<-250x250 Square - left->If you thought you knew everything about World of Warcraft, think again. Over the vast Eastern Plaguelands and into the north, there lies a newly found area which some believe to be their capital of Zul’Aman (Zul stands for chieftain). The Amani Empire is a long lasting legacy of shamanism and voodoo in the Northern Kingdoms. Even now, when their power dwindles, the vicious Amani trolls are still proud of their ancestral heritage, ready to fight tooth and claw to protect it. Good news travel fast in Azeroth and we make haste to witness the unveiling from Hatchet Hills - Ghostlands. Surely there must be relics of great importance to be had within its ancient halls and we wonder if the savage beasts still claim ownership over the old power node of the Amani. Bud Nedreck is the regular tomb rider and we’re pretty much in his employment as we enter the site, dreaming for treasure and fame but prepared for the worst.

Forest trolls?

You have to understand hat the forest trolls of Lordaeron are a different breed that what we’ve encountered thus far starting with the Barrens. In times of old, their race was divided into two great empires bearing the name of their capitals, centers of great influence in both the real and the ethereal. One is known as Zul’Gurub and the other is the recently rediscovered Zul’Aman. Many centuries ago High Elves traded arcane knowledge with Humans, allied themselves to purge trolls and claim the land as their own. A massive bloodbath ensued and the Amani trolls grew weak in numbers, retreating to the safety of the forest. It is believed Zul Aman is one of the last standing outposts of Amani power, left untouched by the taint of outer influences. Zul’Jin is the uncontested leader of the Amani and he devised a plan, a magic so dark that he could imbue his brethren with the powers of the great totemic gods. Hex Lord Malacrass and his which doctors managed to call upon the powers of the bear, eagle, lynx and dragonhawk.

Follow the dress code, hit the gong for loot

Remember to take the Zul’Aman starter quest from Shattered, in the Lower City. The letter you receive must be brought to the attention of Bud Nedreck, in the outskirts of the temple. Bud is the leader of the expedition that landed the discovery in Hatchet Hills. He’ll pretty much send you to a flaming doom in the process of reaping every piece of treasure Zul’Aman has to offer, but a tough shield and a couple of dedicated healers will tend to your continual well being. In fact it’s highly recommended the group setup looks something like this: two tanks, three healers, one melee dps, four ranged dps (out of which a mage and a warlock are a must, with bonus points for shadowpriests). “Looking for Zul’Aman class raid” won’t be that uncommon, so basically you have one of each class. Once inside, buffed and ready, you should wait the rogue NPC and then the click the gong to your left. Everyone should hit it at least once. It isn’t the brightest of idea to make some noise when entering a deadly fortress, thus as the gates open, many non elite trolls rush you for an AoE fest, along with two elite guards. They don’t hit too hard and one tank can hold two targets throughout the instance, with proper healing. Throughout the instance elites hit for 1500-2500 on plate so guys dressed in full epic Karazhan items won’t have any problem passing the gear check. Anything less requires extra care, skill and wipes, but it’s doable.

Nalorakk versus Misha

Zul’Aman is special in many ways, but one thing will strike you from the very beginning: there isn’t much trash to clear. All you have to do is descend to the right, grab the patrol, and keep going right for five more packs and there you have the first boss. It’s that easy and you shouldn’t be taken by surprise and wipe here, because if you engage Nalorakk the Bear Avatar within 20 minutes, you will get extra loot from his hostage. Do you see this power tripping troll? His mask and outfit are native to Zul’Aman; one of the most bizarre, slightly ugly, yet inventive graphical works in all World of Warcraft. Once engaged, he’ll alternate between two phases. In human form he performs a random charge to raid members that are further away, but only hits for 5k on cloth so he can’t one shot anyone. Also expect a mangle type debuff on the main tank which doubles bleeding effects on the target. Feel free to tank and spank until 90% when he turns into a huge bear which incidentally deals bleeding type damage so you need to switch tanks in order to cope. Watch out for the frontal cleave now and top off the tank because Nalorakk uses an area of effect silence which damaged for 1k and lasts for 3 seconds. Even with strong dps the fight lasts long so expect another bear form at 60% and 30%. He stays furry for about 15% so just taunt and burn him down fast once he’s human again.

