Zul'Aman: My Second and Third Runs!

Since my first visit to ZA I've been lucky enough to return to Zul'Aman two more times with the same group! I have to say I really enjoyed the change of scenery from Karazhan - which I've been running for the past 4+ months. Anyhow - this post is my attempt to summarize these past 2 runs...

Opening the gates
First of all, something I didn't see last time was how the "instance" doors were opened. These past 2 times through the instance I got to see that in order to open the gates to the instance people have to bang on a gong! Usually you just walk into an instance and start killing stuff so I thought this was a pretty cool (albeit minor) little gimmick to add to the experience. I was too scared to click the gong myself in fear that there was some mechanic/trick I wasn't aware of, but they apparently didn't need my help because the main doors soon opened and the fast-paced fun began!

Pwnage!
Remember on my 1st visit to ZA I joined the group in the middle of the instance and spent the entire night attempting to kill the 5th boss... well, these past 2 runs through ZA were just a tad different... because we downed 5 of the 6 bosses in the instance!! I use the term "we" loosely here of course. I was there yes, but I'm sure I didn't contribute that much throughout the night. Honestly it took most of my focus to follow directions and simply not die during the boss fights - although, they all made it look so easy, I got the hang of things mid-way through each fight. Click the image to the right to see a cool picture of all the bosses we took down.

The final boss-related highlight was on my 2nd run where we downed Hex Lord Malacrass and we got to step up to Zul'jin's platform (the final boss) to take a look! Seeing the final boss on my 3rd run was pretty damn cool!!
2 out of 4 Hostages aint bad...
As if downing 4-5 bosses on both night wasn't enough, our group was able complete 2 of the 4 "timed events" (saving the hostages) on both nights as well! This definitely added a layer of nail-biting for me since I was just trying to learn the trash/boss fights. Having to keep up with the group as they raced the clock for each boss made things pretty hectic but it was tons of fun.

The ZA quest chain
To top everything off, I was able to finish the entire ZA quest chain (pre Zul'jin) all in one night! (my 3rd visit). Usually this takes someone at least 2 to 3 runs but since everyone else had done it alreayd, I got the fast-track mode! My quest rewards were:

• Charmed Amani Jewel
  
• Tattered Hexcloth Sack
  

The Loot
A bunch of loot dropped of course, but I, once again, forgot to turn on my 'loot tracker' addon for both runs so I can only report the loot I can remember:

• Nalorakk
  
• Main Loot: ??
• Timed Chest: Cloak of Fiends
  
  
• Akil'zon
• Main Loot: Akil'zon's Talonblade
  
• Timed Chest: ??
  
  
• Jan'alai
  
• Main Loot: Shadowtooth Trollskin Cuirass and Footpads of Madness (I got this!)
• Timed Chest: Didn't get this either attempt
  
  
• Halazzi
  
• Main Loot: Robe of Departed Spirits (I got this!) and ???
  
  
• Hex Lord Malacrass
  
• Main Loot: Tome of Diabolic Remedy and Girdle of Stromgarde's Hope

Deep Thoughts...
I have to admit that attending these past couple ZA runs did make me feel a bit guilty. I can't help but realize that this group has been running ZA for 2-3 months now and back when they first started they had to learn all the trash and boss fights the hard way (by many wipes and repair bills I'm sure). So the fact that this group let me swoop in after all their hard work and get to run through the place nearly wipe-free isn't something I take for granted. There's nothing I can really do but say "thanks" and try to pull my own weight while I'm there - both of which I've tried to do!

So - thanks again to Christy & the gang for the invites - I can't wait till there's another open spot for me to go again!