07-12-2017, 09:15 PM
The Fallen Avatar is the next-to-last boss in the Tomb of Sargeras. It is a largely single-target fight over two phases. A lot of the fight revolves around PROLONGING the first phase, as the second phase is a race to the finish during which the arena will slowly be destroyed around the group. If we aren't fast enough, our platform will be totally eroded and we'll drop into the magma pit below.
This is a "Spread and Stack" style fight: we're going to need to stack up to split damage, then we'll need to spread out quickly to avoid other mechanics.
PHASE ONE: A Slumber Disturbed
The Fallen Avatar is totally immobile in this phase. The boss will generate energy passively over time, and when his energy reaches 100 the fight will enter Phase Two. So our strategy revolves around SLOWING this energy generation to prolong Phase One as long as possible while we DPS the boss.
We'll also be dealing with one add during this time, called the Maiden of Valor. She is has a number of abilities and her positioning is critical in slowing the Avatar's energy generation.
There will be five lines stemming from the Avatar that end in glowing yellow circles. These circles indicate the places in which the boss can spawn Containment Pylons. One of these pylons will periodically channel a beam to the boss for 40 seconds which will grant him energy. This beam can be intercepted by the Maiden of Valor. So, we need to position the Maiden of Valor between the active pylon and the boss.
Positioning: the area is pretty big, so we're going to have ranged and healers spread across the room, roughly between the pylon spawn locations and the Avatar to make sure healers have range. The Fallen Avatar can't be moved. One tank must always be in range of him to prevent his "OMG nobody's in melee" attack (Ripple of Darkness). The other tank should take the Maiden of Valor.
Whenever a pylon becomes active, the Maiden tank must immediately drag the Maiden into the beam to prevent the Avatar from gaining Energy. While she's in the beam, she'll get a stacking buff (Matrix Empowerment) and will gain energy herself.
Meanwhile, the Avatar tank will be receiving stacks of Desolate (anti-tank attack) from the Avatar. The Tanks should swap at every 2 stacks of Desolate. You may need a defensive cooldown for the second stack.
When the Maiden of Valor reaches 100 energy she'll shield herself (Cleansing Protocol) and start an 18-second cast. We need to DPS this shield down as fast as possible and interrupt that cast, because if it goes off we'll take massive raid-wide damage. If we do interrupt it, she'll Malfunction, which means she'll take 25% of her max health in damage, and get stunned for a couple seconds. There will be four Cleansing Protocols during the fight.
But there's a trick: the Maiden is our only way to slow the Avatar's energy generation, so we don't want to kill her too soon!! We WANT her to survive for all four Cleansing Protocols!! And each Cleansing Protocol's Malfunction takes 25% of her max health!! So if we DPS her too much, she'll die early, before the fourth Cleansing Protocol, which means we'll enter Phase Two early and probably wipe.
However, it is ALSO important that we don't enter Phase Two while the Maiden is still alive, because if she's alive the Avatar will consume her and heal himself with her remaining health. Which will ALSO likely lead to a wipe.
So this fight really involves careful control of the Maiden's health and timing of her death: we want her to last to the last Cleansing Protocol, but then die before the Avatar reaches 100 energy.
Additional Abilities:
* Projectile + void zone: Shadowy Blades: Targets 3 players, looks like purple beam between the boss and the targets. The boss will shoot a blade along these beams, and on impact they'll deal moderate damage to targets and anyone within 7 yards, AND create a void zone (pool of Lingering Darkness) which persists indefinitely.
--> If you get targeted, go to the back and edges of the room to deposit your void zones. Everyone else get out of the purple beams.
* Ground effect that needs to be soaked: Touch of Sargeras. The boss creates 3 fissures that erupt after 8 seconds. The damage is split among players in the rifts. If the rift is EMPTY, then we take heavy raided damage.
--> When these appear, we need to stack in these rifts. A couple players should do it. NOT soaking these does a lot of raid-wide damage. A solo player can also soak these with immunities (e.g. Cloak of Shadows).
