Ner'zhul raid boss concept

[Explorer]

Okay, let's give it another try.
Briefly: I was saddened when he ended up as a 5-man pig for slaugther, so I wrote a raid concept - Shattrath, Void+necro+Pale raid between Foundry and HFC.
Ner'zhul is last boss (aside from mythic-only boss).


Note that numbers here are not firm. Average non-tank raider's hp is considered 500,000.

Overview – Elder shaman of the Shadowmoon clan, Ner’zhul, had to seal a pact with powers of the Void to save his clan from obliteration by the Iron Horde. He was defeated in the Burial Grounds, but had forseen this. In death, he traveled deep into Void, learning its darkest secrets that already drew Cho’Gall mad. While champions of Azeroth were fighting remaining Iron Horde under Gul’dan’s rule, Ner’zhul has revived from his deadly journey and rallied his clan and the Pale Orcs. They marched through Draenor, raising all those countless warriors who fel on both sides, flooding the battlefield. Now, he is trying to use Tempest Keep in Farahlon to use it as a conduit for a devastating spell that will sunder Draenor once again, summoning forth the mysterious force he encountered during his journey to nothingness.

Fight: This is an extremely long encounter, consisting of 6 phases.
During Phase I Ner’zhul will use omens and rituals to fight you. At 70% he will invoke elements, binding them to his will. At 30% hp he will banish the raid to 3 separate rooms in the Edge of Reality where they will fight his echoes, while he restores hp back to full. In phase 3 Ner’zhul will use his talents of the speaker of the dead, calling haunting spirits of the dead orcs to help. At 30% he will raise into the air in a whirl of spirits, opening a portal to summon adds, while regenerating. Phase ends when Xul’horac is defeated. Third time you fight him, in phase 5, Ner’zhul will use his astrological and void-based powers to defeat you. At 30% he will divide his essense, granting a shield while trying to finish the ritual, and his other part is turned into voidwalker and illusions. You must defeat the Voided Image to make him vulnerable before his illusions overwhelm you.

Ner'zhul - 54,000,000 hp.

Phase I: 100% – 30%

(tank) + Void Breath – 3 sec channel – deals 900,000 shadow damage over 3 seconds, divided among all targets in a cone in front of caster. Reduces max hp for 10% to everyone affected. Stacks.

+ Malevolence – 2 sec cast – deals 250,000 shadow damage in a wide cone, reducing damage and healing done by 50% for 30 sec. A line is left on the ground after the cast is made. Line deals 25,000 damage per 2 seconds per stack. When lines overlap, damage is doubled for each crossing.

+ Omen of Death – 2 sec cast – draws an omen on the ground that begins to emit a pulse that deals damage in 60 yd radius every 2 seconds. The closer to the omen one stands, the more damage is done, up to 100,000 shadow damage per tick. Stacks 3% damage increase per Omen per cast for 5 sec. If a players stands within the Omen, raid takes no damage for the duration.

(heroic) + Ritual of Bones – summons a line of animated bones that march through the platform. Tether between the bones deals 150,000 shadow damage each half second. Standing behind them deals 100,000 shadow damage per second. When march is completed, remaining bones rise as skeletal warriors, fixating on random targets and inflicting Dark Slash – deals 80,000 damage and causes to bleed for 30,000 each 3 sec per stack.

At 70%:

(deadly) + Dark Storm – 3 sec cast – calls forth tornadoes in a cone at a chosen target that push them away a great distance, dealing 300,000 damage over 2 seconds. The force of push is divided by the amount of targets hit.

(mythic) + Mystical Flare – 2 sec cast – shoots several bolts of magical fire at several targets, dealing 120,000 fire damage and 60,000 damage in 4 yd radius and engulfs all targets affected by aura of flame that deals 30,000 damage per second for 10 sec to all targets in 4 yds, including self. If Flare is dodged, it will leave a patch of fire on the ground for 3 minutes that deals 40,000 damage per second, 5 yd radius.

Phase II: 30% - 100%

(!) + Edge of Reality – 7 sec cast – rips space and reality, sending players into 3 separate rooms in the Edge of Reality.

+ Elemental Shadow: 25% Ner'zhul's hp.

