The story of Halls of Reflection closes a three-part invasion: Jaina (Alliance) or Sylvanas (Horde) enters Icecrown Citadel through the Forge of Souls, frees slaves in Pit of Saron and reaches Frostmourne, where Uther's spirit reveals how the Lich King can be destroyed. Right after that, the Lich King shows up, and the group flees from him through a tunnel until a gunship rescues them.
The three dungeons form the Frozen Halls, the five-player wings of Icecrown Citadel. For mechanics, use the Frozen Halls guide.
Why do Jaina and Sylvanas enter the citadel?
Tirion Fordring, of the Argent Crusade, and Darion Mograine, of the Ebon Blade, join forces in the Ashen Verdict to attack the citadel. Infiltrated agents find a breach.
It all starts in Dalaran, with the quest Inside the Frozen Citadel. For the Alliance, Apprentice Nelphi says that Jaina found a hole in the defenses that leads to the Forge of Souls. For the Horde, the one who calls you is Dark Ranger Vorel, on Sylvanas's orders.
Each leader has a reason:
- Jaina Proudmoore wants to find a spark of Arthas's soul inside the Lich King. A weakness, or maybe a chance at redemption.
- Sylvanas Windrunner wants revenge. Arthas is the one who turned her into undead, as we told in the fall of Lordaeron and the birth of the Forsaken.
Jaina has few troops and relies on the champions of the coliseum, the heroes tested in Tirion's tournament. That bridge is in Argent Tournament and Trial of the Crusader: lore.
Who's who in the Frozen Halls
| Character | Side | Role | | --- | --- | --- | | Jaina Proudmoore | Alliance | Leads the attack and wants to save what is left of Arthas | | Sylvanas Windrunner | Horde | Leads the attack and seeks revenge | | Bronjahm | Scourge | Undead human warlock, overseer of the soul machines | | Devourer of Souls | Scourge | Chief operator of the Forge of Souls | | Forgemaster Garfrost | Scourge | Flesh giant, master of weapons | | Krick and Ick | Scourge | Gnome necromancer riding a giant zombie | | Tyrannus and Rimefang | Scourge | Lord of Pit of Saron and his frost wyrm | | Martin Victus / Gorkun Ironskull | Alliance / Horde | Leaders of the freed slaves | | Uther | — | A fragment of his spirit, trapped in Frostmourne | | Falric and Marwyn | Scourge | Arthas's former captains |
Forge of Souls: the soul factory
The Forge of Souls is a huge factory, full of machines that grind souls. The quest Echoes of Tortured Souls asks you to clear the forge and open the way to Pit of Saron.
The first boss is Bronjahm, the Godfather of Souls. He was human and has served the Cult of the Damned from the start. Kel'Thuzad taught him how to harvest souls and grind them to fuel the Scourge's machines. He has to die for the forge to stop.
The second is the Devourer of Souls. It hunts the spirits that try to escape and tears them apart inside its own body. As it dies, it warns that the heroes are only delaying the inevitable.
After the victory, the leader sets up a camp there and reveals the plan. Beyond Pit of Saron lie the Halls of Reflection, the only place where Arthas lets his guard down.
Fight strategy: Forge of Souls quick guide.
Pit of Saron: the massacre at the entrance
A portal takes the group to Pit of Saron, a quarry next to the citadel. Alliance and Horde prisoners are forced to mine saronite. Those who refuse are tortured or turned into undead.
At the entrance, Scourgelord Tyrannus appears riding Rimefang, his frost wyrm. He lifts the champions of the coliseum into the air, kills them and raises them as undead against the group.
Jaina screams "NO! YOU MONSTER!", freezes her own soldiers and asks them for forgiveness. Sylvanas just calls them weak. Later, Jaina admits she underestimated Tyrannus and that her men paid the price.
Garfrost, Krick and Ick: who runs the mines?
The quest The Path to the Citadel asks you to free 15 slaves and kill Forgemaster Garfrost. He is an undead flesh giant who carries saronite to the cold forges and commands the Scourge's weapons.
When Garfrost falls, Tyrannus warns that someone else will take his place. The freed slaves grab weapons from the forges. For the Alliance, the leader is Martin Victus. For the Horde, it is the orc Gorkun Ironskull.
Next comes Krick, a gnome necromancer who oversees the mine. He rides Ick, a huge zombie that serves as both mount and weapon. When Ick dies, Krick begs for his life and tells two things:
- To enter the master's lair, you must kill Tyrannus.
- Frostmourne is in the Halls of Reflection, and the sword holds the truth.
Sylvanas has her doubts, because the Lich King is never without the sword. Before anyone can decide, Tyrannus kills the gnome.
