Uncovering the Secrets of Ulduar and Raiding the Keep

Ulduar.  I really can’t get enough of this place.  It still is my favorite raid instance so far in my WoW raiding history.  And it was also the first place that really got me into raiding.  This raid instance is beautiful and amazing and just screams epic with its encounters and bosses.  Like driving Siege Engines through hundreds of Dark Runed Dwarfs.  Playing patty cake with a Stone Giant.  Dancing with the Titans.  Going crazy over an Old God.  Even walking with a living constellation.

Sunday morning, I grouped up with Navi, Tacky and the rest of the Frostees to finish up some of the 25 man non-meta achievees that we didn’t get to last week.  We went in with only 9 peeps; I think we had 15 the other week.  I nabbed another 12 achievees to go with the 18 I got last week, lol.

• Set Us Up the Bomb
• The Keepers of Ulduar
• Shadowdodger
• They’re Coming Out of the Walls
• Kiss and Make Up
• The Descent into Madness
• But I’m On Your Side
• I Choose You, Stormcaller Brundir
• The Secrets of Ulduar
• The Antechamber of Ulduar
• Observed
• Supermassive

I picked up two pretty cool weapons from Ulduar. Earthshaper, a two-handed mace from Yogg-Saron and Stormrune Edge, a two-handed sword from the Assembly of Iron.  Now, the Stormrune Edge may have agility on it, but its model holds a special memory for me.  Back when I was a noob raider in Wrath, I used to raid for a second raid team for a guild back on Firetree.  We would raid Ulduar every week, but never got close to completing it, maybe finishing up to Kologarn.  But we would always do XT.  And XT dropped the one sword I coveted the most, Aesir’s Edge.  I saw this sword on another player and I thought it would look amazing on a ret pally.  I wanted it sooooo bad.  Every time the sword would drop, I’d always lose it to another melee dps (and our raid team was always melee heavy), sometimes losing the roll by a couple of numbers.  But I never gave up, I wanted to raid every week just so I can get that damn sword.

And then, one week, the stars on Algalon aligned, the rolls were on my side and I finally had won my sword.  I was ecstatic, the sword was now mine!  Lol, I still have that same sword I won back then and every time I see it in my bank, I always remember my early raiding days in Ulduar and that moment when that weapon dropped into my bags.

Back in April, while Shadow Rising was working on the meta achievees for the Rusted Proto-Drake, I managed to snag the third weapon of this same model, Abaddon, which is my current mog for my weapon today.  There is a fourth sword that shares this model, Voldrethar, Dark Blade of Oblivion, which drops off General Vezax in 25 man.  Maybe one day that sword will be mine too, lol.

Aesir’s Edge

Abaddon

Stormrune Edge

Here are some other screenshots from the Ulduar run.

Finally got that Astral Walker title I’ve been waiting forever to get!  It was another fun morning for me, thanks again guys! =)

Sunday night, I had planned to attend JD‘s Laid Back Raid, where they were going to run Gruul’s Lair and Karazhan on the Horde-side, but I logged on too late coming back from dinner.  From what I’ve read, it looks like they had a fun time in there.  I’d join next week’s LBR in Onxyia’s Lair, but after my Alliance project stalled, my highest Alliance toon is only level 61. =(  Maybe in two weeks then, lol.

When I did finally log on, Van asked if I wanted to do Tempest Keep and immediately invited me to a group.  The group consisted of Adoe, Moog on his warrior, Van, me, Cymre, Coolidge and Kamalia on her druid.  No Ashes for us, but we cleared the place pretty quick.  I got another two-handed sword from this run, Twinblade of the Phoenix, which kinda looks like a poor blood elf’s version of Thunderfury, lol.  I think Moog is ready for Dragon Soul, now that his warrior is decked out in T5 gear, lol =P

Another great weekend, raiding old content with guildies, Frostees and fellow bloggers!