WoW : Phase 4 of the Elemental Invasion

Cities are now under attack and new bosses with amazing loot.

The fourth and supposedly final phase of World of Warcraft’s elemental invasion event has begun. The major cities are now being assaulted by legions of elementals while more trouble brews in the various dungeons littering Azeroth. It’s up to brave adventurers in each city to mount a defense and then lead a counter attack to stop these invasions.
This phase of the event is designed for those at or near level 80, meaning lower level players will have to wait this phase out. Additionally, the length that this event will run is currently unknown, so it’s best to get out there and begin the event. The event resets every two hours (although some say three), so get out there and start defending!

 

Phase One – Escape and Defense

 

The first phase of the event lasts for five minutes and begins with various NPCs yelling that the invasion is about to begin. If you are not level 80 then it’s a great idea to take one of the portals out of town since the NPCs about to spawn are all level 80s. During the five minutes you can pick up an “Unbinding Totem” from one of the Earthen Ring Defenders (to free citizens later) and use the Sandbags/Barricades at the markers around the city to help prepare the defenses.

 

Phase Two – Hold the City

After five minutes the invasion will begin and last for exactly one hour. During this time you will need to close all of the rifts and free all of the citizens. You can use the unbinding totem to free the citizens while the rifts are closed in the traditional matter. Closing the rifts for this phase of the event still counts for the “Tripping the Rifts” achievement. Thirty two elementals will spawn out of each rift, you’ll need to kill all of them to close the portal up.
If you free all of the citizens within an hour and close the rifts then the third phase begins which is the counter attack. If you fail then you’ll need to wait for the event to restart and try again.

 

Phase Three – Attack

After a successful defense you’ll be able to visit two of the four new event bosses (if you defend both cities for your faction you’ll be able to visit all four). Use the Dungeon Finder to fight these new bosses which are extremely simple, although they have quite a bit more health than the average heroic boss.
You’ll have twenty minutes to do as many of the bosses as you can before the rifts close and you’ll need to wait on the restart of the event. Each boss will have a faction leader waiting for you whenever you zone in to assist in the event and they will offer a quest to give you a bit of extra cash in your pocket. Each boss also drops ilvl 251 gear, which is great for those who aren’t raiders or missing a few pieces of gear.

Kai’ju Gahz’rilla

Quest: Water They Up To?
Gahz’rilla is available once a water elemental invasion has been stopped. The updated version of Gahz’rilla has four skills: Freeze Solid (iceblocks a party member), Icicle (ice breath), Glacier (restores himself to full health), and Slam (throws someone in the air, you can avoid this by standing in the water).

Crown Princess Theradras

Quest: Earth Girls Aren’t So Easy
Princess is available once an earth elemental invasion has been stopped. She has five new abilities: Dust Field (not exactly new, but rather powerful, AoE damage from behind her), Boulder (interrupt), Repulsive Gaze (fears everyone looking at her), Thrash (gains two extra attacks), and an unnamed throw.

Prince Sarsarun

Quest: This Blows
Sarsarun is available once an air elemental invasion has been stopped. He is capable of summoning tornadoes that throw you in the air if they touch you and uses an ability to stun the entire party and dealing rather decent damage. Keep the party HoT’d to counter this.

Grand Ambassador Flamelash

Quest: Fired Up and Not So Good To Go
Flamelash is available once a fire elemental invasion has been stopped. He is buffed by “Burning Spirit” whenever one of the fire adds reaches him, you can stop this by killing them while they are in route to him. Otherwise he is rather simple.

