by Zach Yonzon

Flame Leviathan
First up is Flame Leviathan. Obviously, none of the usual strategies will apply here but one key point players should remember is that the vehicles scale with gear. This means having to prepare an outfit set optimized for the encounter. One thing to note about vehicle scaling is that it doesn’t look at stats, just iLevel. Optimizing a gear set for this means putting the highest iLevel item you have in every slot. For “pure” classes, this is usually their normal set-up, but for Paladins who keep several sets of gear, an iLevel-optimized outfit can be composed of healing items, a few tank items, some DPS items, and even PvP gear. Players can use AddOns such as RatingBuster to determine an item’s iLevel and outfit managers such as Outfitter or Blizzard’s new in-game equipment manager to quickly swap gear.

Vehicle strategies are everywhere, but Retribution Paladins who would prefer to do something familiar should hop on a Salvaged Siege Engine, which plays the most like melee. The difference is that this isn’t a DPS role, and steam pressure should be kept in reserve for Electroshock to interrupt Flame Vents and Steam Rush to create some distance when Flame Leviathan targets the player. It’s still more about learning the fight and vehicle roles and less about any particular class.

Ignis the Furnace Master
This is a very good fight for Retribution Paladins, despite the need to move the boss around. This is because Ignis’ most devastating attacks are easily avoidable by melee — Scorch won’t be a problem as long as players manage to keep behind the boss and Flame Jets won’t interrupt anything as everything is instant cast. Even the geyser knockback (or up) won’t make a difference because players staying close enough can keep hitting the boss.

The best thing a Retribution Paladin can do in this fight is actually during a non-DPS phase, when she’s picked up an placed into the Slag Pot. Players specced for Divine Sacrifice should use it following a Divine Shield when placed in Ignis’ belly, as well as ease burden on the healers by calling out immunity and even healing themselves. It’s also a good time to remind players that they can (and probably should) use Fire Resistance Aura during this fight because all the talented benefit are granted through any aura.

Razorscale
This fight requires a lot of switches, which is actually better in practice than it is on paper for Retribution DPS. Retribution can pump a lot of burst DPS in the opening seconds of a switch, and players should always hit Crusader Strike first. Vengeance will likely be at full stacks, and Exorcism should be used while jockeying to get into melee range. Similarly, since Exorcism is low on the spell priority list, it’s easy to reserve it for Wing Buffets which knock players out of melee range. Needless to say, step out of the fire — staying out of the large circle on the ground should minimize this problem.

XT-002 Deconstructor
DPS on this fight is largely a matter of luck. If players get a Light or Gravity Bomb more than a few times, DPS will drop significantly. AddOns such as DeadlyBossMods allow players to check their range with a /range command, which should help remove the guesswork from knowing if the player’s debuff will hurt anyone. Default range is at 10 yards and should be set to 15 to ensure that nobody else gets affected. Knowing exactly when to stop running away will also ensure players get back into DPS range much quicker.

As a melee class, Retribution Paladins are ideally assigned on the boss exclusively to optimize DPS to the heart when it pops out. Needless to say, always reserve Avenging Wrath for the exposed heart. Depending on the relative strength of your raid it may or may not be advisable to pop wings from the get go. Some raids get to the 25% threshold in under two minutes, in which case the players’ DPS will be lower overall. If you bring Potions of Speed to raids, the last heart phase with Bloodlust is about the best time to use for optimal DPS.

The Assembly of Iron
This fight changes quite a bit depending on which boss your raid decides to do first, but whomever the raid chooses, the encounter is generally not very conducive to melee. The easiest fight and most common fight will be taking down the giant Steelbreaker first. Because Molgeim places Runes of Power underneath the bosses, the tank will move Steelbreaker around quite often. Ideally, the boss gets pulled out of the rune just far enough to remove the buff from the boss but still allowing melee to attack while on the rune but this won’t always be the case. The most important advice to keep in mind here is to not pay attention to the DPS meters. DPS in this fight is artificially inflated by Runes of Power, so don’t worry about it. Stay alive.

