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This article is about the game feature. For the Netherstorm subzone, see Proving Grounds (subzone). For the quests with the same name, see Proving Grounds (quest).
Proving Grounds
Proving Grounds loading screen
Proving Grounds loading screen
Location Temple of the White Tiger, Kun-Lai Summit
Instance info
Advised level Maximum level
Minimum level 15
Player limit 1
VZ-Proving Grounds

World map

Proving Grounds

Proving Grounds arena.

The Proving Grounds is a special type of single-player scenario that allows players to both learn and demonstrate the core skills associated with a given role or class. These might take the form of testing how long a tank can protect an NPC healer from a stream of oncoming enemies, or how much damage a rogue can deal to targets while avoiding awareness and movement checks of increasing difficulty. The system is intended to be a fun way for players to practice some of the skills that are essential for group gameplay, and for expert players to demonstrate mastery and compete for positions atop leaderboards, similar to the Challenge Mode feature.

There are three types of challenge, Damage, Tank, and Healer, with each providing appropriate challenges. Each challenge can be tackled in Bronze, Silver, Gold or Endless mode, with each difficulty unlocked by defeating the previous one. Higher difficulties provide a stiffer challenge not only in terms of numbers but also in complexity, with more complicated sequences and combinations of enemies. Endless mode provides the player with a literally endless challenge, testing players to see how long they can withstand the onslaught.

The Proving Grounds become available at level 15, but only players at level 100 or higher will be allowed to progress beyond Bronze difficulty.

Getting there[]

Players may enter the proving grounds by speaking with either Trial Master Rotun inside the Temple of the White Tiger in Kun-Lai Summit, or Warmaster Zog (Horde) / Lieutenant Thorn (Alliance) in your faction Garrison or with any class trainer.

Inside the scenario[]

Trial Master Rotun will start a trial, but before starting out, feel free to repair, change talents, and eat or drink using materials provided by Furnisher Echoroot, and loot a Warlock healthstone [Healthstone] from Nadaga Soulweaver's Soulwell.

In Warlords of Draenor[]

Removed from game The subject of this section has been removed from World of Warcraft.

At the February 2014 press event, it was revealed that getting silver in a specific role would be one of the requirements to queue for a random Heroic at max level. Players will still be able to queue for normal dungeons regardless of Proving Grounds progression. Ion Hazzikostas chimed in with more information:

Crucible Silver Medal required for LFD/LFR | 2014-02-22 07:11 | Blizzard Entertainment Ion Hazzikostas

To at least get everyone on the same page in terms of information, since a summary of a translated version of a translation of a few sentences in a single interview may not be the best foundation for a 24-page discussion, here's an overview of our current thinking:
  • We will have Normal and Heroic versions of our max-level dungeons. (Note that we did not have Normal level 90 dungeons in Mists.)
  • There will be no special requirement other than basic level/ilvl requirements on queuing for Normal dungeons or LFR.
  • Level-up quest gear will get you into Normal dungeons/scenarios, and Normal dungeon/scenario gear will get you into LFR.
  • Heroic dungeons will be more challenging than the Normal version (not brutally difficult, mind you -- just somewhat more demanding).
  • You will need a Silver Proving Grounds medal in a given role in order to queue for random matchmaking for a Heroic Warlords dungeon. If you form a premade group, you can zone in regardless and no such requirement applies.

In the past, challenging content and random matchmaking have often not gone so well together. Relying on item level does nothing to prevent a random group from getting, for example, a tank who may literally have never tanked before. Everyone has to learn somewhere, but we'd rather not have that learning come at other players' expense. One option would be to require a full premade group to do Heroic Dungeons, as we do with Heroic Scenarios, but that would present a very high barrier to entry (finding 4 other people with rigid role requirements is much harder than finding 2 other people with no role requirements). This solution represents a compromise in order to allow the content to see a broader reach via matchmaking while minimizing frustration.

And yes, we realize that by formally using Proving Grounds as a qualification, it will be incumbent upon us to further refine their balance and mechanics. We'll be updating them for Warlords, and we're confident that we can make them a fair test of baseline ability within a given role.

View original post

Expanding upon the above, it has been stated that in Warlords of Draenor the Proving Grounds will tell failing players what they did wrong, making it something of a teaching tool rather than simply a test.[1] These improvements will likely not be present at the start of the expansion, but will be added as the expansion progresses.[2]

Trials[]

Rotun offers a different family of trials for each role, one for damage-dealers, one for tanks, and one for healers. Each family has four ranks: bronze, silver, gold, and endless. To start higher-ranked trials, players must first beat lower-ranked trials of the same family.

Starting any trial will reset all of the challenger's cooldowns and restore the challenger to full health and mana.

Damage[]

No friendly NPCs are involved in the damage trials.

Basic Damage (Bronze)[]

The bronze Basic damage trial consists of five waves, and each wave must be defeated before time expires. There are three types of enemies:

Stage Enemies Time Tips Overhead
1 IconSmall Saurok large 30 None Bronze 1
2 IconSmall Saurok large, IconSmall Mogu Male small x2 55 None Bronze 2
3 IconSmall Mogu Male small, IconSmall Virmen large x4, IconSmall Virmen small x6 55 AoE group Bronze 3
4 IconSmall Mogu small x2, IconSmall Saurok small, IconSmall Virmen large x2, IconSmall Virmen small x4 65 AoE group Bronze 4
5 IconSmall Saurok huge 55 ~1.7M health pool, burst it! Bronze 5

Basic Damage (Silver)[]

The silver Basic damage trial consists of eight waves and two new types of enemies:

