Wrath Dailies: Aces High!
by Alex Ziebart 
Dec 17th 2008 at 7:00PM
You pick up Aces High! from Corastrasza on the Band of Transmutation, one of the floating platforms around The Nexus. If you've never done it before, head down to the Transitus Shield, there's a quest that will tell you exactly where to go. Practicing with this quest will make the fight much, much easier when you fight Malygos one day, because the abilities the Drake has in this quest are the exact same as the ones in that fight.
Once Corastrasza has put you on a drake, your action bar will change to the vehicle's action bar. If you're not using any bar mods, the vehicle UI will pop up. The abilities you'll be given are as follows:
- Flame Spike (10 Energy, 60 yard range): Fires a quick jet of fire at your target, causing 943 to 1057 Fire damage. Awards 1 combo point.
- Engulf in Flames (50 Energy, 60 yard range): Launches a blast of flames igniting your target for 1500 Fire damage every 3 sec. This effect stacks. Lasts longer per combo point.
- 1 point: 6 seconds
- 2 points: 10 seconds
- 3 points: 14 seconds
- 4 points: 18 seconds
- 5 points: 22 seconds
- Revivify (10 Energy, 60 yard range): Heals the target for 500 per second. Lasts 10 seconds. Awards one combo point, stacks up to 5 times.
- Life Burst (50 Energy): Releases a burst of rejuvinating energy, healing friendly targets within 60 yards and increases the caster's healing done by 50%. Heals for more and lasts longer per combo point.
- 1 point: 5,000 heal/5 sec
- 2 points: 7,500 heal/10 sec
- 3 points: 10,000 heal/15 sec
- 4 points: 12,500 heal/20 sec
- 5 points: 15,000 heal/25 sec
- Flame Shield (25 Energy): Surrounds the caster in a shield of flames, reducing all damage taken by 80%. Lasts longer per combo point.
- 1 point: 2 seconds
- 2 points: 3 seconds
- 3 points: 4 seconds
- 4 points: 5 seconds
- 5 points: 6 seconds
- Blazing Speed (30 sec cooldown): Increases flight speed by 500% for 8 seconds.
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, How-tos, Walkthroughs, Raiding, Guides, Wrath of the Lich King
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Dextar Dec 17th 2008 7:06PM
This is a great quest to do FIRST before you do Malygos!
kozom Dec 17th 2008 7:15PM
i can't wait to do this!
Tithehga Dec 17th 2008 7:15PM
I love that blizzard put this quest in for folks to practice the Malygos fight before you've got 9 or 24 other people waiting on you to figure out exactly which buttons do what on a new bar. This is easily one of the most forward thinking additions for raiding they put in.
Taedirk Dec 17th 2008 7:19PM
I disagree with the combat method listed here. The best method I've found is keeping a 5 heal stack on at all times and building my rotation around that.
Out of combat: 5x Revivify
Starting combat: 3x Flame Spike --> Engulf --> 1x Revivify and repeat the cycle.
Keeping a 5x Revivify stack going gives a constant 2500 heal that has kept me up through the high damage arcane surge without having to rely on Flame Shield. Since I started the 3x Flame -> Engulf -> Revivify refresh cycle, I haven't lost a drake once. It may be a bit slower kill than a 4pt engulf and ignoring healing, but the only downtime I have is healing after an arcane surge if I didn't bother with Flame Shield and I never have to worry about any damage bursts suddenly taking me down.
Matt Dec 18th 2008 10:09AM
Yeah, this strategy is exactly right. The key to this quest is DoTs and HoTs--you want to keep them ticking at all times. So build up 5x revivify on yourself before you even start, then build 3 combo points on your target, apply dot, 1x revivify... repeat.
It's good to put up a shield for the arcane surge but, honestly, if you do this strategy correctly and keep the DoTs stacked up, the dragon will usually die before it can do it anyway.
Antidamage Dec 17th 2008 7:27PM
What UI is that in the screenshot? I recognise Sexymap, but the rest elude me.
Alex Ziebart Dec 17th 2008 7:36PM
Ha, besides SexyMap, I used the base UI for these screenshots so it would be recognizable. Everything but the minimap is 100% Blizzard's unit frame and UI. If you're referring to the funky looking action bar, that's the default Vehicle UI. That's what comes up in a plane or a tank or on the back of a drake.
Antidamage Dec 17th 2008 8:37PM
My gosh. Looks like I should try turning some mods off for a change.
Green Armadillo Dec 17th 2008 7:28PM
I hate this daily so much. You can't kite the dragons to a safe distance because your mount disappears from under you if you leave the nexus, but, if you stand and fight, you risk getting an add that will kill your mount, or possibly you. If you do aggro the dragons, you die and have a decent chance of having to eat a spirit res due to being dead on a platform in the sky.
somms Dec 17th 2008 8:03PM
If you're on a PvP server, be wary of ganking when accepting/turning in the quest. Had a DK Deathgrip/Chains of Ice me while beating the crap out of me. Had to spirit rez to get my body back.
I guess if you're quick enough you could just suicide jump.
Vendrill Dec 18th 2008 12:19AM
So, does that mean that Adam Holisky is going write the same post over and over for cooking like he did with the kalu'ak quests?
my2cents Dec 17th 2008 8:38PM
What worked for me was to play 100% defensively at first. Just focus on staying alive. Then gradually start throwing some damage in. Continue to play at least 75% defensively until you've really got the hang of it.
Eventually you'll get good enough to be able to play very offensively, killing drakes quite quickly. But until then it pays to take it very very slow. It'll save you a lot of frustration.
mycents Dec 17th 2008 8:44PM
Just hover right above the questgiver, but slightly closer to the center of the nexus. Be patient, and soon enough a drake will get close enough to pull. Then back up until you're right above the platform.
You won't aggro additional drakes there and if your dragon dies, you'll safely float right back down to the questgiver.
However, if your dragon dies, make sure you don't accidentally hit a button (on your own action bar, after your dragon is dead) that in any way damages the drake you were fighting. One time I accidentally DoT'd the drake with Shadow Word: Pain and he followed me to the platform and killed me =P
my2cents Dec 17th 2008 8:46PM
grr, that was supposed to be a reply to Green Armadillo.
ramzor Dec 17th 2008 9:14PM
don't expect to use the same strategy with malygos, the quest helps to know the abilities, but Malygos will need players who only heal (collecting combo on themselves) and player who only stack Engulf in Flames x10 times (collecting combos on Malygos).
Ofc shield when needed.
jam Dec 18th 2008 1:22AM
That is incorrect. We've killed both versions of Malygos by having no dedicated healers, we've noticed it's the fastest and easiest way to do it.
Everyone does dps and takes care of themselves by healing and shielding when necessary. We only shot two spikes each before using engulf, then one revify. Rinse and repeat, shield up when necessary (just remember to have combo points for it). Do this rotation calmly enough and you won't run out of energy, those engulfs will stack up fast and do insane damage.
Niian Dec 17th 2008 9:56PM
Now if only they did that with the Teron fight -_-'
astronautcowboy3 Dec 17th 2008 10:15PM
Live to fly! Fly to live!
Kraas Dec 18th 2008 8:23AM
Damn, you beat me to it! Oh well \nn/ >_<
This is a fun quest...took me a bit to learn how to do it. Quests like this are definitely a high point in this expansion.
Rick Dec 17th 2008 10:57PM
This is a fun quest, but I must ask. What UI are you using?? I like it better the Bartender 4.