Patch 5.3 interview with Ghostcrawler
Mystery of the Unborn Val'kyr
The latest patch 5.3 news
All of the latest Mists of Pandaria newsDatamined Ulduar boss information, with analysis
by Michael Sacco 
Feb 25th 2009 at 3:40PM
Yes, yes, we know you're curious about what the Ulduar boss encounters will be like, loyal readers. With 14 bosses, 11 hard modes, and an optional heroic boss, we wonder, too! We'll be able to test some of these encounters on the 3.1 PTR soon, but there are, of course, those of us who just can't wait to know anything about what's going on in Ulduar.
Luckily, ever-resourceful players and dataminers have acquired information about spells and abilities related to bosses in Ulduar from the 3.1 PTR files. There's a lot of of stuff in here -- some of it may make it into the live game, some may not, and some may be related to vehicles or other sundries involved with encounters. I'm going to go into detailed analysis of those encounters for which detailed spells exist.
It goes without saying that these will be huge spoilers to anyone who doesn't want their Ulduar experience to be anything but pure, so don't read past the jump if you don't want to know!
The datamined information comes from this thread on the official forums, with links to the appropriate spells on Thottbot.
Yogg-Saron
Dominate Mind - Mind controls a target temporarily and reduces Sanity by 20.
Low Sanity Screen Effect - Just a visual.
Psychosis - 20000 Shadow damage and reduces 20 Sanity.
Sanity - 100 stacked buff, if it reaches 0 you are permanently mind controlled. One Sanity regenerates per 3 seconds.
Touch of Dominion - Subjugates the target to the will of Yogg-Saron, weakening it (-10% HP and damage), yet "conferring a subtle control". Appears to stack every 180 sec.
Preliminary analysis:
Yogg-Saron's fight appears to be a sanity-based encounter, and if you're not already thinking of Eternal Darkness, we're not friends. There's a sanity meter, a mind control/reduced effectiveness debuff, even a low sanity visual effect. Your sanity regenerates by one point every three seconds, and it ticks down as you engage him, take damage from him, or are temporarily mind-controlled. If it reaches zero, you're permanently under the thrall of Ol' Yoggy.
Hodir
Flash Freeze - Freezes the target in a block of ice. Other spells mention that a frozen target hit by flash freeze dies instantly, and that it is in fact Hodir's ability.
Hodir's Fury - 15000 Frost damage and a 9 second stun to all enemies.
Shatter Chest - Most likely Hodir's loot mechanic.
Toasty Fire - Likely a player ability. Creates a fire which prevents the effects of Freeze and Biting Cold. Extinguished by "falling ice shards" or "powerful frost magic" - most likely Blizzard and Flash Freeze.
Blizzard - 1.5k (10), 3k (25) frost every 2 sec for 10 sec.
Biting Cold - A la Keristraza, only only "diminished" by movement, not removed.
Winter's Embrace - Absorbs 185k damage, and while active increases physical damage dealt by 100%.
Preliminary analysis:
Unsurprisingly, the Watcher of Winter encounter appears to be based on cold! In order to survive, you have to light fires to prevent your raid from succumbing to the Biting Cold debuff and freezing. Blizzard and Flash Freeze appear to put the fires out if they contact them. If you do end up getting frozen, Flash Freeze will instantly kill you.
Freya
"Reduces Freya's Attuned to Nature stacks by 25" (spells also exist for other amounts)
"The presence of Elder Brightleaf increases magic damage dealt by Freya and her Allies of Nature by 50%"
Freya Summon Chest - it would appear that we do not kill her. There are eight spells of the same name, presumably for various difficulties.
Ironbranch's Essence - Increases damage dealt by Allies of Nature by 50%.
Lifebinder's Gift - Summons an "Extraplanar Spore"
Stonebark's Essence - Increases physical damage dealt by Freya by 50%.
Summon Allies of Nature
Touch of Eonar - Heals Freya for 6000/s (10) or 24000/s (25).
Preliminary analysis:
It looks like Freya's fight is a straight-up Sartharion-style encounter. There are three Elders -- Brightleaf, Stonebark, and Ironbranch -- who will grant Freya powers if they're alive. The existence of 8 summoned chests confirms this, with each chest corresponding to a difficulty level on normal or Heroic. She likely summons in Allies of Nature a la Twilight Whelps, and the Attuned to Nature stack she has likely has to do with how we damage her.
Most of the other encounters only have bits and pieces of their spells so far. For those wondering about this -- I was! -- it looks like even though you fight him, Thorim might still help you after all.
Patch 3.1 brings us Ulduar, dual specs, significant changes to all the classes, and more! We've got you covered from top to bottom with our Guide to Patch 3.1.Filed under: Patches, Analysis / Opinion, Wrath of the Lich King
Reader Comments (Page 2 of 3)
BraveJoe Feb 25th 2009 4:00PM
Yogg-Saron looks like the Eternal Darkness Gods (Yogg-Saron is a God as well)...especially that fallen "4th" one you encounter.
