Achievement Raider, or "My Crappy, Wacky, But Happy Route"

Once you're at least level 70, you can solo a lot of the things required to fill up your "Dungeons & Raids" achievement bar. If you, like me, are too lazy to do the research for yourself and try to remember where things are, here's the sloppy plan I came up with (and, like most of my sloppy plans, I couldn't be bothered to write it on real paper instead of my blog).

Some directions left out because I haven't done them yet. Raid instances not included!

It'd be a fine time to do these instances while you're completing your Lunar Festival travels this week. :) I've heard that Elders will be inside some of them, too.

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Who will be running these to show you it can be done?

Dustfire, though small, is a hefty 71 with beams of shadowy goodness. She goes into these dens of dirt and smudginess wearing T4 and badge gear from The Burning Crusade, not a single item replaced in Northrend. On her person, she carries plenty of water, a few of the best available mana and health potions, and a cute pink mount.

She starts this run with a meager 25/216 in "Dungeons & Raids" achievement points.

My husband, an 80 Death Knight, will be helping me on any boss above level 50, because there's a lot of stuff to get through, and I'm not going to waste time trying to solo some things as a cloth-wearer. If you don't feel like soloing a boss but don't have anyone to go with you, offering free runs to lower levels is a great way to get this stuff done. Just make sure someone in the group is willing to heal you. ^_^

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The first rule of dungeon achievements is that the only requirement is to kill the last boss. Isn't that nice? So, really, we're not running into these places for a full clear, we're running in to skirt past all the trash and head straight to the last room.

The second rule of dungeon achievements is expediency. I'll be listing them in order of where they are, not their level, and you can start from either continent.

Eastern Kingdoms

Sunken Temple: Defeat Shade of Eranikus (50 Elite)
Where: Swamp of Sorrows, middle of the lake. (Map)
Inside:
How: Clear the trash -- he will pull all the dragons in the big room.

Stockades: Defeat Bazil Thredd (25 Elite)
Where: Stormwind City, the canals. (Map)
Inside:
How:

Deadmines: Defeat Edwin VanCleef (20 Elite)
Where: Southern Westfall. (Map)
Inside: Keep moving forward through all the rooms, past the bosses, kill patrols if you have to. In the molten room, skirt the edge to the left and there'll be a door with a boss in front of it. Ignore or kill the boss and keep going. In the final cavern, you'll see a pirate ship. VanCleef is in the cabin at the top, so follow the boardwalk up onto the ship, head right, then up and up. Can't miss him.
How: He has two adds. You're 70+. Just step on them.

Gnomeregan: Defeat Mekgineer Thermaplugg (28 Elite)
Where: Northwest Dun Morogh. (Map)
Inside:
How:

Uldaman: Defeat Archaedas (40 Elite)
Where: Northern Badlands. (Map)
Inside:
How:

Blackrock Depths: Defeat Emperor Dagran (56 Elite)
Where: Blackrock Mountain, between Searing Gorge and Burning Steppes. (Map) Once in the mountain, go...
Inside:
How: Clear all the adds first. Light torches to keep them from respawning (?). Kill the boss.

Upper Blackrock Spire: Defeat 50 Rookery Whelps in 15 Seconds and General Drakkisah (60 Elite)
Where: Blackrock Mountain, between Searing Gorge and Burning Steppes. (Map) Once in the mountain, go...
Inside:
How: AOE. Take a lot of it. Take your time gathering, because the timer for 15 seconds doesn't start until you kill the first one. Nuke them all down in one swoop.

Lower Blackrock Spire: Defeat Overlord Wyrmthalak (60 Elite)
Where: Blackrock Mountain, between Searing Gorge and Burning Steppes. (Map) Once in the mountain, go...
Inside:
How:

Shadowfang Keep: Defeat Arhmage Arugal (21 Elite)
Where: Silverpine Forest, by Pyrewood Village. (Map)

Scarlet Monastery Graveyard: Defeat Bloodmage Thalnos (32 Elite)
Where: Northeast Tirisfal Glades. (Map)
Inside: Head inward, up the stairs, and straight down into the crypt at the end.
How: Hit him a few times.

Scarlet Monastery Library: Defeat Arcanist Doan (35 Elite)
Where: Northeast Tirisfal Glades. (Map)
Inside: Keep going east until it dead-ends in a round room.
How: Kill.

Scarlet Monastery Armory: Defeat Herod (37 Elite)
Where: Northeast Tirisfal Glades. (Map)
Inside: Keep going through the connecting rooms until you get to the end.
How: Kill.

Scarlet Monastery Cathedral: Defeat Whitemaine and Mograine (40 Elite)
Where: Northeast Tirisfal Glades. (Map)
Inside: Head to the cathedral in back. They're on the platform right in front of you.
How: Kill all the adds inside the Cathedral. They will ALL pull when you pull the boss. Then kill him, she shows up and rezzes him, kill them both.

Scholomance Section 1: Defeat Ras Frostwhisper (62 Elite)
Where: Western Plaguelands, on the island of Caer Darrow. (Map)
Inside:
How:

Scholomance Section 3: Defeat Darkmaster Gandling (61 Elite)
Where: Western Plaguelands, on the island of Caer Darrow. (Map)
Inside:
How:

Stratholme Living Side: Defeat Balnazzar (60 Elite)
Where: Northwest in the Eastern Plaguelands. (Map)
Inside:
How:

Stratholme Undead Side: Defeat Baron Rivendare (60 Elite)
Where: Northwest in the Eastern Plaguelands. (Map)
Inside:
How:

Kalimdor

Blackfathom Deeps: Defeat Aku'mai (24 Elite)
Where: Northwest Ashenvale, on the coast. (Map)
Inside: Keep moving southeast, there are almost no branches. The altar room will be in the very dead end tip of the instance.
How: Light the braziers one at a time if you don't have aoe. Kill the mobs that spawn. Once they're all dead, the doors will open and you head to the boss. No tricks, just smush her.

Ragefire Chasm: Defeat Taragaman the Hungerer (16 Elite)
Where: Orgrimmar, Cleft of Shadow. (Map) When running through The Drag to get to the deeper sections of Org (Valley of Wisdom/Honor), there will be a branch off the path that leads down into the Cleft of Shadow. Just look for it. There should be a sign, too.

Wailing Caverns: Defeat Mutanus the Devourer (20 Elite)
Where: Nortwest Barrens, southwest of Crossroads. (Map)

Razorfen Kraul: Defeat Charlga Razorflank (27 Elite)
Where: Southern tip of the Barrens. (Map)

Razorfen Downs: Defeat Amnennar the Coldbringer (37 Elite)
Where: Southern tip of the Barrens. (Map)

Dire Maul East: Defeat Alzzin the Wildshaper (58 Elite)
Where: Middle of Feralas. (Map)
Inside: Kill Zevrim Thornhoof and talk to Old Ironbark.
How: Clear the plants first. Halfway through, he'll summon imp adds.

Dire Maul West: Defeat Immol'thar (61 Elite)
Where: Middle of Feralas. (Map)
Inside:
How:

Dire Maul North: Defeat King Gordok (62 Elite)
Where: Middle of Feralas. (Map)
Inside: Key to open courtyard door.
How:

Maraudon: Defeat Princess Theradras (48 Elite)
Where: Central west Desolace. (Map)

Zul'Farrak: Defeat Chief Ukorz Sandscalp (46 Elite)
Where: Northern Tanaris. (Map)
Inside:
How: