Blade Lord Ta'yak

Blade Lord Ta'yak
Gender	Male
Race	Mantid (Humanoid)
Level	?? Boss
Reaction	Alliance Horde
Location	Heart of Fear
Status	Killable
Heart of Fear
Imperial Vizier Zor'lok; Blade Lord Ta'yak; Garalon; Wind Lord Mel'jarak; Amber-Shaper Un'sok; Grand Empress Shek'zeer	(lore); (lore); (lore); (lore); (lore); (lore)
	Loot

Blade Lord Ta'yak is the second boss of Heart of Fear. The battle is preceded by killing his four instructors, each of whom have one of his techniques. When fought, Ta'yak utilizes all four abilities in a combination of strength, steel, speed and wind.

Adventure Guide

Ta'yak is known for his patience and intelligence. In battle, he is a master at discovering his opponent's weaknesses and awaiting the perfect opportunity to strike. Ta'yak's skill with a blade is unmatched, and he cherishes imparting his martial knowledge on young mantid warriors.

Abilities

Ta'yak has an enrage timer of around 8 minutes.

Stage 1

Tempest Slash — Blade Lord Ta'yak slashes the air, creating a tornado that inflicts 38,000 to 42,000^{[Notes 1]} Nature damage and knocks away any enemies in its path.
Unseen Strike — Blade Lord Ta'yak fixes his eyes on a random player and then disappears. He reappears 5 sec. later and inflicts 3,000,000^{[Notes 2]} Physical damage split amongst all players in a 15 yard long cone in front of him.
Wind Step — Blade Lord Ta'yak teleports to random player and inflicts a quick strike. The blow causes all targets within 8 yards to bleed for 150,000 Physical damage every 2 sec. for 30 sec.
Intensify — Blade Lord Ta'yak's fury intensifies during the encounter. Every 60 sec. Ta'yak increases his damage dealt by 5% and his haste by 5%. This effect stacks.
Overwhelming Assault — Blade Lord Ta'yak performs an overwheming attack on his current target, inflicting 150% of a normal melee swing's attack. The attack leaves the target's defenses exposed, increasing the target's damage taken when an Overwhelming Assault lands by 50%^{[Notes 3]} for 45 sec.
Blade Tempest — Blade Lord Ta'yak rapidly spins his blade, pulling all enemies towards himself and inflicting 285,000 to 315,000 Physical damage every 0.5 sec.

Stage 2

Stage 2 begins once Blade Lord Ta'yak reaches 20% health.

Storm Unleashed — Upon reaching 20% health, Blade Lord Ta'yak traps all players within a mass of tornadoes, moving them to one end of the hall. All players suffer 4,750 to 5,250^{[Notes 4]} Nature damage every 1 sec. while they are trapped within the tornadoes. This damage increases with Ta'yak's current Intensify level. Ta'yak then assumes a position at the opposite end of the hall, and unleashes a barrage of tornadoes that travel down the hall towards the players. Any player that is caught within a tornado will be picked up and carried away from Ta'yak.

Notes

^
Tempest Slash:
- 10: 95-105K
- 10H: 123.5-136.5K
- LFR: 38-42K
- 25: 190-210K
- 25H: 190-210K
^
Unseen Strike:
- 10: 3M
- 10H: 4.5M
- LFR: 3M
- 25: 6M
- 25H: 11.25M
^
Overwhelming Assault:
- 10: 100%
- LFR: 50%
- 25: 100%
^
Storm Unleashed:
- 10: 14,250-15,750
- 10H: 19,000-21,000
- LFR: 4,750-5,250
- 25: 14,250-15,750
- 25H: 19,000-21,000

Strategy

The first phase of the encounter is all about positioning. First, spread out to limit damage taken from Wind Steps. Second, collapse the entire raid on top of players who have been targeted for an Unseen Strike. Finally, keep spread out while avoiding the circling tornadoes that are frequently spawned. As the fight progresses, it may become necessary to move the boss to another part of the room to get clear of the tornadoes.

At 20% health, Ta'yak will trap all members of the raid in tornadoes and send them to one side of the long hall, while he takes up position at the other. This is a platforming mechanic -- run forward toward Ta'yak while strafing left or right to steer clear of the tornadoes. Up close to the wall behind Ta'yak is safe from tornadoes, so adventurers can stand still and attack the boss. Ta'yak will jump to the opposite side of the hall at 10%, repeating the tornado-dodging exercise.

Loot

Item	Type
[Sigil of Wisdom]	Quest item
[Boots of the Blowing Wind] LFR H	Spirit cloth boots
[Bracers of Tempestuous Fury] LFR H	Spirit mail bracers
[Bracers of Unseen Strikes] LFR H	Agility leather bracers
[Choker of the Unleashed Storm] LFR H	Agility necklace
[Drape of Gathering Clouds] LFR H	Spirit cloak
[Hood of Stilled Winds] LFR H	Caster leather helm
[Kaz'tik's Stormseizer Gauntlets] LFR H	Healer mail hands
[Pauldrons of the Broken Blade] LFR H	Tank plate shoulders
[Ring of the Bladed Tempest] LFR H	Strength DPS ring
[Sword Dancer's Leggings] LFR H	Agility mail legs
[Tornado-Summoning Censer] LFR H	Caster off-hand
[Twisting Wind Bracers] LFR H	DPS cloth bracers
[Waistplate of Overwhelming Assault] LFR H	DPS plate belt
[Windblade Talons] LFR H	Tank plate gloves