Scholomance

Scholo

Scholomance loading graphic

Location

Caer Darrow, Western Plaguelands

Race(s)

Cultist

Scourge

End boss

Darkmaster Gandling

Advised level

38-48

Minimum level

33

Player limit

5

Key

[Skeleton Key]

Bosses

Scholomance11 — The entrance to Scholomance

The Scholomance (SKOH-loh-mance), a vile academy for prospective necromancers of the Scourge, is located in the ruins of the palatial House of Barov, on a rise overlooking the abandoned city of Caer Darrow. The enemy level range is 38-48 and requires that you be at least level 33 and possess the [Skeleton Key] or a rogue with a 280 lockpicking skill to enter. Alternatively, a warlock can Life Tap himself as low as possible, then Hellfire himself to death. While in ghost form, he can step through the door and resurrect on the inside, letting the group in that way.

Prior to being re-tuned for a lower level range with Patch 4.0.3a, Scholomance was probably the single most efficient pre-TBC instance for farming, with trash runs up to the Great Ossuary taking about 45 minutes for a fast player, and potentially yielding 100-200 gold, depending on which blue items dropped. The instance had a very rich loot table for the level range, and individual mobs tended to drop good amounts of both coins and Runecloth, which generally sold well on the Auction House. In addition, necromancers and dark summoners (as well as a few of the bosses) dropped the prized Dark Runes, which were useful for raiders and could command prices of 15-20 gold each on the Auction House. It was not uncommon for 3-4 to drop during a single run, adding potentially another 80 gold to the instance's yield.

History[]

The Scholomance was founded by the rogue wizard Kel'Thuzad nearly ten years ago. His Cult of the Damned renovated the ancient crypts beneath Caer Darrow (an old Arathorian fortress) and turned them into a school for necromancy. The Cult used this place to train its mortal agents and prepare to unleash the Plague of Undeath upon Lordaeron. It has been brewing with young talented wizards and adepts all this time. No one in Lordaeron knew. Originally, the Barov family (of Alterac) owned the land and gave it to the Cult in exchange for the Lich King's blessing of immortality. Now the Barovs remain as undead monsters. One of Kel'Thuzad's mightiest agents, the Ravenian, also lives within the recesses of the school — ever ready to devour those students who show any sign of weakness. The lich Ras Frostwhisper rules over the site and guards it for the Scourge, but the mortal necromancer, Darkmaster Gandling, serves as headmaster of the school, succeeding Araj the Summoner who was headmaster after Kel'thuzad.

From old World Dungeons site:

The Scholomance is housed within a series of crypts that lie beneath the ruined keep of Caer Darrow. Once owned by the noble Barov family, Caer Darrow fell into ruin following the Second War. As the wizard Kel'thuzad enlisted followers for his Cult of the Damned, he would often promise immortality in exchange for serving the Lich King. The Barov family fell to Kel'thuzad's charismatic influence and donated the keep and its crypts to the Scourge. The cultists then killed the Barovs and turned the ancient crypts into a school for necromancy known as the Scholomance. Though Kel'thuzad no longer resides in the crypts, devoted cultists and instructors still remain. The powerful lich, Ras Frostwhisper, rules over the site and guards it in the Scourge's name — while the mortal necromancer, Darkmaster Gandling, serves as the school's insidious headmaster.

Geography[]

Maps[]

Sub-Regions[]

Barov Family Vault · Chamber of Summoning · The Coven · The Great Ossuary · Hall of Secrets · Hall of the Damned · Headmaster's Study · The Laboratory · The Reliquary · The Shadow Vault · The Viewing Room · Vault of the Ravenian

Quests[]

In Scholomance[]

[42D] Plagued Hatchlings...For Now Given by Weldon Barov in Scholomance.
[42D] School of the Damned Given by Weldon Barov in Scholomance.
[42D] Aberrations of Bone Given by Lord Raymond George in Eastern Plaguelands.
[43D] Alexi's Gambit Given by Alexi Barov in Scholomance.
[43D] Doctor Theolen Krastinov, The Butcher Given by Eva Starkhoff in Scholomance.
[43D] Barov Family Fortune Given by Weldon Barov in Scholomance.
[43D] Kirtonos the Herald Given by Eva Starkhoff in Scholomance.
[43D] The Lich, Ras Frostwhisper Given by Alexi Barov in Scholomance.
[44D] School's Out Forever Given by Lucien Starkhoff in Scholomance.

