Dungeon Guide: Freehold

[Emilia]

Welcome to the Dungeon Guide for Freehold!




Freehold initially is an Alliance only dungeon, available from level 110 and once you have obtained the Heart of Azeroth, but unlocks for the Horde at level 120. It is located in Tiragarde Sound and the dungeon has 4 bosses. On normal mode, the ilvl of the loot is 310, on Heroic mode it’s 325 and on Mythic it’s 340, with the ilvl increasing with higher keys.


Noteworthy adds:
Bilge Rat Padfoot - These Vulpera use Plague Step, which will allow them to sneak behind a random player, dealing nature damage and putting a dot on them, which deals nature damage every 3 seconds and reduces all healing received by 25% for 18 seconds.

Blacktooth Brute - These guys are just going to be annoying for the melee among us. They use Earth Shaker, which deals nature damage and slows enemies within 5 yards.

Blacktooth Knuckleduster - These mobs… are the worst. They cast Shattering Bellow, which deals physical damage and interrupts enemies within 30 yards. Getting interrupted will also lock you for that specific school of magic. (Like, if you use a Frost spell as a mage, you will be unable to cast Frost spells for a few seconds, for example.) I hate them. Please interrupt these for the sake of your spellcasters.

Blacktooth Scrapper - Nothing too annoying, but they can fixate onto a target and enrage while doing so. You can either, if you have a Druid, soothe the Scrapper or kite the Scrapper.

Cutwater Dualist - These mobs will charge at a target location, which can easily be dodged. If you do get hit, you take physical damage and get stunned for 2 seconds. But again, it can easily be dodged. Stay out of the AoE and don’t stand between the AoE spot and the Dualist.

Cutwater Harpooner - They throw harpoons, preferably, at ranged targets, dealing physical damage and drags the player towards them. You could be dragged into AoE, so you could get pulled into your death.

Cutwater Knife Juggler - They are able to throw daggers, which will bounce between players with a range of 8 yards. Ranged DPS shoulder spread out if possible.

Irontide Buccaneer - The Buccaneers use Blade Barrage, which deals physical damage to all enemies within 4 yards every 0,25 seconds for 4 seconds. Melee players will want to get out of range to avoid this damage.

Irontide Bonesaw - These mobs will use Filthy Blade, which deals physical damage and applies a healing reduction buff onto the tank. This debuff can be dispelled though, so aim to do that. Besides that, the Bonesaw mobs will cast a healing spell, which will be a healing over time heal, on a low health adds. Either interrupt the cast or dispell the buff.

Irontide Corsair - These mobs aren’t too bad, but they will put a stacking dot on the tank with Poisoning Strike. This will teleport the Corsair behind the tank and apply the dot, which lasts for 12 seconds. They will cast this ability more often than every 12 seconds, so it is likely it will stack. Healers and tanks beware. Might wanna CC the Corsairs before they apply another stack.

Irontide Crackshot - These are ranged adds, they will not move from their spot. Either have ranged DPS deal with them or the tank should pull mobs to them so people can AoE. Whichever you do, will likely depend on your group. They will throw AoE bombs around, but they are easy enough to dodge.

Irontide Crusher - They throw rocks… dodge them. Else, you will take physical damage and get stunned for 2 seconds. Other than that, they will cast Ground Shatter, which deals physical damage and knocks back all enemies within 9 yards. Run out of range when the Crusher starts casting this.

Irontide Enforcer - These guys are all about knock backs. They use Brutal Backhand, which deals physical damage and knocks back enemies in a cone in front of them, so make sure only the tank is in front of these guys. This ability is a cast, so the tank can move as well to avoid it as these guys will not change direction when the tank moves. They also use Shattering Toss, with which they will toss the tank and make them lose their threat, so beware.

Irontide Mastiff - These dogs are only a threat because of their damage. They will use Crippling Bite, which will deal physical damage and slows the tank’s movement speed. Besides that, they will also buff themselves with Bestial Wrath, which boosts their physical damage by 50% for 1 min. If you have a Druid, they can soothe these dogs to remove the buff.

Irontide Oarsman - These mobs will cast Sea Spout, which will put an AoE marker under every player and will erupt, dealing frost damage and knocking the player up in the air. Either interrupt it or dodge the AoE.

Irontide Officer - These mobs use Oiled Blade, which deals fire damage and leaves the tank with a 75% healing reduction debuff, but it can be dispelled. Tanks might want to use some defensive cooldown if the healer is unable to dispell it.

Irontide Ravager - These mobs will cast Painful Motivation. This will buff every mob within 15 yards, which increases their damage by 45%, but at the cost of 3% of their maximum health every second. If you cannot handle the damage, interrupt the cast.

Irontide Stormcaller - They are basically shamans. They constantly cast Lightning Bolt. Periodically, they cast Thundering Squall, which deals nature damage to enemies within 10 yards every 2 seconds for 12 seconds. Interrupt this to avoid the large amount of damage.