Players should be mindful of Art of War procs, easing healer burden by popping a Flash of Light between cooldowns. Keep up Sacred Shield because the damage from High Voltage (among other, non-persistent sources) is a nuisance. There really are no other tips for this fight other than paying close attention and know when to run away. Pursuit of Justice is awesome here because there’s just a lot of running (away) involved.

Kologarn
This is a good fight for Retribution because it doesn’t involve a lot of running around, and because Focused Eyebeams have a minimum range. Melee simply have to focus on Kologarn himself, with ranged DPS classes usually assigned to the arms. Retribution DPS is quite excellent on this fight because when positioned properly, Divine Storm and Consecration will hit all three targets. The arms are also close enough to switch to without having to move much or at all. Relish this opportunity and enjoy the fight as it’s one of the few bosses in Ulduar where a Retribution Paladin can shine

Auriaya
Although an easy fight, Auriaya requires some switching. Similar to the tips with Razorscale, opening with a Crusader Strike on the adds is a good way to keep up consistent, if bursty, DPS. There’s a lot of shadow damage going around during this fight as well as physical, so Devotion Aura and Shadow Resistance Aura are both good choices here. The Seeping Feral Essence left behind by a Feral Defender is a really painful void zone that can kill low-health raid members feared through it, so shadow resistance helps (Priests can provide the same buff). It’s a fairly simple encounter, and some form of fear break — such as a PvP trinket — can help, but isn’t necessary.

Mimiron
This wonderful mechagnome and his inventions has got to be my favorite encounter in all of Ulduar. It wasn’t a melee friendly fight, but Patch 3.1.3 is changing that, with most of the nerfs to Mimiron directly benefiting melee classes. Retribution Paladins shouldn’t expect to do great DPS here, particularly in the first phase against Leviathan MKII. Because melee have to move away every time there’s a Shock Blast, DPS can drop significantly. Camera should be zoomed out and maybe even panned at a bird’s eye view in order to better see the Proximity Mines, and a route should be planned ahead before Shock Blast is cast.

Pop Avenging Wrath from the get go. As the Leviathan MKII will cast Shock Blast about 20 seconds into the fight, wings will fade just as players need to run out. This should also ensure that the spell will be available for Phase 2, which some raids have difficulty with. Raids progressing through Mimiron will sometimes use Bloodlust to get through the tedious part of the fight as quickly as possible, and Avenging Wrath should always be used along with Bloodlust for optimal DPS. Retribution Paladins, needless to say, should attack the VX-001 (Anti-personnel Assault Cannon) from behind, which should ensure that they’ll never get hit by the P3Wx2 Laser Barrage. The spinning up phase is more than enough time for melee to reposition, and players can simply go through the boss to make matters simple. There’s a lot of fire damage through phases one and two, so Fire Resistance Aura is a good aura choice. Patch 3.1.3 nerfed Rocket Strike so that it’s less likely to target melee, which should help a lot considering seeing the crosshairs on the ground is difficult through Consecration, Desecration, and/or Death and Decay. Turn on Projected Textures in the video options to see ground effects.

Phase 3, when Mimiron flies up in the Aerial Command Unit, is where Retribution Paladins can do well. Melee classes are usually the ones assigned to pick up the Magnetic Core, and Paladins are a good choice because we can dispel Magnetic Field or use Hand of Freedom. It’s possible to miss with the Magnetic Core, so placing it directly under the Aerial Command Unit is key. A bird’s eye view can help with this, but it is much easier with a Hunter in the raid. Hunter pets can attack the Aerial Command Unit from the ground, making it easy to see at a glance where the Magnetic Core can be placed. Retribution Paladins should use Avenging Wrath when the boss is grounded as it takes more damage in that state.

The final phase, when all three combine to form V-07-TR-0N, is simply a matter of paying attention. Again, the Mimiron encounter was nerfed greatly here as the Leviathan MKII component will be stunned for the duration of the Laser Barrage. This removes the problem of repositioning, making it less likely to get hit by Proximity Mines. Use Divine Shield and Divine Sacrifice to soak up one Shock Blast and marginally reduce raid damage. Use of Divine Plea through every cooldown, and between each phase in particular, should ensure that Retribution Paladins never run out of mana through this fight.

