Naxxramas Anub'rekhan

[Azz]

My guild is not here yet so I am PUGGing. Yes, feel my pain.

Two days ago was my first try at this and I hadn't seen the video. The MT insisted in standing right in front of the curtain with Anub'rekhan's back to the raid. This meant the healers were getting too close, getting silenced (actually, "Pacified") and, BAM, tank dead, raid dead. As OT I was doing a reasonable job of handling the Crypt Stalkers, but all to no avail.

Yesterday, totally different group. Most hadn't been before. But I'd watched this video in the meantime ;-) It took a good 3-4 minutes explaining the fight over /ra, but we one-shotted him using the kiting technique.

So I wanted to give a big thank-you to Project Marmot: this stuff is not only for going up on your guild web pages, but for referring PUG members to when they keep wiping on a boss. Quite simply brilliant.

PS: Second Spider boss? I hadn't had time to watch the video and we wiped repeatedly because DPS either killed the worshippers too soon, or I had the boss too far away (without realising you had to be close to get the debuff). Next time, she goes down ;-)

[ozgiliath]

sorry not a tank im afraid but i found that when my guild did this that the tank did not need to kite near the green slime. just around the adge of the main circle while healers dps etc moved around the furthest edge of the green circle that is about 30 yards if not more which is plenty of space for healing and dpsing wihtout beiing silenced. you tend to avoid the slime debuff issue

[Ferim]

I'm a OT for my guild and for this encounter on 10-man I usually just wait for the locust swarm cast bar to appear, I transform in cat form and hit dash and none to minimal damage taken. For the feral druids that are doing if you don't already know you MUST be careful as to how far away you get away from him because if you bee-line it away from him to the otherside of the room he will not follow the curve and just go straight for you which in turn will then give your raid the debuff which will cause a damper on killing him.

I have yet to try the strat suggest as above on the 10-man but on the 25-man it works wonders.

[Ruiin]

Thanks for the vid and for the great site. Having enjoyed your podcasts for a good while now, I finally got to the site to check things out and glad i did. Fairly new to tanking and even newer to trying to tank well, lol. With that in mind, ciderhelm might you list the mods you're using in the vid? or if its posted elsewhere direct me there? Thanks again, and keep up the great work.

[whiskeyjack]

There really is no need for kiting on this boss.

Tank him where you enter the room, NOT where he starts.
Run in and grab aggro.Pull him back to the entrance where you enter the room, between the green slime channels.Turn him around to face the raid.I realise that other people will get hit by his spike thing but this is easy to heal through.

Kill one add first then drag the second add onto the dead body of the first add.This ensures scarabs come from the same place.Try and kill and following cryptguards here as well.

As to the locust swarm, this is the reason you have him facing the raid.Swarm is a 30yd range.If you face the raid then healers can easily stay out his range.Also if you are tanking him at the entrance rather than where the boss starts this gives your ranged dps moneuvering room on the adds which come out the door where the boss starts.

To avoid extra damage on his spike thing just get people to not stand in a line away from the boss.If they all have an unimpeded view of Anub then there should be only one person hit by the spikes (normally the tank as well ).

Melee can kill adds while swarm is up.

We did it this way 10 man to start and thought we'd try it initially on 25 man.Worked a treat,The only time i come close to dying is if i sometimes take fall damage at the wrong moment.

Thanks Wj

[hermy]

im not sure how true this is but my raid leader when i first went in to Naxx said that when the locust swarm goes up everyone but the tank needs to stand in the green circle in the middle and it stops the locust swarm form stacking on them but tank still needs to kite i didn't really get to watch the raid much cuase i was MT but it looked liked it worked no one died in the raid did it one shot with bout 7 of the ppl being first timers in naxx.

also ive noticed that when anub'rekan is casting locust swarm he can only rotate if u move at 3seconds till end of cast u don't get the stack debuff and dont need a move speed buff

EDIT: he now moves with casting the swarm so u need the speed increase or ur gunna take the ticks

[Selfia]

Just a quick thought for any1 new to the kiting and lacking a hunter or a DK for the speed increase. The old Swiftness of Zanza potions (20% speed increase) from Zul'Gurub.

