Old World Raids

Adamantite — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 03:14:18 +0000

Always speak politely to an enraged Dragon

If you’re level 80 and bored out of your skull, listen up. Need some quick cash? Looking for a thrill? Want to actually Kill a raid boss for a change? Onyxia has been steamrolling newbs for years now. But hey, you’re 80 and there’s no more crazy attunement quest, why not give it a shot? Still not convinced?

Here are the top 5 reasons why Onyxia is the girl for you:

For the kind of cheapo who’s using Netherweave Bags or god knows what else; Onyxia drops one to two 18 Slot Bags Guaranteed.

Sleeping beauty will give you a Retro Raid Achievement for killing her, and she’ll also help a lot with “Got My Mind on My Money”.

You’re playing a fantasy MMO, I’m pretty sure slaying Dragons is in the EULA you didn’t even bother skimming. She’s Cute and She drops Tier 2 Helmets for all you armor collectors plus some decent DE-ables. Not to mention you can succeed with a party of less than three where 40 players once failed (Even if they were 20 Levels lower than you).

With all the wiping you’re headed for in end game raid content, you’ll need plenty of practice your battle cries. “Whelps! Left Side!”, “More Dots! More Dots Now!” and “THAT’S A FIFTY DKP MINUS!” are a few classics you’re sure to fall in love with.

Scraping between couch cushions for repair funds? This little lady has 100 – 180 gold she’d be more than willing to share with you. While you can only kill her once a week, she is still a very good way of making some quick gold to supplement your income.

So now that you’re interested Besting this Black Dragon, you’ll need a few pointers before taking her down.

Bring a Friend – Although it’s possible to solo this it’s best to bring a friend to the fight. A healer is required; so unless you’re a self healing tank you’re out of luck doing this solo. Yeah you may have to split the loot, but the fight goes much quicker with a Healer/DPS team.

Take it Slow – She has ~1.1 million hit points which you will whittle down over three phases. My fastest solo kill took me 28 minutes and fastest duo took 13, so expect a long fight.

Heals are Key – This isn’t a difficult fight, but it’s long. Onyxia doesn’t do much in the way of damage and you’ll find the healer can often get some DPS in. Don’t let this lull you into a false sense of security, make sure to keep an eye on health bars.

Position Yourself – She has three phases, in the first and last phase she does a wing buffet that knocks back. Make sure that the tank (who happens to also be main DPS) positions themselves up against a wall to avoid getting knocked into whelps.

Now all that’s left is a quick run through of the phases: Onyxia will hit the tank with Cone attacks (Flame Breath, Wing Buffet, Cleave) and Tail Swipe behind her. Tank should run behind her and tank against the back wall. Onyxia spawns Whelps (Adds) periodically that must be killed quickly. Then Target Onyxia in the air and DPS. (You can Melee her in the air by standing beneath her). She deals Melee Damage as well as shoot Fireballs at players. She lands once again and retains all phase 1 Abilities plus, an added AoE Fear. Follow Phase 1 Strategy until shes dead.

Now, next time you’re bored or strapped for cash, grab a friend or two and show this Dragon who’s boss!

Mutilate Vs. Combat Swords – Rogues in WotLK

Adamantite — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 21:41:01 +0000

Combat Specialization has always been a no brainer for any rogue who wanted to raid. On October 14, 2008 Patch 3.0 exploded onto Live Realms. When Blizzard finished putting the fires out on October 16^th, Rogues came to find that Mutilate could be twisted into a viable raiding build. Now with 10 more talent points to spend, and a new DPS class to contend with, rogues have been forced to weigh their options to figure out how to dominate raid DPS in Wrath of the Lich King. The following is a head to head comparison between the two strongest raiding builds.

Mutilate

Sample Mutilate Build

Sample Mutilate Rotation: Mutilate (To 5 Combo Points), Slice and Dice, Mutilate (To 5 Combo Points), Rupture, Repeat.

Pros:

9% DPS Buff – Hunger For Blood (3% per stack, 9% total)

9% Critical Hit Chance – Master Poisoner (3% on Poisoned Targets) / Turn the Tables (6% on Party/Raid Member Dodge/Parry/Block)

6% Bonus Damage (Specials Only) – Find Weakness

Improved Expose Armor – Great for groups without a warrior tank (Expose Armor prevents warriors from gaining a great deal of threat with Sunder Armor)

More Combo Points per Energy Point – (60 Energy for 2 combo points = 30 Energy per combo point)

Cons:

Energy Inefficiency – 30 Energy every 30 seconds to maintain 3 Hunger For Blood stacks, Mutilate 60 Energy (High down time between attacks)

Limited Poison Usage – Limited to Wound, Crippling, Mind Numbing and Deadly Poisons. (No Instant or Anesthetic)

Poison Immunity – Bosses that are poison immune (Such as Curator in TBC) will cause drastic drop in DPS

Lack of Glyphs – Very Few Major Glyphs to support this spec

Combat Swords

Sample Combat Swords Build

Sample Combat Swords Rotation: Sinister Strike (To 5 Combo Points), Slice and Dice, Sinister Strike (To 5 Combo Points), Rupture, (Optional: Sinister Strike to 2-5 combo points, Eviscerate) Repeat.

Pros:

20% Critical Damage – Prey on the Weak (Only when Rogue’s total health percentage is higher than Target’s)

10% Energy Regeneration – Vitality (11 Energy per Second vs. 10 Energy per Second)

Burst Damage – Blade Flurry (20% Attack Speed) and Adrenaline Rush (100% Bonus Energy Regeneration) increase DPS drastically during some boss’s vulnerable periods

5% Extra Attack Proc – Every attack has a chance to increase your DPS by striking a second time

Improved Slice and Dice – Increases Slice and Dice duration by 50% giving time for another step in DPS rotation

Cons:

Lower Critical Hit Rate – Stacking attack power over agility and the lack of some critical hit talents leads to a lower critical rate.

Less Combo Points per Energy Point – Sinister strike gives 1 combo point per 40 energy

Conclusion:

While both specializations show great promise Combat Swords has a slight edge over Mutilate. While doing less damage per point of energy, Combat Swords makes up for it with superior “White” damage from auto attacks. Superior energy regeneration and another step in rotation can really push Combat past Mutilate’s high damage and insane critical hit rate. Both tend to be very gear dependant but at a similar gear level we suggest Combat Swords to dominate the DPS charts.

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Old World Raids

Mutilate Vs. Combat Swords – Rogues in WotLK