Two Bosses Enter: The Commanders vs. Krik'thir the Gatewatcher
by Lisa Poisso 
Aug 27th 2009 at 8:00PM
Here's a nasty melee match for this week's Two Bosses Thunderdome: Commander Kolurg/Stoutbeard of The Nexus versus Krik'thir the Gatewatcher from Azjol-Nerub. You may want to wear a splatter guard if you're sitting near the fence on this one - we can only imagine the carnage as the Commander's Whirlwind makes contact with Krik'thir's minions.
The ground rules:
- Assume that the opponents and any minions share similar levels, health pools and comparative overall damage output.
- This deathmatch takes place in neutral territory, which shall not hinder either boss from using his usual encounter abilities.
- All the usual minions will be available to each boss.
- Don't get caught up in gameplay mechanics and what actual players might do in each encounter.
- Don't neglect style, story and scale.
Commander Kolurg/Commander Stoutbeard (The Nexus)What the...what in the...well, don't just stand there boys, kill something!
These "optional" gentlemen appear in The Nexus' Hall of Statis on heroic mode. The commanders provide virtually the same fight: Commander Kolurg (Horde) spawns for Alliance groups, while Commander Stoutbeard (Alliance) appears for Horde players.
Their trademark: Whirlwind. Lots of it.
- Battle Shout
- Charge
- Frightening Shout
- Whirlwind
- The Commanders' Priests (two)
Krik'thir the Gatewatcher (Azjol-Nerub) Keep an eye on the tunnel. We must not let anyone through!
I hear footsteps. Be on your guard.
I sense the living. Be ready.
Krik'thir, an Undead Nerubian vizier, is the first boss of Azjol-Nerub who guards the gate that leads further into the ancient city. His commander, Anub'Arak, is a powerful servant of the Lich King.
Krik'thir is accompanied by three groups of three spiders, led by Watcher Silthik, Watcher Gashra and Watcher Narjil. Some groups contain an Anub'ar Skirmisher. Once the first group of spiders has entered battle, the others (and later Krik'thir himself) will eventually join in.
Krik'thir the Gatewatcher
Read more about Krik'thir and his minions, and check out comments from players who've fought him.
The deathmatchRemember: no game-mechanic nitpicking. Set aside differences in opponents' health pools, game level and actual damage output. Vote for the spirit of the battle as set forth above, considering each opponent's abilities -- plus the style, scale and story he or she brings to the table.
Can you come up with a convincing scenario in the comments that will sway other readers to vote for your victor of choice?
| Commander Kolurg or Stoutbeard (Krik'thir dies) | |
|---|---|
| Krik'thir (Commander dies) | |
| Tie (something else happens) |
Cast your vote in this match of Round Two of the five-man Wrath of the Lich King season to help us determine who rocks Wrath's five-man world.Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Features, Lore, Bosses, Two Bosses Enter
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
heroman12121 Aug 27th 2009 8:10PM
Im not sure actually...
If the priests heal the commander, hes gonna win.
But if the priest screws up, then the commander is done (Ex: Does Shadow: Death when commander has low hp)
But Gatewatcher has like ALOT of adds to gank you with....also if they spam the web wrap thing on the priest..they are in the clearing....also if Gatewatcher uses enrage and fatigue, that means a short cast.......
I dont think im gonna vote this time D: Im not completly sure D:
Igantinos Aug 27th 2009 8:11PM
This is how the battel would play out.Comander enters into the arena and sees Krik'thir. As we know from his quote he dosnet think much and charges right at him. Despretly his healers try to keep him alive and are soon web wrapped making them useless. The commander realizes this and uses fear only to understand that undeads know no fear and that he is screwed he tries to whirlwind but nothing he does keeps him from being overerun by nerubians and eaten alive.
