It has been said that this boss is unforgivable when it comes to mistakes. But this guide takes into account the 30% zone buff which ease a lot the fight. Tank HP pools are huge, heals stronger and dps much more easy to pull.
As many of us may have heard, this encounter is not really druid-friendly mostly because of the way Infest works. Situations on which raid healing is needed are not really difficult to handle and stabilizing the raid can easily be done without a druid. However, before I first did this boss I underestimated a lot our class. After all we are really good healers on this fight but we must fill a specific role.
We definitely can't cover Infest even with the 30% buff and this fight is merely impossible without a disc priest. Basically, in a typical 5 healers setup with 2 paladins 2 priests and 1 shaman, we could replace a paladin but it's not engraved in rock, alternatives are possible.
In this guide I assume you do replace a paladin. With the 30% buff 6 healers is easily conceivable, but even so your job isn't likely to change. You'll mostly do tank healing while assisting with Nourish on Infest and covering the raid during transition phases and Frostmourne rooms.
I strongly recommend to drop your 4T10 if you have good offset pieces with more haste and spell. You might also want to play with 2 regen oriented trinket.
If you want a specific spec and glyph setup for this fight, here it is.
If you are looking for a raid strategy the Paragon one is probably the best.
If you are looking for a raid strategy the Paragon one is probably the best.
Check the Advanced Gameplay topic and especially the Tank healing part might help too.
Phase 1
Be sure to have an engage timer as you will be able to prehot the tank.
When LK is engaged, start to regularly cast Nourish on the tank while keeping all your hot on him. You will be able to take advantage of Living Seed. It's obvious but I prefer to remind you : you must not cast heal because the tank gets hit, but cast pre-emptive heals that are likely to heal the tank just after a possible hit. LK hits really hard so you must keep a permanent focus on the tank.
When the first Shambling Horror spawns, you must start keeping hots on the off tank and do pretty much the same but on 2 targets. You can sometimes let Lifebloom fade to get mana back but do not abuse it. Help on infest with Nourish, even without hot to boost it.
Avoid Shadow Traps and don't forget to enable chat bubbles to monitor them. Stay close to the Shambling horror to deal with the Necrotic plague if don't have Rocket boots. You can also use Dash to reach the dispell spot.
Get on the edge when LK reaches 70%. At this time, you might be around 60%+ mana.
1st Transition
The first transition could be a bit more tricky than the second one. The off tank might still have enraged Shambling horror on him and will take huge spike damage. Keep all your hots on him and start covering the raid with Rejuvenation and Wild Growth. You should definitely help a lot on melee as they are the primary damaged targets. Keep Regrowth and Rejuvenation up on the raging spirits tank and be ready to throw a Swiftmend. After the 3rd spirit spawns, get ready to move back in the middle as the edge will disappear.
Before Lich King becomes "active" again, be sure not to be : on the edge, close to a frozen orb, in front of the raging spirit. Hot the tank that is about to take LK and spam him with Nourish. To be more precise, during the phase transition I recommend you to: move from the edge to a safe spot just outside the falling zone, use Regrowth and Rejuvenation on the tank, start spamming him with Nourish when the boss becomes active and when it's safe (the tank is alive and healed) roll Lifebloom while moving to the Valkyr spot, however don't be late.
Phase 2
Before Lich King becomes "active" again, be sure not to be : on the edge, close to a frozen orb, in front of the raging spirit. Hot the tank that is about to take LK and spam him with Nourish. To be more precise, during the phase transition I recommend you to: move from the edge to a safe spot just outside the falling zone, use Regrowth and Rejuvenation on the tank, start spamming him with Nourish when the boss becomes active and when it's safe (the tank is alive and healed) roll Lifebloom while moving to the Valkyr spot, however don't be late.
There is no magic tips to perfectly manage Defile and Valkyrs. The only thing I can advise you is to know when defile is coming, to be ready to "pre-move" and to know exactly where you will go if you are targetted. The worse thing might be : "oh shit defile is on me, let me think what should I do". You must be 300% prepared/ready and especially when Defile and Valkyrs CD are really close.
Regarding healing, you must focus on the tank while patching heal with Nourish on Infest. Keep your hots on the tank and regularly spam Nourish (it's not really a permanent spam, but don't just cast a Nourish every 10sec, it's far not enough). Keep your Swiftmend and let Lifebloom fade when movement is needed. Use your Innervate on cd.
You might also want to monitor shield buff on you. Do it with whatever addon you want but be sure to do it. If you don't have any shield when Infest comes, use Barkskin and possibly HealthStone. If Infest healing goes wrong and many people are affected you should : instantly check if your group is hardly affected and if so use Tranquility, use Wild Growth (if you think you have the time to) and cover with Nourish and NS+HT. Don't forget the tank in that kind of situation.
You must also be aware of tank switches, boss HP, Infest, Defile and Valkyrs timers. If you are taken by a Valkyr be sure to call it on vent.
Be ready to get close to the edge at 40%.
2nd Transition
If you are late getting close to the edge, you would think about using Barkskin and possibly Dash to avoid taking too much damage from the aoe.
Do basically like in the first transition, covering the raid, assisting on the tank and be ready to go back on the platform.
Phase 3
Hurray, no more Infest! Phase 3 is all about raid movement, spirit management and tank healing.
When you enter phase 3, you must keep all your hots on the off tank (tanking raging spirits) and do the same as in phase 2 on the main tank (hots + pre-casting). Even if it's the role of the offtank, be careful not to face the raging spirit to avoid their Soul Shriek.
Prepare for the Frostmourne room. Once in, I can only say to keep people alive. Move along with the raid following the person assigned to lead. Use a typical 5x1 rotation at the beginning (always starting with Wild Growth) then if you are tight on mana, you can do less Rejuvenation. The raid is not likely to wipe because of raid healing but more because of explosions or spirits. Prepare to return fighting LK, be ready for the defile. Hot the tanks before leaving the room.
Spread out as soon as you come back from Frostmourne room. Avoid the Defile and gather behind the raging spirit or Lich King depending on your strategy. You must now focus on the tanks and on your positioning. Be really aware of the defile timer as well as where you will go if you get targeted.
Tank healing would not be a problem now everyone can focus on it. However you must stay focus on pre-casting over the Soul Reaper, let lifebloom bloom or use Swiftmend when everyone is moving. Also, you must know who's gonna soak the next vil spirit wave. If it's the off tank he needs heal, be ready to do it.
Chain up FM rooms and normal phases, keeping a good focus on defile as it relies on your reactivity and might wipe the raid if you fail. Otherwise it's about teamwork, heal the tanks, cover possible damages from spirit explosion and keep doing the same with concentration.
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