Scholomance (Classic)

The Scholomance (SKOH-loh-mance), a vile academy for prospective necromancers of the Scourge, is located in the ruins of the palatial House of Barov, on a rise overlooking the abandoned city of Caer Darrow. The enemy level range is 57-62.
==History==
The Scholomance was founded by the rogue wizard Kel'Thuzad nearly ten years ago. His Cult of the Damned renovated the ancient crypts beneath Caer Darrow (an old Arathorian fortress) and turned them into a school for necromancy. The Cult used this place to train its mortal agents and prepare to unleash the Plague of Undeath upon Lordaeron. It has been brewing with young talented wizards and adepts all this time. No one in Lordaeron knew. Originally, the Barov family owned the land and gave it to the Cult in exchange for the Lich King's blessing of immortality. Now the Barovs remain as undead monsters. One of Kel'Thuzad's mightiest agents, the Ravenian, also lives within the recesses of the school — ever ready to devour those students who show any sign of weakness. The lich Ras Frostwhisper rules over the site and guards it for the Scourge, but the mortal necromancer, Darkmaster Gandling, serves as headmaster of the school, succeeding Araj the SummonerAraj's Scarab (quest) who was headmaster after Kel'Thuzad.
:The Scholomance is housed within a series of crypts that lie beneath the ruined keep of Caer Darrow. Once owned by the noble Barov family, Caer Darrow fell into ruin following the Second War. As the wizard Kel'thuzad enlisted followers for his Cult of the Damned, he would often promise immortality in exchange for serving the Lich King. The Barov family fell to Kel'thuzad's charismatic influence and donated the keep and its crypts to the Scourge. The cultists then killed the Barovs and turned the ancient crypts into a school for necromancy known as the Scholomance. Though Kel'thuzad no longer resides in the crypts, devoted cultists and instructors still remain. The powerful lich, Ras Frostwhisper, rules over the site and guards it in the Scourge's name — while the mortal necromancer, Darkmaster Gandling, serves as the school's insidious headmaster.
==Geography==
===Maps===
WorldMap-Scholomance1-old.jpg|The Reliquary
WorldMap-Scholomance2-old.jpg|Chamber of Summoning 
WorldMap-Scholomance3-old.jpg|The Headmaster's Study
WorldMap-Scholomance4-old.jpg|Barov Family Vault
===Sub-regions===
*Barov Family Vault
*Chamber of Summoning
*The Coven
*The Great Ossuary
*Hall of Secrets
*Hall of the Damned
*Headmaster's Study
*The Laboratory
*The Reliquary
*The Shadow Vault
*The Viewing Room
*Vault of the Ravenian
==Quests==
*Aberrations of Bone
*Plagued Hatchlings...For Now
*Alexi's Gambit (quest)
*Barov Family Fortune
*Doctor Theolen Krastinov, the Butcher
*Kirtonos the Herald (quest)
*The Lich, Ras Frostwhisper
*School's Out Forever (quest)
==Denizens==
* Bone golems
* Crypt fiends
* Gargoyles (one, Kirtonos the Herald)
* Ghouls
*s
* High elves
*s
* Liches (one, Ras Frostwhisper)
* Plagued dragon whelps
* Rats (critters)
* Shades
* Skeletal mages
* Skeletal warriors
* Skeletons
* Sayaad (one, Blood Steward of Kirtonos)
* Wight (one, the Ravenian)
* Wraiths
* Zombies
===Mobs===
;The Students
* Scholomance Acolytes cast: Mind Flay, Dark Mending (healing spell), Shadowform, Cripple
* Scholomance Adepts cast: Frostbolt, Frost Shock, Cone of Cold
* Scholomance Dark Summoners cast: Summon Skeletal Lackey (Summoning spell, 1.5 sec cast), Drain Life, Curse of Blood (Increases physical damage taken)
* Scholomance Handlers cast: Cone of Cold, Blast Wave, Arcane Blast (Arcane damage plus knockback)
* Scholomance Necrolytes cast: Shadow Barrier (reduces shadow damage taken by 50), Shadowbolt
* Scholomance Necromancers cast: Call to the Grave, Shadowbolt Volley (AoE Shadowbolt spell), Explode Corpse (Blows up a nearby corpse, dealing shadow damage to all enemies within a 5 yard radius)
* Scholomance Neophytes cast: Shadowbolt, Dark Mending (healing spell), Shadow Word: Pain, Mind Flay, Fear
* Scholomance Occultists cast: Counterspell, turns into a Dark Shade
*Dark Shade: casts Shadowbolt Volley (AoE Shadowbolt), immune to physical damage
* Scholomance Students
;Plagued dragons
* Plagued Hatchlings cast: Diseased Spit (Nature damage and reduces stamina for 30 sec. Stacks)