- Arc Lightning – 1,5 sec cast – deals up to 250,000 nature damage to the target, the further enemies are, the more damage is dealt. Jumps to other random allies, dealing 20% less damage, 5 targets total. Afflicts targets hit with Static Charge, increasing magical damage taken by 30%, stacks. Can be dispelled by powerful fire magic.

- Spectral Fire – 2 sec cast – deals 200,000 fire damage in a line towards a target and ignites it and all units hit to take 50,000 every 2 sec fire damage permanently. Spreads when coming closer that 2 yds to allies. Can be dispelled by powerful ice magic.

- Icy Spike – 1,5 sec cast – Summons an erupting spike of ice at the targeted location, dealing 300,000 frost damage and encasing enemies hit in a block of ice, stunning them and dealing 5% max hp in damage every sec. Can be broken by powerful earth magic.

- Earth Upheaval – 2 sec cast – casts a massive tremble through the earth in 10 yd radius around the boss, dealing 220,000 physical damage and knocking enemies hit upwards. After the fall, they are afflicted with Tremble, slowing movement speed by 50% and missing 50% of the attacks. Can be dispelled by strong air magic.


+ Darkened Shadow: 25% Ner'zhul's hp.

- Void Bolt – 2 sec cast – deals 400,000 shadow damage to the target and units in 5 yd radius around it, splitting the damage, and
increases spadow damage taken by 10%, stacks.

(mythic) Omen of Fear – 3 sec cast – draws an omen on the ground, when it begins to charge up to 20 sec, after which time it applies a
healing absorb and a DoT effect on all targets, up to 300,000 absorb and up to 80,000 damage per sec, for 30 sec. Running into the omen
before it expires weakens it by 15%, but not below 25% of the effect. Touching it forces a player to run in fear and take 40,000 shadow damage
per sec for 6 sec.

- Shadow Barrage – 15 sec channel – summons a ruinous rain of shadow that flies in lines across the platforms. Missiles that collide with players do 150,000 shadow damage in 5 yd radius and slow by 15% for 5 sec, stacks.


+ Ghostly Shadow: 25% Ner'zhul's hp.
- Spirit Volley – 2,5 sec cast – unleashes a blast of death energy at 3 players, dealing 150,000 shadow damage, slowing them by
40% and healing nearby ghosts for the damage dealt.

- Communition – 3 sec cast – Summons forth several ghosts from beyond the spirit realm. Every time it is cast, more ghosts are
summoned. Ghosts do Siphon Soul on all nearby enemies, draining 50,000 health per sec while player remains closer than 10
yds and buffing themselves with Hunger that improves range and damage of the Siphon.

- Ritual of Death – 15 sec channel – draws all ghosts into a whirlwind that deals 50,000 shadow damage per second. Every ghost
that was drawn inside increases that damage by 30%. Also expulses waves of spirit energy in random directions that deals
200,000 shadow damage. The more spirits, the more waves are created.


+ Dark Meditation – channeled – falls into dark meditation, restoring health over time. Deals increasing shadow damage to nearby enemies until all Shadows of Ner’zhul in the Edge are defeated. When health reaches 100%, begins to increase damage done. Buff lingers for 1 min after Meditation is finished.

Phase III: 100% - 30%

+ Void Breath – 3 sec channel – deals 900,000 shadow damage over 3 seconds, divided among all targets in a cone in front of caster. Reduces max hp for 10%(tank) + Void Breath – 3 sec channel – deals 900,000 shadow damage over 3 seconds, divided among all targets in a cone in front of caster. Reduces max hp for 10% to everyone affected. Stacks.

+ Malevolence – 2 sec cast – deals 250,000 shadow damage in a wide cone, reducing damage and healing done by 50% for 30 sec. A line is left on the ground after the cast is made. Line deals 25,000 damage per 2 seconds per stack. When lines overlap, damage is doubled for each crossing.

(!) + Haunting Spirits – 3 sec cast – summons 3 haunting spirits that attach themselves to 3 chosen enemies for 60 sec. Each of them is affected by Haunted, which deals 250,000 shadow damage every 2 sec to the target and in 6 yd radius, divided between targets hit. Every other target within range that shares damage, gets 1 stack of Spectral Ties. It deals damage every second depending on distance between these players and the Haunted ones, and slows them by 3% per stack. When debuff is dispelled or expires, targets erupt, dealing 1,500,000 shadow damage divided within 8 yds. For every tick of haunting that occurred, damage is increased by 5%. The more time remained by the moment of dispel, the more Haunting Spirits will spawn. They do Spirit Shriek that deals 80,000 shadow damage to 3 targets and increases damage taken by 10%.

