From 7f3d43c88530c4e88d9352582e2dd17e4d9ba495 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Dreathean <132776330+Dreathean@users.noreply.github.com> Date: Mon, 16 Feb 2026 08:49:08 -0500 Subject: [PATCH] Added SSC strats, thanks to Crow for the write up! --- Playerbot-Raid-Strategy-Guide.md | 98 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 98 insertions(+) diff --git a/Playerbot-Raid-Strategy-Guide.md b/Playerbot-Raid-Strategy-Guide.md index 7420e49..7924607 100644 --- a/Playerbot-Raid-Strategy-Guide.md +++ b/Playerbot-Raid-Strategy-Guide.md @@ -272,6 +272,104 @@ The main tank will attempt to keep Gruul in the center of the room, and ranged b Bots will attempt to spread out as much as possible after Ground Slam is used in advance of Shatter. * Tips & Tricks: In appropriate gear levels, the bots are likely to start dying to Shatter before 10 stacks of Growth, as they do not spread as well as coordinated players. This should be plenty of time to kill Gruul with IP nerfs and pre-raid gear (not even pre-raid BiS needed), but if you are struggling to get the kill before then, you may need to farm more gear or better optimize the composition of your raid. +### Serpentshrine Cavern +*This raid is completable with suggested IP nerfs. Strategies were written/tested with (1) bot damage and healing each reduced to 50% of normal strength, and (2) HP of all raid mobs restored to Patch 2.4.3 levels (i.e., reverting the global 30% nerf to HP of TBC raid mobs from Patch 3.0.2). + +**Trash Mobs** +* Greyheart Tidecaller: Bots will mark and destroy Water Elemental Totems immediately. +* Underbog Colossus: Some Colossi leave behind a lake of toxin when they die that quickly kills any player that is standing in it. Bots will run out of the toxin, even when out of combat. + +**Hydross the Unstable** +* Defeatable Solo with Bots: Yes, no manual control or command of bots needed. +* Coded Strategies: + * Two tanks are needed. The main tank will tank the frost phase, and the first assist tank will tank the nature phase. Any additional tanks will be responsible for picking up adds. + * The main tank will tank Hydross until Mark of Hydross reaches 100%. At that point, the main tank will cross the invisible barrier to transition Hydross into nature phase, and the first assist tank will pick up Hydross. When Mark of Corruption reaches 100%, the first assist tank will cross the invisible barrier to transition Hydross into frost phase, and the main tank will pick Hydross up again. This repeats for the duration of the fight. + * Bots will stop DPS after Marks reach 100% and will not resume until 5 seconds after Hydross transitions. + * Hunters will Misdirect Hydross to the applicable tank upon the pull and after each phase change. + * DPS will prioritize adds that spawn upon phase transitions. + * Ranged will spread during the frost phase to mitigate the impact of Water Tomb. +* Tips & Tricks: + * Have at least one Paladin/Shaman switch to Frost Resistance Aura/Frost Resistance Totem, and at least one Hunter switch to Aspect of the Wild. + * Frost/nature resist gear for tanks is helpful if you are playing with IP nerfs, particularly if your gear is poor. Consider using the crafted three-piece plate sets from Violet Eye (frost) and Cenarion Expedition (nature). + * The best way to pull the boss is the same way as in retail. Kill all the Tainted Water Elementals and then approach Hydross from the side, hugging the wall. Then command your main tank to attack to start the fight. This ensures that Hydross does not transition into his nature phase immediately upon the pull. + +**The Lurker Below** + +* Defeatable Solo with Bots: Yes, no manual control or command of bots needed. +* Coded Strategies: + * The main tank has a designated tanking spot in front of a column due to Lurker using multiple knockbacks. + * Ranged bots spread in an arc directly across from the main tank. + * When Lurker casts Spout, all bots will run around behind Lurker for the duration of the cast. + * When Lurker submerges, if you have at least three tanks, the first three will each pick up one of the Coilfang Guardians. +* Tips & Tricks: + * If you have bot fishing enabled in the config, bots that have the fishing skill will join you in attempting to catch Lurker. If you allow the bots to fish, then as soon as Lurker spawns, you need to command the bots to “equip upgrade” because they will not automatically switch from their fishing poles. You may need to issue the command multiple times because sometimes bots will not equip their offhand/shield after the first command. + +**Leotheras the Blind** + +* Defeatable Solo with Bots: Yes, no manual control or command of bots needed. +* Coded Strategies: + * Upon the pull, bots will mark and kill Greyheart Spellbinders. They will not waste Bloodlust/Heroism before the boss activates. + * During Phase 1, ranged bots will attempt to keep their distance from Leotheras in preparation for Whirlwind. When he channels Whirlwind, all bots but tanks will run away until the channel is finished. + * During Phase 2, Leotheras will be tanked by a Warlock who will spam Searing Pain. You can select the Warlock tank by using the assistant flag. All other bots will move away from the Warlock tank. There is a 12-second pause on