Congratulations, your raid just got two free epics on par with Black Temple/Hyjal loot. Each of the four avatars holds a hostage, member of Red’s prospector team most likely. Poor Tanzar is a troll and he resides in the cage nearby. Talk to him and receive his thanks. Having your entrails sacrificed to the forest gods is not a pleasant way to go, thus generous gratitude is understandable. The map Red asked of you is found on this same platform, near the cage. Once you turn the quest in, it’s Amani tusk collection time, along with investigating the terraces of the other three bestial avatars.

sTrolling

Just like the Zul’Gurub modus operandi, there is a choice on who to kill next because the way is clear. We decided to do it the hard way and take on the challenges of Akil'zon the Eagle Avatar, so back you go and turn left from the crossroad near the entrance. Brace yourselves. Even for experienced raiders this is the one of the nerve wrecking Zul’Aman tests of endurance, because if you don’t do it right, you just wipe. Most people are new here, so expect things to go bad a couple of tries. The scout you see in the distance is a mere decoy for what will become a deadly gauntlet race. While it only looks like 3 double pulls and then a mini-boss, reaching the Anash’Ani Tempest is harder than it seems because he keeps spawning guards. Each 30 seconds or so two more troll elites rush in from the rear and need to be picked up by the main tank, along with 4 non elite birds which eventually get AoE. This is where our main tank really shines, because he is a paladin. Druids can do a good job as well, but warriors always have troubles with keeping agro on multiple targets. As a mage you’ll have serious mana issues, as your arcane explosions get supplemented by the warlock’s seed of corruption and whatever area of effect spells raid members have to offer. The key is for tanks to properly pickup targets while everyone is moving as one, up the slope.

Akil’zon - tougher than Stormherald

I’m always amazed how fast one can reach the next boss. It’s either wipe or 7 minute of trash clearing and now the Eagle Avatar Akil’zon waits at the end of the stairs, ready to make your life miserable. Timed loot is available only if you manage to engage the boss within 20 minutes from the last kill. Unfortunately there are always delays for resurrections, buffs and loot rolling when people are new to the instance. Not to mention the fact that once you release a prisoner from his cage, he roleplays all the way to the chest and takes his time to unlock it.

Akil’zon may not look much, he hits like a girl and his favorite random sport is lifting people in the air, laughing as they take fall damage. He also fires a random chain lightning type spell which forks in all directions from the primary targets and hits for about 4.5k leaving a stacking 50% increase in nature damage debuff. It is a good idea to spread around the boss evenly. This alone can’t kill anyone, but the joke’s on you. Roughly each minute he targets a random group member except for the highest on the agro list, lifts it 10 yards above ground and charges him with electricity.

Every raid member will not take increasingly more nature damage in ticks starting from 500, then 1000, 1500 and 2000 each two seconds. If you’ve had the misfortune to see a tornado in real life, then you’d know there is one safe spot to be found, precisely in the eye of the storm. This translates to running as fast as possible to the guy flying above. Just look for the big shadowy spot on the ground. Tanks must also run and drag the boss along, because everyone is running and healing will be scarce. I find it easier for everyone to clump up 5 seconds before the storm comes, since it’s the only way you can wipe here. The problem is that sometimes bad luck causes you to lose raid members due to the long walk and lack of instant heals. The storm itself only lasts about ten seconds, but it’s enough, considering that some will have nature damage taken amplified by a lot. In four to five storms Akil’zon should be cut down to size, relinquishing his avatar’s spirit back to Zul’Jin.

Harkor, the little dwarf prisoner, is clearly impressed, as you arrived just in time to save his hide. Free loot again, but here’s where it gets harder and 20 minutes doesn’t feel like enough time anymore. Jump to the other side of the terrace and be ready to enter yet another gauntlet, leading to the Jan’alai, the Dragonhawk Avatar. But that’s a story for tomorrow.