  • IconSmall Mantid Small and Large Illusionary Amber-Weaver — Level 92 mantid with 316,000 and 526,000 health respectively.
    • Ability creature amber 01 Amber Globule — Conjures a globule of amber, which floats toward the target. It will detonate on any target it hits, encasing them, and other targets within 4 yd, in amber and increasing damage taken by 50% for 6 sec. 2 sec cast. Summons a Volatile Amber Globule
  • IconSmall Jinyu Small and Large Illusionary Mystic — Level 92 jinyu with 500,000 and 1,053,000 health respectively.
    • Spell nature healingway Heal Illusion — 2 sec cast. Interruptible. Heals for 285,000 to 315,000.
  • IconSmall Mogu Large Illusionary Guardian — Level 93 mogu with 500,000 health.
    • Ability warrior shieldreflection Defend — Deflects all attacks from the front for 10 sec. 2.5 sec cast
Stage Enemies Time Tips Overhead
1 IconSmall Saurok small, IconSmall Mogu small 30 None Silver 1
2 IconSmall Saurok small, IconSmall Virmen large x3, IconSmall Virmen small x3 40 Low AoE Silver 2
3 IconSmall Mantid small, IconSmall Saurok small x2 35 Kite the globules if needed. Silver 3
4 IconSmall Mantid large, IconSmall Virmen large x3, IconSmall Virmen small x3 45 Use the virmens as globule soakers while you kill them. Silver 4
5 IconSmall Jinyu large, IconSmall Virmen small x4 40 Interrupt heals and low AoE. Silver 5
6 IconSmall Mogu large, IconSmall Jinyu small, IconSmall Saurok small 65 Interrupt heals. Silver 6
7 IconSmall Mogu large x2, IconSmall Mantid small, IconSmall Jinyu small, IconSmall Virmen small x2 60 Get covered behind the Mystic from Globules. Melee can leave virmens alive as they're pro soakers. Silver 7
8 IconSmall Jinyu large, IconSmall Mantid small x2, IconSmall Saurok large 65 Nuke one of the Weavers really fast then kill the Mystic while got covered. Silver 8

Basic Damage (Gold)[]

The gold Basic damage trial consists of ten waves and three new types of enemies:

  • IconSmall Hozen Small and Large Illusionary Banana-Tosser — Level 92 hozen with 316,194 and 526,990 health respectively.
    • Inv misc food 23 Fan of Bananas — Throws a fan of bananas at all enemies within 8 yards, dealing 152,625 to 177,375 damage and reducing movement speed by 5% for 5 sec.
      • Inv misc food 23 Bananastorm — Chance to hit reduced by 75%.
  • IconSmall GhostMogu Small and Large Illusionary Banshee — Level 91 banshee with 163,013 and 305,649 health respectively.
    • Spell shadow mindbomb Timer — The banshee prepares to explode, killing all enemies after 18 sec.
  • IconSmall Sha Small and Large Illusionary Sha — Level 93 sha with 5,015,576 and 7,632,398 health respectively.
    • Sha spell fire felfireward Protection Shield — Protected by a powerful shield! Damage taken reduced by 50%.
    • Sha spell shadow shadesofdarkness Exposed! — The shield is down, leaving the illusion exposed! Damage taken increased by 300%.
Stage Enemies Time Tips Overhead
1 IconSmall Mantid small x2, IconSmall Saurok small x2 30 When amber globules strike an enemy that enemy takes 50% more damage for a few seconds so you probably want to tackle the two Small Illusionary Slayers first, kiting these globules into at least one of them. Gold 1
2 IconSmall Mantid large, IconSmall Hozen large 35 You probably can't get a globule to hit the Small Illusionary Banana-Tosser here, but if you take out that Banana-Tosser first it should be easy to make the Small Illusionary Amber-Weaver trap itself. Gold 2
3 IconSmall Jinyu small, IconSmall Mantid small, IconSmall Hozen small 40 Consider using CC on either the Small Illusionary Banana-Tosser or Small Illusionary Mystic if you are having trouble interrupting heals while dodging bananas. Gold 3
4 IconSmall Jinyu large, IconSmall Hozen small 40 Here you are presented with the first Berserking buff - you'll get another in a couple of waves. They increase your damage by 30%. Please note that you do not have to use it on the wave it appears - e.g. if you are having trouble with wave 5 but find wave 4 really easy, save it for wave 5. Also, this is the first wave with a Large creature - this Mystic has a lot more health than you fought in the last wave. Gold 4
5 IconSmall Mogu Male small x3, IconSmall GhostMogu small x3 45 Pet classes can benefit from having their pet damage one Guardian while you damage another - to reduce pet movement time. Pets will always attack from behind. These are small creature types so this phase should not be hard unless you are attacking from the front. Gold 5
6 IconSmall Jinyu small x2, IconSmall Virmen large x4, IconSmall Virmen small x2 50 This is a simple exercise in making sure you can CC a target. The Small Illusionary Mystics will not start casting a heal until something is damaged so you have plenty of time to get set up at the start if needed. Gold 6
7 IconSmall Hozen small, IconSmall Mantid small, IconSmall Jinyu small, IconSmall Mogu Male small, IconSmall GhostMogu small, IconSmall GhostMogu large 55 This is probably the biggest combination of different enemies faced so far, but you do have a buff if needed. Gold 7
8 IconSmall Mantid small x2, IconSmall Sha small, IconSmall GhostMogu small 60 Small Illusionary Sha will take 50% reduced damage for 40 seconds before losing their shield and taking 300% damage for 20 seconds - or 6 times as much damage as their previous phase. It's probably not worth trying to save amber globules for his increased damage phase because you will not have much time to finish off the Small Illusionary Amber-Weaver afterwards. Just get the two Small Illusionary Amber-Weavers down before the Sha's shield falls off. Gold 8
9 IconSmall Hozen small, IconSmall Jinyu large, IconSmall Sha small, IconSmall GhostMogu small 75 Nothing really new here - just kill the Small Illusionary Mystic and Small Illusionary Banana-Tosser and start working on the Small Illusionary Sha (no CDs yet!) until his shield falls off. Gold 9
10 IconSmall Saurok large, IconSmall Sha large, IconSmall GhostMogu small x2 80 The Sha is now Large so the health difference should be noticeable. There won't be enough time for a second burn phase, but you will be able to pick up a couple more percent if you didn't get it down in the first one. Gold 10

Basic Damage (Endless)[]

The endless Basic damage trial is putting your skills to the test. You have one minute to beat each wave and a fifteen-second break after the 10th wave marker and repeats.