Vermin Trapper - These guys are no big deal. They throw out traps at times, but they can easily be dodged as it takes a second for the trap to become active after they land. If triggered, it will root the player and deal physical damage every second for 5 seconds.

Soggy Shiprat - These rats don’t have a lot of health, but they put a stacking 10% healing reduction debuff on the tank, so you’ll want to quickly kill them.




Bosses:
Skycap’n Kragg

Skycap’n Kragg is the first boss of Freehold. Before the fight, he’ll throw AoE down every once in a while until he’s dead starting from when you enter the dungeon. It will slow you and deal damage over time. Don’t get pooped on! To aggro him, you’ll have to kill the pack of mobs in front of this ‘pit’.

Skycap’n Kragg has 2 phases. During the first phase, he’ll be on top of Sharkbait, the parrot. At 75% health, he’ll dismount and his abilities will change.

Abilities:

Phase 1:
Charrrrrge - Skycap’n Kragg will charrrrrge towards a target’s location. Any enemies within 8 yards take nature damage and get knocked back. This is easily dodged as it’s very obvious, with the AoE marker.

Pistol Shot - Skycap’n will shoot a random player, dealing fire damage. This cannot be interrupted or anything, so the healer will have to pay attention.


Phase 2:
Vile Bombardment - Sharkbait will be bombarding the group with AoE, like he’s done earlier in the dungeon before the fight. Same as before, dodge the vile puddles.

Azerite Powder Shot - Skycap’n Kragg will cast Azerite Powder Shot on a random player and face them, which deals fire damage to anyone within 30 yards in front of the Skycap’n. To avoid damage on multiple players, make sure you spread out with your group.

Revitalizing Brew - Skycap’n Kragg will start chugging a healing brew, healing an increasing amount every 1 second for 5 seconds. If you interrupt this ability, he’ll drop the bottle on the ground, which a player can click on to receive the heal instead.


Heroic and Mythic only:
Dive Bomb - Sharkbait charrrrrges across the battlefield, dealing nature damage and knocking back all enemies in the way. Keep an eye on him and you can easily avoid the damage and knockback.

This boss isn’t very difficult, just mind your positioning.


Loot:
Normal:


Heroic:


Mythics:




Council o’ Captains

The Council o’ Captains is a bit unusual, because you cannot beat them if you just go to them and try to fight all 3 of them. Trust me, don’t even bother. They’ll have a buff called ‘Under One Banner’ - which increases their health and damage done by 100%.

One of the three events will have to be completed before you can fight them. This event happens after the long bridge and once it is completed, the bosses will lose their buff and one of the Captains will become friendly. The Captain that will become friendly, is decided by the event and this will reset weekly.

Captain Eudora:
Once you cross the bridge and see some friendly Vulpera that are highlighted, you’ll be trying to ally with Captain Eudora.
To do that, each player must talk to the friendly Vulpera. They’ll get the debuff Bilge Rat Brew, which will make the player drunk for 1 minute. The debuff will remain, but you won’t stay drunk for more than a minute.

Captain Jolly:
In order to gain Captain Jolly as your ally, you’ll have to catch the pug named Murphy. He has a key around his neck that will free a trapped NPC in a cage. Now, this pug has to be chased. You’ll want to clear the area first so you don’t have to worry about them. Eventually, the pug will fall asleep and you can grab the key and free the NPC. After freeing the NPC, you’ll be friendly with Captain Jolly.

Captain Raoul:
When you arrive and some hostile mobs, Blacktooth Knuckledusters, are highlighted, you’ll have the event to join Captain Raoul. All you have to do is kill all of the highlighted mobs and you’ll be friendly with Captain Raoul.


Abilities:
All of the Captains have 2 abilities when fighting you and they use 1 ability when allied with the group.

Captain Eudora:
Powder Shot - Captain Eudora will randomly target a player and shoot them, dealing physical damage. She will spam this ability, almost. So she will stand still a lot. This might seem great for the melee DPS, however...

Grapeshot - Captain Eudora will leap to a new location and fires blasts of grapeshot from her rifle across the arena, dealing fire damage in a cone. She’ll always go from right to left, so you can predict her movement. You will probably want to move to the right side and eat some damage, but not all.

When Allied:
Chain Shot - Captain Eudora will stun one of the enemy Captains for 6 seconds from time to time.


Captain Jolly:
Cutting Surge - Captain Jolly will dash to a random player, dealing physical damage to every play within 5 yards. All players hit will be left bleeding, taking physical damage every 2 seconds for 12 seconds. This has a 2 second cast time, so it can be dodged. Ranged DPS might still want to spread out to avoid this.

