Kael'thas dropped with just 12 people
by Mike Schramm 
Nov 7th 2008 at 1:00PM
Personally, I think we've already seen proof of just how easy the endgame is now, but I've never done the Kael fight, so maybe this is even more of a feat. Dissonance on Alleria finished off Kael'thas Sunstrider (the 25-man version, not the 5-man fight in Magisters' Terrace) with just twelve people. Looks like kiting was a big technique, but otherwise, just seems like they were able to overpower everything else in the fight. They actually tried it with 10, they say (they dropped Al'ar, Void Reaver, and Solarian with 10 the week before), but the MCs in Phase 4 were a bit much, so they pulled in two more.
This is a Sunwell guild, so they've got pretty much the best gear you can walk around with in the game, and as we've said here before, these instances really got nerfed twice: once when Blizzard nerfed the actual bosses' HP and damage, and a second time when Blizz gave us all the 51-point talents before the expansion.
But it's definitely an achievement, toppling a 25-man boss with less than half the required group. Oh, how the mighty have fallen, sure, but don't fret, raiders seeking a real challenge -- we're sure Blizzard will make up the difficulty when we all step into the new endgame in Northrend.
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Blizzard, Instances, Raiding, Bosses
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
PimpyMicPimp Nov 7th 2008 1:04PM
Well, at least they 12 manned a boss that takes a fair amount of coordination. I haven't done post-nerf Kael, but he has to still be a little tricky even with his health nerfed.
Balius Nov 7th 2008 1:11PM
I'm embarrassed now. I still can't solo Stratholme on my main. I can solo it on other characters, but my rogue still can't handle all the trash.
Verit Nov 7th 2008 1:39PM
As someone who has solo'd this instance (ud side at least) several hundred times (57 times since 3.0.2) on an elemental shaman I should mention that the first 8 or 9 times that instance will kick your arse - especially if you've never run it before. After a while though you'll learn all the tricks of all the kinds of trash, how to handle it, and how to speed up the run to the point where you can solo the entire ud side without death in about 20 minutes.
Of course I'm decently geared - last night I hit 2200 dps on baron ;). No mount, but I'll keep at it.
KT fight is more about coordination then about gear at this point. The hardest part to cope with is getting through the weapons phase before the next phase starts and the mc phase. If you can deal with those two - you basically win.
OverlordRhode Nov 7th 2008 1:14PM
Perhaps it wouldn't hurt to have three versions of end game dungeons now. Normal, Buffed (Would would have everything as it was before it was nerfed) and elite.
conker87 Nov 7th 2008 5:26PM
I like this idea.
Avoli Nov 7th 2008 7:28PM
I was just talking to a friend about something similar to this. However, it would allow all vanilla WoW content to be apart of it. Basically, the dungeons would level with you, but the gear would only become slightly better so people wouldn't camp just one spot. Imagine seeing VC as a 72++
SBKT Nov 7th 2008 1:15PM
And I still can't see this content. It'll be part of my old-raiding goals, probably. I don't doubt it could be 5-manned at 80.
Cad Nov 7th 2008 1:18PM
My guild was T5/T6 working on Reliquary of Souls in BT and Archi in MH but we had not killed Kael prior to patch 3.0.
After the patch we finally got Kael down but it tooks us 3 days to learn the fight. Even though the HP/dmg was nerfed, the fight was still a bit difficult.
Swiss Nov 7th 2008 4:00PM
Our guild took 3 weeks to learn / down Vashj and then another 3 to learn / down Kael back in January of this year. They were not easy fights by any means.
3 weeks of hearing Thaladred the Darkener yell "PREPARE YOURSELVES!" and our GM yelling "OMG Thaladred died in the wrong spot!!"
Kael is still my favorite boss fight in WoW, though.
Firestride Nov 7th 2008 1:19PM
I levelled my main as a Moonkin (two and a half years in, on and off, and I'm halfway through 61!) and I have no idea what that guy is doing for most of the fight, other than some wrath spams. Why is his Character Pane up so much? What did he loot midway through, and then do something with?
Kassius Nov 7th 2008 1:24PM
Major part of the Kael Fight is the looting of the legendary weapons he dropd after phase 2, which in the moonkins case is the staff of imba face melting and anti stuns. :)
Not that impressive tbh, kael was effected greater by the nerf then any others because the challenge of the fight was that it was a series of overlapping dps races, such that the raid progressing on him would try to keep the weapons phase from over lapping with the advisors pahse and the advisors phase overlapping with kaels entrance.
In my guilds case, we started making tries on kael the week before the nerf; but we just couldn't summon enough dps to have less then 3 weapons up when the advisors came.
we one shotted him post nerf, with 30 seconds of waiting around after the weapons were dead for the advisors to res, and again at the end of phase 3.
xin Nov 7th 2008 2:05PM
after the patch kael has become one of the easier raid bosses in the t5 and up content. before the patch dps was tight but now i can pug kael and one shot him. then again only took my guild 5 tries on the first night to down him before the nerf
RetPallyJil Nov 7th 2008 1:21PM
I liked that 40 level 70s could still wipe on Kel'Thuzad if they were stupid.
I don't, however, like what Blizzard is doing with old content.
Sumanai Nov 7th 2008 1:21PM
since I've done it with a random pug I've lost a bit of respect for the fight. it was still a bit challenging but once all knew what to do he dropped like a fly.
Lemons Nov 7th 2008 1:21PM
Sunwell geared boomkin! omg!
Gnarlynarz Nov 7th 2008 1:28PM
well shoot, if that kinda stuff can happen, i can totally sneak my green machine shaman into some raids and snag me some better gear.
Malvolius Nov 7th 2008 1:29PM
Not counting SWP, I'd have to say Kael is still my favorite BC raid boss. It's challenging, there's usually at least 4 things going on at once, and the transition from phase 4 to 5 when gravity lapse starts happening is super cool. Kael is definitely not a fight you can expect to muscle through - everyone has a very specific job. This is quite an accomplishment.
Gleb 70 Draka [A] Nov 7th 2008 1:35PM
It's turning way too easy! Bring back a Classic server! Patch 1.13 with original PvP
Tinwhisker Nov 7th 2008 1:31PM
"Looks like kiting was a big technique..."
No, that's just part of the fight. They didn't use any techniques, just the standard strategy with fewer people.
Also used was the standard Blizz UI... blech.
Kaele Nov 7th 2008 1:56PM
Does anyone know if Blizzard has mentioned a level cap system like they had in FFXI. It just seems to me that without some kind of restrictions that content is just getting more and more trivialized. Has anyone 1 or 2 manned Onyxia yet? Ridiculous concept.