Posts Tagged by Alysrazor

Resto Druid VS Firelands: Alysrazor

September 26, 2011 Posted by under Raiding, WoW Classes
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Welcome to the fourth installment of Resto Druid VS Firelands; Your guide to not looking like a newb in raids. If you’ve missed them, be sure to check out our Shannox, Beth’Tilac and Baleroc guides. Today we’re taking on Alysrazor, formerly Alysra of the green dragons. This traitorous flying foe has it coming!

We complete this fight with 2 tanks, 2 healers, and 6 DPS.

Fight Mechanics:
This is a Four phase fight, with one long phase and three short.

Phase 1
During this phase there are four things going on: Alysrazor, Druid of the Flame adds, Hatchlings, and Lava Worms.

Alysrazor: She will fly around, and fly through the middle of the map periodically as the fight goes on. Nobody should be standing in the middle of the map, so this is easily avoided. When she does this, she will cast Molting dropping a few feathers. While holding the feather, you cast and move 30% faster. If you pick up 3 feathers, you fly up in the air. Only DPS should be flying. In a 10 man group, it’s recommended to send up between one and three people.

Druid adds: These guys cast Brushfire, which creates a slowly moving AoE bush of fire; and Fieroblast. Fieroblast should to be interrupted every time if possible, as it will make them 10% stronger and 10% faster. The more they cast, the harder it is to stop them. Players hit with this attack also get a DoT that hurts. You can also try just killing them quickly, that works too.

Hatchlings: Two eggs will drop, and out of them will come two Hatchlings. Whoever is closer when they spawn will be their target until dead. Tanks will need to be the ones to pick them up first, and in turn will also deal 1000% more damage against them. When the hatchlings gain the debuff Hungry or Tantrum, they will need to be lead to the nearest Lava Worm to eat. When they do, they getSatiated. If the tank fails to do this, they will do a fair bit of damage.

Lava Worm: Spin around in circles casting fire. Avoid them. They are consumed/killed when a Hatchling eats them.

We’ve found the best way to handle this fight is to break groups up into left and right, to avoid anybody needing to cross through the middle.

Phase 2
For this phase all the enemies from phase one should be dead, and there are a bunch of tornadoes spread out on the map in layers out from the center. From the inside outwards, they spin in different directions. The closest one may go counter-clockwise, then the 2nd closest clockwise, 3rd closest counter-clockwise, etc. The easiest way to get through this is to be 2-3 ‘layers’ out. Follow a tornado, then when another one passes you follow it. Keep following the one that passes you, so you’re doing small loops. Don’t try to just run to the sides, there is ‘invisible’ walls that kill you. Same goes for the center, it’s a giant vortex of pain.

In the picture to the left, you’re the blue lines.

Phase 3
In phase three Alysrazor is weakened, and there will be some Druids of the Flame charging her batteries. DPS should be interrupting to slow them down. Attacking Alys during this stage will regenerate your mana, so hit her a few times to top yourself off. Group up on one side of Alys, with tanks on the other side in preparation for phase four.

Phase 4
This is Alysrazor’s ‘burn phase’. She’ll do a bunch of AoE damage, as well as hitting your tanks. After a bit of time she’ll give up and go back up into the sky. At this point, you start back at phase one.

How to Heal:

Phase 1
When this phase starts, everybody will take a ton of AoE damage, WG and a few RJ should be enough to cover it. Nobody should be hit by Alysrazor after that.

You should have your DPS interrupting the Druid of the Flame when they’re out, and killing them. If anybody gets hit by the Fieroblast, be sure to dispell it immediately. A few ticks of this can easily kill some of the more squishy raid members. Avoid the fire bushes and worms.

Your tanks will need the most heals. Whichever one you’re assigned to, roll LB on them. I’d suggest putting Faerie Fire on their Hatchling as well. Tanks aren’t usually the best damage dealers, and can use anything that would help them. Watch their Hatchling’s status, and be ready with Swiftmend if it throws a tantrum before the tank can get to a worm.

Phase 2
You shouldn’t have to be healing during this phase if people are playing correctly. However, you may want to throw out rejuvenation on those who get hit if you can spare it. It won’t save their lives if they are playing dumb, but it may help. Just don’t stop moving.

Phase 3
There won’t be much (if any) damage going out during this phase. Top off and rez anybody who got hit in phase two. Hit Alys with a few Wrath to top off your mana pool.

Phase 4
Alysrazor will be doing a ton of AoE damage, so be sure you’re grouped up and heal with WG and tranquility if needed. The tanks will also be switching off, so pick one to roll LB on. I usually stick with the tank I’m assigned to in phase one for simplicity. This is a good time for Tree of Life due to the increased armor. Once she’s bored, she’ll restart on phase one.

