Server Down so got a little bored and decided to post this up for future reference :D
The Laboratory and the Three Drakes
Once Broodlord Lashlayer lies dead at the head of the 2nd Suppression Room, the gate that he protected will immediately open, allowing access to the extensive Laboratory area that lies beyond. This area consists of a single massive hall, that winds to and fro as it climbs from one landing to the next, leading ever higher towards the throne of Nefarian at the peak of Blackwing Lair.
Within this Laboratory, a number of trash mob pulls of various types block your path. Orcs, goblins, shapeshifted (or so we assume) dragonkin, and lesser varieties of draconids (kin to Broodlord Lashlayer) all make an appearance, in groups of various sizes. These chambers house a number of Alchemy Lab apparatuses, each of which may be used at will to concoct Flasks, once the nearby trash and/or boss mobs have been dispatched in the current instance.
Interspersed through the Laboratory you will find the 3 drake bosses of Blackwing Lair: Firemaw, Ebonroc, and Flamegor. Firemaw patrols nearly the entire length of the Laboratory, whereas Ebonroc and Flamegor each wander in a much more limited area. All three Drakes share features in common with one another, and understanding the first drake encounter will provide quite a leg up in understanding those of the other two drakes.
Before you will be able to engage any of the drakes in combat, however, you must first contend with 2-3 trash mob pulls that we refer to as Technician Packs (after the type of mob that makes up the bulk of each group).
Technician Packs
Spaced throughout the Laboratory, you will find a grand total of 7 of these Packs. Each Pack consists of an assortment, differing slightly from one Pack to the next, of 4 varieties of mobs (orcs, goblins, dragonkin, and draconids are all represented). One type appearing in each Pack can summon an additional variety of demonic mob to do their bidding, as well. If any member of a Pack survives a bad pull, the entire Pack will respawn; they cannot be split or pulled and killed incrementally (barring buggy linked aggro coding, which we have observed).
The mobs types that comprise these Packs are as follows:
* Blackwing Warlocks - Each Pack contains 2. Warlocks are level 61+ orc casters with ~120k HP. They can cast a targeted rain of fire that has a very large area of effect and causes ~700 damage per tick, and frequently spam a multi-target shadowbolt that inflicts ~1400 damage against up to 3 targets near one another. They can also summon in an Enraged Felguard demonic minion (see below), and will do so if they are not dispatched quickly enough. They cannot be sheeped or otherwise CC'd, and must be tanked instead. Because they are casters, this can be difficuly to manage however. They will be killed first on each pull.
* Blackwing Technicians - Each Pack contains 6 to 10. As noted earlier in the writeup for Vaelastrasz the Corrupt, Technicians are level 60+ goblins with ~15k HP. They are armed with short-range grenade projectiles that they throw at their current target. The aggro tables of all of the Technicians in each Pack appear to be linked; they will tend to move so as to stay clustered closely together, and focus their volleys of thrown grenades on one target at a time. Because of the slow speed of these projectiles, it is possible to mitigate the damage output of the Technicians by the simple expedient of staying in constant motion. If someone has aggro and runs in circles around a cluster of Technicians, they will take minimal damage from the grenades. If engaged from melee range, their physical attacks also inflict a stacking poison effect as well. They can be sheeped and otherwise CC'd, but their sheer numbers make them hard to deal with via CC in the context of a complete Pack pull. They will be killed second on each pull.
* Blackwing Spellbinders - Each Pack contains 0 to 2. Spellbinders are level 61+ dragonkin mobs with ~110k HP, though they take on the guise of Blood Elves. They have a short-range polymorph ability, as well as a medium-range targeted AoE flame strike that does a moderately high amount of damage. Their primary feature is a complete and total immunity to all schools of magic; they can only be harmed by physical attacks alone. As a result, they cannot be CC'd via normal methods, though they are susceptible to physical stuns. They will be killed third on each pull, but due to their magical immunities they will generally be attacked simultaneously to the Death Talon Overseers (see below).
* Death Talon Overseers - Each Pack contains 0 or 1. Overseers are level 62+ draconids with ~160k HP, counting as humanoids for game purposes. They have moderately powerful melee attacks, including a frontal cleave. Their primary feature is a random vulnerability to a single school of magic, uniquely determined for each individual mob. Each is highly resistant to the schools of magic to which it is not vulnerable. They cannot be sheeped or otherwise CC'd, though they are susceptible to physical stuns. They will be killed fourth on each pull, but they will generally be attacked simultaneously to the Blackwing Spellbinders (see above).
* Enraged Felguards - Are summoned by the Blackwing Warlocks. As a result, how many will appear in a given pull depends upon how quickly the Warlocks within that pull are dispatched. They have mean single-target melee attacks, an AoE thunderclap that slows those affected, and a fire-based melee damage shield effect. They can be banished, and all of the warlocks within the raid should be on the lookout for the telltale portal that indicates a Felguard is being summoned. When it appears, the Felguard will be banished, and kept banished until all other mobs within the pull have been dispatched. If any appear during a given pull, they will be killed last.
Positioning, pulling, and killing each Pack will be handled as follows:
1. Targets will be assigned to MTs in the following order: Warlocks -> a single Technician -> Spellbinders (if any) -> Overseer (if any). From 3 to 6 MTs may be required, depending upon the number of Spellbinders and Overseers present.
2. A hunter puller will aggro one of the mobs in the Pack (generally a Warlock) from range, "blind pulling" all of the caster types by moving safely out of LoS until all of those mobs are being tanked.
3. Each MT aggros and tanks his assigned target, or (in the case of MT3) the entire group of Technicians associated with this Pack. MT3 should aggro the Technicians using AoE threat-generating abilities, and then begin running around them in circles to avoid being hit by their grenades.
4. The raid burns down both Warlocks, one at a time. Any Felguards that are summoned before these Warlocks are killed must be banished and kept banished until all other mobs from the Pack are dead.
5. Once the Warlocks are dead, all classes with ranged AoE attacks (Flame Strike, Blizzard, Volley, etc.) will focus fire on the mass of Technicians and burn them down quickly as a group. Rogues begin attacking the first Spellbinder target while this occurs.
6. Hunters and rogues kill the Spellbinders one at a time, while ranged magical DPS classes (mages and warlocks) begin to attack the Overseer within the Pack. Once its magical vulnerability is determined, the raid should be informed so as to maximize its effectiveness versus the Overseer.
7. If any Felguards remain banished after all of the other mobs within a Pack have been killed, they will be unbanished and burned down with focus fire.
Each Pack is handled in essentially the same fashion, though the distance and specific method used to pull each Pack depends upon its location as well as other nearby Packs.
A total of 3 Technician Packs are either directly in between the gate to the Laboratory and the closest point of the pathway along which Firemaw patrols, or close enough that they represent a danger to the raid if they are not eliminated before Firemaw himself is pulled. Once these 3 Packs are killed, it is possible to safely pull Firemaw.
Common Features of the Three Drakes
Firemaw, Ebonroc, and Flamegor all share some important similarities, both in their abilities and the proper approach taken to deal with those abilities as part of their encounters. As such, understanding the basic features of any one of the drakes provides an excellent opportunity to learn about the common features of the other two. All three drakes share the following abilities:
1. Melee Attacks - The melee attacks of each drake are only directed at the current MT; the drakes do not have a cleave ability. They also lack any sort of tail swipe, and as such may be melee'd by rogues from the side or rear without danger of being caught in a typical melee attack.
