Who is this for?
This guide will be useful to guilds who just began progressing in Mythic Blackrock Foundry (BRF) in World of Warcraft (WoW), to help them to plan and coordinate their healing teams. It will also be useful for new healers who are healing Mythic BRF - there will be pointers on how to approach the healing of the fight, when potential deaths may occur, etc.
I will be assuming you know all the mechanics of the fight, and you're using a typical strategy and your tanks know how to use their cooldowns accordingly.
How is this structured?
For each boss, I will provide 4 bits of information - how many healers you may need, when to use external tank cooldowns, raid cooldowns, and general healing approach and danger points.
Some definitions
I will use some terms throughout this guide which I will define below.
Raid Cooldown : Big 3 minute healing cooldowns that can heal the raid for a large amount. E.g. Tranquility, Healing Tide Totem, Divine Hymn, Revival
[Note: I generally don't like setting Revival as a planned cooldown, because it's much more effective as an emergency heal (a la Lay on Hands). Divine Hymn is also the weakest Raid Cooldown unless well coordinated with other healers]
Raid Mitigation: Cooldowns that can reduce damage taken by a group of players. E.g. Devotion Aura, Spirit Link Totem, Power Word: Barrier
Tank Cooldown: Cooldowns that healers cast on the tanks to reduce/mitigate damage taken. E.g. Ironbark, Hand of Sacrifice, Vigilance, Pain Suppression, Life Cocoon,
Danger Point: Point in fight where people are most likely to die.
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Gruul
Number of Healers
4-5, depending on DPS. If you are hitting enrage, you need to go with 4. If your DPS is sufficient but it's still a progression boss, 5 healers would provide a better cushion.
When to use Tank Cooldowns
Assuming you're doing a standard strategy of 2 tanks, each taking 3 slices each before swapping, use a Tank Cooldown before every 3rd slice (i.e. 3rd, 6th and 9th). Do note that tanks should be using their own mitigation for the DoT damage after the 3rd slice.
When to use Raid Cooldowns / Raid Mitigation
There isn't a good time to fix raid cooldowns in this fight. If you need to, you can use one in the Rampage phase, preferably HTT as you need to be fairly mobile. Alternatively, you can wait till a smash lands, move into it and start channeling and ask for a Fox.
For Raid Mitigation, you can use it before a slice if you see that the raid is low.
Sample CD allocation:
3rd slice: Ironbark
6th slice: Hand of Sacrifice
9th slice: Vigilance, SLT
Healing Approach/Danger Points
- Tanks need to be kept up at all times, they take a beating in this fight. Watch especially before/after an Inferno Slice - if they mess up their personal mitigation, they may be taken really low.
- For the first 3 slices, try to pay attention in which order which 6 people take the slice damage. You need to establish the pattern and know which is the next group that is taking the slice. This information is important, because the danger point is when someone is low (whether from Cave In, Petrifying Slam) and he is taking an Inferno Slice next. Always watch out for the next group that is taking slice, and top them up FIRST before the cast even starts. The remaining people can be left low and topped up later.
- The above point happens frequently, as Petrifying Slam will be followed up with an Inferno Slice. So always top up the next Slice group after the Petrifying Slam pops.
- Best time to channel mana pot: Immediately after Rampage phase ends.
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Oregorger
Number of Healers
4-5, depending on DPS. If you are hitting enrage (after 2 Roll phases, at the end of that third 'normal' phase, he will start doing massive raid wide damage), you may need to cut healers. I would generally recommend 5, unless you have a real DPS issue and your healers are solid.
When to use Tank Cooldowns / Raid Mitigation
The success of this fight, as a healer, largely depends on how well you deal with Acid Torrent. There will be 8-9 casts of Acid Torrent (usually 9), and you need a cooldown on every single one of them, whether it is a tank personal CD, raid mitigation CD, or a tank (external) CD.
If you do not have enough to cover all 9, choose a few casts to have no external/raid mitigation, and get the tank to use a big personal CD.
When to use Raid Cooldowns
If an Acid Torrent is coming up and some members of the raid are below 60%, you should use a raid cooldown. Otherwise, it's good to use one just before entering the Roll phase (if necessary), and towards the end of the Roll phase (around when he has 2 collisions left, can start a channel) just to stabilise everyone for the transition. (Note that unless you start the channel quite early, the same person won't be able to use a 3min CD for both end-Roll phase)
Sample CD allocation
Torrent 1: Ironbark
2: Hand of Sac
3: -skip-
4: Devotion Aura
5: SLT
6. Vigilance
7. Pain Suppression
8. PW: Barrier
9. -skip, with Raid CD after-
First post-Roll phase: Tranquility
Second post-Roll phase: HTT
Healing Approach / Danger Points
- It is generally beneficial to have a Mistweaver to stand with melee this fight, as many strategies have the healers out of range / LoS melee for some parts of the fight. If melee can avoid taking damage from exploding shards, then this won't really be necessary.
- Prepare to top up the raid fast after every Acid Torrent.
