45 Minute Baron Run in UD Stratholme Guide
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Preface: This will likely end up being long, and I realize it is months behind (in writing the guide anyhow), however I hope to go over every point I have learned through my experiences, as well as outline a complete pull schedule (unfortunately I can only do it in written form, any attempts I make at a fraps turns out quite badly, so please bear with me). Before you read on check out this quick video of a warrior, priest, and 3 mages completing the 45 minute Baron run, it may give you some pointers and more understanding befofe I continue on...
For those who dont know me, I am a hardcore player though complete non-raider (aside from the very occasional UBRS). My gear is about as strong as possible without heading into a 40man, I wear 8/8 virtuous, Cainwyn, Hide, Band of Mending, Emerald Flame Ring, Mindtap/Beast card, bonecreeper stylus, and Benediction (the divinity of which I purchased by getting summoned in after domo died on a guilds raid).
As such, I am constantly looking for challenges. The tier.5 was a great challenge IMO for non-raiders, and the dreaded early block of the 45 UD is the second most difficult part I believe (behind valthalak who I would hate trying in a pick up). It took me 6 attempts to get my first 45 minute run completed for my own quest, since then I take fun in helping people past this part. Currently, I have completed 20 successful pick up (which Ill from now on refer to as PUG) runs in under 45 minutes, at about 80% success rate.
When I say pick up group I mean that I dont know the players ahead of time (sometimes a buddy will come along, but the vast majority of the time I just sit in IF saying LFM for 45 minute UD run). I DO, however, select specific class combination (but there is room for all classes, proportions must remain specific).
Setup: Many people call for potions/buffs and in truly extreme cases, flasks. I have not used any of these and believe they are completely unnecessary, even in a blue-geared PUG. The only outside tool I truly consider necessary is ventrilo. It could be done without, but Ive never even attempted it without it. Since I go in PUGs where not everybody is entirely familiar with UD, its far easier/faster for me to give instruction through voice. As a bit of a side note: Many people do not know that you can run your own free vent server that can hold 8 people fairly easily. Download the server client from www.ventrilo.com and search google for help on setting up a free vent server, it takes less than 15 minutes.
Group Makeups: I have a somewhat specific combination of classes make for the optimal run. Clearly I always bring a priest (myself), and I always bring a warrior (fury spec is the best, but any spec is fine). One spot must always be reserved for either: A druid (who currently must be resto but in 1.11 can be anything, only the innervate is important), or a paladin (horde can go with shaman and have him/her perform the exact same duty as a paladin). The last 2 spots are any combination of DPS classes you want: the best is a rogue/mage, but I have done several runs without any warlock or mage for aoe. I would STRONGLY recommend not repeating classes for the run, especially any of the first 3, as the DPS will simply be weak (unless you have 2 truly decked out warriors).
Group Job Descriptions: The strategy varies slightly depending on whether you get a paladin or innervating druid. The 2 dps classes job is simple and static: dps as hard as you can. The warriors job remains the same, I always have them bring their best DPS gear and 2hander/dual wield. Go berserker stance up to ramstein and just whirlwind everything. The priest and druid/paladin strategy differ however.
I will give a brief description of the priests job for the 45 minute Baron run that remains static (I will go more in-depth about the nuances for priests in this run later). That job is of the puller. I always make all pulls for the group, including boss pulls, for the run, and I find priest most effective at pulling (only coincidentally that it is also the class I play). Learn to use line of sight; for those unfamiliar with the concept, it refers to standing behind a wall or some other restriction of sight so that caster mobs will pull back to you without any additional aid. If you are new to this concept or not confident in your abilities to do it, go test it out for a bit before attempting this run. The puller (which I HIGHLY recommend you make the priest) must be very comfortable in their abilities to do this. Click the below image to enlarge it for a complete pull schedule:
Pull Schedule, click to enlarge.
If you have a PALADIN: The paladin must act as the main healer.
Bring your best 2hand and DPS gear, on all mobs simply assist the
warrior and autoattack with seal of wisdom. No mana for exor or holy
wrath or such, ONLY heals and cleanse. The priest and paladin
clearly should both get wisdom blessing, and the priest will be
making very few heals. Since you dont have any burst regen
(innervate), you must allow the priest to keep his mana near full at
all times so that he can continue chain pulls through boss fights.
The paladin is by far the most important player in this run, how
well he heals makes or breaks this run. The fewer heals the priest
has to throw, the faster you will complete it.