2. Shadow Flame - The breath weapon each drake uses periodically is a frontal cone AoE attack, inflicting ~4500 shadow damage on those struck. Additionally, any player that does NOT have an Onyxia Scale Cloak equipped will be "fully engulfed" if they survive the initial damage. Those "fully engulfed" receive a non-dispellable debuff that inflicts ~2000 shadow damage per second for 10 seconds. Anyone that survives the initial damage but receives this debuff is essentially guaranteed to die.
3. Wing Buffet - This ability is a periodic frontal cone AoE attack, combining a powerful knockback effect as well as a significant and permanent reduction of threat for all those caught by the attack. The loss of threat associated with this ability is so severe that, if it is not dealt with appropriately, it will result in a similar "aggro ceiling" effect as that described previously for the Broodlord Lashlayer encounter.
4. Each drake is tauntable. Taunting in an organized fashion to temporarily capture aggro from the active MT, or to facilitate an ordered transfer of aggro from one MT to the next in a pre-set rotation, plays a key role in managing all three of the drake encounters.
Due to the above-listed common abilities of all three drakes, there will also be common features to the approach utilized by the raid when engaging each of these drakes as well. The common aspects of how the raid deals with each of the drake encounters are as follows:
* Each drake is tanked at an interior corner of the Laboratory, where two walls meet at right angles. The MT should stand at the intersection of these walls, ensuring that if he is ever struck with a Wing Buffet, the resulting knockback will not have any significant impact on his position.
* One or more warriors will be assigned to act as off-tanks. Their purpose during the encounter is to taunt the drake just before each Wing Buffet, forcing the drake to turn and attack the OT instead of the current MT.
By ensuring that another warrior is hit by each Wing Buffet instead of the current MT, it is possible to avoid the periodic loss of threat the MT would otherwise suffer when affected by the attack. By reducing or altogether eliminating the number of times where the MT is hit by Wing Buffet, the "aggro ceiling" effect for these encounters can also be reduced or eliminated.
Any assigned OTs will be located within melee range of the drake, with their backs against one of the intersecting walls of the corner. They must be far enough away from the MT such that each time it turns to face them when taunted, the frontal cone affected by the Wing Buffet cast immediately thereafter misses the MT. This approach only functions like intended as long as the OT can guarantee that the drake will turn far enough to completely miss the MT with each Wing Buffet.
* Rogues (and melee pets, when appropriate) engage the drakes from directly behind, or from either side of its hindquarters. They must never engage from directly in front of the drake, or from close enough to its front that they might be struck by a Shadow Flame cast while the drake is turned from its normal orientation.
* Hunters, casters, and healers will vary in their positioning from encounter to encounter. In all cases they should stay clear of places that might be caught in a Wing Buffet or Shadow Flame attack when the drake has turned towards an OT following a taunt. The only exception to this rule might occur when casters or healers elect to suicide on purpose to avoid hitting the aggro ceiling.
* Any player likely to be struck by Shadow Flame MUST have his Onyxia Scale Cloak equipped at all times during the encounter. Against all three drakes, this should include the warriors and rogues only. Almost any instance where other members of the raid are struck by Shadow Flame indicates that the drake is out of control, and in danger of wiping the raid.
* It is possible for a rezzer (typically a paladin) to stay out of combat for the duration of each of these encounters, providing OOC rezzes to those who die.
* Depending upon how consistently the OT is able to divert Wing Buffets onto himself rather than the MT, it may be possible to avoid hitting an aggro ceiling entirely. Because taunt is resistable and timing is subject to errors, however, encountering the aggro ceiling effect is a definite possibility.
Rogues and hunters should use their threat reduction abilities (Feint, Feign Death, and Vanish) as often as possible, to entirely avoid any aggro ceiling effect that might develop.
Casters and healers MAY find it necessary to voluntarily suicide in an organized fashion during each encounter to avoid hitting the aggro ceiling, as with Broodlord Lashlayer.
The above listed elements are common to all three drake encounters, and mastering them for one will provide the fundamental skills necessary for the other two as well.
As mentioned previously, all three drakes have some unique features as well, which will be addressed separately for each.
Firemaw, the First Drake
In addition to the common features of all three drakes, Firemaw has the following unique ability:
1. Flame Buffet - This is a periodic fire-based attack that Firemaw uses against ALL enemies within LoS once every ~5 sec. It inflicts ~150 fire damage, and applies a debuff that increases all fire damage taken by 150 for 20 sec. This debuff stacks with each new application, up to a maximum of 50 times, and cannot be dispelled.
It should be noted that this debuff is not a DoT per se, but only acts to progressively increase the damage of each new wave of the Flame Buffet attack that occurs as the debuff stacks up.
Correctly handling Firemaw's Flame Buffet ability is what makes this encounter unique and challenging. Of course, that must be done in conjunction with the approach already described for dealing with Wing Buffet and the other common features of all three drakes.
Once a clear path exists between the Laboratory gate and the near end of Firemaw's patrol route, the raid may position itself and prepare for the pull. A paladin is used to bubble pull Firemaw, drawing him back to the waiting MT and the rest of the raid.
Firemaw is fought just at the entrance to the Laboratory area. The designated MT is positioned at the interior corner formed by the juncture of walls housing the two gates (one open and one closed) into the Laboratory. During the encounter, the current OT should be positioned against the closed gate, approximately midway along its width. Firemaw should be positioned just outside the gate, facing inwards towards the MT at a 45-degree angle to both walls.
This positioning provides an ideal environment for the raid. The wall just to the right of the open gate provides the means by which members of the raid can break LoS with Firemaw, while still maintaining LoS to the MT and OT if necessary. Please refer to the image below, which displays the general positions of Firemaw and the various members of the raid during the encounter.
(http://img74.imageshack.us/img74/3280/firemawpositioning5xm.jpg) (http://imageshack.us)
The parts played by the various members of the raid are as follows:
* Healers - Will establish LoS to the MT and/or OT without being within LoS of Firemaw himself. As such, healers will be able to heal the MT and OT without needing to reposition to escape the effects of Flame Buffet, which can stack quickly enough to become a significant danger otherwise. Because they will ideally be out of LoS of Firemaw for the entire encounter, healers should be able to use their most effective gear, without sacrificing stats in exchange for FR.
All healers should reserve their mana to keep the MTs and OTs alive. If positioned correctly, healers should take very minimal, if any, damage during the encounter.
* Off-tanks - From his position along the closed gate to Firemaw's right, the OT should prepare to taunt just before each Wing Buffet occurs, pulling aggro from the MT long enough to be hit by the attack without being knocked far in the process. Each time this occurs, Firemaw's aggro should switch back immediately to the current MT.
If the current OT fails enough resists in a row so that his debuff stacks up to a level where it becomes unreasonably difficuly to keep him alive via healing alone, it will be necessary to swap out OTs. An additional OT should stand hidden out of LoS, ready to move into position and take over as OT whenever this occurs during the encounter. This may also be necessary if the current OT dies for whatever reason. OTs should wear their maximal FR gear.
