Utgarde Keep (70-72)

As my last review was of The Nexus, one of the two opening dungeons of Wrath of the Lich King, I figured I'd follow up with a review of the other, Utgarde Keep. Situated in the center of Howling Fjord, Utgarde is the main stronghold for the recently returned Vrykul, a race of hulking half-giants reminiscent of Vikings in many ways. Having disappeared without a trace centuries ago, they've recently reappeared to wage war on the Horde and Alliance forces arriving in Northrend. It becomes fairly clear very early on that they're in league with the Lich King in some way, and as time goes on, you find out just how deep that allegiance runs.




Utgarde Keep is a stone's throw from Valgarde for Alliance, although getting there requries running the gauntlet of Wyrmskull Village. It's a big easier for Horde - up the dragon lift outside Vengeance Landing, and across the western forest to the dam that bridges Daggercap Bay. Either way, the trip there gives you some great views of the towering Keep, a great representation of the might of the Vrykul.

Here marks the first instance I've reviewed where there are seperate Horde and Alliance quests for it. Horde-wise, one quest becomes available through the opening lines at Vengeance Landing, which includes an introduction to Prince Keleseth, one of the San'layn and the head Scourge ambassador to Utgarde. The other two Horde quests are obtained just inside the instance entrance, and require no pre-questing. For Alliance, there appear to only be two quests, one involving some prerequisites, and both from the same NPC just outside the Keep.



Utgarde Keep Ekerameter:

Difficulty - 2
Loot - 3
PUG Factor - 3
FUCK YEAH Quotient - 5
Overall - 3.5

Comments - Like The Nexus, this place is easy, although the final boss of this place is more difficult than anything in its Coldarra counterpart. Trash can be tricky too, depending on pull composition and how well your group handles Runecasters. There are at least a couple places here where a retarded PUG healer or tank could get you killed, putting that rating middle of the scale. The loot here is slightly better for Horde than Alliance, as you pick up a nice set of bracers from the quest that the two factions don't share. All told, though, you're looking at 5 blues (4 for Alliance) vs. 8 from The Nexus, assuming you're doing all the quests for both. So this place loses out on that factor.



FYQ? This one comes with a caveat. I fucking love the Vrykul. Everything about them is cool to me - their design, how they dominate the Fjord, the imposing nature of Utgarde, the storylines that come up through questing, and so on. Plus, the instance itself is designed very well. From what I understand, the same person who worked on Shadowfang Keep (and, I'm guessing, Karazhan) put this and Utgarde Pinnacle together, and it shows. Each room/area has an obvious function, instead of just being "place where dudes congregate waiting for you to kill them." Forge, dragonpens, strategy room, tunnels dug through the rock, the outside balconies... this feels like a real place. On that note the instance, like many, is very linear, but it's got enough twists and turns that you don't necessarily feel like you're just being herded to the end (a major fault of Auchindoun instances in TBC).

Like The Nexus, Utgarde Keep is a great introduction to Wrath of the Lich King. It puts you squarely in the middle of the conflict with the Vrykul, and takes you into the heart of their stronghold. The twisting halls and tunnels and the outside balcony at the end are VERY reminiscent of Hellfire Ramparts, but then, that instance was very successful at what it did too, so that's hardly a mark against it. Plus, Howling Fjord is a HELL of a lot prettier to look at than Hellfire Peninsula. Definitely check this place out.