Warlord Zon'ozz Tank Strategy Guide (Heroic Mode included)

Table of Contents

• 1. Overview of the Fight
• 2. Ping Pong Phase
• 3. Black Phase
• 4. Heroic Mode

Introduction

This guide is intended to provide a comprehensive description of the encounter with Warlord Zon'ozz in Dragon Soul. It is mostly targeted to tanks who desire to have a short but detailed overview of what is expected of them during that fight.

This guide is updated for World of Warcraft WoD 6.1.2.

The Warlord Zon'ozz encounter is not challenging for tanks. The fight is composed of two alternating phases, during which the tank will mostly have to ensure that the boss is facing the correct way.

Tank damage can be quite high at times, and proper use of defensive cooldowns is extremely valuable.

Zon'ozz is a relatively simple encounter made up of two alternating phases. Your raid's actions will determine when the boss enters the second phase in the cycle:

• The Ping Pong Phase, during which the raid must bounce a purple Ball (a damage-immune enemy NPC) between themselves, by blocking its traveling path, before finally hitting the boss with it. During this phase, the tank must face the boss away from the raid and possibly move the boss in order to intercept the Ball.
• The Black Phase, which lasts 30 seconds, is triggered whenever Zon'ozz is touched by the Ball. This phase does not present tanks with any tasks.

This alternation of phases continues until Warlord Zon'ozz is dead.

The damage done on Zon'ozz will keep increasing as the fight goes on (each bounce that the Ball makes causes Zon'ozz to take 5% increased damage when the Ball hits him). Therefore, it is important that the Ball be properly handled during the Ping Pong Phase.

During the Ping Pong Phase, as a tank, the following things are of importance to you:

• Face Zon'ozz at a 30 degree angle from the Ranged group until he summons the Ball (Void of the Unmaking). After that, face him completely away from the raid.
• Sometimes, you may need to move Zon'ozz in order for the Ball to hit him, due to its path. Only do this if your raid leader has asked for the Black Phase to commence.

In LFR difficulty, you should always face the boss at a 60 degree angle from the ranged group. This way, the Ball will be bounced between you and the Ranged group (the Melee group will be on the other side of the boss). When it is time to trigger the Black Phase, simply move out of the path of the Ball, letting it hit Zon'ozz.

The two images below show raid positioning for LFR and normal difficulties.

Zon'ozz deals increasing damage as each Ping Pong Phase goes on ( Focused Anger) and regularly deals extremely high damage to the tank ( Psychic Drain), so tanks should be prepared to use their defensive cooldowns in this phase.

During the Black Phase, the boss will deal AoE damage to the whole raid and take increased damage. There is nothing specific that the tank must do during this phase. After 30 seconds, the Ping Pong Phase will resume, and the tank should make sure to properly face Zon'ozz, as described above.

Note that from the moment Zon'ozz is hit by the Ball to approximately 15 seconds after Black Blood of Go'rath starts, Zon'ozz will not perform melee attacks.

The only change to heroic mode that affects you, as a tank, happens during the Black Phase. A number of adds spawn during this time, and one of them, the Claw of Go'rath (a very large tentacle that spawns close to the boss) must always be tanked, as otherwise it wipes the raid. In 25-man, there are 2 Claws of Go'rath, although a single one will be tanked by you (it does not matter which one), while a DPS player will tank the other one.

As soon as the Black Phase starts and the Claw spawns, simply move to it and tank it. After Zon'ozz moves to you, continue to tank him on top of the Claw, allowing your DPS players to cleave it while damaging the boss.

It is very likely that the Claw will survive the Black Phase and only die a little later, so make sure that you continue to tank it until it is dead.