Blackwing Descent is one of the most popular raids in the World of Warcraft: Cataclysm expansion, offering an exciting series of battles in the old Blackrock fortress. This raid consists of 6 bosses, each presenting unique mechanics and significant challenges for raid groups. The raid is filled with the atmosphere of ancient magic and dangerous experiments. Players face twisted creations and mad constructs created by the evil genius Nefarian, the main antagonist of this raid. Nefarian, the son of Deathwing, seeks to restore the former power of the Black Dragonflight and continues his father’s dark experiments, challenging all who dare to enter his lair. If you are looking for reliable companions to help defeat enemies in this dangerous place, you can use the raid finder or order a WoW Cataclysm boost. In this article, we will talk about Nefarian. Blackwing Descent not only offers thrilling battles and generous rewards but also deepens the storyline of the Warcraft world, giving players the opportunity to once again feel the spirit of adventure and challenges.
Difficulties and game modes
This raid has two difficulties, normal and heroic. In each difficulty, you can choose two game modes: a 10-player raid or a 25-player raid. The mode you play in and the difficulty level affect the features of some mechanics, such as the duration of the ability, the number of players affected by this ability.
Ilvl loot
Blackwing Descent drops quite powerful gear with an item level of 359 in normal mode and 372 in heroic mode. Players can also obtain Tier 11 tokens for killing bosses. These tokens can be exchanged for gear from special vendors. The vendors for Horde and Alliance differ. You can find them inside the Hall of Champions in Stormwind City for the Alliance and inside the Valley of Strength in Orgrimmar for the Horde.
Battle with Nefarian
Phase1
Onyxia
Upon arriving at the arena, the first thing that you will see is the resurrected dragon Onyxia. Onyxia has several abilities that can cause trouble. There are three main abilities: Tail Lash, Shadowflame Breath, and Lightning Discharge. Tail Lash hits players who are standing behind Onyxia, Shadowflame Breath deals damage in front, so only the tank should take damage from this ability. Lightning Discharge deals natural damage to the left and right sides, so players should avoid it at all costs. Onyxia also has a timer, and when it fills up, she casts Electrical Overload, dealing a million nature damage across the entire arena, killing players.
Onyxia’s tactic
The strategy is very simple. One tank should be the first to land in the arena and move Onyxia to the edge of the arena, positioning her side to the damage dealers and healers. This gives the opportunity to avoid Shadowflame Breath and Tail Lash. Onyxia’s body has special indicators signaling the imminent activation of Lightning Discharge. At this moment, the tank should turn her 90 degrees with her back to the allies so they can avoid significant damage. Continue doing this until Nefarian appears and Onyxia’s HP drops to 10-15%. This is necessary to prolong the phase and allow you to deal more damage to the main boss.
Animated Bone Warriors
While you are fighting Onyxia, Nefarian will be summoning his warriors, called Bone Warriors. There is no point in killing or tanking them, as they have a huge amount of HP and stacking damage. Your second tank can kite them around in a circle. These mobs are very vulnerable to control and slowing abilities. They deactivate after 30-50 seconds, depending on the difficulty level, but be careful, as they can be reactivated by Shadowflame Breath, which will create additional problems for you.
Nefarian
Nefarian appears 30 seconds after the start of the fight with Onyxia. He has the same abilities as his Electric creation, but they also have the Children of Deathwing buff, which activates when there are fewer than 50 yards between the dragons. After every 10% of his HP, Nefarian triggers Electrocute, which deals damage to the entire raid. This mechanic works in all phases.
Nefarian Tactics Phase 1
In this case, you must also take him with the third tank in a parallel direction from Onyxia, after which the entire team, except the first tank, move from Onyxia to Nefarian and deal damage. When Onyxia’s counter is nearing full, you return to her and kill.
Heroic difficulty
In heroic mode, Nefarian uses the ability Dominion every 16 seconds. He begins to control 3-5 of your allies and directs them into the shadow portal. When they enter it, they die. While players are under control, they have two available buttons: the first one breaks the control, and the second one increases your damage and healing by 4% for each press. Do not rush to break the control, increase your power as much as possible.
Phase 2
After the first phase, Nefarian takes off and floods the floor with lava. Your task is to climb onto one of the three columns. It is necessary to distribute in advance so that there is a tank, healers, and DPS on each platform. Players will see Chromatic Prototypes on the platforms, which will periodically cast Blast Nova. Your task is to interrupt these spells and deal damage to them. Ranged DPS can shoot at Nefarian, reducing his HP for the final third phase.
Heroic difficulty
Nefarian casts Explosive Cinders on one player on each column every 15 seconds. The player who receives this debuff must jump into the lava away from allies before the 8 seconds expire and return after the explosion. If they fail to do so, all players will be knocked into the lava by an explosive wave, which will be fatal for your progress.
Phase 3
After killing the Chromatic Prototypes, the lava disappears and the players jump back into the arena. The third phase is similar to the first one but without Onyxia. There is also one new mechanic called Shadowblaze. Nefarian shoots Shadowblaze Spark towards Animated Bone Warriors. When the projectile hits the ground, it turns into a fiery arena and starts to expand. The task of the second tank, as in the first phase, is to lead them around the edge of the room until their life cycle expires. You won’t be able to stop them completely, but you can gain a couple of crucial seconds to reduce the stacks from these warriors.
Conclusion
In theory, it looks easy, but in reality, this raid, like all others, requires practice. Every wrong step, every mistake of your ally can turn the tide of battle upside down. If you encounter difficulties in passing, or you are not sure that you are ready for this, you can use WoW Cataclysm carry. Thanks to this service, WoW Cataclysm Boosters will guide you through the most dangerous places of any raid, giving you the opportunity to get a reward and be part of a strong team.