Whirlpool of Blades - Captain Jolly will throw his saber, dealing nature damage to all nearby enemies every second. When the saber touches Captain Jolly, it will despawn. The tank will want to keep the Captain still so the saber returns to him as soon as possible.

When Allied:
Trade Wind’s Vigor - From time to time, Captain Jolly will buff the group, increasing their movement speed by 40% for 10 seconds.


Captain Raoul:
Blackout Barrel - Captain Raoul will throw an empty barrel at a random player that is not the tank, disorenting them until the barrel is destroyed. DPS will want to focus the barrel to free their ally.

Barrel Smash - Captain Raoul slams an empty barrel of grog to the ground repeatedly for 4 seconds, dealing physical damage to and knocking back all enemies within 10 yards every second. You’ll be able to see an AoE marker around Captain Raoul will show the players when he’s casting it, so they have time to get out of range to avoid the damage.

When Allied:
Tapped Keg - Captain Raoul puts down a barrel, showering nearby allies with brew, which increases their damage by 15%. If he’s on your side, you’ll want to stay close to him when he casts it so you get the most out of the buff.


Heroic and Mythic only:
Near the Council o’ Captains, you’ll find a bar with a very dedicated bartender: Rummy Mancomb. During the boss encounter, he’ll continue to serve brew. He’ll have 3 types of brews that he’ll throw into the fight. Anyone standing in the AoE marker for this brew, will gain a (de)buff - so this includes the bosses as well, so keep that in mind.

Brews:
Confidence-Boosting Freehold Brew - Increases Critical Strike by 50% for 8 seconds.

Invigorating Freehold Brew - Increases Haste by 30% for 8 seconds.

Caustic Freehold Brew - Inflicts nature damage every second for 8 seconds.

This fight might be a bit confusing, if your group doesn’t know about the event you have to complete. The bosses themselves aren’t too difficult, just keep an eye on where Captain Eudora is and look out for AoE damage.


Loot:
Normal:


Heroic:


Mythics:




Ring of Booty

The Ring of Booty is a nice throwback to a specific set of quests. This encounter has 3 phases - or 3 different fights.


Phase 1:
Lighting:
This little piggy will be thrown into the Ring and you have a simple task: catch it. To catch Lighting, you have to right click on the pig. Now, the catch is, this little piggy is covered in grease. Poor thing. This is displayed by a buff Lighting has. You’ll notice it has stacks. Each time a player ‘catches’ Lighting, a stack will drop. Once all stacks are gone, you can actually hold the pig. The player that ends up catching Lighting, gets to hold the little piggy up above their head like a trophy. Afterwards, the pig will leap out of the player’s hands and run out of the Ring and phase 2 will begin.

Phase 2:
Ludwig von Tortollan:
This will be your first actual fight of the Ring of Booty. He only has 1 ability: Shell Bounce. He’ll throw out a shell periodically. The shell will bounce around the Ring and deal nature damage to anyone hit while also knocking them back. The shells will only disappear once Ludwig has been slain. In other words, the longer the fight takes, the more shells will be bouncing around the arena. You don’t want to take too long killing Ludwig.

Phase 3:
Trothak:
Trothak is the final boss of the Ring of Booty and for that reason, has more abilities, which are the following:

Ripper Punch - Trothak will punch a nearby enemy, dealing physical damage and leaving them with a dot that deals physical damage every 3 seconds for 12 seconds. This cannot be interrupted or anything, so the healer will have to keep an eye on the melee players.

Shark Tornado - Trothak will spin in a circle, hitting all enemies within 9 yards with a shark, dealing physical damage every second. This cast cannot be interrupted, so to avoid the damage, the melee DPS might want to move out of range.

Shark Toss - Trothak will throw a shark at a random ranged player, dealing nature damage to anyone within 8 yards. Upon landing, the shark will start to chase the nearest player and deal damage to anyone within 5 yards of the shark each time it leaps to the player it’s chasing. To deal with this, you’ll want to kite it around the Ring. There can be a total of 2 sharks on the field.

Rearm - Trothak charges a nearby shark, dealing physical damage to anyone in his path. Upon reaching the shark, Trothak reattaches the shark to his arm. This means he’ll ‘pick’ the shark leaping around the Ring up, removing that ‘threat’ from the Ring.


Heroic and Mythic only:
Throw Chum - Spectators will throw piles of meat into the Ring, creating slippery areas, slowing players for 50%. Any sharks moving through the area will stop flailing for 3 seconds. Since the sharks are faster here than on Normal mode, you’ll want to kite them into the chum whenever you can.

Overall, this fight isn’t very difficult. There is a bit of dialogue before every phase, so that makes the whole encounter longer. It also gets longer when players don’t know what to do in the first phase. But, if everyone knows what to do, the fight isn’t too difficult.


Loot:
Normal:


Heroic:


Mythics:




Harlan Sweete

Harlan Sweete is the final boss of the dungeon. He only has a single phase, but at certain health percentages, he’ll gain a buff.

