Baleroc Decimation Blade Tanking

[uzumati]

Killed him each week so far (25man) but whenever we get a Decimation Blade as the first swap (which happens alot) it almost always ends in a tank death. Healers don't have many of stacks built up that soon in the fight and are struggling to replace that 255K hit in 2.4 seconds (25man). Is there anything we as tanks can do to help the healers out when Deci Blade hits first? I have been popping (H)Vial of Stolen Memories and sit around 51% dodge for the first blade and spamming Lacerate which has about 52% crit chance to keep SD up but rng is usually fail. Been thinking about popping glyphed FR for the +heal but am worried that extra health will cause more issues. Any tips/tricks you have found helpful?

[Zheryn]

- Use BL in the start
- Use healing CDs on tank if you get Decimation Blade first, just pop a lay on hands or whatever.
- Use all dmg reduction CDs on DPSers taking the torments in the start.

Since you will be "ahead" in healing as soon as first crystal is gone (if the DPSer took like 20 stacks with CDs), the fight gets pretty easy if you just survive that first Decimation Blade. Don't save lay on hands for an "emergency", because it shouldn't happend on this fight unless people are failing, so just pop it in the start.

[Rambear]

Simple:

Get enough stacks at the start to have 250K+ in catform. Spec into Nurturing instincts. Make sure that Rip is still up when you taunt,and tell your MT to stop attacking.

After taunting, switch back to catform. Your dodge will be equal, armour doesn;t matter and the 20% extra healing on your kitty-form will make it a joke.

Seen vids where a bear solo-tanked it using this strat (was on heroic i think even), though there the key is to change back to bear as soon as the third dec-blade hits.

[Build]

When I do die during that encounter it is always to that blade. I use my self heal, and depend on avoidance. The extra health can be more of a problem than it is a help. Make sure you have a lay on hands during the phase if at all possible, it will give you forbearance so you can only use it once every couple goes, but it can help early in. Worse comes to worse have a battle resurrection ready.

[Deleted]

As a tank there isn't really a whole lot you can do. On Baleroc 25 we always have a Shadow Priest get the 1st crystal alone (TB trinket/Dispersion), the other is just taken by mellee in a normal rotation, and a Resto Druid (me) just tree-form and spamm regrowth/swiftmend on the Shadow Priest. This will get me almost at 100 stacks before the 1st blade gets there.
If its Decimation Blade, with a 100 stacks it's fairly easy to keep the tank up all alone during Decimation Blade.

Hope it helps.

[Ajwon]

For the first decimation blade you have a paladin using LoH on the tank.

[uzumati]

As a tank there isn't really a whole lot you can do. On Baleroc 25 we always have a Shadow Priest get the 1st crystal alone (TB trinket/Dispersion), the other is just taken by mellee in a normal rotation, and a Resto Druid (me) just tree-form and spamm regrowth/swiftmend on the Shadow Priest. This will get me almost at 100 stacks before the 1st blade gets there.
If its Decimation Blade, with a 100 stacks it's fairly easy to keep the tank up all alone during Decimation Blade.

Hope it helps.

Thanks for the tip will pass it along

Not real sure our healers "get" the fight when i don't survive a Deci Blade i see mostly Beacon of Light and Lifebloom ticks

For the first decimation blade you have a paladin using LoH on the tank.

that would work great for the first hit but his attack speed (4.8Seconds 10 man) isn't reduced on 25 man (2.4Seconds) and you get 4 hits from deci blade

[nnelson54]

spamming Lacerate which has about 52% crit chance to keep SD up but rng is usually fail.

I'm a Prot Paladin so I'm not positive, but I'm 99.999999999999% sure that Savage Defense doesn't work on Decimation Blade since it's shadow damage and not physical. We used to have a DK off tank take Decimation Blades and their bubble doesn't work for the same reason.

[uzumati]

I'm a Prot Paladin so I'm not positive, but I'm 99.999999999999% sure that Savage Defense doesn't work on Decimation Blade since it's shadow damage and not physical. We used to have a DK off tank take Decimation Blades and their bubble doesn't work for the same reason.