Bravejoe Feb 25th 2009 4:11PM
Btw according to that wikipedia article on Eternal Darkness (and a source) Nintendo has a patent on sanity mechanics in a video game. I read the patent and I dont think this qualifies but the it does seem like the end of medal gear solid 2 does (when the game is trying to trick you to powering down your ps2 and playing with the volume).
Ves Feb 25th 2009 4:05PM
Moonkin will be so OP in the Yogg-Saron fight. You don't have to worry about losing something you never had to begin with.
miked Feb 25th 2009 4:34PM
I wonder if the same thing applies to players with "the Insane" title as well ;-)
( http://blue.mmo-champion.com/20/15230878750-the-insane-yeah-pretty-much.html for reference )
Karilyn Feb 25th 2009 4:06PM
May the rats eat your eyes!
I am now LOST to your cause...
the darkness... comes...
Daniel Feb 25th 2009 4:07PM
Not familiar with Eternal Darkness, but the sanity points on Yogg-Saron, to me, makes this sound like a computer game version of Arkham Horror, a board game that involves fighting various deities from the pantheon Lovecraft's work inspired.
bashfullson Feb 25th 2009 4:13PM
Good old lovecraft.
Cant wait for the first yoggie wipe to scream on vent:" all the caracters are dead... AND INSANE"
my2cents Feb 25th 2009 8:15PM
I don't know much about HP Lovecraft, but I remember reading that Eternal Darkness (on Gamecube) was also inspired by his work. In addition, it used a unique and truly awesome insanity mechanic.
When your sanity would get low you would start "imagining things." For example (if memory serves), there was a bust of a head in the hallway and if your sanity got low the head would appear to turn and face you as you moved. Also you'd get flashes/visions of violence or hear weird sounds. Stuff like that.
Basically the environment around you would become scarier and seem more supernatural. I don't remember if there was more to the mechanic than that or not.
Jeriel Feb 25th 2009 4:11PM
Maybe Hodir will give me another reason to put on my frost resist set. Sapphiron certainly doesn't need it.
Blachand Feb 25th 2009 4:19PM
"Thorim might still help you after all"
Are you kidding? That looks like a straight up enrage timer to me. If the Thorim encounter involves more than just him, we can safely assume that this spell would cause his "allies", aka our enemies, to enrage along with him and pwn us all.
Qpally Feb 25th 2009 4:20PM
Its almost guaranteed that the people who data-mine boss encounter info, run the raid as often as Blizz lets them on the PTR, and, thus, clear the raid quickly on Live, will be the first in the forums complaining about not having enough content and that everything is too easy.
If you want a real challenge, avoid spoiler data-mines, stay off the PTR, and try going in blind without reading strats. You're only ruining the game for yourself.
That said, I think Ulduar might be different. Even after a quick world-first, there are still a lot of hard modes that will determine who gets the "real" first.
Hansbo Feb 25th 2009 4:27PM
Wow, these battles actually seem quite innovative. Another sarth battle, is, in my opinion, not unwelcome. And yoggie seems brutal, I just hope there is some kind of way to avoid losing sanity so it becomes a battle of survival and not just a soft RNG-induced enrage timer.
Kakistocracy Feb 25th 2009 4:33PM
Am I the only one hoping that the word choice of "permanently mind controlled" is not indicative of blizzard simply having no clue what words mean, but rather that characters will in fact be under the control of Yogg Saron forever?
miked Feb 25th 2009 4:36PM
i'm sure they'll be MC'd until they die. far from "forever" in WoW terms.
Talamarr Feb 25th 2009 4:43PM
Just like the Leo fight.
Stormsinger Feb 25th 2009 4:47PM
Permanent MC would make the encounter challenging for a guild. Maybe THAT will satisfy the hardcores!
"Elite Guys is recruiting people to come kill the previous members still controlled by Yogg-Saron from our last attempt. Have all bank tabs and tabbard. PST"
Eversor Feb 25th 2009 5:22PM
Stormsinger, reading my mind.
papermoonshine Feb 25th 2009 5:08PM
I love that raiders bitch that content is too easy. Maybe they shouldn't make strats on the test realm and just go at it blind when it actually drops. Won't be so easy then.
Jimsonweed Feb 25th 2009 5:08PM
The sanity mechanic predates Eternal Darkness by quite a few years, going all the way back to the first pen & paper Call Of Cthulhu RPG.
Does knowing this date me?
emberdione Feb 25th 2009 5:21PM
So to clarifiy some miss information in the comments:
1. Yes, Silicon Knights has a patent on the use of a Sanity Meter. Google it. I studied it at a job I had where we were attempting to find a way around it so we could use something similar in an idea we were working on.
2. This patent however only applies to video games. So for all the CoC books, board games (Arkham Horror which is an excellent game), and pen and paper games, it doesn't apply.
3. Blizzard could have paid the licensing fee to use it.
4. Or they didn't and a legal battle could be in the future.
5. Or Silicon Knights can ignore it.
Although, the patent specifically calls out the use of a variable to change the in game effects based on a character's sanity as part of the patent, meaning Blizzard has wandered into that territory. I hope they didn't license it, SK forces the issue, and I hope Blizzard fights them and wins, the way they did with Glider, because it is a frivolous patent due to the wealth of non-video game sources that do the same thing (like the board games and books, but also movies).