[Eisen]

I'm leading a late-night guild run into Naxx10 now, and we've got a REALLY good solid lineup that's been doing well. Many of the people are still new to the experience, and there are many bosses in Naxx I myself haven't done yet.

One of them is Four Horseman, and that one gives me the willies.

I'm concerned most about raid makeup. Our current lineup is:

1 Prot war MT (me)
1 Prot war OT
2 Hunters
1 Pally healer
1 Druid healer
1 Mage
1 DK

So...I hear 4 Horseman requires 3 healers. and reading the strats out there, I don't see how it CAN'T, yet peopel assure me it can be done with 2. So...how?

Do we have one of the healers running all over the room trying to keep the guys keeping the two ranged horseman occupied alive while still trying to heal a tank? Can this work? Do I have to boot one of my raiders for a healer when 99% of the content is doable with 2? Please help.

[Dubzil]

I've done it with 2 healers, its not the hardest thing, 10 man 4h is really a pretty easy fight, its a lot harder on 25 man.
The back 2 can be tanked by 1 hunter and the pally.
Front 2 get the warriors.
Have the druid HOT up both tanks and just run back and forth healing, pally will be able to tank and heal the back side no problem.

When I did 2 healers it did get a little rough on the front after a while, the healer started getting more marks than we wanted, so I just popped all my cooldowns and let the healer drop stacks then come back in and heal me.

You can swap the 2 healers after 1 of the front horsemen is dead to help with stacks, just make sure someone is in range of each horseman.

[Bryenne]

Or, if the druid is having issues with the running back and forth, the hunters may be able to tank the back, keeping their pets healed through the damage. Depends on the hunters' specs and what type of pet they have. Then they just have to switch back and forth to avoid overstacking debuffs while the rest of the raid burns down the front.

[Cookie]

There were 2 healers in my old guild who could do the strat where a single healer tanked both the horsemen at the back, and switched with the healer in the front on 3 debuffs.

I've also done it where a healer in the front (me) was standing in the middle and healing both tanks. But that requires the dps to be really good and nuke the bosses down before the debuffs stacked too much. The longest I've ever lasted is 11 stacks before I died.

[Speech]

How we do it:

2 people in the back (dk / healer) switch back and forth at 2/3 stacks
Raid + tank on thane
OT on baron

Raid burns down thane, then heads over to baron, at which time baron tank heads to the back.

Healer upfront heals the OT for a few sec, getting 1 or 2 baron stacks. MT can just take some dmg, burn his CDs whatever. With bloodlust, the Thane tank usually doesnt even need a heal before Thane is dead.

Then the healer goes over to MT. With even half ass dps you should have thane down before 4 marks stack up on the raid. After thane is dead, the raid + MT goes over and starts on baron, baron OT goes to the back and lets the healer stop taking bolts.

The front healer waits till the baron marks are off, and can even stay out a bit and not get any stacks till the MT needs healing.

Key points:
2 people in back, 1heal + somthing
Raid burns Thane 1st
Tanks avoid taking dmg while the healer is taking care of the other tank. Those guys can be disarmed.

Now, if you want to do the achievment, they all go down togather, 3 healers or 2.5 healers makes that a lot easier.

[Nytemayr]

I agree with the hunter-using stratagy. With the new ability for hunters to swap their pets, he can use a Turtle with Shell Shield, reduces all damage taken, but reduces damage done[not that that matters]. If the pet's taking too much damage, the hunter can take a few hits on it's own, then bandage itself.

The DK should be able to keep himself decent HPed if he has Blood Tap, it should be enough [as well as frost pressence] to last until one of the horsemen are down.

Sadly both of these members will have to sacrafice their DPS this fight in order for you to succeed, but it's a small sacrafice for progression.

[uglybbtoo]

If you are decently geared as someone said you dont need a healer on the thane so long as the raid stacks on you so the meteor damage is spread. He hits like a girl all the damage is from the meteor which he should get max of around 2 away and if you blow your cd's you wont even be at half health.

The other option would be to swing one of the hunters for a dps, part time healer (shadow priest, ele shaman, oomkin or feral druid)

[Nytemayr]

Using Uglybbto's idea, a shaman would be highly recomended because of Bloodlust / Heroism, and it would greatly increase the speed of which you could help the the back members with their mobs.

Edit: Also, there is a distance your healers can stand at where they can heal both your tanks and your ranged tanks and avoid the debuffs. However it is risky for Thane.

[bashef]

Now, if you want to do the achievment, they all go down togather, 3 healers or 2.5 healers makes that a lot easier.

This actually isn't true - there's a much easier way to do this achievement, and the third healer is like a third wheel using the strategy. It does however require more co-ordination so I wouldn't recommend it for a first kill.

The idea is to only use the back two corners instead of all four. The front two (Baron and Thane) melee, so you can take them wherever you please. Split your raid in half, half in Zeliek's corner and half in Blaumenaux's, with one healer and one tank on each side. The two tanks pick up one each of Thane and Rivendare and tank them on top of Zeliek and Blaumenaux, which means each side is gathering two sets of marks instead of one. Raid switches at three stacks, with the two tanks taunting each other's meleeing boss on the switch (the other two will attack whatever's closest). This makes killing all four together far easier, and as I said the third healer will be twiddling his thumbs doing this since the damage is very light.

As for the OP's situation, I would second the advice given here - have the healer at the front stand in the middle and heal both tanks, or even start on the Thane tank and run over to the Baron tank when Thane is on 50%. Running two healers instead of three should mean you have the dps for nothing to take very long to die.

Also the DK would arguably be the better choice at the back if he's blood. Lots of self healing (rune tap, blood tap, DS spam, bandages). As soon as the front two are dead he'll get heals anyway, and the pally can always holy shock him on the switchover. Or have the pally on the raid, and the druid can apply a full stack of HOTs while running as they switch.