DPS upon the phase transition because the Warlock tank will need some time to build aggro. + * Hunters will Misdirect Leotheras in Phase 2 (and Shadow of Leotheras in Phase 3) to the Warlock tank. + * If a melee bot acquires five or more stacks of Chaos Blast (either because melee pulls aggro or you do not have a living Warlock), the bot will run out of melee range (unless it is tanking Leotheras at the time). + * When Inner Demons spawn, affected bots will direct all DPS to their Inner Demon. For healers and Feral Druid tanks, specific ability sequences are coded because their normal strategies are not sufficient to kill their Inner Demons. For example, Resto Druids will shift out of Tree Form, cast Barkskin, and then spam Wrath. + * In Phase 3, bots will focus all DPS on Leotheras, while the Warlock tank picks up the Shadow of Leotheras. Melee tanks will move Leotheras away from the Warlock tank so melee does not get hit by Chaos Blast. +* Tips & Tricks: + * Have at least one Paladin/Shaman switch to Fire Resistance Aura/Fire Resistance Totem. Fire resistance gear for your Warlock tank is not required but is recommended. Surviving Chaos Blast is based on luck, and your odds go up with more fire resistance. Consider using the Infernoweave pieces that can be purchased with Badges of Justice. + +**Fathom-Lord Karathress** + +* Defeatable Solo with Bots: Yes, no manual control or command of bots needed. +* Coded Strategies: + * The strategy uses four tanks. The main tank will tank Karathress. The first through third assistant tanks will tank, in order, Caribdis, Sharkkis, and Tidalvess. + * The boss and three adds each have a designated tanking position, and their respective tanks will pull them to those positions at the beginning of the fight. Karathress is tanked near his starting position. Caribdis is pulled far to the West near the corner. Sharkkis is pulled North to the other side of the ramp. Tidalvess is pulled Northwest toward the pillar. + * Carbidis has a dedicated healer who can be set with the assistant flag. + * Hunters will Misdirect upon the pull. Misdirect priority is the Caribdis tank, Tidalvess tank, then Sharkkis tank. There is a delay of 12 seconds for the tanks to pick up their respective targets and move them to the designated positions. + * Melee DPS will prioritize targets as follows: Spitfire Totems, Tidalvess, Sharkkis, Sharkkis’s pet, and Karathress. Ranged DPS will prioritize targets as follows: Tidalvess, Caribdis, Sharkkis, Sharkkiss’s pet, and Karathress. +* Tips & Tricks: + * One effective way to pull is to stand North from Karathress, across the ramp, and send all four tanks in from there. + +**Morogrim Tidewalker** + +* Defeatable Solo with Bots: Yes, no manual control or command of bots needed. +* Coded Strategies: + * Hunters will Misdirect the boss to the main tank upon the pull. + * The main tank will tank Tidewalker with its back against the Northeast pillar. When Tidewalker reaches 26%, in anticipation of Phase 2 (starting at 25%), the main tank will move around the pillar into the Northeast corner to ensure the greatest possible travel distance for the Water Globules. + * When Tidewalker reaches 25%, ranged will also move around the pillar and stack up with melee in the corner. + * Shamans will wait until Murlocs spawn before using Bloodlust/Heroism. + * Note that there are no coded strategies for dealing with the Murlocs or Watery Graves because bots already deal with them fairly well with their ordinary strategies. +* Tips & Tricks: None + +**Lady Vashj** + +* Defeatable Solo with Bots: Yes, no manual control or command of bots needed, but raid cheats must be enabled in the config. +* Coded Strategies for Phase 1: + * Bots will not use Bloodlust/Heroism (delayed until Phase 3). + * The main tank will move Vashj to the center of the platform. Ranged bots will fan out in an arc to allow for escape from Static Shock. + * Any Shaman in the main tank’s group will place a Grounding Totem in range of the main tank to absorb Shock Burst. + * Bots with Static Shock (excluding the main tank) will move away from other bots and stay away until the aura is removed. If the main tank has Static Shock, other bots will move away from the main tank. + * If a melee bot is Entangled with Static Shock, a Paladin will assist if possible with Hand of Freedom. +* Coded Strategies for Phase 2 (Dealing with Adds): + * Phase 2 uses a custom target priority system for bots. Melee DPS will prioritize Enchanted Elementals, then Coilfang Elites. Hunters and Mages will prioritize Enchanted Elementals, Coilfang Striders, then Elites. Other ranged DPS will prioritize Striders, Elites, then Enchanted Elementals. The highest priority Enchanted Elemental at any given time is the one that is closest to Vashj. + * Tanks generally prioritize Elites. However, if you have raid cheats enabled, tanks will be immune to fear during Phase 2. This allows them to tank Striders, and the first assist tank will then prioritize Striders and move them away from other bots. The standard strategy for real players is to kite the Striders, but bots cannot kite, and therefore the cheat is needed to keep Striders under control. Note that it is actually possible to tank Striders (and melee DPS them) in retail by wearing a