General Drakkisath

General Drakkisath is the black dragonspawn who commands Nefarian's armies from the top of Blackrock Spire, and the final boss of Upper Blackrock Spire. In Classic he was one of the most important bosses in the game: he dropped the chest pieces of every class's first dungeon set, his blood was needed for both factions' attunements to Onyxia's lair, and the brand behind his throne was the way into Blackwing Lair.

Background

Drakkisath is the general of Nefarian's dragonspawn armies. From the Spire Throne, the innermost room of the Upper Spire, he oversees the black dragonflight's war to drive the Dark Iron Dwarves out of Blackrock Mountain. The later Adventure Guide calls him a cunning and ruthless strategist who has already won victories against the Dark Irons and whose forces are ready to push the dwarves out of the mountain for good, all in the name of his master's war with Ragnaros.

He took the post after Lord Valthalak, the drakonid general before him, was killed by mercenaries. Below him in the chain of command is Overlord Wyrmthalak, who runs the Lower Spire on his orders. His personal weapon is the Blackblade of Shahram, which he very rarely drops.

Abilities

• Cleave: hits his target and up to two others.
• Conflagration: sets a random player on fire, sending them running in panic while the flames burn anyone nearby. Drakkisath turns to the next player on his threat list while the victim is burning.
• Flamestrike: a pillar of fire on the ground that keeps burning.
• Pierce Armor: halves his target's armor for ten seconds.
• Rage: a short burst of extra damage and attack speed.

Two Chromatic Elite Guards fight beside him. Their Mortal Strike and Knockdown make them dangerous for any tank.

Strategy

The usual plan is to separate the general from his guards. A hunter, a rogue with Vanish or a mage with Ice Block pulls Drakkisath and leads him back across the bridge toward the Beast's room or Rend's stadium, then drops threat. While he is away, the group kills the two guards.

When Drakkisath returns, two tanks share him. Conflagration makes the main tank lose control for a few seconds, and the second tank, already second on his threat list, takes over. The tanks trade him back and forth for the rest of the fight. Both keep him turned away from the group, so the flames from Conflagration and his cleave don't reach the healers. Groups with enough tanks and healing sometimes fight all three at once, killing the guards first.

Players on the Blackwing Lair attunement need to reach the brand behind his throne, which takes several seconds of uninterrupted casting. Drakkisath doesn't have to be dead for this.

Loot

Drop chances are from our database (patch 1.12).

He drops one Dungeon Set 1 chest piece for each class at about 11% each, including the [Breastplate of Valor], [Lightforge Breastplate] and [Dreadmist Robe]. Draconian Deflector is a shield, Tooth of Gnarr a necklace, and Painweaver Band a ring. The [Recipe: Flask of the Titans] teaches alchemists the Flask of the Titans, a raid consumable that adds a large amount of health. The very rare [Blackblade of Shahram] is a two-handed sword.

Quests

• Blood of the Black Dragon Champion (Horde): Rexxar asks for the [Blood of the Black Dragon Champion]. The reward is the [Drakefire Amulet], the key to Onyxia's lair.
• Drakefire Amulet (Alliance): Haleh, high in the mountains of Winterspring, asks for the same blood and also rewards the Drakefire Amulet.
• General Drakkisath's Demise (Alliance): Marshal Maxwell at Morgan's Vigil sends players to kill him, after the letter Overlord Wyrmthalak carries.
• Blackhand's Command: the [Blackhand's Command] letter tells players to find the brand behind Drakkisath's throne and take the Mark of Drakkisath, which lets them use the Orb of Command into Blackwing Lair.
• Saving the Best for Last: in patch 1.10, the Dungeon Set 2 upgrade quests, such as the warrior's [[forever:quest:9006]], ask for the Dungeon Set 1 chest pieces he drops.

Sources

• General Drakkisath - Warcraft Wiki
• Spire Throne - Warcraft Wiki