Stage Enemies Tips
1 IconSmall Mantid large x3, IconSmall Virmen small x6 You can use the Amber Globules either on the Small Illusionary Varmint pack in the center or on the Large Illusionary Amber-Weavers themselves. This is one of the most generous rounds in terms of damage requirement.
2 IconSmall Mantid small, IconSmall Jinyu small, IconSmall Mogu Male large x2, IconSmall GhostMogu small All of these mobs are CC-able, and in fact I preferred to trap the Small Illusionary Mystic so that I could aim Amber Globules at one of the Large Illusionary Guardians. Note that the Small Illusionary Banshee does not appear on the map - Banshees always appear in the center circle and are not present at the start of a round. This is a "Small" Banshee so it has very little health, but will detonate after 10 seconds and end your attempts, making it a high priority when it appears.
3 IconSmall Hozen large x2, IconSmall Virmen large x18 They all start in the center, but note that the Large Illusionary Varmints fan out in a star pattern. Earlier in the PTR, they were easily AoE'd, but now some classes will likely only be able to AoE a subset of them. You should still have plenty of time for this round if you can handle the Large Illusionary Banana-Tossers quickly.
4 IconSmall Mantid large, IconSmall Mogu Male large x4, IconSmall GhostMogu small There's a large damage requirement here if you need the Berserker, but you may be better off completing this wave without using it, because the requirements for the latter 5 waves are also very high. You will absolutely want to use the Amber Globule on the Large Illusionary Guardians and unleash strong burst damage while they are taking the increased damage from it.
5 IconSmall Hozen small, IconSmall Jinyu small, IconSmall Sha small, IconSmall GhostMogu small The Small Illusionary Sha is in the center and the Small Illusionary Banana-Tosser and Small Illusionary Mystic start on opposite sides. Note that the Sha's Protection Shield will fade just after the Small Illusionary Banshee dies (and everything else should be dead).
6 IconSmall Jinyu large x2, IconSmall Virmen large x6 CC really isn't required for any of these waves except for maybe this one - unless you have multiple interrupts at your disposal. Note that disorient effects like Scatter Shot, which would normally cause an enemy to resume casting immediately when it wears off, seem to put the enemy's ability on CD in this case. Also, the Large Illusionary Virmen are packed close enough together for AoE this time.
7 IconSmall Mantid large x2, IconSmall Mogu Male large x3, IconSmall Hozen large You'll want to use the Amber Globule on the diagonal line of Large Illusionary Guardians, but the Large Illusionary Banana-Tosser will make this difficult if you do not CC or kill him quickly. There is a lot of damage required for this phase so you may want to have some CDs ready.
8 IconSmall Jinyu large, IconSmall Saurok large x2, IconSmall GhostMogu large x3 The theme of this phase is being able to do enough damage (and interrupting heals) in order to deal with the banshees. These are of the Large variety which means they have more health than the Small and last for 15 seconds instead of 10 - note that the second and third Banshees will overlap! This wave can be deceiving because the banshees don't show up until later - if you aren't almost done with the other adds by the time these start coming out you will be in trouble.
9 IconSmall Mantid large, IconSmall Hozen large, IconSmall Mogu Male large, IconSmall Saurok large x2, IconSmall GhostMogu large CC'ing the Large Illusionary Banana-Tosser or killing it quickly will make it easier to use the Amber Globules on the Large Illusionary Slayers and Large Illusionary Guardians.
10 IconSmall Sha large On wave 5 you faced a Small Illusionary Sha and a few other mobs - this time it is just the Large Illusionary Sha, but he has way more health. This wave has the highest DPS requirement and will likely require several CDs and/or the Berserker buff. Once again you have 40 seconds during which your abilities have little effect, followed by a 20-second burn phase.

Tank[]

Sikari the Mistweaver is present during this trial.

Basic Tank (Bronze)[]

The bronze Basic tank trial consists of five waves, and each wave must be defeated before time expires. There are two types of enemies:

  • IconSmall Saurok Small and Large Illusionary Ripper — Level 92 saurok with 3,372,736 and 5,059,104 health respectively. No abilities.
  • IconSmall Virmen Small and Large Illusionary Forager — Level 91 virmen with 2,445,192 and 3,667,788 health respectively. Nearly always clumped together.
    • Inv misc monsterfang 01 Chomp — Chomps on an enemy, dealing 6475 to 7525 damage and an additional 1500 damage every 1 sec, stacking up to 100 times.
Stage Enemies Additional Time Tips
1 IconSmall Saurok large None 30 This wave is the simplest thing you will ever tank in your WoW career, and demonstrates that you understand how to pick up and tank a single add.
2 IconSmall Saurok small x2 None 40 Similarly to wave 1, this simple test gives practice in picking up two adds.
3 IconSmall Virmen large x5 None 50 This test demonstrates how Sikari the Mistweaver responds to numerous targets and teaches you to hold numerous adds at the same time.
4 IconSmall Saurok large, IconSmall Virmen small x5 None 55 Again, this tests your ability to tank numerous small adds, but now introduces a large add you should focus.
5 IconSmall Saurok large x2, IconSmall Saurok small IconSmall Virmen large x2, IconSmall Virmen small x2
At 30 sec.
60 Wave 5 features the first mid-wave spawn, which are a big part of Gold and Endless, and teaches how to pick up newly spawned adds while maintaining threat on current adds, an important basic tanking lesson.

