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World of Warcraft Editorial: Top Five Pre-Wrath Boss Fights
MMORPG.com World of Warcraft Correspondent Angela Lindsey writes this look at her top five boss fights before the launch of Wrath of the Lich King.
By Angela Lindsey on July 08, 2009
Boss fights. You love them, you hate them, or a little bit of both at once. I personally love them. Trash waves in instances are okay, for a little while (Yes, I'm looking at you, Hyjal!), but once you get to a certain point, you need the validation that only a big, epic boss fight can give you. That's why today I'm going to be talking about my favorite boss fights from before Wrath of the Lich King. To me, these are the best of the best (by which I mean the worst of the worst), and everyone should see them at least once. If you have favorites of your own that I haven't listed, please feel free to mention them in the comments!
5. Kael'thas, Tempest Keep - The Eye (25-man, level 70)
Energy. Power. My people are addicted to it. Their dependence made manifest after the Sunwell was destroyed. Welcome to the future...a pity you're too late to stop it. No one can stop me now. Selama ashal'anore.
Kael'thas is the boss you love to hate. Five phases, five different people to fight, legendary weapons - this fight has it all! You had to be on point during every single moment of the fight to even stand a chance. You had to run away from people, run toward things, kill random spawns around the room, use abilities on weapons that would despawn the moment you stepped outside the instance, and pray you stayed alive and didn't float too far off the ground.
The instance was relatively short, and the boss most people fought directly before Kael'thas (High Astromancer Solarian) was a bit of a pushover, so the minute you realize just how involved this fight is, you feel less than prepared. There's good reason that the Mount Hyjal attunement was removed from the game, and this arrogant blood elf is that reason. Of course, this makes him a perfect candidate for my top-five list.
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4. C'Thun, Temple of Ahn'Qiraj (40-man, level 60)
You are already dead.
Ever get the feeling that someone's watching you? Not much is scarier than a giant eyeball that shoots laser beams and summons tentacles from the ground. It sounds like a horror film, which is exactly what it felt like. For some time, this boss was considered unbeatable, which certainly earns him a spot on my list. Even after they had "fixed" the fight to make it possible to beat, he was considered the most difficult boss in the game by most, right up until the original Naxxramas was released. Many raid groups have never even attempted the fight, which I think is a shame.
This fight was so frustrating that many raid groups, including my own, tried it a few times and then moved on to other things, like Naxx. We poked at the eyeball a few times here and there, but our focus was elsewhere. We finally returned to triumph over C'Thun with a half-size raid group at level 70, wanting revenge for the countless hours and nature resist potions that we spent trying to avoid the eyebeams. Any boss that could hit for over 40,000 damage in a level 60 raid is definitely worth visiting at some point.
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3. Ragnaros the Firelord, Molten Core (40-man, level 60)
Too soon! You have awakened me too soon, Executus! What is the meaning of this intrusion?
This was the moment, for me, when I felt like we had truly accomplished something incredible. As the first "big" boss in the game, Ragnaros was a force to be reckoned with. He drops the first piece of your Tier 2 gear, and even has a chance to drop the Eye of Sulfuras, something that helps create what was the highest-DPS melee weapon in the game up until Blackwing Lair was introduced. It's for this Eye of Sulfuras that melee classes still try to head into Molten Core, ready to take on Ragnaros and his many fiery minions.
At the time, it was very impressive to kill Ragnaros. It was even more impressive if you had him on farm status - getting to him was a very long and treacherous process. With nine bosses before him, and more trash than you could possibly imagine, it was often a two- or three-night span that you'd need to complete the entire raid instance at level 60. Ragnaros was well worth the wait, though.
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2. Nefarian, Blackwing Lair (40-man, level 60)
Let the games begin!
Nefarian, the final boss in Blackwing Lair, was the first boss most people came across that had the ability to change the entire fight in the blink of an eye. Most bosses up until you faced him were fairly straightforward - tank the guy, don't step in anything on the ground, stay out of the fire, and don't die. Nefarian decided to play some games with his enemies, however, using the abilities of each class against them.
Being a holy priest at the time, I was always afraid that one of my heals would go off just as he announced the priest class call, and my healing would become corrupted. It wasn't as fun as other class calls - I had a secret love for when it was the mage call, because I loved seeing all of the crazy animals running around the room: a cat here, a giraffe there - entertaining no matter where you stood! I was worried that once Wrath of the Lich King came out, that there would be a class with no class call, but I was proven very wrong. Death Knights have their own call these days, casting Death Grip on the entire raid, directly to Nefarian's side.
