Eternity Vault Soa

Group Composition:

2 Tanks
2 Healers
4 DPS

Attacks:

Lots of lightning

Mechanics:

Lightning hits a power source and makes a green goo puddle - 1st phase only
Power sources become vulnerable during transition phases
Random player will be mind trapped and be forced to fight a ghost Soa - 2nd and 3rd phase only
Soa's Balls - 2nd and 3rd phase only
Soa's CC - 2nd and 3rd phase only
Soa's Shield - 3rd phase only

Normal Mode Strategy:

We've actually been through a few different strategies for Soa and have now settled on one that works the best for us.

Phase 1:
Ranged position themselves between power sources, when lightning hits a nearby power source move out of the way and position between the next two. Melee is fine grouping around Soa in the center.

The first phase usually goes quickly and is not difficult, other than the goo puddle mechanic there is nothing to this, and Soa does average damage to the tank.

Transition Phase (75%):
Everyone should run for the west side of the outer ring, or alternatively anywhere on the outer ring if they get mixed up with directions.

Soa will smash the floor in causing it to fall and leaving only the outer ring intact. From here the group must make their way down the hovering platforms. On the platforms will be the Ancient Power sources (pyramid things) which need to be killed to remove a buff from Soa.

Pattern for jumping is (Back means toward outer ring, forward means toward inner ring):
Down, Right, Wait -> Back, Right, Right, Right, Wait -> Right, Right, Forward/Right, Back, Forward

Heal during the wait periods, group up and AOE heal if possible.

Phase 2:
Once Soa appears in the center everyone can attack him once more, if you look up you will see him hovering in the air somewhere above the center. Everyone should be grouped up near the center with the tank slightly forward to facilitate AOE healing.

During this phase you will see the first mind traps. When spotted ranged DPS should burn them down ASAP. If necessary melee DPS should help (not the tank).

Soa will toss a player into the air - they will spin and float there for 5-10 seconds until they land in the center of the room and take damage.
NOTE: This can cause them to bug out if done just before a transition phase, or potentially take fall damage from landing while the floor is collapsing.

Soa will also create lightning balls at various points around the room. When they are ready the raid will receive a warning saying who the balls are targeting. Those players should immediately run out to the sides of the group and locate the ball that is after them (the ball will slowly make it's way toward that player). At all costs that player must keep the ball from coming through the center circle where the rest of the group is. Strafe around the exterior until you have a straight run at the ball. Then run directly into the ball (if low on health use a defensive cooldown). On Normal mode only 1 ball appears at a time.

The lightning balls themselves will zap any player within their 10m radius, so never backpedal away from one, you will be too slow - if you have to run, turn around and run away to get distance. The balls also explode upon contacting their targeted player (and only their targeted player). The goal of a targeted player is to run into the ball and hopefully only get zapped once, then take the explosion damage.

NOTE: Previously the balls were Tauntable and the OT would try to always soak one up, during out last run that was no longer an option. Each player now has to handle their own ball their own way.

Repeat Transition Phase (29%)

Phase 3:
The lightning balls and mind traps continue to appear and should be handled as in previous Phase. Players should group up close the center for AOE healing.

Soa is now permanently immune to damage, you will be able to see the shield surrounding him which means don't bother attacking him.

At various intervals pillars will levitate from the side of the room until they are spinning above Soa's head height. The tank must then drag Soa beneath the pillar while staying out of the damage radius himself. When the pillar drops it will stun Soa and remove his shield. During this period EVERYONE needs to focus on doing as much damage to Soa as possible. The stun lasts only about 5 seconds, so do not use any long channeled abilities or long DOTS.

Once the shield is back up return to killing mind traps and lightning balls.

NOTE: You have 4 chances to knock out Soa's shield before he enrages and begins 1-shotting everyone. Make sure not to miss a pillar.

Hard Mode Strategy:

Strategy is same as Normal mode. The balls hit hard and need to be handled promptly, also two balls appear at a time in Phase 2 and Phase 3.

Nightmare Mode Strategy:

Soa's balls will spell disaster or victory for you here. They zap for ~5k damage and explode for ~7k - so even in a good situation you will take 12k damage. If one ball runs through the center of the group you will wipe - no question.

It is critical to time the Phase 2 transition here. If someone is in the air hold off DPS at ~31% and wait for them to land before pushing Soa to 29% and causing him to transition. As of a recent patch you can leave mind traps up during this period and the people inside will be released before the floor breaks.

16-Man Changes:

The fight was functionally the same once again, though it seemed to go by MUCH faster. On Normal there were still 2 lightning balls. I'm not sure if this increases at higher difficulties on 16-man or not (but I would assume it does). This will add another layer of complexity to the fight, especially in the third phase.

Tank Tips:

A lot of this fight is going to revolve around you, positioning here is very important in the last phase and you need to keep your head on a swivel to know what is going on. As a JG I spend a lot of time watching my cooldowns and less time watching the fight in general, but in here doing optimal damage is less necessary than knowing what is going on around you.

During the first phase Soa will be briefly invulnerable to damage, use this time to stack sunder and build focus. Once the shield comes down your DPS is going to unload so make sure you drop some heavy hitting abilities and are ready to taunt if necessary. As an OT I try to build high threat right out of the gate and infrequently steal the boss off the MT - I do this so that the DPS doesn't do the same thing, I'm less squishy then they are.

During the second phase is where having two tanks really becomes helpful. If the MT is mind trapped or tossed into the air the OT has to take over immediately to keep Soa properly positioned and away from the rest of the group. Also if the MT is targeted by a ball the OT needs to peel Soa off him so he can safely go and explode the ball. This is especially important in Nightmare mode where Soa is hitting for 4k and the ball will hit for 12k (even done well) so a bad ball hit and a lucky Soa hit can wipe the tank instantly.

In the third phase position yourself in the center of the room and watch the sides of the room for the pillar to start lifting into the air. As soon as you see it beginning to lift head in that direction. If you haven't already you'll need to have your mouse zoom out to a reasonable level so you can see what is going on around you. As you get closer to the pillar keep an eye upward and get Soa positioned beneath it. The pillar will begin to spin faster and flash when it is about to drop, at this point you need to backpedal and make sure you aren't underneath it.

The positioning for the third phase takes practice and don't get frustrated if you can't do it the first time, or even the fifth time. The pillars do exponentially more damage each time they fall, so it will be ok to be in the radius for the first pillar (~4k damage) but the third pillar will do ~20k damage and will kill you. Damage of course scales with difficulty, those numbers are from Normal.

From my experience the pillar has a radius equal to slightly more than the very top widest portion. In guestimation the circle is roughly twice the size of what you can see when looking straight up at the bottom. It is very easy to be overcautious and to not be close enough and for the pillar to miss Soa, you are better being directly under it, then backing up when it is about to drop to guarantee it hits.

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=TfH1y0tu9EM

Quick Recap:

Phase 1: Avoid glowing green good puddles
Transition: Jump from platform to platform, group up for AOE heals
Phase 2: Group up in the center, ranged DPS kill mind traps, targeted players hug Soa's balls and get splatted
Phase 3: Soa is invulnerable until Tank positions properly - all DPS on Soa when he is vulnerable, continue to clean up mind traps and balls as needed