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(a.k.a., oris an abandoned citadel (or castle)located on a nexus of ley lines in southern Deadwind Pass . The tower is best known for its last known occupant — Medivh , the last Guardian of Tirisfal . After Medivh was killed by Khadgar Lothar , and Garona , the tower sealed itself off from the rest of the world. But recently, Karazhan has reawakened — an evil presence has taken the tower as its own, its halls crawling with spirits and demons... and Medivh's presence is still alive and well, even decades after his death.

Karazhan, as a level 70, ten-player raid instance, was opened in World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade.

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General information

Worldofwarcraft.com says the following about Karazhan:

Q u o t e: The decrepit tower of Karazhan once housed one of the greatest powers Azeroth has ever known: the sorcerer Medivh. Since his death, a terrible curse has pervaded the tower and the surrounding lands. The spirits of nobles from nearby Darkshire reportedly walk its halls, suffering a fate worse than death for their curiosity. More dangerous spirits wait within Medivh's study, for it was there that he summoned demonic entities to do his bidding. However, the brave and foolish are still relentlessly drawn to Karazhan, tempted by rumors of unspeakable secrets and powerful treasures. Forge a group of ten stalwart heroes, and journey to the tower in Deadwind Pass — but be warned that only those who have achieved level 70 should dare enter.

The instance is huge, scripted, and non-winged, containing twelve boss encounters, with 22 different NPCs.

The first door after the instance gate was previously locked. At one time, it could only be opened with [ The Master's Key ] (acquired via a quest chain), a rogue's Lockpicking skill, a Skeleton key, or a Seaforium charge. However, this was changed and the door can now be opened by any player who clicks on it.

(acquired via a quest chain), a rogue's Lockpicking skill, a Skeleton key, or a Seaforium charge. However, this was changed and the door can now be opened by any player who clicks on it. The following bosses and encounters must be defeated in order: Moroes, the Opera Event, The Curator, and the Chess Event. All other bosses are optional.

Note that Karazhan is a level-70 instance, and many of the bosses can be easily defeated by players above that level. Certain classes with well geared and experienced players behind them are able to solo the instance at level 80 while almost the entire instance can be soloed by most classes at level 85.

Shortcuts

Killing the Shade of Aran makes a teleport to his room available from Berthold the Doorman.

Karazhan has a side entrance. When climbing the tower to the right of the main entrance (across the small creek), the stairs lead to a bridge and to a door which can be unlocked from the inside once the Opera Event has been cleared.

Players who obtained Medivh's legendary staff — [ Atiesh, Greatstaff of the Guardian ] before the quest chain was removed in Patch 3.0.2, can use it to teleport players to the front gate of Karazhan.

before the quest chain was removed in Patch 3.0.2, can use it to teleport players to the front gate of Karazhan. There is a servants' entrance from the mezzanine above the ballroom that leads to the broken stairway. This door must be opened from the stairway side. While this doesn't help for initial clearing, it can later shorten some paths e.g. from the blacksmith to the Curator, or from Nightbane to Berthold (in order to get to Aran).

Vendors and repair

Koren <The Blacksmith> , next to Attumen the Huntsman, will repair gear for players who are Honored with Violet Eye. He also sells some epic Blacksmithing recipes (frost resistance gear). Near him is Calliard who wanders around, babbling how evil Midnight and her owner are.

, next to Attumen the Huntsman, will repair gear for players who are Honored with Violet Eye. He also sells some epic Blacksmithing recipes (frost resistance gear). Near him is Calliard who wanders around, babbling how evil Midnight and her owner are. Outside of the Gamesman's Hall (before the Chess Event) is Ythyar, a reagent and The Consortium reputation reward vendor, who can repair gear (however it is worthy to note that Ythyar has no faction attached to him, so no reputation discounts are available — whether this is a bug or intentional is unclear).

