both space and magic in an attempt to rip you asunder.

When you at last free Keristrasza, her heart is corrupted beyond repair, and she forces you to sacrifice her by attacking you in a rage. In addition to her dragon's breath and magic, the very air itself acts against you; if you don't keep moving, you'll be overcome with frost.


Do the perils of one dungeon excite you more than the others? Or do you have a question about the mysteries of Northrend? Don't /yell, /tell us.

155 Comments

  • glaukus

    Posted Nov 18, 2008 8:11 pm PT

    WotLK, unfortunately is MORE of the same, with a sprinkle of what was promised, and some promptly copied feats that shined to the devs of Blizzard.
    If "the same" is ok with you, and you weren't up to the nect with WoW as it was, then you'll love WotLK. If you expected more of something else, a change, the Obama of WoW running and winning... ...am sorry WotLK is the 72yo McCain expansion pack, tired and same ol'.

  • glaukus

    Posted Nov 18, 2008 8:09 pm PT

    @madmoose: WoW 8 million play it.
    5.492 million DON'T.
    Lot's of games have been played but many more people than that. Ofc THOSE games, COULD be copied

  • glaukus

    Posted Nov 18, 2008 8:05 pm PT

    @Goth+lord/666: hahahahahahahaha
    I just read your comment and by GOD, truth and my life, it's been the LAMEST comment in the history of comments. If comments had a life of their own, your comment will up and give it up with a loud bang.
    1. it's idiotic to boast either about being fully epic - my mage was so in 4 days after he was lvl 70, lots of other people have gone epic in minutes after they reached 70, u know being alts and all. As well as boast about Karazhan runs... ppl are doing Sunwell and wotlk Instances already...
    2. We don't give a crap if you are getting the CE - it sucks anyway. Overpriced and silly. Just cashing in from the dorks. You'd probably bought the normal one (at 35euros) to have both.
    3. "Continue making my hunter more awsome"... no comments here
    4. ofc you rolled hunter.
    5. "more awsome well got to go now" some might wonder actually where to?
    6. "GOT MY GF TO GO TALK TO" oh that was a relief. Like taking a huge dumb that won't just come out, and you feel like you are getting a stroke. THAT kind of relief. The stroke kind am feeling because of this lameness. I even copied this comment in my Notepad. I'll even re-post in FB...

  • goth_lord666

    Posted Nov 12, 2008 6:30 pm PT

    okay this is a post saying that it's nice to see people who enjoy the game but how many in here can say in only 3 Karazahn runs they practically were fully epic-ced out and have the 2 best daggers from that instance on their rogue or hunter? I can say that I can and I can't wait until tomorrow to get my copy of the game in Collector's Edition form and continue making my hunter even more awesome well got to go now. Got my gf to go talk to

  • Scuzzmuggler

    Posted Nov 10, 2008 4:01 am PT

    I've put some time into several MMOs out there; EQ, DaoC, WoW, EVE Online, and most recently Lotro. They all have their strengths, and people(including myself) can play different MMOs for different reasons.

    EQ would kick you in the nuts every 5 minutes just for playing, but it made any bit of progress that much more rewarding.

    DaoC had Realm vs Realm combat

    WoW made MMOs accessable to the masses(which has its pros and cons), and did away with the junk kicking concept, and I'd say it has the best instances out there.

    EVE has a massive dynamic economy with some 20k odd players on the same server, and showed people that boring CAN be cool.

    Lotro is alright in the basic sense, but excels at all the little extras an MMO can provide. Imagine downing Rag (hey so I didn't put as much time into BC) and putting his hammer in your guild hall. Maybe mount Luci's head on the wall of your own personal house. Then a hobbit is going to play a song about it.

    All different flavours of awesome, it just depends on the consumer.

  • Cobacel

    Posted Nov 10, 2008 12:05 am PT

    madmoose7 n000000000b not 11 million play you stupid kid 11 million subscriptions some ppl have 2 or more accounts than 1 chinese farmers have more than 10 at least you suck for not knowing that

  • Hugomanen

    Posted Nov 8, 2008 4:47 pm PT

    I would really like to see wow made into a single player game, ie tweaking it so the dungeons/instances can be done single player AND more importantly, increase the drop rates and reduce amount of exp needed to lvl in order to make it more fast paced.
    I really love the story, im just not ready to commit that amount of time to a game...

  • madmoose7

    Posted Nov 6, 2008 7:48 pm PT

    why are people saying WoW is boring I think the 11 million people that play it disagree.I also noticed that some of you were talking about warhammer or Hellgate London...why? they have nothing to do with wotlk. Any way I cant wait until it comes out,luckily there's only 6 more days!

