Click above for large view of Madness of Deathwing (10 Normal)

Five attempts in and Deathwing Down! Once we were comfortable with what needed to be done platform to platform, the fight wasn’t really that difficult. Our only issue is being right up against the enrage timer. We came within 10 seconds of being blown to little bits. A few more weeks of good drops and that won’t be an issue any longer. Good job to everybody who worked to get us this far.

Click above for large view of Spine of Deathwing (10 Normal)

Week one into the slightly nerfed content and we downed Spine of Deathwing. There was plenty of gas left in the tank – 5% didn’t seem to make such a large difference. We got a few nice looks at Madness, mostly getting familiar with the pacing and movement of the fight. With a bit of work, we’ll be 8/8 soon.

Click above for large view of Warmaster Blackhorn (10 Normal)

We only raided once last reset and got in just a handful of attempts on Dragon Soul’s ship fight. This week after 5 or so tries Warmaster Blackhorn dropped. It wasn’t as easy as lootship in ICC, but isn’t so difficult once everybody got the mechanics and timing down right. Onward toward the Spine!

Click above for large view of Ultraxion (10 Normal)

The second boss down for the night is easy in theory, but depends all on your gear. Running three healers netted us several 2-3% wipes. Dropping a healer and adding a DPS was the trick, although getting the right combination took a bit to figure out. Priest/Shaman didn’t work, it was Shaman/Shaman which ended up being the winning combination for healing. As often is the case, the kill came on the “I know it’s after our end time, but let’s give it one more shot” attempt. Nice work everybody.

Click above for large view of Hagara the Stormbinder (10 Normal)

Not even lag and disconnects could keep us from downing Hagara after a few tries. The fight was actually one of the easier to deal with, once people stopped running into ice walls and focused down tombs right away.

Click above for large view of Warlord Zon’ozz (10 Normal)

…seven attempts later, we got our Zon’ozz kill. That final attempt seemed to start out bad, but then it call came together at about 30%. From there until the end it was smooth sailing.

Click above for large view of Yor’sahj the Unsleeping (10 Normal)

Wanting to take a break from the ball bouncing Warlord Zon’ozz, we decided to get in some attempts on Yor’sahj the Unsleeping first. This boss was a bit tricky due to the color combinations we got, but we downed him on the second attempt. Eager to get back and take some more shots at Zon’ozz, we totally forgot to take a picture and came back after he had despawned.

Click above for large view of Morchok (10 Normal)

After 8 months of raid hibernation (bored with game, cross-country move, server transfer), we’ve returned for 4.3 and Dragon Soul. We’d all been through the gimped out LFR but had yet to face these bosses in normal mode. Tonight Morchok went down on the first attempt. Our attempts on Warlord Zon’ozz did not turn out so well. We’ll have to change things up to get him next time.

Click above for large view of Nefarian (10 Normal)

Defeat has never tasted so bitter…

And with that Nefarian has died and all current regular content has been cleared. Great job pulling together and getting the twelfth and final boss down.

Click above for large view of Al’Akir (10 Normal)

About damn time there is a new screen shot to post here! Thing is, I don’t have it…so we’re going to have to wait a day or so before somebody mails me one. In any case, Al’Akir is dead and it’s on to Nefarian to complete the tier.

Update: Screenshot posted! Al’Akir is still dead.

Click above for large view of Chimaeron (10 Normal)

They say Chimaeron is a gear check. Apparently the Bind group passes. With Chimaeron down, only Nefarian remains. Nef looks to be a much more difficult fight than the ones leading up to him. After farming a bit more gear, it shouldn’t be too difficult. As an aside, we’re looking to pick up some more players and repeat these victories in the 25 man version. If you’re interested and looking for a guild, drop in an application.

Click above for large view of Atramedes (10 Normal)

Another night of successful raiding ends with a new boss down. Tonight the blind dragon Atramedes fell and got the raid group one step closer to Nefarian. With this boss down, that only leaves three bosses up in the current raid content. Good job everbody!

Click above for large view of Cho’Gall (10 Normal)

AND THE BASTION OF TWILIGHT IS NO MORE! Cho’gall dropped tonight, finishing off our first raid instance of the new expansion. Nice work taking down this end boss and adding more gear to the raid. Now off to finish Blackwing Descent!

Click above for large view of Ascendant Council (10 Normal)

The second new kill came by way of the Ascendant Council in The Bastion of Twilight. Several weeks back we almost took this down in the 25 man version but came up short by just a bit. The 10 man was a bit more gracious we were able to move past it without much trouble.

Click above for large view of Conclave of Wind (10 Normal)

Two fresh kills this evening. Up first is the beginning encounter in the Throne of the Four Winds. This fight gave us troubles a few weeks earlier, but went down after the group got used to the mechanics.

Click above for large view of Maloriak (25 Normal)

The third and final boss to drop this evening was Maloriak, a fight mostly based on timing the adds correctly for the green phase. After struggling to get the number just right on a handful of attempts, we managed to nail it on our sixth attempt. Now that we’ve seen him, this shouldn’t be much of an issue in the future. First loots off Maloriak were [Dragon Bone Warhelm], [Cloak of Biting Chill], [Leggings of Consuming Flames], [Legwraps of the Greatest Son], and [Jar of Ancient Remedies].

Click above for large view of Omnotron Defense System (25 Normal)

This fight seemed it would be much more difficult than it actually was. We came really close to one shotting these guys on our first night in here. Instead, we dropped him on the second attempt – even surviving a healer fatal crashing half way through the fight, but logging back in alive and able to continue (sorry!). First drops off this foursome of constructs were [Voltage Source Chestguard], [Electron Inductor Coils], [Power Generator Hood], [Security Measure Alpha], and [Life Force Chargers].

Click above for large view of Magmaw (25 Normal)

The first of three new kills for the night. Magmaw wasn’t so bad after we tweaked our positions a bit. Drops of this first kill at the beginning of Blackwing Descent were [Akirus the Worm-Breaker], [Leggings of Lethal Force], [Incineratus], and [Crown of Burning Waters] x 2.

Click above for large view of Valiona and Theralion (25 Normal)

In less time than it took for us to down Halfus, we took down the dragons Valiona and Theralion. It wasn’t the cleanest kill, but it was still a kill and they dropped loot for the raid. That’s all that counts. It’s sure to get smoother the more we experience and polish the fight.

The Warcraft Gods blessed us with useful loots on this first kill, including three trinkets. Congratulations to those who received the following: [Theralion's Mirror], [Drape of the Twins], [Ring of Rivalry], and [Vial of Stolen Memories] twice!

Click above for large view of Halfus Wyrmbreaker (25 Normal)

Tonight began the first week of official raiding and our first stop into the new content as a 25 man raid group. With some experience in Bastion of Twilight, we decided to begin this expansion there and take on Halfus Wyrmbreaker. We almost one shot him to begin, but came up a bit short on damage and hit the enrage timer. Healing wasn’t terribly over-taxed, so we swapped out a healer for some more dps and took him down without much trouble.

First pieces looted from Halfus were: [Proto-Handler's Gauntlets], [Bracers of the Bronze Flight], [Book of Binding Will], and a double shot of [Essence of the Cyclone].