Storm Reaver Raid Info

After we ran the Hound last night we ran a Reaver. We eventually failed due to the Air Elementals. Sometimes I forget alot of folks haven't run this raid all that much and probably don't know all of the nuances of it, especially since it was changed. I've completed it close to a hundred times, and probably 30 times since it was changed. I've run it as a tank, cleric, and secondary melee.

I try not to talk too much during raids because we have many good leaders who have run these quests as much or more than I have. I decided to write this up so people could review it and hopefully find some useful info in it. Please feel free to add anything I miss.

I don't want anyone to think I'm doing this out of anger or arrogance... I had a blast last night even though we didn't finish. I was kind of disappointed with myself for not sharing more info. If something I put in here is incorrect or incomplete please feel free to add to this post

Here goes

Party Make-Up: An ideal party for the Reaver in my opinion is:
2-3 Clerics
2-3 Casters
1 Bard
2 Tanks
4-6 Other

This is by no means necessary however. I've seen it done with one caster and one cleric with no issues.

Buffs:
Electric Resist and Prot.
Acid Resist
Tumble
Any AC, DR, and Damage type Buffs.
All clerics should cast death pact on themselves (ill explain later)

This raid can be done with no buffs, but the tank should at least be buffed up as much as possible.

The Raid:

1. After Haste is cast the main tank runs out and aggros the Reaver. The tank will then draw the Reaver to the right or left of the entrance and keep him there. (Left seems to be preferred)

2. One cleric will heal the main tank.

3. The rest of the party should then go in immediately and get the Reaver Buffs. To get the Buffs you should stand in from of the Revear and shield block to reduce damage. The Buff is applied in two stages. You will first get a minor charge. The Reaver will then give you a set of Buffs which will replenish HP, SP, and make you immune to the Air Elementals knockdown. These buffs can be dispelled so keep an eye on them. Once it runs out you should let the main tank and cleric know you are going in for the buff again. While people are getting the buff the Clerics should throw mass heals.
A.Once you have the buff return to the entranceway. The following list give details on what to do.

• Bards and Casters - Cast Crowd Control. Dancing Ball, Mind Fog, Solid Fog, Acid Fog, Firewall, and Cloudkill are all good choices. Don't overdo it though. try to keep 2-4 of each type of spell up in that area. A solid fog or mind fog is good to cats near the tank to pull air elemental aggro from that area. Once the crowd control is up use enervate and finger of death on the ele's.
  
• Clerics - Keep the party healed and if you have the reaver buff throw some blade barriers into the crowd control mix. Symbol spells can be used also. If you have Bestow Curse hit the reaver with it. Elementals can be cursed also.
  
• All Others - Weapon of choice is wounders and puncturers. Don't chase elementals to hit them, let them come to you. Every two points of con damage lowers their fort save, allowing the casters to Finger them. As long as you have the buff keep swinging
  

The air elementals are now much tougher, and they also spawn much quicker. They will spawn almost immediately after the quest starts sometimes. Having the buffs and having the crowd control in place as quickly as possible is key.

4. The reaver will be occassionally creating a lightning balls which float up to the ceiling and start one of the 9 skulls spinning. After he gets 4 of the skulls spinning he will reverse gravity occasionally. This is signal by him raising one hand and saying "What goes up...." Feather Fall has no impact on this phenomenon and Tumble helps reduce your damage. If you are in the middle of the room when this happens you will go up the hole in the center and die on the spike traps.

5. Once on the ceiling a good trick is to move to the large round pillar on either side of the entryway. If you are pushing against it when gravity goes back into effect you will slide down the pillar and take less or no damage. If the tank does this it will often put him in between the Reaver and the rest of the party, allowing him to grab aggro before the Reaver can get into the crowd control spells and aggro on the casters.

6. If the Reaver aggros on you and you are not the main tank you should immediately take him to the area on the side of the entryway where the tank has been keeping him. Allow the tank to regain the aggro before returning to the entryway. Call out your name and that you have his aggro so the clerics can keep you up until you transfer aggro.

7. Once all 9 balls are lit get close to the reaver. He will now give a fly buff. One person then goes up the center tunnel and to the Left (from entryway) to pull the lever. The others who get the fly buff can use it to levitate so the air ele's cant hit them. The Reaver doesn't seem to hit you as often if you are attacking his head. The clerics should throw mass heals while people are trying to get this buff. If you don't get it after a few Reaver attacks back off, the fly buff is not worth taking tons of damage.

