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re: Blackwing Descent - Maloriak

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Maloriak


Throughout the encounter, Maloriak will throw different colored potion vials into his giant brewing cauldron, gaining different abilities while under their effects. Each potion effect lasts 40 seconds, after which Maloriak will use a different vial. The order of vials is somewhat fluid; he will use Red/Blue in a random order, then Green, then Red/Blue in a random order again, then Green again, and on in that pattern until he is brought down to 20% and enters Phase 2, or until 6 minutes is up and he enrages and wipes the raid. Pay careful attention to the in-game raid warnings which announce his vial usage, so you can react properly. Once Phase 2 starts he will stop using the vials, and instead begin to use 3 new abilities; one reminiscent of each potion type.

Maloriak also has adds; Aberrations and Prime Subjects. At the start of the encounter, 18 Aberrations and 2 Prime Subjects will be contained in the red growth chambers around Maloriak’s room. During the first phase of the encounter, the boss will attempt several times to free a pack of 3 Aberrations. It is possible to interrupt his attempts, and keep the adds caged… for a while. When Maloriak enters Phase 2, he will use a non-interruptible cast to free all remaining Aberrations along with both Prime Subjects. You can therefore choose how you’d like to time dealing with the adds, basing your decision on your raid composition. You’ll notice that Maloriak will continue to use Release Aberrations for the rest of the fight if he’s Fire or Frost Imbued, but no adds will come out.


Composition

10 player:

2-3 tanks – You will need 1 main tank to handle Maloriak throughout the encounter, and 1-2 off tanks depending on how you plan to deal with the adds. 1 off tank can only handle ~7-8 adds before their damage becomes too deadly, so if you plan on more than that being alive at a time, bring a second off tank. The main tank cannot handle any adds, because they have an aura buff that you don’t want Maloriak to gain called Growth Catalyst.

2-3 healers – Your raid will need 1-2 dedicated healers on each active tank, and 1-2 raid healers to counter raid damage. The usual caveat about 10-player healers multitasking applies.

5-6 DPS – There are no special requirements that limit DPS composition aside from having at least one player with an interrupt to stop Arcane Storm casts (and possibly Aberration releases). Simply bring the highest-performing balance damage dealers you can get. You will need top-notch DPS to beat the boss’ enrage timer. As is often the case in 10-player raiding when an enrage timer is involved, bringing all-physical or all-magical DPS to better stack raid buffs can help make a first kill easier.


Boss Info and Abilities

Maloriak
86.6 million HP in the 25 player raid/ 20 million HP in the 10 player raid

Both Phases:

Arcane Storm – (10 player version)(25 player version)This is a 6 second interrupt-able channel, that deals significant arcane damage every second to every player in the raid. Have someone assigned to interrupting this every time it is used. This ability appears to have a ~10 second cooldown, but he doesn’t always use it right when it becomes available.
Remedy – (10 player version)(25 player version)Maloriak will apply this buff/HoT to himself throughout the encounter. It appears to have a ~20 second cooldown, but isn’t always used immediately after the cooldown ends. It heals him and generates 2000 mana every second, with the amount healed compounding on subsequent ticks and healing him for more and more. It lasts 10 seconds if not stolen or magic-dispelled. Remove this from Maloriak immediately every time it is cast, or your raid will never beat his enrage timer.
Berserk –(10/25 player version) Maloriak goes Berserk after 6 minutes of combat, quickly wiping any raid.

Phase 1:

During Red Vial
Fire Imbued – (10/25 player version) This is the buff gained by Maloriak when the Red Vial takes effect (a couple seconds after he throws it).The buff has a 40 second duration, and when it fades he will use a new Vial.
Release Aberrations – (10/25 player version) Releases 3 Aberrations from their growth chambers. Maloriak will use this ability twice each time he is Fire Imbued, spaced about 20 seconds apart. It’s a 1.5 second cast and it can be interrupted. The cast can also be affected by Curse of Tongues, if your interrupters have problems catching it.
Scorching Blast – (10 player version)(25 player version)Maloriak will use this ability to deal a massive amount of fire damage, split among all players in a cone up to 60 yards in front of the boss. The entire raid (excepting anyone debuffed with Consuming Flames) needs to help soak damage from this ability, or your healers will not be able to counter it. Scorching Blast appears to have a ~15 second cooldown, but he doesn’t always use it right when it becomes available.
Consuming Flames – (10 player version)(25 player version)Maloriak uses this ability every ~10-15 seconds while he is Fire Imbued, debuffing a random raid member with a 10 second DoT. The DoT deals significant damage every second, and is made outright deadly by its secondary effect: While a player has this debuff, any additional magic damage taken increases the damage dealt by this DoT, by 25% of the damage taken. Essentially what this means is the debuffed player needs to run behind Maloriak, so he/she doesn’t get hit by Scorching Blast and killed.

