One of the highlights of The Wrath of the Lich King Classic version is the release of Phase Three, which introduced the Trial of the Champion dungeon. This dungeon, located in the Argent Tournament Grounds, brings back the memories of the original Wrath of the Lich King expansion and offers an exciting challenge for level 80 characters.
In this comprehensive guide, we will walk you through everything you need to know to easily clear the Trial of the Champion on both normal and heroic difficulties. This article is sponsored by MMOexp. Thank you for following MMOexp. Buy Cheap WoW WoTLK Classic Gold from MMOexp. Helps improve your competitiveness. At the same time, you can also enjoy the lowest prices and excellent customer service.
The Unique Jousting Phase
Trial of the Champion sets itself apart by featuring a jousting phase, making it the only encounter in World of Warcraft to utilize this unique mechanic. The jousting system may appear daunting if you’re going in blind but fear not – even on heroic difficulty, it’s surprisingly easy. Before we dive into specifics, remember that both normal and heroic difficulties have identical mechanics, with the key difference being that the latter features tougher mobs and better loot drops.
To initiate the first encounter, you’ll need to speak to your faction’s respective roleplay NPC in the center of the arena. You’ll also require an Argent Jousting Mount, which you can find along the edges of the room, and a Jousting Lance, conveniently located near the wolves and horses.
During the jousting phase, you’ll face packs of three jousters. Defeating three of these packs is the key to unlocking the first boss encounter. These packs are split into different races, depending on whether you’re playing as Alliance or Horde. Importantly, the race and faction are purely visual differences and do not impact the gameplay.
As you engage these jousters, you can use specific abilities to keep your shield up (button 4), break enemy shields (buttons 2 and 3), and inflict damage when shields are down (button 1). It’s advisable to focus on one boss at a time after breaking their shields to ensure an efficient encounter. Additionally, if a boss gets too close to the arena’s edges, you can use your mount to trample them, resulting in a 15-second stun. Be cautious, though, as you can also be trampled if dismounted.
Upon defeating the third pack of jousters, the grand Champions, you’ll move on to the first boss encounter.
The Grand Champions
The first boss encounter consists of three bosses, and their mechanics are identical, irrespective of their race. You can prioritize killing them in any order. However, the tank should be cautious about its position, as the bosses may attempt to move to the room’s edges. If they succeed, they will respawn with reduced HP. To prevent this, you can trample them with your mount.
One boss, the Rogue (named Lana Stout Hammer for Alliance and Death Stalker Vasari for Horde), should be a top priority due to their stacking poison effect on the tank. Additionally, they drop a poison bottle, which creates hazardous ground patches that you should avoid.
The second priority should be the Shaman Healer (either a dreaming eye named Colossus or a tauren named Runock Wildmain), as they periodically cast Healing Wave. Interrupting this ability is crucial. If you face both the Rogue and the Healer in the same encounter, focus on interrupting the Healer while dealing with the Rogue.
The remaining three bosses – the Warrior, Hunter, and Mage – are less threatening and can be killed in any order. The Warrior occasionally uses Bladestorm and may throw a player across the room, the Hunter deals AoE damage, and the Mage casts Fireball and occasionally polymorphs a player for a brief duration.
After defeating these faction Champions, you can speak to your roleplay NPC and proceed to the next part of the dungeon.
Trash Packs and the Second Boss
The Trial of the Champion features three packs of trash mobs after you’ve spoken to your roleplay NPC and moved away from the large wooden door. Avoid standing too close to the door, as it will open and reveal the trash packs. Aggroing all of the trash at once typically results in a wipe.
The trash packs consist of three mob types: the Argent Priestess, the Argent Light Wielder, and the Argent Monk. The Priestess should be the top priority, as she has two dangerous abilities. She can attempt to mind control a player, which should be interrupted immediately. Mind control can complicate dealing with multiple packs, so it’s often safer to engage them one at a time. The Priestess also summons a Fountain of Light that heals nearby enemies, which should be swiftly killed.
The Light Wielders come next on the kill priority list. They occasionally cast Blazing Light, which should be interrupted but is not a severe threat. They also have a frontal cleave, so the tank should position them facing away from the group.
Argent Monks are the lowest priority. They hit the tank for light damage, and when they reach one HP, they gain Divine Shield and cast Final Meditation, slowing nearby players’ attack and movement speeds. Focus on killing them last.
Upon defeating all three trash packs, the second boss encounter begins. You will face either Eadric the Pure or Argent Confessor Paletress, depending on the encounter. Eadric the Pure is a relatively straightforward boss, while Argent Confessor Paletress presents a more challenging fight.
Eadric the Pure’s Abilities:
• Vengeance: A passive ability that occasionally causes critical strikes on the tank. This is not a significant threat.
• Radiance: During the cast, players should turn away to avoid damage and disorientation.
• Hammer of Justice: A stun ability used before casting Radiance. Dispel this to avoid damage, and you’ll gain an extra action button to throw the Hammer back at Eadric for damage.
This encounter is generally manageable, and even if you don’t dispel every stun, it’s not overly challenging.
Argent Confessor Paletress’s Abilities:
• Holy Smite and Holy Fire: These abilities deal considerable damage and can be interrupted. Focus on interrupting Holy Fire.
• Renew: Paletress occasionally casts Renew on herself, healing for a substantial amount over time. Remove it with purges or spell steals.
• Awaking Nightmare: A group-wide fear effect. Abilities like Tremor Totem can negate this fear. Use these abilities to counter Awaking Nightmare’s fear mechanic.
When Paletress reaches 50% health, she will summon a Memory of the Past, a large shadowy enemy with multiple possible forms. The specific form is just visual flavor and doesn’t affect gameplay. The Memory has three abilities: Shadow of the Past, Old Wounds, and Awaking Nightmare.
• Shadow of the Past: Applies a debuff to a random player, dealing damage and slowing their attack and casting speed. Dispel this debuff immediately.
• Old Wounds: An unavoidable damage over time effect that lasts for 12 seconds. Healers should keep an eye on affected players and spot-heal them as needed.
• Awaking Nightmare: A group-wide fear that cannot be interrupted, lasting for 4 seconds. Use abilities that negate fear to counter it.
Defeat the Memory of the Past to remove Paletress’s shield, then proceed to finish her off to end the encounter.