  • dragonbattousai

    Posted Nov 6, 2008 8:19 am PT

    Me and a lot of friends quite playing WAR and went back to WoW. The thing with WAR was that you felt all alone in a tier area because they released too many servers and the queue times made people move from one place to another. We are looking forward to Wrath of the Lich King and can't wait to try out Death Knight.

  • gianluca24

    Posted Nov 6, 2008 2:21 am PT

    oh eya, MINDLESS ZOMBIE TIME for me

  • gianluca24

    Posted Nov 6, 2008 2:20 am PT

    Nice, WOW IS SO AWSOME! Time for me to get back to playing after one year! (Now let the thumbs up fly in)

  • ipotkss posted Sep 18, 2008 5:59 pm PT (does not meet display criteria. login to show)

    ipotkss

    Posted Sep 18, 2008 5:59 pm PT (hide)

    this is ridiculus i mean come on there just gonna make more expansions to the game till your likr a level 100+. shure they add a new class bigg woop shure ke is a real badd ass, all i have to say more for this is this. WHO CARES!

  • SupaTrupa

    Posted Sep 15, 2008 2:35 pm PT

    Looks like more of the same, repetitive, cartoony crap people have been wasting their lives playing for years now.

    I've sworn off MMO's and my life is much more happy and fulfilling for doing so. No game should require THAT much of your time to enjoy.

  • CreatureRising

    Posted Sep 12, 2008 4:44 pm PT

    @ Robsolo
    Warcraft will be a fun and enjoyable game because its ever changin i mean look it changes all the time and a new experience everyday so its always new kinda my opinion. Cant wait to see what the 80s itens are

  • SaurabhAV

    Posted Sep 9, 2008 10:59 am PT

    Like probably a lot of people, I have mixed feelings about wow. I wont lie, I completely misjudged the quality of endgame experience. I love being 70 and raiding is the sh*t. At least for poeple that have time to raid. I mean coordinating with 25 people and learning all the different strategies and implenting them is fun. The troublesome part is the transition stages between the tiers as well as finding a good and consistant guild. Once im done with BT, I wont be playing much till the expansion. Also alot of new gamers just get run through intances and miss out on the 5 man team experience: The entire part of learning how to play wow and its systematic dungeon gameplay. MMORPGs are not for everyone.

  • robsolo

    Posted Sep 7, 2008 12:29 pm PT

    First off I have to say I'm a huge Warhammer fan. As in the Warhammer franchise of 30 odd years that Blizzard actually kind of ripped off when making the whole Warcraft fanchise.

    That said, I find it really funny when I read all these comments like, 'I got to lvl 30/70/whatever and it was boring after/before that. Doing quests, same monsters over and over, grinding. Can't wait for War!!'

    What do you think will be different with War? It's an MMORPG too. Just like Everquest, Star Wars Online, D.A.o.C., etc etc. There will be a few small differences, but it's all the same stuff; doing quests, killing things, grinding levels. If you don't like WoW I don't know why you're so excited about any other MMORPG. I even played the Beta of War and wasn't taken aback by anything I saw. I was really excited when I first heard about it being developed...but I don't think the final product is for me. Which is a shame because I'd love to love it. I wish they made an RPG like Oblivion, but based on Felix and Gotrek or the like!

    I am looking forward to WoTLK. It may be more of the same....but that's what I like and it's what I want. If I like WoW now and can get more WoW with new areas, quests, monsters and some new stuff to try out then why wouldn't I like it? I also like the graphics the way they are. IMO they look better in gameplay then games with 'more realistic' graphics that just don't look realistic at all. Their efforts to look 'real' only help highlight the akwardness and it just shows how much further they have to go to make truely realistic graphics. The graphics in games like EQ2 and D+D online actually turn me off playing them because I don't think they look real. I'd rather have awesome looking cartoons than funny looking 'reality'.

    I can understand that some people are bored of WoW. I stopped playing for over a year myself...but then I got sucked back with the last expansion. I have yet to find a game that has kept me enthralled for as long as WoW has, so they must be doing something right....and I'm sure a lot of other people feel the same way. So as far as I'm concerned, bring on 'more of the same.' Please.

  • buckizard

    Posted Sep 7, 2008 9:59 am PT

    4 level 70s, numerous alts. no more please! Finally left WoW for the numerous other games out there and haven't regretted it since. Lich doesn't interest me at all. Just more grinding, more scripted, raid-every-day-in-order-to-clear dungeons, horrible PvP. Though the game does run on any system and has a huge following and gameplay/performance is flawless and smooth. I'm sure Lich will be a huge hit.

  • coreyb42

    Posted Sep 7, 2008 9:22 am PT

    MMOs in general bore me to tears. They all suck, all you're doing is running errands for a bunch of virtual characters who then give you slightly better equipment, or some money to invest in slightly better equipment. Repeat until you're level 70, which is apparently when the game isn't boring... Of course, it takes, what, a month to get there? Or more? How could you expect someone who is bored by a game to hang in there for 100+ hours?

