Halls of Stone (77-79)

So, first up on the agenda for instance reviews is the first of two 5-mans set in Ulduar in the Storm Peaks, the Halls of Stone. Ulduar is a Titan city, like Uldaman or Uldum in the old world, except this one isn't buried and isn't in ruins. Ulduar itself (and thus the instances) are only accessible by flying mounts unless you are summoned, much like Tempest Keep.






First, a handy dandy series of ratings for the dungeon's merits, and some spoiler-and-strategy-free comments to supplement and explain the ratings. This all sounds very official but actually it's entirely arbitrary and I reserve the right to blah blah on with it.

So here are the 5 ratings categories and what they mean:

Difficulty - Quite simply, how hard is this instance relative to the level it's presented at? 1 means the place is poorly tuned - either it's way too easy or WAY too fucking hard, whereas 5 means it's very challenging and manages to be fun because of it.
Loot - Is the loot worth coming here for? 1 means skip this shit, it ain't worth it (Auchenai Crypts anyone?), whereas 5 means almost every boss drop is a keeper. This includes rewards from quests that take you inside the dungeon.
PUG Factor - Different from difficulty, this essentially answers: How likely is it that a complete moron pickup member could wipe your group? 1 means you're better off 4-manning it; conversely, 5 means shitty players are a nonfactor.
FUCK YEAH Quotient - Essentially, how cool is this place. Are you going to be sleepwalking through another boring highway of loot (LOOKING AT YOU AUCHENDOUN INSTANCES)? Are the boss fights innovative and engaging? Is there cool scenery? Familiar NPCs that show up? Tie-ins with leadup quests/zone content? 1 means YAWN, 5 means FUCK YEAH. Who didn't see that coming?
Overall - Sums it all up. May not necessarily reflect the other 4 ratings perfectly, as some things weigh more heavily than others in a given instance.

With that in mind...




Halls of Stone Ekerameter:

Difficulty - 2
Loot - 4
PUG Factor - 3
FUCK YEAH Quotient - 3
Overall - 3

Comments - Medium sized instance with some decent variety. The boss fights are relatively simple and very difficult to wipe on at their present state in beta. Loot here is very good for the level, with some great, relatively common BoE trash drops. The PUG Factor refers to a specific boss that will have a familiar mechanic. FYQ-wise, there are definitely some cool visuals here, but a lot of it is offset by a long lost character's return... specifically, his voice actor is fucking TERRIBLE. Lots of good lore here about the Titans and the dwarven race, however. Overall, an instance that's worth a run or two on regular.





Quest Availability - Aside from the heroic/nonheroic dailies, there is only one quest for this instance, started inside as part of a boss event. No pre-questing is required.