Alliance ZG Strategies

(note: much of the original information is stolen from the Horde guide, thanks!)

Clearing Trash

Use CC. Don't break CC.

• All pulls will be started well away from the raid - do NOT creep forward unless you are responsible for CC.
• MT pulls static groups (for initial aggro). Mages should sheep non-trapped (or high risk) targets without being asked - work out targets as quickly as possible in your class channel.
• On non-AoE pulls, one dangerous caster target (Priest, Shadow Caster, Witch Doctor) will be killed right away. Any additional casters must be priority CC targets.
• On AoE pulls, elites will be offtanked or CC'd then non-elites will be AoE'd AWAY from the elites.
• Watch your position (especially the outer edge of the main path ring). We do NOT pull all the trash and it is possible for static groups to aggro you if you do not remain aware of your surroundings.
• Face Snakes and Hunter type characters away from the raid - they have Cone AoE type attacks.
• Axe throwers can have their whirl attacks cut short via sheeping - please do so even if the thrower is the MA's target.
• Berserkers have a fear, so allow the puller to bring it to a safe area before engaging in melee combat, and keep pets with dash away.

High Priests and Priestesses

The boss mobs are listed in roughly the order in which they are usually killed.

Jeklik - Bat Priestess

Phase 1

• She will come down in bat form. Standard tank & kill for the most part.
• Healers and AoE classes need to spread out. She has a short range AoE silence that she sometimes does after a random charge. We will position paladins on the left and the right, in order to have them in range for cleanse as much as possible.
• She will summon non-elite bat adds - one mage will be designated as the lead AoE mage, they will draw them AWAY from her before starting AoE.
• Healers keep the AoE classes alive, but don't totally forget about the MT in the process.
• Try to be ready to fill in as needed if others have been silenced.
  

Phase 2

• She will attempt to heal herself. CTRA will give a warning when she is casting her greater heal, this MUST be interrupted. Rogues will be the primary source of interrupts, but others need to be ready to take over if necessary (druid bear stun, paladin hammer of justice).
• Firebombs will drop from the sky, and the area where they land will continue to burn. Stay spread out and move out of the fire as quickly as possible.
• It is possible to see the start of a bomb and hear the bottle break sound and be out of the way before taking any damage.

Venoxis - Snake Priest

• Clear the speaker pull out beforehand.

Phase 1

• CC all but one of the Priest's 4 adds and kill the adds one at a time following the MA.
• Stay spread out and away from the MT's position. The Priest uses either a flamestrike or a holy nova - the nova used on the raid can wipe the raid.
• When dps is called, the raid will engage AT RANGE ONLY. He has a lightning strike that will bounce from one member to another, and on each bounce, it gains power. If there are people in melee range, the lightning can get up to 5000 damage or more.

Phase 2

• The priest turns into a snake and emits a big poison cloud. He will also periodically emit the poison.
• The MT will move the snake out of the cloud whenever the poison is emitted, and melee need to be ready to move out of the cloud quickly.
• Paladins need to use cleanse, druids should be spamming Abolish Poison on anyone in melee range.

20% Life

• Around 20% the snake enrages and starts hitting a LOT harder - healers should pre-emptively overheal the MT at this stage. Thunderclap (from a DPS warrior preferrably) and Hurricane should be re-applied at the 21% mark in anticipation.
• If/When the MT dies at the end, just go full DPS and kite while avoiding the poison clouds.

Mar'li - Spider Priestess

Phase 1

• Killing the spider adds that the Priestess summons is ALWAYS top priority for DPS. Killed early, they are cake. Fully grown (in a matter of seconds) they are devastating.
• The Speaker will be sheeped on the pull and killed after the first wave of baby spiders - be ready to switch DPS onto a baby spider if it comes while killing the Speaker.
• The priestess has an AoE poison effect. If you don't need to be in range, don't stand near her. If you have to eat the poison, be prepared to cure yourself or bandage out of range when the poison is cured (or stay in range and use healing potions/whipper roots).
• Stay behind the designated offtank in a direct line with him, the preistess, and the MT. Be ready for DPS/healing off at the start of phase 2.

