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Heroic mode progress has started, and Immerseus is first up! This so called easiest heroic mode turned out to not be as easy as we at first thought. We spent a lot of time messing about with where to stand and how to move, and there was almost more talking than pulling. Once we finally decided on how to do it we had basically only done a minor adjustment as compared to our very first idea. With the tactics in order we started working on our actual performance, and with some luck with swirls we finally killed him when the raid was almost over! Immereus dead, first heroic mode down, and time for Fallen Protectors on Sunday! Go go!

A few weeks ago when we saw this fight for the first time it seemed quite doable. Compared to other end-raid fights it seemed easy even, and that proved to be somewhat correct. Basically the part that has been tripping us up has been the very end of the fight. Tonight we finally sorted out the last few kinks. In the end it’s taken us about 4 resets to finally finish off Garrosh Hellscream and finish Siege of Orgrimmar normal! Yay us! Onwards to heroic modes!

So we arrived at the Paragons of Klaxxi with anticipation of what order the bugs will join the encounter, only to realise that the encounter was bugged. Apparently it’s the exact same order as the last few resets, making the order of mobs predictable and and the planning of the kill-order easier. At first our plan was flawed because we let Skeer be up with Korven, and his bloods happened about the same time as Korven’s Amber, causing Korven to be healed. We modified the tactic and got further into the fight and basically wiped on the last three paragons. With some raidtime left it seemed like we would have a kill, and indeed we did. Paragons are dead! Only Garrosh left!

Observe: The art department forgot to screenshot the Klaxxi until only two were left up, and 6 of the dead ones had been looted. That is the reason only three paragons are visible in the picture. Two standing and one dead on the ground.

After killing Thok we had some raidtime left so we went on to Siegecrafter Blackfuse! We got a bit concerned when we realised even the trash before the boss was chaotic, apart from the trash on Sha of Pride this seemed to be the most deadly mobs so far. Once we got to the boss we started off having issues on the conveyor belt. We sent up two groups of two persons, and either they failed to kill the weapon, because they got behind somehow, or they missed the pipe when getting off the belt and died. On the platform we also had some issues with how to move when the missile turret hit, and where to put sawblades. We struggled a bit on all of these things on the Sunday raid, but when the raid was over it felt like we had figured some things out. As we came back the next day we had some new people in the group and made some changes, but all in all it seemed smoother from the get-go. It just took us a few pulls and Siegecrafter Blackfuse was defeated. Paragons of the Klaxxi next!

There was not much time last reset to look at Thok the Bloodthirsty. This reset we reached him already on the Sunday, granting us lots of time for progress. To begin with we were making mistakes in all parts of the fight, such as getting run over during the second phase, or dying before we transitioned him due to poor positioning. It also seemed we wouldn’t have the dps to get him down in time. But within a few tries things started to shape up and we got far into the fight. A few tries later, Thok was dead!

We had time to try Spoils of Pandaria last night after killing Malkorok. In fact we had quite a few tries; and every time it seemed easy, and every time the mantid group failed. It got frustrating, that a fight that appeared so easy was something we wiped on, and in the end we had to leave without a kill. Today we were back with a vengeance! With a few alterations things were working a lot better, and even though we continued to wipe for a while it seemed we were close to a kill. Finally we pulled through and Spoils of Pandaria was defeated! Ten bosses down, four to go. Garrosh watch out!

The Sunday raid led us to Malkorok. In theory it seemed like a boss we could do well at with few abilities to keep track of. To begin with we had some misunderstandings that led to wipes, for example Luria thought that just stepping in and out of the Imploding Energies was all that was needed to “disarm” them. After a few wipes, mainly because of too slow void zone handling, we figured out how to stand and who should mark, and the rest just fell into place. As soon as we completed one phase one and two cycle it was just to rinse and repeat, and within a few tries he was down. Malkorok is dead! And tomorrow we will definitely kill Spoils as well!

Halfway through Siege of Orgrimmar and we’ve come to General Nazgrim. At first glance the encounter seemed easy. Just don’t make him gain rage! However it still took us a few tries to figure out how to handle the adds well, especially the last group. After a few wipes we started getting the hang of it and it didn’t take long before we finished him off. General Nazgrim is dead! Onwards to Malkorok!

After getting 6 bosses down the first two nights we went to see the Kor’kron Dark Shamans on the Monday. On paper it seemed it would be a chaotic encounter but all we would really need to do would be to stay out of the stuff on the floor. However, as the night progressed it seemed that was easier said than done. In general it would start smooth and easy, but at some point in the fight it would suddenly get messy, and then we had a hard time recovering from that. In the end we had to give up and come back this week. This time it went a lot better. Even though we had a few wipes, in a similar fashion as last reset, we managed to push through and finally get the kill. Dark Shamans are dead, and half the raid is cleared!

The art department thought all screenshots during the fight looked messy and opted for a pre-pull picture!

Second night in Siege of Orgrimmar and we’re back to kill Sha of Pride. For some reason we’re not gaining massive amounts of pride like we did on the Thursday. It takes a few tries and then he’s dead! Onwards towards Orgrimmar! First we get stuck on Galakras. It seems really messy on the ground while the towergroup is away, and we keep having Bonecrushers beating up Vereesa Windrunner. Then we get to the second phase, and fail on the fireballs. But after a few ball related wipes we manage the damage better and the boss is dead! Onwards to Iron Juggernaut. The tactics seem easy, and after a two tries where several people misunderstand that tanks are clicking the mines, we get really far into the fight. And then he’s dead! Three bosses in one night. No time to check out the shamans but we have some time tomorrow. Almost half the raid cleared in the first week! Yay us!

New patch, new raid! Time to go to Orgrimmar and punch Garrosh in the face! Our first raid to Siege of Orgrimmar was actually yesterday, as we tried out the flex mode. Today we were back for the first day of normal modes. The first two bosses, Immerseaus and the Fallen Protectors, were oneshots in the flex, and proved to be very easy on normal mode as well. As we got to Norushen we had a few more tries before we got the big blobguy down. And then we came to Sha of Pride and got stuck. We’ll have to come back on Sunday and do it better. However, three bosses dead the first night is not bad!

Next heroic mode on the menu we thought would be Primordius, so we tried him. And then we also did a few pulls on the Twin Consorts. At the beginning of this reset someone suggested we should look at the Council of Elders as well, and so we did. In the Thursday raid we concluded that the Council seemed easier than the other two, and thus we decided to stay and do more tries next raid. Easier did however not mean walk in the park. Frostbite hurt like hell, Discharge was a pain, and Twisted Fate was no better. The healers were basically spam healing non stop. But since they werent complaining, we kept at it and got further into the fight. And all of a sudden it just worked. Council of Elders is dead!

The screenshot is not of the bosses, nor of any of the raiders. As a twist, it is of Wilkas’ and Arakech’s copies during Twisting Fate.