Gordok Ogre Suit to extend your combat reach and standing at the very edge of melee range. If you decide not to use the cheat, bots will try to keep Striders slowed with Frost Shock, Curse of Exhaustion, and Slow. + * For several reasons, it is not possible to replicate a real player strategy for killing Tainted Elementals, which would require the assignment of different groups to different sections of the stairs. Thus, enabling raid cheats will result in a melee DPS bot being assigned as the “designated core looter.” When a Tainted Elemental spawns, the looter will teleport to it and attack it. While fighting the Tainted Elemental, the looter will be given infinite HP recovery since there will be no healer present. After killing the Tainted Elemental, the looter will loot the Tainted Core and begin the passing sequence described below. +* Coded Strategies for Phase 2 (Passing the Core): + * The sequence from looting the Core and using it on a generator requires at least three and up to five players, depending on how far away the nearest generator is from the Tainted Elemental. In addition to the designated looter, four bots will be assigned as core passers. The first three passers are healers, and the final passer (who will rarely be needed) is a ranged DPS. The specific roles can be assigned with the assistant flag. In practice, the simplest method is to put the assistant flag on one healer, who will be the first passer who runs to the top of the stairs to receive the Core from the looter. This healer should be your worst healer. You can also give your worst ranged DPS the assistant flag to be the fourth passer if you want. It is not that important which healers are assigned as the second and third passers as healing is simply not very important during Phase 2. + * When the Tainted Elemental spawns, the first passer will run to the top of the stairs between the looter and the nearest generator to the Tainted Elemental, and the second passer will run to the generator (or as close to it as possible while remaining in passing range of the first passer, if the generator is too far away). The looter will throw the Core to the first passer, who will throw the core to the second passer, who will then use the Core on the generator if close enough. If the generator is too far away for the second passer to shut down, the third passer will move to the generator (or as close as possible while remaining in range of the second passer). Finally, if the third passer is not close enough to use the Core on the generator, the fourth passer will then move to the generator and receive and use the Core. + * While the Core passing sequence is active, the passer bots are given immunity to fear. This is needed because bots cannot be rooted. The coded strategies force them to stay in place while holding the Core to simulate the rooting mechanic, but if a bot holding the Core is feared, it will run around (instead of being feared in place like should be the case). Without immunity, the bot would then end up out of position but unable to return to position, thus causing a softlock in the passing sequence. +* Coded Strategies for Phase 3: + * Bots will first clean up adds before moving to Vashj. The exception is Hunters, which will always prioritize killing Toxic Sporebats (switching to Vashj if there are no Sporebats up). + * The main tank will attempt to keep Vashj away from Enchanted Elementals. + * Bots will avoid Toxic Pools, and the main tank will move Vashj out of them. + * Any Shaman in the main tank’s group will place a Grounding Totem in range of the main tank to absorb Shock Burst. + * Bots with Static Shock (excluding the main tank) will move away from other bots and stay away until the aura is removed. If the main tank has Static Shock, other bots will move away from the main tank. + * If a melee bot is Entangled with Static Shock or in a Toxic Pool, a Paladin will assist if possible with Hand of Freedom. +* Tips & Tricks: + * Playing DPS is by far the most impactful role for a player in this fight. Phase 2 is dynamic and unpredictable, and while bots do quite well, they are nowhere near the level of a good player with respect to such a situation. By playing DPS, players can fill a backup role and assist wherever more support is needed for adds as they spawn. + * It is rare but possible for the Tainted Elemental to spawn in a location where the nearest generator is behind some terrain that results in Core passers being out of LoS of each other. If that happens, command the bots to destroy the Core to reset them for the next Tainted Elemental. + * It is also possible for bots to get stuck inside of the generators, which causes them to be trapped out of LoS of the rest of the raid. This issue is not caused by the coded strategy, and the only solution is to summon the trapped bot. + * If you want an added challenge, don’t bring any Hunters so that Sporebats will not be killed during Phase 3. In TBC Classic, the Sporebats have greatly increased HP to the point that it is not practical to kill them. That makes Phase 3 a very tight DPS race to try to burn down Vashj before the entire platform is covered with Spores. With IP nerfs and appropriate gear, it can be an extremely fun experience to replicate. ## Wrath of the Lich King