Two Bosses Enter: Ionar vs. Xevozz
by Lisa Poisso 
Oct 1st 2009 at 2:00PM
Energy sweeps the Thunderdome this week as Ionar of the Halls of Lightning confronts Xevozz from the Violet Hold. Mage-Lord Urom gave Xevozz a bit of a struggle in Xevozz's first-bracket match, while Ionar easily overcame Ichoron in his own shot at a berth in this round. Which boss will zap the other's strength this week?
Time for a quick review of the standard Two Bosses Thunderdome ground rules:
- Assume that the opponents along with their minions share similar levels, health pools and comparative overall damage output.
- This deathmatch takes place on neutral territory, which shall in no way hinder either combatant from using his or her usual battle 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.
Ionar (Halls of Lightning)You wish to confront the master? You must weather the storm!
Ionar is a lightning revenant and the third boss encountered in the Halls of Lightning. He periodically disperses into smaller Sparks of Ionar during battle, which crawl inexorably toward opponents and increase the range of his lightning effect.
Read more about Ionar's battle tactics and review player comments about the fight.
XevozzBack in business! Now to execute an exit strategy.
Xevozz is an Ethereal imprisoned in the Violet Hold. He is known for his summoned spheres of arcane energy, which feed his power and cause him to enrage.
Read more about Xevozz's combat tactics, and pick up additional tips from players who've fought him.
The Two Bosses Enter smackdown
Two Boss matchups are about substance and style, not game play and mechanics. Don't get swept up into thinking about how players would react -- there are no players in the Thunderdome. No game-mechanic nitpicking! Vote for the spirit of the battle as set forth above. Set aside differences in opponents' health pools, game level and actual damage output.
Who wins, and why? We'll see you down below in the comments. Can you come up with a convincing scenario that will sway other readers to your point of view?
| Ionar wins (Xevozz dies) | |
|---|---|
| Xevozz wins (Ionar 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, Fan stuff, Features, Lore, Bosses, Two Bosses Enter
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
ash Oct 1st 2009 2:14PM
People are voting for Xevozz, really? I mean, one dispersion and Ionar wins.
Jewbanks Oct 1st 2009 2:16PM
What dispersion can hurt you? it move so slow im hard pressed to remember the last time it touched me
AlicanC Oct 1st 2009 4:31PM
Yeah. When Xevozz starts to cast his teleport-everything-near-me thing, Ionar is going to Disperse and Xevozz will get killed in a second.
Pollux Oct 1st 2009 5:21PM
Yeah, totally, because that's when Ionar casts that one spell that makes you stand absolutely still, like a newborn. Dodging the Dispersion spiders is completely out of the question. Running away from them completely defies common sense.
Maximize Oct 2nd 2009 1:55AM
The fight seems pretty even with both bosses having major abilities with high damage AOE. What gives Ionar the advantage is that when he disperses, he's not taking damage. Xevozz is going to lose because he will be taking moderate to high damage the whole time.
imsobuzzed Oct 1st 2009 2:16PM
A Static Overload from Ionar is not going to have much effect when there are not multiple targets to hurt each other. Given the fact that these 2 will just go at each other without regard to what the other is doing really defines how it plays out. Neither boss will kite or run away from avoidable damage. This benefits Xevozz the most as Ionar will just stand there and eat bright balls of arcane power till he dies. End of story.
Fatbeard Oct 1st 2009 2:25PM
It really boils down to a matter of brains. Xevozz, being an Ethereal and, therefore very cunning, will calculate his way to defeating the Ionar.
Xtian Oct 1st 2009 2:26PM
Since when would these bosses not kite each other? They presumably would do whatever is most likely to win them the round, which probably means not standing near each other.
Ionar would power surge one of the arcane energy balls, forcing Xevozz to move away. Ionar would then attack Xevozz. The ethereal could respond by teleporting everyone on top of the arcane energy, but then Ionar would just disperse and become immune to damage. Xevozz would once again have to run away from the protection of his arcane energy, at which point Ionar can fry him with little worry. If Xevozz decided not to engage the elemental and instead hang by his arcane balls, Ionar could just keep dotting up Xevozz, who has no ranged attack.
Clearly the ethereal is not going to win this one.
