Shado-Pan Monastery Heroic Dungeon Guide (WoD 6.1.2)

Last updated on Oct 30, 2012 at 17:23 by Damien 14 comments

Table of Contents

The Shado-Pan Monastery is a 5-man dungeon located in Kun-Lai Summit on Pandaria. The Normal-difficulty version of the dungeon is open to players between level 87 and 90, while the Heroic-difficulty version of the dungeon is reserved to level 90 players. It houses 4 encounters: Gu Cloudstrike, Master Snowdrift, Sha of Violence, and Taran Zhu.

1.

Introduction

The Shado-Pan Monastery becomes available to players after reaching level 87. The monastery is the most important Shado-Pan training center in Pandaria. It has been corrupted by the Sha of Violence, causing most of the Shado-Pan monks to turn against one another. You will have to fight your way through the monastery, in order to defeat the Sha of Violence and the various corrupted Shado-Pan leaders to make them come to their senses.

The dungeon has a linear layout during which you will progress through four different zones and encounter four bosses. The main zone is the Shado-Pan Monastery. It is composed of 3 buildings and a courtyard. In each of these locations, you will find a boss. Each building has its own sub-map. When traveling from one building to the other, you can use a ground mount to gain some time.

The dungeon features both Normal (level 87+) and Heroic (level 90) modes. There are no differences in mechanics between Normal and Heroic modes. The only differences are increased health and damage done for all bosses and enemies.

Overview Cloudstrike Dojo
Shado-Pan Monastery - Map - Overview Shado-Pan Monastery - Map - Cloudstrike Dojo
Snowdrift Dojo Sealed Chambers
Shado-Pan Monastery - Map - Snowdrift Dojo Shado-Pan Monastery - Map - Sealed Chambers

This guide will cover all of the four boss encounters, as well as the quests and achievements that are available in the dungeon.

2.

Normal Difficulty Loot

In Normal Difficulty, the level of the items you can obtain from the Shado-Pan Monastery is 435.

2.1.

Armor

Item Name Armor Slot Main Stats Source
Cowl of Angry Thoughts Icon Cowl of Angry Thoughts Cloth Head Intellect Lord of the Shado-Pan
Antagonist's Headwrap Icon Antagonist's Headwrap Cloth Head Intellect Lord of the Shado-Pan
Gloves of Enraged Slaughter Icon Gloves of Enraged Slaughter Cloth Hands Intellect Sha of Violence
Cord of Disturbed Dreams Icon Cord of Disturbed Dreams Cloth Waist Intellect The Path to Respect Lies in Violence
Cloudstriker Cord Icon Cloudstriker Cord Cloth Waist Intellect/Hit The Path to Respect Lies in Violence
Headcover of Disturbed Serenity Icon Headcover of Disturbed Serenity Leather Head Intellect Lord of the Shado-Pan
Cord of Sha Savagery Icon Cord of Sha Savagery Leather Waist Intellect The Path to Respect Lies in Violence
Darkbinder Leggings Icon Darkbinder Leggings Leather Legs Intellect Taran Zhu
Headcover of the Impatient Icon Headcover of the Impatient Leather Head Agility Lord of the Shado-Pan
Shado-Pan Initiate's Belt Icon Shado-Pan Initiate's Belt Leather Waist Agility The Path to Respect Lies in Violence
Vexing Coif Icon Vexing Coif Mail Head Intellect Lord of the Shado-Pan
Kun-Lai Climbing Belt Icon Kun-Lai Climbing Belt Mail Waist Intellect The Path to Respect Lies in Violence
Leggings of the Charging Soul Icon Leggings of the Charging Soul Mail Legs Intellect Gu Cloudstrike
Blastwalker Footguards Icon Blastwalker Footguards Mail Feet Intellect Taran Zhu
Cowl of Internal Strife Icon Cowl of Internal Strife Mail Head Agility Lord of the Shado-Pan
Shadowspine Shoulderguards Icon Shadowspine Shoulderguards Mail Shoulders Agility Taran Zhu
Azure Serpent Chestguard Icon Azure Serpent Chestguard Mail Chest Agility Gu Cloudstrike
Elemental Archer's Links Icon Elemental Archer's Links Mail Waist Agility The Path to Respect Lies in Violence
Hood of Endless Agitation Icon Hood of Endless Agitation Plate Head Intellect Lord of the Shado-Pan
Mindbinder Plate Gloves Icon Mindbinder Plate Gloves Plate Hands Intellect Taran Zhu
Quivering Heart Girdle Icon Quivering Heart Girdle Plate Waist Intellect Master Snowdrift
Sha-Trapper Waistguard Icon Sha-Trapper Waistguard Plate Waist Intellect The Path to Respect Lies in Violence
Helm of Unstable Temperament Icon Helm of Unstable Temperament Plate Head Strength/Mastery Lord of the Shado-Pan
Helm of Enmity Icon Helm of Enmity Plate Head Strength/Dodge Lord of the Shado-Pan
Gauntlets of Resolute Fury Icon Gauntlets of Resolute Fury Plate Hands Strength/Dodge Master Snowdrift
Girdle of the Broken Seal Icon Girdle of the Broken Seal Plate Waist Strength The Path to Respect Lies in Violence
Monastery Guardian Waistguard Icon Monastery Guardian Waistguard Plate Waist Strength/Dodge The Path to Respect Lies in Violence
Sparkbreath Girdle Icon Sparkbreath Girdle Plate Waist Strength/Dodge Gu Cloudstrike
Spike-Soled Stompers Icon Spike-Soled Stompers Plate Feet Strength/Mastery Sha of Violence
2.2.

