Mastering the Elemental Lord

Raid Composition and Boss Health

In the confrontation against Al’Akir in the Throne of the Four Winds, raid composition and boss health are critical elements to plan for. For the 10-man setup, it’s recommended to have one tank, three to four healers, and five to six DPS. In the more demanding 25-man format, teams should consist of two tanks, seven to eight healers, and fifteen to sixteen DPS to manage the fight’s complexities effectively.

Al’Akir’s health scales significantly with the size and difficulty of the raid. In 10-man normal difficulty, Al’Akir has 24 million health, doubling to 48.1 million in heroic mode. For 25-man raids, his health jumps to 84 million in normal mode and a substantial 168 million in heroic mode. This substantial increase in health underscores the need for robust DPS output to overcome the encounter within the 9-minute enrage timer, after which Al’Akir goes Berserk, swiftly leading to a raid wipe.

Overview of the Fight

The battle with Al’Akir is divided into three phases, transitioning at 80% and 25% health. Initially, players contend with Al’Akir on a circular platform. At 25% health, the platform shatters, leading to a free-flying phase until his defeat. The fight lacks a traditional enrage timer, but Al’Akir will go Berserk after 9 minutes, necessitating efficient DPS.

Phase Management and Abilities

Phase One: Grounded Assault (100% – 80% Health) Al’Akir’s first phase is pivotal, requiring precise movement due to the following abilities

Lightning Strike: Targets random players, inflicting substantial Nature damage that increases with more players caught in the blast. It is cast every 10 seconds in a 25 yard cone. Move out of it.

Squall Line: Creates a cyclone barrier rotating around the platform with a gap that players must find and pass through to avoid high damage and displacement. Players should stand in melee because of a knockback. When the gap comes just run back and through the gap then get back to melee range.

Wind Burst: Periodically knocks back all players on the platform, compounding the threat from Squall Line. If you are standing too far back you will get knocked off the platform. This is a 5 second cast repeating every 25 second and knocks you back 30 yards.

Ice Storm: Targets random areas, slowing and damaging anyone in the frost path.

Electrocute: Targets the main tank with increasing Nature damage if they are not within melee range.

P1 Strategic Positioning

The raid’s positioning is crucial to minimizing the damage from Lightning Strike, which targets a random player and affects others within a 25-yard cone. To manage this, the raid should be spread out in small, well-spaced groups across the platform. Using the natural leaf patterns on the platform floor can aid in organizing these groups effectively. This not only reduces the number of players hit by each Lightning Strike but also simplifies movement for other mechanics.

Handling Squall Line

Squall Line poses a significant threat, with a wall of cyclones moving around the platform. These cyclones deal high damage and knock back anyone they touch. Notably, there is always a gap in the wall through which players can safely navigate. Identifying and moving through this gap is essential. The Squall Line cyclones spawn approximately every 40 seconds and their arrival is predictable, allowing players to prepare and move accordingly. Coordination and timely communication are key, as overlapping with Wind Burst can complicate movements.

Dealing with Wind Burst and Ice Storm:

Wind Burst occurs roughly every 25 seconds, knocking back all players on the platform and dealing damage. Players need to move close to Al’Akir just before this cast completes to minimize the knockback effect and avoid being thrown into cyclones or off the platform. Meanwhile, Ice Storm targets random areas on the platform, creating patches of ice that slow and damage players. These areas should be vacated quickly to avoid unnecessary damage and movement impairments. Getting slowed can get you caught in a cone or prevent you from making it through a hole in the Squall Line.

Managing Electrocute

Electrocute is a high-damage ability that Al’Akir uses against his main aggro target (Hopefully the Tank) if they are not within melee range. Tanks should ensure they are always close enough to prevent this ability from activating, as the damage can be severe and potentially lethal over time. Keep this in mind when getting bursted back or running through squall lines.

Strategic Summary for Phase One

The raid should utilize the platform’s patterned layout to organize their positioning, maintaining spread to mitigate Lightning Strike damage while remaining adaptable for quick movements in response to Squall Line and Wind Burst. Tanks must manage their distance meticulously to avoid triggering Electrocute. Ice Storm patches require swift relocation to maintain the integrity of the group’s positioning. Effective communication and situational awareness are paramount to navigate these mechanics successfully and transition into Phase Two with all members intact.

Phase Two: The Tempest’s Fury (80% – 25% Health)

Phase Two of the Al’Akir encounter begins when the boss reaches 80% health and introduces new mechanics while retaining some from Phase One. This phase requires careful add management, efficient damage output to overcome a soft enrage mechanic, and precise coordination to handle environmental hazards.

Continuation of Squall Line

The Squall Line from Phase One persists into Phase Two, with similar mechanics. Players must continue to navigate through gaps in the cyclone wall to avoid high damage and disruptive knockbacks.

Introduction of Acid Rain

Al’Akir introduces Acid Rain in this phase, a stacking DoT (Damage over Time) applied to all raid members every 20 seconds. Each stack increases its damage output, serving as a soft enrage timer that pressures the raid to burn the boss ASAP. Managing these stacks involves balancing healing output and using damage mitigation cooldowns effectively as the stacks accumulate.

Management of Stormling Adds

During Phase Two, Al’Akir summons Stormling adds that must be dealt with promptly. When alive they burst AOE damage to anyone within 5 yards. These adds explode upon death, applying a debuff called Feedback to Al’Akir that increases the damage he takes by 10% per stack for 20 seconds. Efficient add management is key—adds should be killed one at a time to renew the Feedback debuff continuously, maximizing the raid’s damage output against Al’Akir. Make sure that the raid isn’t bursting them down as you need the damage boost to beat the stacking dots that the raid is getting.