  • ejkoenig

    Posted Sep 7, 2008 8:13 am PT

    Phoenix32623

    Note to those who trash WoW and say they played it to lvl 25 and thought it was terrible, or reskinned, or shallow are just lazy

    if your gonna comment on an MMO like WoW you gotta play the ENTIRE game from 1-70 at elast once, dont play to lvl 20 and think you can judge the game, you havent Raided, or done a formal instance run. And i agree i hate reading people saying that they played the game till like 11 or something like that and they say that Warhammer will be better. play the entire game THEN judge if u dont like it or not for example. kretyn said this game is so lame and boring i gave up at level 32. didn't even bother. can't take this game seriously. too cartoonish and colorful.WAR!! Maybe u should play entire game u dont know if warhammer will be any better then WOW considering the fact that u haven't even got to 70 u really dont have any opinon about judgeing Wow. so for those out there thats saying this kinda stuff lvl up THEN comment....

  • Phoenix32623

    Posted Sep 6, 2008 1:23 pm PT

    Note to those who trash WoW and say they played it to lvl 25 and thought it was terrible, or reskinned, or shallow are just lazy

    if your gonna comment on an MMO like WoW you gotta play the ENTIRE game from 1-70 at elast once, dont play to lvl 20 and think you can judge the game, you havent Raided, or done a formal instance run.

  • GetsugaTenshou posted Sep 6, 2008 11:10 am PT (does not meet display criteria. login to show)

    GetsugaTenshou

    Posted Sep 6, 2008 11:10 am PT (hide)

    Boooooooorinnnnnnnnnnnngggggggg no originality at alll

  • Ninja_RaVeN

    Posted Sep 3, 2008 9:01 pm PT

    sweet ill be picking my copy when this comes out

  • 9mmSpliff

    Posted Sep 3, 2008 12:42 pm PT

    WAR is fun.....except for the fact you cant clip through characters. That is going to get so many people stuck.

  • juxax

    Posted Sep 3, 2008 8:12 am PT

    i played this game on and off, hardcore and not, since the first day of eu release. And it was the best mmorpg ever made. but that was years ago, and WAR is the new kid. for a start, on wow everything is dependant on everyone else, not you... they finally give you decent rewards for getting honor, and kill the entire point of getting honor at the same time, bring out arenas, which are crap, painfully boring and slow... and guess what, there you are depending on everyone else in your team.

  • kretyn posted Sep 3, 2008 6:10 am PT (does not meet display criteria. login to show)

    kretyn

    Posted Sep 3, 2008 6:10 am PT (hide)

    this game is so lame and boring i gave up at level 32. didn't even bother. can't take this game seriously. too cartoonish and colorful. WAR!!!

  • GriffinLord602 posted Sep 3, 2008 2:30 am PT (does not meet display criteria. login to show)

    GriffinLord602

    Posted Sep 3, 2008 2:30 am PT (hide)

    When I got this. I just couldn't get into it. I got to level 15 I think, then had to stop from the boredom. I I have played other MMO's and enjoyed them much more thoroughly than WoW... However, I understand and respect how people like this game, given its scale and depth.

  • Waximizer posted Sep 2, 2008 8:55 pm PT (does not meet display criteria. login to show)

    Waximizer

    Posted Sep 2, 2008 8:55 pm PT (hide)

    WARRRRRR

    sept. 18th

    =)

  • ejkoenig

    Posted Sep 2, 2008 5:01 pm PT

    Personally i dont think Warhammer will be as good as WOtlk but thats me i love WOW

  • ejkoenig

    Posted Sep 2, 2008 4:59 pm PT

    Yeah its getting old for now just wait till wotlk i have 2 70's and i get bored mainly when u get bored go to a GM private server its just as fun but alot more i dont play it but my bro does and i might give it a try but i really dont know

  • OmegaTau

    Posted Sep 2, 2008 11:21 am PT

    I quit playing wow once i hit lv 70 and some of my other toons are half way there but once litch comes out I will back on one thing that usually keeps me away from wow some times it gets kinda boring and I find something else around the house game wise to invest my time in, also is hard for me to find time to run raids with the guild and run some pug in a dungeoun just so a few people can find some gear. But what gets me when I do have time to run raids and dungeouns I never get the things I want for my toon but ever one in my group seems to always get what they need and then and then people get that "oops i got to go" bug so I can never get my stuff.

  • GodMin

    Posted Sep 2, 2008 6:53 am PT

    i agree with red-orc, I started back playing Wow a few months ago after a friend told my about this but after i started playing it hit me "wait if i didnt like it then im not going to like it later" so i stopped playing again

    But if people like it good for them, I didnt like Wow as much as some other MMOs. Not saying WoW is bad, I just dont like it any more cause it just got old to me. Some other MMOs I've played for years but WoW I can only stand for a month or 2 at a time.