1UP sure has a way of sniffing out stories before they happen, to such a degree that speculations run rampart and at times nothing really happens. It may or may not be the case with today’s story, which prompts Marvel Universe Online as the unhappy nominee for a Microsoft project cancellation. Ever since Microsoft announced the game on 26 September 2006, details have been scarce if any, complete with a lack of direct responses from developers when confronted with the issue in several interviews. Teasers are common place after one year of development cycle, including concept art, 3D renderings, screenshots and story snippets, but it isn’t the case with Marvel Universe Online. It’s rather sad to see it turn into vaporware, as the game world has a huge fan base that anxiously awaits its arrival to the online realms.

To put things into context, Cryptic Studios is the Marvel Universe Online developer, also known for comic based MMORPGs City of Heroes and City Of Villains. Not two weeks ago, publisher NCSoft acquired the rights for thee two retail releases. Approximately 15% of Cyptic’s staff was relocated to Mountain View, California to start a new studio under the NCSoft banner. With the IPs out of their yard, one would think Cryptic is free to pursue other projects, including Marvel Universe Online, but while Microsoft insists that the sale will not negatively affect any such projects, we’ve yet to hear news of the comic title.

Cyptic’s upcoming superhero MMORPG has not been cancelled outright, but Microsoft is known to take their time when it comes for such official announcements. 1UP’s inside sources prompt the game development to be on the bricks though. There was talk of “a big Microsoft first-party title that's been in the works for a very long time that people are very excited for” but looking back on the facts, Marvel Universe Online isn’t a perfect match. Aside from the mysterious source, Cryptic developers were cryptic themselves when it came to passing information about the game. 1UP is very eloquent in this regard, citing the suspicious inability by the project's collaborators to confirm the game's on-going development. Up until now, all we have is the game cinematic trailer which conveniently doesn’t present any type of in game footage.

Enough time has passed and it’s time for yet another Blizzard goodie to hit the World of Warcraft live servers. Patch 2.3 went live today on the US servers and will be up for Europe early tomorrow after maintenance. It’s a matter of preference actually, because we have Zul Aman and its animal bosses for PvE raiders in 2.3 and we’ll have the start of the PvP Season 3 complete with a ladder reset in exactly one week. Supplemented by serious class tweaking, big changes are coming to the live servers for everyone. It’s part of Blizzard policy to release new content on a regular basis and we see new instances introduced to the game each four months and a ladder reset on the same timetable. Time’s up, thus game hype will once again rise as old accounts get reactivated and the flame is rekindled in the hearts of MMO gamers.

Patch testing and changes have been the bread and butter of WoW fan sites all over the net for a month now, so let’s take a quick look at what the future has in store for us. First and foremost we have Zul Aman, which will be fully reviewed hands on in a couple of days. This lost temple can be found in the Ghostlands and requires no attunement quests performed. It’s a relic of the old Amani Empire, one of the two troll factions known to Azeroth (the Gurubashi Empire being the other). Zul Aman is Blizzard’s way of responding to public feedback. For a fact, Karazhan proved to be a huge success, if not due to its native fun filled encounters, then because of its wide accessibility. Here we go again with events scaled to go up from Prince Malchezaar and beyond. Guilds that are just about to enter Serpentshire Cavern and Tempest Keep: The Eye will find Zul Aman just about right in terms of gear versus challenge.

Too bad Blizzard didn’t learn anything from last Halloween, when alliance players were forced to wait in front of Scarlet Monastery and deal with PvP against countless horde that had the advantage of the home court. Ghostlands is the Blood Elf starting area, so be ready to witness the same scenario again: Several groups get ready to enter Zul Aman and start gathering by the summoning stone. We have horde and alliance together, bundled for a group hug, when someone attacks and just like a bar fight, everything ends up in a bloody mess.

