The Butcher Nutshell Guide
#1
We saw this guy last week in Normal, so this will just be a quick overview to help organize our attack.

The Butcher is a single-phase, single target fight with no adds, much like Patchwerk. He has a 5-minute hard enrage timer. At 30% health he deals increased damage.

OVERVIEW

The Butcher regularly attacks and debuffs the LARGEST group of players located in his melee range. After a certain number of debuff stacks, these players die. This necessitates proper positioning and movement.


ABILITIES

* Heavy Handed: The Butcher’s auto-attacks trigger a second attack on the next closest target within 5 yards. If there is no such target, the primary target is struck by this second attack as well.

* The Cleaver: anti-tank attack. It’s a 30-second bleed, which requires a tank switch. The bleed component can be avoided.

* The Tenderizer: anti-tank attack: high physical damage + 40-second stacking debuff that causes them to receive 50% increased damage from The Tenderizer. This attack always hits and requires a tank switch.

* Cleave: Main ability, used every 5 seconds. He targets the largest clump of players in melee range and strikes them for a massive amount of physical damage which is split between all affected players. All players hit by Cleave are debuffed with Gushing Wounds. Gushing Wounds is a stacking bleed effect that lasts 15 seconds. If it reaches 5 stacks, the player instantly dies.

* Bounding Cleave: Knockback + Cleave attack. Occurs when The Butcher reaches 100 energy, exactly 60 seconds before he reaches 30% health, and every 30 seconds after that. He knocks all players away from him and then charges the largest clump of players a few seconds later, casting Cleave on them.

* Meat Hook: pulls the tank to him.

* At 30% health, The Butcher goes into a Frenzy. He deals 10% more damage and his attack speed is increased by 30%. During this time he also regenerates energy twice as fast (completing a full cycle in 30 seconds).


STRATEGY

Tanks

* The current off-tank must stand within 5 yards of the current tank in order to keep other players from getting hit by Heavy Handed.
* Tanks will need to swap whenever the number of stacks from The Cleaver and The Tenderizer are too high.
* Tanks can try to avoid some of the stacks of The Cleaver by using active mitigation. The Tenderizer can’t be avoided.
* The tanks have to make sure they’re not too close to a clump of players to avoid getting Gushing Wounds.
* The tanks should remain in place to avoid interfering with the positioning of the groups of players.

Healers

* Watch out for increased damage on tank that has been taking the boss for a longer period of time. Also, tanks will take damage at the same time.
* Watch out for additional damage after 30% health.

Player groups

Strategy 1: One designated player moves out of each group to change its size. In this case, we will split the raid into two groups of DPS of the same size (e.g. 6 players each). One player of each group will be designated to move in and out of the group to change its size as needed. The two groups will stand on opposite sides of The Butcher. One group (A) will have all 6 players clumped together, while the other group (B) will have one designated player stand apart, making a group of 5 players. The Butcher will target Group A, the 6 player group. When it’s time to swap, the player standing apart from Group B will run into Group B, while the designated player from Group A will run out. The Butcher will now target Group B.

It is recommended that Group A have all the melee + one ranged, who will be the one to run in and out. Group B will have all ranged, in order to handle the Bounding Cleave (see below). This will allow melee to run back in quickly and DPS, while ranged can DPS at range after Bounding Cleave. If there are unequal numbers of melee and ranged, just put enough melee in B or ranged in A to equalize them.

Strategy 2: We have two groups of equal size (A and B) and a player who runs between them, changing their size. This may be simpler to manage / call, but may result in too many stacks on the moving player.


Handling Bounding Cleave

Strategy 1: The Butcher will knock everyone back, then will charge the LARGEST GROUP OF PLAYERS AT RANGE. One way to handle this is that when everyone is knocked back, ONE group gets back into position next to him, while the other stays at their knock-back distance. The Butcher will charge them, apply a Cleave, and then resume his usual rotation. Once they’re charged and cleaved, the group will move back into position in melee range and continue as above. Make sure that group doesn’t have 4 stacks of Gushing Wounds though.

Strategy 2: Have a third group of players, whose only purpose is to quickly stack up when Bounding Cleave happens to attract the Butcher to them. These players would not be a part of Group A or B.


Handling Frenzy

The Butcher will cast Bounding Cleave every 30 seconds instead of every 60 and will do more damage and attack faster. Tank damage is also greatly increased. But the strategy should remain the same. We’ll use Bloodlust at 30% health.
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#2
Obviously we should save Time Warp/Bloodlust for the 30% Frenzy. I like Strategy 1 for the player groups, and Strategy 2 for Bounding Cleave. The Healers and a few ranged dps should make up that third group.

Also, you don't really have the time to do Strategy 1 for Bounding Cleave. Its only a few seconds between when he knocks back people, and he charges.
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