Enrage timers

[Wildo]

I was reading some strats the other day and I kept coming across the fact that boss have soft or hard enrage timers. I'm wondering why they were implemented. Wouldn't it be better to let raids work out what configuration they like most at the cost of slower kills? Maybe nerfs wouldn't be needed? Just curious why they are there in the first place.

[Dhurn]

Hard enrages are dps checkpoints. Without them you could have shit dps and still beat encounters if your healers are above average. Raids are a test of all 3 components not just tanks and healers, thus, enrage timers.

[Azshira]

Enrage timers are a game mechanic. Timers are there to generally add some challenge, a race and so forth. They have been in WoW for a long time and the most famous one would probably be Patchwerk back in Naxx40 (there were others before him), Blizzard likes the idea of enrage timers or soft enrages. It makes sure you can't spend 20mins on the boss when you might only should spend 10.

Soft enrages make the encounters more interesting, such as he boss keeps gaining a buff, or gives a bad debuff or the room slowly fills with nasty stuff and you must kill the boss before then.

Hard enrages make the boss generally 1 shot you and move extremely quickly, this mechanic makes sense on most bosses, especially ones designed to be some 'Gear Check'. If you don't kill the boss in "X minutes, you will die no matter what after a few seconds".

Both enrage types can work effectively and make sense.

[maky13]

If there would be no enrage element, then you could cheese the fight by bringing 100 healers and taking your time to avoid every relevant mechanic. That said, I prefer a "soft enrage" element in which you have to complete a certain part in due time, rather than a strict hard enrage; it just feels a bit more creative and you can adjust your approach depending on your raid`s strength.

[fangless]

Heh.

Nefarian in BWL. PRIME example. We had a 40 minute attempt once, because we lost a ton of DPS, but the healers could keep the tank up for the most part.


But yeah, to make sure you're doing the encounter within the concept of the original design. If you could 20 heal a fight, and be ASURED a kill no matter how much time you could spend on it, everyone would be 8/8H in the first week.

[Wildo]

Hard enrages are dps checkpoints. Without them you could have shit dps and still beat encounters if your healers are above average. Raids are a test of all 3 components not just tanks and healers, thus, enrage timers.

But then they have 3 levels of difficulty for raids to accomodate for those who can't make the dps checks. I guess that's my point. They seem to offset each other.

[SoulPoetry]

they are there so the dps has a job to do and they can't just afk.

[cFortyfive]

But then they have 3 levels of difficulty for raids to accomodate for those who can't make the dps checks. I guess that's my point. They seem to offset each other.

Yes and these offer not the same rewards.

[Wildo]

Heh.

Nefarian in BWL. PRIME example. We had a 40 minute attempt once, because we lost a ton of DPS, but the healers could keep the tank up for the most part.


But yeah, to make sure you're doing the encounter within the concept of the original design. If you could 20 heal a fight, and be ASURED a kill no matter how much time you could spend on it, everyone would be 8/8H in the first week.

Reminds me of a NAXX raid I was on once where the raid almost wiped on Heigen, just me (Priest) and a pally tank left. Half hour later, we killed him. Yawn. But man, did I ever have the "dance" mastered after that.

[fangless]

Reminds me of a NAXX raid I was on once where the raid almost wiped on Heigen, just me (Priest) and a pally tank left. Half hour later, we killed him. Yawn. But man, did I ever have the "dance" mastered after that.

Yeah, some bosses had them, some didn't. Some bosses had some soft enrage style mechanics. Not all.

IIRC, BWL had zero actual enrage timers, the first hard enrage one was Battleguard Sartura in AQ. Naxx had some, but again, not all. It was very random in Vanilla.

[Deleted]

With no enrage timer what's to stop you from bringing 60% of your raid as healers and the slowly whittling the boss down over time? It would completely trivialize a majority of the fights. A prime example right now is Morchok, who has a very forgiving enrage and so he can be made vastly easier by using 4 healers.

[wookybear]

Reminds me of a NAXX raid I was on once where the raid almost wiped on Heigen, just me (Priest) and a pally tank left. Half hour later, we killed him. Yawn. But man, did I ever have the "dance" mastered after that.

Deja Vu just struck with that one, early in WOTLK doing naxx 25, a bunch failed at the dance and it took a few of us ages to get him down.

[Mudkiper]

Because blizzard dont want guilds using 10 tanks and 15 healers to kill a boss?

[Frozendekay]

Look at omnitron at the start of this xpac. Guilds were like 9 healing it and killing it in 15 minutes. Same thing would happen to every boss. If there was no enrage or dps checks everyone would just go with a group of 5 healers 2 tanks 3 dps for 10 man. How is that fun?

[Nobleshield]

I'm more of a fan of soft enrages than hard enrage "RAAAAWWRRR" insta-kill enrages. IMO there should just be like one early boss that has that mechanic (aka the Patchwerk fight) to make sure the DPS can pull the required numbers, and nothing afterwards.

[Deleted]

Yeah, some bosses had them, some didn't. Some bosses had some soft enrage style mechanics. Not all.

IIRC, BWL had zero actual enrage timers, the first hard enrage one was Battleguard Sartura in AQ. Naxx had some, but again, not all. It was very random in Vanilla.

Vaelastrasz the Corrupt in Blackwing lair had a soft enrage (blowing players up)

[fangless]

Vaelastrasz the Corrupt in Blackwing lair had a soft enrage (blowing players up)

Ya, soft enrage. So does Broodlord. I was talking about X minutes and you die, hard enrage.

[Part]

DPS should have requirements for bosses too.