Zul Aman is the home of the elder totemic gods of the Amani trolls. It’s been a place of worship since the very beginning thus the upper priesthood hierarchy has been granted powers beyond those of mortal trolls. You’ll meet the great bear guardian first, dire Nalorakk. Be sure to direct nightly prayers his way if you dream about riding that wicked looking bear out sometime in the near future. Akil'zon is the eagle avatar and master of storms. Unlike his Zul Gurub counterpart, the lynx avatar Halazzi does not have three acolytes that resurrect one another. Jan'alai, dragonhawk avatar puts up a good fight protecting the eggs of the flying hunter. Many raids will find their doom by the hands of Hex Lord Malacrass but none of the above is as powerful as the master himself, Zul’Jin.

Needless to mention, loot rises to the occasion by pumping up as much spell and melee haste as possible within level 131 items, along with melee armor penetration stats. In terms of item level alone, these should neither make nor break high end raiding itemization on guilds raiding Hyjal and Black Temple. But in practice, Zul Aman will boost casual raiding guilds itemization to a great extend, introducing item stats previously native to the high end part of the spectrum. It’s a bit unfair from Blizzard’s part, but then again, they always nerfed encounters in order to make them more accessible. Another random drop specific to Zul Aman is the enchant weapon: Executioner recipe. The enchant grants the use a chance to deal attacks that ignore 840 target armor for 10 seconds, for a good dps boost against low armored targets. Needless to say, Executioner is the new mongoose for PvP use, a clever time sink which gobbles up roughly 500g on each application. WoW greatness is never cheap. Not unless you count the new mad alchemist healing potions which grant a random buff on each use, stackable with any elixirs and flasks you may use at the time.

There can’t be a good patch without random freebies. Although the proper riding skill is required, engineers will be happy to know that Blizzard graced them with new normal and epic flying mounts. Flying machines they are called and supposedly have nothing in common with flying saucers. It’s still a question of goblin versus gnomish engineering. If they bug and end up in a huge explosion I’ll bet on gnomes. Maybe it’s better to have faith in goblin racing minds. There is little profit to be gained should your flying machine suddenly stop and fail high above Netherstorm. Awesome 8 seconds to treasure life before the corpse run though. It’s a good think the Cenarion Expedition has new hyppogriph mounts for sale, just as good looking and more dependable.

Now that I mentioned PvP, many things will change in a week so I recommend you start farming honor right away if you haven’t already. If you’re a newcomer to competitive PvP, 50k honor would just about grab you four pieces of the now honor-standard Gladiator set. Its arena point requirements have been removed and the old blues High Warlord set becomes obsolete. New trinkets that give a specific class bonus and boost your hit points by 1750 for 20 seconds are also available, sharing different cooldown than regular damage dealing trinkets. Blizzard seems to think nuking is out of control, or at least it will be with the new itemization and skill changes. Season 3 Vengeful Gladiator armors and weapons have plenty nice surprises to show, most notably being the introduction of extra armor (the green markup) and armor penetration. Gibing casters seems to get easier and easier, but what do they get in return?

Hunters get a ranged mortal strike effect on each aimed shot. Warriors get important talents from the fury tree moved to arms. I can’t even begin to stress the importance of this minor change. We’ll have brick walls that hit like trucks, are immune to fear for a long time and hit fast and harder as the battle drags on. Priests get a lovely discipline buff and can land Pain Suppression on any team member, just like paladins do with their Blessing of Protection. Mages have the damage coefficient tax removes thus fireballs and frostbolts will deal roughly 10% more damage. Dual wielding shamans have so many changes in store for them, that I’m almost tempted to get one in my arena teams. Whenever shamanistic rage gets activated, shamans get 30% reduction on both physical and magic damage, unkillable for 30 seconds.

Many more undocumented changes will stir things up even more. I have to admit, I came to love these first aid packs that boost enjoyment for a while longer. MMORPGs are born, live and eventually die, but WoW has its moments even after three years of existence. Be sure to get the patch in advance with the automatic background-downloader. Servers should be up by 11 AM tomorrow, but you never know what complications may arise. Patch days tend to get unexpected errors and delays in realm resuscitation.

The fight has been raging for about 9 minutes now but our numbers held strong while confronting Illidan in his Black Temple lair. Two phases into the encounter and out dps didn’t die to parasites, the offtanks dodged the eye beams and danged around the infernals without taking the long sleep. Just when we though this was hard enough, Illidan decides to pass phase three to prove us wrong as the Embers of Azzinoth die.