* Main Tanks - As with the OTs, it is possible that the current MT may fail enough resists in a row versus Flame Buffet that his debuff stacks up to dangerous levels. When this occurs, it is necessary to smoothly transition aggro onto a new MT. As a result, an additional MT should stand hidden out of LoS, ready to move into position when needed.
When a transition is called for, the current MT should stop attacking and the new MT should move into position adjacent to the current MT. The new MT should taunt Firemaw to establish a threat level near (but below) the current MT, then use his threat-generating abilies (Sunder Armor, Shield Slam, etc.) to build enough additional hate that aggro transfers to him. Once aggro is firmly established on the new MT, the previous MT can back out of LoS and allow his stacked debuff to fade naturally. MTs should wear their optimal FR gear.
* DPS classes (ranged and melee) - Will weave in and out of LoS with Firemaw to attack. They should move into LoS and range of Firemaw, attack him until they have been hit by a sufficient number of Flame Buffets to bring their HP into dangerously low levels or stack up enough debuffs that any additional waves could kill them, then back out of LoS in order to recover and allow the debuffs to fade.
They must be wearing their optimal FR gear, because each wave of Flame Buffet is individually resistable. The more waves of Flame Buffet are resisted, the longer you will be able to remain in LoS while attacking, and the greater the chance that you may resist enough attacks in a row that your existing stacked debuff will fade away without requiring any repositioning.
Because so much healing is needed to keep the MTs and OTs alive, DPS classes should be self-sufficient from a healing perspective, using bandages, potions and the like to keep themselves alive in between rounds of attacking.
If the raid group correctly positions Firemaw in such a way that his Flame Buffet and Wing Buffet abilities can be managed correctly, stays alive and applies consistent high DPS, this encounter is entirely within reach.
Summary
Understanding and mastering the first few trash mob pulls in the Laboratory that lies beyond the Suppression Rooms prepares you to more easily deal with the remaining trash mobs that lie between you and the ultimate challenge of Blackwing Lair, Nefarian himself!
Moreover, once you have cleared through these pulls, you will encounter the first of three drakes Bosses in this instance. Each boss poses a unique challenge, but each shares many elements in common with the others (including a significant portion of their loot tables, as chance would have it).
Facing and defeating the first drake, Firemaw, will prepare you for the two remaining drakes and set you well on your way towards the end of the instance!
Clearing to Ebonroc
Once you have killed Firemaw, there are a total of 6 additional trash pulls barring the path to Ebonroc. The 2nd through 5th of these pulls are Technician Packs, described previously. The first and last of these pulls involve new mobs that have not yet been encountered in Blackwing Lair, however. As before, if any member of an individual group survives a bad pull, the entire group will respawn.
The two new types of mobs that you will encounter on your way to Ebonroc are as follows:
* Death Talon Wyrmguards - Wyrmguards are powerful level 63+ draconids with ~215k HP, counting as dragonkin for game purposes. They have potent single-target melee attacks, as well as an AoE War Stomp that inflicts ~800 damage and stuns all those within 15 yards for 5 sec. As with the Death Talon Overseers, each individual Wyrmguard will have a random vulnerability to a single school of magic, and will be highly resistant to the other four schools. In addition, each Wyrmguard has access to a randomly-determined Brood Power, which are used against their current melee target. The random selection of each Wyrmguard's Brood Power means that every pull involving them will be somewhat unique. The Powers themlseves, and how the raid must adjust in order to appropriately deal with them, will be described in greater detail below.
* Master Elemental Shaper Krixix - This is a level 60+ named goblin with ~9k HP. Krixix has negligible offensive and defensive capabilities, and is susceptible to all the standard forms of CC affecting humanoids. His only significance is as the sole means by which members of your raid may learn the secret arts of smelting Elementium. To do so, Krixix should be Mind Controlled, after which one of the abilities on his action bar may be used to teach the "Smelt Elementium" skill to any miner within the raid group. There is no limit on how many people can learn this skill, except for the short delay required in between each use.
Unlike all of the other trash mobs in Blackwing Lair, Krixix will respawn (by himself) on subsequent visits to the instance, even if the group with which he is linked has been killed. Thus, other members of the raid may be taught how to smelt Elementium on later visits to the instance.
The first pull after Firemaw consists of 3 Death Talon Overseers and 1 Death Talon Wyrmguard. MTs will be separately assigned to each Overseer and to the Wyrmguard, with the group aggro'd via a paladin bubble puller and each MT range pulling for himself.
The last pull before Ebonroc consists of 3 Death Talon Wyrmguards, and Master Elemental Shaper Krixix. MTs will be separately assigned to each Wyrmguard. The group will be initially aggro'd by a paladin bubble puller, with each MT range pulling his assigned Wyrmguard. Master Elemental Shaper Krixix will be sheeped by an assigned mage until all of the Wyrmguards have been killed, after which he will be Mind Controlled and used to teach the Smelt Elementium ability if desired, then quickly dispatched.
Once all six of these trash mobs pulls have been eliminated, Ebonroc will be within reach of the raid.
Brood Powers
There are 5 Brood Powers, corresponding to the colors of the 5 dragonflights. Each Brood Power has a 40% chance to affect the Wyrmguard's current target each time melee damage is inflicted, and they function as follows:
* Brood Power: Black - Fire - Inflicts ~1250 damage.
* Brood Power: Blue - Frost - Inflicts ~750 damage, burns ~2000 mana (causing damage), and applies a debuff that reduces attack speed by 50% for 6 sec. The debuff cannot be dispelled.
* Brood Power: Bronze - Arcane - Applies a debuff that stuns the target and causes him to continuously attack friendly players within a radius of 10 yards, dealing his normal weapon damage plus 350 with every attack. Once applied, the debuff is frequently re-applied and may effectively become infinite in duration. The debuff cannot be dispelled.
* Brood Power: Green - Nature - Stuns the target for 6 sec.
* Brood Power: Red - Fire - Applies a debuff that inflicts ~1500 damage per second for 5 seconds, stacking up to 5 times. The debuff cannot be dispelled.
Each time a Wyrmguard is pulled, only the assigned MT should engage until its Brood Power can be determined. Additionally, the entire raid should hold fire until the MT has established sufficient threat to ensure that a badly timed War Stomp will not result in a loss of aggro.
Depending upon which Power each Wyrmguard has, the raid should make adjustments as necessary:
* Black, Blue, and Red - Can be dealt with primarily via additional healing alone. Red represents the greatest additional damage output to the MT, whereas Blue somewhat disrupts the ability of the MT to generate threat.
* Bronze - It is vital that all melee attackers stay as far as possible away from the affected MT, or attack from range if it is not possible to avoid the AoE attacks generated by the affected player.
* Green - Severely disrupts tanking, as the Wyrmguard will ignore a stunned MT. At least one additional MT must remain outside of range of War Stomp at all times, ready to taunt and establish aggro on any Wyrmguard that might, or does, have this Brood Power.
Once the Brood Powers of any Wyrmguards in a given pull have been determined, they should be killed in order from the most dangerous to the least dangerous. As such, the kill order should generally be Green -> Red -> Blue -> Black -> Bronze.
Ebonroc, the Second Drake
In addition to the common features of all three drakes, Ebonroc has the following unique ability:
1. Shadow of Ebonroc - This is a shadow-based debuff that Ebonroc will frequently apply to the current MT. Each time the affected player takes melee damage while the debuff is applied, Ebonroc will be healed for 25000 HP. It can be resisted, but not dispelled, and has a duration of 8 sec.