Jafari Oct 1st 2009 2:49PM
I see what you mean. Ionar can counter the summon by dispersing, so Xevozz can't really get Ionar near his balls for any time at all.
Amapele Oct 1st 2009 2:34PM
"Since when would these bosses not kite each other? They presumably would do whatever is most likely to win them the round, which probably means not standing near each other."
This is what I was thinking...which brings me down to it being a matter of who can move around and avoid the other one's crap easiest. I agree with what already has been said that if Lonar doesn't move then Xevoo gets the opportunity to become enraged in which case Lonar is toast.
In general I like Lonar's voice so I'm going to go with him on this one.
Amapele Oct 1st 2009 2:36PM
I'd also like to add that I could imagine this being a very boring fight. ;/
BuzzDX Oct 1st 2009 2:36PM
This^^.
Static Overload the arcane orbs and let them get to Xevozz. When that happens, Ionar can disperse right on top of him, and have the Sparks stacking Arcing Burn to an high level. After Dispersion is over, Ionar can Static Overload the adds again and slowly kite Xevozz while making him electrocute himself to death. So much for being an intelligent Ethereal.
BuzzDX Oct 1st 2009 2:38PM
My comment was @ Xtian.
Hurgan Oct 1st 2009 3:11PM
Ionar can't kite, every time he stops to cast Ball Lighting, Xevozz and his orbs close the distance or Xevozz casts summon. Xevozz's arcane spells are cast in the blink of an eye, hit hard, and then he's on the move again, easily keeping the elemental in melee range. Ionar's DOT does minimal damage with a 10 second delay.
Ionar certainly casts dispersal, but Xevozz has more than enough health to survive the first round and the mobility to avoid it. But Ionar can't cast dispersal often enough, to avoid having his health ground away.
The only trick that Ionar has up his sleeve is Dispersal, and it only works against sitting duck targets. Which Xevozz most certainly is not.
peagle Oct 1st 2009 2:50PM
After Ionar disperses for the 6th time Xevozz says "bollocks to this, LFG HoS".
Siaperas Oct 1st 2009 2:54PM
Confident in his abilities and the power of his ethereal spheres, I see Xevozz charging Ionar. But he's too confident in his own abilities. As he unleashes a few arcane spells and summons his sphere, secretely gloating in his own power, Ionar coldly shows the convict the raw power of the storm, and he disperses.
Xevozz thinks it's some kind of cheap trick, or maybe it's not a trick, but surely, the disperssion can't be that bad. Every group that's seen Ionar for the first time and not known about the disperssion has also thought, "We've gone through the instance really well up to here. This will hurt a bit, but our healer should be able to heal through that damage." Lightning blankets the floor, and electricity jumps through the spheres, Xevozz is feels seering agony as he's bathed in the electrical current. It jumps through his ethereal form and burns the wrappings covering his body. Xevozz learns the hard way, what every other group learns about disspersion: it is not to be taken lightly.
Maybe Xevozz survives the first disperssion. A pain he has not felt before slowly subsiding, lingering about his armor as the electricity reforms into Ionar, who immediately reminds Xevozz about the fight with a massive ball of lightning. Xevozz, terrified for the first time in his life imediately summons another sphere unleashes all hell on Ionar as he actually tries to retreat. Ionar, like a sociopath in a bad thriller movie, coldly follows Xevozz as the convict back pedals, trying to hit the ethereal with balls of lightning and his axe.
This lasts for seconds of course before Ionar does another dispersion. Knowing better this time, Xevozz tries to flee, the arcing burn nipping at his heels, but in his panic, he had backed himself inot a corner. There's nowhere left to run. Then the pain returns washing over him breifly before his body finally gives out, and his armor drops, smoldering on the floor.
bobnweave91 Oct 1st 2009 3:02PM
As alarms sound and guards rush to the scene of the crime, Xevozz makes his escape. A group of adventurers had failed to contain the beasts within the Violet Hold, and now they try and make their getaway. Most are easily cornered, but Xevozz, the cunning Ethereal that he is, slips out the backdoor and into out of Dalaran. While in prison, he had heard fabulous stories of a titan city called Ulduar, and the fabulous treasures that lay there. Xevozz had it in his head that if he were to obtain some of those treasures or artifacts, one of them would lead him to a powerful weapon, with which he might exact revenge upon his jailers. So, without further ado, he slipped off through Crystalsong Forest and made his way up into the Storm Peaks.