Phase Three and Four

<-250x250 Square - left->This time the main tank will hold him to the far left and far away from the raid in what’s basically phase one all over again, with the addition of Agonizing Flames. Expect shear, the flame trail once he jumps and the life restoring cone attack which requires the raid to stay behind. Agonizing flames is another kind of flamestrike area of effect spell which hits for 5k fire damage and ticks for increasingly more over one minute. It’s time for raid members to switch positions once more. The grate will be the designated spot for people infested with the random parasites, so take some distance and spread out between around the grate, even at the spot where Illidan was tanked in phase one. The important thing to remember is to keep distance from other. These locations should be designated in advance for each raid member. Agonizing flames leaves a debuff so it’s not a question of moving out of the way, but more about damage control. Healing three targets hit by agonizing flames is almost impossible to heal through and four is a definite wipe.

Phase three lasts exactly one minute and once it’s done, Illidan will suddenly stop and let loose the demon within. If you remember the Warcraft 3 game mechanics, what we see is the scaled 3D reiteration of the demon hunter metamorphosis ultimate skill. I have to admit there’s nothing quite like it, seeing Illidan growing in size as a huge black winged demon which hurls shadow blasts from afar. Definitely chaos damage, but with a weakness for the 250 shadow resistance your warlock tank will be wearing. The tank must position him in advance and he has a 10 second window for the actual transformation. In the mean time, everyone must take at least 20 yards from the warlock or suffer a miserable death once Illidan starts blasting because the shadow blasts are an area of effect attack which can’t be healed through. Melee should also move way, far away, because his inner demon has a thing called Aura of Dead which smites everyone in close range for absurd amounts of damage. It’s Blizzard’s way of letting you know that everyone should stay at range because … range might save your life.

Once the metamorphosis is complete, the fiend summons four Shadow Demons. Each demon randomly picks up a target, including and not limited to the warlock tank, incapacitates it and slowly moves in that direction following its eye beam. If one such beholder should happen to reach its unfortunate victim, the target’s soul gets devoured for an instant death, while the demon fixates another person. It’s possible and you will sometime see a raid member getting two fixates at the same time. The raid leader must call out the target that needs to be killed first, namely the shortest beam, and your warlock tank is a priority in this process. In the mean time, throw every slowing effect you have at the demons, to buy enough time to a clean kill. Note that melee can assist with the demons, but must just as fast come back to their spots once the work is done. As a side note, the warrior main tank should never stay close to Illidan in phase four, since failure to move further away can result in a deadly fixate and a wipe for the raid. Just run away as far as possible, you won’t be needed for a while. So demons get killed in 8 seconds and ranged dps has 22 more seconds of fun with Illidan, to top the damage meters. Thirty seconds pass and Illidan comes back to his usual form and phase three starts again. The reason I coupled phase three and four together is that we see an alternation in these, three to four times, until Illidan is hopefully cut down to 30%. Don’t risk a demon phase if you’re at 32% so just wait until the demon phase is over and then burn him down.

Where Maiev steps in

“Is this it, mortals? Is this all the fury you can muster?” Illidan is a shrewd tactician and you can’t expect such a being of immense power to play fair. Raid members will find themselves incapacitated in a sphere of energy, unable to act in any way as Illidan gets tired of these silly fleshling skirmishes. Remember Maiev Shadowsong? The proud Night Elf acted as Illidan’s jailor in his 10,000 year imprisonment and has been trapped by the cunning Akama. Fortunate for you, Maiev blinks in for the final confrontation with her prey: “Their fury pales before mine, Illidan. We have some unsettled business between us.”

