Halfus Wyrmbreaker

by Whitelight



    Halfus

    This boss has an unattackable pet (Proto-Behemoth) who hangs around to cause extra damage to the raid. Otherwise, Halfus himself is simple.

    What makes the fight interesting is the drakes...


    Drakes

    Three of five possible drakes will be present. Each drake serves two functions:

        • The fact that a drake has spawned means that it has already granted the boss a special ability, and this cannot be changed.
        • Each drake also gives us a benefit, but only when we activate the drake. These benefits are often directly related to (and help negate) the boss's special ability.

    Slate Dragon
    Gives the boss (passively) -- Halfus will stack a mortal strike debuff on the tank. Lasts 30 sec.
    Gives us (when activated) -- Periodically stuns the boss for 12 sec.

    Nether Scion
    Gives the boss (passively) -- A frenzy ability (double attack speed).
    Gives us (when activated) -- Nerfs the boss's chance to hit, attack speed, and damage by 25%.

    Time Warden
    Gives the boss (passively) -- Proto-Behemoth (the boss's pet) gains an avoidable fireball attack.
    Gives us (when activated) -- Slows Proto-Behemoth's fireball attack.

    Storm Rider
    Gives the boss (passively) -- Shadow Nova.
    Gives us (when activated) -- Slows the Shadow Nova cast to an interruptible 1.5 sec.

    Orphaned Emerald Whelps
    Gives the boss (passively) -- Proto-Behemoth gains an unavoidable fire breath.
    Gives us (when activated) -- Nerfs all our enemies' attacks by 6k.


    Drake Method

    Note: Drakes may be predictable.

    When you know which drakes you have, see what abilities they have granted the boss. Now, evaluate which of the three drakes provides the least essential benefit. That one gets activated last.

    Activating a drake provides immediate benefits, and killing a drake increases the damage the boss will take. As such, the general goal is to activate all the drakes as soon as (safely) possible. Activate one drake initially. Kill it, then activate the next, and so on. If you have the whelps, you can safely activate those right away along with a drake, as they don't pose much of a threat to the raid. (This means that the boss will begin the fight with all 3 special abilities, but we will begin the fight with only 1-2 of the negating benefits.)

    All the drakes should be taken down before you DPS the boss. Whelps are the possible exception---they can usually be killed by cleave AoE alone.


    50%

    Heroism should be used after all the drakes are dead, which should be pre-50%.

    At 50%, Halfus starts casting Furious Roar every 30 seconds. This is a triple stun. Tank cooldowns should be used soon before Furious Roar.

    This fight has a difficult 6 minute enrage, so it's a DPS check.


Posted: 01/17/11 | Filed Under: WoW, WoW Raiding