Ironaya

Ironaya is a titan-forged giantess who guards a sealed vault in Uldaman. In Classic she sleeps behind a great stone door in the Map Chamber, and the only way to reach her is to build the Staff of Prehistoria and use it on the chamber's keystone. When the door opens she steps out with the yell "None may steal the secrets of the Makers," in a scene that recalls the opening of Raiders of the Lost Ark.

Background

Ironaya is one of the titans' watchers, giant guardians made to look after the works of the Pantheon. Later lore, from the book World of Warcraft: Chronicle, ties her closely to Archaedas. The two of them and the keeper Tyr fled the corrupted keeper Loken, carried the Discs of Norgannon south from Ulduar, and hid them in Uldaman. Afterward Ironaya and Archaedas withdrew into the vault's lowest chambers and went into a long hibernation.

The game's Adventure Guide adds that the Pantheon had put Ironaya in charge of building and maintaining Uldaman. Inside the Map Chamber she spent thousands of years studying Khaz'goroth's original plans for the complex, trying to restore it. Her sleep ends when adventurers break into her vault.

Reaching her

The [Staff of Prehistoria] is made from two pieces. [The Shaft of Tsol] drops from the trogg Revelosh, and the [Gni'kiv Medallion] is in a chest at the Lost Dwarves' camp (see Baelog, Eric "The Swift" and Olaf). Combining them makes the staff, and using it in the Map Chamber opens her door. The Alliance quest The Hidden Chamber sends players to explore the chamber behind it.

Abilities

• Arcing Smash: a sweeping blow that hits everyone in a cone in front of her.
• Knock Away: a heavy hit that throws her current target back, often far across the room.
• War Stomp: stuns and knocks back players close to her.

Strategy

Ironaya hits hard but has no adds. The tank should face her away from the rest of the group so Arcing Smash hits only the tank. Melee should stand behind her, out of the cone, but expect War Stomp. When Knock Away sends the tank flying, she can turn on someone else while the tank runs back in, so damage dealers should ease off for a moment while the tank regains her attention. Tanking her with a wall behind the tank keeps the knockback from carrying far.

Loot

From our database (patch 1.12):

The Ironshod Bludgeon is a staff with Stamina and Strength. Ironaya's Bracers are mail with a random enchantment, and the Stoneweaver Leggings are cloth with Spirit, Stamina and Intellect.

Later history

Patch 4.1.0 removed the need for the Staff of Prehistoria, and patch 7.1.0 gave her the updated model shown above. She is absent from the Map Chamber in Dragonflight's Uldaman: Legacy of Tyr.

Trivia

• Her name follows the same pattern as Auriaya, another titan creation in Ulduar: a metal plus "-aya".

Sources

• Ironaya, Warcraft Wiki
• Staff of Prehistoria, Warcraft Wiki
• WoWDB quest and loot data for patch 1.12