Comments

Comment by 98467

This mace is the legendary created mace from Ulduar.
It is created by small fragments that have a ~10% chance to drop from every boss in Ulduar (Heroic), and a 100% chance to drop off of Yogg-Saron (Heroic).
It requires 30 fragments to start the quest, which tells you to throw the mace at Yogg-Sarron and defeat him.
The mace can only obtained by healer classes (druids/paladins/priest/shamans).
This is the first legendary healer mace implemented into the game, besides the one in Tempest Keep, which is not permanent.

Comment by Reeve

Official explanation of the proc:

The way this works is that when the proc happens (which is a 10% chance whenever a hot or direct spell heals, with a 45 sec internal cooldown) you gain a buff (the Blessing) on yourself. Now all of your heals for the next 15 sec cause an 8 sec damage shield. The shield stacks with itself. It includes healing done by subsequent ticks of existing hots on the target. Note that the spell has to actually heal, so hots ticking on a fully-healed target cannot cause the proc. However the shield is based on the size of the heal itself, not the amount healed – i.e. 100% overhealing will not proc the Blessing on the healer, but the shield itself includes overhealing once the Blessing is active. The shield can grow to a maximum size of 20,000 damage absorbed.

Example 1: A paladin casts Holy Light for 10K on the tank, which partially heals her. The Blessing procs, so the paladin’s Holy Light immediately causes a shield on the tank which will now absorb 1500 damage. The tank dodges the next two hits, so no damage is absorbed. The paladin then casts another heal for 8K, but only heals the tank for 600 before she is at full health. The shield is now at 2700 damage absorbed (1500 + 1200) for 8 sec.

Example 2: A druid casts Rejuv on the tank, healing her. The Blessing procs on the druid on the second tick. A shield is applied to the tank which absorbs 15% of the amount healed by that tick and each remaining tick of the Rejuv. If the druid also gets Lifebloom and Regrowth on the tank while the Blessing is up, then those ticks also contribute to the shield. If the shield goes down because the 8 sec duration expires or it absorbs that much damage, it can go up again as long as the Blessing lasts, which is 15 sec.

http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/thread.html?topicId=16903512910&sid=1

Comment by Ferel

There is no stat for (direct) mana regeneration present on the weapon, but the other casting stats present (to say nothing of that 587 spellpower and the well-advertised shield effect) make up for this in my opinion. After all, each of the four healing classes rely on different mechanics for primary mana regen (Holy Paladins get 60% refund on crit-heals, etc.).

Consider that if you have gotten so far as to obtain this mace yourself, the rest of your gear probably more than makes up for your desired Mp5/Spirit.

Comment by 252897

Im gonna have to say that <Insert class A> should be getting this because even though <Insert classes B, C and D> can use it as well, I think <Insert class A> will benefit more from using it. Oh and did I forgot to mention that my main is a <Insert class A>, not that it makes my opinion biased or anything.

Oh wait, wowhead, not thottbot...hurr.

TL;DR version: If you are getting this item, you already probably know it. If not, well, better luck next expansion!

Comment by Dongolev

As far as losing it after you throw it in Yoggy's mouth and then wiping, no, that won't happen. You simply abandon the quest and retake it again, and the quest will provide you with another. See https://www.wowhead.com/cata/quest=13629, it would appear that the Shattered Fragments of Val'anyr that you throw in are given to you by the questgiver.

TLDR: Wiping will not destroy your Shattered Fragments of Val'anyr.

Comment by Nixia

I have heared alot of whine (on the official forums) about the stats (people think they aren't that good for being an legendary weapon) but legendary weapons aren't famous for having awesome stats.
They are famous for there awesome Equip effects.
Some examples
Thunderfury = Chain lightning thing

Sulfuras, Hand of Ragnaros = Fire ball and also Thorn like buff

Thori'dal, the Stars' Fury = Free arrows

Comment by Stryper7

Upon looking at the this in the java model viewer on wowhead I noticed a few interesting things:

- The mace head floats up and down above the shaft.

- Every so often the head of the mace shudders violently as the two little titan faces detach from it.

- The titan faces orbit the head a few times before reattaching themselves, causing the mace once again to shudder.

Also, there appeared to be some lightning crackling animation, either that or it wasn't rendering properly for me.

You see I really think most of the people have no business posting here as they won't ever be laying their hands on this mace, much less a good number of shards. So why start talking about who gets this? You won't. I know I will never obtain this in my casual raiding life, that's why I rolled Discipline priest, because lots of crits and cool shields make me feel good about myself.

Kinda sad this is the first post about how the mace looks.

Comment by 48547

Bornakk, a blue poster, has clarified the proc of Val'anyr in a detailed post:

Link to said thread

We have received many questions about how the proc works on Val’anyr, the Hammer of the Ancient Kings. While we originally intended for this effect to be a mystery, we realize that guilds now know what the tooltip on the proc says without necessarily knowing the details on how it works. This leads to situations where a healer may not know if assembling the hammer is worth it for them (hint: it is), and perhaps even worse, a misinformed leader may not think you deserve the hammer (hint: you do).

