War stories, articles & game guides
Gamer
Tribute
2026
Expeditions,
War Stories &
Culture
War stories, articles & game guides
Gamer
Tribute
2026
Expeditions,
War Stories &
Culture
The Ironwall Rampart overlooks the Valley of Fallen Heroes, west of Aldur’thar. The rampart dominates the fields below on all sides. We will not be able to advance if the rampart cannot be taken, but it is held by Grimkor the Wicked and his Cult of the Damned disciples. If you can weaken Grimkor, our forces will know what to expect as we advance.
Take this rune of distortion. Unleashing its power near Grimkor’s orb at the end of the rampart should be enough to get the necromancer’s attention.
-Thassarian
Defeat Grimkor the Wicked and return to Thassarian aboard the Skybreaker.
Suggested players: 5
Provided item:
You will be able to choose one of these rewards:
You will also receive:
Upon completion of this quest you will gain:
Quest Giver: Thassarian (Alliance, aboard The Skybreaker)/Koltira Deathweaver (Horde, aboard Orgrim’s Hammer)
Objective: Use the Rune of Distortion near Grimkor’s Orb at the end of the Ironwall Rampart to summon and defeat Grimkor the Wicked.
Quick Facts
Walkthrough
Reach the Ironwall Rampart
Prepare the Area
Summon and Fight
The Encounter
Grimkor is a level 80 Elite necromancer (~60-70k HP) who fights at range. His hound is an elite melee add with a nasty mana drain. Both are fully susceptible to crowd control (stuns, roots, Polymorph, Hex, Shackle Undead, Freezing Trap, Sap, Fear).
| Ability | Effect | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Shadow Bolt | ~2,500-3,000 Shadow damage per cast | Interruptable; Spell Reflect sends it back for full damage |
| Summon Skeletons | Spawns two non-elite Skeleton Minions (~5k HP each) | Summons roughly every 30 seconds; low priority, can be AoE’d or ignored |
| Ability | Effect | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Mana Burn | Drains mana; deals 0.5 damage per mana drained | Primary threat for casters and healers |
| Tendon Rip | Reduces movement speed for 5 seconds | Makes kiting difficult if not CC’d |
| Vicious Rend | Physical DoT, ticks every 3 sec for 15 seconds | Adds steady damage pressure |
Strategy
Target Priority: Kill Grimkor first, CC the hound. Grimkor’s Shadow Bolts and skeleton summons are the main damage source. With Grimkor dead, the hound alone is straightforward.
Solo Approaches by Role
Group Tips
Efficiency Tips
Lore Context
The Ironwall Rampart is a strategic chokepoint controlling the approach to Corp’rethar: The Horror Gate, the westernmost of the three great gates barring entry to Icecrown Citadel.
Taking the rampart from the Cult of the Damned is a necessary step before the combined forces of the Ebon Blade and the airship fleet can advance toward the Citadel itself. This is one of several “clear the way” quests that mirror the military progression of the Icecrown campaign, moving from Aldur’thar south through the Valley of Fallen Heroes and ultimately to the gates of the Citadel.
During the Death Rising pre-launch event for Shadowlands, the Argent Crusade used the Ironwall Rampart as a forward operating base, confirming that the Alliance and Horde’s efforts to secure it during WotLK had lasting strategic value.
Explore Icecrown’s hidden easter eggs, lore mysteries, and connections across Warcraft history in Vikstone’s Icecrown Chronicles, along with the complete quest storyline.
Vikstone's War Journal“The Ironwall Rampart overlooks the Valley of Fallen Heroes, west of Aldur’thar. The rampart dominates the fields below on all sides,” Thassarian said. “We will not be able to advance if the rampart cannot be taken, but it is held by Grimkor the Wicked and his Cult of the Damned disciples. If you can weaken Grimkor, our forces will know what to expect as we advance. Take this rune of distortion. Unleashing its power near Grimkor’s orb at the end of the rampart should be enough to get the necromancer’s attention.”
So our forces will know what to expect. That is what this was. Two men sent up a rampart to find out what it costs, so that the number is on somebody’s paper before the army walks into it.
Mardagan and I have a routine now. Thassarian briefs. We go. Neither of us asks anything.
The disciples hold the length of it and there is no way past them, only through, and it took a while. I shield first and Mardagan closes anything that reforms behind me.
The orb sits at the far end. The rune went off against it and the cold arrived.
“You think you can wrest this rampart from my control? I think not. When I’ve finished beating the arrogance out of you, I’ll impale your corpse on the spikes as an example to any other ‘heroes’!”
He has two things. Shadow bolts, and two skeletons at a time, raised as fast as we could put them down. Against a line of men it would be enough to hold a wall forever.
Against two, he could not stop being interrupted. Mardagan consecrated the stone behind me and the skeletons walked into it and came apart, and every time Grimkor turned to raise more, one of us was in his face, and every time he turned back to cast, the other was.
Mardagan stood at the edge afterward and looked out over the Valley of Fallen Heroes. Thassarian was right about the view. You can see everything from up there.
“We’ll be fighting up this rampart again,” he said. “With an army behind us next time.”
The rampart was clear and the road below it ran straight to the westernmost of the three gates, the one the Scourge had named for what they intended people to feel while looking at it, which is where the campaign went next, Before the Gate of Horror.