It is important to note that the healing triggered by Shadow of Ebonroc is subject to mitigation via debuffs that reduce the effectiveness of healing. In particular, the debuff applied by Mortal Strike will reduce the amount of HP gained when Shadow of Ebonroc is triggered down to 12500 HP each time, instead of 25000.
Correctly handling the Shadow of Ebonroc ability in such a way as to minimize the frequency and amount of HP which Ebonroc heals via its effects is what makes this encounter unique and challenging. Of course, that must be done in conjunction with the approach previously described for dealing with Wing Buffet and the other common features of all three drakes.
Ebonroc patrols a short distance from the left-hand side of the large "Torture Chamber" overlooking the far end of the Laboratory, down to the bottom of the spiral ramp connecting the Laboratory to the Torture Chamber above it, and back again.
While Ebonroc is at the far end of his patrol route, the raid may position itself and prepare for the pull. The pull itself is accomplished via the simple expedient of waiting for Ebonroc to patrol close enough to the spiral ramp that he aggros onto the MT via proximity alone. If desired, the MT may walk far enough up the ramp that he can draw aggro without needing to wait for the drake to patrol back. The remainder of the raid should stay clear while the pull occurs, moving into position only once the MT has established initial control of Ebonroc.
Ebonroc is fought to the left of the bottom of this spiral ramp. The designated MT, upon capturing Ebonroc's aggro, will position himself at the interior corner formed by the juncture of the northern and eastern walls of the final landing of the Laboratory. During the encounter, the current OT should be positioned against the eastern wall, far enough away from the MT that each time Ebonroc turns to attack, the MT will be unaffected by Wing Buffet. One or more secondary MTs should be positioned against the northern wall, far enough away from the primary MT that each time Ebonroc turns to attack one of them, the primary MT will be unaffected by Shadow Flame, and vice versa. Ebonroc should be positioned approximately midway between the walls, facing inwards towards the primary MT at a 45-degree angle to the sides of this corner.
Because Ebonroc has no AoE attacks except for his frontal cone attacks, Wing Buffet and Shadow Flame, all other members of the raid group should be arrayed primarily along the line leading diagonally outwards from this corner, equidistant to the two walls. Please refer to the image below, which displays the general positions of Ebonroc and the various members of the raid during the encounter.
(http://img155.imageshack.us/img155/6176/ebonrocpositioning0uo.jpg) (http://imageshack.us)
The parts played by the various members of the raid are as follows:
* Healers - Will stay directly behind Ebonroc, far enough away that they cannot be affected by Shadow Flame or Wing Buffet when Ebonroc is turned to face any warrior aside from the designated MT. Because they will ideally not take any damage during the entire encounter, healers can use their most effective gear, without sacrificing any stats in exchange for resists.
All healers should reserve their mana to keep the MTs and OTs alive. All other classes should be able to avoid taking damage just as easily as the healers themselves, given prudent positioning.
* Off-tanks - From his position along the wall to Ebonroc's right, the OT should prepare to taunt just before each Wing Buffet occurs, pulling aggro from the MT long enough to be hit by the attack without being knocked far in the process. Each time this occurs, Ebonroc's aggro should switch back immediately to the current MT.
An additional OT should be ready to move into position and take over as OT as necessary if the current OT dies for whatever reason. OTs should equip gear with a good balance of physical defense and shadow resist. Note that Ebonroc has no fire-based attacks; instead, his abilities are entirely physical or shadow in nature.
* Main Tanks - Every time the Shadow of Ebonroc debuff is applied to the current MT, it is absolutely imperative to temporarily transition aggro onto a new MT until the debuff fades from the original MT. As a result, the secondary MT(s) should remain in melee range of Ebonroc at all times and be prepared to taunt Ebonroc whenever the current MT receives the Shadow debuff, to capture Ebonroc's aggro temporarily and prevent him from continuing to attack the MT affected by the debuff.
Due to the duration of the taunt effect (6 sec) in comparison to the duration of Shadow of Ebonroc (8 sec), it may be necessary for 2 taunts to be used by different warriors in quick succession, in order to keep aggro from switching back to the affected MT before the debuff expires. In addition, aggro may shift away from the warrior with the highest Shadow Resistance even after the debuff expires, depending upon relative threat levels of the various warriors. If this occurs, aggro should be transitioned smoothly back to the intended MT with the best SR gear.
When such a transition is called for, the current MT should stop attacking. The new MT should taunt Ebonroc to establish a threat level near (but below) the current MT, then use his threat-generating abilies (Sunder Armor, Shield Slam, etc.) to build enough additional hate that aggro transfers to him. Once aggro is established on the new MT, the previous MT can begin attacking again.
The importance of taking aggro away from the current MT each time the Shadow of Ebonroc debuff is applied cannot be stressed enough. Each second the drake continues to attack an MT with the debuff can represent a significant amount of healing for the drake. It is impossible, given current gear and level limits, to deal more damage per second while the debuff is applied than Ebonroc will heal if aggro isn't taken by away from the affected MT at the appropriate time.
MTs should balance physical defense gear versus Shadow Resist, with particular focus on SR. It it important to note that as the MT increases his SR, the frequency with which the debuff will be resisted increases correspondingly, requiring fewer and less frequent aggro transitions. A high SR value can have a startling effect upon how difficult it is to organize and execute these transitions.
* Arms warrior(s) - It is extremely helpful for the raid to include at least one warrior specced so as to have Mortal Strike. By keeping the Mortal Strike debuff applied to Ebonroc as continuously as possible, any healing the drake receives as a result of Shadow of Ebonroc will be halved in magnitude. Although this by no means eliminates the need to transition aggro to a new MT each time the previous one receives the debuff, it will limit the healing that occurs as a result of mistakes, delays, and so on, when making these transitions.
* DPS classes (ranged and melee) - Will attack from directly behind Ebonroc for the duration of the encounter. DPS classes should be entirely safe from taking damage during this encounter, assuming they remain close to the diagonal equidistant between the walls forming this corner to ensure they will not be hit by Shadow Flame while the drake is turned. Thus, they can equip their optimal DPS gear, without sacrificing any stats in exchange for resists.
If the raid group correctly manages both the Shadow of Ebonroc and Wing Buffet abilities, keeps the raid alive and applies consistent high DPS, this encounter is straightforward.
Even so, it is likely that Ebonroc will heal for significant amounts of health over the course of even a successful attempt. This encounter is one of the lengthiest in Blackwing Lair, purely in terms of time spent on even the most successful attempt.
Summary
The trash that lies between Firemaw and Ebonroc introduces a few new elements to the challenge of Blackwing Lair, not the least of which is a significant element of randomness and luck, which will return as parts of the Chromaggus and Nefarian encounters later on. For the time being, however, an even greater challenge lies in applying what you have already learned from the Firemaw encounter to the different but related challenge posed by Ebonroc.
Once Ebonroc is dead, the third and and final drake, Flamegor, next blocks your further passage into Blackwing Lair!
Flamegor, the Third Drake
Once you have killed Ebonroc, the raid may immediately reposition itself, buff up, and prepare to pull Flamegor. There are no additional trash mob pulls lying in between Ebonroc and Flamegor, which means that these two boss mob encounters may be tackled back-to-back, one immediately after the other.