Dungeon Denizens[]

Bone golems
Crypt fiends
Gargoyles (one, Kirtonos the Herald)
Ghouls
Gnomes
High elves
Humans
Liches (one, Ras Frostwhisper)
Plagued dragon whelps
Rats (critters)
Shades
Skeletal mages
Skeletal warriors
Skeletons
Succubi (one, Blood Steward of Kirtonos)
Wights (one, the Ravenian)
Wraiths
Zombies

Mobs[]

The Students

Scholomance Acolytes cast: Mind Flay, Dark Mending (healing spell), Shadowform, Cripple
Scholomance Adepts cast: Frostbolt, Frost Shock, Cone of Cold
Scholomance Dark Summoners cast: Summon Skeletal Lackey (Summoning spell, 1.5 sec cast), Drain Life, Curse of Blood (Increases physical damage taken)
Scholomance Handlers cast: Cone of Cold, Blast Wave, Arcane Blast (Arcane damage plus knockback)
Scholomance Necrolytes cast: Shadow Barrier (reduces shadow damage taken by 50), Shadowbolt
Scholomance Necromancers cast: Call to the Grave, Shadowbolt Volley (AoE Shadowbolt spell), Explode Corpse (Blows up a nearby corpse, dealing shadow damage to all enemies within a 5 yard radius)
Scholomance Neophytes cast: Shadowbolt, Dark Mending (healing spell), Shadow Word: Pain, Mind Flay, Fear
Scholomance Occultists cast: Counterspell, turns into a Dark Shade
Dark Shade: casts Shadowbolt Volley (AoE Shadowbolt), immune to physical damage
Scholomance Students

Plagued dragonflight

Plagued Hatchlings cast: Diseased Spit (Nature damage and reduces stamina for 30 sec. Stacks)

Mindless Undead

Risen Aberrations cast: Fixate, immune to magic (except holy)
Risen Constructs
Risen Bonewarders cast: Drain Life, Bone Armor (absorbs a set amount of damage), Consuming Shadows (Channeled AoE spell that slows and damages enemies around the caster)
Risen Guards: cast Shield Slam, Sunder Armor
Risen Protectors cast: Shadow Word: Pain, Shadow Shock (Instant cast Shadow damage spell), Silence (AoE silence)
Risen Warriors cast Heroic Strike, Rend, Thunderclap, Knockdown (knocks the target down for 3 sec)
Splintered Skeletons
Reanimated Corpses cast: Dark Plague (38 Nature damage every 5 sec for 2 mins. Stacks)
Unstable Corpses
Diseased Ghouls cast: Wandering Plague (Physical damage taken increased by 5, Stamina reduced by 3), Disease Cloud (Deals Nature damage to all enemies near the caster)

Undead

Spectral Researchers cast: Mana Burn, Wail of Souls (AoE cone spell)
Spectral Teachers cast: Banish, Mana Burn, Arcane Focus (Increases casting speec by 66%)
Spectral Tutors cast: Mana Burn, Silence (AoE silence), Spectral Projection (Turns invulnerable, summons 5 Speltral Projections to attack, 6 sec duration)
Necrofiends cast: Web Explosion (Immobolizes all targets for 5 sec)

Bosses and Mini Bosses[]

Blood Steward of Kirtonos
Kirtonos the Herald (requires Blood of Innocents to summon)
Lord Blackwood (during of the Scourge Invasion in patch 1.11)
Jandice Barov
Rattlegore
Death Knight Darkreaver (requires Divination Scryer to summon)
Marduk Blackpool
Vectus
Ras Frostwhisper
Kormok (requires Brazier of Beckoning or Brazier of Invocation to summon)
Doctor Theolen Krastinov
Lorekeeper Polkelt
Instructor Malicia
Lady Illucia Barov
Lord Alexei Barov
The Ravenian
Darkmaster Gandling

Loot[]

See Scholomance loot.

Scholomance Faculty[]

This article or section includes speculation, observations or opinions possibly supported by lore or by Blizzard officials. It should not be taken as representing official lore.

Darkmaster Gandling — School Headmaster
Ras Frostwhisper — School Chairman, Alchemy
Doctor Theolen Krastinov — Torturer, Anatomy, Demonology
Lorekeeper Polkelt — Librarian, History
Instructor Malicia — Occultism, Shadow Magic
Vectus — Arcane Magic
Ravenian — Janitor, Corporal Punishment
Jandice Barov — Zombification, Corpse Control, Plague Research

Notes[]

