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War stories, articles & game guides
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Expeditions,
War Stories &
Culture
“It’s time that we start cutting off the heads of the beast. I served beside Rokir for quite some time. He knows the unholy arts better than most any other death knight I’ve met and he’s equally as ruthless. Rokir’s strengths are most apparent when you are fighting him on his own ground. Sadly, we don’t have much option in those regards, but stay on your feet to avoid his undead minions and you should come out victorious.
Be nimble, Warrior, and do not take him lightly.”
-Vereth the Cunning
Vereth the Cunning on the Rise of Suffering wants you to kill Rokir, the Rider of the Unholy.
(Suggested players: 5)
You will be able to choose one of these rewards:
You will also receive:
Upon completion of this quest you will gain:
Quest Giver: Vereth the Cunning — Rise of Suffering, Icecrown [54, 72]
Objective: Kill Rokir, the Rider of the Unholy.
Quick Facts
Preparation
| Ability | Effect | Counter |
|---|---|---|
| Melee Attacks | Hits for 2-3k normally, 4k+ on crits. Hard-hitting for a quest mob. | Kite rather than face-tanking if undergeared. |
| Death and Decay | AoE ground effect dealing ~700 Shadow damage per tick. | Move out immediately. Do not stand in it. |
| Zombie Horde | Channels for ~8 seconds, summoning Shambling Zombies and Plague Beasts. Cannot be interrupted. | Use the channel time to create distance and heal. |
| Shambling Zombies | Move very slowly. Use Plague Blast on contact: kills themselves, deals ~1k damage, and knocks you back. | Do not let them reach you. They’re slow enough to simply walk away from. |
| Plague Beasts | Slow-moving adds, hit for 200-300. | Ignore and outrun them. |
| Plague Strike/Blood Plague | Applies a disease DoT. Minimal direct damage (20-40/tick) but removes one HoT effect per tick. | Cleanse if possible. Warlocks: this removes Health Funnel from pets. |
| Snare/Stun Immunity | Immune to Chains of Ice and likely all movement-impairing effects. | Cannot be kited via slows. You must physically outrun him or use positional kiting. |
HP: Approximately 126,000.
Battle Strategy
Kiting is Key
Exploit the Channel Window
Group Strategy
| Class | Approach |
|---|---|
| Death Knight | Army of the Dead opener buys time. Use Death Strike for self-healing. Move out of his DnD and place yours on him. His ghouls will fight your ghouls. Blood spec with tank gear is safest. |
| Paladin (Prot/Ret) | Kite in circles, cleanse diseases immediately. Sacred Shield helps. Prot can outlast him. Ret needs to heal during Zombie Horde channels. Use Lay on Hands as emergency. |
| Paladin (Holy) | Surprisingly doable. Kite with Seal of Wisdom, Judge for mana, heal through damage. Very slow but steady. |
| Druid (Feral) | Tank gear recommended. Pop out to Rejuv/Regrowth during Zombie Horde channels, shift back to bear. One of the more comfortable solo kills. |
| Hunter | Kill Plaguehoof first. Use a cat pet (not a tank pet; Rokir hits too hard to heal through with Mend Pet). Kite with Aspect of the Cheetah, keep Serpent Sting up, use pet as a mobile DoT. Pull aggro back with Distracting Shot as needed. |
| Mage (Frost) | One of the easier solos. Kite to and fro on the platform and the ledge outside. Frost Nova adds if they get close. Note: Rokir himself is immune to snares. |
| Warlock | Felguard/Voidwalker will die fast because Plague Strike removes Health Funnel. Use Imp for ranged damage. Kite with instant DoTs (Corruption, Siphon Life, Agony). Use Demonic Circle for emergency repositioning. |
| Shaman (Enhancement) | Kite backwards in a circle. Save Maelstrom procs for Healing Wave. Use Shamanistic Rage for mana if the fight goes long. Feral Spirits help but will get caught by adds. |
| Warrior (Prot) | Doable but tight. Kite in circles, engage during safe windows, back-pedal when DnD/adds are active. Enraged Regeneration, bandages during Zombie Horde channels. |
Lore & Secrets
Rokir, the Unholy Instructor
Rokir is one of three death knight commanders training the Lich King’s new death knight order at Malykriss. He teaches Unholy abilities to the death knight adepts, paralleling Lady Alistra‘s role in Acherus: The Ebon Hold.
Vereth served alongside Rokir before the Ebon Blade’s defection. His quest text reflects both respect and contempt: “He knows the unholy arts better than most any other death knight I’ve met and he’s equally as ruthless.”
Rokir’s taunt when you engage him drips with Scourge arrogance: “No shining army? No righteous words? It seems your ‘honor’ suits you no longer.” He expects the same kind of righteous crusade the Argent forces would mount, not a lone operative sent by his former comrade.
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“It’s time that we start cutting off the heads of the beast,” Vereth said. “I served beside Rokir for quite some time. He knows the unholy arts better than most any other death knight I’ve met and he’s equally as ruthless. Rokir’s strengths are most apparent when you are fighting him on his own ground. Sadly, we don’t have much option in those regards, but stay on your feet to avoid his undead minions and you should come out victorious. Be nimble, warrior, and do not take him lightly.”
I served beside him. That is the fourth time this month one of these men has sent me to kill somebody he used to stand next to.
Rokir keeps the altar in the southwest of Malykriss, and what he does there is teach. The adepts come to him to learn unholy, the way they learn it at Acherus from whoever holds that post now. He is an instructor with a class.
He saw me coming and had time to get down off Plaguehoof and draw.
“No shining army? No righteous words? It seems your ‘honor’ suits you no longer.”
He had me wrong. He thought he was looking at the Argent Crusade.
The ground opens under you when he wants it to, and it keeps working while you stand in it, so you do not stand in it. Move, and keep moving, while the dead come up out of the floor behind you in numbers. He raises them the way other men breathe. I spent most of it going backward and sideways with the claymore doing very little, waiting for him to want something badly enough to plant his feet.
He wanted a curse. He committed to it, and the claymore went in above the gorget, and that was the end of a career spent teaching men to do that.
“You too shall serve the Lich King…. your time comes.”
Plaguehoof went out through the southwest gate on its own and nobody stopped it.
“The world will be a much better place without Rokir in it. Trust me.”
I keep noticing that he only says it about the ones he knew.
One head off the beast and Rokir’s last words were a promise about the other two, who were still teaching in a fortress that had just lost its unholy instructor, and the coldest of them was waiting up on the walls as The Rider of Frost.