  • Skiveron

    Posted Sep 1, 2008 4:30 pm PT

    Almost forgot, I agree WoW requires are lot of Grind(main reason I quit)..but that my friend is the nature of MMOs. Actually among the MMOs I played, WoW is the most casual friendly and requires the least amount of grinds(Assuming you have 1 70). If you hate grinds then probably MMORPG genre isnt for you.

  • Skiveron

    Posted Sep 1, 2008 4:27 pm PT

    Wow was an amazing game when I played it. I quit about 1 year back cause I wanted to be competitive, unfortunately for a MMO that meant I had to play alot...which boiled down to me either 1)playing wow and sacrificing other games 2)me quitting wow to play other games in my free time.

    Nice to see its still going strong with 10+ million subscribers. And Nice to see this preview section wasnt swamped by retarded trolls who bash what is undoubtedly an amazing game. Every game Blizzard makes is a winner, both critically and commercially, doubt it will change with Wotlk.

    And those complaining about graphics, lol, do you know in every console war the one with inferior graphics almost always won? Good think most people think of gameplay first graphics second.

  • Baloth2025

    Posted Sep 1, 2008 12:54 pm PT

    To make a few things clear no, Blizzard did not make Hellgate London. I don't know exactly but a few of Diablo's creators left Blizzard(I believe) and worked with Flagship Studios to make Hellgate. So it was made by some people from Blizzard, but not Blizzard itself. Heh, and has many problems with it, yes.
    I don't know about you, but that says something to me...

  • ejkoenig

    Posted Sep 1, 2008 7:29 am PT

    Yeah i agree Noventus don't forget death knights though =)there looking sweet from things i've saw and read i cant wait for Wotlk....and Diablo 3 =)

  • Noventus

    Posted Sep 1, 2008 3:32 am PT

    to me wow and its expansions are a co-op games, ill buy this an co-op quest to 80 with a friend, have a little pvp fun and then stop playing, I have no time or patience for pretentious guilds that ask for your MMO C.V and 4 hours of your time per night, every night.

  • red-orc

    Posted Sep 1, 2008 12:42 am PT

    I played WoW in its beginning and it's so funny to see, how the developers now are selling the same content just with different colors over and over again as new stuff. This game is an illusion, a giant visualization.

  • Alastor_Devil

    Posted Aug 31, 2008 12:54 am PT

    I miss those day's when i had world of warcraft.
    And i thought Blizzard did make HellGate London?

  • efreet_god

    Posted Aug 30, 2008 4:40 pm PT

    Umm blue78... Blizzard did not make Hellgate london.....
    Flagship Studios did....
    Know what ur saying b4 u say anything!

  • Blue78

    Posted Aug 30, 2008 1:35 pm PT

    DeadlyVomit,

    Didn't they try something new with Hellgate London? I haven't actually played it, but I've heard some pretty bad things about it from personal friends to actual reviews. Maybe that's why they're sticking to their three big titles? I'm not saying they can't make anything new and I do LOVE the Diablo, Starcraft, and Warcraft series, I'm just saying maybe they'd just rather not take the risk...

  • djdna514

    Posted Aug 30, 2008 9:27 am PT

    there are so many dungeons i havent been through already, i'll never catch up!! These look AWESOME.

  • DeadlyVomit

    Posted Aug 30, 2008 6:39 am PT

    I agree with Beagle San. Blizzard is just brilliant. Here's why. How is it that Blizzard has become the number one game developer in over a decade on just 3, yes 3, titles? Their next two game titles are StarCraft 2 and Diablo 3. I think it's time for Blizzard to come up with some REAL NEW Content, not because I want it, but they've made such great polished games (3 basically) instead of "Expanding" or "Improving" on "existing" content, how about actually bringing something NEW? This is not a criticism as I know I'll be getting Diablo 3 and the Lich King... their games are just that good and polished and a great gaming experience, so yeah, if it aint broke don't fix it. I just think adding something NEW would be refreshing. I'm sure Blizzard can do it, they have some of the most talented people there. This expansion excites because I know what Blizzard is capable of and they have yet to disappoint. Just wish they'd have another "baby" for their family. I'd be just as excited

  • mii56

    Posted Aug 29, 2008 10:14 pm PT

    And of course Blizz is afraid of WAR. A lot of people (including you guys) are saying they're changing to WAR. It would be egotistical for them not to be afraid.

  • mii56

    Posted Aug 29, 2008 10:10 pm PT

    The only thing I why I'm not going to get this at launch, or maybe even a couple months after that, is because I'm a huge altaholic, and my strongest guys are level 32. And, this expansion, is definitely more for 55-70.

  • mii56

    Posted Aug 29, 2008 10:02 pm PT

    Yeah, WAR does look shallow.

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