Darkmaster Gandling

Darkmaster Gandling served as the headmaster of necromancy at the Scholomance and, along with his teacher Ras Frostwhisper, oversaw the atrocities committed against many innocent souls.

One of the few classic bosses of the Scholomance to survive until after World of Warcraft: Cataclysm, Gandling took up sole rulership of the Scholomance and the remaining Scourge of the Western Plaguelands.

Gandling appears briefly in Andorhal, where he is defeated by the combined might of Koltira Deathweaver and Thassarian before he flees back to Scholomance.

After losing control of Andorhal as well as losing most of his servants during the Western Plaguelands storyline, he is confronted and killed by adventurers allied with Lilian Voss and Alexei Barov. His demise lifted the curse upon Caer Darrow and allowed Lord Alexei Barov's spirit to finally rest in peace.



Following the Fourth War, Mathias Shaw stated that according to Argent Crusade reports, Darkmaster Gandling is still active at the head of Scholomance, with Jandice Barov and Rattlegore, and has many puppets to play with. Despite his death at the hands of adventurers, its presence seems to indicate that he was brought back as an undead, certainly by the Cult of the Damned.

Adventure Guide
Course: Advanced Studies

''The recent defeat in Andorhal has put Darkmaster Gandling in the foulest of moods. More than ever, all students of Scholomance are advised to impress him at every turn. Pupils who dissatisfy the headmaster will be removed from class to perform lab work... or become lab work.''

Spells and abilities

 * Western Plaguelands

The Darkmaster attacks players with Incinerate and Immolate and periodically assigns one a Harsh Lesson, sending the player to a side room to fight Expired Test Students. When a tank or healer is sent, Gandling channels Rise!
 * Scholomance

Strategy
Gandling does not need to be tanked normally, as he will only use Incinerate and Immolate from his spot in the middle of the room. He will occasionally teleport a random player in to one of the side rooms. Said player must fight his or her way out back to the study on their own.

There are several possible ways to deal with the Expired Test Subjects when trapped:
 * Damage dealers and tanks can just kill their way out.
 * Healers should dispel the friendly Fresh Test Subjects of their Explosive Pain to kill the Expired Test Subjects. If the healer is a Mistweaver monk, they can instead AoE everyone down with Spinning Crane Kick.
 * Alter Time, Transcendence: Transfer, and Demonic Gateway can teleport a stuck player back to the main room, with the necessary preparations.

If a tank or a healer gets teleported, a large number of weakly-hitting skeletons will swarm the room. Focus on them instead of Gandling, as he takes much less damage while Rise is being channeled.

Related achievements

 * School's Out Forever
 * Scholomance (achievement)
 * Heroic: Scholomance
 * Scholomance Guild Run
 * Heroic: Scholomance Guild Run

Objective of

 * Scholomancer

Scholomance

 * Intro
 * say
 * yell
 * yell


 * Aggro
 * yell


 * Killing a player
 * yell


 * Death
 * yell
 * say

In the RPG
Darkmaster Gandling is a mummified wretch. He teaches students how to raise the dead in the Lich King’s name. Formerly a Dalaran wizard, he betrayed his masters for dark power and now revels in undeath. His graduates go on to Stratholme, the Scourge's capital in the Eastern Plaguelands.



In Hearthstone
Darkmaster Gandling appears as a HS Disciplinarian Gandling (legendary Priest/Warlock card) in the Scholomance Academy expansion for Hearthstone. His flavor text reads: "He doesn’t grade on a curve, but on a sharp spike instead."

Notes and trivia

 * On Scholomance mentions that Gandling hid behind a bookcase, giggling, as he watched adventurers slay each of the school's administrators within the crypts.
 * Darkmaster Gandling is voiced by Jim Pirri.