Vaelastrasz the Corrupt Guide: Strategy, Abilities, Loot (Updated for the Season of Mastery)
Vaelastrasz the Corrupt is the second boss you will encounter in Blackwing Lair, and can be found right inside the entrance. While Vaelastrasz is mechanically easy, it does present a very tight DPS check.
After you kill Vaelastrasz, you will then need to make your way through some trash and the Suppression Room to reach Broodlord Lashlayer.
New to the Season of Mastery version of this encounter is a stronger debuff and the encounter starting from 60% health.
Vaelastrasz Summary by Role
Tanks
- You will want at least 2 tanks, but no more than 3.
- Positioning is key. Get in correct positions and do not move.
- The second and/or third tanks should be ready to pick up the boss immediately once the first tank dies. The boss is taunt immune however, so they need to make sure that they stay high on threat throughout the fight.
Healers
- You will have unlimited Mana on the fight, so make sure you are optimizing your healing done without worrying about Mana.
- Try to keep the tanks alive as long as possible.
DPS
- Remember that you will have unlimited Mana/Rage/Energy on this fight, so optimize your damage around having that.
- Be ready to run out if you get the debuff.
General Tips for Vaelastrasz
- Positioning is absolutely critical. Start with the tank holding the boss in one direction, with the off tanks 90 degrees to his right on the boss's back left leg. The melee DPS should be grouped 90 degrees to the main tank's left, on the boss's back right leg. The ranged and healers should be grouped behind the melee while still in range of the main tank.
- If you imagine the positioning above like a clock, the main tank should be at 12 with the boss facing them, then the off-tanks at 9, and the melee DPS at 3.
- Be vocal about who gets Burning Adrenaline since they will need to run away from the raid.
- Vaelastrasz is mostly just a large DPS check. The DPS will need to focus on optimizing their damage to the fullest.
Strategy for Vaelastrasz
Vaelastrasz is an incredibly simple fight that comes down to two things: positioning and DPS. You will want to start by having the main tank pull the boss facing in one direction. The entire raid should give him enough time to get threat before DPSing. If you imagine the main tank as being on the 12 o'clock position on a clock, the off tanks should be at the 9 o'clock position next to the boss's back left leg. The melee DPS should be at the 3 o'clock position next to the boss's back right leg. The ranged DPS and healers should be directly behind the melee while facing the boss, but still close enough to heal the tank.
Vaelastrasz's most iconic mechanic is that she will give every player in the raid the Essence of the Red debuff. This debuff will give everyone in the raid unlimited resources, meaning infinite Mana, Rage, and Energy. This is an incredibly powerful buff, and you will absolutely need it to make the DPS check that is required. Your DPS should be prepared for this, and should be ready to spam out their abilities to make use of the unlimited resources.
The entire fight is mainly a DPS check, but their is one important mechanic. Every 15 seconds, a random ranged player will get Burning Adrenaline put on them, which gives them a damage buff and lets some of their casts become instant while active. However, they also will lose 5% of their health per second until they die. When they die, they will explode like a bomb, doing massive damage to anyone nearby. The players who get this need to run away from the group into the corner of the room where they can safely attack the boss until they inevitably die. In addition to ranged getting this, the main tank will get this debuff as well every 45 seconds. They need to be healed to stay alive as long as possible, but will also eventually die. Once they die, one of the off tanks needs to reposition to where the main tank was. The boss is taunt immune as well, so the off-tanks need to make sure that they are keeping up with threat throughout the fight, staying above the DPS. If the boss starts attacking melee DPS and goes out of position, it will be incredibly hard to recover.
Important Abilities
- Burning Adrenaline gives the target a damage buff, but makes them also take 5% of their health in damage per second until they die. Ranged DPS will need to run out of the raid, and tanks will need to just keep going as long as they can until they die.
Loot from Vaelastrasz the Corrupt
Tier 2 Loot
Vaelastrasz drops the Waist for each class' Tier 2 set.
Item | Slot | Class |
---|---|---|
Belt of Transcendence | Waist | Priest |
Bloodfang Belt | Waist | Rogue |
Waistband of Wrath | Waist | Warrior |
Belt of Ten Storms | Waist | Shaman |
Dragonstalker's Belt | Waist | Hunter |
Judgement Belt | Waist | Paladin |
Nemesis Belt | Waist | Warlock |
Netherwind Belt | Waist | Mage |
Stormrage Belt | Waist | Druid |
Non-Tier Loot
Item | Slot |
---|---|
Dragonfang Blade | Dagger |
Helm of Endless Rage | Helm |
Mind Quickening Gem | Trinket (Mage-only) |
Pendant of the Fallen Dragon | Neck |
Red Dragonscale Protector | Shield |
Rune of Metamorphosis | Trinket (Druid-only) |
Other Blackwing Lair Guides
If you were looking for a full guide for the Blackwing Lair raid, or would like to know what other loot is available from its bosses, see the links below.
Changelog
- 06 Aug. 2024: Guide reviewed and updated.
- 07 Feb. 2022: Updated for Season of Mastery Phase 3.
- 14 Feb. 2020: Added note on boss being taunt immune.
- 10 Feb. 2020: Guide added.
This guide has been written by Abide, TBC veteran for nearly a decade. Abide is a Warrior tank and multi-class expert currently playing on Faerlina as Horde. You can find him in the the Icy Veins Discord. You can also see him live on Twitch.
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