Basic Tank (Silver)[]

The silver Basic tank trial consists of eight waves and two new types of enemies:

  • IconSmall Yaungol Male Small and Large Illusionary Flamecaller — Level 92 yaungol with 3,161,940 and 4,637,512 health respectively.
    • Spell fire volcano Lava Pool — Deals Fire damage to enemies standing in the lava pool.
      • Spell fire ragnaros molteninferno Lava Burns — Summons globs of lava around the caster. The lava will burn friendly and enemy units standing on it every 1 sec for 9250 to 10750 Fire damage plus an additional 8000 Fire damage over 4 sec, and increase all damage taken by 2%. Stacks up to 3 times.
    • Spell fire flamebolt Fireball — Inflicts Fire damage to an enemy. (Small Illusionary Flamecaller Only)
    • Spell fire fireball02 Pyroblast — Inflicts Fire damage to an enemy. (Large Illusionary Flamecaller Only)
  • IconSmall Mantid Small and Large Illusionary Wind-Guard — Level 92 mantid with 5,691,492 and 8,431,840 health respectively.
    • Inv misc volatileair Wing Blast — Flaps its wings, dealing 10000 Physical damage, knocking enemies back, and reducing their threat.
Stage Enemies Additional Time Tips
1 IconSmall Saurok large, IconSmall Saurok small None 40 Similar to Bronze, Silver starts slowly with a simple 2-add pickup wave.
2 IconSmall Virmen large x3, IconSmall Virmen small x3 None 40 Again, you are eased into tanking a handful of small mobs. The Small Illusionary Forager's DoT debuff is the most dangerous part of the wave, and AoE CC will reduce their damage considerably.
3 IconSmall Yaungol Male small, IconSmall Saurok large None 40 Wave 3 introduces the Small Illusionary Flamecaller. Tank it and the Large Illusionary Ripper in lava and this wave is easy.
4 IconSmall Yaungol Male large, IconSmall Virmen large x2, IconSmall Virmen small x2 None 40 This wave tests your ability to tank the enemies in lava. If you can move the Small Illusionary Forager through lava, they will go down quickly, but if you walk through lava yourself they will hit unnecessarily hard. Tank them in lava while staying out.
5 IconSmall Yaungol Male small, IconSmall Saurok small x2 IconSmall Virmen large x3
At 35 sec.
50 The primary challenge in this wave is positioning yourself to pick up the Large Illusionary Forager as they spawn while staying clear of lava. Use the lava to burn the Rippers and Small Illusionary Flamecaller down quickly and the damage once the Large Illusionary Forager spawn will not be dangerous.
6 IconSmall Mantid large, IconSmall Saurok small None 55 This wave introduces the Wind-Guard. Be prepared to taunt when it knocks back.
7 IconSmall Mantid large, IconSmall Yaungol Male small, IconSmall Saurok large None 60 The Wind-Guard returns along with a Small Illusionary Flamecaller, and they can combine forces to push you into a fiery death. Make sure you don't have lava behind you and you will be just fine.
8 IconSmall Mantid large, IconSmall Virmen small x4 IconSmall Yaungol Male large, IconSmall Saurok small
At 40 sec.
1:05 This wave teaches the importance of positioning and remaining aware of surroundings. The mid-wave Flamecaller can be dangerous if you are unaware, or helpful if you use it to burn down the Small Illusionary Forager. Always be prepared to reacquire threat once the Wind-Guard knocks back.

Basic Tank (Gold)[]

The gold Basic tank trial consists of ten waves and two new types of enemies:

  • IconSmall Hozen Small and Large Illusionary Ambusher — Level 92 hozen with 1,897,164 and 2,845,746 health respectively.
    • Inv misc food 23 Fan of Bananas — Throws a fan of bananas at all enemies within 8 yards, dealing 152625 to 177375 damage and reducing movement speed by 5% for 5 sec.
  • IconSmall Mogu Male Small and Large Illusionary Conqueror — Level 93 mogu with 4,797,507 and 7,632,398 health respectively.
    • Inv mace 2h thunderisleraid d 02 Powerful Slam — Deals 195,000 to 205,000 damage and stuns targets in front of you for 4 sec.
    • Spell nature bloodlust Enrage — Enrages, freeing from and providing immunity to movement imparing and loss of control effects, increasing movement speed by 150%, increasing damage dealt by 200%, and increasing attack speed by 50% for 10 sec.
Stage Enemies Additional Time Tips
1 IconSmall Mantid small, IconSmall Saurok small None 40 Gold starts off more complex, immediately bringing in a Small Illusionary Wind-Guard. Always be ready to taunt after a knockback.
2 IconSmall Yaungol Male large, IconSmall Virmen large x2, IconSmall Virmen small x3 None 40 Like Silver Wave 4, Gold Wave 2 combines a Flamecaller with Small Illusionary Forager. Simply burn them down without burning yourself and this wave proves no challenge.
3 IconSmall Saurok small x2 IconSmall Hozen small
At 35 sec.
IconSmall Hozen small
At 25 sec.
40 Notes: Wave 3 Gold considerably ramps up the difficulty from Bronze and Silver, by separately bringing in two Small Illusionary Ambushers mid-wave. Be prepared to quickly pull them away from Sikari the Mistweaver.
4 IconSmall Mantid large, IconSmall Saurok small IconSmall Hozen small
At 45 sec.
IconSmall Hozen large
At 35 sec.
50 Wave 4 adds complexity onto the multiple mid-wave Large Illusionary Ambusher spawns of the previous wave by starting with a Wind-Guard. Always be prepared to taunt, and don't be shy with CC or cooldowns when tanking multiple ambushers.
5 IconSmall Yaungol Male large IconSmall Mantid small
At 35 sec.
IconSmall Hozen small
At 30 sec.
50 This wave is a step down in difficulty. Be prepared to pick up the Small Illusionary Wind-Guard and Small Illusionary Ambusher and don't let yourself get knocked back into a bad place. Use the lava correctly and this is no trouble.
6 IconSmall Mogu small, IconSmall Saurok large x2 None 60 Wave 6 introduces the Conqueror. Handle the Powerful Slam and Enrage correctly and it should be easy enough.
7 IconSmall Mogu Male small, IconSmall Mantid small IconSmall Hozen large
At 35 sec.
1:05 Much like wave 4 built upon the introduction of Ambushers by adding a Wind-Guard, Wave 7 builds upon the Conqueror by adding both a Small Illusionary Wind-Guard and an Large Illusionary Ambusher. Don't be afraid to use defensive cooldowns if the Conqueror Enrages while you are tanking it and the Large Illusionary Ambusher. Alternately, single target CC (Bash, Hammer of Justice) on the Large Illusionary Ambusher can work wonders.
8 IconSmall Mogu large, IconSmall Yaungol Male small IconSmall Hozen large
At 55 sec.
IconSmall Hozen small
At 40 sec.
1:20 Use the Small Illusionary Flamecaller to burn down the Large Illusionary Conqueror, and use crowd control or cooldowns to survive the damage of aLarge Illusionary Conqueror and two Large Illusionary Ambushers.
9 IconSmall Yaungol Male large IconSmall Hozen small
At 1:40
IconSmall Mogu Male large, IconSmall Mantid small
At 1:30
IconSmall Hozen small
At 60 sec.
IconSmall Hozen large
At 55 sec.
1:50 Use lava to quickly burn down the Small Illusionary Flamecaller and the first two mid-wave spawns, and you should be doing well by the time the third and fourth mid-wave spawns come out. Use a defensive cooldown if you wind up tanking an Enraging Large Illusionary Conqueror and two Small Illusionary Ambushers.
10 IconSmall Yaungol Male small IconSmall Mogu large x2, IconSmall Mantid small
At 1:45
IconSmall Hozen small
At 1:35
IconSmall Hozen large x2
At 60 sec.
2:00 Using lava to burn the Large Illusionary Conquerors and Large Illusionary Ambusher is key to this wave. You will have Large Illusionary Conquerors alive when the Ambusher pair spawns, so use any remaining defensive cooldowns to survive Enrage at that point.

