The Scarlet Monastery
#1
The Scarlet Monastery is a building in Northeastern Tirisfal Glades which houses four small instances, all with fantastic loot and experience for level 38-42ish characters. Each instance can be done in about an hour. Two of the instances require a key, obtainable in the second instance (difficulty-wise), for access.

Since a few Lurkers are of the right age to hit up the Monastery soon, I'm just reposting this with updated info from the last time I posted it during beta, when the rules were a bit different.

In phase 2 of the closed beta, when level 39 was the cap, the Scarlet Monastery was the place to be. Farming was sickening easy. A player could go to specific places in the four instances, kill a boss, and log out. Logging in 10-15 minutes later, they'd spawn in a brand new instance, in the same location, and kill the boss again. Rinse, repeat, and you'd have so much loot that you could get hundreds of gold in short order. This was one of the reasons an item wipe was used by Blizzard at the conclusion of the phase.

Anyway, you can't do that anymore, but that doesn't stop the Monastery from being a great place for all classes to level up and find good loot. I've been running it a few times this week to get my fill of blue items. The Monastery is always popular because of the loot and because the general size of each instance allows for relatively quick runs. Some groups will beat one of the four instances, reform, and do it again. Usually this is done for the last instance, but it can technically be done for any of them. It's not unheard of to spend an entire afternoon up there jumping around with groups just to milk the loot and experience.

If you're a mage, there are three quests that tie to the Scarlet Monastery. For everyone else, there are two. The two quests are Mythology of the Titans, given in the Explorer's League area of Ironforge, and In the Name of the Light, which is a quest chain that technically begins in the Stormwind Cathedral's basement, but that's just a delivery quest to start things off in Desolace. You will need to meet with Brother Anton in Nijel's Point in Desolace and kill 30 Undead Ravagers before heading over to Southshore to pick up the Monastery part of the chain. It's worth doing, because the quest reward for In the Name of the Light is your choice of some pretty nice items, and of course a wad of experience points.

The four instances are accessed via portals existing at the top of a stairwell, in a chamber. I'll list these in order of difficulty, and reference their location according to how you enter the chamber from the stairwell.

Instance 1: Graveyard. Left side, open portal
This instance is the easiest, containing level 31-35 creeps. It's purely there for drops and loot, as there are no quest npcs (for the Alliance, at least) there. The end boss, down at the bottom of a crypt at the far side of a graveyard as you enter it, is definitely worth killing if you're a caster. He can drop a +7 Intellect off-hand orb, for one thing. However, the quest reward for In the Name of the Light features the option for an even better off-hand orb. Due to this, the fact that the monsters are pretty low level by the time Alliance characters bother making the long trip up to the Monastery, and the fact that there are no quest rewards there, this instance is typically skipped.

Instance 2: Doan's Library. Right side, open portal
The mage-class quest can be completed here, along with the Mythology of the Titans book for the Ironforge quest. This instance must be done to get the Scarlet Key, which opens the doors to the last two instances. Doan can drop a very sweet caster staff, the Illusionary Rod, and the chest in his end-room is where the Scarlet Key is found. The Houndmaster is here as well, the first boss you need to kill for the In the Name of the Light quest. As with all Monastery instances, don't forget to grab all the chests you find along the way - they almost always have at least one green item.

Instance 3: The Armory. Right side, closed portal (requires Scarlet Key)
The Armory is the home of Herod, a quest boss for In the Name of the Light and the home of great weapon/armor drops for those mail-users of the group. Herod can drop a fantastic helm or shoulderpads for warriors/paladins. Herod does extreme melee damage, and squishy casters need to stand well clear of him during the battle. When he starts his spinning move, he does mass damage to anyone standing near him, and becomes temporarily invulnerable. The moment he is aggroed, a line of guards spawns outside of his chamber to prevent escape, so make sure everyone's inside the room before starting. After Herod dies, the fight isn't over - I won't ruin the surprise for anyone running it for the first time, but suffice to say that you can't relax after the boss falls.