In addition to the common features of all three drakes, Flamegor has the following unique abilities:
1. Fire Nova - This is a periodic fire-based attack that inflicts ~550 damage against ALL enemies within LoS of Flamegor. It is used every ~5 sec.
It is a close relative to the Fire Nova used by Vaelastrasz the Corrupted, inflicting the same amount of damage per wave and occurring at the same rate. It differs only because its effect is based upon LoS, rather than range alone.
2. Frenzy - Flamegor will enrage frequently, increasing his size and significantly increasing his melee attack speed (and thus, DPS). It is accompanied by an emote indicating that he "goes into a killing frenzy". This frenzied state can be removed via use of the hunter ability Tranquilizing Shot, just as with Magmadar in Molten Core except that Flamegor must be tranq'd far more often and appears to receive an even larger DPS boost if his frenzy goes unchecked.
Handling Flamegor's Fire Nova ability is trivial once you have mastered the means necessary to deal with Firemaw's Flame Buffet, since its damage output potential is significantly less and there is no need to swap out MTs or OTs due to debuff stacking.
The unique challenges of the Flamegor encounter include correctly performing the initial pull, which is more tricky than those required for either Firemaw or Ebonroc, and dealing with the intense burst DPS and Tranq Shot timing issues associated with his Frenzy.
Flamegor patrols only in a very limited area, hovering on the right-hand side of the "Torture Chamber" overlooking the end of the Laboratory. When ready, the raid may position itself and prepare for the pull. The pull itself is accomplished via a hunter's pet, using Eyes of the Beast. The hunter in question should likely remove all gear (with the possible exception of a bow) that has durability, as it is almost assured that he will die during the pull and be rezzed immediately afterwards.
Flamegor is fought just at the entrance to the Laboratory area, in the same location used when fighting Firemaw. Positioning for the MT, OT, healers, and DPS classes are all identical to that used versus the first drake. The hunter puller should stand just northeast of the open gate, with an unobstructed LoS to Flamegor as he emerges around the left-hand corner north of this gate once pulled. The hunter must be far enough south that, upon reaching the puller, Flamegor is within easy ranged attack distance of the assigned MT.
Please refer to the image below for details of the relative positioning of raid members when fighting Flamegor.
(http://img440.imageshack.us/img440/3889/flamegorpositioning1ut.jpg) (http://imageshack.us)
The parts played by the various members of the raid are as follows:
* Healers - Establish LoS to the MT and/or OT without being within LoS of Flamegor. Healers can use their most effective gear, without sacrificing stats in exchange for FR.
They should reserve their mana to keep the MTs and OTs alive, paying special attention to the MT each time Flamegor goes into a Frenzy.
* Off-tank - Only a single OT should be needed, since Fire Nova has no associated debuff effect, and thus does not require a transition between OTs during the encounter. Apart from this, the OT behaves exactly as when fighting Firemaw. OTs should balance defense gear versus FR gear, to minimize the amount of damage taken from Fire Nova.
* Main Tank - As in the case of the OT, only a single MT should be needed since Fire Nova does not cause a situation in which an aggro transition from one MT to another is required. The MT (and any backups) should equip his best physical defense gear; FR is a secondary consideration for the MT during this encounter.
The additional damage taken by the MT from each Fire Nova is much more predictable and easy for his assigned healers to handle than the unpredictable "spike" physical damage that Flamegor can put out each time the drake is Frenzied. Mitigating those physical damage spikes will go a long way towards ensuring that the MT stays alive for the duration of the encounter.
* DPS classes (ranged and melee) - Will weave in and out of LoS with Firemaw to attack, just as with Firemaw. They should be wearing their optimal FR gear, to reduce the average damage taken from each wave of the Fire Nova, and should remain self-sufficient from a healing perspective, using bandages, potions, and so on to keep themselves alive in between rounds of attacking.
* Hunters - Must be organized into a Tranquilizing Shot rotation, and respond quickly each time Flamegor enters a Frenzy, so as to limit the incoming physical DPS spikes the MT will be subjected to during those times. Each hunter must individually time their periods of attacking, bandaging, eating & drinking, and so on to ensure that they are able to fire off their Tranquilizing Shot each time it is their turn in the rotation. Generally speaking, the initial hunter puller will need to miss the first round or two of the Tranq Shot rotation as he is OOC rezzed and buffed after dying during the pull.
Of all three drakes, Flamegor is perhaps the easiest to defeat, particularly because tha majority of his attacks bear such a close resemblance to those employed by Firemaw, and yet are less dangerous to the raid overall.
Assuming his Frenzy ability can be dealt with correctly and the necessary healing power brought to bear to ensure that the designated MT does not fall, Flamegor will not provide any great challenge to a raid that has already progressed this far.
Summary
Flamegor follows immediately on the heels of Ebonroc, and can be defeated in a straightforward fashion after the second drake is dead without requiring much additional time or preparation. All of the skills needed to defeat this drake have been utilized already, here in Blackwing Lair or in Molten Core, and thus do not represent a significant roadblock to further advancement through the instance.
Once Flamegor himself is eliminated, only one trash mob pull remains between the raid and the next boss of Blackwing Lair, Chromaggus!
good work :D:D
Thank you, ill format this into some tactics threads soon
:D
Past The Drakes
Once Flamegor has been killed, only one trash mob pull remains between the raid and Chromaggus: overgrown two-headed draco-puppy, and second to last boss in Blackwing Lair. In front of the doorway leading out of the "Torture Chamber" where Ebonroc and Flamegor spawn, you will encounter another group of 3 Death Talon Wyrmguards. This pull is dealt with in exactly the same way as the last pull before Ebonroc, except that Master Elemental Shaper Krixix (naturally) plays no part.
After this group of Wyrmguards has been dispatched, only a flimsy set of gates and a HUGE lever to operate them stands between you and Chromaggus. To the south of the Torture Chamber lies a room with two exits. The exit to the east leads to Nefarian's balcony, and its gate opens up only once Chromaggus is dead. Chromaggus himself lies in wait locked behind the gated exit to the west. To open this gate and release Chromaggus, you must throw an enormous lever set into the ground at the southern side of the room.
When Chromaggus is first released, the encounter begins immediately. Everyone inside the instance will be put directly into combat and he will aggro onto the raid, generally starting with whomever threw the lever. This encounter is a test of the raid's adaptability, its focus, and its stamina. The battle is a long one, but learning the many elements and finally executing your roles to completion is exceedingly rewarding!
The Basics
Chromaggus himself is a large two-headed dragonkin sharing features in common with The Beast, the various types of Core Hounds, dragonkin in general, *and* the draconid minions of Nefarian unique to Blackwing Lair. He has a significant store of health, boasting approximately 1.7 million HP. His melee attacks are single-target across the board, and thus should affect the current MT exclusively. In addition, Chromaggus is untauntable. What sets Chromaggus truly apart is the "random element".
Let's Rollllllll The Dice!
Many aspects of the Chromaggus encounter are random, and learning to adjust to that random element is a big part of mastering this encounter. The fight evolves and changes, both from instance to instance and in real-time during the encounter. Each member of the group must maintain their wits and master all the aspects of the encounter in order to deal with each variation.
