Horde ZG Strategies

The Ruins of Zul'Gurub is a 20-man raid outdoors instance located in Stranglethorn Vale, directly east from Lake Nazferiti. It ranks in difficultly and quality of rewards below Molten Core, and is challenging but possible for players with gear aquired from Dire Maul, Blackrock Spire, Scholomance, and Stratholme.

Back to the main ZG page: Zul'Gurub.

External Guides and Maps

Initial Information from Goblin Workshop

Map from WoWGuru

Nurfed Guide Nurfed strategy guide at whataboutpp.com

Clearing Trash

Use CC. Don't break CC. Use your brain.

• All pulls will be started well away from the raid - do NOT creep forward unless you are responsible for CC.
• MT pulls static groups (for initial aggro). Hunters should place freezing traps and mages should sheep non-trapped (or high risk) targets without being asked - work out targets as quickly as possible in /basinZGCC channel.
• A designated hunter will try to grab small patrols and bring them back to the raid when good pull opportunities present themselves.
• On non AoE pulls, one dangerous caster target (Priest, Shadow Caster, Witch Doctor) will be killed right away. Any additional casters must be priority CC targets.
• On AoE pulls, elites will be offtanked or CC'd then non-elites will be AoE'd AWAY from the elites.
• Watch your position (especially the outer edge of the main path ring). We do NOT pull all the trash and it is possible for static groups to aggro you if you do not remain aware of your surroundings.
• Face Snakes and Hunter type characters away from the raid - they have Cone AoE type attacks.
• Axe throwers can have their whirl attacks cut short via sheeping - please do so even if the thrower is the MA's target.

High Priests and Priestesses

Panther Priestess

Start

• Raid stands by gong. MT stands in the middle closer to the door at start.
• Do NOT attempt to run back into the instance if you die - the door is sealed and you can bug the gong.
• Do NOT stay feigned/vanished during a wipe or the gong may bug.
• Mana users except for the designated mark need to wait to do anything until the first mark is chosen.
• The designated mark (druid in feral gear) should throw highest rank moonfire on boss then heal the MT until they get marked. Wait to go bear form until the mark has been received. Drink a greater stoneshield before shifting, and subsequently spam demoralizing roar for the AoE aggro (mark will wear off in time). Use the bear rage heal upon full rage bar.
• Panther adds will be offtanked at the edge of one of the side pens. Please stay clear.
• The shaman in the panther offtank's group needs to keep a stoneskin totem in range of the offtank at all times.
• All DPS on the priestess (mana based DPS after the first mark).
• Additional marked players need to STAY AWAY from the pen areas (the mark has a range - near the doorway or by the gong depending on your range needs).
• Two hunters with improved frost trap need to lay traps in the middle of the room in case of loose panthers.
• One offtank/DPS warrior will bring single stragglers back to the offtanking druid (away from other marked mana users). The druid needs to re-target the incoming straggler and growl+swipe to complete the hand off.
• Healers with heal aggro (but no mark) please run to the offtank's location and try to hand off to the druid.

After First Vanish

• The Panther Priestess will occasionally vanish - during this period go ahead and kill straggler panthers, assisting the MA. Try to conserve mana / energy / rage for the Priestess' reappearance.
• Warriors spread out towards the end of the vanish - whoever is closest when the Panther Priestess reappears needs to taunt and tank her until the MT can take over. She must not be attacking healers.

When the Hoodoo hits the fan

• In case of emergency (offtank druid near death) - mages need to be prepared to frost nova the panther pack before they spread out (work out an order ahead of time). While the pack is frost nova'd - offtanking warrior needs to move in (with shield on) and do: challenging shout->retaliation->defensive stance. All others stay concentrated on the priestess.
• In case of all hell broken loose - earthbind totems, intitmidating shout, flash bombs & fear.

Tiger Priest (Tony the Tiger)

Phase 1

• On initial pull, quickly kill non-humanoid adds (Assisting the MA). Try to CC the other adds in a place that the MA can find easily (ex. pull to freezing traps just at the start of the open area.
• In the following order: Rogue add (stands West/Left of the Priest) to 15%, Priest to 10%, Shaman add (stands East/Right of the Priest) to 15% - bring them together and kill them all. If they die too far apart they will resurrect each other.
• The MA will call the switches, but use your brain - be prepared to ease up at 18%/13%/18%.
• The shaman add is worth keeping detect magic up on and purging away lighting shields etc.
• The humanoid High Priest hits like a truck - keep thunderclap on the priest(and hurricane if it can be spared). Try to get by with just PW:S during the MS debuff - conserving healer mana in phase 1 is important.
• The rogue and High priest can be tanked together (shared thunderclap & hurricane), but the shaman will heal the others if they are too close.
• The shaman will attempt to heal himself - interrupt that.

