11-07-2013, 01:17 PM
The spoils of Pandaria
Overview
In this fight we won't be facing an actual boss. Instead, we will be splitting the raid into two separate teams, each of which will open a bunch of crates which will release adds which we'll need to defeat. We must clear the room in a given amount of time in order to succeed.
The fight has two hard enrage timers. The first stage must be completed in 270 seconds. The second stage must be completed in 300 seconds.
The fight takes place in four quadrants of a large room. Each quadrant is filled with a lot of differently-sized crates that we can open, which contain the adds. There are two Mogu quadrants and two Mantid quadrants. Initially, only two of the quadrants (one Mogu and one Mantie) are accessible to us. We'll split the raid into two groups, and one group will go into each of these open quadrants. After killing enough adds in these first two quadrants, the raid will be able to open two gates which will give us access to the next two quadrants. These next two quadrants are similar to the first: the group that had Mogu in the first will have Mantid in the second, and vice versa. Once the raid kills enough in the second quadrant, the encounter is over. The four quadrants are linked together in pairs of two, so the two different teams will not reunite during the fight.
New resource bar: In order to access the second two quadrants, the raid members must pull a lever to open a gate. Each quadrant's lever must be powered up in order to be usable, and this only happens once enough mobs have died in each quadrant. All raid members have a special resource bar which tracks the lever's power-up level. The door to the second quadrants will only open when BOTH levers have been pulled. This is timed. We have 270 seconds to power-up and pull the first pair of levers, and 300 seconds to power-up and pull the second pair of levers.
As we enter the room, we'll be on a catwalk that overlooks the four quadrants, with two on the right and two on the left. We can't jump down into these yet because they're blocked by a fence. To start the fight, we must interact with a control panel on the catwalk which causes the fence of two of the quadrants to drop (the NW and SW quadrants). As soon as this happens, any raid members on the catwalk will take fire damage every second, which forces you to jump down into the two quadrants.
Before activating the fight, we will divide the raid into two groups, each of which will jump into a different quadrant. From then on the groups are on their own and will not meet again until the end of the fight. It IS possible for players to use the crate-lifting hooks to get back on the catwalk and jump into the other quadrant on the other side to join the other group, but this takes a long time so this is not a part of the strategy.
The quadrants
Each fight works in exactly the same way:
A quadrant contains a large number of crates which can be opened by right-clicking them. This causes adds to appear. Killing the adds fills up a new resource bar that each player has for this fight. When the bar is filled, the lever of the quadrant becomes usable. In the first quadrant, we have 270 seconds to kill enough adds to fill this bar. Once both levers have been pulled, the doors to the second quadrants open. After that we have 300 seconds to use the levers in the second room. Failing to use a lever in time will cause us to wipe instantly.
There are THREE crate sizes: lightweight, stout, and massive. Each crate spawns a single add (though this add can summon other adds). The add that emerges is chosen randomly from a set of adds for that size crate. The strength and health of the add depend on the crate size: the bigger the crate, the bigger and more powerful the add, and the more energy it gives to your power-up bar.
Each lever requires 50 energy to become usable. Killing an add grants energy:
* Lightweight crates release an add that grants 1 Energy
* Stout crates release an add that grants 3 Energy
* Massive crates release an add that grants 14 Energy
There are also a few crates of Pandaren Relics, which release hostile Pandaren adds which grant buffs to the raid when killed.
The mobs and their abilities
Mogu crates
Lightweight crates spawn:
* Animated Stone Mogu (Harden Flesh: interruptible and dispellable 10-sec DoT and slow; Earthen Shard: interruptible nuke)
* Burial Urns (summon Sparks of Life which deal a 4-yard damage aura and deal damage when killed)
* several Quilen Guardians (Carnivorous Bite: stacking bleed).
Stout crates spawn:
* Modified Anima Golems (cast Matter Scramble which places 2 beams of light at 2 locations and swaps the players who are standing in the beams of light. If NO players are standing in the beams of light the entire raid will take a lot of fire damage. They also cast Crimson Reconstitution which places a void zone on the ground which HEALS anyone standing in it).