Im not sure it does either or is supposed to but i have seen 80K+ absorbs during that fight and only hit for 50% health

exerpt from WoL

[22:02:01.198] Baleroc Decimating Strike Arktos Dodge
[22:02:01.198] Baleroc hits Arktos Dodge
[22:02:03.579] Baleroc Decimating Strike Arktos Dodge
[22:02:03.579] Baleroc hits Arktos Dodge
[22:02:06.293] Arktos afflicted by Decimating Strike from Baleroc
[22:02:06.378] Baleroc Decimating Strike Arktos 153074 (A: 177005)
[22:02:08.442] Baleroc hits Arktos Dodge
[22:02:08.727] Arktos's Decimating Strike is refreshed by Baleroc
[22:02:08.745] Baleroc Decimating Strike Arktos 177128 (A: 152951)
[22:02:12.776] Baleroc's Decimating Strike fades from Arktos
[22:02:44.170] Arktos afflicted by Decimating Strike from Baleroc
[22:02:44.170] Baleroc Decimating Strike Arktos 330078
[22:02:46.682] Arktos's Decimating Strike is refreshed by Baleroc
[22:02:46.800] Baleroc Decimating Strike Arktos 288693 (A: 41386)
[22:02:49.103] Arktos's Decimating Strike is refreshed by Baleroc
[22:02:49.103] Baleroc Decimating Strike Arktos 299594 (A: 30485)
[22:02:51.078] Baleroc casts Blaze of Glory on Arktos
[22:02:51.144] Arktos afflicted by Blaze of Glory (6) from Baleroc
[22:02:51.256] Baleroc Decimating Strike Arktos Dodge
[22:02:51.256] Baleroc hits Arktos Dodge
[22:02:52.989] Baleroc's Decimating Strike fades from Arktos
[22:02:53.655] Baleroc Decimating Strike Arktos Dodge
[22:02:53.655] Baleroc hits Arktos Dodge
[22:02:56.060] Baleroc Decimating Strike Arktos Dodge

Something Absorbed it

[sysco]

Priest Bubble?

[Beachbum]

May want to consider using a Potion of Tol'vir too if you're just worried about the first one. Still somewhat RNGish but it's something you can implement immediately yourself.

[Johney89]

yeah savage defense is only for physical

[exochaft]

I'm a Prot Paladin so I'm not positive, but I'm 99.999999999999% sure that Savage Defense doesn't work on Decimation Blade since it's shadow damage and not physical. We used to have a DK off tank take Decimation Blades and their bubble doesn't work for the same reason.

I honestly think the coding on the decimation blades is bugged. According to my WoL parses, Savage Defense seems to be absorbing some damage, and I've seen a prot warrior Block the blade attack and take no damage. As a previous DK stated, they seemed to be absorbing on occasion, which shouldn't be happening because the damage is not supposed to be resisted/mitigated by normal means, only avoided (via dodge, parry, miss). Wouldn't be the first time a boss mechanic turned out to be bugged.

[Deleted]

Your healers need to stack up Vital Spark via quick, expensive heals during heroism. I get up to 30-35 fairly easily on Heroic (not sure if the timers are different on normal) before he readies his first blade. Tell them to stop watching their mana in the 40 seconds.

Edit:

Something Absorbed it

Power Word: Shield is affected by Vital Flame. Block, Savage Defense and Blood Shield have no effect on Decimation Blade.

[Deleted]

Simple:

Get enough stacks at the start to have 250K+ in catform. Spec into Nurturing instincts. Make sure that Rip is still up when you taunt,and tell your MT to stop attacking.

After taunting, switch back to catform. Your dodge will be equal, armour doesn;t matter and the 20% extra healing on your kitty-form will make it a joke.

Seen vids where a bear solo-tanked it using this strat (was on heroic i think even), though there the key is to change back to bear as soon as the third dec-blade hits.

In fact you lose 6% dodge from Natural Reaction.

