Evil Trash pulls in Heroic Old Kingdom

Each time I get sent back to Old Kingdom (which happens much too frequently) I struggle to heal the trash pulls between the first boss, Elder Nadox, and second boss, Prince Taldaram. Especially as the Shaman. It’s messy – you’ll get knocked around, feared and, if unlucky, suffer back to back silences.

Each time I come out the other end alive with my party at 10-20% health or resurrecting those who died I can’t help but think: How the heck are you supposed to clear those pulls?

This is one place where the charge/AoE/brute force healing isn’t going to get you through on its own. So if you’re tired of struggling with these pulls and want a clean, controlled slaughter with minimal incoming damage here’s how to do it. Properly.

The Mobs

1. Eye of Taldaram – Eyes in the Dark leading to Dark Counterspell.
Shadowfury, on death.

Eye of Taldaram

Within about 5 seconds of the pull it will apply a Magic debuff to a caster called Eyes in the Dark. It almost always picks on the healer. The debuff doesn’t disappear quickly either – it will stick around for about 20 seconds. And if it wears off, it will be recast on the healer almost immediately.

It is essential that Eyes in the Dark be cleansed off your healer (and preferably your DPS). If not removed, the next time your healer goes to use a spell with a cast time (instants can’t be Counterspelled) they will take a nice chunk of damage and be unable to heal for the following 8 seconds. If, after that 8 second window has passed, the debuff remains on the healer, they will be interupted again. Dark Counterspell does not consume the Eyes in the Dark debuff.

Most pulls will include a couple of Eyes and when each one dies – if you AoE two will die at the same time – they deal about 7000 damage to each player standing within 10 yards and knock them right back. When everyone in your party takes 14k damage at the end of an 8 or 16 second healer lockout? That’s how you get deaths.

2. Frostbringer – Frost Nova and Icy Winds and a movement slowing Frostbolt

Frostbringer

The Frostbringers might be a bit annoying, but they’re much less likely to cause your group to wipe or take a lot of damage. Frost Nova will freeze you in place and Frostbolt will slow you down. This can be a bit annoying when the tank is trying to gather all the casters together in one spot. But it’s mostly annoying, not painful.

Icy Winds is interesting. Applied to a caster – DPS or your healer – it can double their cast time, which doesn’t sound fun. But I don’t find that this happens to me very often. Or perhaps I don’t notice it.

3. Bonegrinder – Frightening Shout

Bonegrinder

You’ll need to kill a few patrolling Bonegrinders, one at a time, on your way to Prince Taladram. The only real ability which can cause problems is his fear – Frightening Shout – which can send a party member running into another pack.

Some Strategies and Tatics

1. Getting Rid of Eyes in the Dark

The most important thing you can do, if you really want to brute tank/heal/AoE your way through, is to get someone to remove Eyes in the Dark from your healer. It must be removed from a healer immediately. A Paladin can Cleanse it off, a Priest can Dispel Magic. Fortunately, the Dungeon Finder likes to pick a nice variety of classes when forming a group so I think your chances are very high that your party will include a member of one of these classes. So:

Paladin – Cleanse Eyes in the Dark immediately from the healer (or yourself)
Priest – Dispel Eyes in the Dark immediately from the healer (or yourself)

In addition, if you are the healer, watch your debuffs closely and as soon as you are afflicted with Eyes in the Dark swap to casting instant spells only. For Druids this shouldn’t be a huge problem and still leaves them with most of their healing spells. Priests should Dispel themselves, as should Paladins.

Shaman… are probably going to have the most problems here (I know I do) and you’re going to have to cut back to Riptide and one Nature’s Swiftness+Healing Wave cast.

Restoration Druids and Restoration Shaman – Switch to instant heal spells when you are afflicted with Eyes in the Dark. Ask for a Cleanse/Dispel.

If you have no Paladins or Priests in your 5 man group I strongly suggest you kill off the Eyes of Taladaram immediately (perhaps one at a time) and rely on your tanking cooldowns. For healers in this situation I would still recommend cutting back to instant spells for the 20 second duration of Eyes in the Dark – limited healing is better than no healing at all.

2. Avoiding the Knockback

If you play a ranged caster or Hunter you should be able to outdistance the knockback by standing a good distance back from the action for the first pull which happens on “ground” level.

When you reach the two “egg” upper platform groups it is going to be significantly more difficult to stand more than 10 yards away from the tank and still be in line of sight. The best thing you can do is to group up on the circular platform and walk back to make sure your back is to a “wall”. This way the knockback will be an interupt, but you won’t waste time running back up the platform to reposition.