Magic Vulnerability
At all times during the encounter, Chromaggus will be highly vulnerable to a single school of magic (Arcane, Nature, Fire, Frost, or Shadow) and highly resistant to the other 4 schools, in a similar way to the Death Talon Overseers and Wyrmguards previously encountered. Chromaggus' magic vulnerability is not fixed, however; instead, it changes multiple times during the encounter. Each time it shifts, it is accompanied by an emote indicating that Chromaggus' skin "glistens". Each change is randomly determined, so that whenever his vulnerability changes, it must be re-determined and -announced.
Casters should beware the possibility of unintentionally pulling aggro from the MT as a result of their heightened DPS when using magic attacks against which Chromaggus is currently vulnerable. As with previous occasions where extreme vulnerabilities were encountered, appropriate selection of gear, talents, and spells are beneficial in avoiding that danger.
Brood Afflictions
Periodically, Chromaggus will apply a randomly-determined Brood Affliction to all those within range. LoS is irrelevant for these Afflictions.
There are 5 Afflictions, corresponding to the colors of the 5 dragonflights and the 5 schools of magic. Each Brood Affliction is a debuff that may be removed via some form of player action, but otherwise lasts for 10 minutes. Each player may individually resist the application of these Afflictions as well.
Chromaggus always has access to all 5 Brood Afflictions; they do not vary from instance to instance, only by the random order in which they are applied. The Afflictions are as follows:
* Brood Affliction: Black - Shadow (Curse) - Increases fire damage taken by 100%.
* Brood Affliction: Blue - Frost (Magic) - Burns 50 mana per sec (causing damage), reduces casting speed by 50%, and reduces movement speed to 70% of normal.
* Brood Affliction: Bronze - Arcane (N/A) - Periodically stuns the affected player for 4 sec. This stun effect may occur as often as once every 5 seconds. The only means by which a member of *ANY* class can remove this Affliction from themself is by using Hourglass Sand, which is primarily dropped by Blackwing Technicians. Due to the limited supply of this Sand, it will be conserved as necessary. Apart from the use of Hourglass Sand, certain classes may remove this Affliction via special abilities that clear a broad range of debuffs: paladin may use Divine Shield and mages may use Ice Block.
Hourglass Sand cannot be used when you are actually stunned by this Affliction. Instead, it works only when you can act and use items normally. In addition, removing this Affliction does NOT prevent you from being re-afflicted the next time that Chromaggus applies the Affliction, possibly after only a very short delay. It should be treated as a temporary, not permanent, solution to dealing with this Affliction.
Who should be equipped with Hourglass Sand, and how often it should be used, depend upon the amount available and the importance of each individual's role. The MT and MT healers are highest priority. OTs (especially in an instance with Time Lapse - see below) are next. Hunters follow, due to the importance of keeping Chromaggus tranquilized. After that, Sand should be distributed as supply allows, but only used when absolutely necessary. The lowest priority candidates are those who can remove the Affliction via a class-specific special ability. Ideally, a few pieces of Sand should be enough to deal with all the emergencies that might occur during a full encounter.
* Brood Affliction: Green - Nature (Poison) - Inflicts 250 damage every 5 sec, and reduces all healing effects applied to the target by 50%.
* Brood Affliction: Red - Fire (Disease) - Inflicts 50 damage every 3 sec, stacking up to 50 times. Also, whenever a player with this Affliction dies, Chromaggus will be healed for 150k HP.
Any player that has all 5 Afflictions applied simultaneously will be affected by the debuff "Chromatic Mutation". This debuff transforms you into the form of a Chromatic Draconid, mind controls you to attack the raid, and massively increases your resistances to all forms of magic so that you become highly resistant to them all. It lasts for 5 minutes, and cannot be removed.
Dealing with these Afflictions will require a combination of constant dispelling to remove Black/Blue/Green/Red (by paladins, druids, mages, and priests), and judicious use of Hourglass Sand (or the class-specific abilities mentioned above) to remove Bronze.
"Breath" Weapons
Additionally, in each instance Chromaggus will be equipped with 2 randomly-determined "breath" weapons. There are a total of 5 possible weapons.
Although they are called "breath" weapons, they operate on the basis of LoS rather than as a frontal cone AoE, the traditional norm for breath weapons. The 2 weapons Chromaggus will have in a given instance are determined when the instance is first saved, and vary from instance to instance. Different pairings of breath weapons will provide variation in the difficulty of this encounter from one instance to the next.
Every 30 sec after he is first engaged, Chromaggus uses one of these weapons, alternating between them as the encounter continues. The first weapon used will always be the same each time he is engaged for a given instance. The list of possible breath weapons, and their effects, are as follows:
* Corrosive Acid - Nature - Applies a debuff that inflicts ~1000 pts of nature damage every 3 sec, and reduces the AC of the affected target by ~4500. Lasts 15 sec.
* Frost Burn - Frost - Inflicts ~2000 pts of frost damage and burns ~2000 pts of mana (causing additional damage). Also applies a debuff that reduces attack speed by 80% for 15 sec.
* Ignite Flesh - Fire - Applies a debuff that inflicts ~775 pts of fire damage every 3 sec. Lasts 60 sec, and stacks up to 10 times.
* Incinerate - Fire - Inflicts ~4200 pts of fire damage.
* Time Lapse - Arcane - Applies a debuff that stuns the target and reduces his health by 50% for 8 sec. Chromaggus will temporarily ignore any targets that are stunned by this effect, as their current threat levels will be reduced to 0 until it wears off. The threat levels of any targets that resist this effect or avoid it entirely will not be changed at all.
NOTE: In addition, it *appears* that any player that is affected by Time Lapse a certain number of times (possibly 6?) will have his threat level reset to 0 even after the effect wears off. For now, this is UNCONFIRMED but suspected, based upon anecdotal evidence.
Note that none of the debuffs applied by Chromaggus' breath weapons are dispellable.
As Chromaggus prepares to use each breath weapon in turn, there will be an announcement and the majority of the raid must seek cover out of LoS with Chromaggus, to avoid its effects. Each weapon has a casting time of 2 sec, after which it is safe to be within LoS until the next time a breath weapon is used.
NOTE: As this is being written, the current version of CT_RaidAssist (v1.501) incorrectly announces the first two breath weapons about 10 seconds EARLIER than they are actually used. The timing of the third and subsequent weapons appears to be correct; it is only the first two that are off. As a result, manually timing and announcing the first two breath attacks is advised, at least until such time as CT_RaidAssist's internal timer for these events is adjusted.
Frenzy and Enrage
Finally, Chromaggus will periodically frenzy, doubling his melee DPS. When this occurs, it is accompanied by an emote as well as an increase in size and a glowing red aura effect above and in front of each of his two heads. In general, Chromaggus will frenzy a few seconds before, and a few seconds after, each time he uses a breath weapon.
Hunters must employ a tranq shot rotation, as with Magmadar and Flamegor, to mitigate the effects of his frenzy.
When Chromaggus is reduced to 20% health, he will Enrage, increasing his melee DPS by ~50%. Naturally, this DPS increase will be multiplied even further each time he enters a frenzied state while he is already enraged. While Chromaggus is enraged, it is even more important to keep him tranquilized as consistently as possible, and healers must be even more on the ball with respect to healing the current MT.
The Environment
The environment in which Chromaggus is fought has already been mentioned in general terms, but it is important to describe it in greater detail due to the importance of fully utilizing its features to manage LoS during the encounter.