Freya
Don’t waste any effort DPSing Freya through Phase 1, that should be said before anything. Retribution Paladins can do reasonably well through this fight because of the adds. Well placed Consecrations and well-timed Divine Storms can pump our DPS considerably. Care must be taken not to be near too many dying Detonating Lashers at once. Taking one or two hits from a detonation is survivable but can be completely avoided. There’s simply a lot of switching during this fight, and the idea is to down the adds as quickly as possible. Phase 1 where adds spawn is the only difficult part of this fight, and the raid must get there by any means necessary. There’s quite a bit of movement throughout Phase 1, but it isn’t nearly as detrimental to Retribution DPS because adds will be everywhere and Divine Storm keeps us productive. The only thing that curtails DPS here would be the Nature’s Fury debuff, but Divine Shield can take care of that.

Thorim
The Thorim encounter is pretty much all about trash and managing target switches and DPS priorities. Once the initial Jormungar Wyrm and humanoids have been slain, the encounter begins. Retribution Paladins assigned to the arena portion should probably focus on the Dark Rune Evokers, although it depends on how your raid handles the encounter. Evokers are key to the fight and should be killed first, but what makes it difficult is sorting them through the mess. A target macro comes in handy here, particularly when paired with a marking script for players with raid assist.

The mobs can be stunned, interrupted, or otherwise cc’d, and Retribution Paladins shouldn’t hesitate to do so in order to minimize raid damage and prevent healing. The faster Evokers are killed, the easier the arena portion becomes. Staying in the middle of the ring minimizes getting hit by Stormhammer, as well as allows the best use of Consecration and Divine Storm. As with AOE situations, both spells have higher priority than either Crusader Strike or Judgements. Retribution Paladins assigned to the hallway simply must do their thing and avoid any player afflicted with Rune Detonation. Thorim himself is an easier fight than the gauntlet and is only technically demanding for tanks

 Hodir
This is an encounter where Retribution Paladins can flourish provided the raid is coordinated. Some raids will need melee to free Flash Frozen targets, which can be crippling to DPS. That’s fine. We can do a better job than most in freeing frozen NPCs because of burst damage, although damage contribution overall will be lower. It’s also somewhat more difficult to take advantage of all the buffs from the NPCs because Retribution Paladins need to stay within melee range of the Hodir, so it’s easy to miss out on Starlight. The good news is that any melee affected by Storm Cloud can easily pass it on to other melee. We’ll need to keep moving, anyway, to prevent Biting Cold from stacking.

Hodir is basically a glorified DPS check, if a very fun one. The only way to beat this encounter is to take full advantage of every buff available, which requires positioning and coordination. The tank is tasked with positioning Hodir near Starlight, for example, and any player with Storm Cloud is advised to run to the melee group. If all things fall into place, Retribution Paladins can have their DPS shoot through the roof. We are also less susceptible to Freeze, as it can be dispelled and Hand of Freedom can break it. Make sure to turn on projected textures in order to better see spells on the ground.

General Vezax
Consider this a free pass. Retribution Paladins in this encounter don’t have to do much at all, and the biggest feature of this encounter — Aura of Despair — is offset by the a greatly improved version of Judgements of the Wise which also cripples healing by 75% (so don’t bother). This allows us to concentrate on doing one thing: keep on hitting the boss. It is also important to keep up a /range check set to 15 yards to show players that can be affected by the siphon effect of Mark of the Faceless. It is supremely important to move out of range of anyone when affected by the leeching debuff as each tick per second heals General Vezax for a whopping 100k. Fortunately, he also has a very large hit box, allowing more than a few melee to position themselves around him without having anyone else within 15 yards.

Another important reminder is that Hammer of Justice can interrupt Searing Flames, so be ready to interrupt at a moment’s notice if one of your assigned interrupters is on cooldown. Do not expect to excel in DPS during this fight, as the fight is designed for endurance rather than DPS. The Shadow Crash residue is also designed to improve caster DPS specifically, so the burden is theirs to bring Vezax down before he enrages. This is perhaps the easiest fight for melee in all of Ulduar but arguably the hardest for healers.

