Stonespine

Stonespine is a rare gargoyle that sometimes takes the place of one of the Rockwing gargoyles patrolling the Gauntlet, the street that runs from the Service Entrance of Stratholme toward the Slaughterhouse. He is larger and greyer than the others, and his stacking bleed makes him more dangerous than the gargoyles he replaces.

Background

Stonespine has no story in the game. He is one of the gargoyles of The Scourge, the winged undead that the Lich King's forces use as scouts and shock troops, and he shares the patrol routes of the Rockwing Gargoyles and Rockwing Screechers over the undead half of the city.

What makes him notable is his rarity. He spawns only occasionally, in place of one of the regular gargoyles, so many groups ran the Undead side for months without seeing him. Players learned to spot him by his size and his stony grey color. Because the gargoyles patrol the Gauntlet, between the Service Entrance and the three ziggurats, a group on the timed Baron run usually crosses his route early.

Abilities

• Vicious Rend: a bleed that deals physical damage every three seconds. It stacks, and each new application makes it hurt more.

Strategy

Stonespine's fight is short, but his patrol is the hazard. All the gargoyles on the Undead side follow the same route over the Gauntlet, so Stonespine can fly into a group that is already fighting something else. Groups clearing the Gauntlet should watch the sky and pull him on purpose rather than let him join another fight.

Once engaged, he is simple. The tank holds him while the group burns him down; at about 15,000 health in our data he dies quickly. Healers should keep an eye on the tank, since Vicious Rend climbs the longer the fight lasts.

Loot

Drop chances are from our database (patch 1.12). He drops one of three items, each a third of the time.

All three echo the gargoyle. [Gargoyle Shredder Talons] is a fast fist weapon whose hits can make the target bleed, much like Stonespine's own Vicious Rend. [Stoneskin Gargoyle Cape] is a cloak with stamina, and [Verdant Footpads] are leather boots with bonuses to healing and nature damage, which made them a find for druids and shamans. He also drops a [Corruptor's Scourgestone] for the Argent Dawn.

Quests

Stonespine is not a quest target. His Corruptor's Scourgestone counts toward the Argent Dawn's repeatable quests, such as Corruptor's Scourgestones for Duke Nicholas Zverenhoff at Light's Hope Chapel.

Later history

Patch 4.0.3a lowered him to level 51 when Stratholme was split into separate Main Gate and Service Entrance dungeons. He kept his rare spawn on the Undead side.

Sources

• Stonespine - Warcraft Wiki
• Rockwing Gargoyle - Warcraft Wiki