Phase 2

• Tony will rise from the dead very quickly after the 3 humanoids are dropped in phase 1.
• Move into the smaller area where the High Priest was before the pull started (but not all the way in the hut - LoS sucks there). Raid on the West/Left, MT (and melee when DPS is on) on the East/Right.
• DPS (and non-emergency healing) is OFF when Tony is not in position. DPS is ON ~1 second after Tony has returned to position.
• An offtank will remain with the healers/ranged and taunt tony back to the MT if aggro does not return immediately.
• While priests will be Group healing as much as they can afford to, be prepared to bandage yourself and/or drink major healing pots and eat whipper root tubers.
• Tony will summon a few adds during phase 2. Freezing traps by the healers, druid sleep, sheep, priest fears, warrior intimidating shotus. Anything but DPS - try not to let yourself be distracted from killing Tony for too long.
• Do NOT put DoTs on Tony's summoned tigers.
• After Tony dies, kill any remaining adds.

Spider Priestess

Phase 1

• Killing the spider adds that the Priestess summons is ALWAYS top priority for DPS. Killed early, they are cake. Fully grown (in a matter of seconds) they are devastating.
• The Speaker will be sheeped on the pull and killed after the first wave of baby spiders - be ready to switch DPS onto a baby spider if it comes while killing the Speaker.
• The priestess has an AoE poison effect. If you don't need to be in range, don't stand near her. If you have to eat the poison, be prepared to cure yourself / bandage out of range when the poison is cured (or stay in range and use healing potions/whipper roots).
• Stay behind the designated offtank in a direct line with him, the preistess, and the MT. Be ready for DPS/healing off at the start of phase 2.

Phase 2

• The priestest becomes a giant spider and webs anyone near her - temporarily removing them from the aggro list and reducing their long term aggro.
• When this happens, the designated offtank will taunt/challenging shout/mocking blow to get aggro and start tanking her - moving her back in position.
• DPS is OFF until the big spider is back in position. Healing the old tank should pause as well. Heals to the new tank should try to wait for establishment of aggro - but don't let the new tank die.
• The Webbed tank becomes the offtank, and the offtank is the Main tank for a while.

Human form after Phase 2

• The original MT will take over tanking when the spider boss returns to human form. See phase 1 for general strategy.
• She will at some point (less so when DPS is strong) attempt to heal herself via lifetap on someone in the raid (usually but not always the MT).
• The lifetap must be dispelled from her target (by a priest) IMMEDIATELY. You can lose 2 minutes of raid damage in seconds if she lifetaps for too long.
• Rumor has it kick, shield bash, pummel, etc can interrupt as well. Better safe than sorry.

Snake Priest

• Clear the speaker pull out beforehand.

Phase 1

• CC all but one of the Priest's adds and kill the adds one at a time following the MA.
• Stay spread out and away from the MT's position. The Priest uses either a flamestrike or a holy nova - the nova used on the raid can wipe the raid.
• Melee during phase 1 should not be in Holy Nova range when under 3500 life - move out for heals and/or bandage.

Phase 2

• The priest turns into a snake and emits a big poison cloud.
• Immediately move out of the poison cloud (even better back away as he morphs so only the MT eats the first cloud).
• Shamans need to use poison cleansing totems, druids should be spamming Abolish Poison on anyone in melee range.

20%

• Around 20% the snake starts hitting a LOT harder - healers should pre-emptively overheal the MT at this stage. Thundercap (from a DPS warrior preferrably) and Hurricane should be re-applied at the 21% mark in anticipation.
• If/When the MT dies at the end, just go full DPS and kite while avoiding the poison clouds.

Bat Priestess

Phase 1

• She will come down in bat form. Standard tank & kill for the most part.
• Healers and AoE classes need to spread out. She has a short range AoE silence that she sometimes does after a random charge.
• She will summon AoE adds - draw them AWAY from her before starting AoE.
• Healers keep the AoE classes alive, but don't totally forget about the MT in the process.
• Try to be ready to fill in as needed if others have been silenced.

Phase 2

• She will attempt to heal herself. Interrupt the heals.
• Firebombs will drop from the sky. Continue to stay spread out and move out of the fire as quickly as possible.
• It is possible to see the start of a bomb and hear the bottle break sound and be out of the way before taking any damage.
• Try not do die.