Maiev will systematically lay traps for Illidan and the tank must drag him there. The problem lies with placement, as it’s totally random and there’s a chance the distance gets bigger than 25 yards. At this point two choices lay before the raid. Either tank Illidan to the trap fast, if the distance is somewhere in the radius of 13 yards, or stay put and be ready for massive pre-emptive healing. Illidan gets pissed off if you take too long to imprison him and goes into a mini rage. During this time, a fully T6 geared main tank with all buffs available in the game can simply *plop* die in 2 seconds if he’s not healed by pretty much every healer in the raid. But since Maiev’s traps are so random, it’s just one more situation you must deal with. Trapping Illidan is advisable, since he stops dps for a good number of seconds and takes extra damage in the process. Mana problems are evident at this stage and you should pick up 8-10 mana potions to use each try if you’re a healer and at least 4 if you’re a mana using damage dealer. Shadowpriest vampiric embrace and paladin blessing of wisdom won’t be enough to keep you going, not even with innervate now and then or mana tide totems, because it’s really that hard. About 20 people should be alive now, doing their best to dps Illidan before something goes wrong and the tank dies. Random death can still occur since he’s using all previous abilities from phase three so watch out for those parasites.

After the rain, an empty sky remains

I can’t even begin to describe the sensation. Everything moves so fast, even if it’s not the first time you get this far. The rush that the last boss alive in all of World of Warcraft struggles with your raid at 7% hit points is beyond words. One last effort, one last push and you can get there. The feeling is so real that’s almost like you can touch it, 3% and just a bit more. And then Illidan kneels, wounded: “You have won...Maiev. But the huntress...is nothing without the hunt. You are nothing...without me...” Silence. There is silence in my head and in my heart. It is over. There is no time to react, not even the joy of a first kill, nothing. The sudden realization that there is nothing more to raid in this push has a bitter sweet aftertaste. But Illidan lies in ruins at you feet and all his treasures are now yours. You can now return to Akama and complete the last quest in the Black Temple line, Fall of the betrayer, and collect your Blessed Medallion of Karabor. This upgraded version of the old necklace has the addition of free teleports to the Black Temple every 15 minutes. Congratulations, you’ve just made top 200 guilds in the world.

After weeks of strife we speared through, deep within the Black Temple as we stand before Malfurion’s lost twin brother. Illidan Stormrage became a transformed demon hunter after consuming the powers of the skull of Gul'dan. It is this very decrepit relic he now grips in his hand, seeming lost in thoughts as we walk up to the high terrace. What could such a being of immense power dwell upon? The many years spent as an outcast undoubtedly left their mark, like a wound that will never heal. In the times of the War of the Ancients, Illidan's lust for magical power and jealousy of his brother's lover caused betrayal. His kin was abandoned in favor of the Burning Legion, a choice which ultimately led to Illidan’s 10,000 years imprisonment following the Night Elf victory. Too late has Tyrande Whisperwind freed him from the long captivity, in Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos, so there is no room for regret. Vengeance! There can be no other feeling in the heart of one such as Illidan. They all must pay for the injustice inflicted on one such as him. Akama lead us to face the great tyrant and now we came to end yet another cause for a painful effect.

The long struggle

Illidan was defeated by Arthas while attempting to kill the Lich King in Northrend; although assumed dead, he was not actually slain. Twisted by his lust for arcane magic, he now commands a great army of Naga, Blood Elves, and Draenei from his encampment in Outland, in the fallen Temple of Karabor now suitably called the Black Temple. He has also closed off all the local portals to protect himself from both the armies of Azeroth and the wrath of the Burning Legion. None can tempt the anger of Kil'jaeden the Deceiver, but Illidan swore himself to the great Eredar and then failed him in the line of duty.

<-250x250 Square - left->We too have gone to great lengths in order to meet the ruler of Outland face to face. Naj’entus’ hard shell was cracked first; we chipped Supremus piece by piece until there was nothing left from the great infernal. Entering the temple courtyard and into the sanctuary, Akama was released from Illidan’s grip when we killed his shade. We’ve met plenty of fel orcs while advancing to Teron Gorefiend and his fiendish existence was put to a stop. Down below the Reliquary of souls waited for peace, which was well worth it in death. Gurtogg cast his last Bloodboil on us, while his rage diminished into a quiet sleep of the ages. The way was cleared to the perfume scented halls where Mother Shahraz reigns over the pleasure dome, a small stop before the ruling Illidari Council. It was a tough fight but we prevailed, confident in out power to overcome even the greatest of tasks. Here we stand now before Illidan, firmly believing that after six months of playing the Burning Crusade we are finally prepared.