History

Karazhan is located in Deadwind Pass on the sub-continent of Azeroth in the Eastern Kingdoms. The land it sits on "was similar in shape to a human skull. Many had noted it over the years, though only a few had been sufficiently brave, or powerful, or tactless to mention it to the property's owner".[2] (LG 2)

Karazhan's history begins with an explosion that carved out Deadwind Pass and weakened the fabric of reality in the region, creating potent Ley Lines.[2] (LG 89) Some time later, Aegwynn realized this and forged the tower of Karazhan herself. The tower functioned as both a place of solitude, and a conduit she could use to siphon power from the ley lines.[3] Medivh would later claim that both the explosion, and the construction of the tower only happened because he would eventually arrive.[2] (LG 91-92)

During the First War, the tower was inhabited by Medivh, his steward Moroes, his cook named Cook, and his then-apprentice Khadgar. Garona also resided here as an emissary in the same time of Khadgar's apprenticeship. Sargeras allowed Medivh to freely explore Karazhan. As a result of the region's weakened reality, many strange and disturbing visions lurked within the tower, and Moroes was known for wearing blinders to avoid seeing them. The visions were ultimately ended when most of Karazhan's ambient magical power was absorbed by the resurrected Medivh, reducing it to "a pile of stone in the remote reaches", its power taken to serve the Prophet.[2] (LG 306-308)

Much of the story from this era is presented in the novel The Last Guardian.

Recently, despite Medivh's absence and the draining of magic, a new power seems to have made its home in Karazhan. The Black Riders of Deadwind Pass, though rarely seen, have a connection to Karazhan. However, no one knows who their master is. One recent sighting is cause for concern — the Black Riders seek the Scythe of Elune, a powerful artifact with the ability to summon the vile Worgen into this world.

Secrets for banishing the Legion

This section concerns content exclusive to Legion

As the Burning Legion began to assault Azeroth in their third and biggest invasion, heroes learned of a set of ancient artifacts, called the Pillars of Creation, which could help them in their fight against the legion. It was revealed by Magni in Ulduar that knowledge of these artifacts had been entrusted to the Guardian of Tirisfal. Upon learning of this, Khadgar and an Adventurer headed to Karazhan, where they hoped to find out the location of the artifacts from one of Medivh's ancient tomes.

The city of Dalaran was re-positioned above Deadwind Pass, while Khadgar and the adventurer made their way through Karazhan. Shortly after their arrival, agents of the Burning Legion, led by Thar'zul, began assaulting the magical barriers protecting the tower. Khadgar reinforced these magical barriers and was able to keep the Legion forces at bay while the adventurer found and brought the ancient tome back to the mages in Dalaran above. Khadgar bolstered Karazhan's magical defenses before heading back to Dalaran, but had little confidence they would hold against the Burning Legion for long.

Importance to the Legion

This section concerns content exclusive to Legion

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Contradictions

In The Last Guardian, Karazhan is described as being an isolated tower, no mention of any village around the tower's base. Quite the contrary in fact. Medivh is described as a hermit, rarely taking visitors into Karazhan, yet in World of Warcraft, it seems he held a banquet with many, many guests who, at some point, became undead. It also seems contrary to Medivh's character to have a harem inside Karazhan, yet that's exactly what we find in the Maiden of Virtue's area. We can only assume they were not undead and demons all along. It is possible Prince Malchezaar brought them with him in order to keep Moroes busy and unaware of what was going on, but it seems an odd thing to do. Another possibility is that an unknown tenant of Karazhan, or even the original builder or owner, made use of these features as there is a vision mentioned in the book of drunk people sitting around a table. Also, Karazhan included a bailey which may have had enough room for a small village.[2] (LG #?)

"Less than ghosts but more than memories, these were nothing less than pieces of the past that had become unstuck from the flow of time."

"Such hauntings were common even in the days when Karazhan was inhabited, though now, stripped of control (and the madness) of their master, they had become more brazen. Yet these shards of the past belonged here..." Selected Quotes from "The Last Guardian".

Instance layout

The following is a compilation of areas in Karazhan and the corresponding bosses of the apparent layout of Karazhan.

After the Shade of Aran is killed, Berthold the Doorman (in the front entrance of Karazhan) can port players back up to Aran's room.