Weapons

Item Name Type Main Stats Source
Crescent of Ichor Icon Crescent of Ichor One-Hand Axe Agility Sha of Violence
Snowdrift's Bladed Staff Icon Snowdrift's Bladed Staff Staff Agility Master Snowdrift
Warmace of Taran Zhu Icon Warmace of Taran Zhu Two-Handed Mace Strength/Mastery Taran Zhu
Shield of Blind Hate Icon Shield of Blind Hate Shield Strength/Dodge Taran Zhu
3.

Heroic Difficulty Loot

In Heroic Difficulty, the level of the items you can obtain from the Shado-Pan Monastery is 463, with one exception, Ka'eng, Breath of the Shadow Icon Ka'eng, Breath of the Shadow, which has an item level of 476.

3.1.

Armor

Item Name Armor Slot Main Stats Source
Robes of Fevered Dreams Icon Robes of Fevered Dreams Cloth Chest Intellect Taran Zhu
Gloves of Enraged Slaughter Icon Gloves of Enraged Slaughter Cloth Hands Intellect Sha of Violence
Star Summoner Bracers Icon Star Summoner Bracers Leather Wrists Intellect Gu Cloudstrike
Darkbinder Leggings Icon Darkbinder Leggings Leather Legs Intellect Taran Zhu
Leggings of the Charging Soul Icon Leggings of the Charging Soul Mail Legs Intellect Gu Cloudstrike
Blastwalker Footguards Icon Blastwalker Footguards Mail Feet Intellect Taran Zhu
Shadowspine Shoulderguards Icon Shadowspine Shoulderguards Mail Shoulders Agility Taran Zhu
Azure Serpent Chestguard Icon Azure Serpent Chestguard Mail Chest Agility Gu Cloudstrike
Bladed Smoke Bracers Icon Bladed Smoke Bracers Mail Wrists Agility Sha of Violence
Mindbinder Plate Gloves Icon Mindbinder Plate Gloves Plate Hands Intellect Taran Zhu
Quivering Heart Girdle Icon Quivering Heart Girdle Plate Waist Intellect Master Snowdrift
Hateshatter Chestplate Icon Hateshatter Chestplate Plate Chest Strength/Mastery Taran Zhu
Gauntlets of Resolute Fury Icon Gauntlets of Resolute Fury Plate Hands Strength/Dodge Master Snowdrift
Sparkbreath Girdle Icon Sparkbreath Girdle Plate Waist Strength/Dodge Gu Cloudstrike
Spike-Soled Stompers Icon Spike-Soled Stompers Plate Feet Strength/Mastery Sha of Violence
3.2.