[SugeGnight]

Not sure if this was answered before, but does DK Anti-magic shell absorb most of the insect swarm? There is a cast timer correct? If so, as a DK tank, in theory, I should be able to cast AMS before the insect swarm, I should be able to avoid some of that damage.

[Ladrone]

When my guild does Anub we try to have at least one hunter with us, but not for the popular reason apparently. Everytime we down an add, I tell a hunter to drop an explosion(correct term?) on the add so when the scarabs spawn, they are dropped down by 25-30%. makes gettin rid of them alot easier and faster!

[Senti]

Confirming the post by whiskeyjack. On firetree I have not been in a single raid that kited him, the most important things to remember for 'eating' the locust swarm are that he must be tanked towards the raid with his back against the door. Both melee and ranged DPS focuses on the elite add during this time and when swarm ends they switch back to the boss. Overall I'd say that Anub'rekhan is about as much of a challenge as heroic dungeon. If I remember next time we do it I'll Fraps it though I don't have any nice things to put the video together with. And I'm a ranged DPS >.>

[kealthes]

I found out a New way to Keep the tank up if He is Not greatly geared.
Me and My guild Went to Naxx and Sadly whiped a few times After the first hit of the Locust swarm.
Our tank had only about 33k Health when fully buffed and was 28k unbuffed and he was a Dk.
What I found out was with having 3 healers with Us 1 tank(second tank not showing up)and rest Dps.
That we could Save our more or less under geared Tank from death During this first stage by having 1 Healer Running accross the room When Anub start to cast Locust swarm and having the Second Main tank healer running with the tank allong the Path and using small heals.
Nice thing of having 2 healers on your Tank is he Full health when on the other side and stays so Even with the Multiple stacks of the Locust swarm still on him.
and Your 3rd Healer(shaman)(using chain heals) healing the player tanking the Crypt Guard as the rest of the Raid take almost no damage during this fight except from the Scarabs.
It's a great easy way to Still do naxx even if your raid Doesn't have a good geared tank that can take the Hits of Locust Swarm without a problem.

[Draket]

HI nice with the vid of this boss

my guild isnt resdy yet so i have to pug it tried going there 2 times and only on this boss wiped both times :-(
i was the ot..
i picked up the big add no probs there but the small ones dam so hard to get them...
are they easy to kill and best just to let all dps kill them or do i have to tank them?

[Razorex]

Hey Cider, I just had a quick question. I don't really understand why you need to kite him. I understand the Locust Swarm, but why would that make you kite him? I was just wondering.

[Mordaci]

You might try a haste potion if you're a prot warrior.

[Aoifa-Blackhand]

I discovered that in the 10-Man (unsure about the 25) that a Shaman's Earthbind Totem will snare the Boss if your MT does not have a run speed buff. It lasts 45 seconds. Just drop it near the kite path.

[Grishnaz]

Hey Cider, I just had a quick question. I don't really understand why you need to kite him. I understand the Locust Swarm, but why would that make you kite him? I was just wondering.

It does a fair amount of damage that undergeared raids wont be able to deal with, with a competent group though you can just have you tank eat the locust swarm, its not too difficult

[Grishnaz]

I discovered that in the 10-Man (unsure about the 25) that a Shaman's Earthbind Totem will snare the Boss if your MT does not have a run speed buff. It lasts 45 seconds. Just drop it near the kite path.

Part of the self buff of locust swarm actually slows him

[Byteme]

These videos were a definite help on arachnid and Plague quarters... Keep up the good work cinder!

[Gameking]

When we fight this one I have my wife, a huntard LOL, use Aspect of the Newb on me and I never take swarm damage at all. I have also done it without moving and use my trinkets and sheild wall and other skills to survive the Locust Swarm. Pretty easy fight overall so long as your DPS can kill the Spider adds within about 10 to 15 seconds after it has been picked up and stabilized by the OT.

[Rhapsodychic]

As dps, where should I be standing during the fight? Are the Crypt Fiends fought in the middle of the room? I'm a little confused as to where the tanks are in relation to the dps.