* Mogu Shadow Ritualists (Torment: dispellable DoT which deals initial damage + increasing shadow damage over time. It jumps to a nearby target when dispelled and resets itself. All the DoT's disappear when the ritualist dies. Forbidden Magic is an interruptible nuke. Mogu Rune of Power is a void zone that increases melee, ranged, and spell haste of anyone standing in it).
Massive crates spawn one of four Mogu elders. Each elder can cast Return to Stone, which is cast on random players, knocking them back and spawning a stone statue at their location. The statues don't have any abilities and don't attack, but while they're alive they buff the damage of the elder. Each elder also casts the following ability:
* Jun-Wei casts Shadow Volley (shadow damage to nearby players)
* Zun-Yim casts Molten Fist (fire damage to nearby players)
* Xiang-Lin casts Jade Tempest (firestorm damage to nearby players)
* Kun-Da casts Fracture (nature damage to nearby players)
[b/]Mantid crates[/b]
Lightweight crates spawn:
* Sri'thik Bombadiers (fire a projectile affecting a 5-yard area, leaving a void zone; throw explosives which affect a 2-yard area).
* Amber-enrusted Kunchongs (encapsulated pheromones -- gas cloud).
* Kor-thik Warcallers (self-buff "enrage" which applies an armor-reducing debuff to the target).
Stout crates spawn:
* Zar'thik Amber Priests (mantid swarm which spawns adds; Residue which is a dispellable self-buff placed in an allied mob which heals them and any targets around them.)
* Set'thik Wind Wielders (Windstorm - moving tornado; Rage of the Empress is a dispellable self-buff on nearby allies which increases their damage).
Massive crates spawn:
* They all spawn a Ka'thik Demolisher. This mob has two abilities. "Set to Blow" is a 15-second debuff with 5 charges that is placed on a random raid member. This player gets an extra action button. When the debuff expires the player takes a high amount of fire damage for each stack of the debuff that he has, and deals the same damage to any players within 9 yards. Clicking the extra action button consumes a stack, and places a bomb on the ground at the player's location. A few seconds after being placed, the bomb becomes armed, and any player who comes within 9 yards of it detonates it (any any other bombs in the area). If it is NOT detonated by a player, the bomb detonates itself 30 seconds after being placed. The extra action button has no cooldown or resource cost, allowing players to get rid of all stacks of Set to Blow by placing bombs. The Demolisher's second ability is a Pheromone Cloud which is a raid-wide pulsing damage aura.
Pandaren Crates
Each pandaren crate has one of three mobs:
* Ancient Brewmaster spirit has Keg Toss (projectile), Breath of Fire (frontal cone. Players debuffed with Keg Toss and hit by Breath of fire will get a Fire DoT and disorient effect which can be dispelled. When they die they buff the tanks with Blade of the Hundred Steps (massive nature damage to enemies within 4 yards + stun).
* Wise MIstweaver spirit has Gusting Crane Kick (pulls players in & deals damage) and Eminence (self-heal for 150% damage done), and when they die they buff healers with Staff of Resonating Water (chance to cast a healing wave which heals players and damages mobs).
* Nameless Windwalker spirits have Path of Blossoms (charges a random player, leaving a trail of fiery blossoms and stunning targets) and when they die they buff DPS with Claw of Burning Anger (adds fire damage).
Strategy
The strategy is simpler than the description of all these adds and their abilities.
* We'll split the raid into two balanced groups. As the fight starts, each group will jump down into their designated quadrant.
* Each group will begin opening crates. There is no ideal order or combination of crates to open. But there are a few guidelines:
--> Always open the Pandaren crates first when they're available, to get the buffs.
--> Don't open more crates than we really need to. If we have only 2 energy left, open a couple small ones rather than a big dangerous one.
--> Always have a few lightweight crates open and use cleave and multi-DoTs on these. This adds energy to our bar and the adds aren't bad.
Mogu quadrants
Focus targets:
* Focus: Ranged should focus the Stone Statues down immediately.
Positioning:
* Ranged and healers should stand far away from the Elders to avoid their damage
* Healing void zones: move all adds out of these & stand in them yourselves for the heal.
* Mogu Rune of Power Void zones: move adds out of these and stand in them yourselves for the buff.
* Stand in the beams: when Matter Scramble is cast, at least one player should stand in each beam of light to neutralize the mechanic.
