Darkmaster Gandling

Darkmaster Gandling is the headmaster of Scholomance and its final boss. A human necromancer appointed by Kel'Thuzad himself, he waits in the Headmaster's Study at the heart of the lower school and appears only after the six instructors in the rooms around it are dead. His fight is remembered for one spell: Shadow Portal, which drops a player alone into one of those rooms.

Background

Gandling runs the school of necromancy beneath Caer Darrow. Together with his teacher, the lich Ras Frostwhisper, he oversaw the crimes committed there against people like the Sarkhoffs, the servants tortured by Doctor Theolen Krastinov.

The six rooms around his study belong to his staff: Lord Alexei Barov, Lady Illucia Barov, Instructor Malicia, Doctor Theolen Krastinov, Lorekeeper Polkelt and The Ravenian. When all six fall, and the Coven's students are dead too, Gandling appears in the middle of the study.

Abilities

• Shadow Portal: teleports a random player into one of the six side rooms and locks the door. Undead guardians rise around them, and the player must fight their way out alone.
• Arcane Missiles: arcane damage on one player.
• Curse of the Darkmaster: lowers a player's strength and stamina for a minute.
• Shadow Shield: absorbs damage and hurts melee attackers.

Strategy

Gandling himself hits softly. The danger is Shadow Portal. Whoever is ported has to kill the three or four risen guards in the room, which are level 60 but have little health, then walk out once the door opens. The rest of the group carries on. If the tank or healer is taken, the rest of the group has to hold on until they get back. A teleported player should not rush out of the room and pull anything left in it.

Because the portal can send someone into any of the six rooms, groups clear all of them before the fight, not just the instructors. The guardians do not vanish when Gandling dies, so a player stuck in a room has to finish the job.

Loot

Drop chances are from our database (patch 1.12).

Gandling drops the helm of every class's Dungeon Set 1 (see Tier Sets), from [Magister's Crown] to [Lightforge Helm]. The epic [Headmaster's Charge] was one of the most wanted caster staves outside raids, and the [Pattern: Robe of the Void] teaches tailors an epic robe. During Winter's Veil he wears a festive outfit.

Quests

Gandling is not a Classic quest target, but he drops a [Corruptor's Scourgestone] for the Argent Dawn turn-ins, and his helms are the starting pieces for the Dungeon Set 2 upgrades of patch 1.10.

Later history

Gandling outlived most of the Classic staff. After the Cataclysm he leads the Scourge remnants of Western Plaguelands and appears in Andorhal, where Koltira Deathweaver and Thassarian drive him back to the school. Mists of Pandaria rebuilt Scholomance around him: he fights Lilian Voss, rebuilds Rattlegore, and in his study sends players to his test subjects with Harsh Lesson. His Classic fight returned with the Legacy of Scholomance in patch 10.1.5.

Sources

• Darkmaster Gandling (Classic) - Warcraft Wiki
• Darkmaster Gandling - Warcraft Wiki