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All of the latest Mists of Pandaria newsTwo Bosses Enter: Hadronox vs. Zuramat the Obliterator
by Lisa Poisso 
Apr 16th 2009 at 6:30PM
To battle! This week, Two Bosses Enter, One Boss Leaves pits Hadronox (Azjol-Nerub) against Zuramat the Obliterator (Violet Hold). Poison against shadow damage ... the not-yet-trapped versus the already imprisoned ... Can you predict the outcome?
The usual rules apply: Assume that these foes share similar levels, health pools and damage output. We'll allow Zuramat to summon his Void Sentries, even though Hadronox himself will be the only victim of Void Shift. This match occurs in neutral territory -- no additional Nerubian spiders, no handy Violet Hold wall switches.
Focus your debate on the three S's: Style, Story and Scale. Don't get caught up in game mechanics and what actual players might do in each encounter. Consider the flavor each villainous gladiator brings to bear, leave your comment on what you think would happen and why, and then cast your vote for who you think would come out on top.
HadronoxAre the Scourge trying to capture a giant spider to change into an Undead creature of war? When first encountered, Hadronox (the second boss of Azjol-Nerub) normally appears to be under attack by the Anub'ar. In this Two Bosses Enter deathmatch, we will not consider the presence of any spiders other than Hadronox himself.
Hadronox deposits great circles of poisonous acid on the ground and is capable of healing himself via his Leech Poison effect. His Web Grab could pull Zuramat's Void Sentries into range of the Acid Cloud -- will his timing work in his favor? And will Hadronox's poison-based healing counteract his opponent's ugly Shroud of Darkness debuff?
Read more about Hadronox's battle tactics and review comments from players who've fought him.
Zuramat the ObliteratorGaze ... into the void.
Zuramat the Obliterator is a huge Void Lord (Demon) imprisoned in the Violet Hold. He summons Void Sentries during battle, which are only able to be seen and killed when under the effects of Zuramat's Void Shift debuff. His Shroud of Darkness debuff is capable of stacking so many times that it could actually provide negative healing (i.e., DPS) to a self-healing opponent like Hadronox.
Will Zuramat's Shroud of Darkness debuff be able to counteract Hadronox's poison-based healing? Will Zuramat's Void Sentries find themselves choked out in Hadronox's Acid Cloud?
Read more about Zuramat the Obliterator's battle tactics, and review comments from players who have fought him.
The smackdown
The usual rules apply: assume that the opponents share similar levels, health pools and damage output. They are fighting in neutral territory; there will be no Nerubian spiders or Violet Hold wall switches to come into play. We'll allow Zuramat to summon his Void Sentries, even though Hadronox himself will be the only victim of Void Shift.
Can you come up with a convincing scenario in the comments that will sway other readers to vote for your chosen victor?
| It's a draw. | |
|---|---|
| Hadronox | |
| Zuramat the Obliterator |
Filed under: Features, Bosses, Two Bosses Enter
Reader Comments (Page 2 of 2)
Ed Apr 16th 2009 9:03PM
Correct me if I'm wrong but that's the wrong shroud of darkness.
http://www.wowhead.com/?spell=54524#see-also-other
That's the right one.
With that being said the fight still goes to Hadronox. Even if Zuramat constantly renews the buff there's a 2 second casting time allowing Hadronox to kill enough sentries to stay miles ahead of him in health.
Our spider does indeed live another day.
Lisa Poisso Apr 17th 2009 11:55AM
Fixed -- thanks for noticing I had linked the wrong version.
LazarCotoron Apr 16th 2009 9:14PM
Zuramat by a long shot.
Let's put this scenario into play: Void Shift is a channeled ability. Now of course, Zuramat is scripted to do this every so often, but if I was Zuramat, I wouldn't use the ability. I'd simply allow my unkillable adds to do all my work for me.
Since the encounter here doesn't necessarily have to apply to scripting (I didn't see anything that made that part a requirement), Zuramat would win easily.
If it does however, then by virtue that Hadronox has some very cheap AoE moves he can spam, Hadronox has it easy.
Basically, if Zuramat can pass the Moron test and NOT use his ability to make the spider able to attack his minions, he wins.
Avrsion Apr 16th 2009 9:15PM
Ooh close call.
I'd say Zuramat simply because when he has multiple adds up the amount of damage flying around is insane.
Wulfkin Apr 16th 2009 9:36PM
Hadronox bugs and doesn't appear correctly as per usual, so Zuramat wins by default!
Daigeil Apr 17th 2009 3:33AM
Absolutely Hadronox, hands-down. Here's how it plays out.
The two face up and start smackin' each other up. Quickly Hadronox drops poison clouds and places her DoTs. Soon, Zuramat does his thang, spawning void sentries all over the place, and casts Shroud of Darkness. Hadronox, being a huge spider (they aren't all that smart, y'know, and the average PuGger doesn't understand STOP ATTACKING! That leads us onto the debate of whether PuGgers or Spiders are smarter, but let's not go there) just keeps hitting, stacking up the healing-cancelling effect.
Soon, Void Shift comes into play. Having no other targets, Hadronox is shifted, and drops Leech Poison, Acid Cloud and Web Grab, stacking all the sentries on top of herself. Naturally, they all die, shortly after Shroud's effect drops off, healing Hadronox to full!
This repeats, and with Zuramat's limited array of abilities it can only really go one way. By the time the poor Void Walker is dead, Hadronox is still at 100% from all the self-healing.
