Lady Deathwhisper is the second boss in ICC, and while this fight was recently nerfed, it is still a challenge. Especially on 25 man. Hunters have a few unique roles in it too, so today we’ll go over what it takes to take down Deathwhisper.
The fight
There are two phases in the fight- during one, you have to take out adds and focus down the boss’s mana shield, and as soon as you get the shield down, the adds stop spawning and you can burn the boss down.
Phase one, add management
The ultimate goal of this fight is to take down that mana shield I mentioned. Since all damage done drains it, don’t use viper sting, use serpent sting. Unless you’re about to go onto some adds and you need a convenient mana battery. The DPS on the boss while you’re 100% focused on adds is great, but not better than finishing the adds without going into aspect of the viper.
There are two types of adds that spawn- casters (cult adherents) and melee (cult fanatics). When they first spawn, they are not immune to any types of damage, however the casters will reflect spells back at players. You should always single target casters when you can, allowing your mages and locks to focus on the melee adds.
These adds can get reanimated- when they do, casters become virtually immune to magic damage, and melee become virtually immune to physical damage. When this happens, you need to react by first, prioritizing the target, and second, altering your rotation. If a reanimated fanatic shows up, don’t waste cooldowns on aimed shot or steady shot. If a reanimated adherent shows up, don’t waste things like explosive shot or serpent sting. This will gimp us, as hunters. Luckily, assuming all appropriate DPS switches to the right target, you’ll have some classes that do 100% physical or magic damage to help.
The last metamorphosis we need to worry about is when the boss casts dark empowerment, mutating and empowering random adds. Since the empowered casters still reflect spells, you need to focus them first. Once they’re gone, look for mutated melee- they are usually kited because they hit like a truck but move slow.
Now you know the types of adds. On 10 man, they will alternate spawning on the left and right. On 25 man, they spawn on both sides, as well as a random add from the back. As a hunter, your job will probably include misdirecting to help the tanks.
Assuming you’re running some sort of boss mod, you will get a note occasionally saying that you have curse of torpor. When this happens, try to avoid using any abilities you think you’ll need in the next 15 seconds- a mage or someone will eventually decurse you, but until they do, you get a 15 second cooldown on every single ability you use. Mages also have to prioritize themselves, because if they don’t, they get a 15 second cooldown on decurse, and nobody wants that.
Also, while you’re mopping up adds and trying to DPS the boss between waves, you will notice that periodically, someone near you becomes enormous and red, and often starts attacking you. This is a mind control, and only happens on 25 man. Typically they will get sheeped or hexed, but don’t let that stop you from throwing a freezing arrow at their feet- it’s often a free lock and load if you’re survival :)
Oh, and of course, there will be massive glowing green void zones for you to not stand in (well, technically death and decays).
Phase two
If you get here, you’re unlikely to wipe. Deathwhisper will start mind-controlling more people on 25 man, and on both 10 and 25, will start summoning untargetable ghosts that will follow someone until they explode. Don’t lead them into the melee, lead them away from the healers, and don’t let them catch you. I find it helpful to angle my camera so I’m looking straight down on my character, and zoom out a bit. If you’re worried that you’ll face away from the boss, remember that steady shot will point you right at her, even if your camera isn’t pointing that way.
Conclusion
This sounds like a much more challenging fight than it is. Especially now that the boss and all the adds have had their health reduced. Still, good execution can take even a lower-gear raid through it.