Weapons

Item Name Type Main Stats Source
Crescent of Ichor Icon Crescent of Ichor One-Hand Axe Agility Sha of Violence
Ka'eng, Breath of the Shadow Icon Ka'eng, Breath of the Shadow One-Hand Fist Weapon Agility Taran Zhu
Snowdrift's Bladed Staff Icon Snowdrift's Bladed Staff Staff Agility Master Snowdrift
Shield of Blind Hate Icon Shield of Blind Hate Shield Strength/Dodge Taran Zhu
Warmace of Taran Zhu Icon Warmace of Taran Zhu Two-Handed Mace Strength/Mastery Taran Zhu
3.3.

Amulets, Rings, and Trinkets

Item Name Type Main Stats Source
Necklace of Disorientation Icon Necklace of Disorientation Amulet Intellect/Spirit Sha of Violence
Ring of Malice Icon Ring of Malice Ring Intellect Taran Zhu
Eye of the Tornado Icon Eye of the Tornado Ring Intellect/Hit Master Snowdrift
Seal of Hateful Meditation Icon Seal of Hateful Meditation Ring Agility Taran Zhu
Cloudstrike Pendant Icon Cloudstrike Pendant Amulet Strength Gu Cloudstrike
Heart of Fire Icon Heart of Fire Trinket Mastery/Dodge Master Snowdrift
4.

Quests

There are 2 quests that can be completed within the instance.

The first quest is Lord of the Shado-Pan, which is the follow-up quest of Into the Monastery. It is given by Ban Bearheart, inside the monastery at the entrance. To complete the quest, you need to defeat Taran Zhu, the final boss of the dungeon.

The second quest is The Path to Respect Lies in Violence. It is given to you by Master Snowdrift, after you pass his trial. It requires you to kill the Sha of Violence.

The quests reward you with item level 420 gear (see loot section above).

5.

Gu Cloudstrike

The fight against Gu Cloudstrike is a 3-phase fight.

  1. During the first phase, you fight Gu and his Azure Serpent. The phase ends when Gu reaches 50% health.
  2. During the second phase, Gu becomes invulnerable and you have to kill his Azure Serpent.
  3. During the third phase, you have to finish Gu.
5.1.

Phase One

Shado-Pan Monastery - Gu Cloudstrike - Static Field In Phase One, Gu keeps casting Invoke Lightning Icon Invoke Lightning on a random target. This ability has an AoE component, so you need to be spread out 5 yards, to limit the damage it does.

The Azure Serpent keeps putting down Static Field Icon Static Field at the location of a random party member. These fields have a very obvious visual effect and need to be avoided.

5.2.

Phase Two

In Phase Two, Gu is protected by Charging Soul Icon Charging Soul, which his Azure Serpent casts on him.

Shado-Pan Monastery - Gu Cloudstrike - Lightning Breath The Azure Serpent does not need to be tanked. He has two abilities: Lightning Breath Icon Lightning Breath and Magnetic Shroud Icon Magnetic Shroud.

Lightning Breath Icon Lightning Breath is a frontal attack that he regularly uses to damage party members in front of him. Avoid it.

Magnetic Shroud Icon Magnetic Shroud is a somewhat complex ability that he sometimes casts and that you can choose to completely ignore (at least, it was the case on beta).

Magnetic Shroud creates a healing absorption shield on all party members. To break the effect, one of the party members needs to be healed until the shield is broken (50,000 in Normal mode, 75,000 in Heroic mode). Breaking the shield of one party member will cause all the other shields to break as well, and everyone in the proximity of that party member will share a bit of healing.

5.3.

Phase Three

Shado-Pan Monastery - Gu Cloudstrike - Overcharged Soul In Phase Three, Gu Cloudstrike keeps casting Overcharged Soul Icon Overcharged Soul, which hits everyone in the party. The frequency at which he casts this ability is proportional to his missing health. That is to say, he casts this ability more and more often as his health lowers. This mechanism constitutes a soft enrage timer.

6.

