Strategy

10. Make sure your Sarth tank is ready

Check his gear, check his spec. Lots of tanks are trying Sarth with very poor specs. If you're unsure, post on the StratFu Forums.

9. Tank blazes at the tail end of the drakes

DPS classes have lots of incidental AE in Wrath: abilities that do damage to more than one target but are a part of normal rotations (or in the case of mindsear, only 5% less dps on a target than their normal channeled spell.)

If you can, keep the adds near the drakes and they'll die faster due to this damage.

8. Once the first drake dies, keep demo on Sarth

After Teneborn is down, a warrior or a bear should keep Demo on Sarth (if a DK is tanking.) His melee increases with each drake death, and with the larger breaths your chance for a fast two-shot increases dramatically without demo.

7. Healers should focus Sartharion

Get a set of Unit Frames that let you have a focus window and use an addon like Quartz that lets you see the casts of your focus target.

Healers can time big heals better, and it lets them help track when they may need to give a cooldown to the Sarth tank.

6. Minimize movement for maximal DPS

Most DPS issues are due to the drakes or the DPS moving too much. Both the tanks and the DPS'ers need to be responsible and plan ahead as much as possible to increase their DPS time.

You can clip the sides of waves to avoid movement, but don't clip too aggressively or you'll die.

5. Don't care deeply about the overall damage meters

Follow these instructions to learn how to look at damage done to just Tenebron.

AE DPS isn't what wins this fight, and if you sit the lowest guy on the meters you may end up losing one of your most valuable players.

4. Your add tank must avoid running the blazes into the lava wave

If they're taking too much damage it's likely because they aren't moving effectively to avoid the lava waves, and while they aren't dying to them, they're letting the blazes get hit by the waves.

The blazes enrage when they get hit by fire damage.

3. Don't neglect raid healing, especially during Shadron/Vesperon

One common question I get is "how do we stop the raid from dying when Vesperon is down?" and I ask "Do you have someone actually healing them?" The answer is often "No."

2. Don't stand in the fire

Not even the blue fire! Turn your spell effects down to "low".

1. Don't bring too many tanks or healers

(25 man)

Tanks: Any more than 3-4 and you won't have the DPS. One tank on Sartharion, one tank on the drakes (all of them), one tank on adds+whelps. If you have trouble controlling the adds and whelps, you can add a fourth to help there.

Healers: We prefer 6, we've done it with 5, some guilds do it with 7...but 8 is too many. You can't solve your Sartharion problems by throwing healers at it, you'll just get further behind on DPS and healing will appear worse.

(10 man)

Tanks: Three is the maximum on 10-man -- you just can't fit in a fourth tank no matter what.

Healers: We prefer 2 -- it's been done with 3, but you'll struggle a lot harder on the DPS. Consider trying "2.5", where a hybrid switches to healing during the shadron/vesperon period when the raid is getting pelted by Twilight Torment.

Runners up

Runners up that didn't make the cut:

• Warriors are awesome add tanks with their vigilance on the Sarth tank

• Don't forget to keep calling out wave positions when in portals
• Hybrids can heal in the portal
• The Disciples won't aggro in the portal until attacked, DPS should just chill
• If your Sarth tank dies, he may have gone OOR: minimize movement
  

Community-contributed tips

The following tips are great suggestions that were added by our readers:

sharkee suggested:

• AoE adds sensibly. Don't go crazy when you see a sudden wave of extra whelps or blazes incoming. Chances are they will eat you when you try to insta AoE them.

• Don't panic. Even if it looks like all kinds of crazy stuff is happening, just do your thing and trust the others.
• Warlocks: use shadow ward to help protect against twilight torment
  

Neichus suggests:

• Don't forget things like shadow resistance buff or aura, they reduce the damage taken (although it's not worth the DPS loss to use shadow resist gear or fire resist gear)
  

heeps suggests:

• With shadron's acolyte up, lava strikes will very nearly one-shot anyone in your raid (besides tanks). If you are DPS, one tick from twilight torment will put you in range of instant death. Healers and DPS should be aware of this and watch their health.
  

Shaamwow suggests:

• Rogues can AOE dispell the enrage on fire adds by spamming fan of knives while using anasthetic poison. Have them bring two extra weapons with this poison applied that they can macro-equip as needed.