Strategies for Handling Adds and Acid Rain

Designate an off-tank to gather Stormlings and position them away from the raid to minimize collateral damage from their death explosions. DPS should focus on one add at a time to control the application of the Feedback debuff.

Healing Through Acid Rain

Healers must scale up their efforts as Acid Rain stacks increase. Utilizing raid-wide healing cooldowns strategically—such as Tranquility, Divine Hymn, or Healing Tide Totem—can provide relief during peak damage periods.

Utilizing the Feedback debuff on Al’Akir

DPS should carefully time the killing of Stormlings to refresh the Feedback debuff without letting it drop. Keeping the debuff up helps to counteract the increasing pressure from Acid Rain by letting you DPS your way out faster.

Tactical Movements and Raid Coordination

The raid should remain spread to mitigate the impact of Lightning Strike while still grouping enough to receive AoE (Area of Effect) heals efficiently. Coordination between the tanks, DPS, and healers is vital to manage the adds, avoid environmental hazards, and sustain through the Acid Rain.

Use of Raid Cooldowns

Strategic use of raid-wide defensive abilities can mitigate some of the incoming damage. For example, using Anti-Magic Zone during high stack periods of Acid Rain can reduce the Nature damage taken by the raid.

In summary, Phase Two demands a high level of DPS and healing throughput to manage the Acid Rain debuff and adds effectively. Maintaining the Feedback debuff on Al’Akir while managing Squall Line and positioning for Acid Rain are critical to successfully concluding this phase.

Phase 3 (24% to Death!)

Phase Three of the Al’Akir encounter begins when the boss’s health drops below 25%, marking a significant shift in the battle dynamics as Al’Akir destroys the platform, and players gain the ability to fly around the arena. This phase introduces unique aerial mechanics that demand precise movement and positioning.

New Mechanics Introduced

Lightning Clouds

Al’Akir targets a random raid member and spawns a massive cloud at their horizontal level. After a brief delay, the cloud deals severe damage to anyone within it. The cloud covers the entire horizontal plane, so vertical movement is crucial. Raid members must quickly ascend or descend to escape the damage zone, which persists for several seconds before dissipating. This is cast every 15 seconds in phase 3.

Imagine you’re in an elevator in a building that’s quickly filling with smoke along each floor. The only way to avoid inhaling the smoke is by swiftly moving to a higher or lower floor before the smoke becomes too thick on your current floor. In the Al’Akir encounter, the “smoke” is the Lightning Cloud, which fills the entire horizontal plane you’re on. Your “elevator” is your ability to fly vertically—up or down—to reach a clear level and escape taking damage. The raid should move together.

Lightning Rod

This debuff targets random players, causing them to emit a damaging electrical discharge that affects nearby allies. The affected players must isolate themselves by moving horizontally away from others to prevent widespread damage to the raid. Get to a floor the rest of the raid isn’t on.

Wind Burst

Continuing from the earlier phases, Wind Burst knocks back all players. Given the three-dimensional space in Phase Three, players must position themselves carefully to avoid being knocked into storm clouds or out of the boss’s range.

Navigational Challenges

The ability to fly introduces a three-dimensional battle, which can be disorienting. Players must manage their elevation to avoid Lightning Clouds and stay within the effective range of their abilities and those of their healers.

Strategic Positioning

The raid should start the phase grouped at the topmost level near Al’Akir’s head. This positioning allows for an initial clear area when the first Lightning Cloud is cast, after which the raid can move down in a controlled manner to avoid the cloud. Go down one floor. This vertical stacking strategy simplifies moving out of Lightning Clouds and managing Lightning Rod.

Dealing with Lightning Rod and Lightning Clouds

Players marked by Lightning Rod need to quickly move away from the group to minimize the risk to others. Simultaneously, all players must be ready to move vertically to escape Lightning Clouds. Efficient communication and spatial awareness are critical, as the clouds can cover extensive areas and persist long enough to require multiple adjustments.

Movement Coordination

Due to Al’Akir’s knockback from Wind Burst and the expansive nature of Lightning Clouds, players should remain as close as possible to Al’Akir to minimize displacement while making sure they are not so close that they cannot react to Lightning Rod or Clouds. This proximity allows for quick re-engagement after knockbacks and more manageable movements between safe zones or floors if you will.

Using Lust/Heroism/Time Warp

There are a couple options for this depending on your raids skill and gear.

Phase Two: This phase is a popular choice for many groups to use Lust. The rationale is straightforward: Phase Two features a soft enrage mechanic in the form of Acid Rain, which stacks a damage-over-time effect on all players. Using Lust here helps to quickly burn through Al’Akir’s health and minimize the number of Acid Rain stacks, thereby reducing overall raid damage and healing intensity. Additionally, quickly dealing with Stormlings to maximize the Feedback effect on Al’Akir is crucial, and Lust can significantly aid in this.

Phase Three: Another viable option for using Lust is at the start of Phase Three, particularly if Phase Two isn’t a major hurdle for the raid. Phase Three allows for relatively stationary DPS as players are managing their vertical position to avoid Lightning Clouds. Popping Lust at the beginning of this phase can help in quickly reducing Al’Akir’s health before the spatial constraints imposed by successive Lightning Clouds limit the raid’s movement and positioning flexibility.

Conclusion

Defeating Al’Akir involves understanding and reacting to his abilities with precise movement and positioning throughout all three phases. The encounter demands high environmental awareness, tight group coordination, and effective use of space, especially when the fight takes to the skies in its final phase. This guide should equip you with the strategies needed to weather the storm and claim victory over the elemental lord.