Snowdrift's Students

After defeating a few groups of trash mob, you will reach Snowdrift Dojo where Master Snowdrift, the last non-corrupted Shado-Pan master, will test you.

Before engaging Snowdrift, you will have to prove your worth by defeating 24 Shado-Pan Novices (who will come to you in several waves) as well as Flying Snow and Fragrant Lotus, his top students. None of these fights should pose problems to your group. Flying Snow will fixate on a random party member and deal proximity damage, so avoid standing next to her.

6.1.

Achievement: Respect

To complete Respect Icon Respect, you need to bow back to 20 of the Shado-Pan Novices after they bow to you when you defeat them. In order to do this easily, take the Novices down one by one and use a /bow macro.

7.

Master Snowdrift

The fight against Snowdrift is divided in 3 phases.

  1. Phase One lasts until Snowdrift reaches 50% health.
  2. Phase Two lasts until you destroy the images that Snowdrift creates of himself.
  3. Phase Three lasts until you defeat Snowdrift.
7.1.

Phase One

Shado-Pan Monastery - Master Snowdrift - Fists of Fury During Phase One, Snowdrift has two damaging attacks: Fists of Fury Icon Fists of Fury and Tornado Kick Icon Tornado Kick. He also melees the tank.

Fists of Fury Icon Fists of Fury deals damage to everyone in front of him, which means that, besides the tank, players should avoid standing in front of him.

Shado-Pan Monastery - Master Snowdrift - Fists of Fury Tornado Kick Icon Tornado Kick kicks players around Snowdrift and knock them back. If you are at melee range, then try moving away when he is using Tornado Kick.

7.2.

Phase Two

Shado-Pan Monastery - Master Snowdrift - Ball of Fire During Phase Two, Snowdrift creates images of himself in the corners of the room. These images keeps appearing and disappearing. When they are active, all they do is cast Ball of Fire Icon Ball of Fire, which creates a traveling ball of fire that damages players in its path.

In this phase, you need to attack the images and destroy them, all the while avoiding the Balls of Fire.

7.3.

Phase Three

Shado-Pan Monastery - Master Snowdrift - Flying Kick During Phase Three, there are two abilities to watch out for: Tornado Slam Icon Tornado Slam and Parry Stance Icon Parry Stance.

  • Tornado Slam Icon Tornado Slam causes Snowdrift to fixate on a random raid member and chase them. If he catches up with them, he casts Tornado Slam Icon Tornado Slam at them, dealing 30% of their maximum health as Physical damage. When you are fixated upon, you need to start running.
  • Parry Stance Icon Parry Stance causes him to sometimes assume a momentary defensive stance in which he replies to:
    • melee attacks with Quivering Palm Icon Quivering Palm and Unleash Vibrations Icon Unleash Vibrations, heavily damaging and stunning the attacker;
    • ranged attacks with Flying Kick Icon Flying Kick, dealing low physical damage.
    Melee players should hold off their attacks while Snowdrift is in Parry Stance, as the penalty for attacking him in melee range is heavy damage and a 2-second stun. However, Ranged players should keep attacking him.
8.

Sha Trash Mobs

On your way to the Sealed Chambers, where you will fight the Sha of Violence, you will encounter several groups of Sha mobs, which can be painful to deal with.

These groups are made up of the following types of creatures:

  • Volatile Energy (not present in all groups), which casts Explosion Icon Explosion, dealing a large amount of damage to nearby party members;
  • Regenerating Sha, which heals nearby allies for large amounts with Regenerate Icon Regenerate (can be interrupted);
  • Consuming Sha, which deals heavy damage to its target with Consuming Bite Icon Consuming Bite and Consumption Icon Consumption;
  • Destroying Sha, which deals AoE damage through Shadows of Destruction Icon Shadows of Destruction.
9.

Sha of Violence

During the fight with the Sha of Violence, there are mainly two abilities to watch out for: Smoke Blades Icon Smoke Blades and Sha Spike Icon Sha Spike.