Chromaggus is fought at the boundary between the Laboratory and Torture Chamber, near the corner where Ebonroc is fought. The Laboratory forms the lower level to the west, and the Torture Chamber forms the upper level to the east. They are connected by a wide, semi-circular ramp, sloping down in a clockwise direction. At the center of this ramp is a large column extending partway to the ceiling. During the encounter, Chromaggus is tanked about halfway down this ramp, facing the MT below him to the west; this will be referred to as the "tanking spot".
This location offers unique opportunities to take advantage of LoS obstructions allowing the entire raid to escape Chromaggus' breath weapons with a minimum of time lost moving to do so, described more fully in the next section.
The LoS "Dead Zones"
With Chromaggus in the tanking spot, there are 3 main LoS "dead zones" where members of the raid may stand to avoid the effects of his breath weapons. The following diagram displays the vicinity, indicating where Chromaggus should be positioned along with the numbered dead zones:
(http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/4148/chromagguslosdeadzones3qd.jpg) (http://imageshack.us)
The three dead zones are more fully described as follows:
1. The column in the center of the ramp blocks LoS to a large wedge of both chambers north of the tanking spot. This dead zone is subdivided by the ledge separating the rooms. The eastern (upper, Torture Chamber) half of this dead zone provides superior visibility into large portions of both chambers.
The MT healers will be positioned in the upper half of this dead zone, adjacent to the ledge. When far enough away from the central column, it is possible to see both the top and bottom sections of the circular ramp, without seeing the middle section.
This zone is also used by rogues and OT warriors, along with their support groups (healers, dispellers, etc.).
2. The corner just to the southeast of the tanking spot blocks LoS to approximately the southern third of the Torture Chamber. Any healers positioned in this dead zone may see the entire length of the ramp, from top to bottom, simply by moving a few steps so as to see around this corner.
This zone is used by casters and hunters, along with their support groups. It is also used by healers assigned to cover OTs during temporary or permanent aggro transitions, which will occur if Time Lapse is one of the active breath weapons in the current instance.
3. The outer lip near the bottom of the semi-circular ramp blocks LoS to a modest section of the Laboratory. In general, this dead zone is not used, but it can provide temporary cover from Chromaggus' breath weapons in an emergency.
The most important benefit of these specific dead zones is that MT healers positioned as described within dead zone #1 can draw LoS to both the MT *AND* OTs during aggro transitions that occur when Time Lapse is involved. Other locations may be equally suitable when Chromaggus cannot use this breath weapon, but not nearly as suitable when he can.
For the sake of consistency and simplicity, the raid fights this encounter in the same location from instance to instance, rather than trying to "customize" the location based upon the active breath weapons. As such, it will be used even for instances that do not involve Time Lapse.
The (Naked?) Pull
In a fresh instance, Chromaggus must be released from his cell by triggering the lever described previously. This is done by a stealthed rogue, who may be able to sprint or vanish to survive the pull. Because of the danger involved in this first pull (successfully avoiding Chromaggus' wrath is...tricky, shall we say), the pulling rogue will generally receive a Soul Stone if one is available, to ensure that he is not entirely eliminated from the encounter because he triggered the lever. After recovering from a wipe, Chromaggus will return to the center of the room with the lever, and is then pulled by a hunter's pet controlled via Eyes of the Beast.
When first learning all the possible breath combinations, it is beneficial to determine which ones are active by performing a "naked pull" the first time Chromaggus is engaged for a given instance. All members of the raid unequip their gear to avoid losing durability, then release and engage Chromaggus. Both active weapons may be determined by straightforward observation once 60 seconds have elapsed, after which the raid voluntarily suicides, rezzes, and prepares for a "proper" pull. A naked pull isn't required more than once per instance, since the active breath weapons will not vary until a new one is saved; nor is it required once you have sufficiently mastered the various breath combinations.
To prepare for a "proper" pull, the MT starts near the top end of the ramp, in the Torture Chamber. No other players (except a rogue to operate the lever, if needed) start between the MT and Chromaggus. Other members of the raid must be out of the way of Chromaggus' path, and ideally outside his LoS. Those who take cover in dead zone #1 begin in their "refuge positions" (see below), whereas those who take cover in dead zone #2 begin partway down the ramp, out of sight. If the pull is performed using a hunter pet, the puller should start near the bottom of the ramp.
As Chromaggus rushes out of the room with the lever after being pulled, the MT must attack him to gain aggro control then immediately move to the tanking spot at the bottom of the ramp, taking care that the boss ends up in the proper position. Chromaggus will use his first breath weapon 30 seconds after he is engaged; the remainder of the raid has this long to move into "refuge positions" to avoid being affected by it. Generally speaking, the raid will not begin attacking in earnest until after Chromaggus uses his second breath; this allows sufficient time for the MT and OTs to build aggro regardless of which breaths are active in the current instance, and ensures that subsequent breath announcement times are accurate.
The pattern of moving out of LoS to avoid each subsequent breath weapon attack will form the basis for handling the entire rest of the encounter, and is addressed in greater detail in the next section.
The Encounter Itself
Once the pull has been performed, the entire Chromaggus encounter consists of a cyclical progression of action. Every member of the raid must perform their specific role in order to gradually burn down his massive stockpiles of health, while minimizing the damage done both to themselves and the rest of the raid. Functionally, this means that a large portion of the raid group must repeatedly move from the aforementioned "refuge positions" outside the giant scaled-puppy-thing's LoS, to "attack positions" where they can output the DPS needed to bring him down, then back into safety again.
The only ones that need not move between refuge and attack positions are the MT, along with the healers and dispellers assigned to support him. All other players must, frequently or at least occasionally, move into and out of LoS as the encounter progresses.
MT healers and support, along with melee classes (including OTs) and their support, take refuge within dead zone #1. Ranged classes and their support take refuge within dead zone #2. Melee classes must be far enough away from Chromaggus that their auto-attacks no longer land; it is occasionally possible to continue attacking even though your LoS is technically obscured, and in such situations you can also be hit by a breath weapon in return! The general distribution of the raid during each successive breath is indicated in the following diagram:
(http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/2171/chromaggusrefugepositioning8vo.jpg) (http://imageshack.us)
Each time Chromaggus has finished using a breath weapon, it is safe for ranged and melee DPS classes, as well as off-tanks, to emerge from cover and attack. When entering and leaving LoS, care should be taken to remain focused on the task of consistently and continuously whittling away at Chromaggus; each second spent actively attacking is valuable. However, safety is the paramount goal; it is better to waste time, by leaving LoS early or entering it late, than to die as a result of being within LoS when he breathes. The general distribution of the raid during each attack period between successive breaths is indicated in the following diagram:
(http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/8817/chromaggusattackpositioning8vi.jpg) (http://imageshack.us)
The individual roles that each member of the raid must undertake are as follows:
* Healers - The MT healers should not need to move much, if at all, once the encounter has begun. MT healers may need to use Hourglass Sand to remove the Bronze Affliction if it is disrupting their ability to keep the MT up.
Spot/OT healers will typically not need to move once the encounter begins, unless Time Lapse is one of the active breath weapons for the current instance. When this occurs, the OT healers will need to move as necessary during each Time Lapse to ensure that they have LoS to the OTs for the duration of the breath (see below for more on Time Lapse). Otherwise, these healers can generally remain stationary for the duration.