Tyrannus and the slave revolt
The quest Deliverance from the Pit asks for Tyrannus's death. The freed slaves fight alongside the group, while Rimefang attacks with ice from above. As he dies, Tyrannus tries one last warning: "Rimefang... warn...". The dragon flees.
Then comes the most remembered scene. Martin Victus (or Gorkun) thanks you for their freedom and says that no enemy, not even the Lich King, can stand when the Alliance and the Horde set their differences aside. The sentence never ends. Sindragosa rises from the pit and drops an ice bomb that kills the slaves.
The leader teleports the group to the tunnel. Jaina, devastated, curses Arthas. When you turn in the quest, she sums it up: "Such a senseless waste! Arthas goes too far!"
The practical side: Pit of Saron: mechanics and how not to wipe.
Halls of Reflection: what does Uther reveal about Frostmourne?
The Halls of Reflection are the Lich King's chambers, a dark copy of the throne room of Lordaeron. In the center, Frostmourne floats above an altar.
In the quest Frostmourne, the leader tries to speak with the spirits of the blade. The one who answers is Uther. A piece of his soul was trapped in the sword when Arthas killed him. The story of the weapon is in Frostmourne, the sword that devoured souls.
What Uther tells:
- The Lich King sees what the sword sees, and he will arrive soon.
- Arthas is only a presence in the Lich King's mind, and he is fading.
- The Lich King must be destroyed where he was created, where Arthas merged with Ner'zhul.
- There must always be a Lich King. If Arthas falls, someone else has to take his place, or the Scourge will spread across the world.
Jaina asks who could bear that burden. The answer only comes at the end of the raid, with Bolvar. The merging with Ner'zhul is in The Frozen Throne #5: the rise of the Lich King.
Falric and Marwyn: Arthas's captains
The door at the back opens. The Lich King walks in, silences Uther and banishes him into the abyss. He calls Falric and Marwyn to destroy the intruders and leaves. Jaina goes after him with Archmage Koreln. Sylvanas, with Dark Ranger Loralen.
Falric and Marwyn were captains of Lordaeron's Royal Guard and friends of Arthas. They became some of the first death knights and helped massacre the capital. In the Halls, they appear as spirits, after waves of ghosts.
The escape from the Lich King and the gunship rescue
At the Shadow Throne, the leader faces the Lich King and barely has the strength to do it. He promises to turn everyone into servants of the Scourge.
Jaina traps him with magic for a short time. Sylvanas stuns him with a Black Arrow. The escape through the Hidden Passage begins, in the quest Wrath of the Lich King. The Lich King raises four walls of ice. The leader breaks each one, while the group holds off ghouls, abominations and witch doctors.
The tunnel ends at a wall of rock. "Nowhere to run... You're mine now!", says the Lich King.
Then the gunship arrives. For the Alliance, the Skybreaker, of Sky-Captain Justin Bartlett. For the Horde, Orgrim's Hammer, of Sky-Reaver Korm Blackscar. The cannons bring down the tunnel, and everyone climbs aboard.
On deck, Jaina apologizes for ignoring Uther and goes to tell Varian and Tirion everything. Sylvanas warns that the Lich King is much stronger. Strategy: Halls of Reflection: the hardest gauntlet in WotLK.
Where to see it in WotLK
- Level: level 80 dungeons, normal and heroic. Just arrived? See the level 80 endgame roadmap.
- Start: Apprentice Nelphi (Alliance) or Dark Ranger Vorel (Horde), in Dalaran.
- Entrance: a high rampart southwest of the citadel's main gate, guarded by the Ebon Blade and the Argent Crusade. Forge of Souls in Icecrown, near (52.5, 89.4).
- Quests: Inside the Frozen Citadel → Echoes of Tortured Souls → The Pit of Saron → The Path to the Citadel → Deliverance from the Pit → Frostmourne → Wrath of the Lich King.
- Final: the gunship has the encounter chest and a portal to Dalaran.
Read more: who the Lich King is, Argent Crusade, Ebon Blade and the fall of the Lich King and the next step, Halion and the Ruby Sanctum.
Frequently asked questions
What is the order of the Icecrown dungeons?
Forge of Souls, Pit of Saron and Halls of Reflection. Each wing opens the next one.
What does Uther say in Halls of Reflection?
That the Lich King can only be destroyed where he was created. And that there must always be a Lich King, or the Scourge runs out of control.
Who kills the slaves in Pit of Saron?
Sindragosa, right after Tyrannus dies. Martin Victus and Gorkun Ironskull die in the middle of their speech.
Who are Falric and Marwyn?
Arthas's captains and friends in Lordaeron, who became some of the Scourge's first death knights.
Jaina or Sylvanas: what changes?
Only the leader and the motive. Jaina wants to find what is left of Arthas. Sylvanas wants revenge.
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