  • Shado-Pan Monastery - Sha of Violence - Smoke Blades When Smoke Blades Icon Smoke Blades is cast, you will notice a smoky cloud around the Sha of Violence. Melee players should ignore this ability and ranged players are normally too far away from the boss to be hit.
    • Every second, this cloud inflicts a small amount of damage to players standing inside it. These players are also prevented from scoring critical strikes for up to 30 seconds (this duration is reduced by 5 seconds each time you use an ability). When this effect ends, these players receive the Parting Smoke Icon Parting Smoke buff, which causes the next attack or spell to be a critical strike that hits for 100% more damage than usual.
  • Shado-Pan Monastery - Sha of Violence - Sha Spike Sha Spike Icon Sha Spike causes an erupting spike to appear at the location of a random player, dealing damage to them and knocking them back. It also summons a Lesser Volatile Energy enemy that attacks the group for 30 seconds (it can be killed). Simply move away when the ground beneath you starts vibrating.

In addition, the healer and the tank need to be aware of Disorienting Smash Icon Disorienting Smash, which regularly deals heavy Shadow Damage to the tank, and Enrage Icon Enrage, which causes the Sha to deal increased damage at low health.

9.1.

Achievement: The Obvious Solution

To complete The Obvious Solution Icon The Obvious Solution, you need to release all the Sha minions imprisoned in the Sealed Chambers and kill them before defeating the Sha of Violence. Releasing the minions causes the boss to engage your group, which means that you have to kill the minions all the while fighting the boss.

To release the minions, you need to go to the northern chamber. To do so, take left when you reach the boss (be careful not to aggro him). In this chamber, you will find an object that looks like the units where the Sha minions are contained, albeit much smaller. Clicking this object will release the minions.

10.

Taran Zhu

Although not a difficult fight, the encounter with Taran Zhu has complex mechanics that you need to understand.

10.1.

Hatred and Meditate

The fight presents you with an interesting mechanic, Hatred, which is represented by a progression bar that starts out empty and fills as you take damage from the boss.

Shado-Pan Monastery - Taran Zhu - Hatred Empty Shado-Pan Monastery - Taran Zhu - Hatred Filling Shado-Pan Monastery - Taran Zhu - Hatred Full

When you reach maximum Hatred, your chance to hit is reduced by 90% and your healing done by 25%. To remove this effect and reset your Hatred, you need to use Meditate Icon Meditate. This fight-specific ability can be used by clicking the button in the middle of your screen. Meditate is a channeled ability, so you cannot do anything for a few seconds while it resets your Hatred.

Note that there are several sources of unavoidable damage in this fight, so you will have to use Meditate Icon Meditate.

10.2.

Sources of Damage

Rising Hate Icon Rising Hate is an ability regularly cast by Taran Zhu at several random targets. The cast of this ability can and should be interrupted.

Shado-Pan Monastery - Taran Zhu - Ring of Malice Ring of Malice Icon Ring of Malice causes Taran Zhu to surround himself with a damaging Shadow ring for 15 seconds, during which time his movement speed is reduced by 80%. The ring only deals damage to players that touch its border. Make sure to be either inside or outside the ring.

The tank and the healer need to pay special attention to Sha Blast Icon Sha Blast. This ability is only cast when Ring of Malice is active. It deals a high amount of damage and knocks the tank back.

Shado-Pan Monastery - Taran Zhu - Gripping Hatred Finally, Taran Zhu often summons a Gripping Hatred, which needs to be killed as it creates a damaging Sha zone underneath itself and keeps pulling party members into it.

10.3.

Summing up the Strategy

Despite the lengthy ability explanations, the strategy can be easily summarised as follows:

  • use Meditate Icon Meditate when you reach full Hatred;
  • be either inside or outside of Ring of Malice Icon Ring of Malice, but not on the ring;
  • kill the Gripping Hatred and move away from its Sha zone when you are pulled into it.
10.4.

Achievement: Hate Leads to Suffering

To complete Hate Leads to Suffering Icon Hate Leads to Suffering, you need to get Taran Zhu low on health and then wait a bit for all the party members to reach full hatred. Then you can finish him off.

11.

Final Considerations

This concludes our Shado-Pan Monastery dungeon guide. If you find any inconsistency or mistake, feel free to comment or send us an e-mail.