8. Once the lever is pulled go to town on the Reaver Lotsa a firewalls and any other damage spells. Transmuters for the melees. I don't remember if it's Giant or Construct Bane also for him ... little help here plz..

Note: If you die you go to the penalty room. there are currently two ways to get out of the penalty room:
1. Someone gets fly, takes the right tunnel through the spikes, and pulls the lever letting you out to be raised by a cleric on the floor.
2. A cleric dies, uses death pact in the penalty room, then casts a rez on the dead folks before sending them back. Do not accept the rez until you are back on the floor!

9. Puzzle Room:
Same tactics for the puzzle room. Crown Control all over, especially close to the color wheels and the lever to keep the aggro off the puzzle solver and the switch puller. Don't cast them right on top of the color wheels tho.. the solver needs to see them clearly. Everyone else should be using wounding weapons on the ele's.

There is a small ledge up near the top of the stairs which is a great place for ranged wounders to sit and plink away at the ele's. Ask me when we are in there and I will show it to you.

The solver is available in the link post in this section. I normally don't do the puzzle so don't have any other advice

For those who are new to the raid I hope this helps... for those who know it well please add anything I may have missed, or correct anything that is not right.

I would like to do this for the Raids and harder quest to help out folks. If you know a Raid or quest really well and have a few minutes please post your info

That's good info Morrek. I used to run this sometimes, but after a hiatus, I started running it again and have found that yeah, it's tougher than it used to be. The air elementals are the big deal. With the reaver and at the puzzle.

Bards, if you bring any, that are spell singers should keep their spellsong trances up as much as possible. You don't need any wizzies losing their mana before you solve the puzzle.

That's my only advice I can add to what you wrote.

I'd like to get the fly spell and float up to those rooms. I've never done that.

Thanks for taking some time to write up a good report for running the Reaver!

Morrek wrote:3. The rest of the party should then go in immediately and get the Reaver Buffs. To get the Buffs you should stand in from of the Revear and shield block to reduce damage.

2. A cleric dies, uses death pact in the penalty room, then casts a rez on the dead folks before sending them back. Do not accept the rez until you are back on the floor!

Wow! This is so detailed and helpful Morrek. I have only done this raid about 5 times and on my cleric so I am just watching red bars mainly.

Interesting! I have never seen the entire party sheild blocking the Reaver before as you stated.

My question is: If the cleric uses death pact and rezes in the penalty room, does she get out of that room to get the chest, etc?

Zee

She can easily get out of the room for the chest after completion, but getting out before the end of the raid (like during puzzle solving times) I don't think is possible. Someone please confirm or correct!

When the puzzle is solved, all barriers are dropped, including the switch room (on the floor) and the dead room (in front of you).

Debuffs I have found that works wrote:
Wizard brothers and sisters, you can turn the reaver into a big soft squishy man.
Its true!
Things that I commonly use on the big green man...

• Extended Ray of Enfeblement (yes, extend it, and cast it a few times, to make sure a big one sticks)
  
• Waves of Exhaustion (Why Waves? No save, No Timer, Only cast once) and works great on elementals too!)
  
• Crushing Despair (-2 to attack, saves, and damage, it even stacks with the prayer Debuff)
  
• Prayer (yes, I know you cant cast it, but clerics can, and every point of damage that he does not do, counts)
  
• Symbol of Pain (Cast this LAST, and after he has both curse, and the curse given by a weapon. It rarely sticks, but when it does, it, for a while, takes a sock full of quarters, and smacks him in the face with it.)

Thanks Strype and Luciea!

great info on the debuffs strype I haven't run a caster through there yet so I am at a disadvantage on some of the finer points.

As was pointed out the cleric in the rez room can get out after completion. It kinds sucks, but hey you were dead anyway and at least you don't have to doge air elementals for the rest of the raid

Zee - Pre-change it wasn't worth it to have the whole party get the buff. I've been on several smooth runs as of late where this is now standard strategy and it works very well as long as the clerics are throwing mass heals at the party.

Wow! Good info Morrek. I'm curious to give this a go and complete somewhat smoother then previously.

Zee

True story
Pre-change I would on non casters, walk past the line...
Step away, and go take a quick shower.
Come back, and solve the puzzle.