- Pull the Strings – 1,5 sec cast – Ner’zhul ties spirit strings to all Haunted players and all players with Spectral Ties, repositioning them to random locations and inflicting 100,000 shadow damage, knocking them down.

(heroic) + Void Nova – 4,5 sec cast – Channels void energy to unleash it in a devastating blast, dealing up to 600,000 shadow damage, damage decreases with distance from the caster. Also, summons a number of Risen Minions. The less damage is taken by the raid, the more Minions are summoned, up to 8. Minions have large hp and Cleave that reduces healing taken, stackable. If a Haunting Spirit combines with Risen Minion, they will merge into Unrested Behemoth.
- Dark cleave – smashes all units in a cone for 150,000 damage, knocking them back, reduces healing taken by 40%.

- Hateful battery – 3 sec channel – stuns and brutally claws targeted player, stacking bleed and dealing 100,000 damage each 0,5
sec, divided between targets hit.

- Wailing Shadows – 3 sec cast – unleashes shadows at 6 players, dealing 150,000 shadow damage, silencing and slowing by 60%
for 3 sec.

At 70%:

(heal) + Void Orb – 3 sec cast – charges a powerful bolt of Void magic towards a chosen target that deals 90% of target’s health in damage, also impaling all units along the way. After 3 sec orb will target and hit another target. 3 targets total. Targets hit receive a heal absorb equal to 300% of damage they have taken. (On Mythic, targets hit spawn shadow images of themselves who wander to closest ally, trying to absorb their life, dealing damage equal to remaining absorb. Shadows cannot be snared and move faster over time).

(mythic) +Mystical Crystals – 4 sec cast – summons 5 dark crystals around the platform. They land, dealing 200,000 shadow damage in 8 yd radius. Each Crystal has energy bar. They zap nearby players, dealing 50,000 shadow damage every sec, damage grows by 10% each tick and gaining charges. If no players are closer than 10 yds, crystals begin to pulse, connecting to closest crystal with least energy, forming a line between them that deals 150,000 shadow damage every 0,5 sec to those who cross it. When crystals reach 100 energy, they explode, dealing damage proportional to distance from them, up to 500,000 shadow damage.

Phase IV: 30% - 100%

+Spirit Vortex – 6 sec cast – Ner’zhul plunges his staff in the earth summoning a vortex of spirits, rising in the air and becoming invulnerable, slowly regenerating health over time. Vortex deals 80,000 damage to the raid every 3 sec. Standing closer than 8 yds to the staff deals 180,000 damage per second and silences. Periodically, Disturbed Spirits amass and fall, dealing 150,000 shadow damage in 5 yd radius on spawning and begin to attack the raid. Spirits cast:
- Dreadful Scream: travels in an expanding line across the platform, dealing 150,000 shadow damage, slows for 20% and
silences for 3 sec.
When Ner’zhul is healed to full, he gains a buff that increases his damage done for 1 min after the Vortex stops.

+Void Siphon – 10 sec channel – Ner’zhul targets a random player, incapacitating him and lifting in the air, dealing 120,000 shadow damage per sec for 10 sec, healing by 1% per sec. If player dies under the effect, Ner’zhul is healed by 10% more. Players have their damage and healing done reduced by 50% for 15 sec after the spell ends. This can also target spirits, but they don’t give extra heal on death to Ner’zhul.

(mythic) + Dark Lightning – 10 sec channel – Ner’zhul assaults a chosen player by powerful blast of shadow energy, dealing increasing damage and pushing them back. Other players can stand nearby to chain the spell and share the damage, but all affected units have their healing received reduced by 5% per sec for 40 sec.

Finally, Xhul'horac is summoned when Vortex is cast. When he's dead, the phase and Vortex ends.

Xhul'horac: 27,000,000 hp.

+ Void Slash – 1 sec cast – inflicts 300,000 shadow damage in an arc in front of caster and delivers 10 stacks of Voidfire, divided between
players hit.

Voidfire – a debuff that deals 30,000 shadow damage per stack until dispelled. Then it summons patches of fire depending on amount of stacks. Fire slowly moves towards players. Heals Spirits when they touch the fire. Fire deals 70,000 shadow damage per sec and reduces healing taken by 50%.

