The Sbin/Kosath 10 man
#1
So the summer is halfway over now, and we're stuck on the Lich King. I feel that for a lot of us in this raid, killing him before Cataclysm is our main goal and has been for a while. We are so close now that we can almost taste the victory, but we've been having major setbacks in the way of attendance of key people and a lack of suitable replacements.

For me, it's like I said, killing Arthas is my main goal. I have about a month before my baby comes and it would be really special to me to say I "completed" this expansion by killing the final boss in the main instance before my time and energy will be needed elsewhere. So I'm really about pulling out all the stops on this. Let's get a sense of who we still have available for the raids, who's not going to be able to make it, and who can fill in for them. Let's also discuss strategies specific to this fight, and come up with suggestions on how to do things better.
-Dentik
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#2
To start out with, I'll post a list here of regular available people, and also dates of when they will be unable to make raids:


Tanks
Kosath - Out: 8/6, 8/13
Wylera - Out: 8/6

Healers
Dentik - Out:
Sbin/Jabadue - Out: 8/31 and later
Quennin – Out:
Eruadan - Out:

DPS
Anca – Out:
Nefariouss - Out:
Kutaklu – Out: Tuesdays
Lailya – Out:
Melikar – Out: 8/3, 8/6
Phoronid – Out: 8/10
Alissandre – Out:
Raknaroth - Out:
-Dentik
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#3
Here are links to various strategies that can help us through the fight:

<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.wowwiki.com/Lich_King_(Icecrown_Citadel_tactics">http://www.wowwiki.com/Lich_King_(Icecr ... el_tactics</a><!-- m -->)
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.bosskillers.com/index.php?q=content/nellorae-10">http://www.bosskillers.com/index.php?q= ... ellorae-10</a><!-- m -->

And here’s a list of videos for the fight:

A LK kill done by our very own IST 10 man led by Donalzon: <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.gametrailers.com/user-movie/our-first-downing-of-the-lich/346679">http://www.gametrailers.com/user-movie/ ... ich/346679</a><!-- m -->
Tankspot Vid: <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.tankspot.com/showthread.php?62999-Icecrown-Lich-King">http://www.tankspot.com/showthread.php? ... -Lich-King</a><!-- m -->
-Dentik
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#4
You might want to add Eru to the list unless he is totally unavailable.

I should be around until Aug. 31. On that day, I am gone for 3 months. It would be nice to get him down, and if we can put together a reasonable raid (healers and tanks, all there), I think we should be able to down him in the next couple of weeks.

-Jaba
Have Mana Tide, Will Travel
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#5
Sadly, I'm out all this week. I have work tonight (8/3) and my brother's birthday dinner is on Friday (8/6).

Hopefully, next week will be better. This is just a bad time, in my opinion. A lot of people are gone because they got burnt out on raiding/WoW and are now just waiting for Cata to come out. Also, it's summer. People are usually pretty busy going out of town and whatnot.
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#6
Also, lately, we have frequently needed substitutes, for those of you interested.
Have Mana Tide, Will Travel
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#7
Hey guys (and gals). I will start off with an apology for my absence. I have been on a TOTAL burnout from this game. I have been indulging in other activities such as reading, television, exercising, socializing and my PS3. I am in my last couple months of work, as well and I have decided to move to the West Coast with Family in October which has added a bit of extra pressure.

With that said, I understand Jabadue's and Dentik's goal to accomplish victory over the Lich King and I too would like to see that happen. I will try and re-commit my Tuesdays (and Fridays if needed) as long as the raid is willing to have me back.

Let me know.

-Eru'Adan
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#8
2 things:

1. So I guess this means that the 25 man is still on hiatus?

2. I hear that many guilds rotate their 10 mans so that everyone gets the chance to get gear/achievents. Is this something that we're considering? Or a second 10 man?

3. What about Ruby Sanctum?
(OK so it wasn't 2 things, it's like the Hitch-hikers guide to the galaxy trilogy.)
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#9
In response to Rincewindy:

I think there are currently four (maybe five) 10-man raids running that contain members of the Tribe. What it seems has happened is that folks have formed up a raid when they had critical mass to get one going. In three of the above mentioned raids, I believe the groups were able to work together and defeat the Lich King, and they are now working on heroic encounters. My suggestion would be to start a thread asking how many folks might be interested in forming up an additional 10-man raid.
Shantow the Bear
The Ironsong Tribe


"The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed." King
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#10
I have been normaly avaiable on Friday for the raid.
Weeknights are mostly out between work and children.
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#11
8/3

We made considerable progress on our Phase 1 and Phase 2 executions, and were consistently getting into Phase 3. However once in Phase 3 we were having problems with killing the Val'kyrs in time, and placing the Defiles in good spots. Our best attempt yet, we got him to 45%.

