Two Bosses Enter: Anomalus vs. Tribunal of Ages
by Lisa Poisso 
Jun 4th 2009 at 6:00PM
This week's Two Bosses Enter is less boss-versus-boss than it is boss-versus-event: The Nexus' Anomalus versus the Tribunal of Ages encounter in the Halls of Stone. The Tribunal of Ages event tasks adventurers with protecting Dwarven explorer Brann Bronzebeard from waves of mobs as part of the Halls of Stone quest -- a boss-level encounter in terms of difficulty and loot, if not in actual boss-versus-boss combat. It'll be Anomalus' Chaotic Rifts and Crazed Mana-Wraiths against the Tribunal of Ages' Kaddrak, Abedneum and Marnak plus the cadre of Dark Rune Protectors, Dark Rune Stormcallers and the Iron Golem Custodian.
The ground rules:
- For the sake of this deathmatch, we'll have to get a little (ok, a lot) creative with Anomalus' presence here in the Tribunal. In this scenario, we'll retain the basic mechanic of the Tribunal of Ages encounter. Brann Bronzebeard's survival still determines the success or failure of the mission. Anomalus is therefore challenged with holding the Tribunal at bay long enough for Bronzebeard to complete his task.
- This match takes place inside the Tribunal of Ages in the Halls of Stone.
- If you assume that Anomalus is "too dumb to move," we'll have a very boring match indeed. Be open to other possibilities.
- Assume that foes share similar levels, health pools and a comparative overall damage output.
- Don't get caught up in game mechanics and what actual players might do in each encounter.
- Style and scale are your main considerations.
AnomalusChaos beckons ... Reality unwoven ... Indestructible ... Of course ... Expiration is necessary...
Anomalus is an Arcane elemental inside the Nexus, created when the high amounts of magical energy streaming through the Nexus created the Rift. He used to guard the Nexus and Keristrasza's prison. Now, however, Anomalus seems to have gone out of control and his Chaos Rifts and lesser Arcane elementals are attacking the Blue Dragonflight.
At three points during battle, Anomalus creates a Chaotic Rift and uses Rift Shield to make himself immune to all damage. The Chaotic Rifts themselves can cast spells, as can the Crazed Mana-Wraiths that can be summoned from within them.
Chaotic Rift
Crazed Mana-Wraith
Read more about fighting Anomalus and review comments from players who've fought him.
The Tribunal of AgesAbedneum: Warning! Life form pattern not recognized. Archival processing terminated. Continued interference will result in targeted response.
Kaddrak: Security breach in progress. Analysis of historical archives transferred to lower priority queue. Countermeasures engaged.
Marnak: Threat index threshold exceeded. Celestial archive aborted. Security level heightened.
Abedneum: Critical threat index. Void analysis diverted. Initiating sanitization protocol.
During the Tribunal of Ages encounter, adventurers must protect Dwarven explorer Brann Bronzebeard long enough that he can access a database to retrieve information required to complete the Halls of Stone quest. Hindering Brann and his helpers are the three stone faces of the Tribunal, Kaddrak, Abedneum and Marnak, plus wave after wave of foes including Dark Rune Protectors, Dark Rune Stormcallers and an Iron Golem Custodian.
Kaddrak
Marnak
Abedneum
Dark Rune Protector
Dark Rune Stormcaller
Iron Golem Custodian
Read a description of the Tribunal of Ages event and review comments from players who've completed the related achievement.
The smackdown
For the sake of this deathmatch, we'll have to get creative with the details surrounding the Halls of Stone quest and the reason for Anomalus' presence. We'll retain the basic mechanic of the Tribunal of Ages encounter. Brann Bronzebeard's survival will determine the success or failure of the mission. Anomalus, then, will be challenged with holding Bronzebeard's foes at bay long enough for him to complete his task.
This match takes place inside the Tribunal of Ages in the Halls of Stone.
As usual, you should assume that overall, the foes share similar levels, health pools and a comparative overall damage output.
