For other bosses in Ulduar, check the Ulduar Healing strategy page.
I managed to squeeze some PTR time on this boss earlier in the weeks before. But here’s a step-by-step break down of what you need to do in order to get through the encounter.
Quick notes
- Vehicular fight
- Trash should be cleared using your vehicles
- After ~two attempts on the boss, trash will respawn (not sure if there’s a link to time)
- Four towers control the difficulty of the boss
- Vehicle health is based on item level not stats
Map
Trash phase
This is not a Hyjal style waves encounter. Your raid group will have access to vehicles first. When your raid is ready to move out, speak to Brann Bronzebeard to engage the Iron army.
(Click image for dialogue)
Tower information
Your targets are the four towers throughout the area. The difficulty level of Flame Leviathan can be controlled based on which towers you leave up. Towers are easily identifiable because of the color of their glow. Location of the towers are shown in the map above. Use your vehicles to bring them down.
Storm beacons will summon additional units. Destroy them to stem the tide of incoming spawning mobs.
Roles and vehicular abilities
There are different roles that each vehicle plays. I’ll break them down below.
Carrying capacities
Chopper: 1 driver + 1 passenger
Demolisher: 1 driver + 2 passengers
Siege engine: 1 driver + 1 turret + 2 passengers
Chopper abilities
Sonic horn (20 energy): Conical DPS within 35 yards to all enemies
Tar: 10 yard pool of tar that slows down enemies by 75% (important)
Speed boost (50 energy): Increases vehicle’s movement speed by 100% for 5s
Demolisher abilities
Driver
Hurl boulder: Throws a really big rock at a variable range. Think Wintergrasp or Strands type. Ignites Tar upon impact.
Hurl pyrite barrel: Using 5 pyrite, will do ~30000 damage
Ram: Damage and knockback effect
Throw passenger: Used only when the passenger is in the catapult. Dwarf tossing is finally a reality (important)
Passenger
Cannon: Fires a missile. Upon impact, deals damage to enemies within 10 yards. 50 yard range.
Grab crate: Uses a hook and chain to grab crates. Lets you pick up pyrite off the ground.
Increase speed: Uses pyrite to add extra speed to the demolisher. Lasts 1 minute.
Load into catapult: Self explanatory. Passenger gets into the catapult. (important)
Siege engine abilities
Driver
Ram (40 energy): Damage and knock back effect
Electroshock (38 energy): 25 yard conical, interrupts spells, and 4 seconds of locking out the magic school (important)
Steam Rush (40 energy): Sort of like a sprint effect.
Turret
Anti-Air launcher (10 energy): Fires missiles at aerial targets.
Cannon (20 energy): Up to 70 yard range. It’s a gun that shoots stuff.
Siege Engines
The Flame Leviathan will only lock on to one siege engine at a team. The targeted engine must kite the boss around.
Non-kiting siege engines will have to stay close to the rear of the Leviathan as much as possible and should interrupt Flame Jets. After 30 seconds, Flame Leviathan will switch and target a different Siege Engine and chase after that. Use Steam Rush to build up some distance.
Here’s a kite path you can try out.
Blue line: Opening route. The boss will be weapons free at this time (as in engage-able).
Siege engine passengers should be targeting pyrite ammo that’s floating in the air. If there aren’t any available, switch fire to the boss.
If you’re out of siege engines, FL will go after demolishers or choppers.
Choppers
There should be 1 chopper following the targeted siege engine. Choppers will be laying down tar directly in front of the Flame Leviathan to slow him down and the tar can be ignited by Boulders from demolishers.
Choppers also have to extract the FL Unit (explained further).
Demolishers
Stay as far away as you can. DPS with Hurl Boulder. Firing Pyrite Barrels should be held off until FL is stunned.
Demo passengers not being thrown up will need to work the catapult to load up Pyrite.
Flame Leviathan stun unit
Your demolishers have the capability to launch players onto the Flame Leviathan. The FL unit is going to comprise of:
- 3 DPS (Suggest Druid, Death Knight, Rogue)
- 1 Healer (Suggest Paladin or Druid)
I suggested those classes because they’re going to be under fire from various guns while up there. You’ll want maximum survivability.
Both players must be in the passenger seat of the demolisher. There’s an ability called “Load into Catapult” which places them in the throwing arm of the demo as a projectile. When itÃ’s called for, your demo’s close in. The driver then hits “Throw passenger” which launches the passengers on top of the Flame Leviathan.
When the FL unit is on the back of the boss, they will be able to take out all 4 turrets. When the turrets explode, there’s a button. You hit the button which starts a 10 second channel resulting in a stunned boss and a damage taken by Flame Leviathan by 50% and resetting his speed.
The FL unit will then be ejected and parachuted off the boss. Your choppers must swoop in and extract them back to the demolishers. You’ll want to stun Leviathan while he’s in a tar’d area.
Video
For a visual “how to” see this video below. Actual encounter starts around 20 seconds or so in. Note the positioning of siege engines and how the tar is laid out.
Healer drops
Heroic
Constructor’s Handwraps – Cloth gloves
Embrace of the Leviathan – Cloth belt
Freya’s Choker of Warding – Necklace
Glowing Ring of Reclamation – Ring
Steamcaller’s Totem – Ranged slot
Steamworker’s Goggles – Mail Helm
Boots of Fiery Resolution – Cloth feet – (Hard mode only)
Shoulderpads of Dormant Energies – Leather shoulders – (Hard mode only)