Resto Shaman vs. Void Reaver - A Healing Guide
Posted on May 27, 2008 - Filed Under Healing, Raiding, Shaman
This is one in a series of posts covering resto-shaman-specific information for tier4 and tier5 boss fights. It will NOT be a boss kill strategy, rather a list of tips and tricks for your friendly neighborhood shaman to make these fights run a little more smoothly.
You can see other Tuesday Guides (including Gruul’s Lair and all of Serpentshrine Cavern) here.
So, you’re on your way to Tempest Keep! Woohoo! Even though Void Reaver is not technically the first boss you’ll find in TK, he’s likely the first one you’ll be killing. Al’ar, while gorgeous, is rather a pain in the arse, and you can run right past without it noticing. The Void Reaver fight is something of a gimmick fight - once you learn how he works, the raid needs only to keep up a consistent level of DPS.
Void Reaver Basics:
- This fight is exactly the same from 100% to 0. He has no phases.
- Void Reaver is mad. And when he’s mad, much like a small child, he stomps his feet and pounds his hands on the ground. This pounding is an 18 yard AOE for 3 seconds that causes 1.5-2K damage per second. It’s on a 12 second cooldown.
- Arcane Orb: The crux of this fight is avoiding orbs. Void Reaver fires an orb at any raid member who is 18 yards away or more. It takes 2-3 seconds to get to *the place where that person was standing when it launched*, at which point it does around 7K damage in a small AOE, with a 6 second silence.
- For this reason, all ranged (including healers) *MUST* be aware of orbs at all times, not stand too close to other players, and be prepared to run away. If you’re not where you were standing when the orb was fired, it will not follow you, but will blow up harmlessly.
- If you get an orb cast at you, run to the wall. Do not run side to side, or you risk running into an orb explosion from someone else.
- Void Reaver does not care if you are 18 or 30 yards away… but your melee does. If you’re in the ranged groups, do not stand close to him - if you get orbed, you could orb the melee or the tank, and cause a wipe!
- Knock Back: Single target knockback against the highest aggro target, reduces aggro. This can be missed, dodged, or parried to avoid the threat reduction. There will be a tank rotation to deal with this.
- 10 minute Enrage timer
Group Considerations: If you don’t have a shaman to give your melee, this is a fantastic fight for windfury. Otherwise, I’d generally suggest being in the tank group, to dish out extra avoidance and threat.
totems, Totems, TOTEMS! Nothing particular for this one, actually - drop what seems best for the rest of your group, and make absolutely sure that you have mana stream or mana tide down at all times.
Earthshield: The tank. Be aware that “the tank” will be an assortment of different people during this fight.
Heroism/Bloodlust?: Wait until it’s called for, or around 25%.
Don’t stand in the: Arcane Orbs.
Shaman Friendly or Unfriendly: Friendly. Because as a resto shaman, you are a walking gimmick for this fight! Here’s how this works.
- Be in the melee or tank groups so your totems are in range of other people. Make sure you have every mp/5 food/buff/oil/pot/flask you possibly can. When the tank runs in - YOU FOLLOW HIM.
- Go stand in the melee. You’ll get hit by the poundings, but you have chain heal. Make sure you’ve got your mana tide totem and your watershield active, and spam chain heal. SPAM IT! Don’t forget to heal yourself.
- You’ll take approximately 6K damage every 12 seconds, as will all the other melee who don’t resist the poundings. It’s your job to keep them alive, so chug pots early and often - you won’t get a break on this fight.
- Make sure the other healers know to keep an eye on you, in case your health gets a little low - even a renew from time to time will help. If things get a little out of hand, a circle of healing will also give you a little bit of breathing room. (in a raid without shamans, a CoH priest can fulfill the role of the resto shaman… but this is a resto shaman guide
)
Other Stuff:
- If you’re in the melee, be in the melee. If you’re ranged, be ranged. Do not skirt the 18 yard line, or your orbs will hit melee, and make them very angry. Also possibly very dead.
- TRI had the policy of not calling him Loot Reaver until we actually got loot from him. I like this idea, but YMMV.
- Watch Void Reaver’s idling animation. VROOM VROOM!
Void Reaver is mad
You stole his motorcycle!
Many poundings, VROOM!
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3 Responses to “Resto Shaman vs. Void Reaver - A Healing Guide”
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I said the motorcycle comment about Void when I first went. No one else agreed. Great minds think alike? <3
If I recall, don’t you have to have Earthshield on the Shaman who is healing or they get pushed back? Unless there is a pally in the party with consecrate aura, Shamans will get pushed back on heals during that fight if in the middle.
I’ve never had too much of a problem with it, actually - and I don’t run with a Paladin who is using concentration aura. That said, if pushback *does* become a problem, you could definitely try Earthshielding yourself.
I have more of an issue with mana/regen on that fight (bring lots of the Tempest Keep Mana Potions if you can) so I prefer Water Shield.