* Dispel torment, though it may not be a big problem as the mobs die fast.
* Interrupt Forbidden Magic
* Interrupt Animated Stone Mogu
* Dispel Hardened Flesh
* Kill Burial Urns and their sparks. Ranged should kill sparks. Melee make sure to be more than 8 yards away when they die.
* Kill Quilen so their bleed doesn't stack too high.
* All mobs except for the urns, sparks, and statues must be tanked.
Mantid quadrants
* Manage Set to Blow. Players must get rid of at least 4 stacks before the debuff expires. Go to vacant areas to place bombs, then immediately move 9 yards away from each bomb or they'll detonate them themselves.
* Heal through Pheromone Cloud damage.
* Residue must be dispelled to minimize healing done to enemies.
* Avoid Windstorm tornadoes
* Dispel Rage of the Empress buff from enemies
* Spread out to avoid damage from Sri'thik Bombadiers' Gusting Bombs and Throw Explosives. Stay out of void zones.
* Kite the Kor''thik Warcallers.
* All the mobs in this quadrant must be tanked.
Pandaren Crates
Brewmaster: Spread out to avoid keg toss, avoid the barrel. Spread out to avoid being damaged by breath of Fire, and if any players debuffed by Keg Toss get hit by Breath of Fire, dispel immediately.
Mistweaver: Run away from her until the crane kick is over.
Windwalker: Move away from charge. Don't touch the line of flowers on the ground.
SUMMARY
Tanks
* Pick up and tank any mobs that spawn in your quadrant. Move the mobs out of the void zones that heal them or buff their damage.
* Kite the Kor'thik Warcallers when they become enraged.
Healers
* Face as many raid members as possible so that the buff you get from the Mistweaver Spirit (healing wave) is efficient and hits a lot of people.
* Dispel Torment and other harmful debuffs whenever possible.
DPS
* DPS the adds while making use of cleaves and multi-DoTs.
Everyone
* Avoid the ground effects, and spread out when needed
* If debuffed by Set to Blow, place the bombs in an area that is not occupied by the raid.
Learning the fight
We can alternate the groups in the two quadrants so that everyone has a change to experience mogu and mantid early in the fight, saving time.
Overview
In this fight we won't be facing an actual boss. Instead, we will be splitting the raid into two separate teams, each of which will open a bunch of crates which will release adds which we'll need to defeat. We must clear the room in a given amount of time in order to succeed.
The fight has two hard enrage timers. The first stage must be completed in 270 seconds. The second stage must be completed in 300 seconds.
The fight takes place in four quadrants of a large room. Each quadrant is filled with a lot of differently-sized crates that we can open, which contain the adds. There are two Mogu quadrants and two Mantid quadrants. Initially, only two of the quadrants (one Mogu and one Mantie) are accessible to us. We'll split the raid into two groups, and one group will go into each of these open quadrants. After killing enough adds in these first two quadrants, the raid will be able to open two gates which will give us access to the next two quadrants. These next two quadrants are similar to the first: the group that had Mogu in the first will have Mantid in the second, and vice versa. Once the raid kills enough in the second quadrant, the encounter is over. The four quadrants are linked together in pairs of two, so the two different teams will not reunite during the fight.
New resource bar: In order to access the second two quadrants, the raid members must pull a lever to open a gate. Each quadrant's lever must be powered up in order to be usable, and this only happens once enough mobs have died in each quadrant. All raid members have a special resource bar which tracks the lever's power-up level. The door to the second quadrants will only open when BOTH levers have been pulled. This is timed. We have 270 seconds to power-up and pull the first pair of levers, and 300 seconds to power-up and pull the second pair of levers.
As we enter the room, we'll be on a catwalk that overlooks the four quadrants, with two on the right and two on the left. We can't jump down into these yet because they're blocked by a fence. To start the fight, we must interact with a control panel on the catwalk which causes the fence of two of the quadrants to drop (the NW and SW quadrants). As soon as this happens, any raid members on the catwalk will take fire damage every second, which forces you to jump down into the two quadrants.
Before activating the fight, we will divide the raid into two groups, each of which will jump into a different quadrant. From then on the groups are on their own and will not meet again until the end of the fight. It IS possible for players to use the crate-lifting hooks to get back on the catwalk and jump into the other quadrant on the other side to join the other group, but this takes a long time so this is not a part of the strategy.