(heroic) + Void Torrent – 5 sec channel – targets 5 players and fires beams of void at them, dealing 150,000 shadow damage and 1 stack of Voidfire per sec, also increasing shadow damage taken by 20% per stack. Can be soaked by standing in the beam’s way.

+ Expulse Darkness – 4 sec cast – fires a volley of void orbs at targeted locations, each dealing 200,000 shadow damage in 5 yd radius. Slows enemies hit by 30%. Spawns patches of Voidfire if not soaked.

+ Devour Spirit – 15 sec channel – Xhul’horac sucks nearby players in, dealing 50,000 shadow damage to the whole raid, damage and magnitude of pull increases over time. Voidfire is also pulled and consumed, giving Void Claws buff to the boss for 12 sec that makes his attacks deal additional damage as shadow, split between targets hit. Damage depends on amounts of fire consumed.
Spirits can be sucked inside him instead of players, but that increases his damage by 2% per spirit. Spell is finshed when 10 spirits or players are consumed. Getting consumed is an insta-kill.

Phase V: 100% - 30%

(tank) + Void Breath – 3 sec channel – deals 900,000 shadow damage over 3 seconds, divided among all targets in a cone in front of caster. Reduces max hp for 10% to everyone affected. Stacks.

+ Void Ripple – 2 sec cast – targets 3 random targets and fires a line of shadow magic at each, dealing 250,000 shadow damage and increase shadow damage taken by 25%. Leaves a line on the ground that deals 50,000 damage per sec and slows by 25%. Performs 3 casts in a row. Lines from the previous casts are randomly targeted and ripple across the platform, dealing 125,000 shadow damage and slowing by 25%, spawning a new line. Lines remain for 30 sec after the last cast is finished.

(heroic) + Ritual of Stars – 6 sec cast – draws a pattern of astrological signs on the area. Outer area will become Blackened after 6 sec, decreasing healing taken by 100% and taking 200,000 shadow damage per sec. Players inside the pattern are protected from this, but receive Astral Echo debuff for each second of being inside which slows and reduces damage and healing done by 3% per sec (5% on Mythic). 5 sec after the cast is complete, pattern will activate and start to deal 200,000 shadow damage per sec within its confines and shoot volleys of shadow bolts that deal 60,000 shadow damage in 3 yd radius around their targets every 10 sec. Amount of bolts depends on number of stacks of Astral Echo received by players. Finally, when the Dark Star falls, pattern is destroyed, but players inside it take no damage and lose Astral Echo debuff, but stunned for 6 sec.

(deadly) + Omen of Fate – 1,5 sec cast – marks the targeted enemy with inevitable death. 30 seconds after the mark is cast, deals 150% target’s health in damage in 4 yd radius, divided among the targets hit. If the target doesn’t die, cycle will repeat and damage from next eruption is increased by 10%. All players who shared the explosion will also be marked.

At 70%:

(deadly) + Dark Star – 5 sec cast – tears portal into the Void, summoning forth the Dark Star from the Edge of Reality. It slowly falls over targeted location, firing a beam at it. The beam deals 200,000 damage in 10 yd radius per second, split between targets hit, and increases shadow damage taken by 25% per sec for 5 sec. After 10 sec it lands, dealing 1,000,000 shadow damage in 25 yd radius and half that amount to all the raid. This damage is reduced for each second of shadow consumed while the star was falling, up to twice as low. The wave of shadow also reduces maximum health on all targets hit by 10% until the end of the phase.

(mythic) + Void Barrage – 3 sec cast – launches 5 slowly moving shadow bolts at a target in a parabolic arc. Each bolt deals 80,000 shadow damage and debuffs with Profound Void, that deals 10,000 shadow damage every 3 sec and reduces healing taken by 20%, until the end of the fight, stacks. Bolts can be intercepted individually.

Phase VI: 30% - 1%

+ Divide Essence – 5 sec cast – Ner’zhul divides his essence, creating a Voided Image and an Illusory Shadow (heroic) of himself and then flies into the air.