Igantinos Aug 27th 2009 8:33PM
I jsut whant ot add some things here. Often the dwarfs/orcs are the "dumb" race since one is a drunk and the other one would be beten in a game of chess by a chair. If you look at Krik'thir's qute
The Gate must be protected at all costs. You understand that he is fighit to the death wile the others dont really think. When the battel begins Krik'thir even has the option of kiting the commander with so much cc the adds can take 1 add and the boss keep them stuck finish of 1 healer and then the other. after this is done Krik'thir will run to another corner and use his curse making the commander slow then he will summon his mini adds to attack him while he moves unde a heavy mindflay. When he comes up the adds CC him again making him not hurting the boss at all.
As a final note this guy was captured once and can e captured again.
olzer Aug 28th 2009 1:48PM
Except you can fear undead.
And the commanders whirlwinds would face-melt the adds. (Seriously, it does thousands of damage a second.)
And he has 2 healers. Priests, no less. Priests have a PW: Shield remember.
Remember, the commander wouldnt have just been un-thawed in the arena, it would then be an unfair advantage to the Nerubian. I'm thinking they un-thawed him nearby, and gave him time to get his senses back. The commanders are COMMANDERS, so they are obviously intelligent and have tactical minds. This would help against the "DONT LET THEM THROUGH SACRIFICE YOURSELVES FOR ME!!!" Nerubian.
Nellius Aug 27th 2009 8:13PM
Assuming that it is basically an "even fight", I think the commander's heals would give him the slight edge needed. But the sheer volume of adds makes it quite easy for a single mistake, or simply blind luck, to tip the scales in Krik'thir's direction.
Banzai Aug 27th 2009 8:20PM
The Commanders would take this, but only slightly. They could whirlwind through the web wraps and basically tank through the fight, with the healers at their back. Basically the the only advantage the Bug has is CC, and if the Commander(s) can counter that he(they) would take the match.
Oznak Aug 27th 2009 8:22PM
Krik'thir and his array of minions don't stand a chance against the commander and his two healers. His signature move, the whirlwind, is perfectly suited to a fight with adds, adds, and more adds. Watcher groups one, two, and three are all pulled and whirlwinded down without much issue, and his healers keep the commander topped off. Even a web wrap presents no problem as his second healer takes over.
Krik'thir himself enters the fight only to be met by a swift charge. He quickly retaliates, and he and the commander commence to beat each other to a pulp. The commander, however, has the advantage of healers. Krik'thir, seeing a lack of progress, curses the commander and begins mind flaying. Seeing victory imminent, he summons his insect minions, only to watch Kolurg/Stoutbeard begin another whirlwind, slaughtering the newcomers en masse and seriously damaging Krik'thir himself. At this point, even an enrage cannot stop the commander as he and his healers have regained control of the battle. Dying, Krik'thir falls in battle for a second, and final time.
Rin Aug 27th 2009 8:32PM
What everyone is forgetting is that the Commanders' whirwind hits for roughly 800,000 points of damage per tick. I have full confidence in the Commanders' abilities to deal with both Krik'thir and his adds as long as he can keep his priests alive long enough to keep him alive.
Nazgûl Aug 27th 2009 8:39PM
If it hit that hard, no one could physically survive the whirlwind. I have seen Tanks live through it. It doesn't hit that hard.
Evelinda Aug 28th 2009 1:12AM
shhh, obviously he was not being serious about it hitting for 800000 damage...
Precision Aug 27th 2009 8:32PM
I think people are forgetting that you can kill the 3 sets of 3 adds one at a time before attacking the boss. The commander can just kill each set, and heal in between each fight.
The commander actually wins pretty easily.
Clbull Aug 27th 2009 8:52PM
True, that is a factor, but (after doing research into it) the clerics don't have that much health (around 60k), and if the Commander is web wrapped, then maybe Krik'thir's add group could dps down the priests.
Precision Aug 28th 2009 2:15AM
If the adds by themselves can take out the commander + his healers then what would be the point of boss vs boss when boss vs adds = adds winning?
Igantinos Aug 27th 2009 8:35PM
Jsut dont forget that "What the...what in the...well, don't just stand there boys, kill something!" he is an idiot and will attack the biggestbug that he sees making him go into a death trap. If he could get the boss down then he would get
*Achivement Unlocked* "Watch Him Die"
Nazgûl Aug 27th 2009 8:38PM
This fight depends solely on the ability of the healers to stay alive.