Of course, style-wise a huge spider should win anyhow. Void Walkers are so last year.
Daigeil Apr 17th 2009 3:37AM
Oh yes, I forgot to mention - Leech Poison is applied to everyone near by, so it'll work even when Hadronox isn't Void Shifted. Add on to that Hadronox's quite slow attack speed and the really rather insignificant effect of Shroud, and Zuramat just won't be able to out-damage Hadronox's healing. Those Sentries can't last long enough to really stack up.
Swurds Apr 17th 2009 7:35AM
Zuramat, but only if he's smart.
This is assuming a neutral playing field and smart AI. If Zuramat keeps moving out of the cloud, and casting the sentries, eventually they will overwhelm the big Arachnid. Sure. the leech poison stinks, but by moving him around, Hadronox won't be able to melee the adds, which will keep pumping out damage. If Zuramat can kite him, the fight will be over, with Zuramat putting on a pair of sunglasses as he is slowly floating away. * Insert Who music here *
Fornozo Apr 17th 2009 8:57AM
Easy win for the spider priest.
Everytime the VW summons his adds wait out the debuff pull them near him then pop a cloud and if he will get low on HP just steal the escaped lock pet's.
Beli Apr 17th 2009 10:31AM
One one side we have Hadronox, waiting on his web like most spiders, attuned to the slightest vibrations. The web gradually shifts to the prison setting, with massive strands of the web drawing out and turning into prison bars, where Zuramat sits behind those bars, waiting for his release. He's a bit ticked, seeing those bars ostensibly coming from the spiders web, instead of being a simple graphical glitch in the game he calls life. With the setting in place, the match begins - the Mages of the Kirin Tor give up holding back the prisoners and the bars fad to nothing. At last, Zuramat can get his revenge!
As Zuramat exits his cell, Hadronox detects his presence, and goes into action. The two meet and start to battle. Zuramat quickly realizes that his physical DPS is too pitifully low to do any damage to his opponent, and starts to summon his void sentries to help. Unbenownst to him (after all, would he ever cast this willingly when battling endless Hero's from the Horde and Alliance?), this summoning ritual also causes a void shift on his target, Hadronox. Even if he was aware of this side affect, he is so filled with hate and anger that it blinds him to all else, and he forgets to detarget Hadronox before casting.
On the flip side, Hadronox starts off having it easy. A little Acid Cloud here, the occasional Pierce Armor, and not too much incoming damage. He's thinking this will be an easy win. Then he senses a shift in the fight (both metaphorical and actual). Void sentries start popping up all around him, dealing massive amounts of damage. With a sudden desperation, he sprays out his web, grabbing these new opponents and pulling them in close. As his health dips dangerously low, he casts Leach Poison, which slows the drain on his health. After a few seconds, Zuramat's plan backfires! The void sentries start dieing to the leach poison, and much like Gluth eating his Zombie Chow's at 5% health, he is quickly brought back up to full.
This respite, however, was enough for Zuramat to stack up enough Shroud's of Darkness to more than counter the damage from Hadronox's poison. Quickly the two fall into a pattern of healing themselves in their desperate attempts at winning, with neither being smart enough (after all, spiders are never too bright, and a void walker is nothing but smoke and mirrors, there's no room for a brain there!) to see why their attempts are failing. This one ends in an epic battle throughout eternity, with the only possibility of it ending coming from a kind hearted Blizzard developer, who can put them in as a double-boss gear check in an upcoming raid.
Mutak Apr 17th 2009 10:42AM
Hadronox can't get all the Void Spawns, and even if she could, Zuramat's Shroud of Darkness would subvert the healing. Zuramat's title might as well be "The Exterminator" - easy win for the uberblueberry.
Jabadabadana Apr 17th 2009 11:44AM
Zuramat wins this. Since shroud is in fact a percentage healing debuff, and not the silly -30 per time struck thing put in the link in the article, he, very quickly removes the healing done to Hadronox. Furthermore, these are bosses, and so take longer to kill, and thus in the long fight Zuramat has the advantage.
Add in the fact that Hadronox has to use leech poison during the shift, and that once the healing debuff is in place, he no longer gets a 10% heal when he kills minion. Plus the sentries are endless, while Hadronox's abilities have a cooldown.
On top of all this, Zuramat is an intelligent demon, (Yes, voidwalkers talk slow and deep, they are however powerful demons capable of magic, thought, and even limited strategy (possibly more considering they are organized enough to have things like Barons and presumably other ranks.))
Hadronox is an oversized spider with the intelligence of an insect.
Final player note, I've died to Zuramat multiple times, Hadronox has never killed me.
Triforceelf Apr 17th 2009 12:00PM
The void for sure. Haddroxx is a spider, and probably not smart enough to target the adds. Plus, if the void walker is smart he wont be giving Haddroxx 100% time on the debuff that lets Haddroxx even TARGET the adds. Mean while, attempting to kill off the main boss is only going to be hurting Haddroxx, as the adds shadowbolt it to oblivion.
Ilya Apr 19th 2009 5:56AM
Personally, I have more trouble with Zuramat than Hadronox. Then again, I've only fought him once, so... *shrugs*
I think Hadronox takes this regardless. Hit by Void Shift? "Ooh, adds. FUN!" *drops Leech Poison and cloud* "Tasty..." *resumes whaling on big bad void lord*
This makes me realize just how ridiculously powerful Hadronox is if your game plan is 'adds galore'... >.