Horde Help

The Argent Tournament

Mounted Combat (Jousting)

Detailed Information and Advice

Jousting

Currently, two Argent Tournament quests require jousting - formal mounted combat with a lance - on the Argent Tournament Grounds: The Grand Melee (a Valiant daily) and Among the Champions (a Champion daily). Two others require a deadlier version in the Court of Bones in southern Icecrown: At the Enemy's Gates (a Valiant daily) and Battle Before the Citadel (a Champion daily).

To become a champion in the Argent Tournament or to make serious inroads in the Valiant or Champion daily quests, you must learn to joust. Jousting has its quirks but is worth the time to master. (If you've fought on dragonback in the Oculus or around Wyrmrest Temple, jousting won't feel totally unfamiliar.)

The Commands

Only five commands (keys 1-5) matter. (Duel - the 6 key - isn't used in questing and can be ignored.)

  1. Thrust - Melee (close-range) attack for 3250 damage
  2. Shield-Breaker - Ranged attack for 2000 damage
    • Removes one layer of Defend (i.e., one shield)
    • Wider range than Charge
    • Shares cooldown with Charge and Defend
  3. Charge - Moving attack from medium range for 8500 damage
    • Most damaging attack by far
    • Removes one layer of Defend (i.e., one shield)
    • Narrower range than Shield-Breaker
    • Shares cooldown with Shield-Breaker and Defend
  4. Defend - Reduces incoming damage by 30% per use
    1. One layer = 1 red shield = 30% damage reduction
    2. Two layers = 2 orange shields = 60% damage reduction
    3. Three layers = 3 green shields = 90% damage reduction
    • Stacks up to 3 times
    • One layer (one shield) is removed by opponent's Charge or Shield-Breaker
    • Shares cooldown with Charge and Shield-Breaker
  5. Refresh Mount - Fully heals "your mount" (effectively you)
    • Cannot be used in combat
    • Longest cooldown (one minute)

Jousting Tips

Recommended Battle Sequence

  1. As soon as the fight starts (generally), and periodically thereafter, your foe will attempt to retreat from melee range to Charge distance. The moment the NPC moves, use Thrust (the 1 key) once. If your timing is good, it's a free hit.

  2. The instant your opponent reaches Charge range, Charge (the 3 key). This will reduce your opponent's shields, do damage, and (unless your latency is bad) prevent a Charge against you.

    • Certain NPCs occasionally will retreat a short distance, Shield-Break, and close, preventing you from Charging. If that happens more than once, do the same thing - Shield-Breaker and close - but do it first. (Some players use this technique all the time, but it drags out the joust and is riskier than Charging. Trading your Shield-Breaker for your opponent's Charge is a losing proposition.)

  3. As your Charge carries you through your opponent, Thrust again.

  4. Use the Charge momentum to loop around and return to melee range as quickly as you can.

  5. As you loop, as soon as you are again facing your opponent, click Shield-Breaker (the 2 key), and continue to close.

  6. As soon as you reach melee range, refresh Defend; repeat if needed to regain three green shields.

    • Never use Defend as your opponent moves away. Since it shares a cooldown with Shield-Breaker and Charge, it could prevent you from Charging and leave you vulnerable to your opponent's Charge.

  7. Whenever you are in melee range, spam Thrust (the 1 key). Since it does not share a cooldown with any of the other abilities, it can and should be used as often as possible.

  8. While meleeing, move slowly backward toward the center of the ring. This keeps your opponent inbounds, in sight, and in front of you.

  9. Repeat steps 1-8 until your opponent is defeated.

    • Steps 1, 3, and 5 will not always work but are worth trying for the extra damage they add. Just ignore any error messages ("too close", "too far", "not ready") they generate.

Combat in the Court of Bones

Currently, two Argent Tournament quests take you to the Court of Bones in southern Icecrown: At the Enemy's Gates (a Valiant daily) and Battle Before the Citadel (a Champion daily). Both begin at the camp [49,71] just south of Corp'rethar, the Horror Gate. On the Icecrown map, it's at the bottom of the "E" in "CORP'RETHAR". (See map.)

You must use the mounts stabled at the camp, but the basic mechanics of mounted combat in the Court of Bones are generally similar to jousting on the Argent Tournament Grounds:

There are three significant differences, however.

Tactical Advice

Your Foes

Boneguard Lieutenants, Boneguard Commanders, and Boneguard Footmen are clustered south [51,78] on the cobblestone path (the southerly gray-brown path on the map), just north of a large staircase [51,79 - 52,83]. Boneguard Scouts are scattered all over the Court of Bones.

Boneguard Footman - Level 80 Undead

Boneguard Scout - Level 80 Undead (Elite)

Boneguard Lieutenant - Level 80 Undead (Elite)

Boneguard Commander - Level 80 Undead (Elite)

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