Two Bosses Enter: Anub'Arak vs. Tribunal of Ages
by Lisa Poisso 
Dec 17th 2009 at 4:00PM
I'm hiding my eyes behind my hands for this one: Anub'Arak (Azjol-Nerub) versus Tribunal of Ages (Halls of Stone). Storyweavers, get ready to spin your webs ... This is the type of match where a good blow-by-blow account in the comments can go a long way toward swaying the vote.
But first, the
- This match takes place inside the Tribunal of Ages in the Halls of Stone ... or perhaps the Tribunal has been transplanted to the Two Bosses Thunderdome ... or perhaps they're someplace else ... Any way you slice it, the Tribunal's basic encounter mechanic functions as usual. Work with it, people! It's a fantasy tournie.
- No matter where you choose to set the match and who you may choose to stand in for Brann Bronzebeard, his survival ultimately determines the success or failure of the mission. Anub'Arak is therefore challenged with holding the Tribunal at bay long enough for Bronzebeard to complete his task. Technically, a "win" for Anub'Arak means that neither opponent dies.
- All of the competitors' abilities, including crowd control and other effects to which bosses are usually immune, work on their opponents.
- Assume that the opponents share similar levels, health pools and comparative overall damage output.
- Don't get caught up in gameplay mechanics and what actual players might do in each encounter.
- Don't neglect style, story and scale.
In Corner One: Anub'Arak (Azjol-Nerub)
I was king of this empire once, long ago. In life I stood as champion. In death I returned as conqueror. Now I protect the kingdom once more. Ironic, yes?
Anub'Arak, the former king of Azjol-Nerub, was among the Nerubians slaughtered in the War of the Spider and later raised as Undead by Ner'zhul the Lich King to do his bidding. Read the extensive lore page on Anub'Arak to learn more about his background.
Anub'Arak's battle strategy includes truly relentless tactics. Besides wreaking havoc with vicious attacks and environmental damage, he swarms opponents with protective Locusts and nettling Carrion Beetles. He periodically burrows underground, besieging opponents with packs of summoned minions.
Carrion Beetles- Locust Swarm
- Impale
- Pound
- Anub'ar Assassin
- Anub'ar Darter
- Anub'ar Guardian
- Anub'ar Venomancers
In Corner Two: The Tribunal of Ages, Halls of Stone
Abedneum: 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. Review the Tribunal's first-bracket shut-out of Anomalus.
The smackdown
Two Boss matchups are about substance and style, not game play and mechanics. Don't base your strategies on player tactics, which opponent has been easiest or most difficult for you personally, or the difficulty of each opponent relative to instance progression. Vote for the spirit of the battle as set forth above. Set aside differences in opponents' health pools, game level and actual damage output. Absolutely no game-mechanic nitpicking!
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?
| Anub'Arak wins (Brann Bronzebeard or his stand-in completes his task) | |
|---|---|
| Tribunal of Ages wins (Anub'Arak or Brann/stand-in dies) | |
| Tie (something else happens) |
Who rocks Wrath's five-man world? Vote now and cheer on your favorite for this round in Two Bosses Enter, One Boss Leaves: The Original Wrath Five-Man Season. Review the current fighting bracket and consider who you think will come out on top.Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Fan stuff, Features, Lore, Bosses, Two Bosses Enter
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
crokor Dec 17th 2009 4:05PM
anub isn't a warrior tank, he wins by default!
Klokkan Dec 17th 2009 4:06PM
All I gotta say is >8< spider pride.
Zapwidget Dec 17th 2009 4:10PM
Anub eats Brann then burrows below, leaving the Tribunal with a collective "WTF" expression on their faces.
snowleopard233 Dec 17th 2009 4:53PM
Can...can...can he do that?!?!
NekoDaimyo Dec 17th 2009 5:00PM
This, right here, got Anub my vote.
Bashram Dec 17th 2009 8:26PM
Note that, when he burrows, he retrieves the giant disk in the floor that Brann was trying to access. So, technically, Brann's quest is successful.
Mimzy Dec 17th 2009 10:03PM
**dies laughing**
This. This option needs to be option four on the poll because that is what would happen.