The main entrance

The Gatehouse – leads to A1, A2, A3

A1 : The Livery Stable – Attumen the Huntsman, links to A1+ A1+ : The Guardhouse and Scullery – links to B2

: The Livery Stable – Attumen the Huntsman, links to A1+ A2 : The Servant's Quarters – one of three random animal bosses, leads to B1

: The Servant's Quarters – one of three random animal bosses, leads to B1 A3 : The Grand Ballroom – leads to B1, B2, and B3 B1 : The Guest Chambers – the Maiden of Virtue stands watch here B2 : The Banquet Hall – Moroes B3 : The Opera House – the Opera Event, one of three random stage productions

: The Grand Ballroom – leads to B1, B2, and B3

All paths lead into the Broken Stair

AA : The Broken Stair – side entrance unlocked by opera event, leads to AA+, BA AA+ : The Master's Terrace – One may summon Nightbane should the need arise... (dead end) BA : The Menagerie – The Curator, leads to CA, CB, CC, ?? CA : The Repository – Terestian Illhoof CB : The Guardian's Library – Shade of Aran CC : The Celestial Watch – Netherspite ?? : The Gamesman's Hall – Chess event, a side event encounter of epic proportions Medivh's Chambers – leads to D D : The Topmost – onward to X X : Netherspace – Prince Malchezaar lurks within

: The Broken Stair – side entrance unlocked by opera event, leads to AA+, BA

Random Servant's Quarters Bosses include three bosses that drop epic-level items that can be worse than virtually any level-70 blue. They follow the pattern of green drops (of the Owl, of the Whale). Useful drops are sparse, but they are epic (they can be disenchanted) and can be sold for a few gold, plus every mob gives normal reputation, which is much considering the low difficulty of that area. The bosses are: Hyakiss the Lurker – spider boss Rokad the Ravager – darkhound boss Shadikith the Glider – bat boss

include three bosses that drop epic-level items that can be worse than virtually any level-70 blue. They follow the pattern of green drops (of the Owl, of the Whale). Useful drops are sparse, but they are epic (they can be disenchanted) and can be sold for a few gold, plus every mob gives normal reputation, which is much considering the low difficulty of that area. The bosses are:

You do not have to clear the entire quarters for a boss to spawn. It appears that the boss will spawn after a certain number of kills occurs. Look for an emote, such as 'Hyakiss the Lurker emerges from...' The boss can also spawn multiple times if the quarters continue to get cleared. Killing the maiden does not prevent respawns in this room. NOTE: These bosses, if done previous to any real bosses in Karazhan, will not lock you with a raid ID to Karazhan. The main value of this area is that it helps a new raid group build confidence and quickly levels everyone's reputation to honored so that Koren can be used to repair (something you want the whole raid to be able to do).

To check the week's event without making a real attempt, start it with Barnes, then with one or more people on stage (to die) leave the rest of the raid in the pit below. The person(s) on stage will need to talk to Grandmother to finish starting the Big Bad Wolf, without this person the event can sometimes lock up the doorway and the GMs will not help you. The other two events will engage straight away and the person on stage will die. This can also be accomplished by sending a Hunter to start the event, and then Feign Death once the event is started.

Be aware that the conversations between the stagehands do not contain hints about the upcoming event. They will say "need more paint for the Oz set", even if R&J or Wolf is up for the week.

You must kill Moroes before Barnes will allow you to try the Opera Event.

Kings for each side of the Chess event are King Llane piece and Warchief Blackhand piece.

How to reach Chess event: After having defeated the Curator, head to the Library, clean your way up the upper part of library until you arrive at Shade door, and continue your way and go down on the first crossroad you encounter.

Encounters

Related quests

For a description of the entire Karazhan quest chain see: Karazhan Quest Progression

Getting [The Master's Key] opens the following follow-up quests:

(Must be Honored with the Violet Eye) This is part of the Nightbane quest chain:

For the old Serpentshrine Cavern attunement:

Loot

Main article: Karazhan loot

Tier 4

Tier 4 parts dropped by The Curator (Glove tokens):

Tier 4 parts dropped by Prince Malchezaar (Helm tokens):

Badges

The bosses of Karazhan drop [Badges of Justice] in addition to their normal loot. In Karazhan, all bosses drop two Badges each, except for the animal bosses (zero), Attumen the Huntsman (one) and Prince Malchezaar (three). Since the chest at the Chess Event also contains two badges, a total of 22 Badges can be obtained from clearing the entire instance.

