How to do a Dire Maul Tribute run for the title “King of the Ogres” in WoW Classic

Dire Maul is coming to WoW Classic tomorrow, so here are all the random things you need to do the most popular run through that dungeon — the Tribute Run.

Dire Maul contains mobs from level 55 to 60 — and gives higher-level characters something new and fresh to do. Contrary to every other dungeon, the point of the unique Tribute Run is to avoid killing all the bosses in the instance. It is still available in retail, but it was nerfed quite a bit with the Cataclysm revamp, so I’ll explain how to pull it off in Classic. Before we begin, know that only one person per group per run can get the ogre suit so decide who gets it before you go into the instance.

First of all, find the entrance to the dungeon. Enter Dire Maul from the south. At a “T” intersection, turn right. At your first opportunity to turn left that is NOT a dungeon, do so and head into the center. Run across the area around the amphitheater to the north side. There is a lot of trash to either avoid or kill. Once you’re on the far north end, go into Gordok Commons. There should be a quest giver at the beginning to give you the Kill King Gordok quest the first time you go.

There are a number of doors you have to get through in order to progress through the dungeon. You’ll need the Crescent Key which is dropped by Pusillin in Dire Maul East. First is the Courtyard door after Guard Fengus. The key for that is on a pedestal near the door. The Inner Courtyard Door, located after Guard Slip’kik, drops off Guard Mol’dar –but don’t kill him if at all possible. A Powerful Seaforium Charge will blast the door open. A truesilver skeleton key or a rogue with 300 lockpicking skill will also open the door. You want to leave Mol’dar alive to get the most bang for your buck.

Bring supplies — lots of supplies

The biggest difference between Classic and retail is the need to have a bunch of supplies to make an ogre suit and to activate the trap shown above. Retail doesn’t require these, but you’ll have to do some legwork in order to grab your full Tribute in WoW Classic. In preparation for your tribute run, gather the following:

• 4 bolts of Runecloth
• 8 Rugged Leather
• 2 Rune Thread
• 1 Ogre Tannin – obtained inside the instance.

You’re going to need to activate the trap using materials you bring with you. In retail, you simply click on it. To activate the trap, you need the following:

• 1 Thorium Widget
• 1 Vial of Frost Oil 

I recommend everyone in your party carry supplies for the suit and the trap. If something goes wrong and materials are consumed, you want to have back up.

Don’t kill the mini-bosses!

The whole point of the Tribute Run is to get better loot at the end of this dungeon. This means keeping alive all the mini-bosses up to King Gordok. Crowd control and judicious use of AOE are the key. Every boss left alive contributes to the chest obtained at the end of the run and that’s a lot of good loot.

Therefore, mark each boss before you go into their area, to keep better tabs on them and avoid aggro. Be certain of where Fengus and Slip’kik patrol. Fengus’ patrol is the bigger of the two. He starts on the dias above and goes into the room where you zone in.

The kill order for packs should be mages, doomguards, warlocks, then melee. If you see any Eye of Kilrogg, kill it immediately. If left alone after it notices you, it will create a portal and summon voidwalkers.

The hardest part of the run

After getting past Fengus and killing the mobs in the hallway to Slip’kik, you have the hardest part of the run ahead of you. Time Slip’kik’s patrol so you can pull the trash back into the hallway you just cleared. There will be casters in the group and they simply don’t like being moved. Continue backing up to make them come to you and avoid the area with the trap.

Once the trash is down, watch for Slip’kik. When he’s running into the other rooms, someone arms the trap by clicking on it with the mats in their bag. Wait for him to come back and be frozen, then go talk to Knot Thimblejack. He will send you upstairs to get the ogre tannin located in the basket on the middle landing. When you pick it up, it summons a Gordock Bushwacker. Kill him, go back to Knot, and have him make an ogre suit for the person you designated at the beginning. Don’t put it on, yet.

Go up the ramps to the top. You’ll find another platform with trash. All this can be killed. Here’s where the Inner Courtyard key — or the Powerful Seaforium Charge, or the Rogue — is used. Open the doors and head down the hallway. At the end, you’ll find a dark room with more trash. Captain Kromcrush is at the far end and he’s the one you need the ogre suit for. Pull the room trash backwards into the hallway to make the caster move away from Kromcrush. Once they are dispatched, don the suit and go talk to Kromcrush. You’ll need to cycle through all the conversations until you bait him. He will take off running after Fengus.

Kill King Gordok

Huzzah, you’ve made it all the way to Gordok. There’s a lot of trash in this room. You’ll want to clear it all, being careful to pull things back because of fears. Gordok has an advisor, Cho’Rush. He has to be kept alive so pull Gordok to the edge of — or off — the platform. Watch out for his knockback. He will then charge the second on the threat table. Cho’Rush can be tanked by a pet or a shaman. He will try to heal Gordok so this is a race to kill Gordok and overcome Cho’Rush’s healing.

Once Gordok is dead, Mizzle arrives. Talk to him, going through his two conversations. You get your title and your phat lewts. If you go back down to Knot, Tailors and Leatherworkers will have a box they can click and receive patterns unavailable anywhere else, including the ogre suit.

That’s how you do it. Congratulations, you’re now King of the Ogres — until you leave the instance. Ogres can’t be expected to remember things for long, after all.