Nefarian Ad Tanking for Feral Druid (Phases 1 and 3)

Key Objectives for Ad Tanks

• Manage Animated Bone Warriors (ads).
• Prevent ads from interacting with fire sources (shadow flame breath or shadow flame blaze).
• Face tank ads and manage their Empower Strikes buff.
• Drop ads off away from the middle of the room, preferably on the outer edges.
• Use cooldowns effectively when Empower Strikes stack high.
• Ensure ads die without resetting their energy bar health.
• Position ads to control fire movement.

Phase 1 Strategy

1. Positioning
   • Use Stampeding Roar to get the raid in positions quickly.
   • DK tank to taunt Onyxia and position her away from the raid.
   • Ads spawn from bone piles around the room.
2. Picking Up Ads
   • Use Berserk and Mangle to generate threat on multiple ads.
   • Group ads up and use AOE abilities like Swipe and Thrash to hold threat.
   • Apply debuffs: Demoralizing Roar and Infected Wounds.
   • Ensure ads don’t get hit by breaths or tail swipes from the dragons.
3. Cooldown Management
   • Use cooldowns when Empower Strikes stacks get high.
   • Call for external cooldowns when needed.

Phase 3 Strategy

1. Transition to Phase 3
   • Ensure no one is sent flying during Phase 2 transitions.
   • Gain threat on ads as soon as Phase 3 begins.
2. Ad Management
   • Position ads away from the raid to prevent fire interaction.
   • Monitor and move ads based on shadowflame spark timers.
3. Cooldown and Defense
   • Use defensives and ask for external cooldowns to manage Empower Strikes.
   • Stun ads to reduce damage using abilities like Holy Wrath from Holy Paladins.
   • Coordinate moves with Nefarian tank to avoid breath damage.
4. Fire Control
   • Keep fire from advancing too quickly by moving ads strategically.
   • Minimize ad movements to avoid running out of room.
5. Final Stand
   • Utilize abilities like Army of the Dead if overwhelmed.
   • Use Hand of Protection on DPS warriors for additional AOE taunting.

Tank Type Preferences

• Prefer Pro Paladins or Pro Warriors for ad tanking due to physical damage reduction.
• Feral Druids and DKs are also viable but require effective stun management and defensive cooldown usage.
• Coordination with healers is crucial for survivability.

Tips for Effective Tanking

• Monitor and move ads based on shadowflame spark timers.
• Keep ads tightly clumped to control fire spread during Phase 3.
• Use defensive cooldowns wisely, especially during crackles.
• Keep communication open with your team for external cooldowns and stuns.
• Ensure healers are not line-of-sighted during critical moments.

Conclusion

• Effective ad management involves positioning, precise movement, and cooldown usage.
• Coordination with other tanks and healers is key to handling high Empower Strikes stacks and fire control.
• Ad tanking requires awareness of timers and proactive moves to ensure a smooth fight.