boss tactic

A Doomsday Clock is a timer of some sort that will trigger a permanent Enrage or other presumably fatal outcome once it expires. The usual intent is to force the raid into completing the encounter in a timely fashion.

If the boss has no other particular gimmicks but does have a relatively aggressive Doomsday Clock, it is probably a Gear Check. Doomsday Clocks can be more serious during Hard Mode.

Examples

• Naxxramas
  • Patchwerk is a straightforward example of a boss who will wipe the raid once his timer runs out.

An Enrage or frenzy is any sort of sudden increase in a boss's damage or other capabilities.

A Void Zone is a spot on the floor where periodic damage ticks or other bad things happen, and which players should avoid.

Tactically, a Void Zone can be used to avoid a worse fate, like a raid-wide stun. Stand in the void just before the stun finishes casting.

Examples

See Don't Stand in the Fire for most of the relevant examples.

• Halls of Stone
  • The Maiden of Grief drops large void zones throughout the encounter, which can be used to escape her Shock of Sorrow stun as described above.

Sometimes the boss just isn't ready to fight you when you arrive on the scene. He's over there, the raid is over here, and between the two are legions of trash mobs.

It's a floor wax! It's a dessert topping! No, it's a Phase Transition! Common to virtually all boss encounters, this is a condition where the boss switches from one form of attack (or one vulnerability) to another. Some bosses have a distinct set of phases which occur in a set order, while others will oscillate from one phase to another and back again.

This is what occurs when players break the Add-Powered Bubble.

Examples

• Too numerous to list.
• Black Temple
  • Illidan Stormrage, one of the most complex fights in the game, has no less than five phases.

The boss or his adds have a debuff which they can place on some (or all) members of the raid. In some variants, this is actually a buff on the boss. Either way, it has multiple levels and the raid must take care not to do things which exacerbate it.

Raiders can sometimes Stand in the Good Stuff or Hide Behind the Pillar to eliminate or reduce the debuff.

A randomly-chosen player is encased in something, such as spiderwebs, ice, or a bone cage. It is the raid's duty to free their friend from captivity before he dies.

If the raid is powerless to free the character (but may usually continue to heal him through the effect), this is Sacrifice. Being in a Group Hug can sometimes help the DPS get to their comrade more quickly.

The boss grabs, impales, or otherwise immobilizes one character, chosen at random. This character will usually experience a spike in incoming damage, which must be healed through or otherwise mitigated.

The boss picks a random party member and charges them, knocking them down, stunning them, or otherwise doing something unpleasant. Often part of a Spinning Top's repertoire of attacks. Sometimes this will only happen if you are beyond a certain range, necessitating a Group Hug.

Examples

• Karazhan
  • Attumen the Huntsman
• Ulduar
  • This tendency is what makes Auriaya so deadly to an unprepared raid.
• Icecrown Citadel
  • Lord Marrowgar charges four people in sequence during phase 2.

The boss uses a Whirlwind.. but he doesn't stand still! Instead he will come after you, either charging random raid members or simply moving (fairly fast) in a relatively unpredictable direction. Being near enough to him will cause damage, so Run Away Little Girl.

Examples

• Utgarde Pinnacle
  • Skadi the Ruthless
• Icecrown Citadel
  • This is essentially phase 2 of Lord Marrowgar, in addition to the Coldflames he shoots out.