Archmage Arugal

Archmage Arugal is the final boss of Shadowfang Keep, the mage who brought the worgen into the world and now lives among them as their master. Once a member of the Kirin Tor of Dalaran, he summoned the wolf-men to fight the Scourge, lost control of them, and went mad. In Classic he is the hardest of the low-level dungeon bosses: he teleports, hits hard with shadow magic, and turns players into worgen against their own group.

Background

Arugal was a royal archmage of Gilneas who joined the Kirin Tor, the ruling council of mages in Dalaran. During the Third War, The Scourge destroyed Dalaran, and every mage who died rose again to fight for the undead. Arugal returned home to Gilneas. When the Scourge reached the Greymane Wall on Gilneas's border, King Genn Greymane asked him for a way to hold it, and Arugal offered the worgen, savage beings he had learned to summon. He warned the king they would be hard to control. The worgen slaughtered the undead, then turned on the Gilnean soldiers, and their curse began to spread.

A pack of worgen overran the keep of Baron Silverlaine above Pyrewood Village in southern Silverpine Forest. Broken by guilt, Arugal took the worgen as his children and moved into the ruined castle, which he named Shadowfang. His enormous worg Fenrus the Devourer guards his study, and the baron's ghost still haunts the halls below.

The Forsaken want Silverpine for Sylvanas Windrunner, and Arugal's curse on Pyrewood and the surrounding woods stands in their way. The mage Dalar Dawnweaver at the Sepulcher calls him a charlatan who leaned on enchanted items to prop up weak magic, and orders him killed.

Abilities

• Void Bolt: a bolt of shadow magic for about 255 to 295 damage, enough to kill a level 26 cloth wearer in two or three hits.
• Thundershock: Nature damage to everyone near him, stunning them.
• Arugal's Curse: turns a player into a Shadowfang Glutton under Arugal's control for ten seconds. The cursed player attacks the group. He shouts "Release your rage!" when he casts it.
• Teleport: during the fight he blinks between his platform and a second raised ledge across the room, then back again.

Strategy

Arugal's chamber is a sunken room. The group enters on a raised walkway out of his reach; below are three Sons of Arugal, which should be pulled up and killed first. Arugal stands on a small platform across the room.

• Interrupt and drain. Void Bolt is the main killer, so interrupt it whenever possible. Priests can Mana Burn him and warlocks can Drain Mana; without mana he cannot cast.
• Do not chase his teleports. He comes back within a few seconds. Melee should wait for him, while ranged damage dealers keep attacking.
• Control the cursed player. A player turned into a worgen should be polymorphed, feared or simply avoided until the curse wears off.
• Bring potions. Arugal has far more mana than a healer at this level. A long fight favors him, so the group needs enough damage to finish him quickly.

Loot

[Meteor Shard] is a rare dagger that can blast its target with fire on hit, popular with rogues and casters alike. [Robes of Arugal] is a cloth robe with Spirit, Intellect, Stamina and Agility, and [Belt of Arugal] a cloth belt with Intellect.

Quests

• Arugal Must Die (Horde): Dalar Dawnweaver at the Sepulcher in Silverpine wants Arugal dead and asks for his head as proof. The reward is the [Seal of Sylvanas], a rare ring with Stamina and Strength.

Arugal is also why one of the missing agents of Deathstalkers in Shadowfang never comes home. Players find Deathstalker Vincent dead inside the keep, and a scripted scene has Arugal speak over the body, promising the same fate to anyone who trespasses in his domain.

Trivia

• Warcraft Wiki credits Marc Graue as Arugal's voice.
• When Fenrus the Devourer dies, Arugal appears and yells "Who dares interfere with the Sons of Arugal?", then summons four voidwalkers.

Later history

Patch 2.3.0 lowered him from level 26 to 21. In Wrath of the Lich King he returns as a ghost in the Grizzly Hills, raised by the San'layn to spread the worgen curse for the Lich King. When Cataclysm rebuilt the keep in patch 4.0.3a, Lord Godfrey replaced him as the final boss. The original fight came back with World of Warcraft Classic.

Sources

• Arugal, Warcraft Wiki
• Archmage Arugal (tactics), Warcraft Wiki
• Arugal Must Die, Warcraft Wiki
• WoWDB loot and quest data for patch 1.12