These bosses all have a joint loot table


Tanks


Twilight Offering Bands
Barrier of the Earth Princess
Salamander Skin


Healers

Girdle of Oblation
Earth Bride's Gown
Pendant of Burning Spirits
Flamewalker's Treads

Physical DPS

Sacrificial Mail
Old God's Blessing
Amulet of the Centauri
Sulfuron's Favor
Flamelash Amulet
Cloak of Mocking Winds
Pulmonary Casing

Ranged DPS

Ring of the Three-Headed Beast

Zaetar's Deathshroud

Sandfury Sandals

Amulet of Evil Winds

WoW 4.0.1 Paladin Talent Builds

Holy

Protection

Retribution

WoW - 4.0.1 Hunter Talent Builds

Beast Mastery

 Marksmanship

 

Survival

WoW - Tripping the Rifts - Elemental Rifts by Zone

Before you set off in search of rifts, remember:
- It's never fun to sit around and camp something for 45 minutes. If you are only after the achievement, try low level zones. It's much faster than trying to find anything in Northrend.
- If you want your daily quest, fly around. Take one last look at Northrend before we say goodbye. Chances are, if you keep moving, you will find a rift faster and possibly discover a brand new location for me to document here.

Fire
1. Westfall (Sentinel Hill; North Moonbrook; Alexston Farmstead; Between Saldean's Farm and Elwynn Forest border; The Molsen Farm; Long Shore west of Gold Coast Quarry)
2. The Barrens (Between Razorfen Downs and Razorfen Kraul; Ratchet; Camp Taurajo; North of Bael Modan; Stagnant Oasis; The Crossroads; North of Sludge Fen; South of Mor'shan Rampart; Agama'gor)
4. Ashenvale (Greenpaw Village)
5. Dustwallow Marsh (Inside Theramore near Armory; North of Witch Hill; Shady Rest Inn; South of Direhorn Post in Quagmire)
6. The Hinterlands (Bogen's Ledge, the troll and spider's cave; ESE of Quel'Danil Lodge, on the text 'danil' of map; Opposite side of road from the pool outside Jintha'Alor)
7. Blasted Lands (Dreadmaul Hold; Nethergarde Keep entrance)
8. Searing Gorge (Firewatch Ridge; Grimesilt Dig Site; Dustfire Valley; The Cauldron at the actual text of The Cauldron on map)
9. Winterspring (Everlook; Timbermaw Post; North of Starfall Village; Below Frostsaber Rock; Lake Kel'theril; Frostfire Hotspring)
10. Hellfire Peninsula (Dark Portal; Honor Hold; Falcon Watch; Sha'naari Wastes)
11. Zul'Drak (South of Zeramas; East of the Reliquary of Pain; In the middle of Heb'Drakkar; Thrym's End; SE of Altar of Har'koa)

Water
1. Silverpine Forest (East of Shadowfang Keep; South of the fork in the road east of Sepulcher; West of Dead Field towards the shore; Shining Strand)
2. Bloodmyst Isle (Wyrmscar Island; Amberweb Pass)
3. Ghostlands (Lake between Thalassian Pass and Deatholme; Fork in road near Windrunner Village)
4. Wetlands (On the shore near the Bluegill Murlocs and the two ruined ships; Between the Greenwarden and Dark Iron Dwarf Camps; Menethil Harbor inside near front entrance; Raptors east of Menethil across the bay; Ironbeard's Tomb)
5. Thousand Needles (Darkcloud Pinnacle; Weazel's Crater; West of Tahonda Ruins)
6. Stranglethorn Vale (Kurzen's Compound; Wild Shore; West of Nesingwary camp; Grom'gol Base Camp; Between the entrance of Booty Bay and the Wild Shore)
7. Swamp of Sorrows (Stonard; North of Splintertree Junction; South of the Harborage)
8. Tanaris (Lost Rigger Cove; Dunemaul Compound; Gadgetzan; Waterspring Field; East of Sandsorrow Watch; Northern part of The Noxious Lair)
9. Un'goro Crater (Entrance from Tanaris; Lakkari Tar Pits)
10. Zangarmarsh (On road leading to Terrokkar; Orebor Harborage; Ango'rosh Grounds; Swamp Rat; Center of Feralfen Village)
11. Shadowmoon Valley (Legion Hold; Shadowmoon Village; Zabra'jin; Start of Eclipse Point gauntlet; North of Warden's Cage)
12. Dragonblight (Agmar's Hammer; Wintergarde Keep; Scarlet Point; SE Ruby Dragonshrine; New Hearthglen)
13. Icecrown (Sindragosa's Fall; Deathspeaker's Watch west of Argent Tournament)
14. Hrothgar's Landing (North part)


