Shadowfang Keep (original)

For the current version of this instance which has been changed in Cataclysm, see Shadowfang Keep.

Shadowfang Keep
SFK
Shadowfang Keep loading graphic
Location	Silverpine Forest
Race(s)	Undead Worgen
End boss	Archmage Arugal
Instance info
Advised level	18-24
Minimum level	10
Player limit	5 (10)
Bosses
Apothecary Hummel (Love is in the Air, summoned) Rethilgore Razorclaw the Butcher Sever (Scourge Invasion) Baron Silverlaine Commander Springvale Odo the Blindwatcher Fenrus the Devourer Wolf Master Nandos Archmage Arugal (lore) (lore) (lore) (lore) (lore) (lore) (lore) (lore) (lore) (lore) NPCs Sorcerer Ashcrombe Deathstalker Adamant Landen Stilwell Deathstalker Vincent Instance guide

Shadowfang Keep

Shadowfang Keep was a haunted keep in southern Silverpine Forest, near Pyrewood Village. It was the base of operations for the evil archmage Arugal and his worgen progeny.

History

From World Dungeons on the old WoW site:

During the Third War, the wizards of the Kirin Tor battled against the undead armies of the Scourge. When the wizards of Dalaran died in battle, they would rise soon after - adding their former might to the growing Scourge. Frustrated by their lack of progress (and against the advice of his peers) the Archmage, Arugal elected to summon extra-dimensional entities to bolster Dalaran's diminishing ranks. Arugal's summoning brought the ravenous worgen into the world of Azeroth. The feral wolf-men slaughtered not only the Scourge, but quickly turned on the wizards themselves. The worgen sieged the keep of the noble, Baron Silverlaine. Situated above the tiny hamlet of Pyrewood, the keep quickly fell into shadow and ruin. Driven mad with guilt, Arugal adopted the worgen as his children and retreated to the newly dubbed 'Shadowfang Keep'. It's said he still resides there, protected by his massive pet, Fenrus - and haunted by the vengeful ghost of Baron Silverlaine.

Pyrewood Village is shadowed to the north by Shadowfang Keep, once a bastion of Alliance power but now the dark residence of a mad former mage of the Kirin Tor, named Arugal. The worgen that stalk the Keep, as well as the cursed villagers of Pyrewood are the doings of this madman. During the Third War, Arugal made these Worgen as allies but they could not be controlled and turned on him and the other soldiers. He went mad after this and now accepts them as his "children." His worgen run rampant throughout much of the forest.

During the events of World of Warcraft, agents of the Banshee Queen Sylvanas Windrunner were dispatched to both solve the mystery of the enigmatic worgen and ultimately terminate the source of the creatures infestation in Silverpine. Eventually they were able to discover that the mad archmage, Arugal, was behind the worgen's presence, and the Forsaken command ordered him slain.

Overview

SFK was the first vaguely challenging instance that players are likely to encounter, especially for Horde players who were less likely to get to Deadmines. In addition to the volume of mobs present, several of the mobs here cast various curses, nearly every type of Worgen had some sort of special ability (active or passive) that affected a group's ability to deal with them, and the undead Humans made use of Silence, which meant that a tank could be caught without healing in some fights if the healer(s) got hit with it.

Another major issue with this instance was the tendency of players leveling alts to underestimate the level of difficulty present here, and who thus believed that the mobs here could simply be chain pulled without regard to the consequences. A well-defined pull order was still highly desirable, (if marks were not actually used) as was an appropriate level of attention and caution. Recklessness here would result in repeated wipes and player frustration.

Though the 'Holy Trinity' of Warrior + Priest + Mage was a thing of the past by then, necessary in a group here was solid tanking, decent to good healing, reasonably non-idiotic pulling, and a little skilled use of CC wouldn't hurt. Mages were definitely useful to remove debuffs, but not necessary, depending on the skill, level and class makeup of the rest of the group. Melee DPS and tanks would have a hard time against Arugal, the end boss - since he would teleport around a lot, but this could be dealt with by Counterspell, potions, cooldown skills, proper teamwork and/or ranged DPS.

Paladins tanking this instance sometime found themselves under pressure to deal with mobs that cast Silence, but so did healers. A backup tank and/or a backup healer could help in a pinch, but with skill, the appropriate levels, and decent class makeup, any druid, warrior or paladin could main tank this instance. Good communication was always useful, and voice communication as always gave a group a distinct advantage. Above all, skilled players who knew how to maximize their own benefit to the group irrespective of the skill or experience of the rest of the group - were what would make the difference here.