Phase 2

• The priestess becomes a giant spider and webs anyone near her - temporarily removing them from the aggro list and reducing their long term aggro.
• When this happens, the designated offtank will taunt/challenging shout/mocking blow to get aggro and start tanking her - moving her back in position. If anyone else gets aggro, they will run forwards, to the MT position.
• DPS is OFF until the big spider is back in position. Healing the old tank should pause as well. Heals to the new tank should try to wait for establishment of aggro - but don't let the new tank die.

Phase 3

• She will at some point (less so when DPS is strong) attempt to heal herself via lifetap on someone in the raid (usually but not always the MT).
• The lifetap must be dispelled from her target (by a priest or paladin) IMMEDIATELY. You can lose 2 minutes of raid damage in seconds if she lifetaps for too long.
• Rumor has it kick, shield bash, pummel, etc can interrupt as well. Better safe than sorry.

Arlokk - Panther Priestess

Start

• Raid stands opposite the gong. MT stands in the middle closer to the door at start.
• Two offtanks (paladins or druids) stand directly in front of the gong.
• Do NOT attempt to run back into the instance if you die - the door is sealed and you can bug the gong.
• Do NOT stay feigned/vanished during a wipe or the gong may bug.
• The priestess has a mark that makes the panthers attack you. The mark will be cleansed off targets until one of the designated offtanks is marked.
• Panther adds will be offtanked at the edge of each of the side pens. Please stay clear.
• All DPS on the priestess, do not attempt to kill the panthers unless there is a stray one that is not on the offtanks, and is chewing on a healer.
• Additional marked players need to STAY AWAY from the pen openings (the mark has a range).

After First Vanish

• The Panther Priestess will occasionally vanish - during this period go ahead and kill straggler panthers, assisting the MA. Try to conserve mana / energy / rage for the Priestess' reappearance.
• Warriors spread out towards the end of the vanish - whoever is closest when the Panther Priestess reappears needs to taunt and tank her until the MT can take over. She must not be attacking healers.
• When she reappears, she usually does a pretty high damage AoE whirlwind attack. You do NOT want to be clustered up when that happens.

When the Hoodoo hits the fan

• In case of emergency (offtank near death) - mages need to be prepared to frost nova the panther pack before they spread out (work out an order ahead of time). While the pack is frost nova'd a backup offtank warrior can attempt to take over (suggestion: challenging shout -> retaliation -> defensive stance). All others stay concentrated on the priestess.
• In case of all hell broken loose - intitmidating shout, flash bombs & fear.

Thekal - Tiger Priest (aka Tony the Tiger)

Phase 1

• On initial pull, quickly kill non-humanoid adds (Assisting the MA). Try to CC the other adds in a place that the MA can find easily (ex. pull to freezing traps just at the start of the open area.
• In the following order: Zath, the Rogue add (stands West/Left of the Priest) to 15%, Thekal the Priest to 10%, Lor'khan the Shaman add (stands East/Right of the Priest) to 15%, then bring them together and kill them all. If they do not die within a short time of each other, they will resurrect each other.
• The MA will call the switches, but be ready for the switch calls - ease up at 18%/13%/18%.
• For Lor'khan, it is worth keeping detect magic up on and dispelling lighting shields etc.
• Thekal hits like a truck - keep thunderclap on him (and hurricane if it can be spared). Try to get by with just PW:S during the MS debuff - conserving healer mana in phase 1 is important.
• Zath and Thekal can be tanked together (shared thunderclap & hurricane), but Lor'khan will heal the others if they are too close.
• Lor'khan will attempt to heal himself, so interrupts are needed.

Phase 2

• Thekal will rise from the dead very quickly after the 3 humanoids are dropped in phase 1.
• Move into the smaller area where the High Priest was before the pull started (but not all the way in the hut - LoS sucks there). Raid on the West/Left, MT (and melee when DPS is on) on the East/Right.
• DPS (and non-emergency healing) is OFF when Tony is not in position. DPS is ON ~1 second after Tony has returned to position.
• An offtank will remain with the healers/ranged and taunt tony back to the MT if aggro does not return immediately.
• While priests will be Group healing as much as they can afford to, be prepared to bandage yourself and/or drink major healing pots and eat whipper root tubers.
• Tony will summon a few tiger adds during phase 2. Freezing traps by the healers, druid sleep, sheep, priest fears, warrior intimidating shotus. Anything but DPS - try not to let yourself be distracted from killing Tony for too long.
• Do NOT put DoTs on Thekal's summoned tigers.
• After Thekal dies, kill any remaining adds.