Caught up
Wednesday last week may have sucked, but on the bright side it gave us a jump start on our 10man group and allowed us to go into ICC-10 last night with all but the two wings bosses and Blood Council down.
First things first, we hit up Blood Council and despite a dopey wipe (hunter pulled aggro on Keleseth, died, his orb hit the ground, everyone died in the ensuing chaos) the second shot was a quick and clean kill. Netted the orb achievement again, because nothing makes that fight easier than siccing a pet on an orb.
We then bounded up the ramp to the first trash pull before the Blood Queen. Bad things ensued. First we tried a straight pull but it went south very quickly. Second time we tried a little more CC but I got gibbed before we all got in position (I hatehatehate the Tactician). Third time we got a clean pull but the other tank and I soon died, leaving two healers and two dps up with about three mobs. They then proceeded to somehow kill all the mobs with coordinated CC while us losers ran back in a classic cavalry maneuver. By the time we heroically returned, the dps had mopped them all up. Well played.
Once we were done with the trash pull from hell we dispatched the four guys at the top of the ramp and tried to figure out how we were going to handle Blood Queen. After kind of rambling off everything I remembered reading about the fight, we all basically agreed we weren’t going to do a good attempt until we say the fight ourselves. So, we pulled and had a hilariously disastrous wipe, though we ended up seeing the different aspects of the fight: the brain link, the swarming shadows, the vampire bite, etc.
Going back we retooled the strategy a bit (ok, actually formed a strategy) and pulled again. This time we lost a few people early on to some silliness but kept going to get more practice. Had her down to ~60% that time.
The third attempt we had more a plan going and new what to look for. We also had one of the dps (actually, a druid healer going boom for the raid) switch to heals. Seems counterproductive for a dps race fight, but the dps we had was good and we needed the breathing room that a third healer would provide. The third attempt was awesome and despite losing someone early in the fight (who was then brezzed) and a rogue (Falowin, of course) at around 40% we managed to kill her right at the exact second when she enraged and murdered both me and the offtank.
So, wow, our first wing boss down. I was expecting that fight to be a lot harder.
Exuberant after dethroning the Blood Queen, we then bounced back to the Plague Wing to bring a fiery vengeance down upon Professor Putricide. Our very first attempt and it was clear that we had built upon the knowledge we gain from previous attempts. And, also, the dps we had was nuts. We hit phase 2 after the first green slime was dead. We pushed it to phase 3, but we had an orange slime up at the same time, and a little too many puddles on the ground. Wiped in the ensuing chaos.
Still, great first showing! We were all pumped. The next try we got it again to phase 3 but I screwed up the tank switch and kept accidentally outthreating and pulling off Nordic, the warrior tank, when he would taunt it off me. We wiped because I had 5 stacks and he had 2. /facepalm
I clearly wasn’t giving him enough time to build rage after he was crammed in the Abom the entire time. So third attempt I swore I wasn’t going to wipe the raid that time and we had similar results. Quick switch to phase 2, a hop, skip, and a jump to phase 3, and then I’d back off when not tanking Putricide so as not to pull threat. We lasted a lot longer and finally downed the bastard about 5 stacks on me and 4 on Nordic. Down to the wire, for sure.
But it was a kill nonetheless! Very exciting, two wing bosses for the first time.
I’m trying to think of any tips for Putricide that I can impart (I surely can’t offer anything for BQL, haven’t done that fight enough) and the main thing I can emphasize is the fight revolves around how quickly you kill and how well you control the green/orange slimes. If you can down each before they reach their victim that’s more time you have on Putricide. And, furthermore, it’s so very key to make sure everyone stays as far back as possible from where the slimes spawn (except for hunters, who can feign off a link) so there’s a maximum distance between add and target.
Once you get down to phase 3, it’s all about the dps and the tanks not screwing up their switches (ahem). Tensest part of the fight, but the easiest as well if everyone is alive and everyone is doing their job.
The best part of last night is for sure the realization that the group we had last night could easily kill the Lich King. Well, maybe not easily, but with some practice. We have the capability, now we just need the opportunity.
And now to parlay this knowledge into the 25man so we can kill a wing boss there…
Armory Feed
awesome!! grats!!
“and a rogue (Falowin, of course)”
You were late and you wiped the raid by not communicating with your OT. Two things you specifically blogged about.
so eat me :-P
@Rhidach
1 February 2010 at 3:17 pm #
I only name check you every so often just to check and see if you still read the blog, haha.
We actually did a different strat on Putricide this week where we kept him tanked on the right side of the room the whole time. The ranged stayed at max range towards the center of the room, but this means when a green slime spawned the melee were all in place to start dpsing it immediately. The ranged target switched and if a melee was chosen as the first target they were already stacked so the damage wasn’t too bad. We usually killed the green slime before it managed to get to a 2nd target.
This strategy increases DPS time on Putricide since there’s no moving him from side to side at all, he only starts needing to be moved in phase 3 when you can’t clean up the spreading ooze anymore.
BQL is 2 healable but all the dps needs to be really on the ball about the pact and shadows debuffs. There’s no room for error or too long a delay in reacting or the damage won’t be healable. We had the range spread out loosely around the circle on the floor and everyone would run to the center of the circle when they got pact (the brain link type deal). Shadow (purple fire) meant kite around the outside of the room. We 3 healed it once but it actually went more smoothly two healing it – keep in mind that as more people get bitten the healing actually gets EASIER so remind people to blow health pots/stones early in the fight. Tremor totem when she flies up in the air, if you have shaman.
Tara’s last blog ..Blood Wing cleared
A couple of things I found helpful in those encounters.
On Blood Princes, only two orbs will be up at a time. If you have a hunter who can sic his pet on one, you can tank your prince under the other, and your shield, hammer, and consecrate will ensure that it never touches the ground.
On putricide, the easiest method for not screwing up the stacks is to minimize the number of switches needed. The first tank takes two stacks, the other tank taunts and then takes three, then the first tank taunts and takes two, then the other tank taunts and takes two, and then the raid’s either looting the boss, or dead.
A paladin is well built for being the first to take aggro in phase three. He comes out hitting as hard as anything we’ve seen in ICC thus far, because he gets his damage buff, and any AP and attack speed debuffs that were on him during phase two fall off during the tear gas. While a warrior needs to Demo Shout and TC, and might have trouble, due to rage starvation, a paladin merely needs to judge and attack, and he’s fully debuffed.
The Renaissance Man’s last blog ..Leading Icecrown Citadel: Lady Deathwhisper
@Rhidach
2 February 2010 at 3:05 pm #
Thanks for the tips Tara and TRM, I’ll definitely apply those the next time we see those bosses.