Wind
1. Darkshore (Aubderine; South of Auberdine on the shore; Grove of the Ancients)
2. Hillsbrad Foothills (Southshore; Tarren Mill; East of Southpoint Tower)
3. Duskwood (Raven Hill Cemetery entrance; Darkshire; Pumpkin patch directly south of Darkshire; The Rotting Orchard; The Yorgen Farmstead; Addle's Stead)
4. Arathi Highlands (South of Circle of West Binding; Hammerfall; Dabyrie's Farmstead; Boulder'gor)
5. Feralas (Ruins of Solarsal; Front of Dire Maul; West of Feathermoon Stronghold; Forgotten Coast near the dock; Ruins of Ravenwind near Flame of Samha)
6. Felwood (Shatter Scar Vale, southern craters; Felpaw Village)
7. Eastern Plaguelands (Northpass Tower; South of Corin's Crossing; Undercroft; Darrowshire; Near Caretaker Alen south of Light's Hope)
8. Terokkar Forest (Cenarion Thicket; Veil Shienor; Bone Wastes; Tuurem; Firewing Point; Allerian Stronghold; Stonebreaker Hold)
9. Netherstorm (Area 52; Arklon Ruins; South of Manaforge Ultris near bridge)
10. Borean Tundra (Magmoth; Near Taunka'le Village; Beryl Point)
11. Sholazar Basin (Mosswalker Village; Kartak's Hold; Death's Hand Encampment; Sapphire Hive; NW of Nesingwary camp, opposite side of road)
12. Crystalsong Forest (Ruins of Shandaral)


Earth
1. Loch Modan (Mo'grosh Stronghold; Thelsamar; Stonesplinter Valley; Stonesplinter Island south of Stonewrought Dam)
2. Redridge Mountains (In Lakeshire)
3. Desolace (Nigel's Point; Outside Shadowprey Village; Magram Village west of island)
4. Stonetalon Mountains (Entrance to Webwinder Path)
5. Badlands (Kargath; The Dustbowl; SSE of Dustbowl in Mirage Flats)
6. Alterac Mountains (The Uplands; Just southeast of the Growless Cave, Flame of Uzel for Horde players)
7. Western Plaguelands (Felstone Field; The Weeping Cave, north of the new flightmaster)
8. Burning Steppes (West of Dreadmaul Rock)
9. Silithus (Cenarion Hold towards Swarming Pillar; Hive'Regal west side centered)
10. Azshara (South side of Forlorn Ridge)
11. Nagrand (Laughing Skull Ruins; Windyreed Village; Telaar; Northwest of Oshu'gun; Garadar; Burning Blade Ruins)
12. Blade's Edge Mountains (Grishnath; Sylvanaar; Veil Vesk)
13. Howling Fjord (Wyrmskull Village near the hut Alliance players witness the visions of the past; Westguard Keep)
14. Grizzly Hills (Drak'atal Passage; Rage Fang Shrine; Heart's Blood Shrine; Zeb'Halak)
15. Storm Peaks (First Gnoll camp west of K3; Inventory's Library; Valkyrion; Brunnhildar Village)


Zones (seemingly) unaffected:
Elwynn Forest
Tirisfal Glades
Dun Morogh
Teldrassil
Eversong Woods
Mulgore
Azuremyst Isle
Durotar
Moonglade
Deadwind Pass
Wintergrasp



Note: Observations made from PTR and Live:
- Closing any level rift will count towards Trippin' the Rifts.
- You can only receive the DAILY (Once per day) quest from a rift that is within your level range.
- Destroying an elemental drains the rift of one life point. Bring the rift to 0 life to kill it and spawn the elemental container.
- Rifts appear to bug out and despawn if they have been alive for too long. Haven't confirmed this with a blue, however.