Loot Reaver gets his revenge
by Mike Schramm 
Apr 4th 2008 at 9:00AM
Void Reaver, after 2.4, is apparently, "wrecking fools," according to Korin on the Silver Hand. We all called him Loot Reaver before 2.4 -- if your guild could finish off Karazhan, and survive VR's trash, he was basically a pushover. But a whole combination of factors, including addon problems (with DeadlyBossMods and VoidReaverAlarm) that killed the addons that made it cake, as well as a few bugs and other problems with the fight after the patch, means Loot Reaver is getting his revenge. He's back to being a real challenge in Tempest Keep.The hardest part of the encounter is avoiding these orbs he shoots out at random spots where a guild member is standing. When he shoots one out, everyone in the guild has to move away from that spot and each other, since getting hit with one is instant death. Those addons were meant to tell you when an orb had been fired, as well as let you keep an eye on the proximity of where it was hitting (so you could easily dodge it). But without the addons, people are back to judging where the orbs might land, and guilds that haven't practiced the fight much aren't that great at judging. Not to mention that there are some bugs, apparently -- some of the orbs are invisible, and others may even be moving through walls and underground.
The fight is still doable, but apparently Blizzard wasn't happy with how easy it was to waltz in there with some addons and collect your loot. Whether it's bugs or addon changes, Void Reaver is currently back to "wrecking fools."
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Tips, Fan stuff, Add-Ons, Raiding, Bosses
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
jack Apr 4th 2008 9:17AM
damn u blizzard
Makavelli Apr 4th 2008 9:16AM
This is a bug. Mods will work again "in a future patch".
http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/thread.html?topicId=5575687557&sid=1
Naix Apr 4th 2008 9:22AM
Good. Now you have to rely on the best addon......skill.
Dah Apr 4th 2008 9:24AM
Unfortunately this is not the case. No amount of "skill" can make up for invisible bolts flying around. From what I have heard too, melee are also being hit by the bolts. If this is the case, then the only way to get through is with a combination of good luck and a gear level that far exceeds T5 content.
Zumwalah Apr 4th 2008 9:45AM
they hotfixed the invisible balls, like 1 night after the patch.. and melee have always been at risk of gettin balls in theri faces. we had melee get balled pre 2.4, thats just bad luck
Naix Apr 4th 2008 9:48AM
Looks like unfortunately this is the case.
my2cents Apr 4th 2008 12:07PM
I'm sorry but did you just say "melee have always been at risk of gettin balls in their faces?" =P
SilentBob Apr 4th 2008 2:24PM
@ Zumwala - I have NO idea what you're talking about, as a rogue who's ran VR probably more than Kara, I can say I have only been hit by an orb once and it was my first time on him, I backed out to bandage and that put me in range. Since then, I have NEVER gotten orbed EVER. The trick is that you just have melee huddle up right under his feet and just chain heal like crazy (Badge trinks help too)
SilentBob Apr 4th 2008 2:30PM
Correction: I keep falling in the habit of calling melee DPS so I understand you were probably referring to Mages / Hunters / Locks. Sorry bout that.
Toetar Apr 4th 2008 9:31AM
If you are getting one shotted by orbs you should not be in TK. Get your t4 first. I'm so tired of people going into t5 when they still need lots of gear from kara/gruuls.
GopherFender Apr 4th 2008 10:06AM
I'm so sorry that other people skipping content to go to other bosses is such a drain on you. I'll be sure to let every kara guild know that they should just stay put and not aim any higher until they're completely T4 clad, just incase you get worn out again.
Salty Apr 4th 2008 9:34AM
They plan to fix it. He no longer temporarily changes targets (and directions -- which was a problem for pets, rogues, etc), to drop an orb on somebody. But I think it's mostly a problem with the combat log transition, as it no longer indicates at all to whom he's lobbing an orb. They do plan to have the game create an event in the combat log, allowing mods to work again; but invisible orbs or not -- you still need to move from where you were within 3 seconds or you and you pals get blown the hell up. It was kind of silly to see this 500-ton Fel Reaver constantly spinning around in every direction every 2 or 3 seconds.