This matchup should offer plenty of variables to consider. What do you think would happen? Can you come up with a convincing scenario that will sway other readers to vote for your victor of choice? Show us your stuff in the comments.
| Anomalus wins; he successfully protects Brann Bronzebeard. | |
|---|---|
| Anomalus loses; he dies or is unable to protect Brann Brozebeard. |
Filed under: Features, Bosses, Two Bosses Enter
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Heilig Jun 4th 2009 6:10PM
People need to stop voting based on what encounter is harder for players. If you assume that Anomalus isn't too dumb to move, he wins the fight by default. He moves out of dangerous things, spawns endless adds to counter the waves of adds, and goes immune for half the fight, during which time MORE adds are spawning and unhealable AoE damage is flying around in the tight confines of the room. On open ground, where the Tribunal's adds can move away from Anomalus' adds and AoE, this fight might be interesting, but even then Anomalus would accomplish the goal of keeping Brann alive just by setting up tons of portals near him. Any adds that come near Brann will be destroyed.
The Tribunal is way harder for players, but by the rules of the contest, Anomalus is simply unbeatable. All he has to do is spam portals in the doorway and dodge nasty stuff. Any adds that manage to squeak through can be cleaned up easily.
Xetan Jun 4th 2009 6:13PM
Anomalus goes immune, doesnt pick up adds, adds kill bran, Anomalus looses.
volicio Jun 4th 2009 6:30PM
you got to think of how he fights, Anomalus dose not just contentiously spawn adds, its got a CD, and he wouldn't be able to spawn enough to take care of the wave after wave of adds. Also like Xetan said, the second Anomalus goes immune everything is going to go after bran, and that's all she wrote.
Heilig Jun 4th 2009 6:49PM
When he goes immune, he still has all his adds and portals up. When you fight Anomalus and he goes immune, do you just sit there? No, he's still attacking you, you just can't hurt him until you clean up the portals. The tribunal adds are going to be focused on Brann, not the portals. As soon as Anomalus goes immune the AoE starts and anything in the room gets nuked.
Remember, the fight isn't Anomalus versus the Tribunal and their adds, it's Anomalus and ALL HIS ADDS against the Tribunal and their adds.
Iwanttobeasleep Jun 4th 2009 10:32PM
People who disagree with you are being biased and missing the point. Got it.
Angus Jun 4th 2009 10:35PM
Helig, You are very right on this.
But the Tribunal's adds are too dumb to really care. They'll either go after the portals because theAE damage has angered them, or they do a beeline for Brann. If those golems get to Brann, the rock him pretty hard pretty fast. I've had an entire fight go perfect and then one golem just ignored all of us, walked up to him and boom, Brann got smeared into a fine paste.
The damage over that fight as you pick up adds will take it's toll on Brann. Even if Anomalus cared about him, he would be hard pressed to grab all the adds. His adds would just go around killing stuff at random and wouldn't specifically pick up the guys on Brann. That's the only problem I see with it. His adds hate everything, they won't go after Brann's adds to the exclusion of everything else, and even if they do, they are not as numerous as as what the tribunal is throwing around. Add the fire and random AE being thrown around and I don't see Brann surviving.
Para Jun 5th 2009 5:46AM
@ Heilig
Maybe its time you stopped voting for your favourite of the 2? Anomalus would lose simply because he wont be able to keep up with the speed that the waves come + the lazer eye will do a large bit of damage to him, even if he moves.
REMEMBER "Anomalus loses; he dies or is unable to protect Brann Brozebeard." It doesnt take many adds to slip through to kill him.
These 2 bosses imo are both easy so dont go claiming that people are voting for "the encounter they find hardest"
Christoffer Jun 5th 2009 6:16AM
Both fights are a walk in the park, very easy fights as long as the idiots know how to "stay out of the fire."
However in this case, I think Anomalus would win period.
Think about it, both fighters summon up adds to deal with each other but the only difference between the two is how the adds come. Here is the plan, if he was able to keep the portals up and shift over to "god mode" (Rift Shield) while both the adds are clashing, the portals would be dealing damage over time. He could take anything Tribunal would have to throw at him (Searing Gaze and Dark Matter come to mine). Now if Anomalus's adds die off, portal just summons up a few more.
The only thing that make this an unfair fight for Tribunal is she (yes, I am declaring Tribunal a she) "dies" after a certain amount of time passes, which would be Brann hacking into her systems.
Cody Jun 4th 2009 6:11PM
Neither, they both lag each other out and dc.
volicio Jun 4th 2009 6:25PM
I honestly don't think Anomalus has the power needed to burn all the adds that come. So, if he could some how hold aggro on all of them, they would stack to fast and he would not be able to summon enough Crazed Mana Wriths in time. I would be a total wipe pretty fast.