;Mindless Undead
* Risen Aberrations cast: Fixate, immune to magic (except holy)
* Risen Constructs
* Risen Bonewarders cast: Drain Life, Bone Armor (absorbs a set amount of damage), Consuming Shadows (Channeled AoE spell that slows and damages enemies around the caster)
* Risen Guards: cast Shield Slam, Sunder Armor
* Risen Guardians
* Risen Protectors cast: Shadow Word: Pain, Shadow Shock (Instant cast Shadow damage spell), Silence (AoE silence)
* Risen Warriors cast Heroic Strike, Rend, Thunderclap, Knockdown (knocks the target down for 3 sec)
* Splintered Skeletons
* Reanimated Corpses cast: Dark Plague (38 Nature damage every 5 sec for 2 mins. Stacks)
* Unstable Corpses
* Diseased Ghouls cast: Wandering Plague (Physical damage taken increased by 5, Stamina reduced by 3), Disease Cloud (Deals Nature damage to all enemies near the caster)
;Undead
* Spectral Researchers cast: Mana Burn, Wail of Souls (AoE cone spell)
* Spectral Teachers cast: Banish, Mana Burn, Arcane Focus (Increases casting speec by 66%)
* Spectral Tutors cast: Mana Burn, Silence (AoE silence), Spectral Projection (Turns invulnerable, summons 5 Speltral Projections to attack, 6 sec duration)
* Necrofiends cast: Web Explosion (Immobolizes all targets for 5 sec)
===Bosses and mini-bosses===
*Blood Steward of Kirtonos
*Kirtonos the Herald (requires Blood of Innocents to summon)
*Lord Blackwood (during of the Scourge Invasion in patch 1.11)
*Jandice Barov
*Rattlegore
*Death Knight Darkreaver (requires Divination Scryer to summon)
*Marduk Blackpool
*Vectus
*Ras Frostwhisper
*Kormok (requires Brazier of Beckoning or Brazier of Invocation to summon)
*Doctor Theolen Krastinov
*Lorekeeper Polkelt
*Instructor Malicia
*Lady Illucia Barov
*Lord Alexei Barov
*The Ravenian
*Darkmaster Gandling
==Loot==
==Achievements==
*Scholomance (achievement)
*Scholomance Guild Run
==Regaining access and fast path==
The original Scholomance was removed with the revamp and was only available to players on Classic realms. Patch 10.1.5 added a secret: Memory of Scholomance, which unlocks the original dungeon.
Inside the dungeon, immediately jump off the platform (don't kill the Risen Guards!) down to what would be the Lilian Voss encounter in the modern instance.
The Viewing Room Door is locked, so exit west to the unnamed central room and enter the Great Ossuary room to the south. Immediately turn left and jump down the hole to face Rattlegore downstairs and loot the Viewing Room Key from it's corpse. If necessary, the Cracked Argent Dawn Commission is on the southwesternmost bone pile in Rattlegore's room. Run back upstairs, run through the unnamed central room, then Voss's room to the east. Use the Viewing Room Key to open the Viewing Room Door.
Inside the Viewing Room, take an immediate left heading east and open the gate to head downstairs to the north to the Headmaster's Study. Enter each of the three rooms on both levels and kill all six minibosses and all their trash mobs to summon Darkmaster Gandling. Note that Doctor Theolen Krastinov has a good chance of dropping the Blood of Innocents, which will be necessary for later. Once all six rooms are clear, take Gandling out for one half of the Leaders of Scholomance achievement (and loot the Darkmaster's Scourgestone from his corpse if wearing an Argent Dawn Commission!), then return to the Viewing Room.
Check for the Blood of Innocents, and if none of the bosses have dropped it, take the southern exit down to the Laboratory where Ras Frostwhisper awaits. Also defeat Vectus and Marduk Blackpool in the Viewing Room on the way back.
Return through the Viewing Room, Voss's room, and the unnamed central room, then exit that room to the northeast to enter the Chamber of Summoning to the north. Interact with the Brazier of the Herald to summon Kirtonos the Herald. Stay put in the brazier room until Kirtonos flies in, as the gate to the Chamber of Summoning will close just before Kirtonos becomes attackable. Defeat him for the other half of the Leaders of Scholomance achievement, then go east out of the Chamber of Summoning to the Reliquary, and take the steps up on the right side to return to the instance line, defeating the two initial Risen Guards on the way.