Basic Tank (Endless)[]

The endless Basic tank trial is putting your skills to the test. You have one minute to beat each wave and a fifteen-second break after the 10th wave marker and repeats.

Stage Enemies Additional Tips
1 IconSmall Mantid large, IconSmall Saurok large None Endless starts off simple and easy.
2 IconSmall Virmen large x4, IconSmall Virmen small x4 IconSmall Hozen small
At 45 sec.
IconSmall Hozen small
At 30 sec.
With ten total mobs, this is the biggest wave you will face in all of Proving Grounds. None of the mobs hit particularly hard on their own, but the combination of eight Foragers stacking Chomp and two Small Illusionary Ambushers can be dangerous. CC is valuable on this wave.
3 IconSmall Yaungol Male small x2, IconSmall Saurok large x2 None A Large Illusionary Flamecaller and Large Illusionary Ripper spawn on opposing sides of the room in front of Sikari the Mistweaver. The Large Illusionary Rippers quickly make a beeline toward Sikari the Mistweaver, and picking them up should be no trouble. Bringing the Large Illusionary Flamecaller s together requires interrupts and crowd control, and is a more difficult task depending upon which class you are playing. As long as the Large Illusionary Flamecaller s are not allowed to freely cast into Sikari the Mistweaver, all will be well and the lava will make quick work of the Large Illusionary Rippers.
4 IconSmall Mogu Male small, IconSmall Mantid large IconSmall Hozen large
At 40 sec.
This is a dangerous combination of mechanics, but as it is only a three-mob wave, this is very manageable. Be prepared for the Large Illusionary Wind-Guard's knockback, be ready to move out of the Small Illusionary Conqueror's Powerful Slam, and pick up the Large Illusionary Ambusher as it spawns. You can also let one of the Small Illusionary Flamecaller freecast into Sikari, to cut down on the amount of damage done to you. The biggest danger is that one of the mobs may survive into the following wave.
5 IconSmall Yaungol Male small, IconSmall Saurok small x2 IconSmall Hozen small
At 45 sec.
IconSmall Hozen small
At 30 sec.
IconSmall Hozen small
At 15 sec.
Use the lava to burn down the Small Illusionary Ripper, Small Illusionary Ambushers and any remaining mobs from last wave and the third Ambusher should be the only mob alive when it spawns. A solo Small Illusionary Ambusher is no danger. Whenever picking up Small Illusionary Ambushers while Lava Pool are active, position yourself so that when you taunt they will run through Lava Pool on their way to you. This should painlessly (for you) get them doused in lava without having to get close to it yourself.
6 IconSmall Mantid large x3 None This wave is incredibly beefy. Sikari the Mistweaver will only be dealing single-target damage, and this trio will often chain knockbacks to launch you well across the room and get some free dps time into Sikari the Mistweaver. Good use of the barricades and ranged threat will keep them off of her and on you. Chances are high that two of the three Large Illusionary Wind-Guard will be alive going into the following wave, and this is the most dangerous aspect of this wave if you handle knockbacks correctly.
7 IconSmall Mogu Male small, IconSmall Virmen small x4 None The only significant danger in this wave is the Small Illusionary Conqueror's Powerful Slam and the sheer number of mobs you will likely be facing. Bring as much CC and damage as you can to whittle their numbers down quickly, and you will fare well. Due to Sikari the Mistweaver's lackluster single-target dps, you may wind up with a Small Illusionary Conqueror or even a Wind-Guard alive going into the next wave, but that shouldn't be a threat.
8 IconSmall Yaungol Male large x3 IconSmall Hozen large
At 50 sec.
IconSmall Hozen small
At 40 sec.
IconSmall Hozen large
At 30 sec.
IconSmall Hozen large
At 20 sec.
Use Lava Pool to make quick work of the first three Small Illusionary Ambushers and this wave won't prove threatening. If you fail to burn them down quickly, prepare to use CC or defensive cooldowns because they will hit hard.
9 IconSmall Mantid small x2, IconSmall Saurok large x2, IconSmall Saurok small IconSmall Hozen small
At 40 sec.
IconSmall Hozen small
At 20 sec.
This wave deals a lot of damage, and the Small Illusionary Wind-Guard' knockbacks coincide with the Ambusher's spawns. Be ready to be knocked back right as you need to pick up Small Illusionary Ambushers. Quickly peel both the newly-spawned Small Illusionary Ambusher and the pair of Small Illusionary Wind-Guard off of Sikari the Mistweaver immediately. As always, CC and defensive cooldowns are tremendously valuable in handling the damage from the multitude of adds in this wave.
10 IconSmall Mogu Male large, IconSmall Yaungol Male large IconSmall Hozen large
At 35 sec.
Use the Large Illusionary Flamecaller's lava to burn down the Large Illusionary Conqueror and Large Illusionary Ambusher once it spawns, dodge the Powerful Slams and use cooldowns when the Large Illusionary Conqueror casts Enrage and you should be able to handle this simple wave.