If you have an INNERVATING DRUID: The priest will act as the main healer. The druid should bring their best feral gear, and be prepared to cat form all the way to the end. Never use the innervate unless the priest calls for it. A talented priest should easily be able to last between innervate cooldowns with minimal mana breaks (beginning priests should expect about 3 as your max still being able to complete it, although I do not take drink breaks anymore during the runs when I have a druid). The druid should only pop out during add pulls or if something otherwise goes wrong and the priest needs immediate healing help.
General Strategy: As stated, the priest should pull. Just pull the next group as the last mob of the previous group is at about 40%. Make all pulls (as laid out in the next section) back to the group, here use line of sight, or if you are confident in your ability to work with the mage, more difficult LOS pulls can be aided by the use of a silence. Shackle EVERY PULL and let them clean them up at the end.
The ziggurat (tower with non-elite humanoids) order is Baronness (banshee), Nerub something or other (spider), and Maleki (humanoid). This is a very important point: No MATTER your class makeup, you should always have part of the group clear the humanoids in the tower and another part of the group continue pulls (I will outline optimal splits in the pull schedule).
All looting should be handled by group loot. Just use true need/greed even for boss loots, as there is no time to be wasting with other forms of looting.
There are two different types of every mob in UD strat, but only 2 of which you truly have to differentiate. There are 2 different kinds of gargoyles. One of which is called gargoyle, and simply does melee dps. The other is screecher however (distinguished not only by its name, but its caster attack). Additionally, the screechers FEAR, an easy way to cause an add pull/wipe/end of run. Being a dwarf priest I am capable of keeping fear ward on the group. The important point is this, however: Any particular screecher will fear only ONCE in a given combat, once it uses it, it wont again. Therefore, do not engage a screecher in melee range unless you have a means to break fear, but once that initial fear is gone, anybody can safely go into melee range.
The other differentiation to make is between humanoid casters. One is a shadowcaster (or something to that effect), and simply does shadowbolts/etc. The other is necromancer. The necromancers are the reason that ALL humanoid pulls must be single-target focus fired. The necromancers have a 300 hp/mp per second drain, which can become an enormous timesink (especially on the pull directly before Maleki which can unluckily spawn as 4 necros). For reference: Paladins and priests can both dispel the drain (simply cleanse/dispel on whoever is being drained), which I would HIGHLY recommend be a priority for the priest.
I will now attempt to outline an entire pull schedule, from start of the clock to finish. Please forgive me if I make mistakes initially, I am doing this entirely from memory without any map/dungeon/video in front of me. If I make an error and later realize it (or have it pointed out in a response to the thread) I will attempt to promptly fix it.
I will begin the guide from the Gauntlet Gate (directly after the 3 skeleton groups), which is where the timer begins. For those who are not familiar with the structure of the quest (not sure why you would have read this far if you arent!), the timer begins in the form of a 45 minute debuff once the gauntlet gate is opened. Any deaths/invincibility effects remove the debuff, but your timer is still active; dont fret! Additionally, to succeed in the quest you must only ENGAGE baron before 45 minutes if you end up killing him on that pull. If your clock is ticking under 60 seconds then take some time to rest before you engage baron, get prepared, and dont panic! Even if you pull with only 1 second left on the clock, so long as you kill him on that pull, you can complete the quest.
Pull Schedule: LOS/Silence pull first banshee.
LOS Pull Banshee around corner to the left.
Pull 2 spiders directly ahead of where group is standing.
Begin pulling all gargoyles/screechers that get to a safe (by safe I mean area in which they wont cause adds) during this time.
Pull the 2 ghouls on the far wall (next to the charred wagon).
SKIP the 3 ghoul pull to the right.
LOS pull the 3 humanoids on the far wall to the left back to the group (the group should not have moved from the 3rd gate yet).
Once the humanoid pull is down and all the garg/screechers that patrol thru are dead, then move ahead to the far wall (where the 2 ghouls were standing).
At this point, you will begin pulls to baronness, and the charred wagon should remain IN FRONT of you. The corner just next to the charred wagon (when facing baronness, the corner will be formed to the wall on the near side of the charred wagon to your left) is used for the LOS pulls, and is very important because that is the exact spot to where you will pull baroness.
Pull the Banshee to the right of the charred wagon back.
Pull the spider to the left of the wagon.
Pull the 2 ghouls around the left corner.
Pull the spider just in front of baronnesss steps.
Pull the gargoyle/screecher patrol (only 1).
During the final spider/patrol pull, have the warrior burn his fear (so that baronness cannot posses him and use it on the group). Have everybody stand behind the wall (the one I described previously), and have the priest wait up near her steps. You will be skipping the 3 ghoul pull on the right wall, as well as the right stationary group of humanoids, as well as the left banshee. Once everybody is in position, the priest pulls her back.
