T
TheWaffleCult
Guest
10 Man Raid
Normal
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Introduction
Patch 3.3 brought us Icecrown Citadel, and a whole host of challenging new bosses along with it. Lord Marrowgar, the first boss encounter groups will be coming up against, is a tough fight, but shouldn't be too much of a problem for any well-prepared raid group. Just be aware: this flying sack of bones is tougher than he looks.
Tanks
In both the 10 and 25 man encounter, the most important factor in the fight is tanking. Tanks need to stack, and each of them needs to be able to call aggro at any given time. Marrowgar's aggro resets after he casts Bonestorm, a large AoE attack that tanks are going to need to take the brunt of. Bonestorm is cast every 30 seconds. In the 10 man raid, this attack does less damage depending on your proximity to his hitbox - standing right on top of him, the attack is going to do around 6000 damage, but at the edges of his AoE, it'll do less than 1000. The other attack tanks need to soak up is Saber Lash, which deals 200% melee damage to Marrowgar's target and their closest ally.
After casting Bonestorm, Marrowgar waits ten seconds, and then uses Bone Spike Graveyard. It's important for tanks to realign themselves, ready to take his melee/Saber Lash damage, during this period. Saber Lash targets are immune to Graveyard, which is handy because this attack impales anyone who gets in the way, draining 10% health per second for 5 seconds. Anyone caught by this attack needs to be dealt with immediately; Paladin blessings like Hand of Salvation are currently the favorite to get rid of the spikes.
DPS
Provided that tanks maintain aggro after each reset, DPSing Marrowgar should be fairly simple. His hitbox is absolutely massive, meaning that ranged/DPS players can hang at a safe distance while stacked tanks soak his considerable melee damage. It's important to have a couple of damage dealers ready to kill the Bone Spikes should someone get impaled.
Healers
Marrowgar's other strong attack is Coldflame. During his Bonestorm attacks, he will randomly target a party member and fire four flames, which converge on the player and deal 6000 damage over six seconds. Healers, along with covering the tanks and healing the party during Bonestorm, need to make sure to heal players hit by Coldflame. However, it's also important for damage dealers to keep moving during the Bonestorm phases, because full Bonestorm damage + Coldflam damage = death. This, combined with the fallout of Bone Spike Graveyard attacks, means healers will have their hands full with Marrowgar.
Conclusion
Overall, though, Marrowgar shouldn't be a huge problem for an experienced raid group. Making sure to follow the pattern of attacks will allow tanks to keep aggro, even though it resets often. There isn't much room for anyone else to screw up, but provided the group sticks to the plan, they should be golden. Another thing to be aware of: after 10 minutes, Marrowgar will use Enrage, and deal 500% more damage while ignoring Threat from tanks. Make sure to kill him before this happens.
Attacks
Bonestorm
-AoE
-6k-1k damage, depending on range
-30 second cooldown
Bone Spike Graveyard
-Impales player
-10% health drain every second for 5 seconds
-Spikes have roughly 40,000hp.
-10 second cooldown
Saber Lash
-Deals 200% of normal melee damage
-Targets two players
-Targets are immune to Bone Spike targeting
Coldflame
-Fires four flames on a single point
-Targets random player
-Deals 6000 frost damage
-3 second cooldown
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25 Man Raid
Normal
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Overview
Things are a bit trickier when it comes to the 25 player Marrowgar fight. Attacks like Bonestorm, which are more of a nuisance in the 10 person raid, are now a legitimate threat if healers aren't ready. However, his actual attack patterns haven't changed, so the fight should still be fairly straightforward.
Tanks
Tanks are even more important here than before. Because of Marrowgar's increased damage, tanking players should stack on top of each other within his hitbox, making sure to maintain aggro during each reset.
Aside from the extra damage, however, the job of the tank in this version of the fight is largely the same. Stack, maintain aggro, and soak up damage from Saber Lash (which now effects three targets, not just two).
DPS
DPS players have it rough now, since a player's proximity to Marrowgar doesn't change the amount of damage his whirlwind Bonestorm does. It's still vital to keep moving, because Coldflame now deals 8000 frost every second for three seconds over an eight yard radius when it hits. Bunching together is a no-no, as one mistake will get everyone iced.
Staying close to Marrowgar is an option in this mode, since Bonestorm deals damage no matter what range you're at. However, this runs the risk of attracting Saber Lash, or disrupting tanks. Marrowgar's hitbox is huge, so try this only if you're feeling adventurous.
With 25 players running around, it's also fairly essential to have a few DPS players dedicated to dealing with Bone Spike Graveyard. The faster spikes are killed, the faster impaled players can get back to dealing damage; plus, there's an achievement for completing the raid without letting anyone remain impaled for more than 8 seconds.
Healers
Instead of dealing up to 6000 damage, Bonestorm now does 8000 damage instantaneously. Like before, it's vital that the tanks be protected by healers; however, now that damage outside of Marrowgar's immediate proximity is 8000, things can get a little hectic. Make sure to time cooldowns to coincide with Bonestorm whirlwinds, since everyone is going to lose a significant chunk of health. Teaming up with DPS players who are killing spikes and healing the impaled players will also be fairly important.
Timing is key here, due to the increased damage of all of Marrowgar's attacks. A combination of Bonestorm, Saber Lash, or Coldflame damage could easily wipe the raid if healers aren't able to deal with damage as it comes.
Conclusion
Still, as far as big fights go, Lord Marrowgar is fairly simple. His heroic 25 man mode is mostly a case of taking account for increased damage, since his tactics don't seem to change at all. Skilled tanks and healers should make this fight a relative cinch.
Attacks
Bonestorm
-AoE
-8000 damage
-30 second cooldown
Bone Spike Graveyard
-Impales player
-10% health drain every second for 5 seconds
-Spikes have roughly 40,000hp.
-10 second cooldown
Saber Lash
-Deals 200% of normal melee damage
-Targets three players
-Targets are immune to Bone Spike targeting
Coldflame
-Fires four flames on a single point
-Targets random player
-Deals 8000 frost damage every second for 3 seconds
-3 second cooldown