* Attack that leaves a trail of explosions + DoT: Unbound Chaos. Targets a random player. Every second the target's current location is marked on the ground, then these marked areas explode and the target gets a debuff.
--> If you get targeted, run in a tight circle, minimizing overall movement and collateral damage to others, while still ensuring that you stay out of the eruptions. Spreading out helps minimize problems here.
* Raid-wide attack that decreases with distance from the boss: Rupture Realities. Massive fire damage to the whole raid, decreasing with distance from the boss.
--> This ability has a LONG cast time (7.5 seconds) so we've got a lot of time to react to this. Use this cast time to move as far away as possible, including the Avatar's tank. Players with immunities can stay in, though they may want to use their immunities on other mechanics. Once Rupture Realities is done, the current Avatar tank needs to get back into melee range to avoid melee deaths and the "nobody's in melee omg" attack.
PHASE TWO: An Avatar Awakened
This phase starts when the Avatar reaches 100 energy. He'll shatter his bonds and drop the raid deep into the Tomb of Sargeras. The fight will now take place on a destructible platform floating on a pool of lava. The boss is now mobile and should be dragged to the edge of the platform immediately by the active tank.
The Avatar retains his anti-tank ability (Desolate) and the "run away to reduce damage" attack (Rupture Realities). We should handle these like before, with the tanks swapping at 2 stacks of Desolate and the raid running away when he casts Rupture Realities. However, in Phase Two, Rupture Realities now ALSO shatters the floor beneath the Avatar. Every time Rupture Realities shatters the floor, the boss should be moved back onto solid ground ASAP. It takes about five Ruptures to completely destroy the floor.
The Avatar will brand a target with Dark Mark, which explodes after 6 seconds and splits damage with everyone within 8 yards, AND knocks them into the air, so we need to stack on the person with Dark Mark.
During this phase we'll also be taking ticking raid-wide damage from Sear. He'll periodically conjure storms, called Black Winds, which that travel around the platform, doing damage and applying a DoT. Avoid these at all costs!
Bloodlust: either on the pull, which shortens the overall fight, or toward the end of Phase Two, to help with final DPS and raid damage from Sear.
This is a "Spread and Stack" style fight: we're going to need to stack up to split damage, then we'll need to spread out quickly to avoid other mechanics.
PHASE ONE: A Slumber Disturbed
The Fallen Avatar is totally immobile in this phase. The boss will generate energy passively over time, and when his energy reaches 100 the fight will enter Phase Two. So our strategy revolves around SLOWING this energy generation to prolong Phase One as long as possible while we DPS the boss.
We'll also be dealing with one add during this time, called the Maiden of Valor. She is has a number of abilities and her positioning is critical in slowing the Avatar's energy generation.
There will be five lines stemming from the Avatar that end in glowing yellow circles. These circles indicate the places in which the boss can spawn Containment Pylons. One of these pylons will periodically channel a beam to the boss for 40 seconds which will grant him energy. This beam can be intercepted by the Maiden of Valor. So, we need to position the Maiden of Valor between the active pylon and the boss.
Positioning: the area is pretty big, so we're going to have ranged and healers spread across the room, roughly between the pylon spawn locations and the Avatar to make sure healers have range. The Fallen Avatar can't be moved. One tank must always be in range of him to prevent his "OMG nobody's in melee" attack (Ripple of Darkness). The other tank should take the Maiden of Valor.
Whenever a pylon becomes active, the Maiden tank must immediately drag the Maiden into the beam to prevent the Avatar from gaining Energy. While she's in the beam, she'll get a stacking buff (Matrix Empowerment) and will gain energy herself.
Meanwhile, the Avatar tank will be receiving stacks of Desolate (anti-tank attack) from the Avatar. The Tanks should swap at every 2 stacks of Desolate. You may need a defensive cooldown for the second stack.
