Cataclysm

[K9]

Setesh can be a bit rough.

Really? I managed to heal him almost entirely using smite last time I ran hc HoO  

So long as your DPS are responsive and kill the portals quick and your tank does a good job of kiting, there's really very little damage in that fight. Just kill portals, kite the void sentinels and dodge the bubbles.

[Ingmar]

Just a YMMV thing I guess, we found Setesh fairly difficult the first time, harder than anything in DM other than Ripsnarl certainly. Then again that DM group got Ready For Raiding and I'm On A Diet without having seen the bosses before so I may be underrating the difficulty of those fights.

[K9]

Yeah, probably. I find my guild groups can vary in quality quite a bit day to day. Maybe we just got lucky and everyone was clicking for Setesh.

[Merusk]

Guild Progression update: Hasty Hearth is 

Yes, yes it is.

It's funny I have been getting horrid normal groups, like everyone but me below 5 k dps. My heroic experiences have been mostly good.

Yeah I'm having the same problem on the priest.  The DPS won't listen about standing in shit and everyone seems to want to AOE packs.  The first few weeks it was just painful wipes due to bosses or not knowing to interrupt something, or simply having healers go OOM.  The groups I've had recent' aren't even fucking trying to interrupt things or CC.. and I get booted for bitching about it.  You shouldn't wipe on trash on normals at this point. 

[kildorn]

Setesh is a DPS check (both switching to doors and burning boss), and a minor tank check (the only dangerous adds are Seekers, they make their target immune to healing)

If you have earthbind or a hunter available, kiting the adds can be trivialized, though.

[Rendakor]

Setesh is also skippable, unlike Ripsnarl.

[kildorn]

Setesh is also skippable, unlike Ripsnarl.

Yeah, and Rajh is a complete joke.

[Ingmar]

Rajh cracks me up because he does something that LOOKS completely frightening and powerful but doesn't actually do anything really bad at all.

[K9]

Either way, whether or not you do Setesh, HoO is probably where I'd start my adventure into Cata heroics.

[kildorn]

The main issue I have pugging HoO is the levers on the first boss. They no longer involve a DPS dropping down and running back up, they're a 10s channel to pull and require someone to peel for the puller.

[Evildrider]

The main issue I have pugging HoO is the levers on the first boss. They no longer involve a DPS dropping down and running back up, they're a 10s channel to pull and require someone to peel for the puller.

2 dps and the tank all drop down on the same side.  Tank pulls aggro on snakes, while 1 dps starts the lever.  The tank and the other dps then run to the other side, tank grabs aggro other dps pulls lever.  When all the levers are pulled all start heading up while killing snakes.  Healer stands on the bridge area so they can look down and heal.  3rd dps is waititng to interrupt the boss when both levers are pulled, and can also help to aoe down snakes.  

I actually hate HoO though.  I think the easiest ones are probably Vortex Pinnacle, Tol'vir, and I think Deadmines is actually pretty cake.  I've never had problems with Ripsnarl.  Mind you, I only run in guild groups pretty much.

[Threash]

We've always done it with the whole team dropping down.

[kaid]

I think ripsnarl would be pretty straight forward you just need to have the dps capable of burning through the adds fast. We went in some of our guys had no heroic gear and were doing like 5-6k damage which did not seem to be enough. After a couple other heroics we are doing 8k+ now so I think we could do it fine.

[apocrypha]

Ripsnarl's been fine in the groups I've been in, as long as the adds go down fast and everyone blows all their cd's for the last phase.

Cookie ahs given me more trouble, and then the nightmare run.... heh.... instant death glowy ball beams? Yeah they're *awesome* for people with lots of lag!

[Rendakor]

I've had to solo more than 50% of Cookie's hp pretty much every time I'm in there. However, DK tanks with 840% haste are pretty much invincible.

Same with the last boss of Throne of the Tides; all the dps/heals always die but AMS + Death Strike keeps me alive forever while I solo it.

[kildorn]

I've had to solo more than 50% of Cookie's hp pretty much every time I'm in there. However, DK tanks with 840% haste are pretty much invincible.

