Malygos

[Euller]

I know this comes dangerously close the raid break, but I felt this guide to be particulary helpful in learning the mechanics of this fight. So if anyone is looking for a quick read with pretty pictures, this is the site for you! http://www.bosskillers.com/cgi-bin/bbguild/index.cgi?action=view_guide&guide_id=475

[Assault]

Here is a Malygos (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BoQwGt6_SAI) video by the same woman who did the video on Sarth3D (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NDljeQC6vOw) that I posted. There's also a written Malygos strategy. (http://www.stratfu.com/strats/Malygos) This video shows some new things that we don't do and probably should, and also gives some good ideas for eventually going for a 5 minute Malygos kill for the achievement.

[Assault]

I have a very firm grasp of the drake phase on Malygos, so I wanted to explain some of the nuances of maximizing your dps in that phase.

When you attack Malygos for the first time, you don't need to get 2 combo points before you Engulf in Flames (the 2 button). You're starting with full energy so get 1 combo point, then EiF, then get 2 combo points, EiF and then continue with two combo points after that.

With the method we use of healing in that phase, you don't need to shield or save energy to use the shield except for in specific circumstances. I almost never use the shield (the 5 button). If you have full health, there's no reason to. Taking the whole focus only does about ~75k damage, and if you're properly grouped up with everyone else you'll recover that health in seconds. The energy/combo points you would use to shield is better used to do more dps.

I also don't really save energy (11, wait for 85 energy, 2). If I have full health there's no reason to so I hit EiF at 50 energy. If I have less than ~75k health (which should only be for mere seconds) then I will wait until I have 60-65 energy to EiF, which still gives you enough energy to use the shield, because you'll have 25 energy by the time the GCD from the EiF is finished.

The only other thing I'll say about not using the shield is that it only works if you're good about getting out of the lightning storm cloud thingie. If you watch for it yourself (rather than wait for 'move' callout over vent) you should not take more than 2 ticks of it, so ~20k damage. However if you're slow and/or bad at being able to predict approximately when it's coming (I'm pretty sure it's on a fairly strict timer, I wish DBM had a timer for it) then you need to be more conservative about not using your shield, because taking 3-4 ticks from lightning storm AND getting focussed is going to kill you.

The only question I have is timing new applications of stacks. I can only assume that adding a new EiF resets the dot timer. So it would be most beneficial to cast EiF IMMEDIATELY after it ticked rather than say, 2.5 seconds after it ticked, because then it'd be another 3 seconds before it ticks again, which, over the long run, would really hurt your dps. However, I don't know if there's a way to track this, can you see the scrolling combat text, and does that show up promptly enough to be useful as an indicator for timing the dot?

[Nortibiry]

Six minute Malygos video & discussion on Tankspot:

http://www.tankspot.com/forums/f206/45339-eye-eternity-malygos-6-minutes.html

Watched it last week the main points I remember:
- no insane spark stacking, they kill him before spark1 has faded away (with spark 1 and 2 stacked via deathgrip).
- spark 3 is used for phase 2 dps
- only use every second bubble in phase 2 to minimize movement
- initial dps rotation in phase3: 1 2 1 2 1 1 2 (then 1 1 2 until dead).
- some sort of five healer rotation in phase 2 eliminates the need to shield, ever.

No time to check deeper this second but wanted to get the link out there.

[edit] Oh yeah lock suicide for CoE in phase 3.

[Assault]

The other major points I think are using improved spell reflect and some other abilities (some paladin one? I didn't catch it) to mitigate as much incoming damage as possible from the scions because they hit pretty darn hard when you're out of the magic bubble. Would this require respeccing on anyone's part? Tier especially I'm wondering if people consistently are dying in p2 whether it'd be worth him going prot, or at least some kind of stupid spec where he can try to dps while having improved spell reflect (and wearing a shield..).

It also suggests consumable potions so...get some 40211 made out of 2x36903, 1x40195 and a 18256. At least that's the potion I would use, maybe there's a better one for other classes.

Also with the drake healing we'd need someone coordinating the healing on vent. Apparently you stack five "3's" on yourself then wait for your name to be called out on vent. Your name will be called out on his "surge."

So like if Etri, Lad, Chrensli, me and Nortibiry are healing, we would all stack 5 lifeblooms on ourselves to start and then don't do jack shit. When the first surge comes I'd call out "Etri" and he hits his AoE heal (4) button. Next surge comes I call out "Lad" and he does it, etc, until I've cycled through to Nort. After you've done your AoE heal once all you do is stack up 5 lifeblooms on yourself (or anyone) and hit your AoE heal and continue doing that the entire fight.

[Buzzworth]

Two things to add here if I may.

1. The Lock can throw the CoE at the very end of Phase 1 and it will remain active for the duration of the spell, so if the Phase 2 is markedly fast, there's no need to throw away a DPS from phase 3.

2. You can either lifebloom yourself or throw flame spikes to build combo points as a healer. While the damage is minimal, the fact that you are healing the entire group to full each healing rotation makes the lifeblooms less useful than the small amount of damage.

[benseac]

The other major points I think are using improved spell reflect and some other abilities (some paladin one? I didn't catch it) to mitigate as much incoming damage as possible from the scions because they hit pretty darn hard when you're out of the magic bubble.

I haven't looked at this yet but if it's a paladin spell thing, it could be divine guardian, which is like an AoE hand of sacrifice except the paladin takes no damage. it's about 19-20 points into the prot tree. If that's what you're talking about, I'm spec'd for it. Mys might be as well.

[Assault]

Another thing is when we fail on this, we should get Heroic: Denyin' the Scion for the healers or tanks or whoever doesn't already have it. When we're into phase 2 but we are not on time for a kill, we should DPS the scions down low (WITHOUT DOTS). Let the healers (not all of them at once..) get the killing blow on the scions so they can get the achievement.

[benseac]

that'd be appreciated, especially since most of the raid should be closing in on the black proto-drake. :)