If your healer isn’t afflicted by Eyes in the Dark they should be ready to heal through the knockback damage.

If you’re at low health when an Eye of Taladram is about to die, you might want to Disperse or use Cloak of Shadows, Barkskin or whatever temporary survivability spells you have. You’ll still get knocked back, but it will be less likely to kill you.

I can’t help but wonder, if you were to stun an Eye of Taladram right before it died, would it still be able to use it’s knockback + damage ability?

3. Avoiding Icy Winds and Frost Nova

These two abilities can be ignored.

But one comment I read suggested that a Mage in the party should Spellsteal a Frostbringer’s Icy Winds for some extra damage.

When I’m playing the Priest, I like to Mass Dispel Frost Nova, especially when you can see the mobs are a bit spread out and the tank is still trying to round them all up.

4. Avoiding the Fear (or Frightening Shout)

If you have a Shaman, you can counter Frightening Shout with a Tremor Totem.

Priests can use Fear Ward, however, if you Fear Ward yourself as a Priest you will not be able to then turn around and Mass Dispel your scattered party members because this fear isn’t Magic based, it’s Physical.

I believe most tanks and melee players try and keep the Bonegrinder stunned for the duration of the fight to lessen the opportunity for him to use this ability. Ideally your tank will choose an open space to fight the Bonegrinder, far away from any uncleared areas.

If you do get feared, you should be able to use Escape Artist or Every Man for Himself if you play a Gnome or Human to get out of it. I’ve yet to test this out, though.

One Rule

If this all seems too complicated you can really reduce it down to just 1 rule to prevent wipes:

Dispel/Cleanse Eyes in the Dark immediately from your healer.
If you are a healer, stick to instants spells until it is removed or remove it yourself.

Good luck! I hope your next trash pulls are a lot smoother.

Mmmmm.... Yummy Tasty Triumph Items

With the changes to mana regen (again) and the boost to MP5, I’ve been scouring through Elitist Jerks posts and articles to try and find some consensus on Resto Druid gear weightings for Patch 3.2.  It took me ages, and I ended up going into Northrend Beasts last week with absolutely no idea if there was an potential drop I should be looking out for.

Now that I’ve finished my reading & research I want to make it easier for other trees out there,and have created a gear wish list so you know what to look out for.  I’m splitting this into 2 parts, this first part aimed at players who fit into the below 4 descriptions:

1. The fairly serious 10 Man raider who sometimes PUGs the easy 25 Mans
2. The 25 Man Raider who is trying to gear up a Resto alt or dual spec set
3. The casual player who knows there stuff, runs heroics with friends & PUG easy 25 mans
4. The player who has just come back from a break and wants to get back into 25 man raiding

I’ve listed 3 or so options for each slot, because some players won’t have access to the new 10 man raid.

Notes:

• All options included here are leather only & from normal modes.  For an expanded list, check out my Loot Rank Template with weightings included!
• I define PUGable 25 Mans as Naxxramas, Obsidium Sanctum: 0 Drakes & Eye Of Eternity
• With the patch 3.2 changes to badges be prepared to run heaps of heroics! You’ll notice that many of the best items available require Emblems of Triumph.  You can get 2 emblems every day by doing the daily heroic dungeon which means 14 emblems per week!
• While waiting for a good store of Triumph emblems, you can build yourself a great set between Emblems of Conquest/Valour pieces & splashing out some cash on crafted items.

Head
ilvl245 Helm of Abundant Growth: 75 x Emblems of Triumph, Dalaran
ilvl232 Helm of the Snowy Grotto: Twin Val’kyr, Trial of the Crusader 10
ilvl226 Conqueror’s Nightsong Headpiece: 58 x Emblems of Conquest, Dalaran

Neck
ilvl226 Life-Binder’s Locket: Requires Quest Item from Sapphiron, 25 Man Naxxramas & 25 Man Malygos
ilvl226 Evoker’s Charm: 19 x Emblems of Conquest, Dalaran
ilvl213 Symbol of Redemption: The Black Knight, Trial of the Champion Heroic

Shoulder
ilvl245 Shoulders of the Fateful Accord: 45 x Emblems of Triumph, Dalaran
ilvl232 Malfurion’s Spaulders of Conquest: 30 x Emblems of Triumph, Dalaran
ilvl232 Shoulderpads of the Glacial Wilds: Northrend Beasts, Trial of the Crusader 10
ilvl219 Valorous Nightsong Spaulders: Thorim, Ulduar 10