- Danger points in this fight: Blackrock Barrage from missed interrupts just before Acid Torrent, people taking more than 1 tick of Wretched Blackrock damage just before Acid Torrent. Be sure to top the lowest HP up quickly when these happen, otherwise it's sure death from Acid Torrent.
- Assuming you are doing the strat of one group covering the perimeter and one taking the inner crates for Roll phase, send the more mobile healers to cover the perimeter and the others with the inner. I usually do it with anyone else as a Druid. Not really necessary to be super mobile, just slightly easier.
-Best time to channel mana pot: Immediately after rolling phase ends, or immediately after moving from a Wretched Blackrock. You should have time to finish before the next Acid Torrent comes.
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Beastlord
Number of Healers
4-5, depending on DPS. The temptation is to bring more healers due to how much damage the raid takes in the final phase, but the final phase is really a DPS race. You need to kill him before he tantrums a 3rd time or before you run out of room. 5 should be ok for progression, unless your DPS is weak, then run with 4.
When to use Tank CDs / Raid Mitigation
Not really needed for this fight, but you can use them for last phase as insurance.
When to use Raid Cooldowns
The first 7 minutes or so of the fight is largely irrelevant, healer wise. You can just DPS if you want and 2-3 heal it. The real damage starts in the Dreadwing/post Dreadwing stage.
You generally want a Raid Cooldown for the Tantrum he casts immediately after he dismounts Dreadwing. Then the compulsory Raid Cooldowns are in the final phase, for the two Tantrums he casts (use minimally one each).
If you want to pad meters, the latest you can afford to use a healing CD to have the same CD up for the last phase Tantrum#1 is about the start of Dreadwing. If you are on Tantrum#2, I think somewhere in the middle of Dreadwing is ok. The person who uses the Raid CD after he dismounts Dreadwing won't have it up for final phase (maybe only towards the very end).
Sample Raid CD allocation:
Post-Dreadwing Tantrum : Divine Hymn
Tantrum 1: HTT + Devo Aura
Tantrum 2: Tranquility + SLT
Healing Approach / Danger Points
- While the first 7 minutes are generally easy, the main danger points to look out for are: people who take two stacks of Rend and Tear (definitely need regular attention, can also HoP them); Tantrum when people are 50% and below.
- After he mounts Dreadwing, another danger point comes when people take 2 or more stacks of Inferno Breath, or a big chunk of players (e.g. >5) takes Inferno Breath damage. Be watchful and try to dispel those with 2-3 stacks of Breath, on top of dispelling Conflagration.
- The Tantrum after he dismounts Dreadwing hurts. Heal hard, if you don't have a Raid Cooldown.
- Many deaths can happen during Fautline phase if people take multiple hits of Cannonball Barrage. Try to keep the raid topped to avoid deaths from this.
- In the last phase, be mindful of stacking up to minimise Rend and Tear damage. Assuming you got the Raid Cooldowns for Tantrum covered, it should be manageable if your DPS doesn't take too long to kill the boss.
- Best time to channel mana pot: Two here - immediately after Faultline dies, or after the post-Dreadwing Tantrum.
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Hans'gar and Franzok
Number of Healers
4-5. I generally prefer 5 as accidental deaths are very probable in this fight. Otheriwse, it is doable with 4.
When to use Tank CDs
You will need one on your tanks for Crippling Suplex if their personal ones are not up. They have to let you know. If you have many to spare, it may be a good idea to just throw one on the weaker tank every time you transition with movement (e.g. Smart Stompers into Random Stompers), as healers may not be able to heal while moving into position.
When to use Raid CDs / Raid Mitigation
- Second Smart Stompers - your raid may take significant damage at the start of this phase, due to consecutive Slams. It is generally good but not compulsory to have something prepared here. For channeling CDs, either ask for a Fox or start the channel the moment you move to the next Plate, and just interrupt it when you need to move on.
- First Random Stompers - HTT is generally the best CD to use here, due to the movement in this phase. Save it for some time mid way in the phase when Slam/Aftershock damage gets a bit unbearable, but don't delay it too long! If you cast it near the end of the phase, it won't be up in the final Random Stompers phase when you really need it. If you don't have enough Raid CDs, you may want to use a Raid Mitigation here instead.
- Third Smart Stompers - Around the 2nd or 3rd Plate in this phase is when the bosses would have jumped around and Body Slammed your raid up abit, so another raid CD some time here would be good.
- Final Random Stompers - Stagger whatever remaining healing CDs you have in this phase, when damage gets considerably higher as the bosses leap around more often.
-- To summarise, schedule Raid CDs during the Random Stompers phases, and if possible, during the 2nd and 3rd Smart Stomper phase. If you don't have enough CDs, use something like Rallying Cry / Amplify Magic for the Smart Stomper phases to get the raid up.
