Throne of the Four Winds: Al'Akir

This is my notes on the Al'Akir, the final boss encounter for Throne of the Four Winds with 10-man in mind. I will continue to edit and add as I go along.

Keep In Mind:
- Think Ragnaros in Molten Core.
- Nature resistance is useful during the entire fight.
- Locks can use a portal at melee range of boss for P1 and P2, you can also put one at the proper height of air phase for P3.
- Positioning Strategy: 3 groups of 3 each, with a dps that can self-heal by themselves (like enh shaman or ret pally etc).
-- 10 yard spread btw members. Heals should spread out (hence the groups) so everyone is within range of a healer, or can heal themselves.
-- Stay away from boss when you aren't dropping Electrocute or avoiding Wind Burst, you'll get interrupted during spellcast).

Phase 1 (100-80%):
Things To Keep In Mind During This Phase:
- Everyone spread out. Chain lightning will result in a wipe due to insane damage.
Phase 2 Abilities:
- Ice Storm: Creates a blizzard that moves around platform, leaving Ice patches on the ground behind it. Deals 15000 Frost every .5 sec to everyone standing in ice patch on ground.
- Static Shock: shocks all nearby enemies, deals 1000 nature/sec which interrupts any spell casting. Lasts 5 sec. This is only cast in melee, so casters do need to stand back.
- Electrocute: Channels a bolt of electricity into target, dealing Nature DoT. This ability is useable only if unable to melee target. Ability ends once returns to melee. So remove by going into melee.
- Wind Burst: Deals 28275 - 31725 Nature to all enemies w/ knockback. 5 second cast.
-- If you are close to boss, it won't knock you off the platform.
-- Ranged must move in to avoid getting knocked off.
- Lightning Strike: Deals 19000-21000 Nature cone facing at a random target every second for 30 sec. This effect also chains off all enemies affecting causing dmg to all other enemies affected.
- Squall Line: Creates a wall of Tornadoes that circles platform. There is an obvious opening in the tornado line that players must move to (think break in Lava Wall in OS) 40K dmg/sec to those touching Squall Line. Heroic has 2 walls of tornadoes.
-- You will see gold swirls indicating the tornadoes are about to spawn.
-- If you run into the dilemma of Wind Burst with Squall Line (and there's an ice patch in between the opening), run and avoid ice patch. If you get blown off, you will be blown back up.
-- Tornadoes in Squall Line has a bit of a hit box, so you may still get caught up even if you're in the opening.
-- It can come from any direction!

Phase 2 (80-30%):
Things To Keep In Mind During This Phase:
- DPS Burn. Blood Lust and burn CD in P2 to push boss as fast as possible to P3, otherwise the Acid Rain will overwhelm healers.
Phase 2 Abilities:
- Abilities from Phase 1 in effect still: Static Shock, Electrocute, Squall Line
-- So again, watch for tornadoes
-- Move in to remove Electrocute but move out as soon as it drops to avoid spell interrupts.
- Acid Rain: Likened to a soft enrage. Deals 500 Nature per sec to all enemies. Effect increases 500 every 15 sec till Phase 3. Stacks. Save survival cooldowns toward the end of this phase.
- Stormling: Summons a Stormling add (300,000 HP for 10m) with nature dmg aura that applies Feedback to boss when slain. Deals 2375-2625 Nature every sec to all enemies w/i 20 yrds (on heroic dmg increases and stacks)
-- Feedback: Stormling's death causes feedback effect toward Al'Akir, increasing dmg received by 10% per stack, lasts 20 sec.
-- Coordinate stormling deaths for feedback on boss before healers get overwhelmed by Acid Rain.
-- For example, save up 3 or 4 Stormlings and then kill them at once to just really burn the boss... so Lust, use CDs etc.
-- Another strategy is to gather up first two, and kill first one as 3rd one spawns.. always having 1-2 adds up and kept low to kill as close to debuff time running out as possible with maximum uptime resulting in more stacks.

Phase 3 (30-0%):
Things To Keep In Mind During This Phase:
- Think Malygos Phase 3.
- Al'Akir shatters his platform and creates a zone-wide Relentless Storm which lifts all players into the air and gives them the Eye of the Storm buff as long as they are near them. This buff allows for flight and increases movement speed by 300%. *some abilities may cancel this effect.. like goblin rocket maybe.
- Split the raid into 2 groups (1: 2 heals, 4 dps; 2: 1 heal, 2 dps, 1, tank). One at the top and one at the bottom of the Eye of the Storm. Groups spread out at the same altitude (approx 15 yards), moving slightly up/down for Lightning Cloud.
-- Group 1 starts at head height. If there is Lightning Clouds, then drop down to chest level, rotating between 1 and 2.
-- Group 2 starts at groin height, and when there's lightning cloud etc, move to height of knees, rotating between knees and groin.
-- Helps manage AoE damage due to crowding, and calling out "down" or "up" in vent will help with movement coordination.
-- Everyone spread out about 5 yards from each other but at same height level (as assigned to your group).
- Don't stack to far from boss, nor too close (approx 20-30 yrds distance is ok), otherwise you will get caught in the storm. Move back to position if blown away.
- No diagonal movements. 2 mechanics make you move up or down (Lightning Rod and Lightning Cloud) and 1 that has you moving closer (Wind Burst).
- Try not to move around too much, as this may mess up positioning of others. Just move as needed.
- Heal intensive, boss must be killed before raid runs out of room in Eye of the Storm and has to double back through lightning clouds, which usually ends in death.
Phase 3 Abilities:
- Chain Lightning: Cast constantly in P3, dealing 14250-15750 Nature to random enemy target and then jumps to addtl nearby enemies. Each jump increases dmg by 30%.
- Lightning Rod: Causes random target to begin to emit lightning to nearby players after 5 secs, dealing 4750-5250 Nature/sec to all friends within 20 yrds horizontally, and 5 yrds vertically. Lasts 5 sec.
-- If you're near someone with Lightning Rod, move away.
-- Person with lightning rod stays where they are and everyone else moves.
- Lightning Cloud: Summons clouds at the altitude of a random enemy. After 5 secs, clouds erupt lightning, dealing 47500-52500 Nature per sec to all enemies at same altitude. Lasts 30 sec. Looks like a webbing of lightning.
-- When this spawns, everyone moves down (or up) just enough to avoid damage.
-- Keep clouds close together by moving as little as possible and avoid flying back through clouds if possible. 
- Wind Burst: deals more damage than in  P1, doing 38000-42000 Nature to all enemies, knocking them back.
-- Bubble/Ice Block doesn't stop this, so don't waste CDs.
-- You have a few seconds to get back into position before Relentless Storm hits. So move in FAST to avoid getting caught, heal up, and be ready for next cloud.
- Relentless Storm: Means you're caught in the Relentless Storm, and this debuff gets applied if you are too far away from boss (too high, low, or distant). You will spin uncontrollably, get knocked around, go into lightning clouds, and then die.