Abilities:

Cannon Barrage - Harlan Sweete targets a random player that is not the tank and marks them. A Barrage of cannonballs will rain down onto that player, exploding fire damage to all players hit. The cannon balls have a small delay between them, so you’ll want to move out of all of the incoming AoE before getting hit. Also, do not walk into other players, else you’ll be forcing them to move as well. After the cannonballs land, they’ll leave behind an area of fire AoE, so you cannot return to your old spot for 5 minutes.

Swiftwind Blade - Harlan Sweete spawns 3 blades and sends them forward. Any enemy hit by the blades, will take nature damage and are knocked back. Try to dodge them, but it’s more important to avoid either stepping into AoE or getting knocked into AoE.

Avast, ye! - Harlan Sweete spawns an Irontide Grenadier, which will fixate on a random player. When they reach that player, they will explode. This will kill the add and deal fire damage to all players within 5 yards. The DPS will want to focus these adds.

Loaded Dice: All Hands! - At 60% health, Harlan Sweete gains Loaded Dice: All Hands!. His abilities will now hit additional enemies. For Cannon Barrage, this means all players except the tank will now get targeted. Just make sure you don’t run into each other. For Swiftwind Blade, this means that he’ll now summon 4 blades, rather than 3. For Avast, ye!, this means multiple Grenadiers will spawn.

Loaded Dice: Man-O-War! - At 30% health, Harlan Sweete gains Loaded Dice: Man-O-War!, which increases his attack speed and damage taken by 100%. In addition, his abilities will trigger more frequently. Basically this means: more damage for everyone! Healers need to be careful during this as everyone takes more damage and might wish to save some cooldowns for this. Same goes for the tank, might want to use your defensive cooldowns now. DPS can also use abilities to help them take less damage to help the healer out.

All in all, this is definitely the most chaotic fight in Freehold. You need to pay close attention to positioning and try to dodge everything you can. Deal with the adds quickly before they deal with you. All I can say is: All hands on deck!


Loot:
Normal:


Heroic:


Mythics:



Achievements:
The following achievements can be earned in Freehold. I’ll go into detail on how to earn them so that you can be prepared, if you want to, for the less obvious achievements. Click on the spoiler to see the explanation for the more difficult achievements! Please take note that the ‘special’ achievements are only for Mythic difficulty!

Freehold - Defeat Harlan Sweete in Freehold.

Heroic: Freehold - Defeat Harlan Sweete in Freehold on Heroic difficulty or higher.

Mythic: Freehold - Defeat Harlan Sweete in Freehold on Mythic difficulty.

I’m in Charge Now! - Defeat Skycap'n Kragg after summoning and defeating Patches in Freehold on Mythic difficulty.

Spoiler:

This achievement isn’t too difficult, but you will need someone in your group with the toy ‘Hearthstone Board’, which can be bought from a vendor in your Garrison. When you have this toy, you need to place the toy in a safe location (I suggest behind the pit where the boss fight happens) and you need to leave it there - do not flip it. You have to place it before you pull the boss, keep that in mind. Once you place it, kill the pack of mobs at the entrance of the pit to aggro Skycap’n Kragg. Once you start the fight, Patches will spawn. Patches is nothing special, but kill him first. Then, kill Skycap’n as normal.

Pecking Order - Serve Sharkbait his favorite meal in Freehold on Mythic difficulty.

Spoiler:

This is a confusing achievement, but to make it simple: you have to collect items throughout the dungeon and then feed Sharkbait his favorite meal. There’s a useful map on WoWhead that will help you locate the items:

You have to find Sharkbait’s Empty Dish, then find the Gourmet Parrot Chow and then go to the third location to put it in feed Sharkbait.
Here are some more pictures I found to help you visualise the locations, besides the previous picture.
Dish:

Feed:

Bowl:

Once you’ve fed the parrot, you get the achievement!

That Sweete Booty - Defeat Harlan Sweete after destroying three Chests o' Booty in Freehold on Mythic Difficulty.

Spoiler:

During the Harlan Sweete fight on Mythic difficult, Chests o’ Booty will spawn at specific locations. This is a picture someone uploaded on WoWhead and it very clearly shows where they spawn.

To destroy the chests, they’ll have to be hit by Cannon Barrage. So, when a player gets targeted, they’ll run over to one of the locations to make sure at least 1 cannonball hits the chest. You will likely want to assign the 3 DPS as ‘Chest Destroyers’ and have them position themselves somewhat near the locations so they have an easier time getting there during Cannon Barrage. This does not have to happen at the same time, the chests just have to be destroyed when Harlan Sweete dies.

Well, this is the end of the guide! Hopefully, this helped you in some way! Good luck and have fun in Battle for Azeroth, everyone!