Instance 4: The Cathedral. Left side, closed portal (requires Scarlet Key)
Home of the last two bosses for the In the Name of the Light quest, this one will really test a group of level 40's. Tightly packed enemies and patrollers force you to be on your toes. This instance is farmed the most, since it has drops that benefit all classes, from great armors to amulets and weapons. Also, it has THREE bosses, and 2-3 good chests for looting. There is a secret door to access one of the bosses - take someone along who knows where it is and can point it out (like me). Everyone needs a Quest Minion, remember?

The end two bosses in this instance are tricky. The first, Morgaine, is a melee'r who isn't so bad to take out, as long as you make sure you clear the entire cathedral first and don't accidentally wake him up before you do so. He calls in every bad guy in the cathedral to help him when attacked. So if they're all dead, he's not going to get much help. :) Once he's down, however, the high priest Whitemane arrives. She's popular for being described as the "hottest looking" NPC in the whole game - when you see her, uh, dominatrix outfit you'll see why. Cough. Anyway, when you get her down in health some, she sleeps the whole party and RESURRECTS Morgaine. Proper procedure is to stay on the high priest and kill her first, then return to re-kill Morgaine. Whitemane is much more dangerous, being a tough spellcaster who can heal, turn party members against each other, and has enough mana to do both forever. Never good to have an enemy priest around who can heal and resurrect others. If the party has a minion or somesuch that can keep Morgaine busy while the rest of the party whacks Whitemane, all the better.

Keep in mind that, at least in beta, there was a scripting issue sometimes where she was hesitant to do the whole "sleep group and resurrect Morgaine" thing. This is actually BAD, since unless she does that, you DON'T get credit for killing Morgaine and you DON'T get any drop from him (this is because to the game engine, he doesn't actually "die" - just has 1 hp and stays on the floor)! So if the high priest is getting down to a sliver of health and still hasn't resurrected Morgaine, back off and let her do it. Then there's phat lewt for all.

There's also a cheesy method in this fight - pull Whitemane far enough away from Morgaine, and when she resurrects him he has nothing to aggro and will just stand there. Maybe this is fixed by now, but I don't consider it all that honorable. You're supposed to fight them both at the same time; that's what makes it a good fight.

After the two of them are finally down for good, everyone can jump for joy at the great loot that is dropped. Morgaine drops melee loot, and Whitemane drops caster loot. Also, there is a chest in the back of the chamber that Whitemane opens up during the battle, containing even more loot!

Notes:

1) Bring a rogue! There are locked chests in these instances which can contain some very nice items. If you can't open them, you're really missing out on some green items.

2) Getting to the Scarlet Monastery is such a long run that it can be a deterrent (perhaps designed this way on purpose). Once your bags fill up, the nearest place to sell the stuff is a good 15 minute run away. So make sure you come with bags as nearly empty as possible, and try to allow a good number of hours if you want to do many of the instances at once. This is the best way to go, considering how out-of-the-way the Monastery is from everything else, requiring such a long hike to get there. A solid group can clear the three quest instances in about 3 hours.

-Bolty
Quote:Considering the mods here are generally liberals who seem to have a soft spot for fascism and white supremacy (despite them saying otherwise), me being perma-banned at some point is probably not out of the question.
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#2
Bolty,Jan 13 2005, 10:58 AM Wrote:1) Bring a rogue!  There are locked chests in these instances which can contain some very nice items.  If you can't open them, you're really missing out on some green items.
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Make sure that rogue has enough lockpicking first. When we first went to do Scarlet Monastary, we had to just glare at those chests because my lockpicking wasn't high enough. I've improved it since then, but this is really the first instance where you reall want it up, and I didn't know that at the time.
Trade yourself in for the perfect one. No one needs to know that you feel you've been ruined!
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#3
Bolty,Jan 13 2005, 11:58 AM Wrote:1) Bring a rogue!  There are locked chests in these instances which can contain some very nice items.  If you can't open them, you're really missing out on some green items.
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Or bring a Blacksmith. IIRC, Golden Skeleton Keys are sufficient.

Obviously, Scarlet Monastery is far easier for Horde than it is for Alliance, due to the close proximity of UC and Brill (faster repairs if you get wiped too much, and faster runs to sell.)

