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All of the latest Mists of Pandaria newsBreakfast Topic: What's your favorite 5-man instance of all time?
by Amelia Ramstead 
Dec 11th 2011 at 8:00AM
The first instance I ever ran was Shadowfang Keep with my brother and his friends. I was led by the nose through it and it's a good thing, because I couldn't fight to save my life -- I just wanted to look at everything! To this day, it remains the benchmark for me by which all other instances are judged. When it received its update in Cata, part of me was really disappointed. I had always looked forward to running it on fresh alts, and I never wanted it to change. For the most part, I'm OK with the changes, and it still remains my favorite instance. And now I don't have to make alts to run it.
So what has been your very favorite instance to run? Not raid, mind you -- that's a whole other Breakfast Topic. Just a regular 5-man instance. Do you prefer the old classics, or has something from Cataclysm stolen your heart? None of the Wrath or Cata instances really did it for me, but I really got a kick out of the Caverns of Time instances from The Burning Crusade.
What grabs you when you get to an instance? Is it the setting? The music? The end of a quest line? Or are you primarily concerned with what kind of loot you're going to get out of the deal?
Filed under: Breakfast Topics, Guest Posts
Reader Comments (Page 4 of 7)
Kaphik Dec 11th 2011 8:55AM
Scholomance was always my favorite. First, we got a lot of quests that sent us there, and then when we thought we were done a few weeks later we got quests from other places that sent us back to Scholo. Having to use a key to get in added to the mystique. Finally getting the Spectral Essence was a cool reward for the time and effort involved, plus it made it really easy to repair when you were farming the place for dungeon set gear.
The lore behind the instance was very cool and the layout was fantastic. This was the place where I honed my tanking skills. Pulling the groups correctly was an art and a team effort, and we used whatever we had as far as classes to do so. The way the groups were placed inside the instance made it a bit of a challenge to pull only one at a time, that's what made the instance so much fun to tank.
There was a ton of bosses in there and some of the fights were really fun. Lots of great mechanics to each of them. Of course, there was a little bit of hazing to be had for players who had never been to the instance before, thanks to Kirtonos the Herald. We would tell people to put their back to the window and I would tank him there so his knockback would blast the unsuspecting newbie right out of the instance. I cannot tell you how many laughs we had over Vent as someone was trying to figure out WTF just happened to them!
Servetus Dec 11th 2011 1:57PM
This ^
Scholomance was my favorite. I loved the creepy feel to the place, and I used to enjoy deliberating aggroing all those students. (I was the tank, so it was okay to do this to myself.) I'd stand in the doorway and stack them up while the group stood behind me and burned them down, and the healer cursed my name. That felt EPIC.
I loved having to come there with friends and do the quest for my paladin charger.
Man, so many good memories from Scholo.
djdazz Dec 11th 2011 8:59AM
Halls of Reflection was my favorite. Loved the ending gauntlet had a very much nightmare feel to it. Trying to run away but not being able to move fast enough. No standing toe to toe with the last boss but instead "we gotta go, um like NOW!"
kaerras Dec 11th 2011 9:39AM
This pear...so delicious...
Anyways, I loved doing that one. Being one of those tanks that could manage it, I always got a lot of compliments, and thought the place was downright fun and challenging. Was always fun to load in and see 3 people immediately drop group.
Maz Dec 11th 2011 9:41AM
I'm going to have to agree with you here, as far as scripted encounters go the Lich King in Halls of Reflection was definitely my favorite. As far as dungeons as a whole though I have to go with Scholomance, with Magisters Terrace a close second.
B1ue Dec 11th 2011 2:13PM
@djdazz
I was just getting into druid tanking when this instance dropped. I somehow always got a a paladin healer.
I got good at managing threat on multiple mobs that were all over the map in a fricking hurry.
Tabasa Dec 11th 2011 9:02AM
Same here. I really miss running the place when it was relevant.
At the time I wasn't able to raid, even though I really wanted to. The difficulty of the place as a 5-man on heroic kind of made it a place that was my end game content at the time. Kael'thas was a high-profile enough character to go up against that it was satisfying to take him down, even though there was no chance I would ever get to see Illidan or Kil'jaeden at the time.
