Zombie Invasion  

The Wrath of the Lich King Scourge Invasion has begun, as of October 23rd. Exactly 3 weeks until the release of WotLK.

Features

• Phases
• Scourge Invasion
• Anti-Undead Armor Sets
• New Argent Dawn Items
• New Boss: Prince Tenris Mirkblood
• Invasion Bosses
• On Becoming a Zombie!
• Notes and Tips
• Links

Phases of Infection - The Beginning

Found in the rotting diary of Eric Farrington in the dead city of Andorhal...

Wednesday

My beloved home, Andorhal, has fallen victim to an evil plague. I have witnessed the horrors of the Scourge firsthand, and seen unimaginable things. Death was not granted to my loved ones. Instead, everyone I've ever known has turned into monsters. Monsters of unfathomable, relentless viciousness!

I thought naught of a few illnesses, a few fevers. We continued to ship out crates of grain to Lordaeron, and we weren't fearful of this new sickness - we were confident our healers could handle it. I know now that was foolish, blind.

The denizens of Andorhal turned into vile zombies of the Scourge. These monstrosities no longer held any thoughts or abilities from their mortal lives. Most certain of all, they readily used new powers we had never seen before to further spread the disease and hasten the destruction of the city.

I have been hiding for two days in the sewers, but I must venture out soon to find supplies or possibly a way out of the city to the forests.

Friday

Help me, I've been bitten!

I cannot believe I was foolish enough to think I could sneak past all of them on the streets. The zombies are everywhere now, and Andorhal is only a shell of its former glory, a sad and twisted remnant of my beautiful home.

I can already feel the disease taking me. May the light bless me as I go to be with my family and friends once again. I'm not sure how much longer I can keep my sanity. I am weak. I hunger, and must eat...

Eat...

Brains...

Phase 0 (10/23)

The beginning of the end
The Scourge plague is affecting us all in the form of a zombie plague! Strange, foul smelling crates have appeared in Booty Bay, apparently spreading a deadly plague. Beware for they are corrupting Horde and Alliance players alike! If this contagion is left untreated, we will have a plague the likes of which this world has never seen on our hands!

Phase 1 (10/23)

Plagued roaches and more crates
It appears that this plague is more virulent than we at first thought. The crates seem to have found their way into our capital cities and are beginning to affect our denizens. Not only that, but the plague is spreading through infectious Plagued Roaches! Even killing them cannot stop it, as killing these foul pests only spreads the contagion further! There seems to be no way to prevent this madness from spreading! Wait, there are healers showing up that seem to be able to forestall the spread, but they appear to be overworked. I hope they can hold on!

Phase 2 (10/24)

Plagued residents, shorter infection times and the spreading of madness!
The healers were not as effective as we hoped and several of these so-called "Argent Healers" have simply given up on us. As if that wasn't bad enough, the roaches are spreading and even more crates have appeared, spreading this disease further. Of the citizens who have been healed, they are reporting that the cures are proving ineffective on others around them, as they succumb to this plague and fall, only to rise within 5 beats of the heart as minions seeking the flesh of their former neighbors!^[1] We have managed to effect a quarantine in the cities of sorts but now we are starting to see smatterings of the populace wandering outside the gates so at least one infected person has managed to escape the quarantine and spread this outside the walls...^[2]

Phase 3 (10/25)

Citadels, Scourge Invasion and a new boss in Karazhan
Gods, we have never seen anything spread this fast or this virulently, it must have mutated! The citizenry is falling faster than ever to the foul clouds of greenish dust that swirl through our city streets!^[3] Those of us left have begun hearing frenzied whispers of a new master in the ruins of Karazhan as well, fearsome and powerful in his mad desire to control that pile of stone. To add to our mounting dread at this news, we are also starting to see the appearance of seeing gigantic floating citadels around every city in Azeroth! It's almost as if they are waiting for us to fall...

Phase 4 (10/26)

No escape!
We are able to find even fewer healers now, they seem to be sneaking off in the darkness. With the lessened numbers of healers available to help the populace, our people are falling faster than ever to this horrid plague. Already the stench of burning bodies and the smoke from the pyres rises, blotting out the skyline and giving it an ugly, greenish cast. And not only that but people cower in their homes now as hordes of undead slaver and root through the bodies of the slain, falling upon any that are foolish enough to venture out for supplies.^[4]

Scourge Invasion

With the advent of the invasion, there are now a host of Quests available to lower level players.