In addition to healing, druids must remove Black and Green Afflictions (curse and poison, respectively), as needed. Similarly, priests must remove Blue and Red Afflictions (magic and disease, respectively).
* Hunters - Alternate between attack positions and refuge positions (in dead zone #2), all the while playing their part in the Tranq Shot rotation. Although hunters should strive to avoid being breathed upon, keeping Chromaggus tranquilized is an even higher priority. It is preferable to remain within LoS during a breath attack to ensure his Frenzy is removed, rather than avoiding the breath and letting Chromaggus ravage the MT for long as a result. Because of the importance of their role, hunters may need to use Hourglass Sand to remove the Bronze Affliction, if it is disrupting their ability to keep Chromaggus tranquilized.
NOTE: It *IS* possible for a hunter to exit combat via Feign Death in order to eat or drink during the encounter. However, each time a Brood Affliction is applied, the affected player is forced back into combat. The DoT effects of Blue/Green/Red and the stun effect of Bronze also force you into combat. Thus, FD has very limited utility in this encounter, except in its traditional way: as a means to limit threat.
* Mages - Alternate between attack and refuge positions (in dead zone #2). Additionally, mages must remove Brood Affliction: Black (a curse effect) from members of the raid, as needed. Depending upon the situation, mages may need to focus on their own party, upon the entire raid, or upon assigned individuals.
* Paladins - Provide the primarly line of defense against Chromaggus' Brood Afflictions. Cleanse can dispel 3 of the 5 varieties of Brood Afflictions (Blue, Red, and Green), and can remove up to 3 individual debuffs via a single casting. Paladins will be assigned to focus their attention upon various groups or individuals within the raid, as needed.
Keeping these Afflictions dispelled is vital to the success of the raid, and takes precedence over blessings, judgements, and spot-healing if a choice must be made between the two. Naturally, if these additional tasks are manageable as well, they should be undertaken with vigor also.
* Rogues - Must alternate between attack and refuge positions (in dead zone #1).
* Warlocks - Alternate between attack and refuge positions (in dead zone #2).
* Warriors - Once the pull is complete and Chromaggus is tanked properly, the MT need not move much, if at all. The MT is the one member of the raid that remains in the open during each and every breath attack for the duration of the encounter.
OTs should generally perform in a DPS role similar to rogues, exiting LoS and taking refuge during each breath (in dead zone #1). They should still maintain a high level of threat, of course, as a precaution. This is especially important whenever Time Lapse is one of the active breath weapons for the current instance, or the active breath weapons are not yet known (see below for more on Time Lapse).
Assuming that everyone executes their tasks properly, Chromaggus will slowly but surely be worn down, until the cute li'l thing lies dead. Guess what?!? You gots shouldahs!
An Addendum: Dealing With Time Lapse
One breath weapon, in particular, adds an additional wrinkle to this encounter: Time Lapse. With sufficiently well-geared tanks, good healing support and tranq usage, etc., any combination of the remaining 4 breath weapons can be ideally reduced to a one-tank fight. In contrast, the unique effects of Time Lapse ensure that more than one warrior MUST be able to control Chromaggus' aggro over the course of any encounter where this breath weapon is active.
Chromaggus ignores anyone stunned by the effects of Time Lapse for its 8-second duration. Since the MT will (unless he resists it) be stunned every time Chromaggus uses this breath, he will naturally aggro onto some other member of this raid who was unaffected by Time Lapse for that period of time. To ensure that Chromaggus does not aggro onto and quickly one-shot healers or DPS classes, it is vital that one or more off-tanks be out of LoS each time Time Lapse is cast, with sufficient threat that they will be the targets of Chromaggus' attention while he is ignoring the MT. Thus, each time Time Lapse is cast there will be a temporary transition of aggro from the active MT to one of the OTs, lasting until the debuff fades from the original MT.
NOTE: Also, as mentioned above, it appears (based upon unconfirmed, anecdotal evidence) as though any MT that is afflicted by Time Lapse a certain number of times will have his threat level reset to 0. If this is (in fact) the case, it means there may be one or more PERMANENT transitions of aggro from the active MT to one of the OTs over the course of the encounter, in addition to the TEMPORARY transitions of aggro which always occur when Time Lapse is used.
In practice, this means the following:
1. It is imperative for off-tank warriors to continuously build aggro whenever they can during an instance where Time Lapse is active, or in an instance where the breaths are not yet known (in case one turns out to be Time Lapse).
2. The OTs take refuge each time Time Lapse is about to be cast, by moving up the ramp into dead zone #1, out of LoS from Chromaggus behind the column.
3. When the active MT is stunned by Time Lapse, Chromaggus should aggro onto one of the OTs. At this point, he rushes to his new target, away from the "tanking spot".
4. Whichever OT has Chromaggus' aggro then moves slowly down the curve of the ramp, dragging the boss back into position at the "tanking spot". To ensure the best possible lines of sight from his healers, the OT should stay midway between the inner and outer edges of the ramp as he moves down.
5. The OT healers continuously heal whichever OT has aggro. OT healers in dead zone #2 step out from behind the corner to guarantee that they have LoS to the entire length of the ramp, from top to bottom, while the OT moves down.
6. After the 8-second duration of Time Lapse has worn off, Chromaggus' aggro should switch back to the active MT. If the boss is properly positioned at the tanking spot, he will turn to face the MT without moving at all. If he is far from the tanking spot, he will rush to the MT, which may result in the boss being out of position.
7. If Chromaggus' aggro does not switch back to the original MT after the effects of Time Lapse have worn off, then the aggro transition is a permanent one. The active target OT now becomes the new MT, and the previous MT takes on the role of OT for the remainder of the encounter.
8. If Chromaggus is out of position for whatever reason after the effects of Time Lapse have worn off, the MT must reposition him back to the proper tanking spot, in order to ensure that the correct lines of sight and dead zones are preserved.
The following diagram shows, in a simplified form, the path that the OT must take each time he gains Chromaggus' aggro during a Time Lapse, to satisfy the steps delineated above:
(http://img79.imageshack.us/img79/7526/chromaggustimelapsepath1te.jpg) (http://imageshack.us)
Although Time Lapse adds another layer of difficulty to the Chromaggus encounter, any breath combination involving this breath remains well within the raid's capabilities, so long as the OTs and OT healers are constantly aware of the additional care that must be taken to handle its unique effects.
replaced, this one is a lot more clear :) thanks again
no problem, im just reposting these from http://leftovers.groupee.net/groupee/forums/a/frm/f/77010864 (http://leftovers.groupee.net/groupee/forums/a/frm/f/77010864)
they have pretty nifty tactics, no nefarion one up yet tho :(
Shame, well we can always change them if we find a better one, at the moment we just have some "place" holder up then :)
How old is this tactic? i think i read in some patch note that the "dead zones" at chromaggus doesnt work anymore, that the ones that are out of line will be teleported to him or something :blink:
QuoteOriginally posted by Neff@Mar 5 2006, 03:32 PM
How old is this tactic? i think i read in some patch note that the "dead zones" at chromaggus doesnt work anymore, that the ones that are out of line will be teleported to him or something :blink:
[post=114703]Quoted post[/post]
Maybe it's still a nice tactic, we can build upon it if we find any major flaws in it such as the one you brought up :)