Healer[]

Kavan the Arcanist, Ki the Assassin, Oto the Protector, Sooli the Survivalist and Speedy are present during this trial.

Basic Healer (Bronze)[]

The bronze Basic healer trial consists of five waves, and each wave must be defeated before time expires. There are two types of enemies:

Stage Enemies Time Tips
1 IconSmall Saurok small 25 Not much to do yet. Cast a few heals on Oto.
2 IconSmall Saurok large 30 Still, only Oto is taking damage, so basic single-target heals are all you need.
3 IconSmall Mantid small, IconSmall Saurok small 45 The addition of a Hive-Singer requires you to use basic group heals. If you're anticipating working on Gold or Endless soon, you can use these waves to get the hang of interrupting them.
4 IconSmall Mantid large, IconSmall Saurok large 1:00 Harder version of the previous wave. The group damage from the Large Illusionary Hive-Singer is high, so heal aggressively; mana shouldn't be an issue in Bronze. Feel free to use a cooldown, but save something for the next wave.
5 IconSmall Saurok large x2, IconSmall Mantid small x2 1:30 Essentially a longer version of the last wave, and first use of a delayed spawn.

Basic Healer (Silver)[]

The silver Basic healer trial consists of eight waves and two new types of enemies:

  • IconSmall Yaungol Male Small and Large Illusionary Flamecaller — Level 92 yaungol with 3,161,940 and 4,637,512 health respectively.
    • Spell fire ragnaros lavabolt Invoke Lava — Summons globs of lava around the caster. The lava will burn friendly and enemy units standing on it every 1 sec for 32375 to 37625 Fire damage plus an additional 12500 Fire damage over 5 sec, and increase all damage taken by 2%. Stacks up to 20 times.
    • Spell fire flamebolt Fireball — Inflicts Fire damage to an enemy. (Small Illusionary Flamecaller Only)
    • Spell fire fireball02 Pyroblast — Inflicts Fire damage to an enemy. (Large Illusionary Flamecaller Only)
  • IconSmall Jinyu Small and Large Illusionary Aqualyte — Level 92 jinyu with 4,215,920 and 6,323,880 health respectively.
    • Inv elemental mote water01 Aqua Bomb — Applies an Aqua Bomb to the target, causing them to take damage every second, and after 6 sec causes them to explode, dealing damage to those nearby.
Stage Enemies Time Tips
1 IconSmall Saurok large 35 Another warmup wave to start. Heal Oto.
2 IconSmall Mantid large, IconSmall Saurok small 35 An easier version of a Bronze wave, but don't be surprised by the Hive Singer's damage.
3 IconSmall Yaungol Male small, IconSmall Saurok small 40 The introduction of Flamecaller. A Small version isn't likely to kill someone when there's no other damage, but it's a good chance to see how they work. Notice how Invoke Lava has a cast and then a channel. A good habit is interrupting them just the channel starts, and then they will not cast it again.
4 IconSmall Yaungol Male large, IconSmall Saurok large 50 Now the higher-damage version of the previous wave. The Large version of the Flamecaller can kill someone with consecutive casts if you don't heal the target. If you have an indicator on your frames for who's being targeted, you can see how it helps anticipate the damage here.
5 IconSmall Saurok large, IconSmall Mantid small, IconSmall Yaungol Male large 1:00 Wave 5 where more enemies start to get combined to test your ability to handle them at once. The Small Illusionary Hive-Singer isn't so bad on its own, but the delayed spawn Large Illusionary Flamecaller can be dangerous if people aren't topped off when he appears. Use a cooldown or two here, as they should be back up during wave 8.
6 IconSmall Jinyu small, IconSmall Saurok large 55 Introducing the Aqualyte. Nothing special here, this wave is just demonstrating that you need to dispel. Watch out for higher tank damage when Aqualytes are added.
7 IconSmall Jinyu small, IconSmall Yaungol Male small 1:00 Combining the Aqualyte and a Flamecaller doesn't pose too much trouble, just don't forget to dispel while you watch the Fireballs.
8 IconSmall Mantid small, IconSmall Jinyu small, IconSmall Yaungol Male large, IconSmall Saurok small x2 1:05 A more intense wave than anything before to cap off Silver. Do not forget about your cooldowns; most or all should be up and they will make a big difference. Heal off the initial Hive-Singer's damage, so you don't get surprised by the Large Illusionary Flamecaller on the delayed spawn.