Players also wonder if the proc makes the item deserving of its legendary status given that the stat allocation is normal for items of its item level (Hint: it does).

The effect reads “Your healing spells have a chance to cause Blessing of Ancient Kings for 15 seconds allowing your heals to shield the target absorbing damage equal to 15% of the amount healed.”

The way this works is that when the proc happens (which is a 10% chance whenever a hot or direct spell heals, with a 45 sec internal cooldown) you gain a buff (the Blessing) on yourself. Now all of your heals for the next 15 sec cause an 8 sec damage shield. The shield stacks with itself. It includes healing done by subsequent ticks of existing hots on the target. Note that the spell has to actually heal, so hots ticking on a fully-healed target cannot cause the proc. However the shield is based on the size of the heal itself, not the amount healed – i.e. 100% overhealing will not proc the Blessing on the healer, but the shield itself includes overhealing once the Blessing is active. The shield can grow to a maximum size of 20,000 damage absorbed.

Example 1: A paladin casts Holy Light for 10K on the tank, which partially heals her. The Blessing procs, so the paladin’s Holy Light immediately causes a shield on the tank which will now absorb 1500 damage. The tank dodges the next two hits, so no damage is absorbed. The paladin then casts another heal for 8K, but only heals the tank for 600 before she is at full health. The shield is now at 2700 damage absorbed (1500 + 1200) for 8 sec.

Example 2: A druid casts Rejuv on the tank, healing her. The Blessing procs on the druid on the second tick. A shield is applied to the tank which absorbs 15% of the amount healed by that tick and each remaining tick of the Rejuv. If the druid also gets Lifebloom and Regrowth on the tank while the Blessing is up, then those ticks also contribute to the shield. If the shield goes down because the 8 sec duration expires or it absorbs that much damage, it can go up again as long as the Blessing lasts, which is 15 sec.

Comment by Sounder

Clarifications from Ghostcrawler:

Link to his post

To answer some questions:

1) If you are lucky enough to have two hammers in your group, then they will both contribute to the same bubble.

2) It should work as you would expect with PW:Shield and similar effects. Specifically, the damage should work through one shield and then the other. I don't know off the top of my head which one is used first. Sometimes we have edge cases with multiple absorbs like this that we will need to solve as they arise. (To be clear, PW:Shield will not proc the blessing or the bubble though, because it does not heal.)

3) If you have the blessing (i.e. you caused healing and the proc occured) then overhealing will count towards the bubble. Hots that tick on a target will still contribute to the bubble. You can also choose to switch to a direct heal if you don't have enough GCDs available to get all of your hots up before the blessing fades. The confusing part here is that hots that don't heal won't cause the blessing (we didn't want you fishing for the bubble before a pull by constantly healing the tank, though I suppose you could if your tank was injured). But once the blessing is active, then all of your healing spells will contribute to the bubble even if they do no actual healing.

We'll leave it to you guys to theorycraft out if you think the hammer is marginally better for one class than another. Some players were speculating before this announcement that the bubble only applied to one spell, which would definitely favor Holy Light. We implemented it the way we did to make sure the other healing classes could still get juicy bubbles while the blessing was active (which is 15 sec).

Comment by Rikon

Sadly this confirms that Disc Priests will not get nearly as much mileage out of Val'anyr as other healers.

It is possible that the the effect can proc off of Glyph of Power Word: Shield.

Comment by 296454

From blue posts we can see several reasons why this weapon is not singularly better for one class over another. There are multiple reasons to say that Val'anyr is better for a Druid over any other class; but in the same breath, one must also admit that there are reasons to say it is better for any one healing-class over every other class.

From Bornakk:

This comes from a Blue Post clarifying the actual effect of the proc. Much confusion and misinformation has lead a great many people to presume that they know how this proc works and as such, it is better for one class over another; this is pure folly.

He moves on to give two examples:

Example 1: A paladin casts Holy Light for 10K on the tank, which partially heals her. The Blessing procs, so the paladin’s Holy Light immediately causes a shield on the tank which will now absorb 1500 damage. The tank dodges the next two hits, so no damage is absorbed. The paladin then casts another heal for 8K, but only heals the tank for 600 before she is at full health. The shield is now at 2700 damage absorbed (1500 + 1200) for 8 sec.

Example 2: A druid casts Rejuv on the tank, healing her. The Blessing procs on the druid on the second tick. A shield is applied to the tank which absorbs 15% of the amount healed by that tick and each remaining tick of the Rejuv. If the druid also gets Lifebloom and Regrowth on the tank while the Blessing is up, then those ticks also contribute to the shield. If the shield goes down because the 8 sec duration expires or it absorbs that much damage, it can go up again as long as the Blessing lasts, which is 15 sec.

