Hearthstone - Heroes of Warcraft news » Malto's Guided Tours: The Lower Citadel

Welcome, welcome!

I’m so excited you’ve decided to join me! My name is Malto, and these tours are one of my favorite things about Hearthstone and they are always better with friends.

Now, brace yourself. Though this adventure is one for heroes of all shapes and sizes, it is not for the faint of heart. Our journey shall take us to the fortress of the Lich King himself. Today, we enter the icy halls of . . . Icecrown Citadel!

Lately, there have been a lot of heroes passing through Harth’s Tavern with stories of excitement and thrills. While some sing tales of conquest, others have yet to celebrate the Lich King’s defeat—including myself! That is why I have decided to lead my fellow adventurers on a tour where we will attempt to defeat the Lich King, together!

Now, to remain safe, it is important that everyone know what dangers lurk ahead. Icecrown Citadel consists of four levels: The Prologue, the Lower Citadel, the Upper Reaches and finally, The Frozen Throne.

Today we will be tackling The Prologue and The Lower Citadel.

The Prologue

The Prologue is our first contact with the Lich King, and a sneak peek into what we are up against.

After surviving this encounter with the Lich King, we journey into The Lower Citadel, joined by a new Legendary hero: one of the Lich King’s very own Death Knights!

The Lower Citadel

The Lower Citadel is home to our first three encounters: Lord Marrowgar, Deathbringer Saurfang, and Lady Deathwhisper.

Lord Marrowgar

Though his vocabulary may be limited, his ability to slice down intruders is not. Lord Marrowgar has a zero-cost hero power that allows him to fully restore his health every turn. Yes, you read that correctly. Full health! Every turn! FOR FREE! So how do we get through this “bone-head”? We call in some minions with real heavy hitting potential, that’s how!

We will be utilizing the skills of Anduin for this fight. Here are some key points you will want to keep in mind when using this deck:

Trade often!
Your minions get bigger and you can heal. Don’t be afraid to keep the board clear.

Bound by bone!
Beware the Bone Spikes! These minions deal 15 damage directly to you at the start of Marrowgar’s turn, so they will need to be dealt with quickly. Saving an effect to remove this ability is always a solid plan. They also have an attack of 0. I’m sure we could think of some really “kooky” interactions with that.

It’s all in the name
They call him a “berserker” for a reason. Help that troll realize his potential.

Now with Marrowgar out of the way, let’s move on to:

Deathbringer Saurfang

Saurfang brings a very unique power to this encounter. His passive hero power makes him immune to all sources of damage—except weapons. So, to make sure we have the tools to bring down this orcish brute, we will be calling on an orcish brute ourselves: Garrosh Hellscream!

While Garrosh has everything we need to silence Saurfang, here are some important points to keep in mind:

Knight Time!
Skeletal Knight works in your favor. Killing these minions could really boost your hand.

Utilize your minions
While your minions cannot deal damage to Saurfang, they can deal damage to his minions. This is especially crucial for those pesky Blood Beasts.

Reap the rewards.
Two Arcanite Reapers. Five damage per attack. Two durability on each. Opponent with 20 health. This math is as deadly as poison on an assassin’s blade.

Almost there! The defeat of Deathbringer Saurfang means there is only one boss left in the Lower Citadel. Now we face:

Lady Deathwhisper

Oh dear. If you are a little frightened by Lady Deathwhisper, you are not alone. With a hero power that reduces all our minions to one health each turn, it may be a bit troublesome to keep anything around long enough to get through all that armor. Luckily, we have some help!

Valithria Dreamwalker will be joining our group to help take this boss down. With 30 attack and 5 health, Valithria packs all the power we will need. However, she cannot attack—or be attacked—when damaged, so we’ll be looking to Anduin again to help make this dragon feel better.

Dreamwalker’s Revenge
Valithria has a score to settle. Use your other minions to clear the way and allow her to unleash her full fury.

Can’t hurt your minions if they are already at 1
This encounter lets us utilize minions we may find too weak for other situations. They say 5 attack is all the rage.

Perfect Target
I heard Deathlords don’t like pain.

I hope all this excitement wasn’t too much for you, as we still have some ways to go. Join us next time as we journey into the Upper Reaches of the Frozen Throne to take on the next 3 bosses of the Lich King’s army. Rest up—you’re gonna need it!

To learn how to import the Deck Codes above, be sure to read this guide!