Basic Healer (Gold)[]

The gold Basic healer trial consists of ten waves and two new types of enemies:

  • IconSmall Virmen Small and Large Illusionary Tunneler — Level 91 virmen with 2,648,958 and 4,075,320 health respectively.
    • Inv misc volatileearth Burrow — Burrows under the ground to a target, dealing damage to them when they arrive.
    • Inv misc monsterfang 01 Chomp — Chomps on an enemy, dealing 104500 to 115500 damage and an additional 6500 damage every 0.5 sec. Removed when the target's health goes above 90%.
  • IconSmall Mogu Male Small and Large Illusionary Conqueror — Level 93 mogu with 4,797,507 and 7,632,398 health respectively.
    • Spell nature bloodlust Enrage — Enrages, freeing from and providing immunity to movement imparing and loss of control effects, increasing movement speed by 150%, increasing damage dealt by 200%, and increasing attack speed by 50% for 10 sec.
Stage Enemies Time Tips
1 IconSmall Yaungol Male large, IconSmall Saurok small 35 An easy starting wave. You should be able to get through it without spending much mana.
2 IconSmall Jinyu large, IconSmall Mantid small 45 This is a good time to practice interrupting the Small Illusionary Hive-Singer while there isn't much else going on. Another easy wave that you want to handle efficiently.
3 IconSmall Mantid small, IconSmall Virmen small, IconSmall Saurok small 40 The first introduction of a Tunneler is already a bit tricky. Chomp and Sonic Blast at the same time can require a lot of burst healing to top the person off. Interrupting Sonic Blast is helpful for avoiding having to spend a lot mana on this.
4 IconSmall Yaungol Male large, IconSmall Virmen large, IconSmall Saurok small 55 There is some RNG here, since Pyroblast and Chomp on the same target can hurt. The Large Illusionary Tunneler will survive a bit into wave 5, which is a high-damage wave, so you really want to avoid getting behind on dealing with Chomp and having anyone at low HP.
5 IconSmall Jinyu large, IconSmall Virmen small, IconSmall Mantid small, IconSmall Yaungol Male small 1:05 A large, busy wave with two sets of spawns marks the halfway point. This is a very good wave to use a group cooldown, usually once the Small Illusionary Hive-Singer has gotten its first few casts off. Oto the Protector can take a lot of damage too, between the Large Illusionary Aqualyte and potential Chomps--heal him carefully because you want to save both your own tank cooldowns and his Shield Wall for the upcoming Conquerors. The Small Illusionary Hive-Singer and Small Illusionary Flamecaller appear near Trial Master Rotun, about 15 seconds into the wave, if you want to try to interrupt them.
6 IconSmall Saurok large, IconSmall Mogu Male small, IconSmall Saurok small 55 All tank damage, and your first Conqueror. Focus on Oto the Protector at the end of the last wave; the group will be fine once the Hive-Singer is down, and you want him topped off to start here. Ideally, he will Shield Wall this Enrage, but be ready with your own cooldown if it's needed.
7 IconSmall Virmen large, IconSmall Mogu Male small, IconSmall Mantid small 1:05 This wave has a few things going on, but is generally calmer than the last few. Focus on handling Chomp quickly and using efficient heals to cover the rest.
8 IconSmall Yaungol Male large, IconSmall Mogu Male small 1:05 An easy wave, since the only damage is Oto the Protector and the Pyroblast targets. Just don't get too comfortable and let someone sit low with the Pyroblaster out. The party tends to clean up this wave early, so you have a moment to get everyone fully topped off before the last two.
9 IconSmall Mogu Male large, IconSmall Yaungol Male small, IconSmall Mantid small, IconSmall Jinyu small 1:20 Your first Large Illusionary Conqueror. You generally have to survive this plus two Enrages in wave 10, so plan cooldowns accordingly. Otherwise, everything is familiar. Try to save any important cooldowns for wave 10. The Large Illusionary Conqueror will be at low HP when wave 10 starts.
10 IconSmall Mogu Male large, IconSmall Virmen small, IconSmall Yaungol Male small, IconSmall Jinyu small, IconSmall Mogu Male small, IconSmall Mantid small 1:30 Three sets of spawns, testing everything you've learned so far. The important thing to watch is Oto the Protector, who will have a danger phase both times when a Conqueror spawns and enrages. Try to give a cooldown for whichever one he doesn't Shield Wall. Your group cooldown or best throughput cooldown is best used at the busiest part of the wave when the Hive-Singer spawns, allowing you to keep focus on Oto the Protector and Chomps. Make sure not to miss a dispel with everything that's going on. Once most mobs are dead, you still have to be careful because the last one or two mobs tend to be Conquerors, and they might Enrage a second time. If you're out of mana and cooldowns, it can still be dangerous.

Basic Healer (Endless)[]

The endless Basic healer trial is putting your skills to the test. You have one minute to beat each wave and a fifteen-second break after the 10th wave marker and repeats.