(heal) + Void Conduit – 30 sec channel – fires lightnings of dark energy al all players, intensifying over time. Begins with 40,000 shadow damage per sec. Stacks Desolation debuff that deals ticking shadow damage when there are no friends closer than 5 yd, lasts 7 sec. Can be interrupted by Singularity, if you manage to make it impact Ner'zhul. Every time Void Conduit is cast, initial damage is intensified.

(deadly) + Darkmoon Beam – 5 sec cast, 3 sec channel – fires an intense beam of void energy at the target, silencing and dealing 1,000,000 shadow damage every second piercing all immunities, divided between targets hit and increasing damage from further Darkmoon beams by 100%. Also reduces Void Armor buff by 5% per sec.

(mythic) + Void Barrage – 3 sec cast – launches 5 slowly moving shadow bolts at a target in a parabolic arc. Each bolt deals 80,000 shadow damage and debuffs with Profound Void, that deals 10,000 shadow damage every 3 sec and reduces healing taken by 20%, until the end of the fight, stacks. Bolts can be intercepted individually.

+ Voided Image: 30% hp.
- Void Armor – Ner’zhul gains a shield that reduces damage taken by 99% while Voided Image is alive. Image is protected by
60%.
- Singularity – 4 sec cast – creates a shadowy orb of Singularity that follows a random player and deals 200,000
shadow damage in 8 yd radius when touching, slows by 90% for 30 sec and chooses next target, gaining 25% more
speed and damage. After it gets at least 1 charge, it will fly high enough to hit Ner’zhul and interrupt his Void
Conduit channeling. Slow can be removed by being hit by Darkmoon Beam. Standing closer than 10 yds to the
Singularity slows and deals damage, but also slows the orb’s movement speed.

- Clawing Shadow – slashes current target to deal 250,000 shadow damage and 30,000 shadow damage every 2 sec for 10
sec. Cast every 5-7 sec. Upon expiration explodes dealing damage to all raid, proportional to number of stacks and
increases shadow damage taken by 5%.

(mythic) - Void Beam – 15 sec channel – pulses a beam of pure void energy, dealing 150,000 shadow damage each 0,25
sec. Speed of the beam slows each time it collides with any object, including players, illusions and singularities.
Moves 360` before completing the cast.

(heroic) + Illusory Shadow : 30% hp, takes 200% damage.

- Replicate – 1 sec cast – when illusion nears death, it heals by 10% and teleports away, creating another
illusion with same percentage of health, and loses all Rising Void stacks.

- Void Blast – 1,5 sec cast – throws a huge bolt of shadow at the target, dealing 200,000 shadow damage
to the player and 100,000 in 5 yd radius. Each time it is cast, gains a Rising Void buff that increases
damage done by 10%. Each time it is interrupted, gains buff that reduces casting time by 0,5 sec, down to 0,1 sec.

[Narveid]

I'd honestly be more interested in reading your concept of Shattrath as a raid, rather than raid mechanics.

[Explorer]

I'd honestly be more interested in reading your concept of Shattrath as a raid, rather than raid mechanics.

I have a thread on this...here is the story:

Idea: ever since WoD was announced, I was looking forward to see what raid boss could be made of Ner'zhul. I'm a big fan of him, ever since I played WC3 when I was little. And I was completely STRUCK when he was ridiculously slain by Blizz in a 5-man. I was totally crazy, because he deserved more. He didn't even got a piece of Lords of War comic. Also, I was intrigued by mythic encounter of Mar'gok, when Cho'gall appeared with his Pale army and kill Imperator. He clearly was wielding Void-based powers, and his last words were "He comes! You can never escape!". Of course, I was thinking that some void-based raid was coming, and that Ner'zhul will head it. And I do think that it's exactly what Blizzard planned, Shattrath raid was announced even. But...then it was all scrapped, and the storyline was abandoned. So. I decided to make this raid myself. Alas, it would remain just imaginary, but still...