During Blue Vial
Frost Imbued – (10/25 player version) This is the buff gained by Maloriak when the Blue Vial takes effect (a couple seconds after he throws it).The buff has a 40 second duration, and when it fades he will use a new Vial.
Release Aberrations – (10/25 player version) Releases 3 Aberrations from their growth chambers. Maloriak will use this ability twice each time he is Frost Imbued, spaced ~20 seconds apart. It’s a 1.5 second cast and it can be interrupted. The cast can also be affected by Curse of Tongues, if your interrupters have problems catching it.
Biting Chill – (10 player version)(25 player version)Maloriak will use this ability every ~10-15 seconds while he is Frost Imbued. It surrounds a random player with a ring of frost, which deals damage every second to the targeted player and any other players within 8 yards. Lasts 10 sec.
Flash Freeze – (10 player version)(25 player version) Maloriak will use this ability randomly while he is Frost Imbued. It encases a random raid member in a block of ice, while hitting them with a large amount of frost damage. Melee players will not be targeted so long as there are viable ranged player targets. The Flash Freeze will also encase other players within 10 yards of the targeted raider in their own ice blocks.
The ice blocks can be targeted and killed (they have ~5k HP), otherwise they break apart after 30 seconds. When the ice breaks, either from being killed or running its duration, the player is released but the breaking ice deals an additional large hit of frost damage to all players within 10 yards of the block. The hit of frost damage will trigger any other ice block within 10 yards to break as well, doing yet more damage. It is CRITICAL all ranged players stay spread at least 11 yards from each other while Maloriak is Frost Imbued, or a chain of ice blocks will probably wipe your raid. Flash Freeze appears to have a ~10 second cooldown, but he doesn’t always use it right when it becomes available.

During Green Vial
Slime Imbued – (10/25 player version) This is the buff gained by Maloriak when the Green Vial takes effect (a couple seconds after he throws it).The buff has a 40 second duration, and when it fades he will use a new Vial.
Debilitating Slime – (10 player version)(25 player version) This effect happens once at the start of each time Maloriak uses a Green Vial. Slime sprays out from the cauldron, coating everyone in the room (both players and mobs). The slime increases all damage taken by 100% and suppresses the Growth Catalyst buff on adds for 15 seconds. Healers and tanks will need to coordinate defensive measures to make sure everyone survives the double damage, and DPS should take advantage of the output buff to burn down any living Aberrations.

Phase 2:

Once Maloriak is brought down to 20% of his HP, he will enter this second phase, gaining the following new abilities in addition to those that pertain to whatever Imbue he has and Arcane Storm/Mend.

Release All Minions – (10/25 player version) Maloriak will use this ability once, as soon as he hits 20% HP. It releases both Prime Subjects and any Aberrations that are still caged. It’s not interruptible.
Magma Jets – (10 player version)(25 player version)Maloriak will use this ability every 10 seconds or so to shoot a line of fire toward the tank, which will keep extending until it hits a wall. Any player standing in the fire will be damaged. To keep useable space in the room, the main tank should move toward a wall and have the boss face it, then move out of the fire each time it appears, strafing along the margins of the room. Note: In beta, if a Magma Jet fire went out the door, it would reset the encounter, so avoid this to be safe.
Absolute Zero – (10 player version)(25 player version) Maloriak will use this ability every 20 seconds or so to summon a blue sphere of energy near a random raider, that will then float randomly around the room. If this sphere comes within 6 yards of any player, it will explode, dealing frost damage to everyone within 6 yards and knocking them back.
Acid Nova – (10 player version)(25 player version) Maloriak will use this ability a couple times during Phase 2. It deals a moderate amount of nature damage to all players in the room every second for 10 seconds; healers must simply heal through the damage.

Aberration
1.28 million HP in 25 player/368k HP in 10 player.

Growth Catalyst – (10/25 player version) This is a constant buff aura exuded by all Maloriak’s adds. It stacks with the auras of other adds, and each stack increases their damage dealt by 20% and reduces damage they take by 20%. It has a 10 yard range, and can also apply to Maloriak himself. Note that this means if 5 adds are within 10 yards of each other, they will be immune to damage and each hitting twice as hard as when unbuffed.