Stage Enemies Tips
1 IconSmall Yaungol Male large, IconSmall Saurok small x2 Easy wave, focus on handling efficiently.
2 IconSmall Mantid large, IconSmall Jinyu large, IconSmall Saurok small Generally easy also, but the Large Illusionary Hive-Singer does a lot of damage, and a 3-minute group cooldown can help handle it (and will be up again at wave 5). Watch for Sooli the Survivalist to pull aggro at the start.
3 IconSmall Virmen large x2, IconSmall Saurok small An easy wave provided you don't get behind. Don't start this wave sitting low from the Large Illusionary Hive-Singer, since you have to handle two simultaneous Chomps at the beginning, and usually once again after a few seconds. If you keep your instant heals ready for the Chomps, the wave will go smoothly. The group finishes this early, giving you time to regen.
4 IconSmall Jinyu large, IconSmall Jinyu small, IconSmall Yaungol Male small The unique wave with two simultaneous Aqua Bomb debuffs. Each time they cast, try to see where both go before deciding which one to use your dispel on. Your priority should generally be: Ki the Assassin, Oto the Protector, Kavan the Arcanist, Sooli the Survivalist, yourself. Melee come first since they are most likely to hit each other if you let them explode, and then Kavan the Arcanist since she sometimes stands in melee to AoE. Letting it go off on yourself is best since you can always move away from people as it happens, but the NPCs don't.
5 IconSmall Mogu Male large, IconSmall Mantid large, IconSmall Virmen large A high-damage wave on both tank and group. Focusing on interrupting this Hive-Singer helps a lot. Around the end of this wave is the second good place to use a 3-minute cooldown, to help recover from the Hive-Singer since the start of wave 6 is hectic.
6 IconSmall Jinyu small, IconSmall Yaungol Male small, IconSmall Virmen small, IconSmall Saurok small A bunch of small mobs pop in an once (it's near the door, and might be a good time for a group stun). There will often be a Small Illusionary Ripper and a low-HP Large Illusionary Conqueror up from wave 5 still. Worry first about handling the first Chomp and watching for the first dispel, and stopping Invoke Lava if you have the attention. The small mobs will die off quickly once you're stabilized.
7 IconSmall Mogu Male small x2, IconSmall Mantid small An calmer wave, but double Small Illusionary Conqueror might call for a tank cooldown, especially if Oto the Protector doesn't have his own.
8 IconSmall Yaungol Male small x4, IconSmall Saurok small Another unique wave, consisting primarily of completely random spike damage. Dangerous spikes can happen at any time, especially in later cycles of Endless. There may also be a Small Illusionary Conqueror up on Oto the Protector for the first few seconds. You will have to spend a lot of mana here, especially since the beginning of wave 9 is very dangerous and you should be topped off.
9 IconSmall Mantid large, IconSmall Virmen small, IconSmall Jinyu small These will pop in on the opposite side of the room while there's still a Small Illusionary Flamecaller or two up. The Sonic Blast and Chomp that happen right as they pop in will require immediate action with large heals on the target (often Sooli the Survivalist since he stands towards the middle of the room). Once the Flamecallers are down you still have to deal with Sonic Blast/Chomp happening (both from Large mobs). This the 3rd time in the 10-minute cycle where you should expect to use a 3-minute cooldown.
10 IconSmall Mogu Male large, IconSmall Yaungol Male small, IconSmall Jinyu small If you got through wave 9 whole, you should be able to get through this, unless you're completely out of cooldowns or mana for dealing with the Large Illusionary Conqueror. As the last mob is dying, top off the group fully, so you can start drinking the moment it dies, and continue drinking for the first few seconds of the next wave if necessary.

Achievements[]

Damage

  1. Achievement challengemode bronze [Proving Yourself: Bronze Damage]
  2. Achievement challengemode silver [Proving Yourself: Silver Damage]
  3. Achievement challengemode gold [Proving Yourself: Gold Damage]
  4. Achievement challengemode platinum [Proving Yourself: Endless Damage (Wave 10)]
  5. Achievement challengemode platinum [Proving Yourself: Endless Damage (Wave 20)]
  6. Achievement challengemode platinum [Proving Yourself: Endless Damage (Wave 30)]

Tank

  1. Achievement challengemode bronze [Proving Yourself: Bronze Tank]
  2. Achievement challengemode silver [Proving Yourself: Silver Tank]
  3. Achievement challengemode gold [Proving Yourself: Gold Tank]
  4. Achievement challengemode platinum [Proving Yourself: Endless Tank (Wave 10)]
  5. Achievement challengemode platinum [Proving Yourself: Endless Tank (Wave 20)]
  6. Achievement challengemode platinum [Proving Yourself: Endless Tank (Wave 30)]

Healer

  1. Achievement challengemode bronze [Proving Yourself: Bronze Healer]
  2. Achievement challengemode silver [Proving Yourself: Silver Healer]
  3. Achievement challengemode gold [Proving Yourself: Gold Healer]
  4. Achievement challengemode platinum [Proving Yourself: Endless Healer (Wave 10)]
  5. Achievement challengemode platinum [Proving Yourself: Endless Healer (Wave 20)]
  6. Achievement challengemode platinum [Proving Yourself: Endless Healer (Wave 30)]

Miscellaneous

Patch changes[]

  • Legion Hotfix (2016-07-25): Removed the requirement to have completed Silver Proving Grounds in order to queue for Warlords of Draenor Heroic Dungeons.
  • Warlords of Draenor Hotfix (2014-10-14): Tank Trial NPCs now hit harder and have slightly more health.
  • Warlords of Draenor Patch 6.0.2 (2014-10-14):
    • Proving Grounds can now be accessed by characters starting at level 15. However, only level 100 characters will be able to progress past Bronze.
    • Achievements associated with the level-90 version of Proving Grounds have been moved into a Legacy category.
  • Mists of Pandaria Hotfix (2013-09-19):
    • Healer Trials
      • NPC party members should now be better at moving out of the fire, and use their area-of-effect attacks and swap targets correctly.
      • Large Illusionary Flamecallers no longer cast Pyroblast against targets that have been recently hit by a Fireball.
  • Mists of Pandaria Hotfix (2013-09-17): In Tanking trials, Sikari the Mistweaver's Crackling Jade Thunderstorm should now have a chance to break crowd-control effects that have a chance to break on damage.
  • Mists of Pandaria Hotfix (2013-09-13): Lava pools created by Illusionary Flamecallers should no longer damage Monk statues or Shaman totems.
  • Mists of Pandaria Hotfix (2013-09-11): Fixed an issue where the Healer Proving Grounds had a chance to cause the realm to crash.
  • Mists of Pandaria Patch 5.4.0 (2013-09-10):
    • Proving Grounds is a new feature for individual players to test and improve their combat skills.
    • At the Proving Grounds, players may undertake trials, designed for Damage, Tank, or Healer roles.
    • It provides a great opportunity to learn how to Tank or Heal, without the need of a group.
    • Each trial is available in four separate difficulties: Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Endless. Harder difficulties include more difficult and varied enemies.
    • Endless mode allows you to test your mettle against increasingly difficult enemies. Compare your best scores to friends and guildmates!

References[]

External links[]

Wowhead's Guide to Proving Grounds: Strategies, Bestiary, and Rewards

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