So please, stop assuming its better for one class over another, it is a Healing Mace that is equally good for all healing classes.

Comment by angelblack

This legendary should go to your best and most dedicated healer, not to <insert your class>.
It's not made better for one healer or the other. If it turns out to be like that, blizzard will nerf it to be equal. They made it to be equal to everyone and it will if it isn't already.

Just give it to your best healer and you won't regret it.

Comment by thom1111

Any word on how the proc would work with Beacon of Light up?

Comment by MaartenvWijk

Eyonix

It's true that currently Ashbringer is not in the game, although one day in the future it will be, but not until after there is an awesome legendary item for casters. ;)

this caster item is sertenly awesome...

View post

Comment by 265206

I personally DOUBT these are confirmed stats , looking over some of the healing Maces , this barely is a contender in the best weapon. , i think that blizzard may have changed this , and these are not the official stats.

The only thing this wep. really has going for it is its special ability.

Comment by Xiffrudo

Crappy item for a Restoration Druid.

I'm a Resto, and I would definitely pass this to a Moonkin or any other class, but a weapon without spirit/mp5 for a Resto Druid? Cmon...

Comment by Nixia

Non-heals, such as Power Word: Shield, don't contribute to either proc. That is just the way the item is set up. If you are a Disc priest who ends up with Val'anyr, I would suggest trying to maximize your actual heals when the bubble is up. We are going to make the heal provided by the glyph of PW:S able to cause the procs, though typically items that heal will not cause the procs.

Source: The official forums

Edit because the post i was responding too were deleted

Comment by jameinel

Looking at those wowarmory numbers, it looks like breakdown is:

Guaranteed (100%) 1 boss
Low (15-24% == 19.5%) 7
Very Low (3-14% == 8.5%) 9

So if you were in a group doing a full clear, you should expect 1 + .195*7 + .085*9 = 3.1. So on average, you should get ~3 fragments every week if your guild is able to do a full clear. Meaning it takes 10 weeks to collect 30 fragments. Now, your guild is full-clearing every week, so they shouldn't really have trouble downing yogg-saron to finish the quest. So I guess after 1 year of full-clearing Ulduar every week, you're guild could have 5 healers with this. I would guess by then you'd only need 5 healers unless you were doing a hard mode.

(Even if you pick the top range for the drop change, it only goes up to 3.94 aka 4 fragments per week.)

Now, I did leave out any chance drops from normal mode, but regardless, it's going to take quite a while to get one.

Comment by 8inchunbuffed

does almost equal to TBC glaives

Comment by Chaosrock

Um... take it from a healer? You have to collect the pieces and then do the quest to get the item. The person on the quest is the person who gets the mace. If a shaman wants it they can have it. Because they'd have to spend a few months collecting the parts on their own.

In about a year, when Ulduar is on farm for every guild, these will be very common.

A side note: While anyone can get this and is more than welcome to do so, it really only makes sense for healers to do it. If a non healer got it just to show off I would follow them around and spam /facepalm.

Comment by Izaac

If I ever get this mace, I plan on crafting https://www.wowhead.com/cata/item=28485 and wearing them together for laughs.

Comment by 363012

Goodbye wipes

Picture from MMOCHAMPION: www.spooncraft.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/legendary-ulduar-mace.jpg

Badass

Comment by ceemeeir

Random loot is always random. There is a chance to complete a mace in 3 clear, but it is very unlikely.

Comment by 118595

The equip effect is the same effect you get from Scarab Brooch which drops in AQ40. The difference is that with the mace you get it for 15 sec as opposed to 30 sec and with the mace I'm sure the hidden cd is shorter then 3 min.

If you can't get your hands on the mace, get the trinket, its great for any main tank healer. It takes out the need for crazy mitigation rotations like we saw on sarth.

Comment by 354771

Daaaamn look at that 35g vend. Very nice indeed.

Comment by 236163

Val'anyr background is given the Archivum in Ulduar after turning in the quest Ancient History:

"

Created by the titans themselves, Val'anyr was given to the first Earthen king, Urel Stoneheart. With the hammer he was to create and give life to the rest of his brethren.
Val'anyr was shattered during the first war between the Earthen and the Iron Dwarves. The Weapon's remnants were believed lost in the conflict.
Probability of successful repair by ordinary means available in this world is close to nil.
Please hold while theoretical means are analyzed.
Powerful acidic content theoretically found inside the being known as Yogg-Saron would count for the liquefaction of Saronite. Submersion in this substance might be sufficient to rebind an alloy of titan origin.

"

Comment by 236163

why this legendary is only level 239 like any other epic dropping off bosses in ulduar?
shouldn't it be a few levels higher like the warglaives in TBC?

I'm guessing there isn't a proper way to calculate how much would its proc effect increase the item's actual item level.