==Scholomance Faculty==
*Darkmaster Gandling — School Headmaster, Course: Advanced Studies
*Ras Frostwhisper — School Chairman, Alchemy
*Doctor Theolen Krastinov — Torturer, Anatomy, Demonology
*Lorekeeper Polkelt — Librarian, History
*Instructor Malicia — Occultism, Shadow Magic
*Vectus — Arcane Magic, Plagued dragons production
*Ravenian — Janitor, Corporal Punishment
*Jandice Barov — Zombification, Corpse Control, Plague Research, Course: Advanced Illusions
*Rattlegore — Course: Reanimation 101
==Difficulty==
At release, Scholomance was an extremely challenging dungeon. Though ostensibly tuned for 5-players, it was typically raided in 10-man parties, with a difficulty similar to Upper Blackrock Spire. Subsequent patches in the summer of 2006 changed Scholomance drastically. Mobs were weakened slightly, and a great many were removed. However, Scholomance could no longer be run with more than 5 party members. At the time, this "Scholo Nerf" was a common topic for party chat among long-time players. Loot in Scholomance has changed gradually over time. Originally, each boss dropped some relatively weak loot. The dungeon waned in popularity as players saw little point in running it after they had completed their quests and acquired their Dungeon Set 1 hat. Blizzard again patched the dungeon. At this point, Scholomance drops a moderate amount of fairly useful items, including a very small chance at the epic and . The rewards available from the Argent Dawn have also broadened through patches. Scholomance is a staple source of Argent Dawn reputation and Scourgestones. Players seeking Argent Dawn tradeskill recipes, resistance enchantments or Armaments of the Dawn often spend a great deal of time in Scholomance or Stratholme.
==Notes==
*According to Romanian legend, a real Scholomance exists by an unnamed lake in the mountains south of the city of Hermannstadt (called Sibiu in Romanian) in Transylvania. This school of black magic is said to be run by the Devil, and would accept only ten students at a time. The tenth would remain to serve the Devil as payment for his teachings. The Scholomance in WoW is placed in the middle of the lake, much like its legendary namesake. In Bram Stoker's Dracula, Count Dracula is said to have spent several years training under the Devil in the Scholomance. It is referenced in both Stoker's novel and an article titled "Transylvanian Superstitions" on page 136 of The Nineteenth Century by Emily Gerard.
*It is difficult for a warrior to completely solo this instance without having any special items that inflict non-physical damage. To make Darkmaster Gandling appear, the six rooms around him must be fully cleared. However, the Scholomance Occultists turn into Dark Shades, which are immune to physical damage. Unless a warrior has special items (like Stratholme Holy Water), or Engineering explosives, they will have to be very careful to 1-shot the Occultists otherwise they will not be able to kill these mobs and summon Darkmaster Gandling.
**If a Dark Shade does appear, there's a way to force it to reset. Go to the Ravenian's room (on the lower level), kill the Ravenian, and jump in the water behind one of the tombs. The shade will be unable to reach you, and will reset (turning back into an Occultist, at its starting location). You don't actually have to one-shot the occultist; if you kill it quickly enough, it won't turn into a shade.
*Mages looking to solo Scholomance should beware of Risen Aberrations since they are immune to all magic except holy. They can be avoided with careful movement, or the mage can cast Invisibility to get out of combat in case he/she accidentally aggros one. Otherwise, it is a good idea to bring along a wand that can do holy damage, such as . For the same reason, warlocks should have a pet other their imp out, preferably their voidwalker or felguard.
*Trivia, according to early blue posts: Scholomance was originally thought of as an outdoor non-instanced area, much smaller, where Uther's Tomb is now. The designers made it so visually stunning that it was turned into an instance, so that it could be moved and enlarged.
*In Lands of Conflict, Scholomance is said to be below Andorhal, while the narrator was not able to explore Caer Darrow.
*Non-Boss high elves in the instance still use the old model based off of Night elven models rather then the ones based on Blood elven models.
*Near Ras Frostwhisper is one of two Alchemy Labs known to exist in Azeroth, the other is in Blackwing Lair. However, for The Burning Crusade players, there are Alchemy Labs in Shattrath City and Sun's Reach.
*Scholomance was probably the single most efficient pre-TBC instance for farming, with trash runs up to the Great Ossuary taking about 45 minutes for a fast player, and potentially yielding 100-200 gold, depending on which blue items drop. The instance had a very rich loot table for the level range, and individual mobs tended to drop good amounts of both coins and Runecloth as well, which would sell well on the Auction House. In addition, necromancers and dark summoners (as well as a few of the bosses) dropped the prized Dark Runes, which were useful for raiders and could command prices of 15-20 gold each on the Auction House. It was not uncommon for 3-4 to drop during a single run, adding potentially another 80 gold to the instance's yield.
==Patch changes==
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==References==
==External links==
 
Category:Instances
Category:Classic instances
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