Tips & Tricks:

  • Phase 1: Once your DPS that are going to fly have their feathers, you should pick up one. This will allow you to cast any spell while moving. Make sure you don’t take 3.
  • Phase 1: Throw Faerie Fire on both hatchlings if you can as soon as they group. This will make the tank’s job that much easier. Just be sure the tank is standing closer than you.
  • Phase 2: Pop WG on cool down, to give a buffer to anybody who might hit a tornado.
  • Don’t move unless you have to, but make sure you’re following the tank since they’ll be running from worm to worm.
  • Save Swiftmend for your tank, he’ll be taking burst damage if the Hatchling enrages.

    Drops:

    Wings of Flame (Back): Not a bad cloak, but not the greatest. You’re better off with Flowing Flamewrath Cape, which you get from being Friendly with the Avengers of Hyjal.
    Eye of Blazing Power (Trinket): Amazing healing trinket, as it can proc off your HoT ticks. It’s recommended.
    Phoenix-Down Treads (Feet): These are some sexy boots.
    Flametalon of Alysrazor (Mount): It’s a MOUNT, of course you want it.
    Smoldering Censer of Purity (Staff)(Boss): Great staff with spirit and haste on it. Really good for resto due to the huge amount of haste.

    Video:

    Tune in on Wednesday for our guide on Lord Rhyolith!

    • Player VS Nerfbat: Firelands Raid Nerfs

    September 24, 2011 Posted by under Raiding, World of Warcraft
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    Today we’re going to have a little chat about my opinion and experience thus far in the Firelands since the most recent Sept 20th hotfixes. With this, we have a laundry list of nerfs making the content much easier. In general, most bosses have 25% less HP, and do 25% less damage on normal mode. In HC it’s 15%. This has left me torn between ‘This is a good thing’ and ‘Are you serious, I worked my ass off’. Let’s go over the two sides.

    The Bad
    The prime reason that I’m seeing this as a negative is because my group has worked pretty hard to get where they are (Ranked 13th on the realm). We wiped a lot and got frustrated a lot, but were able to cheer like pros when we downed the boss because we were skilled enough to do so. Now with the 25% nerf, this means that 25% more groups that have been wiping will now share our same glory (Realistically, this is likely to be higher than 25% more given the hp % needed to push certain phase changes.)
    There is no difference in title, no extra honor or bonus for doing it when it was more difficult. As petty as this may be, I feel ripped off.

    Another reason this is bad is that (in theory) we’ll be with the content sooner. Though we got our asses handed to us week after week by the Firelord, I knew that one of these days we’d have his number. We even came close a few times. We were working and honing our skills to do so. With the nerfs, I know we’re going to beat him now not because we’re better but because he’s worse. Honestly, beating him now compared to before is like beating a retarded sea cucumber to death under water with a hammer: It may take time but it’s not hard.

    The Good
    A few weeks back one of our healers chickened out and quit, leaving us stuck on Ragnaros. This left us scrambling to fill the 3rd heal spot in our group. Those tore a hole in our group, which we scrambled to fill. When the smoke cleared, we had 4 toons from the initial raids with us and 5 toons with a Fireland’s cherry to pop. We are still missing a DPS. Thanks to the nerfs, we can still make progress while gearing up the new toons, Most fights are easily healed with two healers, and mistakes are more forgivable.
    You can say nerf wrapped out group with duct tape.

    Some examples

    • We 9-maned the first 5 bosses of the Raid.

    Shannox:

    • With only the tank and one DPS, we DPS’d Shannox so quickly that one of his dogs were still up and enraged.
    • The dogs hit like little bitches.

    Beth’tilac:

    • I tanked one of the drones as a Resto Druid with Barkskin, Treeform and RJ; while rolling LB on the tank.

    Alysrazor:

    • Can easily be done with two healers, possibly one if you can keep both tanks in range while they have the hatchlings.
    • I don’t think I went below 80% mana healing this fight.
    • Druids of the flame don’t cast Fiery blast nearly as often (if ever) since they die quickly.
    • Tornadoes are also pretty much a tickle, our mage survived 2 hits back-to-back.

    Baleroc:

    • Two healing it; Took two torment victims/vital flame (one crystal) each before switching off compared to one victim/vital flame. We only switched 3 times before he was dead.
    • Single tank instead of two tanks, since he doesn’t hit nearly as hard or often.

    Lord Rhyolith:

    • I single healed it, using Intervene only once.

    Majordomo Staghelm:

    • We killed him on our first try during the cat phase following Searing Seeds (before he even made it to the mushroom phase).

    Overall, I have to say that the changes are good only because it saved the group I’m with, enabling me to keep raiding each week. If it wasn’t for that, I’d have to say I feel a little ripped off with the short period of time I’ve gotten to spend with these bosses.

    End game: I think these changes will make the content boring sooner. Without a challenge, why bother playing? My biggest hope is that with this the Patch 4.3 is coming very soon with some new challenges. Though I can’t see that happening until at least mid-November.