This is a very unique effect, and calculating its exact benefit using theoretical means could either be way too pricy on its "level budget", or make it overpowered for a fight like Flame Leviathan.

Bornakk said so himself:

"Players also wonder if the proc makes the item deserving of its legendary status given that the stat allocation is normal for items of its item level (Hint: it does). "

Comment by 148317

World first to Snuggleme from the guild Avant Garde on Kil'Jaeden US!
Congratulations to them!
Screenshot

Achievement on Snuggle's armory can be seen here.

**Edit**
Not on this realm any more or re-named. Still leaving the post in it's original state :)

Comment by 363468

This is a very unique effect, and calculating its exact benefit using theoretical means could either be way too pricy on its "level budget", or make it overpowered for a fight like Flame Leviathan.

Do you really think that a guild that has this mace really has any problems with Flame Leviathan?

Comment by 375077

Me not being a healer and all just wants to know what this bad boy looks like!

Comment by Zerkz

"This is how the proc looks like"......Alliance....

Comment by 338087

I'd like to start this post by mentioning that I am NOT a healer, much less a raid healer, nor am I suggesting that any class should get this over another, but do I see some potential for amazing shields in some OH SH*T moments, or in some big/poorly organized pulls from a druid with this weapon.

Does Tranquility get much love anymore? Because according to the math on those comments, you're looking at 450,000 healed across a raid? And it's obvious to me that this shouldn't be used regularly, or relied on at all, but is there some validity to this theory?

Comment by Awesomex

anyone know how many people have gotten this yet ?, just curious i dont think anyone on my server has. then again i didnt check heavily into the alliance guilds yet.

nvm. just read post above me so im assuming atleast 2 people may have it now. lol

Comment by 263081

Val'anyr, Hammer of Ancient Kings + Divine Hymn with Inner Focus

Comment by 42600

Guaranteed (100%) 1 boss
Low (15-24% == 19.5%) 7
Very Low (3-14% == 8.5%) 9

So if you were in a group doing a full clear, you should expect 1 + .195*7 + .085*9 = 3.1.

Since when Uduar has 17 bosses? :-) It's more like 1 + .195*9 + .085*4 = 3.1 (certain drop from Yogg-Saron, likely drop from all hardmodes + Algalon, unlikely drop from Ignis, Razorscale, Kologarn and Auriaya).

Comment by Xrystal

Here is a list of all the characters profiled that have this mace: https://www.wowhead.com/cata/profiles&filter=cr=21;crs=0;crv=46017

Comment by Gnoktish

This replaces the Atiesh, Greatstaff of the Guardian from old Naxx though the shards needed are less then the other 1.

Comment by Jakeofb1adez44

I've looked this mace over quite a few times and all I have to say is... you can have it. I really don't like it, I'd personally rather have this bad boy. I mean, it's just my opinion, but I'd rather have MP5 and more SP (Runed Scarlet ruby in the socket) than a lame little shield...

And now, I get down rated...

Comment by macteplmao

Gratz to meka to be the world first ( EU ) to get val'anyr

Comment by 355930

lemme get this straight, say ur a holy pally and u cast a FoL on a friendly target and make the sheild proc, and after that u cast a Holy Light heal, all of this, assuming that ur buddy is almost dead.

my question is, the damage absorbe effect will proc based on the FoL heal that made the sheild proc, or the Holy Light heal? needless to say that there is quite the difference in the amounts healed between those 2 spells.

Comment by 226331

Blizzard was reminded that this proc existed after seeing so many use the Scarab Brooch from AQ40 in PvP.

Comment by 211535

If WOWHEAD is showing true SP on weapons for next patch this weapon will be obsolete. even if you count the equip your still losing around 114 SP to the new patch weapons.

why downrate its so true SP is wayy more important for HPS than a Chance proc

Comment by 359502

if im broke i would sell it for 20g

Comment by 180250

I know i am gonna get downrated, but in all honesty and reality this is a far better weapon for a holy paladin then lets say a holy priest. this item is terribly statted for a holy priest but very very well stated for a holy paladin. As far as a holy priest or a druid if you do not count the proc staff of endless winter is much better. Not saying its not good for a holy priest or a resto druid it is just slightly better for a holy paladin. So if you are really trying to get the best use of your items in your guidl give this to some other healers and let holy priests and resto druids get staff of endless winter.

Comment by 418874

https://www.wowhead.com/cata/item=45038 this

Comment by 416120

Two people on My Server already have this Mace, the Paladin that has acquired this, transfered just to be in the Top Guild on my Server, the other is a priest that has it, same guild. But the Healer's that dont have it, have https://www.wowhead.com/cata/item=46035

Comment by 243933

Val'anyr, Hammer of Ancient Kings: This item's stats and level have been increased to match the power level of healer weapons coming from the Coliseum 25-person normal difficulty instance. In addition, each time Val'anyr is equipped, Blessing of Ancient Kings will be placed on a 45-second cooldown before it can occur.