RetPallyJil Dec 17th 2009 4:09PM
Anub's buddies will keep the Tribunal flunkies busy the whole fight. Spider-boy can sit back and eat flies and win this one easily.
nwoods13 Dec 17th 2009 4:10PM
i think anub would win...
he has enough aoe with his adds and burrowing to effectively protect brann.
Tyr Dec 17th 2009 4:16PM
Wouldn't Brann fall through the floor if Anub keeps burrowing holes in it? I mean, I'm sure that, in Azjol-Nerub, his own kingdom, he has enough escape holes pre-burrowed to hide in, but an old titan complex just waiting to be condemned? Brann'll be lucky if the ceiling doesn't collapse and crush him on his way down.
Undra Dec 17th 2009 4:17PM
He's a clever, devious, and powerful former king of a continent spanning empire. He has a swarm of bugs at his disposal that can match any stream of iron dwarves summoned to the chamber and no matter what the Searing Gaze is targettted at, that bug will jsut burrow underground and wait it out while the rest of the swarm works around it.
That's what this fight is, swarm against swarm and all Anub has to do is wait it out.
Outis Dec 17th 2009 4:18PM
The Traitor King gets this. As he's escorting a member of the Cult of the Damned, the Tribunal of Ages activates its defense mechanisms. Anub'arak gathers up the adds, uses Carrion Swarm to damage them, and Pounds them into oblivion. His Carrion Beetles present additional targets for the Tribunal's abilities, soaking them away from their King. If Anub'arak's taking too much damage from the adds, he can always Burrow and start summoning his adds - some Venomancers and Guardians versus a bunch of Iron Dwarves sounds a lot like a stalemate to me, especially with Anub'arak contributing strategic Impales from below to soften tough targets like the golems. And by the terms of the fight, Anub'arak wins all stalemates. Tribunal of Ages is going down - Halls of Stone, you've been h4>8< spider pride)
snowleopard233 Dec 17th 2009 4:59PM
I see everyone saying Anub can tunnel but are we really thinking about the terrain presented here? This isn't some underground cavern, this is a titan fortress he's digging through. even if Anub were able to scratch through the layers of titansteel and bronze, who knows where he'd end up?
He could burrow straight down into the second level bathroom of Ulduar, where a showering Freya will scream and start slamming him with a washbrush. Anub will then, completely embarrassed, cover his head and apologize profusely, run into some furniture on the way out and make a complete ass out of himself.
Tribunal Wins!
Maymer Dec 17th 2009 5:20PM
Worse would be stumbling upon Hodir...or even Yogg-Saron showering. That would be an awkward conversation.
Anub: Um...hey there...um...Death God...didn't know you used a lufa
Yoggy: Well, um...yeah, it gets the hard to reach spots
Anub: But you have a million tentacles...and is that Head and Shoulders I'm smelling? Are those...ARE THOSE BUBBLES FROM A BUBBLE BATH!?
Yoggy: Um...I can explain...um...Don't tell anyone and I'll give you Val'anyr
Outis Dec 17th 2009 5:48PM
The fight's in neutral territory, friends. Besides, he's an unholy undead fiend of impossible strength. Some metal isn't really that much of a hindrance is *solid rock* isn't.
scraggerly Dec 18th 2009 10:20AM
Cant burrow through the terrain? umm, seriously? wizzard did it... It's a fantasy matchup full of MAGICAL mythical creatures and your worried about physics, lols
go anoob
Dawts Dec 17th 2009 4:21PM
I don't even see how anub can lose. He burrows the lasers and let's his adds/aoe deal with the dark iron adds.
Brian Dec 17th 2009 4:24PM
Anub doesn't have a chance. He and his spidery minions could handle the adds, but he's too large and he won't be able to get out of the giant laser beam at the end.
nwoods13 Dec 17th 2009 4:27PM
he can burrow during the giant laser so even if the adds stalemate its a win.
BrilicXicotlDesteni Dec 17th 2009 4:23PM
I...actually have no clue. This is the first fight that I can see going both ways.
So this is going to be a tie for my vote. You want an RP story for it?
King Dred bursts into the front door and **eats all of them in the face**.