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 Black Temple finale: 25 players, five phases, Berserk at 25 minutes. You need four tanks: one for Illidan, two with fire resistance and a warlock with shadow resistance. Raids most often die to parasites and to a Flame pulled away from its blade.
Phase 1: 100% to 65%
Akama starts the fight: after his line Illidan attacks 40 seconds later. The raid stands behind the boss: Draw Soul hits in a frontal cone and heals him for each player hit. The tank moves the boss out of Flame Crash fire. Every 25 seconds a player gets Parasitic Shadowfiend. It cannot be dispelled; after 10 seconds two Parasitic Shadowfiends come out. The carrier goes to a mage or to the melee. The shadowfiends stand still for 2 seconds, then run to another player and infect them.
Phase 2: Illidan in the air while the Flames live
At 65% he flies up and cannot be attacked. Each Blade of Azzinoth (there are two) raises a Flame of Azzinoth. A Flame more than 30 yd from its blade gets Uncaged Wrath: +500% damage, +200% speed. A player more than 40 yd from both blades is hit by Charge. Every 12 seconds Flame Blast hits in a cone and drops Blaze under its target: the tank steps aside, the Flame faces away from the raid. Eye Blast runs through the blade on the side where Illidan hovers and does not touch the center. Ranged and healers stand near the center in groups: Fireball hits everyone within 10 yd of its target. Dark Barrage hits a random target for 10 seconds.
Phase 3: back on the ground
Illidan lands in the center, threat resets: DPS wait for the tank. Abilities as in phase 1, plus Agonizing Flames every 24 seconds: a player outside melee range and everyone within 5 yd of them burn for a minute. Stand more than 5 yd apart. After 60 seconds phase 4, and so on until 30%.
Phase 4: Demon Form
The transformation takes about 15 seconds, threat resets, the raid spreads out. Timings count from its end. Demon Form: Aura of Dread hits anyone within 15 yd. The warlock takes threat first and stands more than 15 yd from the boss. Shadow Blast hits the warlock and everyone within 20 yd of them. At 7, 26 and 46 seconds Flame Burst hits every player and everyone within 5 yd of each. At 20 seconds Summon Shadow Demons: four Shadow Demons paralyze random players and walk to them. If one gets there, the player is dead. At 48 seconds he transforms back, threat resets again.
Phase 5: 30% onward, with Maiev
At 30% Shadow Prison holds the raid for 30 seconds. Bring him to 30% while he is on the ground: from demon form he will first change back. Maiev Shadowsong arrives; Demon Form still comes. In the ground part, at 30 seconds Maiev moves about 40 yd away from the boss and sets a Cage Trap. At 40 seconds Enrage: +50% damage for 20 seconds. The tank brings the boss within 3 yd of the trap: Caged stuns him for 15 seconds, he takes double damage, and Enrage is removed. Do not bring him in before 40 seconds: Enrage would start right after the cage.
Tanks
The main tank needs at least 100% dodge, parry and block, not counting miss; then Shear (minus 60% health) cannot land. The Flame tanks need fire resistance: the Flames deal fire damage, armor does not help.
Healers
Phase 2 is the hardest: two Flame tanks and the Dark Barrage target at once. In phase 4 assign healers to the warlock.
DPS
Frost Nova holds the shadowfiends; Freezing Trap does not work. Frost Trap slows the demons; stuns and roots do not work on them. Ice Block and Divine Shield remove Agonizing Flames and Dark Barrage, but not the parasite.
Common mistakes
- A Flame more than 30 yd from its blade: Uncaged Wrath usually wipes the raid.
- Shadowfiends not killed at once: there are more and more of them.
- Full damage right after a form change: the boss turns to a DPS player.
Abilities, loot and map: boss card