This fight also required you to bring a certain piece of gear to wear to the fight. If you didn't have your Onyxia Scale Cloak, you were likely to be toasted by the Shadow Flame. There were other bosses that had this ability, but they never stuck out in my head as much as Nefarian's did. I still have my Onyxia Scale Cloak in my bank, just in case I decide to revisit Blackwing Lair again someday, and I fully intend to.
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1. Illidan Stormrage, Black Temple (25-man, level 70)
You are not prepared!
I remember when my raid group first reached Illidan. At that point we had farmed Karazhan for ages, fought through Tempest Keep and Serpentshrine Cavern, and were ready for a real challenge. We had talked about past bosses and how amazing it felt when you were fighting them, but to me, it never really felt like we'd reached the point where the boss felt bigger than us. That all changed as soon as we stepped next to Illidan.
Illidan was enormous, even kneeling down in the middle of the room. The minute we positioned ourselves and started the fight, we knew it would be incredible. As much as we expected everything that was about to happen, the opening speech gave me chills every single time. It was as if we'd reached the end of the game; the point where everything we'd worked for was about to be put to the test. In a way, we had. It wasn't until they added the Sunwell raid instance that there were more bosses to face past Illidan, and they didn't feel nearly as amazing.
Illidan was by FAR my favourite boss to fight. He was far from a pushover, he had a strong storyline tied in to him, and he definitely knew how to make an entrance. To me, that's the whole point!
If there's anything that I will remember when my World of Warcraft days are done, it will definitely be the raiding. The amazing nights spent with some of my closest friends, fighting for a common goal - the good, the bad, and the REALLY ugly.
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Good stuff, but why wasn't Hogger on the list!?
I disagree with your choice of number one.
Everyone knows that what made boss fights epic was coordination between 40 people.
Illidan Stormrage was my favorite for all the reasons you mentioned. Lore and anticipation.
I hope Arthas will be at least half as Illidan, at least we know he's gonna have better loot than Illidan.... "You are not prepared" best line in a videogame!!!
Magtheridon was my fav in TBC - more so if I was chosen to be one of the 4 cube clickers =D (never did go to BT)
in Original WoW - Majordomo Executus, just loved the fight.. every one had to be on their game.. never did get the leaf from the chest though for hunter quest =(
In wrath - dont know yet, only raid I have done is Naxx and OS, work commitments keep me away from Ulduar =(
I was definitely a fan of Onyxia when it was hard. The only boss who actually realized melee can't hit me if I fly...
1. C'Thun
2. Vael
3. Ragnaros (originally)
4. Kael'thas
5. Twin Emperors
My list is slightly different. Don't know why list Illidan since it was a joke in my opion. Yes, we killed him long before the nerf bat.
Wooo Angela, just go to Blizzard and ask for some kind of payment, 'cause you got me at "hello" there, I just sign in to write and let you know...!!
"If there's anything that I will remember when my World of Warcraft days are done, it will definitely be the raiding. The amazing nights spent with some of my closest friends, fighting for a common goal - the good, the bad, and the REALLY ugly."
I have never played a MMORPG, I always had stayed on the fence (not by self choice), first 'cause I didn't have the resources, then 'cause I felt it was too late to jump in the warcraft "wagon". (I was just waiting for the next big thing, for a moment I tought warhammer was, but it didn't grow in me, I was waiting for other game at blizzard or the next SW: the old republic)
Could anyone just tell me what to buy to start, just the game or also the expansions (maybe there are an area there where I can lvl up fast & easy)?, it seems to me that in game, the majority use someshort of macros, those are included or you had to buy them? (which one)?, anything else I could need.... mouse, keyboard, comunication clients (software), etc.?. Money is not an issue anymore =)
How to make friends in game, how to choose a clan, anyhting, thanks in advance.
Or it is too late...?
All through the article I couldnt stop thinking of how raid bosses are today.
All noobed down and so booring.
"Nuke, nuke and nuke some more"
WoW really IS made for 7yr olds today.
Great article, but some of the greatest fights are left out:
Vaelastrasz. The second boss in BWL, after Razorgore(who was also a fun fight), was an incredibly tight encounter. Having started with an incredible introduction by Nefarian, you only had three adrenaline packed minutes to burn through his enourmous hitpoints pool(even if he had only 30%). The randomness of the encounter, that came with burining adrenaline made for many a frustrationg try, when your healers were targeted and killed, effectively wiping you and driving your raid leader nuts. I loved how fastpaced and energetic the fight was.
Can't comment on anything beyond c'thun, since I had to quit for a while due to rl, but I heard that Patchwerk, Four horseman and Kel'Thuzad to name a few were quite extraordinary with 4h earning the title of the hardest encouter in game until M'uru.
