This is the run-through map that most of us use when we're hitting Stratholme on a farming run.
So there it is. My map. On my second run through Stratholme, I ended up getting the Key to the City (a drop from Magistrate Barthilas). If you need the key, you'll need to go through the main entrance of the instance and take a right when you get to the end of the first corridor. He can be found near the Service Gate Entrance.
If you enter through the Service Gate, Barthilas will start ranting about warning Baron Rivendare that you're intruding. If you want to kill him for fun after you've entered the service gate, you'll be able to find him to the right of the entrance to Slaughter square.
Now, this map is just how I run when I was farming the mount for my druid (and am now farming for my death knight). There are a million different ways to do it, but this is what worked out best for me. I, personally, find Nerub'Enkan to be the most annoying boss of them all, so I've always preferred to get him out of the way right off the bat.
I enter through the service gate and hang to the left. Even if you CAN stealth, it might be better just to skip it. All of the ghouls and most of the other mobs in there can detect stealth anyway and honestly...you're MORE apt to aggro them if you're trying to stealth near them than if you just prance by. At level 80, you shouldn't have much trouble at all weaving your way through the mobs without drawing attention to yourself. The gargoyles flying around can be fairly annoying, but be patient and you'll get by them without a problem.
Nerub'Enkan: At level 80, none of these bosses really pose a threat. I know caster friends that go in here to farm without even getting a scratch. The reason I kill this guy first is because I hate being snared. Inevitably, he webs you to the ground when he gets to low health and gets out of melee range. It's annoying...and that's why I kill him first. (This is the yellow path on the map). Make sure to kill the Acolytes inside of his building.
Looking at the map, you can see that there's a gate that will lead you to the next nearest Ziggurat - Maleki the Pallid. Well, two reasons I don't like to go that way. For one thing, there's a gate that drops and traps you in for a few seconds while you get bombarded with rats or cockroaches. Not a huge issue. They do no damage and can be easily AoE'd down, but being trapped in the gate slows you down. I'm not a fan of idle time when I'm farming anything. Also, beyond the gate are a bunch of caster type mobs that seem to aggro fairly easily and are rather close together. I prefer to backtrack a little here, taking the teal colored path back to Baroness Anastari (Ziggurat #2). There's nothing special about her. Kill her then kill the little Thuzadin Acolytes inside of her building and get ready to head down the fuchsia colored path to Maleki the Pallid.
There are some ghouls near the gate leading to Maleki that are kind of close together and have one of those Crypt Guards pathing back and forth nearby. You can easily avoid them, just move carefully and be mindful of the gargoyles flying through. Beyond the gate, there are some ghouls on both sides of the path, but if you center yourself you can easily wander between them without issue.
When you arrive at Maleki the Pallid, there are four mobs on the stairs before him. You can either take them out or skip them completely. I usually walk up the side of the stairs to skip them. Smack Maleki around, take out his acolytes and get ready for some Abomination fun!
(If you've entered through the service gate, you'll see Magistrate Barthilas to your right, just before you enter Slaughter Square.)
Because I always farm this in feral tank spec, I pop into bear form and grab all of the aboms in the room. I pull them right to the stairs of the Slaughterhouse and kill them there...
Here's why:
Ramstein the Gorger's appearance is triggered by the last of the aboms (or their sludge creatures) getting killed. The mechanic of the instance would normally have you fight Ramstein outside of a locked Slaughterhouse, then you would have to face a bunch of little "mindless" mobs and have to wait for the Black Guard Sentries to spawn and come out to meet you.
I pull Rammy old boy inside of the Slaughterhouse BEFORE the doors close. When he dies, the Black Guard Sentries spawn instantly and you can take them out right away, rather than having to wait for them. As soon as the last sentry goes down...It's just you...and Baron Rivendare.
Head down the little ramp to his room and pwn his face! Hopefully you can embarrass him enough that he'll just hand over the reins to his precious little pony without having to come back a bunch of times.
If you're a heavy DPS class and a careful runner, you can probably complete this within a matter of a few minutes. You can either hearth out or run back to the service gate. Be forewarned that all of those "mindless", one-shottable mobs you skipped by pulling Ramstein into the slaughterhouse will be there waiting for you. Kill them in Slaughter Square to avoid socially aggroing the entire instance and you're good to go! Also, for serious farmers...remember you can only do five instances in an hour. If you get pretty efficient at this, it's easy to get yourself locked out for awhile. Not a huge deal. It gives the Baron a little time to consider just giving you his horse so you'll leave him alone, right?