For the level, the loot here was highly desirable, with a few different items that could sell well via the twink market. Several bind on pickup blue items were also to be found here, primarily for Mages and Warriors in particular. Although the level was still low enough that cash wasn't hugely abundant, there was still some silver dropped at least.

Encounters

Shadowfang Keep bosses

• End Boss: Archmage Arugal 21+
• Mini Bosses:
  • Rethilgore 20+
  • Razorclaw the Butcher 20+
  • Odo the Blindwatcher 21+
  • Baron Silverlaine 20+
  • Commander Springvale 20+
  • Fenrus the Devourer 21+
  • Wolf Master Nandos 21+

• Scourge Invasion Only
  • Sever 25+

Dungeon Denizens

• Bats
• Felsteeds
• Forsaken
• Ghosts
• Humans
• Rats (critters)
• Voidwalkers
• Wolves
• Worgen

Mobs

Shadowfang Worgen

• Shadowfang Whitescalp: casts Frost Armor. Immune to any Ice spell.
• Shadowfang Moonwalker: casts Anti-Magic Shield (Caster becomes immune to all magical damage for 20 sec.)
• Shadowfang Darksoul: casts Shadow Word: Pain and Befuddlement (Reduces an enemy's casting speed by 50% for 15 sec.) Immune to any Shadow spell.
• Shadowfang Glutton: casts Blood Tap (Drains health from an enemy, healing up to two times the amount drained.)
• Shadowfang Ragetooth: casts Wild Rage (Increases the caster's physical damage dealt by up to 25.)
• Shadowfang Wolfguard: Accompanied with Wolfguard Worgs
• Son of Arugal: casts Arugal's Gift (Deals 576-625 shadow damage to an enemy every 1 min for 5 mins.)

Worgs

• Bleak Worg: casts Wavering Will (Increases the time between an enemy's attacks speed by 25%, slows its casting speed by 20%, and slows its movement by 20%. Lasts 1 min.)
• Wolfguard Worg:
• Slavering Worg:
• Lupine Horror: casts Summon Lupine Delusions (Summons 2 Lupine Delusions to aid the caster in battle for 4 min.)
• Lupine Delusions (summoned unit): Just an irritant, can be killed in one blow.

Tormented Souls

• Haunted Servitor: casts Haunting Spirits (Curses an enemy for 5 min., causing it to be periodically haunted by malevolent ghosts.) Really annoying curse, need to be cleansed immediately.
• Wailing Guardsman: casts Screams of the Past (AoE Silence spell. Lasts 5 seconds.)
• Tormented Officer: casts Forsaken Skills (Curses an enemy for 5 min., periodically reducing one of its skills by 100.)
• Fel Steed: casts Fel Stomp (Inflicts normal damage plus 20 to nearby enemies, stunning them for 3 sec. and increasing the Physical damage they take by 10.)
• Shadow Charger: casts Charge

Geography

Note: Needs map image.

Walk-throughs and maps

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Sub-regions

• None.

Quest guide

Horde quests
Quest name	Quest giver	Zone location
[25] Deathstalkers in Shadowfang	High Executor Hadrec	The Sepulcher, Silverpine Forest
[26] The Book of Ur	Keeper Bel'dugur	Apothecarium, Undercity
[27] Arugal Must Die	Dalar Dawnweaver	The Sepulcher, Silverpine Forest
Class specific
Quest name	Quest giver	Zone location
[20] The Orb of Soran'ruk	Doan Karhan	East of Camp Taurajo, the Barrens
[23] The Path of the Adept	Knight-Lord Bloodvalor	Farstriders' Square, Silvermoon
[20] The Test of Righteousness	Duthorian Rall	Cathedral of Light, Stormwind

Loot

Main article: Shadowfang Keep loot (original)

Resources

• Medium Leather
• Light Leather

Notes, tips, & additional info

• Enemy Level Range: 18-21
• End Boss: Archmage Arugal 21+
• Players will farm SFK for the two level 19 BoE rare weapons – [Shadowfang] and [Assassin's Blade] – which can sell for high amounts of gold for twink PvP characters.
  • Due to the mob level reduction in Shadowfang Keep to <=20, [Shadowfang] and [Assassin's Blade] are rarely looted anymore.
• Must be at least level 14 to enter the instance.
• The legacy of Arugal lives on in World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King. Arugal has been returned from death to do the bidding of the Lich King, who has discovered Arugal's activities with the worgen of Silverpine. Arugal's spirit resides at Shadowfang Tower, on an island off the coast of the Grizzly Hills.
• In the new expansion, World of Warcraft: Catalysm, Shadowfang Keep will get a Heroic mode.

External links

• Wowhead
• Thottbot
• WoWDB