Battle Before The Citadel

Quest Giver: Eadric the Pure (non-DK)/Crok Scourgebane (Death Knights) – Argent Tournament Grounds, Icecrown

Objective: Kill 3 Boneguard Commanders in the Court of Bones using a Campaign Warhorse.

Quick Facts

• Level: 80
• Type: Daily
• Location: Court of Bones, southwestern Icecrown, [49, 72]
• Requires: Champion rank in the Argent Tournament

Walkthrough

Getting There

• Fly to the Court of Bones in southwestern Icecrown, on the southern side of Corp’rethar. Coordinates: approximately [49, 72].
• A small Argent Crusade forward camp is set up here. Equip your Argent Lance and mount the stabled Campaign Warhorse at the camp. You cannot use your personal mount for this quest.
• Note: The quest area is only visible if you have the quest in your log.

Campaign Warhorse Abilities

Fighting Boneguard Commanders

Boneguard Commanders are level 80 elites that joust the same way as Argent Tournament NPCs. They are tougher than Scouts or Footmen and require proper jousting technique.

Recommended rotation:

1. Stack 3 Defend shields before engaging.
2. Open with Charge from maximum distance. Spam Thrust as you pass through for a free melee hit.
3. Turn and strafe away to get back to Shield-Breaker range. Fire Shield-Breaker to strip a shield.
4. Close back to melee range and Thrust.
5. Disengage to Charge range and repeat.

This “shock and awe” approach keeps you on the offensive and lets you largely ignore what the Commander is doing. Focus on maintaining the rotation rather than micromanaging your own shield stacks.

Where to Find Commanders

Avoiding Adds

• Boneguard Scouts are flying mobs that patrol the area and can aggro during Commander fights. They are a nuisance, not a danger, but pulling multiple Scouts alongside a Commander can be overwhelming.
• Pull Commanders to the edges of the area or up the stairs to avoid Scout patrols.
• Boneguard Footmen can be trampled (run through them with your mount). The quest text calls this out: they are not a threat.
• Do not count on a fresh horse saving you. Dismounting does not drop you out of combat, whether you choose it or not, and the riders will keep hitting you while you run for the stables.

Efficiency Tips

• If you are also doing Valiant dailies for a second city, the Valiant version of this quest (At the Enemy’s Gates) has partial overlap since both take place at the Court of Bones. However, as of Patch 3.2, Battle Before The Citadel specifically requires Commanders only, so you can no longer complete both with the same kills. Doing them back-to-back in the same trip is still efficient.
• Pair this with Taking Battle To The Enemy and Threat From Above for a complete Champion daily circuit.
• Hunters: Deactivate Aspect of the Viper before mounting. It reduces Shield-Breaker damage by 40% while active.
• Warriors: Use Battle Stance, not Defensive Stance. Stance damage modifiers affect your mount’s abilities. Defensive Stance adds an extra Shield-Breaker shot needed to kill Scouts (3 instead of 2).
• Fate Rune of Baneful Intent applies its damage bonus to your mount’s abilities, which drops Scouts from three Shield-Breakers to two. That is the same margin Defensive Stance costs you, so the rune and the right stance are worth more here than they look.
• Use Refresh Mount (button 5) between Commander fights to top off your horse’s health.
• If someone else is in the area, consider grouping up. Mark party members with raid icons so you can easily distinguish friendly Campaign Warhorses from enemy NPCs.

Explore Icecrown’s hidden easter eggs, lore mysteries, and connections across Warcraft history in Vikstone’s Icecrown Chronicles, along with the complete quest storyline.