Paizn Jun 12th 2009 11:39AM
anomaluses addes and aoe would smash all the adds coming in during that fight and anomaluses portals would be able to spawn adds to basically tank the adds. Basically his massive aoe would smash the maiden.....
Conrad Jun 4th 2009 6:38PM
Anomalus is a physical embodiment of chaos and anarchy, I think he wouldn't recognize Brann as being "on his side" and kills Brann either directly or via splash damage.
Saravok Jun 4th 2009 7:03PM
Anomalus wins this one without a sweat. Anomalus enguages the adds, while moving around to avoid the mobs. When he opens a rift, his own adds join the fray. Soon enough, having lost about 25% of his HP, he shields himself. The Tribunal Adds now fight Anomalus' adds. Anomalus' adds are loosing, but BAM, the AoE evens up the contest, and the fight rages on.
Anomalus retakes to the battle, with the Tribunal kicking it up a few notches to boot. Once again, our Elemental Hero takes a beating, and pops up some rifts, and hides in his shield. The multiple rifts now attack the Adds, with lots of AoE. The Tribunal adds are quickly slaughtered.
Round 3, and Anomalus, being a willy one (he beat the Blue Dragonflight at its own game, that has got to count for something), has a new strat. He just runs about, kiting the adds, while his own build up (though a few dieing to the faces of doom). He goes immune again and his adds win the day. Brann is fine, but had the fight gone any longer, Anomalus would have gone down; when immune, his adds can easily protect the rifts and keep hold of the adds, while the AoE rips them apart.
Anomalus, the Arcane Elemental, is too much for a Titian Defense Grid. By shielding himself, and his may adds to even the score of numbers, and his deft dodging of the Tribunal brings victory.
Gurrash Jun 4th 2009 8:47PM
Interesting challenge, more battles like this would rock.
Siaperas Jun 4th 2009 7:15PM
Very high end security system vs a being born from pure arcane energy. I have every bit of confidence Anomolus can survive the Tribunal event, but I don't think he could keep Brann alive during it. In fact, I think Anomolus would destroy the room and accidently kill Brann in the process. His energy is too unstable and too powerful, so powerful that even the blue dragonflight couldn't control him. It would be like asking a bomb to protect Brann. As the fight goes on, Anomolus expends more and more arcane energy, and he would do that until everything is destroyed. Anomolus fails by accidently killing Brann.
Krenik Jun 4th 2009 7:59PM
The Tribunal would win without a doubt. Anomolus may be able to hold his own for a bit, but no one seems to take into account that Brann needs to survive this fight or else the fight was for nothing. Think of if all the Tribunal's adds went straight for Brann and not Anomolus. Do you think the Titans fear the arcane ghost? Of course not. But Brann has the ability to destroy and unmask everything the Titans want kept secret. Anomolus doesn't have a taunt. He can't say, "Hey, let's all attack me so I win this." and have his command be the final word. The adds will disregard Anomolus until Brann is dead.
DanH Jun 4th 2009 8:12PM
Put me down as another one for "Anomalus can totally survive the event, but seems unlikely to want to protect Bronzebeard."
It just strikes me that "rifts in the fabric of reality" are not the sorts of things that make the room *safer*.
Chukie Jun 6th 2009 1:26AM
I too am going to join the party of Anomalus would be just fine but good lord would poor brann get slaughtered.
xicon.blizzard Jun 4th 2009 9:30PM
Anomalus wins without much of a struggle here, but the Tribunal bites pretty hard.
Brann starts tinkering at his console and Anomalus heads to the stairs of the room. The first wave of adds spawns, and Anomalus takes a swipe at them as he opens a Chaotic Rift that begins to spawn Crazed Mana Wraiths. The Wraiths sweep up any Iron Dwarves that run past Anomalus and proceed to beat the crap out of them.
When the dwarves start coming faster, Anomalus changes his game and begins to charge the Chaotic Rifts. Now immune to the damage, the adds begin to build up and Anomalus is safe behind his little bubble.
Now the Tribunal starts throwing crap at him. Shield again, adds pound Tribunal adds. Rinse, repeat. Anomalus gets phat loot.
Agerath Jun 4th 2009 9:42PM
This is like asking whether a rugby player would beat a football player at water polo.