3.2 PTR notes update

http://static.mmo-champion.com/mmoc/images/news/2009/july/valanyr32.jpg for new stats

* Item Level has been increased from 239 to 245
* Stamina has been increased from 52 to 55
* Intellect has been increased from 54 to 57
* Spell Power has been increased from 587 to 621
* Critical Strike Rating has been increased from 47 to 50
* Haste Rating has been increased from 46 to 49

Comment by 423454

It's item level and stats have been increased in 3.2 (though this is on the PTR, so this may be subject to change).

It's now

ilevel 245 (>239)
Stamina: 55 (>52)
Intellect: 57 (>54)
Spell Power 621 (>587)
Critical Strike Rating 50 (>47)
Haste Rating 49 (>46)
The blessing now has a 45 second cooldown after the item is equipped.

According to the 3.2 PTR.

Again, this is the PTR so it's subject to change (but probably won't).

edit: Oh, and someone beat me to it. =[ I really should refresh wowhead before commenting.

Comment by 425396

as a druid im ALWAYS toping meters but thats because HoTs on 25 people do ALOT of healing (pre HoTing FTW)

not many healing maces out there for druids sadly

Comment by Suprem

Elffy from Sylvanas-EU (horde) got it 3 days ago . Gz to him.

Comment by 192567

just goes to show ya that all healers are disc wannabes

Comment by McBayne

WTF where's feral AP?

Comment by 428268

http://www.wowarmory.com/character-sheet.xml?r=Laughing+Skull&n=Avalonn player who has the mace

Comment by 327123

Poor disc-priests lose out on this one. Sure a shields heal could proc it, but the disc-priest put his talent points in shields at the expense of stronger heals, so his heals are by definition, weaker. Also, any shielding during the proc would be completely wasted. Ironically, the only healer the Legendary shielding mace isn't (as) good for is the disc shield-priest.

Comment by 429222

One excellent reason to NOT give this to a druid... you can't see the awesome mace when they're a tree.

Comment by edgeis80

hmmmmmmm, I wonder how many people in the world have this so far. Is there a site we can check, or no?

Comment by 158727

First Legendary of WotLK replaced in 3.2.

I mean the 15% bubble is nice, but it's hard to justify the loss of 114 SP against the new weapons.

Comment by Evilkyro

Im the owner of the mace and i've composed a short post with about the path betwenn 30 shards and getting the mace with about 20 screenshots...

You can check it on our guilds forum http://www.passionguild.com/viewtopic.php?t=10647 .. its in the public section, so everyone should have access

Comment by 206369

the guild master of the top alliance guild on Jaedenar has this weapon ! here is an armory link to proove it :
http://eu.wowarmory.com/character-sheet.xml?r=Jaedenar&n=Helltalon

Comment by 371717

Off the 3.2 PTR Notes:

"Val'anyr, Hammer of Ancient Kings: This item's stats and level have been increased to match the power level of healer weapons coming from the Coliseum 25-person normal difficulty instance. In addition, each time Val'anyr is equipped, Blessing of Ancient Kings will be placed on a 45-second cooldown before it can occur."

So for all the people complaining that it is ridiculous that it will be replaced by the new Coliseum weapons, your cries have been answered =)!

Comment by 425938

i know it seems like im nagging, but im kinda dissapointed at the stats of this wep (apart from the blessing of ancient kings) being resto druid all this time, youd think it would have more stats than it does. i mean is allmost as good. still a good hammer.

Comment by davenrothz

Does anyone know the ilvl or stats this item will be getting?

Comment by 346370

My question is does anyone in the game have this item yet? I've been into Ulduar 25 several times and I've never seen one of the fragments drop.

Comment by 436680

It will get you out of your seat. Needless to say, will be upgraded in 3.2 in patch notes. BEHOLD THE ALLMIGHTY OP LEGENDARY.

Comment by 389801

Enhancement shammy PvP mace.

Comment by Delvara

I'd like to have seen some mp5 on this, even if it did take away some stamina which we don't really need as healers.

Comment by 39713

Legendary's disenchant YOU!

Comment by zekryn

Equip: Your healing spells have a chance to cause Blessing of Ancient Kings for 15 sec allowing your heals to shield the target absorbing damage equal to 15% of the amount healed.

Despite what the tooltip says, I think it might work for any helpful spells. For my paladin, it can proc when I cast Sacred shield which isn't a healing spell. I also think I've had it proc on clense before.. havn't seen it proc when I buff blessings though.

It's kinda annoying because I cast sacred shield on the tank before the pull/myself before pvp and it procs and goes away before the fight even starts.

Comment by benm550

Seems they buffed this mace with 3.2, it is now item level 245.