We had a good bit of fun preventing some Alliance scum from getting in the monastery a couple nights ago. Their fault for killing NPCs on the way.
ArrayPaladins were not meant to sit in the back of the raid staring at health bars all day, spamming heals and listening to eight different classes whine about buffs.[/quote]
The original Heavy Metal Cow™. USDA inspected, FDA approved.
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#4
Artega,Jan 13 2005, 02:48 PM Wrote:We had a good bit of fun preventing some Alliance scum from getting in the monastery a couple nights ago.  Their fault for killing NPCs on the way.
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Wouldn't they be set for PvP anyway by entering Horde Territory?
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#5
Tal,Jan 13 2005, 06:58 PM Wrote:Wouldn't they be set for PvP anyway by entering Horde Territory?
Not really. Most groups will get guard aggro on the way over, though, and inevitably someone thinks it's a good idea to flag by fighting back.
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#6
stabby,Jan 13 2005, 03:23 PM Wrote:Not really.  Most groups will get guard aggro on the way over, though, and inevitably someone thinks it's a good idea to flag by fighting back.
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You misunderstand. Artega is on the PvP server. Guard aggro or not they get flagged instantly for PvP by entering Horde territory.
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#7
Quark,Jan 13 2005, 10:18 AM Wrote:Make sure that rogue has enough lockpicking first.  When we first went to do Scarlet Monastary, we had to just glare at those chests because my lockpicking wasn't high enough.  I've improved it since then, but this is really the first instance where you reall want it up, and I didn't know that at the time.
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The creeps throughout the instances can be pickpocketed for worn junk boxes. I've been told by my rogue buddies that they're a great way to level up lockpicking.
"AND THEN THE PALADIN TOOK MY EYES!"
Forever oppressed by the GOLs.
Grom Hellscream: [Orcish] kek
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#8
Tal,Jan 13 2005, 01:55 PM Wrote:You misunderstand. Artega is on the PvP server. Guard aggro or not they get flagged instantly for PvP by entering Horde territory.
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Tal is correct.

It's always fun to have a few high level orcs try to camp the entrances. Just means we have something to kill between cathedral runs.
"AND THEN THE PALADIN TOOK MY EYES!"
Forever oppressed by the GOLs.
Grom Hellscream: [Orcish] kek
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#9
Rinnhart,Jan 13 2005, 05:56 PM Wrote:Tal is correct.

It's always fun to have a few high level orcs try to camp the entrances. Just means we have something to kill between cathedral runs.
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Horde have the advantage on Bloodscalp. We're (slightly) outnumbered, but we're far more coordinated, and we have more high-levels on our side. Our guilds are also (arguably) better than the Alliance guilds. Peek at the Bloodscalp server forums to see what I'm talking about, amid the ranting and whining.
ArrayPaladins were not meant to sit in the back of the raid staring at health bars all day, spamming heals and listening to eight different classes whine about buffs.[/quote]
The original Heavy Metal Cow™. USDA inspected, FDA approved.
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#10
Tal,Jan 13 2005, 08:55 PM Wrote:You misunderstand. Artega is on the PvP server. Guard aggro or not they get flagged instantly for PvP by entering Horde territory.
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Somewhere in my head, I knew that, but failed to reconcile it with your "upon entering Horde territory", since they'd already have been flagged from their lengthy travel through contested lands to get to Tirisfal.
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#11
Artega,Jan 13 2005, 03:36 PM Wrote:Horde have the advantage on Bloodscalp.  We're (slightly) outnumbered, but we're far more coordinated, and we have more high-levels on our side.  Our guilds are also (arguably) better than the Alliance guilds.  Peek at the Bloodscalp server forums to see what I'm talking about, amid the ranting and whining.
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Your completely unbiased opinion dazzles me.
"AND THEN THE PALADIN TOOK MY EYES!"
Forever oppressed by the GOLs.
Grom Hellscream: [Orcish] kek
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#12
Rinnhart,Jan 13 2005, 07:34 PM Wrote:Your completely unbiased opinion dazzles me.
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And yours isn't? Did you check the Bloodscalp forums like I suggested? I'm certainly biased, but there's reason behind it.

We wouldn't have known that there were Alliance scum in the area, so when they started killing NPCs, WorldDefense and LocalDefense lit up, inspiring us to defend the zone :)
ArrayPaladins were not meant to sit in the back of the raid staring at health bars all day, spamming heals and listening to eight different classes whine about buffs.[/quote]
The original Heavy Metal Cow™. USDA inspected, FDA approved.
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#13
Artega,Jan 14 2005, 03:33 AM Wrote:And yours isn't?  Did you check the Bloodscalp forums like I suggested?  I'm certainly biased, but there's reason behind it.

We wouldn't have known that there were Alliance scum in the area, so when they started killing NPCs, WorldDefense and LocalDefense lit up, inspiring us to defend the zone :)
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I think you find that behavior on all of the PvP servers. ;)

Though I will say that during PvP on the Beta server the Horde were generally better than the Alliance due to higher levels of communication. Towards the end of Beta, however, the Alliance had learned to do the same and PvP encounters were more balanced. :D
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#14
You're right that no one's here for conversations we could have on the b.net forums, so keep your language clean. (Note: Censoring and mispelling words does not make them clean).

-- MongoJerry
"AND THEN THE PALADIN TOOK MY EYES!"
Forever oppressed by the GOLs.
Grom Hellscream: [Orcish] kek
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#15
Thats just unreasonable.

I see the fabric of the LL unraveling over partisian game issues.
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#16
I am reminded of a quote I seem to remember seeing in someone's signature...

"Arguing on the internet's alot like running in the special olympics..." perhaps? Nah, couldn't have been.

:)
The error occurred on line -1.
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#17
Ghostiger,Jan 14 2005, 01:29 PM Wrote:Thats just unreasonable.

I see the fabric of the LL unraveling over partisian game issues.

Some allowance should be made for factional rivalry for those playing on the PvP server. I know after an evening of intense PvP fighting, say in Stranglethorn Vale, I can get riled up into an anti-Alliance mood. Keep in mind that attacking other players on a PvP server in WoW is not the same as PKing in Diablo II. Sometimes I think people here are so sensitized by the PK problems in Diablo II that they think that any killing of another player is somehow evil, even if it happens on a PvP server among similar level players. Player skirmishes at the Scarlet Monastery, at Nessingwary's Expedition, in Hillsbrad, and in Ashenvale are all a part of playing the game on the PvP server. For some, this is frustrating and for others, it's fun. The nice thing about WoW is that you have the choice from the beginning to have the skimishes or go without.

At the same time, we have to keep some decorum here and not get too over the top with interfactional rivalry. However, I don't think Artega's comments came anywhere near the line much less crossed it. They were just comments that made me want to pat Artega on the head patronizingly and move on. "That's very nice, Artega. Now, let's talk about the Scarlet Monastery again."
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#18
I was addressing Rinnhart. Not Artega.

But I think the whole little discourse demonstrates the problem of bringing the game rivalries here. Some people find it an emotional subject and it tends to escalate to nastiness.

It reminds me of VN drama - I come here to get away from that.
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#19
Ghostiger,Jan 14 2005, 02:29 PM Wrote:Thats just unreasonable.

I see the fabric of the LL unraveling over partisian game issues.
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From where I sit, so long as the tone of a post discussing the in game Horde / Alliance antipathy can keep a grin in it, so long as we are teasing one another, all will be well.

As soon as someone ties their ego to Horde or Alliance, and it becomes personal, it is time to not post about it until one can take a breath, and get a bit of emotional distance.

PvP in WoW is, in the Lurker context, an opportunity to kill one another with a smile on our faces, a song in our hearts, and a keg after the match. Sort of like a Rugby game. :D At least, that is how I see it.

Occhi
Cry 'Havoc' and let slip the Men 'O War!
In War, the outcome is never final. --Carl von Clausewitz--
Igitur qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum
John 11:35 - consider why.
In Memory of Pete
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#20
If I said that I would be in trouble from about 50 people here.

Yay for biased flamers and biased mods.


In fact I did say that once and was flamed in the extreme. I even got a PM from Griz telling me how bad it was. The funny part was I originally learned the little joke here on th LL.
Anyway I still the the joke is funny.
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