Dark Iron Ambassador

The Dark Iron Ambassador is a rare elite in Gnomeregan, a Dark Iron dwarf mage who does not appear on every visit. His presence in the gnomes' ruined city hints at a deal between the traitor Mekgineer Thermaplugg and the Dark Iron clan, a deal the game never fully explains.

Background

The Dark Iron dwarves are the old enemies of Ironforge, ruled from Blackrock Mountain by Emperor Dagran Thaurissan. They have no obvious reason to be in Gnomeregan, yet Dark Iron Agents fill parts of the city, and among them is this ambassador.

Warcraft Wiki considers him very likely the envoy between Mekgineer Thermaplugg and the Dark Irons, though the game never says what he is there to negotiate. Quests from the time hint at the link: goblins of the Horde suspect the Dark Irons helped build Thermaplugg's new "super rig," and Kernobee, a prisoner rescued in A Fine Mess, says Dark Iron dwarves captured him. The tabletop Monster Guide, which is not part of the official story, claimed Thermaplugg offered the Dark Irons the use of Gnomeregan's tunnels in exchange for a piece of Ironforge for himself.

Abilities

• Fireball: Fire damage on one player.
• Fire Shield: wraps himself in flame that burns players near him every few seconds.
• Summon Burning Servant: calls a Burning Servant, a fire elemental, to fight beside him.

Strategy

He is a caster, so interrupts do much of the work. Kick, Pummel, Shield Bash, Earth Shock and Counterspell all stop his Fireballs.

• Kill or crowd-control the Burning Servant quickly, or have an off-tank hold it.
• Melee players will take Fire Shield damage while standing next to him; a healer should expect it.
• Since he is a rare spawn, the group should clear the Dark Iron Agents around him first and fight him on its own terms.

Loot

All three of his blue items have an equal chance. The [Royal Diplomatic Scepter] is a one-handed mace with Spirit and Stamina, the [Glass Shooter] a gun, and the [Emissary Cuffs] leather bracers with Arcane resistance and a random enchantment. The [Grime-Encrusted Object] can be cleaned in the Sparklematic 5200 machine.

Quests

No quest asks for the ambassador. His Grime-Encrusted Objects are used in The Sparklematic 5200! and More Sparklematic Action, the Sparklematic quests.

Later history

Patch 2.3.0 lowered him from level 33 to 28. He remained in the dungeon after Cataclysm. The original version returned with World of Warcraft Classic.

Sources

• Dark Iron Ambassador, Warcraft Wiki
• Sicco Thermaplugg, Warcraft Wiki
• WoWDB loot data for patch 1.12