Angus Apr 4th 2008 9:34AM
1: The orbs do not 1 shot you. They do about 6K.
2: If you have been hit once, you need to bandage yourself.
3: If you know an orb is coming, don't walk TOWARDS HIM.
I got hit by an orb after a pound I stood in. Not fun.
Also, the orbs aren't even behaving correctly.
Orb launches, goes in some general direction, and then sometimes vanishes. It reappears over your head.
Good luck dodging that.
Just like Prince's infernals are doing the orbs are causing a lot more luck to be involved and less skill.
Candina@WH Apr 4th 2008 9:47AM
/agree
We ran prince the other day. First attempt: Infernal dropped on the healer group DURING an enfeeblement. Wipe.
Second attempt, the infernals systematically saturated the fight area with minimal overlap. (can you say bracketing fire?).
The next attempt, they all dropped in one corner.
No amount of skill could have beat the first two tries. The final attempt was a cake walk.
Mods increase your chances, but sometimes even Mods+Great skill will not win.
Saryel Apr 4th 2008 10:13AM
Actually if you just stand with all the ranged folks by the door you don't have to worry about infernals. If your "healer group" is getting hit with infernals you're doing it wrong.
PeeWee Apr 4th 2008 11:07AM
The "healers hiding by the door"-trick is no more, according the undocumented features in 2.4-list on worldofwar.net.
Angus Apr 4th 2008 11:07AM
Saryel:
Quote from the patch notes:
Prince has learned to drop infernals on "Safe spots"
Besides, the healing group being safe means nothing when an infernal drops in to stop them from moving from the door and the next one forces the tank to move out of healing range or sit in an infernal. You think Phase 2 is stressful? Try having it when there is an infernal on the tank and the melee can no longer get anywhere near prince.
(one of our groups had this happen)
Matt Apr 4th 2008 3:03PM
Yeah prince is a pretty not so fun fight now...we have 2 infernals drop in spots ive never seen before. We usually tank prince in the left corner, well an infernal fell in the far left corner right on top of the tank...had to move down the wall...then an infernal fell on to where the dps/healer group was 30 seconds prior...we basicly had no where to move... some how we finished it but just wow...
thain Apr 4th 2008 9:42AM
Anyone who did VR before the uber mods for it knows that there have ALWAYS been invisible orbs, or the orbs travelling underground. The orbs only hit for 6k tho, so it shouldnt come close to "One shotting" even the most damage addicted mage. Spread out move FAST whenever you see an orb coming at you. Dont forget to potion/healthstone/bandage if you get hit.
Meyl Apr 4th 2008 10:10AM
The fight is still very doable, it just takes more attentiveness now.
Thain makes good points about how to do it. Expanding on his:
1. Run. Don't back away. Most people take a couple of seconds to judge that they need to move, so there's not enough time left to just back out.
2. As he said, ranged DPS have to take responsibility for their own health. Health potion, healthstone, or just stay out and *bandage*. Don't rely on the healers. Yes, stopping to bandage will cut your DPS...but dead people do 0 DPS.
3. Have ranged DPS spread out before the fight, using the entire perimeter of the room. (Hug the walls and VR won't aggro.) When DPS runs from an orb, run *straight back* to the walls, not around in a circle. Yes, that takes the DPS out of range temporarily, but it prevents people from getting clumped up later in the fight, where one invisible orb could hit many people at once. It also prevents people from accidentally running into someone else's orb.
4. Some of our healers found it easier to go with the melee group and just heal themselves through the pounding than have to watch for orbs while also trying to watch all those health bars. Side benefit: the healers don't get silenced.
5. Melee won't get hit by orbs if ranged DPS always stays >30 yards from the melee group. The melee get hit by orbs when there's a ranged person standing too close behind them, and VR tosses an orb at the ranged person. The ranged person runs away, and all the melee gets hit by the explosion.
For the same reason, melee healers need to be right on top of - NOT behind -the melee DPS.