Back
ilvl226 Cape of the Unworthy Wizard: Kel’Thuzad, Naxxramas 25
ilvl226 Asimov’s Drape: Mimiron, Ulduar 25 OR Auction House
ilvl213 Cloak of Kea Feathers: 25 x Emblem of Valor, Dalaran
ilvl213 Shawl of the Caretaker: Ignis the Furnace Master, Ulduar 10

Chest
ilvl232 Malfurion’s Robe of Conquest: 50 x Emblems of Triumph, Dalaran
ilvl226 Conqueror’s Nightsong Vestments: 58 x Emblems of Conquest, Dalaran
ilvl226 Phaelia’s Vestments of the Sprouting Seed: Iron Council, Ulduar 25 OR Auction House

Wrist
ilvl213 Esteemed Bindings: Instructor Razuvious, Naxxramas 25
ilvl213 Bands of the Great Tree: 60 x Emblem of Valor, Dalaran OR Auction House
ilvl219 Bindings of the Depths: General Vezax, Ulduar 10

Hands
ilvl232 Malfurion’s Handguards of Conquest: 30 x Emblem of Triumph, Dalaran
ilvl213 Valorous Dreamwalker Handguards: Sartharion, The Obsidian Sanctum H
ilvl226 Grips of the Secret Grove: 28 x Emblem of Conquest, Dalaran

Waist
ilvl226 Belt of Arctic Life: Crafted (With Runed Orbs coming down in price, this is definitely worth making)
ilvl226 Belt of the Living Thicket: 28 x Emblem of Conquest, Dalaran
ilvl226 Unravelling Strands of Sanity: Malygos, The Eye of Eternity Heroic

Legs
ilvl232 Malfurion’s Leggings of Conquest: 50 x Emblem of Triumph, Dalaran
ilvl226 Wildstrider Legguards: 39 x Emblem of Conquest, Dalaran
ilvl219 Valorous Nightsong Leggings: Hodir, Ulduar 10

Feet
ilvl226 Boots of Wintry Endurance: Crafted (With Runed Orbs coming down in price, this is definitely worth making)
ilvl213 Rainey’s Chewed Boots: 40 x Emblem of Valor, Dalaran
ilvl219 Boots of the Petrified Forest: Iron Council, Ulduar 10

Finger
ilvl245 Band of the Invoker: 35 x Emblem of Triumph, Dalaran
ilvl245 Heartmender Circle: 35 x Emblem of Triumph, Dalaran
ilvl226 Etched Loop of the Kirin Tor: Tiffany Cartier, Dalaran
ilvl219 Lady Maye’s Sapphire Ring: Iron Council, Ulduar 10
ilvl213 Band of Channeled Magic: 25 x Emblem of Valor, Dalaran

Trinket
ilvl219 Spark of Hope: Kologarn, Ulduar 10 (This trinket is just made for trees)
ilvl213 Illustration of the Dragon Soul: Sartharion, The Obsidian Sanctum Heroic (Every man & his dog seems to have this trinket – I’ve yet to see it drop)
ilvl213 Forethought Talisman: Multiple Bosses, Naxxramas 25
ilvl200 Je’Tze’s Bell: World Drop, Auction House
ilvl219 Eye of the Broodmother: Razorscale, Ulduar 10 (Be prepared to fight some caster clothies for this trinket!)

Staff
ilvl232 Enlightenment: Twin Val’kyr, Trial of the Crusader 10
ilvl232 Cold Convergence: Anub’arak Raid, Trial of the Crusader 10
ilvl219 Devotion: Yogg-Saron, Ulduar 10
ilvl219 Pillar of Fortitude: Trash Drop, Ulduar 10

Main Hand
ilvl232 Blade of the Silver Disciple: Faction Champions, Trial of the Crusader 10
ilvl232 Argent Resolve: Anub’arak Raid, Trial of the Crusader 10
ilvl226 Torch of Holy Fire: Kel’Thuzad, Naxxramas 25 (Yes this once coveted piece is still fantastic)
ilvl219 Stormtip: Iron Council, Ulduar 10

Off Hand
ilvl232 Chalice of Benedictus: Twin Val’kyr, Trial of the Crusader 10
ilvl213 Matriarch’s Spawn: Maexxna, Naxxramas 25
ilvl219 Igniter Rod: Ignis the Furnace Master, Ulduar 10

Idol
ilvl245 Idol of Flaring Growth: 25 x Emblem of Triumph, Dalaran (This has got to be the best idol ever designed! It’s the first thing Lath is spending her emblems on)
ilvl213 Idol of Awakening: Multiple Bosses, Naxxramas 25 OR 25 x Emblem of Valor, Dalaran

I hope some trees out there find this helpful! Next up a gear list for the 25 Man raider…

Cheers

Lath