In TBC:
Lady Vashj: I don't know if I should place her in the "I still have nightmares" boss list or "Great boss" list. The countless hours and days we wiped on her... I still sometimes dream of "Strider north! Tainted east! Why is the strider going through the MIDDLE??!! Get the core! Move from the green stuff! Cmon last 10% burnnn her!!!". Pre nerf it was an incredibly tight and engaging encouter. Also when we wiped on her so many times, people optimized their corpse runs(or go back runs) to the point where we raced to her to see who's path was better.
Essence of Souls: For it's unique style and downright creepy atmosphere.
M'uru: Said to be the hardest thing since Magically hardend Adamantium Saronite! Enough said. Well Yogg + 0 watchers is said to be harder... Also his void model bore the name Void god. How awesome is that?
Kil'jaeden: For having probably the most climatic enterance to date, rivaling that of Ragnaros and his "Too soon". It was also a very cinematic yet hard enoucter. An epic fight for an epic dude. Also he dropped a legendary bow, that didn't need arrows, making him the most loved/hated boss by hunters.
Hi Balhazer! I'm glad you liked the article. It's never too late to join an MMORPG. The later you join, the more experience other people have to share with you!
I'm going to have an article published in the next few weeks that includes tips for starting out, so keep an eye out for that. It should be right up your alley! But instead of keeping you waiting, here are a few tips to start with.
1. As far as expansions go, you'll want to weigh the pros and cons of each. For example, if you want to play a Blood Elf or a Draenei, you'll need to buy The Burning Crusade. If you want to use the Wrath of the Lich King expansion, you'll need the Burning Crusade first. There are a few small benefits to starting out with all three expansions, but to just dip your toes in and see if you like it, I'd suggest just buying the base game. You can get used to the game mechanics and get a good feel for the classes from that alone, and the majority of the benefits from the expansions come at the higher levels.
2. When it comes to scoping out a good server, keep in mind what kind of play-style you'll prefer. Do you want to roleplay, are you looking for the challenge of world PvP, or are you just looking to quest in peace? This will determine whether you create a character on an RP, RP-PVP, PVP, or "Normal" server. Also, keep in mind the population of a server when you go to join it. You may not want a ghost town (a "low" population server) or a long queue time (a "high" population server), so perhaps a "medium" population server is just right for you. (Why do I feel like Goldilocks?)
3. As far as macros go, those are things that you set up yourself. The game allows you to set them up, but you set them up based on what you want them to do. For example, on my priest, I have macros that allow me to right-click to cast a group buff spell, or left-click to cast a single buff. There are also many addons available for the game, which make tasks such as record-keeping, statistics, or even interface design a snap! The addons are free, and there are certain sites that are more reputable to get them from. I tend to get most of mine from Curse, but there are a few other sites to look at.
4. In regards to extra equipment, starting out, you'll need very little. You'll need a computer, a monitor, a mouse, a keyboard, and an internet connection. Anything above that (even speakers!) is optional and will only help make the experience even better.
Hope this helps! As I said before, be on the lookout for my article in the near future. In the meantime, good luck and happy questing!
Hi lordcvicek!
I agree that those bosses were all fabulous. If I had more room, I'd probably have included every one of them! Vael was definitely next on my list. As a healer it was amazing - I never ran out of mana! That was unheard of in those days.
As for Vashj though... I hear you on the nightmares. A few friends of mine -still- keep our core macros around, and toss them up randomly for no reason. It causes a general "shudder" to go through the group, as if we're trying to rid ourselves of a very painful memory!
Thanks for the insight! :)
Why do such rankings always feature final bosses of end-game raids?
Sure, all the above bosses were epic. But there are countless others, in both 5-mans and raids, that had unique and innovative abilities that should be noted. Some examples:
- the "time for fun!" boss in SL (forgot his name) - imba fight, perhaps the only boss fight in wow where having better gear actually made the fight harder
- Reliquary of Souls - unique, diverse and creepy
- Chess in Kara - free loot, but really interesting design and graphics
- Rend Blackhand - felt like the 1st real "boss" in game for me when i've done him the first time
- Twin Emperors - interesting intro and fight, mindless pugs still fail there at 80 :)
And my personal favourite: The Opera Event. The excellent intro ("Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to this evening's presentation", etc) combined with the uncertainty of what your raid would get were epic. The idea was original, the fights themselves were well-designed and each event had unique loot to give.
1. Kael without a doubt.
2. Vashj.
3. Illidan, was pretty epic downing him for the first time.. Still remember it like yesterday..
4. Kil'jaeden... Was also pretty epic.. Damn when he did rise of that shit of his I crapped myself, so imba...
5. Kalecgos, this boss surprised me.. I liked it alot.
There is alot more bosses I could fill in with. I love it all in TBC.. It was wonderfull..