When the Maiden of Valor reaches 100 energy she'll shield herself (Cleansing Protocol) and start an 18-second cast. We need to DPS this shield down as fast as possible and interrupt that cast, because if it goes off we'll take massive raid-wide damage. If we do interrupt it, she'll Malfunction, which means she'll take 25% of her max health in damage, and get stunned for a couple seconds. There will be four Cleansing Protocols during the fight.
But there's a trick: the Maiden is our only way to slow the Avatar's energy generation, so we don't want to kill her too soon!! We WANT her to survive for all four Cleansing Protocols!! And each Cleansing Protocol's Malfunction takes 25% of her max health!! So if we DPS her too much, she'll die early, before the fourth Cleansing Protocol, which means we'll enter Phase Two early and probably wipe.
However, it is ALSO important that we don't enter Phase Two while the Maiden is still alive, because if she's alive the Avatar will consume her and heal himself with her remaining health. Which will ALSO likely lead to a wipe.
So this fight really involves careful control of the Maiden's health and timing of her death: we want her to last to the last Cleansing Protocol, but then die before the Avatar reaches 100 energy.
Additional Abilities:
* Projectile + void zone: Shadowy Blades: Targets 3 players, looks like purple beam between the boss and the targets. The boss will shoot a blade along these beams, and on impact they'll deal moderate damage to targets and anyone within 7 yards, AND create a void zone (pool of Lingering Darkness) which persists indefinitely.
--> If you get targeted, go to the back and edges of the room to deposit your void zones. Everyone else get out of the purple beams.
* Ground effect that needs to be soaked: Touch of Sargeras. The boss creates 3 fissures that erupt after 8 seconds. The damage is split among players in the rifts. If the rift is EMPTY, then we take heavy raided damage.
--> When these appear, we need to stack in these rifts. A couple players should do it. NOT soaking these does a lot of raid-wide damage. A solo player can also soak these with immunities (e.g. Cloak of Shadows).
* Attack that leaves a trail of explosions + DoT: Unbound Chaos. Targets a random player. Every second the target's current location is marked on the ground, then these marked areas explode and the target gets a debuff.
--> If you get targeted, run in a tight circle, minimizing overall movement and collateral damage to others, while still ensuring that you stay out of the eruptions. Spreading out helps minimize problems here.
* Raid-wide attack that decreases with distance from the boss: Rupture Realities. Massive fire damage to the whole raid, decreasing with distance from the boss.
--> This ability has a LONG cast time (7.5 seconds) so we've got a lot of time to react to this. Use this cast time to move as far away as possible, including the Avatar's tank. Players with immunities can stay in, though they may want to use their immunities on other mechanics. Once Rupture Realities is done, the current Avatar tank needs to get back into melee range to avoid melee deaths and the "nobody's in melee omg" attack.
PHASE TWO: An Avatar Awakened
This phase starts when the Avatar reaches 100 energy. He'll shatter his bonds and drop the raid deep into the Tomb of Sargeras. The fight will now take place on a destructible platform floating on a pool of lava. The boss is now mobile and should be dragged to the edge of the platform immediately by the active tank.
The Avatar retains his anti-tank ability (Desolate) and the "run away to reduce damage" attack (Rupture Realities). We should handle these like before, with the tanks swapping at 2 stacks of Desolate and the raid running away when he casts Rupture Realities. However, in Phase Two, Rupture Realities now ALSO shatters the floor beneath the Avatar. Every time Rupture Realities shatters the floor, the boss should be moved back onto solid ground ASAP. It takes about five Ruptures to completely destroy the floor.
The Avatar will brand a target with Dark Mark, which explodes after 6 seconds and splits damage with everyone within 8 yards, AND knocks them into the air, so we need to stack on the person with Dark Mark.
During this phase we'll also be taking ticking raid-wide damage from Sear. He'll periodically conjure storms, called Black Winds, which that travel around the platform, doing damage and applying a DoT. Avoid these at all costs!
Bloodlust: either on the pull, which shortens the overall fight, or toward the end of Phase Two, to help with final DPS and raid damage from Sear.