Also the fights were really fun, and the instance itself was just gorgeous. I've yet to find an instance I've enjoyed on the same level since then, although Well of Eternity comes extremely close.
Tabasa Dec 11th 2011 9:03AM
Oh joy, reply fail. Fun!
ricprospero Dec 11th 2011 9:15AM
For me it is Blackrock Depths! I did it in apropriate level, when it was still necessary to do the quests inside to get the key.
Such a immersive dungeon, lots of lore, even the fact that you had to go outside all the way to Orgrimar to complete all the quests didn´t bug me!
Had to do it 3 times in order to complete everything... Even did the quest where you "save" Moira, only to see that she had willingly joined Emperor Thaurissan and was pregnant, meaning that the Dark Irons, minions of Ragnaros, were heirs to the Throne of Ironforge!
Too bad that it this piece of lore is poorly developed now, Moira IS in the throne of Ironforge, but kept in check by Muradin and Kurdran, and is really doing nothing...
DarkWalker Dec 11th 2011 11:08AM
If Blackrock Depths was a solo instance, I would love it.
With 4 other players screaming "Go Go Go" at me? Or else having to spend hours assembling a group that was willing to go through it in a leisurely pace, to properly enjoy the content? Not a chance.
Avan Dec 11th 2011 9:41AM
Blackrock Depths has got to be the best. It is a proper dungeon crawling adventure due to both the art direction/visual design and layout. It feels like it really is the Dark Iron capital and an actual city.
But my favorite is Shadowfang Keep. Attacking an eerie castle? Yeah, that's some good stuff.
What these two have in common is that the size works for both, and the number of encounters (in terms of trash pulls and room layout) is just right.
acarlosa99 Dec 11th 2011 9:45AM
Can't decide between Deadmines, Scarlet Monastery and Utgarde Pinnacle...
Ooh, this is a tough one.
VC will always have a spot in my heart, being the first dungeon I ever ran.
However, there is just something so immersive about SM as a whole... I remember, fondly, the piles of dead bodies and skeletons of players at the lobby with the 4 portals. And Whitemane and Mograine are just a staple of WoW.
Utgarde Pinnacle was one of the first dungeons I ever tanked, and I won the Red Sword of Courage on my first run. That would open the gates to my best days in the game - tanking.
I love this question, for it makes us analyze why we value what we love about this game and makes us realize just how big it really is.
Nbhughes_84 Dec 11th 2011 9:58AM
I do like the new 5 man's because if the story, but CoT: culling of stratholme is my favorite. I know after 100 runs it got pretty annoying but the story and the gauntlet at the end was fun, and furious. First place I ever tanked.
antkibo Dec 11th 2011 10:02AM
Wailing caverns. As a true horde who leveled on the old Barrens that was the first instance I did and I still love/hate it.
Jack Mynock Dec 11th 2011 10:04AM
What? No love for Culling of Stratholme? I can't believe it.
DarkWalker Dec 11th 2011 11:03AM
Too blasted long, had we running all over the place. Interesting for doing it once or twice, but not something I wanted to keep doing. I liked the gauntlet, though.
Noyou Dec 11th 2011 11:28AM
It's in my top 5. I love all the CoT dungeons. Haven't run the new ones yet, but I'm sure they will be up there.
Xantenise Dec 11th 2011 11:40AM
It's in my top 5 too. I was ALWAYS happy to see it come up on the LFD. Loved the music, loved the bosses, loved everything about it.
... *Teary eyed* I miss it.
excorgh Dec 11th 2011 10:19AM
3.3 heroics, but Halls of Reflection was the best.
It was very good design, full of lore and could actually wipe your group if not handled correctly.
I was so glad when I got 3.3 heroics in Random because I had to heal and pay attention to what I was doing.
Andrew Dec 11th 2011 8:41PM
Halls of Stone. Yeah, everyone got sick of that one by the end of Wrath, but it followed the design concept of Ulduar, and Ulduar is the most beautiful raid there is, so there ya go. :P
And while Well of Eternity is a joy to run, End Time is so much more epic in scope. Old Gods failed by leaving one being alive in their wake? And it's a crazed dragon aspect? Let's finish their work and burn him down with ALL THE COOLDOWNS!