This strategy is written for World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade (TBC 2.4.3), the Black Temple raid for 25 players. Mechanics and numbers match the fight on the Moonwell server.
Fight map
Hover a number on the map or in the text to highlight the spot and the strategy line. Marks follow the fight scripts.
The third boss of Black Temple, a 25-player raid: 3 tanks, 5–7 healers. First the raid kills everyone holding the Shade and fights off waves of adds. Then the Shade comes to Akama, and everyone attacks it while he is alive. Akama's death ends the attempt.
Start
Akama stands at the entrance in stealth: walk right up to him and choose "I'm with you, Akama." The hall door closes, Akama walks to the middle of the hall and starts channeling on Shade of Akama.
Phase 1: who holds the Shade
Ashtongue Channelers: six around the Shade, 125,675 HP each. They don't fight back, and crowd control doesn't work on them. Each one holding it slows the Shade by 30%; with four or more it almost stands still. No more than once every 25 sec, an Ashtongue Sorcerer runs in to replace a dead one: 100,540 HP, also doesn't fight back and is immune to crowd control. The Shade can't be attacked yet.
Phase 1: waves
3 sec after the channel starts, then every 45 sec, a group of three comes out of each side door, each with 23–29 thousand HP. Ashtongue Elementalist: Rain of Fire, 3,238–3,762 every 2 sec within 10 yd for 8 sec, and Lightning Bolt. Ashtongue Rogue: Debilitating Poison slows attack and casting speed by 50% for 8 sec. Ashtongue Spiritbinder heals its allies: Chain Heal, Spirit Heal.
Phase 1: defenders
Every 30 sec an Ashtongue Defender with 88,560 HP comes out of one door. Once it reaches Akama, it hits him with Heroic Strike for 5,088–5,912. Debilitating Strike reduces the target's damage by 75% for 5 sec.
Phase 2: the Shade at Akama
The Shade has arrived: Channelers and Sorcerers disappear, no new groups come, adds already out stay. Now it can be attacked, 1,001,616 HP. It hits only Akama: 10–20 thousand every 1.8 sec. He has about 1 million HP and the adds hit him too, so you usually have about a minute for the Shade. Every 15 sec Akama applies Destructive Poison to it: +5% damage taken per stack. When it dies, all adds disappear.
Failure
If Akama or the whole raid dies, he and the Shade disappear and the door opens. You can start again after 5 minutes.
Tanks
One at each side door: pick up the group as it comes out. The third, in the center, gathers the Defenders.
Healers
Two or three on the center tank, the rest at the doors. Dispel Debilitating Poison from the tanks.
DPS
Melee and warlocks kill the Channelers one by one, ranged work at the doors. In a group, kill the Spiritbinder or the Elementalist first and the Rogue last; keep two under crowd control: Polymorph, Freezing Trap.
Common mistakes
- The raid attacks Defenders instead of Channelers: the Shade doesn't move, adds pile up, and Akama dies.
- A Sorcerer is left alive: he holds the Shade just like a Channeler.
- In phase 2, part of the raid finishes off adds: the Shade outlives Akama.
Abilities, loot and map: boss card