See Scholomance stealth run for info on how to sneak through the dungeon.
According to Romanian legend, a real Scholomance exists by an unnamed lake in the mountains south of the city of Hermannstadt (called Sibiu in Romanian) in Transylvania. This school of black magic is said to be run by the Devil, and would accept only ten students at a time. The tenth would remain to serve the Devil as payment for his teachings. The Scholomance in WoW is placed in the middle of the lake, much like its legendary namesake. In Bram Stoker's Dracula, Count Dracula is said to have spent several years training under the Devil in the Scholomance. It is referenced in both Stoker's novel and an article titled "Transylvanian Superstitions" on page 136 of The Nineteenth Century by Emily Gerard.
There are a number of ways one can gain entrance without a key by dying close to the door. This can be achieved by repeatedly jumping off the nearby ledge then jumping off the roof, by dueling and jumping off the roof, or with self sacrificing Warlock abilities and jumping off to finish the death. Once dead, the character may freely pass through the door and resurrect on the other side. Be sure to remove all equipment before attempting this, in order to avoid repair costs.
- A rogue of sufficient lockpicking skill can pick the door open. this can also be used as a method for raising the lockpicking skill.
- Another useful, and much easier method, is with a mage in the party. Have the mage and another character equipped with an ability to pop polymorph (druid shape shift, trinket, iceblock, etc). Begin a duel as near the door as possible. Have the second player stand next to door and the mage polymorph them. When the second character runs through door, pop polymorph and open the door from inside.
It is impossible for a warrior to completely solo this instance without having any special items that inflict non-physical damage. To make Darkmaster Gandling appear, the six rooms around him must be fully cleared. However, the Scholomance Occultists turn into Dark Shades, which are immune to physical damage. Unless a warrior has special items (like Stratholme Holy Water), or Engineering explosives, they will have to be very careful to 1-shot the Occultists otherwise they will not be able to kill these mobs and summon Darkmaster Gandling.
Mages looking to solo Scholomance should beware of Risen Aberrations since they are immune to all magic except holy. They can be avoided with careful movement, or the mage can cast Invisibility to get out of combat in case he/she accidentally aggros one. Otherwise, it is a good idea to bring along a wand that can do holy damage, such as [Nurturing Touch]. For the same reason, warlocks should have a pet other their imp out, preferably their voidwalker or felguard.
Trivia, according to early blue posts: Scholomance was originally thought of as an outdoor non-instanced area, much smaller, where Uther's Tomb is now. The designers made it so visually stunning that it was turned into an instance, so that it could be moved and enlarged.
In Lands of Conflict, Scholomance is said to be below Andorhal, while the narrator was not able to explore Caer Darrow.
Non-Boss high elves in the instance still use the old model based off of Night elven models rather then the ones based on Blood elven models.
Near Ras Frostwhisper is one of two Alchemy Labs known to exist in Azeroth, the other is in Blackwing Lair. However, for The Burning Crusade players, there are Alchemy Labs in Shattrath City and Sun's Reach.

Difficulty[]

At release, Scholomance was an extremely challenging dungeon. Typically, the dungeon was raided in 10-man parties, with a difficulty similar to Upper Blackrock Spire. Subsequent patches in the summer of 2006 changed Scholomance drastically. Mobs were weakened slightly, and a great many were removed. However, Scholomance could no longer be run with more than 5 party members. At the time, this "Scholo Nerf" was a common topic for party chat among long-time players. Loot in Scholomance has changed gradually over time. Originally, each boss dropped some relatively weak loot. The dungeon waned in popularity as players saw little point in running it after they had completed their quests and acquired their Dungeon Set 1 hat. Blizzard again patched the dungeon. At this point, Scholomance drops a moderate amount of fairly useful items, including a very small chance at the epic [Headmaster's Charge] and [Alanna's Embrace]. The rewards available from the Argent Dawn have also broadened through patches. Scholomance is a staple source of Argent Dawn reputation and Scourgestones. Players seeking Argent Dawn tradeskill recipes, resistance enchantments or Armaments of the Dawn often spend a great deal of time in Scholomance or Stratholme.

Media[]

Videos[]

Mists of Pandaria Beta

Wowhead	MMO Champion

Circa Patch 4.2.2

Nivarka (1080p, with commentary)

Scholomance Playthrough Part 1	Scholomance Playthrough Part 2	Scholomance Playthrough Part 3

Patch changes[]

Template:Patch 4.0.3a
Patch 1.10.0 (patch date:2006-03-28): Capped at five players.
Patch 1.6.0 (patch date:2005-07-12): Several spawns removed from Scholomance. This should make for a more enjoyable 5 player experience.
Patch 1.4.0 (patch date:2005-05-05):
- 20 new Rare items have been added to Scholomance.
- Several Uncommon items have been upgraded to Rare quality.
- There is a new load screen for Stratholme.
Patch 1.3.0 (patch date:2005-03-07):
- Capped at ten players.
- Lengthened the respawn time of many of the creatures in Scholomance.
- Characters dying in the instanced portions of Scholomance will now correctly receive a corpse marker in the minimap and see the message letting them know that they need to enter the instance before they will be able to resurrect.