The quadrants
Each fight works in exactly the same way:
A quadrant contains a large number of crates which can be opened by right-clicking them. This causes adds to appear. Killing the adds fills up a new resource bar that each player has for this fight. When the bar is filled, the lever of the quadrant becomes usable. In the first quadrant, we have 270 seconds to kill enough adds to fill this bar. Once both levers have been pulled, the doors to the second quadrants open. After that we have 300 seconds to use the levers in the second room. Failing to use a lever in time will cause us to wipe instantly.
There are THREE crate sizes: lightweight, stout, and massive. Each crate spawns a single add (though this add can summon other adds). The add that emerges is chosen randomly from a set of adds for that size crate. The strength and health of the add depend on the crate size: the bigger the crate, the bigger and more powerful the add, and the more energy it gives to your power-up bar.
Each lever requires 50 energy to become usable. Killing an add grants energy:
* Lightweight crates release an add that grants 1 Energy
* Stout crates release an add that grants 3 Energy
* Massive crates release an add that grants 14 Energy
There are also a few crates of Pandaren Relics, which release hostile Pandaren adds which grant buffs to the raid when killed.
The mobs and their abilities
Mogu crates
Lightweight crates spawn:
* Animated Stone Mogu (Harden Flesh: interruptible and dispellable 10-sec DoT and slow; Earthen Shard: interruptible nuke)
* Burial Urns (summon Sparks of Life which deal a 4-yard damage aura and deal damage when killed)
* several Quilen Guardians (Carnivorous Bite: stacking bleed).
Stout crates spawn:
* Modified Anima Golems (cast Matter Scramble which places 2 beams of light at 2 locations and swaps the players who are standing in the beams of light. If NO players are standing in the beams of light the entire raid will take a lot of fire damage. They also cast Crimson Reconstitution which places a void zone on the ground which HEALS anyone standing in it).
* Mogu Shadow Ritualists (Torment: dispellable DoT which deals initial damage + increasing shadow damage over time. It jumps to a nearby target when dispelled and resets itself. All the DoT's disappear when the ritualist dies. Forbidden Magic is an interruptible nuke. Mogu Rune of Power is a void zone that increases melee, ranged, and spell haste of anyone standing in it).
Massive crates spawn one of four Mogu elders. Each elder can cast Return to Stone, which is cast on random players, knocking them back and spawning a stone statue at their location. The statues don't have any abilities and don't attack, but while they're alive they buff the damage of the elder. Each elder also casts the following ability:
* Jun-Wei casts Shadow Volley (shadow damage to nearby players)
* Zun-Yim casts Molten Fist (fire damage to nearby players)
* Xiang-Lin casts Jade Tempest (firestorm damage to nearby players)
* Kun-Da casts Fracture (nature damage to nearby players)
[b/]Mantid crates[/b]
Lightweight crates spawn:
* Sri'thik Bombadiers (fire a projectile affecting a 5-yard area, leaving a void zone; throw explosives which affect a 2-yard area).
* Amber-enrusted Kunchongs (encapsulated pheromones -- gas cloud).
* Kor-thik Warcallers (self-buff "enrage" which applies an armor-reducing debuff to the target).
Stout crates spawn:
* Zar'thik Amber Priests (mantid swarm which spawns adds; Residue which is a dispellable self-buff placed in an allied mob which heals them and any targets around them.)
* Set'thik Wind Wielders (Windstorm - moving tornado; Rage of the Empress is a dispellable self-buff on nearby allies which increases their damage).
Massive crates spawn:
* They all spawn a Ka'thik Demolisher. This mob has two abilities. "Set to Blow" is a 15-second debuff with 5 charges that is placed on a random raid member. This player gets an extra action button. When the debuff expires the player takes a high amount of fire damage for each stack of the debuff that he has, and deals the same damage to any players within 9 yards. Clicking the extra action button consumes a stack, and places a bomb on the ground at the player's location. A few seconds after being placed, the bomb becomes armed, and any player who comes within 9 yards of it detonates it (any any other bombs in the area). If it is NOT detonated by a player, the bomb detonates itself 30 seconds after being placed. The extra action button has no cooldown or resource cost, allowing players to get rid of all stacks of Set to Blow by placing bombs. The Demolisher's second ability is a Pheromone Cloud which is a raid-wide pulsing damage aura.