Comment by Dartx

Good weap kinda hard to get though but thats to be exspected of legendarys

Comment by 348016

k i guess this is a really nice weapon to have but honestly, if u think about it, 30 fragments, and the dungeon takes 1 week to unlock, u must have no life.

Comment by 148264

I wonder what would happen if you disenchant it?

Comment by 93132

Val'anyr does show enchants. In some of the screenshots above, it can be seen that +63 spellpower shows along the electrified center portion, and some rays of the enchant graphic show through the head of the mace.

Comment by 454852

If I cast a 5K heal, the shield proxies to absorb 15% of that (750 Dmg). If I want to increase the absorption capability, I would have to spam heal. If each heal costs 400 mana, in perspective, I would be using 400 mana to only get 15% effective damage mitigation. For that case, I'd rather let the tank take the hits and do my standard healing procedures since It's more mana efficient. As a previous poster mentioned, OOM would be inevitable.

If, on the other hand, the shield absorption increases with heals regardless who is casting, this may be more acceptable. At the moment I don't see myself trading weapons stats and an 85% reduction in mana/heal efficiency in order to get this item.

Could I be missing something?

Comment by 423971

I want to know when they will bring out lvl 80 Lengendary weapons for non-healers! Bring out the DPS Legendary!

Comment by zetapoo

What we are forgetting here (regarding the disc priest issue) is that we have dual spec.

Disc priests make excellent MT healers: while their raw healing output may not be as high as say, a paladins, when this sort of blessing is active the priest is of course going to make good use of it by 'spamming' healing spells rather than pw:s.

Holy priests make excellent raid healers: Obviously on fights which have alot of incoming raid damage, this weapon would be incredible in the hands of a holy priest to mitigate much of the damage, in fact as a disc priest it reminds me of the days before the soul warding nerf where I could spam pw:s on the raid before something like frozen blows and mitigate the first two ticks.

My point is that priests are the only class in the game to have two different trees for two different healing styles. Disc for MT healing, and Holy for raid healing. The priest, who probably shows this level of dedication already(they are getting the mace after all) would likely have two raid specs, one for MT healing on a fight like Gormok the impaler in h-toc, and one for raid healing on a fight like, say, Hodir.

Comment by 457425

For those who think this wouldn't be good for a disc priest I would argue that a) it stacks with our current shields and mitigation effects b) while we may not hit with one big heal = one big shield, a bunch of smaller shields will equal the same mitigation.

Plus from what I can tell there is no internal cooldown on the proc. Our holy pally got heres last night and she was doing that spam aoe heal pallies do and it kept on refreshing on all of us.

Comment by 457442

Yeah man, 36 gold! My guild is so pro on my priest i just collect tons of these and sell them, fast money.

Comment by Nick1995

Omg this weapon is sooooo wrong, if you have it as healer its sick u will heal tons :O

Comment by Tovir

I have this on my paladin, so here are some notes:

Casting sacred shield will cause the proc to go off (making your heals start to absorb). Not sure if the proc from sacred shield can proc the mace.
The healing over time from your flash of light adds to the mace's shield on the target when your mace is proc'd.
Heals on yourself from your JoL cause the shield on you, but not on anyone else. Still unsure if the healing from JoL can trigger the mace proc.
Healing caused by trinkets do not trigger the shield effect, pretty sure they also do not cause the mace proc (tested using Living Ice Crystals).
Healing from your Glyph of Holy Light triggers the shield (which makes your raid look really cool ^_^ )
You do not have to cast an effective heal in order to proc the mace (healing a target at 100% will proc the mace)

Let me know if I missed anything to test.

Comment by 338077

This weapon is the best weapon for any healer. It will be up until 3.3

Comment by 274548

Cannot be disenchanted

Comment by 121958

Cannot be disenchanted

The world will never know.

Comment by nautiness

doesnt seem to be unique equipped...

be kinda cool to have a shammy dual wielding these:D

Comment by Kunstbanause

I am a Holy Priest and I got it today and it took me 7 months since the first fragment.

Comment by adamb10

Val'anyr was not buffed in 3.3 and most likely will end up being replaced in Icecrown Citadel. Even Blizzard themselves say it's going to be replaced:

Legendaries are not intended to be the last weapon you'll ever need. WoW is a game about upgrading your stuff.

http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/thread.html?topicId=21730676505&pageNo=1&sid=1#14

Comment by 493349

lol im using the mace for pvp with my discipline priest :) it's amayzing what can you do with power shield and this buff :)

Comment by 526684

I think this is one of the weapons that will not be replaced for a long time, just because of the fact that it scales with healing so well. Only reason I think it will be replaced is when the loss of spell power compared to other weapons outscales the proc of the weapon, but even then spell power = more over healing in top end gear, and the effect will most likely not be a waste since it is absorbtion.

