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Soulflay Tanking (Warlock)
Overview
Basically, you're the tank.
So while no one is supposed to die from orbs, their healer running around, missing shields, getting hit by someone's bloom, meteors, etc...... people do. And they die.
You can't.
The number one rule is never lifetap except during shadow spike or when hiding under the shield. It's not worth the extra strain on your healer and your mana will be okay if you have a spriest (although the rejuv breaths are very handy.)
Video
This is a how-to tutorial that shows the fight beginning to end with text explanations and hints:
http://files.filefront.com/KJ+Fusion+SoulFlayTutorialmp4/;11304355;/fileinfo.html
Spec and Gear
0/21/40 hybrid spec, no nether prot. I don't respec for it.
The unbuffed stats on my tanking gear are achieved a bunch through getting extra T6 pieces (and the honor neck) and gemming them with stamina (since sockets are an incredibly overpowered way to stack a stat):
10969 HP (734 sta. wouldn't suggest dropping below 11k. Can use sta food if you can't hit 11k without it though.) 1353 +dmg 28% +crit 185 hit (14.6%)
If makagish isn't there, then I hitcap by swapping to a T6 robe instead of the badge robe.
Before I had the extra T6, I cannibalized a bit of my twins tanking set. But this is more HP *and* more dps going the route of re-gemming and re-enchanting some T6 (I use sta enchants on spare t6 wrists and boots for example.)
Buffs
Make sure you have light, not salv. This may involve chasing down reluctant paladins and yelling a lot. Be VERY careful on the first demon, you don't have salv.
Make sure you have earthshield -- this is very important. You lose ES charges by two methods that I've seen:
- getting hit with bolts from the demons
- getting hit with *others* fireblooms
Now that we're good at the fight it's rare to need an ES refresh, but it can happen -- if you see pushback, start asking on vent.
Orbs
P1
Don't do your curse first or bazz yells at you ALL NIGHT about how your threat used to be so much better and how you mus tbe doing something wrong and how it can't just be that before, you did CoD, and didn't cast it until 96% so it'd go off at 84% that can't be it (I'm not kidding about this btw.) I cast SB's until I'm over Bazz by enough threat, then I put my curse up, then back to SB's.
It's probably a good idea to establish the threat first anyways regardless: P1 isn't a dps race, but getting soulflay on you reliably lets the healing rhythms get going, and you can throw up CoE (or CoD or whatever) when you've got enough space above Bazz that you can waste 1.5 seconds not doing damage.
P2
Pay attention to when/how the orbs are spawning. I mouse over them to see if people are slacking, if so I bolt. If there are orbs on collapse, take the time to dot them. May be hard to have time to immolate due to the need to lifetap. I find it useful to have my camera cranked WAY out and to do a top-down view during P2-P4 so I can target orbs better.
P3
Do orbs now but you can't let your threat relax on KJ, so you have to be solid on both.
P4
Your goal is to have enough threat by now so you can focus 100% on movement. Remember you are 50% snared, so moving out of meteors and towards the shield is harder, particularly since you can end up very far away from the shield due to their movement and your movement.
Shadow Spike
I may be our only orc lock, but: this is where I hit skull+bloodfury.
The only other thing is if you can, dodge that last spike. If you can't, call it out on vent ASAP (you get snared before the last spike lands, so if it's coming for you, you can't do anything about it.)
For the collapse after spike, you need to be as close to him as you can without getting punted. It'll take a bit of practice. You really need to be as close as you can though.
I re-do my curse during the run-in for each shadow spike, that's also when I drum (2nd drums after Trouble.)
Use your +dmg clicky trinket after getting back to position if you got the haste buff, so the haste affects the +dmg. You need the threat boost.
Shields
You absolutely need to pick up that haste breath when you can. Remember you're snared moving in. Remember also if you get in there too soon and a bloom goes out, you're possibly snared trying to move away from people.
Soul flay is a bitch .
Also if you have bloom, you need to try to move (snared) to the back ASAP since others are running past you.
You never have an option to screw up a shield or we wipe, but obviously don't go in early either. It's the same as before: watch KJ's cast timer, not the shield graphic, and aim to be in by 3-4 seconds remaining. Always strafe.
You cannot lifetap at any time other than during shadow spike or during shields, so after you dot the orbs, lifetap back up to full mana.
Try not to use mana pots, you may really need that health/rejuv pot later.
Use your +dmg clicky trinket after getting back to position if you got the haste buff, so the haste affects the +dmg. You need the threat boost.
Meteors
Not an option to die from one. Have to be extra-aware as you're coming out of the shield that you don't run into one. Be extra-aware of double meteors -- I always wait a bit before going back to my spot.
Remember you're snared, so you take twice as long to move as anyone else.
You *can* stand on someone with bloom, but it's really not ideal -- your healer also has a huge amount of running to do too, and just soul flay damage alone can be hard to heal during meteors.
This is where you're most likely to need HS and pot, but don't hit them on a false alarm either. It's useful to know your healer's heal pattern and be able to tell when a heal isn't going to land in time, as well as watching when he has to run. Also, run towards him if you can rather than away.
You can't let anyone get ahead of you in threat because then soulflay will start bouncing and the healers are unlikely to be able to react in time and the raid is likely to wipe.
