Temple of Ahn'Qiraj

General

Commonly referred to as AQ40 (being the 40-man Ahn'Qiraj instance). Located in the south of Silithus, the zone at the southernmost point of Kalimdor. The Temple of Ahn'Qiraj was added to World of Warcraft in the 1.9 major patch release, and required a massive world event to be completed before it was accessible to players. The world event included collection of resources (ore, herbs, bandages, etc.), and a quest series that required many organised raid groups to complete. The Temple of Ahn'Qiraj is the third major raid instance in World of Warcraft, after Molten Core and Blackwing Lair.

Raid Encounters

• The Prophet Skeram
• The Triumvirate - Lord Kri, Princess Yauj & Vem (optional)
• Battleguard Sartura
• Fankriss the Unyielding
• Viscidus (optional)
• Princess Huhuran
• The Twin Emperors - Emperor Vek'lor & Emperor Vek'nilash
• Ouro (optional)
• C'Thun

Loot

Epic armor sets obtained from the Temple of Ahn'Qiraj were commonly referred to as Tier 2.5, as they were seen as an alternative set rather than a true step up from the existing Tier 2 epic armor sets. These sets were popular as PvP sets, with many players viewing Tier 2 sets as more suitable for PvE raid encounters.

Item Drops

Temple of Ahn'Qiraj was the first major raid instance in which the bosses dropped items that players could use to craft their epic set pieces. Prior to this, raid bosses (in Molten Core and Blackwing Lair) would drop epic set items that were specific to one class. This system of item drops would often result in set items going to waste if everyone in the raid of that class already had the item in question. The crafted set item system introduced in Temple of Ahn'Qiraj meant that one item piece could be used to craft up to three different set pieces for three different classes. Potentially, this meant that guilds had more flexibility in deciding where epic set pieces were distributed, for the benefit of the raid. The downside of this meant that there was more competition over single items.

Class-Specific Sets

• Druid - Genesis Raiment

  

• Hunter - Striker's Garb
• Mage - Enigma Vestments
• Paladin - Avenger's Battlegear
• Priest - Garments of the Oracle
• Rogue - Deathdealer's Embrace
• Shaman - Stormcaller's Garb
• Warlock - Doomcaller's Attire
• Warrior - Conquerer's Battlegear