Ulduar – General Vezax: A Challenging Encounter

Introduction

In the depths of Ulduar lies General Vezax, a formidable boss guarding the prison of Yogg-Saron. This large Faceless One poses a unique and challenging fight, particularly for spellcasters. The encounter demands unwavering concentration and attention from all participants.

Health and Abilities

Aura of Despair

General Vezax’s Aura of Despair hinders mana regeneration and slows melee attack speed by 20%. However, certain abilities, such as Aspect of the Viper, Judgements of the Wise, and Spiritual Attunement, can still provide some mana.

Mark of the Faceless

The General randomly targets a player at least 15 yards away and places the Mark of the Faceless debuff on them. This debuff deals 5,000 damage per second for 10 seconds to anyone within 10 yards of the affected player. Additionally, the General is healed for 100,000 health each time the debuff damages a player. If there aren’t enough players at least 15 yards away from General Vezax, he can target players closer to him, including the tank. In 25-player raids, at least 9 players must be further than 15 yards away to prevent this, while in 10-player raids, at least 4 players must maintain distance.

Searing Flames

General Vezax casts Searing Flames, a fire-based spell that inflicts significant fire damage to all players in the room. It deals approximately 15,000 fire damage (12,000 in 10-player raids) and reduces their armor by 75% for 10 seconds. The spell takes 2 seconds to cast and can be interrupted.

Shadow Crash

Periodically, General Vezax launches a shadow missile at a random target located at least 15 yards away. Upon impact, the missile deals around 12,000 shadow damage (6,000 in 10-player raids) to anyone within 10 yards of the impact point, knocking them back. The explosion leaves a residue on the ground for 20 seconds, granting players buffs to their magic abilities but significantly reducing their healing capacity. During this time, players experience a 100% increase in magic damage and casting speed, along with a 75% reduction in mana cost. However, healing done is also reduced by 75%.

Surge of Darkness

General Vezax casts Surge of Darkness, a self-buff that increases his damage by 100% but slows his movement by 50% for 10 seconds.

Additional Entities in the Fight

During the encounter, Saronite Vapors, green-colored crystals, will periodically spawn and move around the room. These crystals have approximately 25,000 health (12,500 in 10-player raids). Destroying a crystal creates a green zone on the ground, providing players with a buff/debuff. This buff/debuff has both positive and negative effects, stacking every 2 seconds and lasting for 20 seconds.

If General Vezax is fought in hard mode, eight untouched Saronite Vapors will combine to form a single Saronite Animus with 12,400,000 health (2,000,000 in 10-player raids). The Animus emits the ability Profound Darkness, which inflicts 750 shadow damage and applies a stacking shadow damage debuff, increasing all shadow damage taken by 10% per stack every two seconds until the Animus is destroyed. Additionally, the Saronite Animus engages in melee combat with the player holding the highest threat.

Strategy

Before engaging General Vezax, ensure that the room is cleared of any extra creatures. The fight requires players to avoid clustering together, so it’s best to start spread out around the boss. The tank initiates the fight, while ranged players position themselves roughly 25 yards away from General Vezax in a semicircle, covering the necessary space.

Tips and Macros

To aid in the encounter, two useful macros can be created. The first is for rogues, enabling them to coordinate kicks for interrupts. A simple macro consisting of “/cast kick” and “/cast tell [next rogue’s name] You’re next” will suffice.

The second macro is for ranged DPS, allowing quick targeting of Saronite Vapors for damage. Simply use “/target Saronite Vapor” followed by “/cast [your base attack spell of choice]”.

Roles and Responsibilities

Melee and tanks must prioritize interrupting Searing Flames to prevent severe mana issues for healers. Tanks also need to handle Surge of Darkness by utilizing cooldowns or alternating with another tank. Paladin healers can cast Hand of Salvation on the tank to mitigate some of the increased damage.

Ranged and mana-based players must be vigilant in avoiding Shadow Crash missiles and maintaining distance from others. Mana regeneration is extremely limited during the fight, so conserving mana and capitalizing on the buffs granted by standing in shadow crash puddles are crucial. The Saronite Vapors provide an opportunity for mana regeneration, as players can destroy them, jump into the resulting green puddle, and stack the debuff for mana regeneration. Balancing damage taken for mana gain depends on individual circumstances, such as shadow resistance and self-healing abilities.

Conclusion

Although the fight may appear complex, coordination and timing between the group are the keys to success. If your party has been able to defeat Mimiron, General Vezax may prove to be a comparatively simpler encounter with practice.