Example A: Commander goes in and Whirlwinds the Adds. The caster add stays in the back, while the healers too maintain a safe distance. The caster Web Wraps the Commander, and go after the healers. Healers get killed, Commander has no chance.
Example B: Healer gets Web Wrapped when out of range of the Commander. Commander doesn't get to healer in time, and he dies. The process repeats.
Example C: Healers get Web Wrapped while standing next to the Commander. Whirlwind breaks them free, Commander survives and takes the battle.
Because there are two situations where the Commander could die, I throw this match to Krik'thir. Just barely.
Clbull Aug 27th 2009 8:48PM
Krik'thir for 3 simple reasons.
1) Web Wrap on the Priest adds. They won't even be able to move, let alone heal or damage Krik'thir.
2) Krik'thir has 3 groups of adds. You can't exactly beat THAT can you?
3) And considering Watch Him Die is one of the hardest Heroic achievements...
Unless the Commander knows how to pull Krik'thir and his adds correctly, and even then survive the entire encounter, Krik'thir wins.
Meethan Aug 27th 2009 8:57PM
The spider dies because he is not FTH.
Nathan Aug 27th 2009 8:57PM
Really, the fight all comes down to which of the two commanders ends up fighting Krik'thir. If the battle comes down to a dwarf warrior versus a giant overgrown spider...well, dwarves are way more awesome. An Orc, on the other hand, while awesome in his own way, would simply not have what it takes to defeat Krik'thir and his minions. Here's how it would go down if it's Commander Stoutbeard doing the fighting:
Commander Stoutbeard and his posse encounter Krik'thir and his spiders; Krik'thir and his first group of minions immediately attack, but Stoutbeard quickly whirlwinds Krik'thir's minions to death while being healed by his priests, keeping him from taking serious damage.
Puzzled at his small enemy's resistance to damage, Krik'thir draws back in momentary puzzlement, and to summon another group of minions into the fight. Taking advantage of the momentary respite, Stoutbeard challenges the spider to a drinking contest; the spider at first refuses, but Stoutbeard loudly mocks the spider, calling him a coward and insulting his mother. Krik'thir, embarrassed at being mocked in front of his remaining minions, accepts the challenge.
Stoutbeard then pulls a Gnome warlock out of his back pocket, who then summons a Gnome mage, who then summons water--Stoutbeard then whirlwinds both of the Gnomes, pulls a barrel of ale out of his other back pocket, and then uses his Brightbrew Charm to summon a barmaid, who he waves at twice, getting two full tankards of ale, one of which he promptly quaffs and offers to his opponent to use as a drinking vessel. With the barmaid refilling their tankards out of the barrel as necessary, Stoutbeard promptly drinks Krik'thir under the table, and then orders his barmaid to bash the unconscious Krik'thir to death with an empty tankard while he finishes emptying out the barrel of ale.
The remaining minions, sensing something wrong, attack, but without their master, they quickly fall to Stoutbeard's Whirlwinds. Stoutbeard, his priests, and the barmaid then enjoy another few tankards of ale, courtesy of the barmaid, before adjourning to the nearest pub. All is well.
If it's Command Kolurg, on the other hand, he charges ahead of his priests, leaving them to be surrounded and eaten by Krik'thir's minions, and then is promptly Curse of Fatigued, surrounded, and eaten alive. The End.
On the balance, though, I have to give this to the Commanders, if only because I'm assuming the rules of the contest allow for me to pick which one of the commanders will be there to fight Krik'thir. Go, Dwarves!
Morningbell Aug 28th 2009 10:54AM
That's completely Alliance-centric and totally unfair. Not all of us are as hot-headed as Garrosh Hellscream. The two commanders are EXACTLY the same, so stop being a WoW racist and treat them as such. :P
Tim Aug 28th 2009 11:45AM
I hate this because its true.No one could out drink the Dwarve. He even summons adds for himself that he kills.
I have shame in the Horde right now. This is why we will get Pandarin to compete with the Alliances drinking class in the fifth expansion -WoW: ASPLODED AGAIN