Yogg-Saron
This is a rather complex fight and there is no one way to optimize DPS, particularly with the help of all four Keepers. First off, it’s going to be difficult for melee to perform optimally against the Guardians as they explode upon death and must be dragged near Sara. This basically rules out sticking to the mobs, and depending on the raid strategy (which might involve tanking and killing them near Sara to begin with), this could mean very little participation for melee DPS. This is where being a hybrid class becomes supremely useful. While it isn’t possible to remove Dominate Mind on others (targets are considered unfriendly), it’s possible to remove it though Divine Shield. Players should use this phase to heal, cast Sacred Shield, and generally assist the raid when unable to DPS a Guardian directly. The best aura to use throughout this encounter is Shadow Resistance Aura. Needless to say, avoid the clouds at all costs.

Phase 2 becomes even more critical for Retribution Paladins. One word: Cleanse. Because Paladins can remove three of the four types of debuffs during this phase, it is of utmost importance to prioritize dispels. More than DPS, this is a Retribution Paladins best contribution for the Yogg-Saron fight. Obviously, players are still called upon to destroy tentacles throughout this part, but between getting an extra Crusader Strike in or Cleansing a raid member, the latter takes precedence.

If sent into the brain realm, be mindful of the Laughing Skulls. Melee players should be familiar with facing issues by this time and should have no problem maneuvering through this encounter. Here it is pure DPS and players can go full bore at Yogg-Saron’s brain… Avenging Wrath, potions, etc. The same can be done outside, when Yogg-Saron is at what is considered his “weakened” state.

Once you manage to get to Phase 3, it becomes incredibly simple by comparison as it is generally a DPS check. While melee can switch to Immortal Guardians during this phase, they’re probably best left to keep on hitting Yogg-Saron while trying to avoid insanity. When Yogg-Saron channels Lunatic Gaze, simply turn about face and optinally attack a nearby Immortal Guardian. Rinse, repeat, profit.

Algalon
No idea. I’ll let you know if we ever get there.

Ulduar is an extremely fun raid, perhaps one of the most interesting dungeons that Blizzard has ever designed. The encounters change drastically in Hard Modes, and this guide only covers the easy modes. As “easy” as Ulduar has been criticized as being, it brings a lot of challenges for players, even ones who play “ez-mode” specs such as Retribution. There’s a lot of room to optimize one’s game, and ultimately, a lot of room to enjoy the raid. Good luck!

Looking to make more WoW gold?

Check out the secret tactics you can use to legally and easily generate up to 427 gold per hour or more in World of Warcraft without using hacks or cheats.

Get ready to make more gold playing WoW than you have ever seen before.

World of Warcraft In-game Leveling Guides

World of Warcraft leveling take a huge leap forward with Zygor Guides 2.0, the fastest, most powerful leveling guides in the world.

Leveling has NEVER been this easy! You will be leveling so fast with this, you might think you’re cheating. But you’re not, Joana’s leveling guide mod is 100% legal with Blizzard.

Related posts:

1. Rogue tips for raiding Ulduar, part 2 by Chase Christian   the Keepers, the real meat and...
2. Guide to Retribution Onyxia Solo With the advent of 3.0.2, Retribution Paladins have become absolute...
3. Rogue tips for raiding Ulduar, part 3 by Chase Christian   As a break in the boss-by-boss...
4. Rogue tips for raiding Ulduar, part 1 by Chase Christian   With Ulduar laid wide open, many...
5. Patch 3.0.2 primer for Retribution Paladins Let’s face it. Retribution blows. Blows things up, that is....

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Tags: Assembly-of-Iron, auriaya, deconstructor, flame-leviathan, freya, general-vezax, hodir, ignis, Ignis-the-Furnace-Master, iron-council, kologarn, mimiron, Raiding, razorscale, Retribution-DPS, retribution-paladin, thorim, ulduar, V-07-TR-0N, xt-002, xt-002-deconstructor, yogg-saron