Same with the last boss of Throne of the Tides; all the dps/heals always die but AMS + Death Strike keeps me alive forever while I solo it.

I solo'd him last pug I was in, and the entire group after watching me went "Oh, THAT is how it works, I get it now!"

Before that, Fordel pretty much murdered him by his starfire spamming lonesome.

[Lakov_Sanite]

Throne of tides with a shadow priest is pretty much a joke in that last phase. even with the retardedly nerfed vampiric embrace it's still ridonkulously high healing.

[Rendakor]

Hmm, maybe our spriest was just doing something wrong. She died every time.

[Ironwood]

Went into Throne of Tides last night and pretty much wiped constantly on the first boss.  Every fucking ability that she has is an instant kill.

We got to the 3rd phase and just couldn't hold it together.  Healer goes well low on Mana almost instantly and if you don't interrupt or Reflect, you're instantly toast.

Someone here said this was the 'starter' heroic.

Really ?

[Furiously]

You really need to interrupt her when she cast the shock spell.  (every 23 seconds)

[K9]

You really need to interrupt her when she cast the shock spell.  (every 23 seconds)

If you do this the fight becomes a lot easier, she really has no other dangerous abilities.

[Zetor]

The caster adds are tough if you don't have any CC and/or low-ish dps - their chain lightning and shock spells can gank people quick. But yeah, a good interrupter is necessary for that fight. She's the hardest boss in h-throne, imo...

[Ironwood]

Went into Throne of Tides last night and pretty much wiped constantly on the first boss.  Every fucking ability that she has is an instant kill.

We got to the 3rd phase and just couldn't hold it together.  Healer goes well low on Mana almost instantly and if you don't interrupt or Reflect, you're instantly toast.

Someone here said this was the 'starter' heroic.

Really ?

I kinda guessed early on about the 'Stop Her Fucking Casting'.  It's even mentioned in that very sentence.  It's just an insanely hard fight.  One of the deaths was due to a slight input lag on my spell reflect.  Which seems massively unfair !

 

[Oban]

Twitch.

[kildorn]

Aside from interrupting her, the add phases are what drove my healer mana down. It's a game of CC/interrupt the little casters while dodging tornados, because that chain lightning HURTS.

[kaid]

Throne of tides with a shadow priest is pretty much a joke in that last phase. even with the retardedly nerfed vampiric embrace it's still ridonkulously high healing.

It is funny popping health stones on the last phase as well. Good times when you are healing for 47% of the warlocks current max health and you get a nice solid 100+ k heal.

[kildorn]

I believe healthstones scale off BASE health, not max. That or something's unlisted with their usage on the casting lock. My healthstone is a 17k heal with a 107k health pool.

[kaid]

Went into Throne of Tides last night and pretty much wiped constantly on the first boss.  Every fucking ability that she has is an instant kill.

We got to the 3rd phase and just couldn't hold it together.  Healer goes well low on Mana almost instantly and if you don't interrupt or Reflect, you're instantly toast.

Someone here said this was the 'starter' heroic.

Really ?

The first boss is odd most bosses in cata that have a I AM GOING TO KEEEL YOU attack really telegraph it but for her no telegraphing at all just interupt this or die. Thankfully as a warrior I can both interupt and reflect but yes the first boss is just rude. Its not a terrible fight once you get used to it but its an execute this fight perfectly or fail fight there is no room to accidentally stand in stuff you are not supposed to stand in or not interupt things you are supposed to interupt.

[kaid]

I believe healthstones scale off BASE health, not max. That or something's unlisted with their usage on the casting lock. My healthstone is a 17k heal with a 107k health pool.

On the end fight all your stats get massivly boosted and I know for sure when I clicked my health stone I got a 100k and change heal from it. So health stones are very nice on that fight to let you get a few more wacks in.

[Shrike]

Went into Throne of Tides last night and pretty much wiped constantly on the first boss.  Every fucking ability that she has is an instant kill.