---------- Post added 2011-07-21 at 02:43 PM ----------

Im not sure it does either or is supposed to but i have seen 80K+ absorbs during that fight and only hit for 50% health

exerpt from WoL

[22:02:01.198] Baleroc Decimating Strike Arktos Dodge
[22:02:01.198] Baleroc hits Arktos Dodge
[22:02:03.579] Baleroc Decimating Strike Arktos Dodge
[22:02:03.579] Baleroc hits Arktos Dodge
[22:02:06.293] Arktos afflicted by Decimating Strike from Baleroc
[22:02:06.378] Baleroc Decimating Strike Arktos 153074 (A: 177005)
[22:02:08.442] Baleroc hits Arktos Dodge
[22:02:08.727] Arktos's Decimating Strike is refreshed by Baleroc
[22:02:08.745] Baleroc Decimating Strike Arktos 177128 (A: 152951)
[22:02:12.776] Baleroc's Decimating Strike fades from Arktos
[22:02:44.170] Arktos afflicted by Decimating Strike from Baleroc
[22:02:44.170] Baleroc Decimating Strike Arktos 330078
[22:02:46.682] Arktos's Decimating Strike is refreshed by Baleroc
[22:02:46.800] Baleroc Decimating Strike Arktos 288693 (A: 41386)
[22:02:49.103] Arktos's Decimating Strike is refreshed by Baleroc
[22:02:49.103] Baleroc Decimating Strike Arktos 299594 (A: 30485)
[22:02:51.078] Baleroc casts Blaze of Glory on Arktos
[22:02:51.144] Arktos afflicted by Blaze of Glory (6) from Baleroc
[22:02:51.256] Baleroc Decimating Strike Arktos Dodge
[22:02:51.256] Baleroc hits Arktos Dodge
[22:02:52.989] Baleroc's Decimating Strike fades from Arktos
[22:02:53.655] Baleroc Decimating Strike Arktos Dodge
[22:02:53.655] Baleroc hits Arktos Dodge
[22:02:56.060] Baleroc Decimating Strike Arktos Dodge

Something Absorbed it

You forgot a few tiny details:


[22:01:57.760] Arktos gains Power Word: Shield from Avvi (Remaining: 120864)
[22:02:04.243] Arktos's Divine Aegis is refreshed by Avvi (Remaining: 56141)
[22:02:06.378] Baleroc Decimating Strike Arktos 153074 (A: 177005)

[22:02:07.859] Arktos gains Divine Aegis from Avvi (Remaining: 36217)
[22:02:07.964] Arktos gains Power Word: Shield from Avvi (Remaining: 116734)
[22:02:08.745] Baleroc Decimating Strike Arktos 177128 (A: 152951)

[22:02:45.777] Arktos gains Power Word: Shield from Morphyen (Remaining: 32293)
[22:02:46.530] Arktos's Illuminated Healing is refreshed by Vellon (Remaining: 9093)
[22:02:46.800] Baleroc Decimating Strike Arktos 288693 (A: 41386)

[22:02:47.808] Arktos gains Illuminated Healing from Vellon (Remaining: 8200)
[22:02:49.012] Arktos gains Divine Aegis from Morphyen (Remaining: 22285)
[22:02:49.103] Baleroc Decimating Strike Arktos 299594 (A: 30485)

etc..

matches up perfectly every time

(and yes disc priests are friggin OP)

[Deleted]

In fact you lose 6% dodge from Natural Reaction.

Does the "This damage cannot be resisted or mitigated by normal means" mean it bypasses the 18% damage reduction you get from Natural Reaction?

[Deleted]

Yep, it's not affected by any damage reduction or resistance. Absorbs and avoidance are the only things that work.

[uzumati]

Yea i was watching it a little closer last night SD was staying up during Deci Blade and not being "used" but the Priest/Pally shields were. Also noticed Power Word Barrier didn't seem to do anything just the 3 shields Mihir found above. Although having a 35K SD up at the end of Deci Blade was nice in case the other tank was a little slow taunting back.

[razisgosu]

For Baleroc avoidance is really the only thing you can count on. I use Tia's grace and Fluid Death as well as an agi flask for tanking him.