Halls of Reflection

The Halls of Reflection is the third and last wing of the Frozen Halls of Icecrown Citadel, released in patch 3.3. It was considered the hardest 5-man instance of the expansion, due to the difficulty and loot. The Halls of Reflection are the private chambers of the Lich King, the only place where he lets his guard down. Judging by the loading screen and map, it appears to be a dark, twisted replica of Lordaeron's imperial chamber.

To become attuned and unlock the doors to the Halls of Reflection, players are required to complete the quest Deliverance from the Pit in the Pit of Saron as part of the Frozen Halls story line quest chain. Pit of Saron has its own "attunement" prerequisite quest that must be completed in the Forge of Souls.

Queuing for the Halls of Reflection in the Dungeon Finder requires level 80 and that one's gear have an average item level of 180. However, any level 80 player may enter directly through the portal.

''With the Lich King's attention focused on the Ashen Verdict's attacks, covert agents have managed the near-impossible feat of infiltrating the citadel and providing invaluable intelligence on the frozen halls and their wings: the Forge of Souls, the Pit of Saron, and the Halls of Reflection. If the champions of justice are to have any hope of defeating the lord of the dead, they will have to rely on courage, fortitude, and an increasingly narrow window of opportunity to strike at Icecrown Citadel from within its own walls.''

With Jaina and Sylvanas leading the way, adventurers who make it as far as these frigid halls will quickly recognize the weapon that lies ahead: Frostmourne, the corruptive, legendary device and weapon of the Lich King himself. The Lich King's private chambers are within reach, although they may be the death of anyone who ventures there. It is the only place where Arthas let his guard down.

The events of the dungeon play out in the following quests:

• 1) Frostmourne (quest)
• 2) Wrath of the Lich King (quest)

''For many years, champions among the races of Azeroth have stood against the Lich King only to be slaughtered mercilessly and forced to serve in his army of undead horrors. In his ongoing struggle to stop the Lich King, Tirion Fordring of the Argent Crusade has joined forces with Darion Mograine of the Knights of the Ebon Blade in order to assault Icecrown Citadel with a unified army called the Ashen Verdict.''

• Falric and Marwyn:Captains of Arthas Menethil in life, Scourge commanders of the Lich King in death, Falric and Marwyn will be summoned to the Halls of Reflection for one purpose: destroying all intruders.

• The Lich King: Sylvanas, thirsty for vengeance against the corrupted prince who sentenced her to an existence as an undead monstrosity, and Jaina, eager to find a flicker of Arthas's soul locked somewhere within the Lich King, have brought their hand-picked allies to this final confrontation. Arthas's true power may only now be discovered. Is there any hope in this mission, or does only death await?

The "fight" against him is more of a damage race, in which players must escape lest they be struck down by the wrath of the Lich King (literally).

Halls of Reflection is the hardest heroic 5-man in the game. Most groups will find the most challenging part to be the waves of trash before the first two bosses. The mobs hit very, very hard, and several of them are ranged, making them difficult for tanks to corral.

Before each wave of trash before Falric and Marwyn, everyone except the tank hides in the corner of the left alcove, out of the line of site of all mobs. The four players (healer and 3 DPS) stand on top of each other. The tank stands in the middle of the alcove in plain view.

When the mobs activate, the tank allows the melee mobs to reach him, and uses abilities (e.g., Thunder Clap) to aggro them. The ranged mobs may aggro on the tank immediately, or, having aggrod on a hidden party member, will have to run past the tank to reach their targets. In the latter case, the tank's close-range aggro abilities can be used to take aggro. In this way all of the mobs in the wave will be aggro'd onto the tank.

The tank then runs into the corner (where the other party members are hiding) to force the remaining ranged mobs to run to him. As soon as the tank reaches the corner (but not before), the other party members leave and spread out in the alcove. All mobs are within AoE range of the tank and the fight can proceed on the party's terms.

A similar tactic can be used while fleeing from the Lich King. There is a recess in front of each of the four ice walls raised by the Lich King. These can be used to force attackers into close range, if all party members cluster there as the attack begins.

The other approach fights in the open. Players must dust off long-neglected crowd control abilities. Shackle Undead, Entangling Roots, Repentance, Turn Evil, Frost Trap are all very useful. Silencing casters and using Misdirection or Tricks of the Trade on melee mobs will help the tank hold aggro. Everyone who can interrupt spells should do so. Mindlessly maximizing DPS will lead to wipes - intelligently controlling the mobs will lead to victory.

• The Halls of Reflection
• Heroic: The Halls of Reflection
• Heroic: The Halls of Reflection Guild Run
• We're Not Retreating; We're Advancing in a Different Direction.

Halls of Reflection