We got to the 3rd phase and just couldn't hold it together.  Healer goes well low on Mana almost instantly and if you don't interrupt or Reflect, you're instantly toast.

Someone here said this was the 'starter' heroic?
Really ?

It is an easy instance, once you're used to the fights. As for Lady N, you NEED to use CC. If you don't, then, yeah, it's going to suck and suck badly. Shock blast must be interrupted, but it's on a slow timer and even a paladin can do this. The adds are killer; the witches must be CC'd. I've seen one group tank a witch and the melee add, so one CC is possible. If you don't, CL will rip the party and the healer will go OOM. The only other 'gotcha' is the geysers. Get used to watching for them. They are easy to see and telegraph quite well. The waterspouts are annoying, and normally easily avoidable. Getting caught in one or two isn't a big deal, but if you're getting hit by every one that comes your way, then that's a problem.

The biggest fails (and there are more than a few) I've seen in heroics are parties that fail to use CC. A tank or marker that fails to communicate with the CC members is cruising for a failed run.

[kildorn]

I believe healthstones scale off BASE health, not max. That or something's unlisted with their usage on the casting lock. My healthstone is a 17k heal with a 107k health pool.

On the end fight all your stats get massivly boosted and I know for sure when I clicked my health stone I got a 100k and change heal from it. So health stones are very nice on that fight to let you get a few more wacks in.

The fight scales everything, which I think includes heals (heal modifiers modify healthstone heals), I was just bitching that healthstones in general aren't scalable since they're based off the base health. They'll always be a 17kish heal potion even in tier 15 gear. That said, a 17k free heal isn't a bad thing at all.

[kildorn]

Went into Throne of Tides last night and pretty much wiped constantly on the first boss.  Every fucking ability that she has is an instant kill.

We got to the 3rd phase and just couldn't hold it together.  Healer goes well low on Mana almost instantly and if you don't interrupt or Reflect, you're instantly toast.

Someone here said this was the 'starter' heroic?
Really ?

It is an easy instance, once you're used to the fights. As for Lady N, you NEED to use CC. If you don't, then, yeah, it's going to suck and suck badly. Shock blast must be interrupted, but it's on a slow timer and even a paladin can do this. The adds are killer; the witches must be CC'd. I've seen one group tank a witch and the melee add, so one CC is possible. If you don't, CL will rip the party and the healer will go OOM. The only other 'gotcha' is the geysers. Get used to watching for them. They are easy to see and telegraph quite well. The waterspouts are annoying, and normally easily avoidable. Getting caught in one or two isn't a big deal, but if you're getting hit by every one that comes your way, then that's a problem.

The biggest fails (and there are more than a few) I've seen in heroics are parties that fail to use CC. A tank or marker that fails to communicate with the CC members is cruising for a failed run.

Non boss related, but after you clear her and the next boss: don't let the giblin hallway get you down. Yes, it's bullshit of the highest order.

[Shrike]

Yeah, the trash in the last hallway in ToT really suck. Not sure who thought that sort of thing was a good idea. It's a crapshoot. Sometimes you can kill the little bastards and not lose anyone. Same tactics will wipe next time. No rhyme or reason for it.

The faceless ones are a damned nuisance, too (heal check, you fuckin' "won't heal dps" wankers...), but I actually find them kind of fun. The gobbos, though, are pure unadulterated suck.

[kildorn]

Faceless are a heal check (can you heal the group to full after X happens) and a group check (can you run the hell out of the AE when you land)

The giblins are "can your tank eat the alpha from all these fuckers or not"

The best way I've seen to do that hallway is idiotic: a DPS CC pulls, and promptly dies to the entirely ranged alpha strike. Tank then collects everything and we kill them as normal. Once the alpha is over, none of their high damage abilities are used in sync again.

[Zetor]

I've had some success using pets (ghoul, treants, hunter pet, lock pet, etc) to take the alpha; using something like shadowfury to stun half of the group might work, too. Other than that, it's all on the 'pop 2-3 tank saving cooldowns and pray'