Prime Subject – 30 million HP in 25 player/ 8.5 million HP in 10 player.
Growth Catalyst – (10 player version) This is a constant buff aura exuded by all Maloriak’s adds. It stacks with the auras of other adds, and each stack increases their damage dealt by 20% and reduces damage they take by 20%. It has a 10 yard range, and can also apply to Maloriak himself. Note that this means if 5 adds are within 10 yards of each other, they will be immune to damage and each hitting twice as hard as when unbuffed.

Fixate – (25/10 player version) Prime Subjects will use this ability every 20 seconds or so. They lock on to a random raider, damaging only that player for 10 seconds while immune to taunt. Players should watch for this, and run away from the Prime Subject until the Fixate fades.



Strategy

Regardless of raid size, your first step before attempting this encounter is to decide on a plan for handling Maloriak’s adds. There are 3 basic options: Let all of the Release Aberration casts complete, interrupt all of them, or interrupt just some of them. Each method can be effective when paired with the proper raid makeup, just as each can be disastrous.

Let all Release Aberration casts complete
This is the safest strategy to use for the 25 player version of the encounter, both because the Aberrations hit hard enough that tanking many at a time is dangerous, and because a 25 player raid can more easily support multiple characters capable of off tanking these adds for short periods of time. If you have enough sturdy DPS in your 10 player raid to split the adds apart and burn them down quickly, this is the best option for you as well. Most 10 player raids will opt to interrupt some of the Release Aberration casts though, so as to safely use just 1 off tank.

The first 3 times a trio of Aberrations is released, have 3 players each pick one up and tank it >10 yards from the rest. The off tank can get one, and two DPS can get the others (either sturdy plate wearers, or ranged with enough slows/roots/etc to control the add’s movement; all such effects work on Aberrations). Assign the rest of your DPS into 3 groups, with each group assigned to swap off of the boss and kill a specific tanking player’s Aberration.

When the fourth trio is released, the off tank should pick up all 3 and hold them for a few seconds while everyone else stays on the boss. When Maloriak uses the Green Vial and is knocked back, all DPS can then use the 15 seconds of Debilitating Slime to AoE the adds down, with the main tank moving to hold Maloriak in the AoE as well until right before Debilitating Slime ends and the adds regain their Growth Catalyst aura. Make sure DPS finishes off all the Aberrations before returning their efforts to Maloriak himself.

This process is then repeated for the next set Red/Blue Vial use and the 4 associated Release Aberration casts.

Pay careful attention to Maloriak’s HP, and try to adjust the pace of damage as he gets low so that he hits 20% and starts Phase 2 just after you’ve killed off the 8th Aberration pack. If timed correctly, the only adds to deal with during the Phase 2 burn on the boss will be the pair of Prime Subjects. The off tank should try to keep agro on them as much as possible, but most of the time they will be Fixated on random raid members; the off tank’s job is just to keep them from killing healers between Fixates. Everyone else will of course be focused on killing the boss as quickly as possible; don’t waste time DPS’ing the Prime Subjects.

Let some Release Aberration casts complete
If your raid is short on players capable of off tanking the Aberrations, you can choose to interrupt 2 of the Release Aberration casts in each set of 4. In this scenario, the best plan is to let the first cast go off, interrupt the second/third, and let the fourth go off. A single off tank can pick up the 6 adds that are allowed to come out, while DPS just stay on Maloriak until the Green Vial is used. The off tank should try to damage the first set of 3 as much as possible before another 3 are released, since damage will be impossible once they all have 5 stacks of their Growth Catalyst aura. That way, when all DPS AoE down the adds during Debilitating Slime, the first three will be sure to die and the others will be brought low enough that they can be finished off even once Growth Catalyst comes back. No DPS should go back to the boss during the Green Vial until all Aberrations are dead.

This process is then repeated for the next set Red/Blue Vial use and the 4 associated Release Aberration casts.