Sample Raid CD allocation:
2nd Smart: Revival
1st Random: HTT
3rd Smart: Tranq with Fox
Final Random: HTT, SLT, everything else left
Healing Approach / Danger Points
- The only real danger points should be Slam / Aftershock damage, if the bosses do it twice in a row, as the main mechanic is one-shot (i.e. Stamping Press). Be prepare to heal hard for those situations when boss does consecutive Body Slams (or as mentioned earlier, to have a Raid CD planned)
- Tank deaths are possible if your tanks do not use their personal CDs well to manage Crippling Suplex, so pay special attention when the boss casts that
- The general advice for progressing individuals/guilds is to aim to stay alive before healing others. Deaths come sudden and abruptly in this fight, so save yourself before saving others.
- Best time to channel mana pot - During Searing Plate phase - wait for a plate to appear in a lane, move to the safe lane, and start channel. You shouldn't OOM in this fight though.
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Flamebender Ka'graz
Number of Healers
4. If you want you can bring 5, but there isn't a real need for so many.
When to use Tank CDs
When the wolf is Overheated and taking Charring Breaths, he may need an external if he isn't managing his personals well.
When to use Raid CDs / Raid Mitigation
Schedule one big raid CD for each Firestorm. If you have extra, you can stagger the second one after the first CD ends during Firestorm. For Raid Mitigation, you can use them either when the 4 wolves spawn (wait a few seconds so people are actually taking damage) or during Firestorm.
Sample Raid CD allocation:
Firestorm 1 - Tranquility, Divine Hymn
Firestorm 2 - HTT, Devo Aura
Wolves (if necessary): Revival, Spirit Link Totem, Amplify Magic
Healing Approach / Danger Points
- Firestorm is easily managed with Raid CDs, but try to throw a HoT or two on those people staying out due to Blazing Radiance.
- Watch out for players with slow reactions whenever a sword or fire line spawns. Those who take more than one tick will die on the 3rd tick, so top them up.
- Watch Molten Torrent CDs, and prepare a simple AOE heal if you have one to top up the melee after Torrent lands.
- The main Danger Point comes from the wolves - players are likely to die if they get Fixated by 2 wolves and stay still. Otherwise, the Fixate targets still need some quick and heavy direct heals as they get pounded by the wolves.
- Best time to channel mana pot - After the 1st or second firestorm, after Magma Monsoon ends, wait till she casts any of her abilities (Sword, Fire Line, Molten Torrent), and if it's not you, drink.
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Kromog
Number of Healers
4. You should most likely need to bring only 4, as the DPS requirement for Stone Pillars is quite high, even for a well-geared group.
When to use Tank CDs
No real fixed moments, maybe when tanks are slightly low and a Stone Breath is incoming.
When to use Raid CDs / Mitigation
Grip Phase - You need to exit Grip phase with the raid at least above 60-75% HP. If you are unable to do so, you need one Raid CD during or near the end of the phase to top everyone up. This is because the boss sometimes casts a Stone Breath immediately after the Grip phase.
There are about 3-4 Grip Phases in total, so plan your CDs accordingly. If you use a 3 min CD in the first grip phase, it will be up for the 3rd grip phase. If you have spare CDs, you can stagger two in a grip phase.
Breath + Slam / Double Breath - Occasionally, the boss may Slam and immediately follow up with a Stone Breath, or even do two Stone Breaths in a row. This is fairly random but quite painful when it happens. Try to save a Revival or a Rallying Cry or any raid CD for when this happens.
Final Phase - You generally want one Raid CD for every Stone Breath if you have enough to go around. Otherwise, save the Raid CDs for when the Stone Breath is paired with something else or really hurts and players are in danger of dying. You will need to communicate and call these out. Having an addon to track raid CDs really helps here.
Sample Raid CD allocation:
Grip 1 - Tranquility mid-phase, with a Fox prepared in case Druid is freed early
Grip 2 - Healing Tide Totem mid-phase, with a Rallying Cry prepared if a Breath happens after Grip
Grip 3 - Tranquility mid-phase, with a Fox prepared in case Druid is freed early
Grip 4 (if it happens) - Healing Tide Totem mid-phase, with a Rallying Cry prepared if a Breath happens after Grip
Final Phase - HTT first, then Revival, then Tranquility, then Spirit Link Totem.
Healing Approach / Danger Points
- Breath+Slam / Double Breath are pretty random but may happen. Fix a healer to save his CD for this occasion particularly.
- Danger Points: If anyone is 70% or below just before a Breath starts, you need to spot heal him up (includes immediately after a Grip phase). If anyone is stuck in Grip for a long time and a Breath comes out while he's still in it, he should need spot heals too. During Rune of Trembling Earth phase, you need to spot heal people who take 2-3 hits of the ground rubble, as they may die to the next hit.
- Prepare an AOE heal (if applicable) for every stone breath. You may want to assign 2 healers to cover melee+ranged, and 2 healers to cover ranged+tank, to ensure everyone gets topped up.
- Best time to channel mana pot - During the second/third Call of the Mountain phase, get behind a pillar, and if he targets any other pillar besides yours, start drinking immediately. You will have more than enough time to finish for him to Call, target another pillar, and smash. Otherwise, when you dodge to the next pillar, start channel immediately. You should be ok unless you eat 2 Reverberations
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Will add more bosses as we down them...