A few days later, and with the help of a captured wyrm, he arrived at the doors of the Halls of Lightening. Careful to avoid General Bjarngrim and Volkhan, so as no to waste his energy, he made his way through the Halls before coming upon a massive dais, upon which stood the fabled Revenant, Ionar. Xevozz knew that if he were to reach Loken, he had to dispatch this being.
Ionar had detected the presence of a powerful arcane being as soon as Xevozz had stepped foot in Ulduar, but had assumed that Bjarngrim or Volkhan would dispatch it. So, he was rather surprised when the Etheral showed up ready to challenge him.
Ionar roared, "You wish to confront the master? You must weather the storm!" and immediately DoT'd him with Static Overload before hurling a Ball Lightening at him. Xevozz is hit hard but quickly recovers and retaliates with an Arcane Buffet. Ionar, realizing he has been weakened to the arcane, quickly disperses and starts arcing towards Xevozz. The Ethereal tries an Arcane volley, but to no effect. By this time, the electricity is upon him and shocks him repeatedly.
Xevozz, in one last attempt, summons his arcane orbs to grant him power, but by this time, Ionar has regrouped and, seeing that the Ethereal has summoned these orbs, hits him with another static overload. The Ethereal himself destroys the orbs, unwillingly. Looking up, as he coughs up pure energy, the last thing he sees is Ionar about to stuff a Ball Lightening down his throat.
Far away, Loken hear's the Etheral scream and vanish, and smiles to himself coldly. Ulduar's treasures were his, for the time being.
Hurgan Oct 1st 2009 3:29PM
Wait a minute. The most mobile scrapper of a boss in VH doesn't escape dispersal?
Ionar roared, "You wish to confront the master? You must weather the storm!" and immediately DoT'd him with Static Overload before hurling a Ball Lightening at him.
Xevozz quickly closes the distance and summons his orbs. While Ionar throws his second Ball Lightning. Ionar is overwhelmed with Xevozz's flurry. The Static Overload ticks and goes off, doing trivial damage to the orbs.
Ionar, realizing he has been weakened to the arcane, quickly disperses and starts arcing towards Xevozz.
After a handful of hits and noticing his foes are immune, Xevozz retreats, easily evading the slow and dim-witted sparks. Once they stop their advance, Xevozz summons his orbs again, keeping their destination plainly in sight.
Ionar re-materializes. Midway through his first cast, he finds himself teleported in the midst of a flurry of steel and arcane energy.
Xevozz, in one last attempt, summons his arcane orbs to grant him power, but by this time, Ionar has regrouped and, seeing that the Ethereal has summoned these orbs, hits him with another static overload.
Which is too little, too late. The exploding electrical energy is little more than a slap to the robust health of arcane minions, and in the 10 seconds it takes to build, Ionar has been pounded for five times as much damage.
thebitterfig Oct 1st 2009 3:19PM
We have to presume that there are places to run from Dispersion and places to kite Xevoxx out of LoS from his spheres, since this is neutral ground, but it isn't a perfect situation for either of them, and Xevozz will get LoS sometimes, and will also have to eat some Dispersion Arcing Burn.
Some write about how Xevozz will be eaten alive by the dispersion and the sparks, and yeah, he'll take some damage from it - he can't outrun all of it - but it won't be too bad. However, while moving from the dispersion, he'll also be getting closer to his Spheres, and once Ionar reforms, Xevozz will be primed to summon him right on top of one, maybe two spheres. Light's out for the elemental. Sure, our second favorite corporate criminal after Bernie Madoff will get banged up on this (I'll presume Ionar will Static Overload the orbs, putting extra hurt on the ethereal), but it just won't be enough. Dispersion just sets Ionar up for extra hurt from Arcane Power once he reforms, and Xevozz will win in the end.
That said, I wouldn't invest too highly in Xevozz, he's got definite Junk Bond status...
Guildenstern Oct 1st 2009 3:21PM
The Ethereal always wins.