Story: As the war between heroes of Azeroth rages on, someone watches it all closely and patiently waits.
Ner'zhul, Warlord of the Shadowmoon clan, has delved into forgotten art of void magic. It was believed that source of his powers was the Dark Star, the fallen Naaru K'ara, but the truth appears to be much deeper... and darker. When Ner'zhul calculated that he was beaten, he played out a great gambit. He lured champions into his sacred necropolis where they killed him. Little did they know, they did exactly what he wanted. Soul of the fallen shaman touched the deepest reaches of the Void, much deeper than he could reach in his deepest meditations while he was alive. There, he heard a voice, unlike anything that could ever live in existence. That voice opened the truth, the vision, the power. New, darkest spirit returned into Ner'zhul's body, just as he promised to his loyals. Dentarg collected it and waited patiently, and warlord lived again...But there was no light of life in his eyes anymore. He seemed...different. Confident and wise, as if he now knew everything about the Universe. Maybe, he really did? He said to his loyal clansmen - be patient. HE has shown me the path. We wait.
War raged on, and mighty Blackhand has fallen, Iron Horde falling apart. The time has come.
Secretly, Ner'zhull called his clan back and summoned the Pale to a meeting. There, he demonstrated a true mastery of Void, summoning a creature never seen before (but seen on WoD announcement concepts) - the Void Giant. Then, he lift his hand - and all the corpses of countless killed in the years past rose from their graves, their bones black as night. The Pale and his shamans fel to their knees, pleading to teach them. And so he did.
Wave of Void and death washed all over Draenor. Endless corpses of the fallen mached over the fields, Pale choked women and children and cackled, turning their brethered into mad, moon-worshipping monsters, voidwalkers sucked the wery matter into themselves, leaving only black ash behind.
World was ending, and the massive hordes of creatures swarmed in Taladar, around the Shattrath Temple. There, mad shaman began some horrible ritual, and the world began to shake, and everyone felt chills, as if something unthinkable approached the world.
Heroes now hurried to fight their way to Shattrath to stop Ner'zhul from completing his deadly ritual. And to Khadhar that seemed in a way, familiar... Like a deja vu...

Event of the patch - invasions in every zone. Characteristic black undead, pale orcs, voidwalkers, shadowmoon orcs.

Raid - Shattrath temple. 6 bosses + 1 mythic only.
Bosses are:
1. The Fallen Warlords.
2. Grok'dal the Darkseer.
3. Nigmus.
4. Ephial.
5. Shadowmoon Council.
6. Ner'zhul.
7. The Thing (M only).

At the entrance you fight the first boss - the Fallen Warlords. Then you have access to 3 different rooms, which you can pass in any order.

Pale room, where dark fores grows and full moon pours its dealy shine - you fight Grok'dal, ancient leader of the Pale orcs.

Void room, where you fight Nigmus, enormus Void giant.

Undead room, where you fight Ephial, who became a horrible amalgamation of souls and bones.

When you are done with these 3, you can proceed to the Shadowmoon Council, which closes way to the staircase that leads to the highest tower, atop of which Ner'zhul is performing his ritual.

Once you deal with Dentarg and other chosen of Ner'zhul, you can finally face the mad shaman and interrupt his apocalyptic spellwork.

Or, if you're playing on Mythic, fail to go in time and face a tiny glimpse of that Master that he summoned, and try to push it's faintest shade back into Void.

(Note - as of WoD, if raid really took place, we would be still intrigued by this Thing, was it an Old God or something else. Only after Chronicles would we know that is was actually a Void Lord itself. I know, they can't manifest directily without a titan, but Dimensius managed to destroy K'aresh. Same can happen to Draenor even if a tine part of its powers slipped inside for a moment. Is is Dimensius or some other Void Lord, we don't know).

- - - Updated - - -

Unfortunately I'm not an artist so I don't have any drawings, arts etc

[Hey There Guys its Metro]

Wow that's a lot of text for nothing more than fanfic.
Personally I loved the encounter in wod. It had a very interesting thing you could reflect with dark sim, reflecting totem, etc. A raid fight would be nice, but is it worth spending so much time dreaming over?

[Ebalina]

Both version of Ner'zhul we know are dead.
What a waste of space.

[Lunavale]

Both version of Ner'zhul we know are dead.
What a waste of space.

Like that's stopped Blizzard before...

[Trend]

How about this ... some big ass boss thing spits out some sort of puddles of goop. At least one player has to stand in each goop pretty fast or everyone dies. Sounds good right? The goop is really the key though. Everything about this boss is secondary. That's the important thing to remember.

[Deleted]

You see: after Beyond the dark portal nothing was more amazing to see than ner'zhul as the lichking. This is the one lore fragment I will never forgive Metzen to be "random" or "out of his will". So... your concept is awesome but it doesn't include his genius in old lore, it ignores his success.