Pandaren Crates
Each pandaren crate has one of three mobs:
* Ancient Brewmaster spirit has Keg Toss (projectile), Breath of Fire (frontal cone. Players debuffed with Keg Toss and hit by Breath of fire will get a Fire DoT and disorient effect which can be dispelled. When they die they buff the tanks with Blade of the Hundred Steps (massive nature damage to enemies within 4 yards + stun).
* Wise MIstweaver spirit has Gusting Crane Kick (pulls players in & deals damage) and Eminence (self-heal for 150% damage done), and when they die they buff healers with Staff of Resonating Water (chance to cast a healing wave which heals players and damages mobs).
* Nameless Windwalker spirits have Path of Blossoms (charges a random player, leaving a trail of fiery blossoms and stunning targets) and when they die they buff DPS with Claw of Burning Anger (adds fire damage).
Strategy
The strategy is simpler than the description of all these adds and their abilities.
* We'll split the raid into two balanced groups. As the fight starts, each group will jump down into their designated quadrant.
* Each group will begin opening crates. There is no ideal order or combination of crates to open. But there are a few guidelines:
--> Always open the Pandaren crates first when they're available, to get the buffs.
--> Don't open more crates than we really need to. If we have only 2 energy left, open a couple small ones rather than a big dangerous one.
--> Always have a few lightweight crates open and use cleave and multi-DoTs on these. This adds energy to our bar and the adds aren't bad.
Mogu quadrants
Focus targets:
* Focus: Ranged should focus the Stone Statues down immediately.
Positioning:
* Ranged and healers should stand far away from the Elders to avoid their damage
* Healing void zones: move all adds out of these & stand in them yourselves for the heal.
* Mogu Rune of Power Void zones: move adds out of these and stand in them yourselves for the buff.
* Stand in the beams: when Matter Scramble is cast, at least one player should stand in each beam of light to neutralize the mechanic.
* Dispel torment, though it may not be a big problem as the mobs die fast.
* Interrupt Forbidden Magic
* Interrupt Animated Stone Mogu
* Dispel Hardened Flesh
* Kill Burial Urns and their sparks. Ranged should kill sparks. Melee make sure to be more than 8 yards away when they die.
* Kill Quilen so their bleed doesn't stack too high.
* All mobs except for the urns, sparks, and statues must be tanked.
Mantid quadrants
* Manage Set to Blow. Players must get rid of at least 4 stacks before the debuff expires. Go to vacant areas to place bombs, then immediately move 9 yards away from each bomb or they'll detonate them themselves.
* Heal through Pheromone Cloud damage.
* Residue must be dispelled to minimize healing done to enemies.
* Avoid Windstorm tornadoes
* Dispel Rage of the Empress buff from enemies
* Spread out to avoid damage from Sri'thik Bombadiers' Gusting Bombs and Throw Explosives. Stay out of void zones.
* Kite the Kor''thik Warcallers.
* All the mobs in this quadrant must be tanked.
Pandaren Crates
Brewmaster: Spread out to avoid keg toss, avoid the barrel. Spread out to avoid being damaged by breath of Fire, and if any players debuffed by Keg Toss get hit by Breath of Fire, dispel immediately.
Mistweaver: Run away from her until the crane kick is over.
Windwalker: Move away from charge. Don't touch the line of flowers on the ground.
SUMMARY
Tanks
* Pick up and tank any mobs that spawn in your quadrant. Move the mobs out of the void zones that heal them or buff their damage.
* Kite the Kor'thik Warcallers when they become enraged.
Healers
* Face as many raid members as possible so that the buff you get from the Mistweaver Spirit (healing wave) is efficient and hits a lot of people.
* Dispel Torment and other harmful debuffs whenever possible.
DPS
* DPS the adds while making use of cleaves and multi-DoTs.
Everyone
* Avoid the ground effects, and spread out when needed
* If debuffed by Set to Blow, place the bombs in an area that is not occupied by the raid.
Learning the fight
We can alternate the groups in the two quadrants so that everyone has a change to experience mogu and mantid early in the fight, saving time.