It required a little more and it took a lot longer, yet after some raid extensions and enough wipes to hide a damning hard drive, War Machine jumped ahead of the curve.
It’s very much a tango sort of fight with proper steps to be made, where you dance with an Old God and intentionally trip him over your clumsy feet causing deliberate head trauma and finishing up with a coupe-de-grace of a giant laser from nowhere right to the face.
Romance.
With normal well and truly handled, War Machine has turned its attention in earnest towards heroic, continuing the light progression started in parallel to the normal runs. Once stagnant at three and four bosses down due to time restrictions giving limited attempts to the later bosses, we now have stamped out three more bosses, doubling our progress in a matter of weeks.
As we juggle extending lockouts with just killing earlier bosses quicker and cleaner, the War Machine surges on – the first hurdle was Hive Mind, presenting some minor bugs to squash before dropping like flies. Second on the list was a surprise win from the underdogs in a scintillating soccer session against the amplified version of team Xanesh, featuring the Oblelisk All-stars.
Finally, the same-but-different Ra-den, after being pushed again and again to the very last of his life, succumbed to the resilience of a couple of raiders surviving just long enough to trickle down the last few million hit points. It wasn’t a clean fight, it wasn’t something you’d write up as a tactic, but there was loot and therefore celebration.
Well done War Machine and Co. for persevering through some close calls, and a special mention to those who made it until the very end to secure the kill; in particular a sole-surviving hunter who almost sat out due to injury.
It’s almost a two-part fight with an intermission. First, the Fury, a wild chase through N’zoth’s internals, warts and all. Why does he retreat into his shell? Nobody knows. He’s the last of his kind, perhaps it is loneliness and fear that drives the Fury?
Whatever the reality – War Machine opened the carapace up and faced the little version of the big guy himself… inside a very large, rather empty chamber. And despite the shortage of toilet paper, we wiped and wiped over one and a half nights.
The paranoia was potent and our sanity slipped ever down. Our thoughts were laid bare and harvested. Until, finally, something magical happened and not one, not two, but three Pyschus phases were completed. The door that was agonisingly ajar for so long had been kicked open. N’Zoth was so very hittable and hit him we did.
Well, right up until we went insane, got snapped out of it by a diamond dwarf and then became a conduit for a Deathstar-like beam of azerite and -poof – N’zoth no more.
Thank you to everyone who has been coming along to the raids and for persevering through the final boss. I had no thoughts when I first joined War Machine that I’d be tanking again, let alone raid leading. It has been a pleasure and delight starting and finishing this tier – something I haven’t done with a guild for almost 15 years.
And now we get to do it again. Maybe even on a higher difficulty! That’s why N’Zoth had no chance – we’re already insane.
Want to be a part of this insanity? Submit an application! You don’t even have to raid (more raiders would be awesome though)!
It’s a new tier of an expansion in its twilight, new faces have arrived and old ones gone into the night. The War Machine, with a little bit of oil and lick of paint, marches on.
With Azshara defeated and a new season upon us, War Machine has ventured into the insanity inducing N’zoth’s home city and taken the fight to end his corruption, while taking advantage of being corrupted. It doesn’t have to make sense, it’s probably just another vision.
To recap here’s an abridged story of progress thus far:
Wrathion, wrathioff.
Prophet Skitra spoke too soon, Maut ran out of mana boon.
Inquisitor Xanesh got the boot; Hive Mind collectively gave up loot.
Vexiona to vex no more and Ra-den is Ra-done and out the door.
Down below, Shad’har rolled over; Drest’Igath was addressed and wouldn’t you know it, Il’gynoth was made organic.
Here we sit at 10/12 Normal mode (we’ve also done 3/12 Heroic), staring at the collosal figure of N’zoth himself, and entering his… mind, or something. The Carapace awaits!
Meanwhile…
There is slow change happening at War Machine as we look to the future and keep the guild happily chugging along. The first of these is an eventual update of the website to uppercut it into 2020, filling it with activity that better reflects the activity and activeness of the guild in Battle for Azeroth (and Shadowlands). The second and most fluid change is YOU, the person reading this not already in the guild – that’s right, War Machine is recruiting. Come in and join the super serious selection of superstar raiders and prepare yourself for hundreds of wipes every night… just kidding. We don’t do that. War Machine is a guild that raids, not a raiding guild.
It’s fun, casual and the only demand is that you are mature (well…) and don’t own any drama llamas. Check out the recruitment page on the site and fill in the form to be noticed – it does get checked. Be sure to make yourself available for contact after applying!
War Machine raids Wednesday and Thursday night starting at 2030 AEDT and ending at 2230 AEDT.
There are also weekend Mythic+ runs, and fellow guild members are always around to offer help. It’s a neat place to be. See you out there!