Northrend Advanced: Gold

Here are my findings on the Advanced Gold races in Northrend. In general, these aren't too tough, nothing as bad as Dun Morogh or Durotar or (shudder) Razorthorn.

Blackriver Burble - Moderately Hard

Navigation is trickier than in the normal mode of this race, because some of the rings are placed closer to the ground and underneath logs. You also have to be going full throttle throughout to make the timer. I recommend skyhopping* between rings 5 and 6, but otherwise there aren't a lot of opportunities to do that: you just have to spam Surge Forward hard, and use Skyward Ascent normally for elevation gains. There's a green vigor ball at the end of the zigzag section in the river valley that you're almost certainly going to miss if you're going as fast as you need to be, but that's okay. If you do go for it, you have to take the turn extra sharp and not too low, or you'll ground yourself.

Citadel Sortie - Hard (or Moderate with skyhopping*)

I couldn't make the timer without skyhopping whenever the rings were well-spaced and in the open. Push hard but ease up when vigor-starving is a possibility. Unusually for the advanced races, there are white speed boosts in some places. Don't spend vigor in these sections; save it for later. Navigation might be tricky for some, because there are a lot of spires you could get hung up on. For the most part these aren't too bad because they appear in geometrically predictable places. (Contrast, say, with the Razorthorn race.)

Coldarra Climb - Moderately Easy

Navigation is tricky, as there are a few places where you can get hung up, but the timer isn't bad. If you can navigate it cleanly, you'll be in good shape. If you're too slow, just spam Surge Forward a little harder next time, and you should be fine.

Crystalsong Crisis - Moderate

It's not a bad timer if you clear all the obstacles. The trouble is that there is a lot of visual clutter that blinds your navigation. As a rule of thumb, if you're heading toward one of those crystal trees, expect that you're going to go through it. Start the race with two Surge Forwards and then a skyhop* right as you're going through the second ring. Also skyhop a couple of times during the straight stretch in the open. That might be enough if you push the rest of the race hard, but slip in a couple more skyhops* if you have to. Mainly this is about maintaining speed rather than optimizing speed, so dodging fireballs and aiming accurately is the key.

Daggercap Dart - Very Easy

This is a nice leisurely race. I got Gold my first try and had almost full vigor at the end. If you really need to optimize your speed, there are a couple of non-obvious places where skyhopping* helps a lot: One is right at the beginning of the race; open with a Surge Forward and an immediate skyhop to get through the second ring and propel you downward. The other is right before the second ring before the drop down the cliff, again to propel you downward. But try the race first in whatever way feels comfortable to you and enjoy the ride.

Dragonblight Dragon Flight - Easy

This is a long race. Push fairly hard throughout. Other than staying low to dodge some bones early on, there isn't much else to worry about. Throw in a skyhop* or two if you're having trouble with the timer, but probably you only need to use Skyward Ascent normally for inclines.

Geothermal Jaunt - Hard

Start with two Surge Forwards and a skyhop*. Thereafter, you just have to spam Surge Forward hard while navigating the zigzaggiest course in the game so far. It's a short race but has a very tight timer and a lot of navigational hazards. I recommend ignoring the green vigor balls, as a couple of them will cause you to take a turn too wide and veer off course. If you ignore them and focus on the rings, you'll still pick up enough of them to beat the timer. But you do have to be very accurate and never let up on your speed.

Gundrak Fast Track - Easy

Nothing much to say about this one. The timer is forgiving, and the navigation is easy. Just spam Surge Forward throughout. At the very end, it's easy to find yourself lacking the necessary vigor to climb the final incline with Skyward Ascent, but you don't have to let up much, if at all, to keep that from being an issue. If you find yourself short by a few seconds, try a skyhop* between rings 5 and 6, but this probably won't be necessary.

Maker's Marathon - Moderately Hard (or Moderately Easy with skyhopping*)

This race is all about vigor management. You have to go easy early on, or you run out of vigor. Then there are some inclines you should use Skyward Ascent for (I used two in a row, then a Surge Forward to get to the stairs, then two more Skyward Ascents to get to the top). While I was doing that, I built up so much extra vigor I was almost maxxed, and had to hit Surge Forward on CD almost to the very end to spend it all. Ultimately, I was still short of Gold by a second or two, so I skyhopped* 2-3 times in the early section where the rings were level and far apart. There are lots of convenient opportunities to do this, so no need for me to specify particular rings. Once I added that refinement in, Gold was no problem.

Scalawag Slither - Moderately Hard (or Easy with skyhopping*)

Easy course in terms of navigation. The timer was too tight for me to get it without skyhopping through the water section, but doing that made it easy. Use Skyward Ascent normally for the inclines at the end.

Sholazar Spree - Easy

Push hard but don't worry too much about the timer. The only navigational hazard is a blind stretch in the trees about one third of the way through, but once you learn the course it's fine. Use Skyward Ascent for the final inclines.

Zul'drak Zephyr - Moderately Easy

This is a timer race, not a navigational race. Push fairly hard throughout, almost vigor-starving yourself. Use Skyward Ascent normally for the very few inclines (two slight ones, and one more sharp one at the end). No skyhopping* necessary, but if you need to shave off a couple of seconds, do it once or twice during long straight stretches, and that should do it.

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* "Skyhopping" involves using Skyward Ascent to gain horizontal speed for a more sustained burst than Surge Forward can manage. To do it, quickly aim straight up, hit Skyward Ascent, and immediately aim horizontally again. It takes practice to hold an accurate course while doing this, but if you pull it off it converts the vertical momentum you normally gain with Skyward Ascent into considerable horizontal momentum.