There will be no raid this Friday due to a number of absences, so we will reconvene in a week on 8/10.

My suggestion for next week is that we try having Raknaroth use crippling poison if there still is no one suited to slow the Val'kyr. Also we should do more research into how raids successfully handle placing the defiles.
-Dentik
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#12
For the defiles we call for the raid to run towards the outside edge 5 seconds before defile. Also for our raid snaring the valkyr seems adequate but occasionally we have to drop a stun on them (yes you can stun them.) Good luck and keep at it.
-Donalzon

“He lives not long who battles with the immortals, nor do his children prattle about his knees when he has come back from battle and the dead fray.”

Homer, The Iliad
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#13
In our raid we have all DPS switch to the valkyr and we hit her with every snare/stun/slow effect that we've got. Earthbind totem, rogue stuns, chains of frost, frost shock, mage slow, warrior stuns, everything. It's basically a rugby pile-on. At the same time we hit her with all DPS.

I don't use crippling poison -- that'd be a big DPS sacrifice for a mutilate rogue on the rest of the fight -- but I do focus on stunning the valkyr. I build a big 5-combo point stun which lasts 6 seconds and hit her with that -- I can get one of those off per valkyr.

Note that melee range on the valkyrs is a little strange, perhaps due to server lag: when following a valkyr I need to be a couple yards *behind* her in order to hit her. If I'm on top of her I am actually deemed "out of range". Another warrior in our group noticed the same thing. So have melee experiment a bit with positioning -- they may need to stand further back than they think.

Also note that when the valkyr dies and drops the player, the player is not dropped straight down -- they're tossed just a little bit (a yard or so) toward the platform. So it's possible to kill the valkyr just after she's gone over the edge and still save the player -- so keep DPSing.

Positioning is important -- when the valkyr is about to swoop down (she hovers for a bit overhead) everyone runs to the center to make the valkyr's path to the edge as long as possible. We try to stand radially offset from whatever defiles may be positioned around the edge so she doesn't drag anyone over a defile. If anybody is near the edge when they get picked up it's almost impossible to save them in time.

The most chaotic time is when there's a simultaneous valkyr attack (need to move to the center) and a defile call (need to spread out). In that case, we run around madly trying not to die, ha.

For defile positioning, it's important to spread out the *instant* the verbal warning goes out, because there is so little time before it drops on the floor. One good place to drop a defile is near the steps, if you can make it in time, because no valkyrs fly that way so they are totally out of the way. But usually it's a chaotic scramble, with people just trying to drop defiles away from other players.
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#14
I was going to say a lot of what Z already covered, but I'll add this: it is not unusual or unreasonable to respec specifically for this fight. As a feral, I specced back into infected wounds for the snare, and I happened to already have improved bash. This way I could both stun every Valk and apply a snare automatically in case someone else's didn't stick. I'd hop into bear form if the valk was getting near the edge and bash it, but I'd let the pallies stun it first off. If your talent tree has snares or improved stuns, it's really worth considering speccing for them to get this fight done.

Shockwave works, but you have to aim it carefully. Since LK does not have a cleave, you can drag him around to stun a Valk, even if you are tanking. Paladins can also stun the bejabbers out of them. They are on diminishing returns, so make sure you aren't warstomping first thing and blowing someone else's big stun. Beastmaster Hunter pets can Intimidate and Unholy DK pets can Gnaw for a stun as well, though those should be later in the rotation since they are shorter duration. It's a big free-for-all on the thing.

On Defile, it's like Don and Z said. Start running before it starts casting so that you are not right in the middle and not right next to someone. Yes, this is crazy-making when a Valk is up, but do the best you can. As soon as you see you're in the clear, get back to the Valk. Remember the Defile effect is larger than the actual graphic, so give it room. Dropping them near the stairs is best, but truly, just get them out of the middle first. Yes, sometimes a Valk will then aim directly for the Defile, and it's going to be up to the ranged to kill it when it gets there.

The Valks will aim for the closest edge, so if you get a Defile dropped in a bad spot, you can reposition everyone a little closer to a different edge. This will hopefully keep them from dragging right through the Defile.
Nganga Nyeusi
He is fast and is the danger.
What's a dazzling urbanite like you doing in a rustic setting like this?
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#15
Well, with the current raid make-up, the defile+valkyr shouldn't be too much of an issue. Currently, I am the only melee dps who is there most of the time. Occasionally we get a rogue to replace a spot, but everyone else is ranged. And we've never had a DK in our 10-man, I don't think. The other four dps are all ranged and should be spreading out anyway.

All the stuns going off at once poses a problem since there are diminishing returns. I can keep hamstring and piercing howl up, but the closer she gets to the edge, the more useless those abilities become. Kosath does help with Concussion blow, and Wylera stops tanking LK long enough to throw down a Hammer of Justice, but we need to work on timing it right, I think.
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