It’s no secret that many considered the Wrath of the Lich King expansion for World of Warcraft to be the pinnacle of the game. There were many factors that contributed to this, the iconic Lich King probably being one of the biggest, but many of this expansion’s raids really made it shine.
Here we aim to rank all Wrath of the Lich King raids, taking into account the following aspects: boss mechanics difficulty, number of bosses, aesthetics, epic character (admittedly, this is subjective), lore relevance, and uniqueness. So let’s dive right in.
9/9 Vault of Archavon
Vault of Archavon is at the bottom of the list for its simplicity. It’s an easy raid, not very dynamic in terms of aesthetics, and four bosses that look pretty much the same with some basic variance.
There’s nothing overtly epic about this raid either, but it does feel nice to kill a few giants and get a shot at the three-seat mammoth mountain.
8/9 The Cave of Onyxia
As nostalgic as Onyxia’s Lair is for vanilla players, it’s still just one boss with a fight that isn’t that complicated (unless you have a Leeroy wannabee in your party). It’s easy enough for 40 naked raiders to take down (although it’s the vanilla version of the raid).
Anyway, it’s above Vault of Archavon because you’re fighting a dragon as opposed to giants, and Onyxia has a lot more relevance in the lore, especially the Alliance lore.
7/9 Obsidian Sanctum
Obsidian Sanctum is definitely one of the most straightforward raids in the game, and there’s no sugar coating to it. All bosses are really just tank-and-spanks. With the main mechanic for the mini bosses killing an elite add through a portal, and the main mechanic for Sartharion to dodge those slow moving firewalls, this raid is a walk in the park.
That said, it tops the first two mainly for its aesthetics, as the lava crater where all the battles take place is pretty cool. There is also minimal waste to deal with, but that is not really relevant in this ranking due to the fact that there is also little waste in the previous two raids. Finally, this raid drops two mounts instead of one.
6/9 Eye of eternity
Eye of Eternity only has one boss, Malygos, but that boss fight is one to behold. Not only do you get to kill mages, steal their flying discs and fly on them yourself, but you can also ride real dragons in the final phase of the battle.
In addition, it is very relevant to lore, as we kill the Aspect of Magic itself. And the aesthetics of the combat are breathtaking, as you are literally surrounded by space and mysterious magic, which only adds to its epic nature. But alas, it’s only one boss, that’s why it’s not higher.
5/9 Process of the Crusader
Trial of the Crusader doesn’t have the most bosses (just five), and some of them are relatively easy battles (the Val’kyr twins are pretty tough though). But it has a very high lore relevance and epicness along with a healthy dose of uniqueness with the cavalry battle against the other faction’s champions. We are not even talking about the minimum amount of waste.
This heist feels like a real trial that reminds us both of the Horde and Alliance rivalry and the threat the Lich King poses as Arthas himself shows up and destroys the entire floor of the stadium. Trial of the Crusader ranks so highly mainly because of the way it advances the game’s story, its increased number of bosses, and its uniqueness (although it’s not as unique as Eye of Eternity, the other aspects bring it out) .
4/9 Ruby Sanctum
Ruby Sanctum is an incredibly dynamic raid, even if it only has four bosses. Those bosses aren’t one-dimensional at all, and some of them are actually quite difficult – namely the final boss, Halion.
The raid has minimal waste to get through, getting you to the bosses quickly and painlessly, and the aesthetic of the raid is beautiful, between the mix of Red and Twilight Dragonflight colors. Not to mention all the dragons, the atmosphere, and awesome boss fights, it feels pretty epic.
3/9 Naxxramas
Naxxramas has a lot more junk than Ruby Sanctum, and its bosses aren’t nearly as tough on average as Halion, but it’s still above it for a number of reasons. The first and most obvious reason is its meaning. Not only is this Kel’thuzad we’re talking about, but it also brings great nostalgia for vanilla players who played the original version of Naxxramas.
Second, this raid has fifteen bosses; eleven more than Ruby Sanctum. Granted, not all bosses are that hard, but ultimately more bosses means more mechanics to know. Plus, most of the bosses are quite relevant in lore, especially the familiar faces from the first Death Knight launch experience. As such, the whole raid experience feels quite epic. But not as epic as….
2/9 Ice Crown Citadel
Icecrown Citadel is literally the pinnacle of Wrath of the Lich King, as the final boss of this raid is the Lich King himself, Arthas Menethil. With 12 healthy bosses, they all feel great fighting (except maybe all the ones in the Plagueworks). The Gunship Battle is quite unique, while Blood Queen Lana’thel, Sindragosa, and the Lich King are super fun battles (if you can get over Sindragosa’s voice, that is).
The lore relevance of this raid is obvious, as it’s the main raid in the expansion, and to say it’s epic feels like an understatement. That feeling you get as you climb higher and higher through the citadel, seeing the frozen spire in the center as you go from Plagueworks to Crimson Hall to Frostwing Halls is extraordinary.
1/9 Ulduar
Ulduar barely gets over Icecrown Citadel, but he sure does. Once we can see past the bias we all have towards Arthas, we can appreciate how intricate the boss fights in Ulduar are. Additionally, during the raid, there are dynamic aesthetics ranging from a Mech look (Mimiron), Life look (Freya), Frost look (Hodir), Celestial look (Algalon), and Old god look (General Vezax and Yogg Saron ).
In terms of epicness, it’s right up there with Icecrown Citadel, minus Arthas’ bias. We get to fight against corrupt Titankeepers and an ancient god, who not only feels epic, but is no longer relevant to the long-term knowledge of the game. In addition, many of the battles are unique and dynamic, namely Flame Leviathan, Thorim and Yogg-Saron himself (the scenes in Yogg-Saron’s brain are phenomenal). So Ulduar takes the title of the best Wrath of the Lich King attack.
0 Comments