Pay careful attention to Maloriak’s HP, and try to adjust the pace of damage as he gets low so that he hits 20% and starts Phase 2 just after you’ve killed off the 8th Aberration pack. When he starts Phase 2, he will release all 9 Aberrations that were not previously allowed to come out, as well as both Prime Subjects. A single off tank will likely not be able to survive handling all of these adds in the 25 player version, so have a second off tank ready to help out. The two off tanks should split the Aberrations between them, and each get initial agro on one of the Prime Subjects. In the 10 player version, a single well-geared off tank will be able to survive tanking them all, if he/she uses defensive cooldowns and good healers. Adds need to be kept away from Maloriak so that the boss never gains Growth Catalyst, but DPS should not waste any time killing them. Burn down Maloriak as quickly as possible, before your healers become overwhelmed trying to keep both off tanks and the main tank alive in addition to raid damage.

Let no Release Aberration casts complete
This is the riskiest plan, because of how much damage the adds do. However, if you have two well geared off tanks and very solid tank healers, it can be much simpler to execute than either of the above options. In this plan, all Release Aberration casts during Phase 1 are interrupted. When Maloriak enters Phase 2, he will release 18 Aberrations and two Prime Subjects. Each off tank will need to pick up 9 Aberrations and one Prime Subject, and will therefore take heavy damage. All DPS should ignore the adds and kill Maloriak ASAP, before the off tanks and healers run out of defensive cooldowns and the adds start killing people.
This plan will likely become more and more viable as players gear up, eventually becoming the default strategy once your raid is in T12+ gear.

Once you have a plan in place for the adds, the rest of the fight is mainly a matter of execution. During Phase 1, positioning will depend on what color Vial Maloriak has been Imbued with. Remember to interrupt all Arcane Storm casts, and dispel/spellsteal all of Maloriak’s Mend buffs, regardless of Phase or Vial color.

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For Red Vials, your raid will need to stack up in line with the main tank to help soak Scorching Blast damage. If you are using an add plan that has your off tanks handling more than a couple adds, have them stay out of the Scorching Blast cone since they’ll already be taking heavy damage. Everyone in the raid pile needs to watch for the Consuming Flame debuff to go out, and move behind Maloriak immediately if it’s on them. Once the debuff fades, they can move back into the raid pile. Remember to interrupt all Arcane Storm casts, and dispel/spellsteal all of Maloriak’s Mend buffs.

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For Blue Vials, your raid will need to spread out, with all ranged DPS and healers being at least 10 yards from the melee pile, from any off tanks, and from each other. Raid healers should watch for Flash Freeze, and heal up the person targeted very quickly, so that a ranged DPS can break the Flash Freeze ice block without killing the person inside. Assign 1-2 ranged DPS to this block-breaking duty. It will only take a cast or two to break the block, but you want at least 2 players assigned to watch for it, in case one of them gets the block.

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For Green Vials, all living mobs including the boss should be stacked up where Maloriak lands after being knocked away from the cauldron. All DPS should pour out as much AoE damage as they possibly can for the 15 seconds of Debilitating Slime, while healers and tanks use whatever defensive measures needed to see that the raid survives the doubled damage.

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When Debilitating Slime is about to end, the main tank moves Maloriak back to his regular posistion, while the off tank(s) move any living Aberrations apart so that they can be finished off by DPS without many stacks of Growth Catalyst. Once all the Aberrations are dead, then DPS should resume damaging the boss.

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Once Maloriak has entered Phase 2, positioning stops being dependent on Vial color. The raid needs to simply burn Maloriak as quickly as possible while staying away from Absolute Zero orbs and Magma Jets fires. If Maloriak is Fire Imbued, have the main tank and the main tank’s healers use defensive cooldowns to make sure he/she lives through a possible Scorching Blast; if the raid tries to stay stacked in front of Maloriak as he is moved to get out of Magma Jets, you will lose too much DPS time. If he is Frost Imbued, make sure ranged DPS and healers stay spread out and continue to deal properly with Flash Freezes.

Also, all players – especially melee DPS – need to watch themselves for agro from Prime Subject Fixates. Anyone with an add agro’d on them needs to move more than 10 yards from the boss until that agro fades; Growth Catalyst on Maloriak will probably slow damage enough to hit the enrage and cause a wipe.

Use Bloodlust/Time Warp/Heroism in Phase 2. If your raid does everything correctly with regards to positioning and boss ability effects, and you still wipe to the enrage … you probably just need to spend more time collecting gear.



Reference: http://www.raidbs.com/blackwingdescent/maloriak/totalbs-maloriak/

Video



Side note: I'm going to be posting the boss fights on the forums so those of you who had to sit or get cycled in can read up on the fight before hand or if you are just simply curious. Please ask any questions you may have about the fight! Happy


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