Quests
Low level quests have become available outside of the major cities asking players to investigate Dim Necrotic Circles that have spawned outside the cities, and to defeat the Scourge and return with 3 Dim Necrotic Stone.

Argent Scouts have spawned at an Argent Dawn camp in the main cities and give a new quest, Light's Hope Chapel. The quest asks plays to deliver the to Arms Announcement to the Keeper of the Rolls at Light's Hope Chapel, in Eastern Plaguelands.

Two classic Scourge Invasion quests have become available from Commander Thomas Helleran: Shadows of Doom which asks players to kill an elite Shadow of Doom, and Under the Shadows, which asks players to collect 10 Runes and return to him. These quests each award your choice of either 5 Wizard Oil or 5 Sharpening Stones.

Scourge Attacks

Throughout select zones in Azeroth (Azshara, Burning Steppes, Eastern Plaguelands, Tanaris, and Winterspring), Necrotic Shards will occasionally spawn, surrounded by level 69-70 Skeletal Shocktroopers, Ghoul Berserkers and other undead mobs. The Scourge commonly drop Runes, which are used as a currency to purchase items from the Argent Quartermaster.

You can tell which zone is under attack by the Scourge by checking your world map and looking for a purple skull icon in a zone or by speaking to an Argent Messenger in any major city and inquiring about locations (its much quicker just to look at your map). Areas that are under attack will have floating citadels empowering Necrotic Shards. The shards can be damaged by killing the Scourge hanging around them, and when the shard is extremely weakened, four Cultist Engineers will spawn and begin channelling the damaged shard. Speaking to these will give an option to spawn a Shadow of Doom at the cost of 8 Runes. Each Shadow of Doom will drop 30 Runes as a stack that can only be looted by one person. When all four Shadows have been defeated, the crystal can be destroyed and Scourge will no longer spawn at that location until next attack.

Occasionally, Alliance or Horde major cities may become under attack directly from the Scourge! Undead mobs will invade the city and attack anything in their path. Faint Necrotic Crystal will spawn around the city, with a small legion of Scourge warriors which must be defeated. Once this is done, the Faint Necrotic Crystal will give you a quest, Faint Necrotic Crystal.

Anti-Undead Armor Sets Rare spawns and Shadows of Doom located at the shards have a chance of dropping the chest and leg pieces.

• Cloth: Blessed Regalia of Undead Cleansing
• Leather: Undead Slayer's Blessed Armor
• Mail: Blessed Garb of the Undead Slayer
• Plate: Blessed Battlegear of Undead Slaying

The gloves and shoulders for these sets are sold by the Argent Quartermaster for 15 Runes each piece.

Argent Quartermaster

This NPC is located outside of Light's Hope Chapel by the forge, and sells items in exchange for Runes. They also can be found in major cities but those will only tell you to head out to Eastern Plaguelands and do not sell items.

In order to purchase items from the Argent Quartermaster, you must first complete the quest Under the Shadows before she will show you what is available.

• Dawn Banner - 8
• Tome - 30
• War Horn - 40
• of the Argent Dawn - 8
• Healing Potion - 20
• Mana Potion - 20
• Wizard Oil - 8
• Sharpening Stones - 8

The Dawn Banner places an Argent Banner on the ground and casts Argent Glory (similar to Consecration) on the ground around it, dealing 38 Holy damage every 2 seconds to anything in range.

The Tome summons a large tome that will sit idle for about three seconds before exploding with Argent Wisdom (similar to Holy Nova) and hitting anything within a 10 yard radius for around 249 to 373 Holy damage. (screenshot)

The War Horn summons a level 60 Argent Knight (human for Alliance, blood elf for Horde) decked out in level 60 PVP gear to your side to aid you in battle. The Knight uses regular melee attacks and Crusader Strike, and while he doesn't hit very hard and only lasts 30 seconds, the best part comes when he's about to leave! Instead of simply despawning, the paladin will bubble and hearth! (screenshot)

It is worth mentioning that obtaining the of the Argent Dawn awards a Feat of Strength and this tabard can only be obtained during the Invasion (not via normal reputation-gaining means.)

1. ^ The duration of the infection disease was reduced to 5 minutes
2. ^ Lvl 10 Plagued Residents can now be found outside capital cities.
3. ^ The zombie infection now lingers for 2 minutes before players become zombies.
4. ^ The zombie infection now only lingers for 1 minute before players become zombies

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