Phase One

Needless to say, full buff options are needed, in a raid setup complete with all classes. The main tank needs a shield block proficiency of 100% while two offtanks max out fire resistance and a third warlock offtank needs at least 250 shadow resistance. As long as no-one dies to stupid mistakes DPS should be fine, so get at least eight healers if not more. The fight itself lasts for more than 15 minutes, with Illidan having an enrage timer at 25, so make sure your healing can last that much. Talk to Akama once everyone is ready and he will go confront Illidan for a conclusion in the fight for the freedom of all Draenei in Outland. As any master villain, Illidan engages in a small discussion with his prey before yelling in confidence: “You are not prepared!”

The main tank shouldn’t have any difficulties grabbing him as ranged dps and healers stay on the grate, and melee dps rush right in. Just go all out once agro has been firmly established since there are no threat issues for the time being. Illidan hits for an average of 7k on plate and also has shear, an ability which damages the tank for 60% of his maximum hit points. Every once in a while he will jump high into the air and leave a flame trail below which ticks for 5k damage and lasts for 2 minutes. The main tank is to move immediately a few steps in a direction he’ll be keeping for the rest of phase one to avoid damaging the melee. Ranged don’t have it easy either, because Illidan throws a parasite randomly into the raid, a debuff which deals damage over time spawns two parasites after an incubation period. When the 10 seconds are gone, the victim must be out of the raid, at a position one of the hunters left a freezing trap to slow the parasites down. Do not try to damage them as they’ll retaliate and will only lead to another parasite incubating within your system. Instead, one hunter can deal with them relatively easy (take two for the extra margin of error). Phase one is the tank and spank part of the encounter we came to love, a way of topping the damage meters and showing off to your friends while claiming Illidan is not that hard. But all dreams come to and end as phase one lasts roughly until Illidan reaches 65%.

Phase Two

Slightly annoyed by your persistence, Illidan once again jumps high into the air but keeps floating for a while. Casting spells is always a nuisance while wielding the dual Warglaves of Azzinoth so he throws them away, to much effect. One can think it’s a good thing, until they see the horror of the two Embers of Azzinoth emerging from the blades. The twin fire elemental spawns are huge and take ages to kill. The good news is that we successfully used a paladin and a druid to tank the embers, even a warrior with mixed epic, blue and green fire resistance gear. Hit points and armor are of paramount importance if you have the right healing power, as long as fire resistance is capped (read 365). The bad news is tanks get severely punished for every little mistake they make and slipups usually result in a wipes.

All raid members get on the grate, into a cross-like position with four groups of up to six persons each. Just stay immobile, on top of each other as one. If someone moves too far away from either of the embers, then it gets charged by an ember and agro control won’t be established, resulting in a wipe. Illidan also throws big fireballs from the sky and hurts everyone in an area. Shamans do wonders here with chain heal, along with priest circle of healing, so each group must have a designated and dedicated healer. Tanks need to dance around the outer edge of the grate in a semi circular movement to avoid the flame trail left by embers. Once you’ve reached the “end of the line” you’ll have to turn, always facing the ember, otherwise there’s a good chance you’ll get dazed and later killed by the residue flames. Phase two is entirely dependant ok the way tanks deal with the situation, so expect a lot of hate from guildies if you can’t rise to the occasion fast enough. It’s a good idea to damage both elementals at first, to avoid agro pulling, and then focus until one’s dead. Besides the ember flames, there is another raid killer, namely Illidan’s gaze. It’s usually called in Ventrilo by the raid leader and tanks need to be extra careful to dodge it. Yes, I do mean the blue laser beam from the sky that barely strikes the outer edge of the grate circle. Avoid it or take 20k fire damage and additional 2k every tick. Illidan likes to randomly do Dark Barrage every two minutes once phase two started, dealing 30k shadow damage on a selected party member over 10 seconds. If you though this was hard, then Illidan enters phase three to prove you wrong once the Embers of Azzinoth die.