Violet Hold (instance)

SS Violet Hold

The Violet Hold is a prison located in Dalaran. It is the third instance to be located within the bounds of a capital city (after the Stormwind Stockade and Orgrimmar's Ragefire Chasm). The quest Discretion is Key (Violet Hold), obtained from Rhonin at level 75, introduces the player to the dungeon.

The quest Discretion is Key grants you The Violet Hold Key which is required to unlock the door to the instance. You can enter without the key so long as someone opens the door for you. The quest itself does not need to be completed in order to keep the key.

''Among the ornate spires and enchanted streets of Dalaran, a dark presence stirs within the mighty walls of the Violet Hold. Long used to restrain threats to the city, the tower holds row upon row of deadly inmates, and it has been diligently watched over by the Kirin Tor. However, a sudden assault has tested the integrity of the hold, putting at risk the safety of everyone outside the prison's walls.''

As you enter, Kirin Tor prison guards are fending off invaders of the blue dragonflight. Under orders from Malygos, the blue dragonflight is using magical portals to enter the hold in an attempt to enter the city by breaking through the hold's defenses.

When you talk to Lieutenant Sinclari, she will use the Defense Control Crystal near the doors to kill all the mobs in the hold and leave with the guards, closing the doors behind him. Your group is left on their own to defend the hold.

Similar to the Black Morass instance, there will be 18 portals opening one after another. These portals spawn either a portal guardian which continuously spawns non-elite adds from the portal or a squad of elite dragonkin who do not spawn adds. Killing the guardian or the squad closes the portal. You must keep the spawns off the door, so that they don't break through. On the 6th and 12th portal, an unattackable dragonkin will spawn and open up one of the magically sealed prison cells, each containing a different boss. After you defeat the boss, you will get a small break to catch your breath before the event continues.

The most challenging portal trash spawn are the squads of elite dragonkin, which emerge in groups of 3-4. The champions have a knock-back ability, so tanking with your back against a wall is preferable. This is especially true since sorcerers are ranged and will not follow the tank backward, creating a potential aggro problem. For this reason, sorcerers should be downed first, and also because they will target random party members with arcane barrages.

The squads of elite dragonkin are especially difficult for the tank when they emerge from a portal in the middle of the balcony. Two mobs will run one way and two will run the other way, taking different staircases down to the dungeon's main floor. The ideal response is to be at the portal when they spawn and establish aggro before they split. If you cannot be there in time, establish quick aggro on one side of the split group. Then, charge to one of the mobs on the other side, followed by taunt or ranged attack on the other mob. Alternatively, you can wait for them to meet again at the stairs near the instance door, but dps and heals should be alerted to wait.

On the 18th portal, you will fight Cyanigosa, the blue dragon in charge of the assault on the prison.

On Heroic, it awards approximately 1300 reputation.

Upon Death, one must fight through all waves, including the bosses, again. However, in Heroic mode, bosses that have already been defeated are replaced by mobs that are the same but differently named and provide only 250 Reputation and no loot. In Regular, bosses which have to be fought again will drop loot normally. If only a single player or two dies without a wipe, they may simply enter the instance again as a ghost and speak with Sinclari outside the doors of the prison; she'll teleport the player inside the doors.

• Note: if you are having trouble downing the mobs, there are Defense Control Crystals located on the walls around the room. Activating one of these crystals will damage all the mobs in the room, killing all but bosses or portal keepers. Each crystal can be used only once.

• Arakkoa (three, Erekem and two guards)
• Blue dragon (one, )
• Azure dragonspawn
• Blue drakonid
• Core hound (one, Lavanthor)
• Darkhounds
• Ethereal (one, Xevozz)
• Observer (one, Moragg)
• Humans (NPC's)
• Rats (critters)
• Spiders (critters)
• Void lord (one, Zuramat)
• Voidwraiths
• Water elementals
• Water revenant (one, Ichoron)

You will encounter three bosses in this dungeon, the first two being randomly selected out of this list of bosses:

• - Captured arakkoa
• - Captured observer
• - Captured water revenant
• - Captured ethereal
• - Captured core hound
• - Captured void lord

Finally, you will always face as the 3rd boss.

• Containment

• The Violet Hold (achievement)
• Heroic: The Violet Hold
• Heroic: The Violet Hold Guild Run
• Defenseless
• Dehydration
• Lockdown!
• A Void Dance

Violet Hold