Tanking 4 horsemen (a question)
For the past 2 weeks, we have been doing Naxx10 with 2 healers, where I am the only hybrid in the group. While I am familiar with other ways of doing the encounter with only 2 healers, the strategy that our group used was to have me and an affliction warlock tank the back bosses, where I usually started on the right back corner (holy damage) and my lock friend started on the left back (shadow damage).
I know that I would need to pop some healing, but I didn’t expect that VE doesn’t seem to do anything and that I would be doing some frantic healing. I notice, however, that my lock friend usually fares better, that he would be okay if I don’t heal him for a while, even when we swap position. I’m usually close to being out of mana when the front bosses go down (after fiend, dispersion, and mana pot). I even try putting up my healing gear, but that doesn’t seem to be helping.
Am I missing something here? Or is this normal? Any hints or tips so that I can be more in “control” of the situation instead of hoping that the dps is strong enough to kill the other two bosses before my mana is completely drained?
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I had to do down the back a few weeks ago for the first time and i figured that VE would be enough to keep me up… but it wasn’t and i died and wiped the raid…
All i do on the back is wand and heal myself. I find renew and power word shield will generally get me through, and if i get low on mana, dispersion or shadow fiend will get me through…
The way we’ve been doing it lately is a lot easier though… send a healer and a dps down the back. I stay at the front and heal one of the tanks - there isnt that much dmg flying around and i am not healing anywhere near as much as i do when im down the back…
I usually end up tanking too
Done it on 10 and 25 man, without and without a healer sidekick to help me as we run past each other up the back. Its stressful.. but fun!
I wear my pvp gear for the extra stamina - its over too quick to worry bout mana regen.
I try and keep my offensive casting to a min - Like stick SWP VE and DP up 1st while ur in shadow Form and then come out when u need to start healing urself.
But the tools at your disposal
Healthstone
Healthpot /Mana pot
Dispersion
Let your shadow Fiend Tank one round ( target the dude, and hit fade) It will give you some breathing space where ur not taking damage and give you back some mana. The fiend is a tough little bugger
Zeliek ( the holy one) stay out of his melee range,he hits harder then he casts and try and time your greater heals so they are most effective. I use prayer of mending as well ( better mana use for healing result )
the Biggest problem I found with Lady Blaumeux ( shadow) was I would be in the middle of casting a greater heal and be standing in a void zone.
Not sure if that helps at all.. It scared the crap out of me the 1st couple of times i did it..
I don’t even bother dps when I’m doing this. For both bosses, I’m more or less healing constantly. And that’s fine, cos as long as I stay alive it’s an easy fight. The lock is presumably using shadow ward, haunt and spamming drain life?
@crysana
and spent the rest the fight playing catch up with the healing. I’ve never tried healing the tank instead. That actually sounds less hectic.
I almost caused a wipe too
@Zahrah
I was constantly spamming Flash Light (and Binding heal when applicable), maybe that’s why I run out of mana so fast. I tried doing PoM, but I wasn’t sure whether it jumps to my lock back, but I never seem to get the bounce back. Maybe we are too far apart.
@Merlot
I am a bit (very tiny bit) saddened that lock makes a better tank ><
That’s pretty much what I did too. I was under impression that I can dps and spot healing, so I was wondering if I’m doing something wrong
Like you, I’m a shadowpriest. For this encounter I take myself and someone that has a lot of health that isn’t a tank (usually a Ret Pally) to the top as Horsemen tanks. I just spam binding heal on the Pally, using Shadowfiend around 70% mana and usually have no mana issues. By the time I get around the 30% mana point, our other DPS’ers have taken out the bottom two horsemen and have made their way back up top so I can go back in to Shadowform, Disperse if needed, and resume DPS. Just like Merlot, I don’t use a single DPS spell until the rest of the raid is up there with me.