Dungeon denizens

Karazhan gryphon roost

The Karazhan gryphon roost is leftover from the planning phase of Karazhan. Before the teleport to Aran's room was implemented, the original plan was to have a flightpath that connected to the top of Karazhan for the convenience of groups who had already cleared most of the instance.[citation needed] The instance portal does not function. Since the release of Cataclysm and the possibility of flying in Azeroth it is possible to reach the Gryphon Roost. On the Gryphon Roost you can find 2 gryphons alive and well, but you can't interact with them. If you look into the portal you can see a wooden staircase leading up and down, but an iron gate prevents you from entering.

Media

Images

Videos

From gamescom 2016

Videos on soloing Karazhan

How to Solo Karazhan part 1 of 2 How to Solo Karazhan part 2 of 2

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Old attunement videos

Hearthstone

One Night in Karazhan Cinematic Trailer Jul 28, 2016; This is not the Karazhan you were probably expecting

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Notes

There was some discussion as to who is the final boss of Karazhan, Prince Malchezaar or Nightbane . The Prince drops higher level loot (125 vs. 115) and yields three heroic tokens, the most in the entire instance. On the other hand, Nightbane dropped the SSC attunement quest item. The difficulty of the two fights is very similar. With the release of the achievements system, Prince Malchezaar is listed as the boss required for the Karazhan achievement, which is evidence that Blizzard considers him the final boss of the raid instance.

or . The Prince drops higher level loot (125 vs. 115) and yields three heroic tokens, the most in the entire instance. On the other hand, Nightbane dropped the SSC attunement quest item. The difficulty of the two fights is very similar. With the release of the achievements system, Prince Malchezaar is listed as the boss required for the Karazhan achievement, which is evidence that Blizzard considers him the final boss of the raid instance. In the Opera House, certain mobs will have a spotlight effect, increasing your damage while in the spotlight (for friend and foe) by 20%. On these mobs, it's considered a good strategy for tanks to move the mob out, and run into the spotlight ("stealing the spotlight").

After defeating Moroes, and all mobs up to the Opera Event, a mage could use Invisibility to stealth past everything to get up there and see what this is.

A curious easter egg is hidden below the tower outside the instance. If you can get under it, you can find a Smiley face on the ground.

Trivia

In the Opera House, you will meet Barnes the Stage Manager on the stage, addressing his ghostly audience. Barnes will then announce the night's presentation. One of three (currently) boss presentations will appear, each based on famous stories or tales. "Tonight, things are not what they seem, for tonight, your eyes may not be trusted." The Little Red Riding Hood - Starring the hungry Wolf himself. The Wizard of Oz - Starring Dorothee and her dog Tito, Tinhead, Strawman, the lion Roar, and the evil Crone that tries to stop them on their way home! Romulo and Julianne - A tale of forbidden love...

When Karazhan was first announced, there were rumors that an upside-down version of the tower existed, extending down from the bottom floor, deep underground. Whether or not Blizzard actually plans to implement this "Lower Karazhan" remains unknown. It is likely that this is a reference to The Last Guardian by Jeff Grubb, a novel which details the last weeks of (living) activity within the tower. Several references are made to an "inverse" of Karazhan which begins at the lowest level and works its way downward, with Medivh's secret chambers lying at the very bottom. It is also possible that this rumor was a nod to the Konami game Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, wherein players could fight through an upside-down version of Dracula's Castle after completing the regular version. There exists a building behind the nearby graveyard in which there is a stair downward towards a locked gate. One could (but no longer) go through this gate as a ghost and explore the large area beyond. This is likely to play a part in the future of Karazhan. Karazhan could be based on The Dark Tower from the Stephen King novels.

In the first room in the Guest Rooms there is a bed with two skeletons lying in it. Dead roses lay between them, and one has a knife stuck in it, while the other is holding a bottle. This is a reference to Romeo and Juliet.

All ley lines on Azeroth lead to a location under Karazhan[ citation needed ].

References

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