The priest runs all the way around the corner (to the rest of the group) and everybody waits. As the priest runs back, have them burn their fear. She will line of sight directly onto the group. At this point the ranged DPS go back to the initial pull spot (the gate) to outrange her silence; be vary wary of the ghouls. Everybody pops ALL dps cooldowns, including recklessness on the warrior, because she is the biggest timesink in the dungeon.
Once baronness dies: Have 2 people clear the tower and 3 continue pulls. If you have a mage, then have the mage and your offhealer (druid/paladin) go and clear to the tower. If you do not have a mage, then just send the offhealer and one dps class. That leaves the warrior, priest, and one dps class to continue pulls. The group of 3 continues pulls to the spider boss.
Pull the spider/banshee (they usually come together).
Move down and pull the spider.
Pull the banshee.
Pull the humanoid/spider pull.
To pull the spider boss, have everybody back up to the dead tree (along the right wall, should be just a little behind the group). The priest pulls him from the step and runs back. He will send out a few waves of little untargettable bugs, and then he will send out 1 bigger red bug. Everybody dpses the red bug down, and the boss will start coming towards the group. At this point have the warrior pick him up and after grabbing aggro continue backing up all the way to the dead tree. The reason for this is that the spider likes to run, and very easily causes adds. Make sure to have somebody on bug duty, clearing the red bugs he spawns on the group.
When the boss dies, who goes to clear the tower depends on your group makeup. If you have a mage: Then the mage takes a mana break, the priest also remains out (his job described in a minute), and the 2 dps classes/warrior clear the tower. If you dont have a mage, just send all but the priest in.
The priest remains outside and clears the bug gate (hug the right wall VERY closely as you go down). Bugs will spawn on you, just holy nova them down, as soon as they die take a full mana break (you should have some time before the rest of the group catches up).
When the rest of the group gets there, begin pulls (you can use the left side of the wall under the gate to LOS, there is a small corner easily stood behind.
Pull the humanoid group to the right.
Pull the banshee straight ahead.
Pull the 3 ghoul pull on the left wall.
Begin making screecher/gargoyle pulls when they are clear now.
Pull the 2 humanoid pull on the left wall up ahead (almost directly left of the fountain). Once this pull is down, everybody moves forward to the left of the fountain.
Pull the LEFT banshee (NOT the one near the spider), use LOS (the left wall near the fountain has a corner to LOS on).
Pull the banshee/spider (usually come together).
Pull the 3 ghouls ahead on the far wall.
Pull the final screecher/garg patrol (the one that doesnt patrol around the fountain). Once this pull is down everybody moves up to the far wall (right where the 3 ghouls came from), begin pulls to maleki.
Pull the 3 ghouls.
This next pull can be tricky, there are 2 spiders that pseudo patrol (a static range of patrol but they can get close enough that they pull together). When the left spider is a safe distance from the right, pull it so it comes alone.
Pull the near banshee.
This next pull IMO is the trickiest and possibly a huge timesink. The priest must hug very closely up the left wall, there will be a 4 humanoid static group around a left corner just before malekis stairs. The group remains where the 3 ghouls were, and the priest body pulls them (just pop around the corner for a split second BE VERY CAREFUL because the 2nd banshee which you skipped is on your right and pulls quite easily if you arent careful). Do your best on the focus fire on this pull, if you get unlucky with several necros they can easily drain your party of mana and take forever to bring down.
Once that pull is down everybody hugs up the left wall all the way to where those 4 humanoids were, there is a triangular corner that everybody hides in (to avoid adding the banshee and to LOS the following pull).
Pull the 3 humanoids on the stairs to the left (the ones just before maleki). Use the triangle to LOS them.
Once that pull is down, everybody charges right up the left side of the stairs and engages maleki on the steps. Once he is down, everybody EXCEPT the warrior/priest clear the tower. The priest and warrior hug down the right wall (again be very wary of the banshee), and go down to the place where the 3 ghouls were that you pulled to get to the far wall.
You will be skipping magistrate as well as the 4 ghoul pull to the left, the only thing between you and the aboms is a 2 ghoul pull. Pull that while you wait for the 3 in tower to come back.
Once that is all down, everybody goes into the abom gate. Try to learn which pulls will trigger which mobs to patrol in (note, the mobs will patrol eventually if you never trigger their mob, but each patrol can be triggered early by pulling certain mobs). Just for starters, I generally pull the near left venom belcher (the one closest to the group to the left of ramms door). That will trigger 2 to patrol in from the right side, however the group has time to kill that as WELL as the near RIGHT venom belcher. After that kill the 2 that patrolled in, and then clear from right to left (once all that is left is the far right bile spewer, the one just to the right of rams door, I have the group move down in and we continue pulling from there).
Good luck everybody.
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