Comment by 552170

lol the bouble looks pritty XD

Comment by Enthorn

Val'anyr, Hammer of Ancient Kings + Sundial of Eternal Dusk + Enchant Weapon - Mighty Spellpower + Blessing of Kings

Intellect: 135*1.1 = 148.5
Stamina: 133*1.1 = 146.3
Spirit: 68*1.1 = 74.8
Critical Strike Rating: 50 (1.089%)
Haste Rating: 117 (3.568%)
Spell Power: 803

Archus, Greatstaff of Antonidas + Enchant Staff - Greater Spellpower + Blessing of Kings

Intellect: 188*1.1 = 206.8
Stamina: 188*1.1 = 206.8
Spirit: 141*1.1 = 155.1
Critical Strike Rating: 141 (3.07%)
Spell Power: 1052 (includes 9 SP socket bonus)

Difference (rounding): +58 INT, +61 STA, +80 SPI, +91 Crit (1.98%), -117 Haste (3.568%), +249 SP

Suffice it to say, I'm inclined to believe that the damage absorption shield on the mace far offsets the increase in stats.

Comment by PKainus

I have a feeling this is going to be BiS for Holy Paladins even in Cataclysm, unless something drastic happens to Paladin healing, making SP more beneficial for us. As of right now, the proc is ~20%+ of a Paladin's effective healing, so I don't see it getting replaced any time soon.

Comment by 563101

Um... yeah, this has bigger DPS than most two-handers from BC...

Comment by Eteryu

Any idea how the shielding works with Infest?

Comment by zapiks44

Almost every healer I know of who has this say they plan to keep it through ICC. On average ICC boss fights the absorbs account for 10-20% of their total healing done, and the shields provided have undoubtedly saved player's lives on countless occasions. It would take a truly insane amount of spell power to make up for losing that. Most likely they'll stick with Val'anyr until the first tier of raid content in Cataclysm, similar to how tanks stuck with Thunderfury well into Burning Crusade.

Comment by awebz

is this still better than anything in ICC?

Comment by 163840

I have seen this weapon on Sporeggar. Troll shaman resto. A lucky guy :)

Comment by 564947

What do hunters do when blizzard makes a legendary for Classes: Hunter if this and shadowmourne are appparently hunter loot? Do their brains explode?

Comment by haze12

Question, If someone in my guild gets 30 Fragments etc. and we do the yogg saron part to get it, is there anyway i can get the mace from there if i didnt have the fragments to start? i heard there is

Comment by 471630

Val'anyr is still the best healer weapon you can obtain in WotLK! :)

Comment by Hourglass

Ah, the joys of being a caster. To wit:

They removed Naxx40, taking the legendary Staves with it. Then they dawdle about, deciding on a Mace, which requires dragging 24 other players through an instance that became obsolete the moment ToC was released. Those of us who did get the Mace were rewarded with a long-standing bug affecting the proc, a complete lack of sockets (let alone 3 Red ones!) and a general sense of discontent and dissatisfaction with the weapon as a whole.

And then there's the Sealed Chest. What do the players with Val'anyr get for killing the Lich King?

It's been a running joke in the caster community for years that the game should have been called, World of Meleecraft (or more recently in Wrath, World of Platecraft). Looks like when it comes to the best gear, the Plate DPS guys have the last laugh. Again.

Contrary to popular belief, not all orange text is created equal.

Comment by Hourglass

You do make some good and valid points. However, I would present an alternate view.

A lot of players have complained about Naxx40's removal; Naxx in its original form was the best raid in the game in many players' opinion. Not because it was the absolute top tier, but rather because it was well-designed, challenging, had some truly unique mechanics and above all else, was fun.

In its current form - even when Wrath was released - it was reduced to little more than an "lolLore" stepping stone on the path to bigger things. It's given about the same regard as Kara was during the back half of BC.

The staff is obsolete, yes. Very much so. I doubt many people would want it as an upgrade; I mean how many people show up to your raids carrying Thunderfury or Sulfuras? The difference is that while both of those are also obsolete...both are still in the game. Soloable to obtain, no less. (Though I will admit this requires a fair bit of RNG luck.)

As for Ulduar, personally I loved the instance. However, a lot of players did not and (more importantly) the moment a raid with higher iLvl gear gets released, players immediately disregard the raid(s) before it.
Ask anyone who is still collecting Fragments how easy it is to round up 24 players willing to come with them to a raid that's two Tiers lower than the current content each week...especially when those 24 players won't be eligible for Fragment rolls. And then ask them how much trouble they have finding people for ICC.

The proc on the Mace was bugged for a long time. There were numerous (countless might be the better word) threads about it on the Healing forum as well as the Class forums. Yes, the proc is nice. It would have been nicer had it worked like it should the whole time. That shiny 2H Axe doesn't seem to have any proc issues.