Good luck and happy farming!
If you enter through the Service Gate, Barthilas will start ranting about warning Baron Rivendare that you're intruding. If you want to kill him for fun after you've entered the service gate, you'll be able to find him to the right of the entrance to Slaughter square.
Now, this map is just how I run when I was farming the mount for my druid (and am now farming for my death knight). There are a million different ways to do it, but this is what worked out best for me. I, personally, find Nerub'Enkan to be the most annoying boss of them all, so I've always preferred to get him out of the way right off the bat.
I enter through the service gate and hang to the left. Even if you CAN stealth, it might be better just to skip it. All of the ghouls and most of the other mobs in there can detect stealth anyway and honestly...you're MORE apt to aggro them if you're trying to stealth near them than if you just prance by. At level 80, you shouldn't have much trouble at all weaving your way through the mobs without drawing attention to yourself. The gargoyles flying around can be fairly annoying, but be patient and you'll get by them without a problem.
Nerub'Enkan: At level 80, none of these bosses really pose a threat. I know caster friends that go in here to farm without even getting a scratch. The reason I kill this guy first is because I hate being snared. Inevitably, he webs you to the ground when he gets to low health and gets out of melee range. It's annoying...and that's why I kill him first. (This is the yellow path on the map). Make sure to kill the Acolytes inside of his building.
Looking at the map, you can see that there's a gate that will lead you to the next nearest Ziggurat - Maleki the Pallid. Well, two reasons I don't like to go that way. For one thing, there's a gate that drops and traps you in for a few seconds while you get bombarded with rats or cockroaches. Not a huge issue. They do no damage and can be easily AoE'd down, but being trapped in the gate slows you down. I'm not a fan of idle time when I'm farming anything. Also, beyond the gate are a bunch of caster type mobs that seem to aggro fairly easily and are rather close together. I prefer to backtrack a little here, taking the teal colored path back to Baroness Anastari (Ziggurat #2). There's nothing special about her. Kill her then kill the little Thuzadin Acolytes inside of her building and get ready to head down the fuchsia colored path to Maleki the Pallid.
There are some ghouls near the gate leading to Maleki that are kind of close together and have one of those Crypt Guards pathing back and forth nearby. You can easily avoid them, just move carefully and be mindful of the gargoyles flying through. Beyond the gate, there are some ghouls on both sides of the path, but if you center yourself you can easily wander between them without issue.
When you arrive at Maleki the Pallid, there are four mobs on the stairs before him. You can either take them out or skip them completely. I usually walk up the side of the stairs to skip them. Smack Maleki around, take out his acolytes and get ready for some Abomination fun!
(If you've entered through the service gate, you'll see Magistrate Barthilas to your right, just before you enter Slaughter Square.)
Because I always farm this in feral tank spec, I pop into bear form and grab all of the aboms in the room. I pull them right to the stairs of the Slaughterhouse and kill them there...
Here's why:
Ramstein the Gorger's appearance is triggered by the last of the aboms (or their sludge creatures) getting killed. The mechanic of the instance would normally have you fight Ramstein outside of a locked Slaughterhouse, then you would have to face a bunch of little "mindless" mobs and have to wait for the Black Guard Sentries to spawn and come out to meet you.
I pull Rammy old boy inside of the Slaughterhouse BEFORE the doors close. When he dies, the Black Guard Sentries spawn instantly and you can take them out right away, rather than having to wait for them. As soon as the last sentry goes down...It's just you...and Baron Rivendare.
Head down the little ramp to his room and pwn his face! Hopefully you can embarrass him enough that he'll just hand over the reins to his precious little pony without having to come back a bunch of times.
If you're a heavy DPS class and a careful runner, you can probably complete this within a matter of a few minutes. You can either hearth out or run back to the service gate. Be forewarned that all of those "mindless", one-shottable mobs you skipped by pulling Ramstein into the slaughterhouse will be there waiting for you. Kill them in Slaughter Square to avoid socially aggroing the entire instance and you're good to go! Also, for serious farmers...remember you can only do five instances in an hour. If you get pretty efficient at this, it's easy to get yourself locked out for awhile. Not a huge deal. It gives the Baron a little time to consider just giving you his horse so you'll leave him alone, right?
Good luck and happy farming!