As a Priest, I'm well aware of how horribly other class' itemization is; Not just in Armor but in weapons (ask the Elemental Shamans how the expansion has treated them). The difference is when you are a Plate class, you have the option to wear other Armor levels. A Druid cannot equip Mail, a Shaman cannot equip Plate, and a Cloth-wearer can't wear anything else.

You're absolutely right when you say healers have more time spent with their BiS for this expansion; However, it might be fair to say that players carrying Shadowmourne will enjoy their time more than players carrying Val'anyr...especially since you can zone into the current instance (complete with 30% bonus!), kill the expansion's end boss and walk out with a Sealed Chest for your effort.

I'm aware this all sounds like generic caster QQ, and perhaps it is. But when you look at the two sides, it's obvious there's a pretty darn big rift between them.

Comment by Bandom

Question:Would this be better for my holy pala (in arena 2v2 and 3v3, maybe 5v5) pvp than my current Royal Scepter of Terenas II? i know its prolly worse but i just wanna make sure, since my guild is gonna start raiding ulduar (wtf?) soon.

Comment by Rydberg123

Awesome Weapon!

Comment by 326762

Notice that this weapon is actually infact, NOT unique.
Meaning that if you are willing to spend the time (and find others to help you) to grind for a 2nd mace, you can actually have this legendary mace 2 times.

however, other then fun/personal achievement i see no reason for someone getting 2 maces.

Comment by 614482

this is obivously a tank mace

Comment by 402725

DK weapon.

Comment by dubplate

Now in RL!

Comment by Bamurela

Can you still do this in 4.0.2?

Comment by Aelobin

The absorb created by Val'anyr is not affected by a disc priest's mastery.

Comment by Peso

Patch 1.1 - Patch 7.0.3

Talisman of Binding Shard
Thunderfury, Blessed Blade of the Windseeker
Sulfuras, Hand of Ragnaros
Atiesh, Greatstaff of the Guardian
Atiesh, Greatstaff of the Guardian
Atiesh, Greatstaff of the Guardian
Atiesh, Greatstaff of the Guardian
Warglaive of Azzinoth
Warglaive of Azzinoth
Thori'dal, the Stars' Fury
Val'anyr, Hammer of Ancient Kings
Shadowmourne
Dragonwrath, Tarecgosa's Rest
Golad, Twilight of Aspects
Tiriosh, Nightmare of Ages

Comment by dythe

Best looking one-handed mace in the game, as it should be. :) At least imo.

Comment by Runeweaver

Val'anyr will also be made available for Monks come Mists of Pandaria
Source: I have the fragments in my bag on the BETA and it classifies Monk as an eligible class.

Comment by 997887

Blood elf disguise on female troll shaman (xondria)

Comment by JoshUK

Does anyone know if Ulduar will be soloable at lvl 90 for a Paladin? I really want this mace, but can never form a group for it.

Comment by Allakhazam

actual dps is 113.3 and actual damage is 97-311 , so the stats above should be updated, not that it is a big difference but it's still wrong

Edited, Sep 1st 2009 1:17am by coolsharky

Comment by Xaliden

I can't wait to get this *fingers crossed* It'd be my first legendary :)

Comment by Qu1mble

Will the Blessing of Ancient Kings shield be applied to every target and AoE heal hits? i.e. chain heal, wild growth, Circle of Healing, etc...? Or is it only applied to a single target cast?

Comment by liberalmedia

Seems like using Starfall and Starfire with this weapon will spread procs to all melee in range of the mobs hit with these abilities.

Comment by Razzerian

Confirmed by a Game Master to me today that multiple people can complete the final stage of the quest to attain the Ancient Hammer on the same Yogg saron kill.

"From what I have gathered, you would like to know if several people can complete the same quest Val'anyr, Hammer of Ancient Kings.
I can confirm that it is possible for several players to complete that stage of the quest as long as the kill is cleared for everyone, meaning everyone touch and have enough threat to have the kill cleared.
There are also no known issues with the quest Val'anyr, Hammer of Ancient Kings, so it should be running as intended. You may read more about this quest here: Val'anyr, Hammer of Ancient Kings#comments.<> />
If you have any additional questions or concerns, let us know and we’ll be happy to assist as much as we can. Take care!
Game Master Oloetyaesa

Regards,
Blizzard Support "

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Val'anyr, Hammer of Ancient Kings

Item Level 258
Binds when picked up

Main Hand	Mace

272 - 507 Damage	Speed 1.80

(216.39 damage per second)
+105 Stamina
Durability 130 / 130

Requires Level 80
Equip: Improves critical strike rating by 50.
Equip: Improves haste rating by 49.
Equip: Increases spell power by 777.
Equip: Your healing spells have a chance to cause Blessing of Ancient Kings for 15 sec allowing your heals to shield the target absorbing damage equal to 15% of the amount healed. (Proc chance: 10%, 45s cooldown)
"The power of creation courses through this weapon."

Sell Price: 36 36 51

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Val'anyr, Hammer of Ancient Kings

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