Pawbuster  

Pawbuster is the Epic(x4) boss of The Execution Throne Room.

Contents [hide]

Special Attacks Introduction Positioning Raid Stifle Tank Stifle Doggie Suicide Extra Background

Special Attacks

• Whirling Attack – Every 20 seconds, Pawbuster does a trauma AE which triggers Intimidation, causing the 18 closest players and pets to be stifled/stunned for 1 minute. This will be cured by the healers.
• Great Cleave – Every 20 seconds, Pawbuster lifts his shoulders and does his “big swing” with his battle axe. This is a frontal AoE Knockback and Stun which cannot be cured. The main tank will be the only tank directly in front of Pawbuster, with secondary tank to Pawbuster’s left ot right ready to take agro.
• Stuck - After Pawbuster raises his battle axe and swings it, it will strike the ground and get “stuck”. During this time, Pawbuster is rooted. If Pawbuster is positioned over the grate and facing East, then this attack will strike the lock holding the grate closed. Once Pawbuster breaks open the grate, he will suicide by falling down into the spinning fan blades.
• Battlerage - When Pawbuster kills a person he gains 2% health and gains a buff Battlelust. Battlelust makes him hit harder and take a % less damage per hit.

Introduction

After watching Youtube videos, reading EQ2Flames, and talking to 2 other guilds that have killed him, I believe that it is very possible for most of our raid force to remain unstifled during the entire fight.

Positioning

The main tank stands directly in front of Pawbuster on the stairs, so that Pawbuster is facing away from the raid. The secondary tank stands to Pawbuster’s left or right so that he will avoid the frontal AoE.

Healers and the top 2-3 DPS people should be at max range of the Tanks.

Everyone else is clustered in between the healers and Pawbuster. The distance between Pawbuster and the tank should always be closer than the distance between Pawbuster and the next person.

Raid Stifle

Every 20 seconds, Pawbuster stifles the 18 closest people with his Whirling Attack. This includes swarm pets, dumbfire pets, etc. We will use this to our advantage by having all casters and healers send in swarm pets right before Pawbuster’s Whirling Attack.

Wardens, Defilers, and Templars will then Group Cure Trauma to keep the raid unstifled as much as possible.

Clerics should have Macros for each of the other healers to target them and single-target Cure them.

Tank Stifle

Every 20 seconds, Pawbuster does a Great Cleave axe swing which is an incurable frontal AoE stun and knockback. When this happens, the secondary tank takes over and moves into position in front of Pawbuster, making sure that Pawbuster is facing the stairs and away from the raid.

It may be possible for the tank to dodge this attack by "stepping into" Pawbuster or stepping to the side when his axe is in mid-air but before it strikes the ground (move too early and he auto-faces).

At this point, Pawbuster’s axe is stuck in the ground and he is rooted. In EQ2 game mechanics, rooted mobs randomly switch targets trying to find a mob within range that they can hit. Pawbuster is not switching Agro so do not waste Rescue, deagro spells, etc. Pawbuster does NOT memwipe. Once Pawbuster becomes unrooted, he will run towards his current target.

When Pawbuster starts randomly switching targets, a Coercer should cast Thought Snap to force Pawbuster to target a tank within their group. Thought Snap is an AA ability which will prevent Pawbuster from switching targets from a fighter for 7 seconds.

Doggie Suicide

Once Pawbuster reaches 25% health, he is now strong enough to break the lock on the grate. At this point, the active tank will reposition him over the grate in the center of the room. The raid will need to quickly move to their new positions. We may have 1 healer run to one corner of the room for this part of the fight.

Once Pawbuster breaks the lock on the grate, someone needs to pull the lever on his starting platform to open the grate. The handle will become clickable when this happens. When Pawbuster reaches 25% health, we will have 1 person (wizard, ranger, etc.) move to the lever and be ready to click it.

Extra Background

When an EQ2 mob cannot move, either because it is rooted, or it is casting a spell (EQ2 roots mobs while casting to prevent self-interrupts), the following occurs:

• The mob starts changing targets (from its hate list) trying to find someone it can hit.
• If that target is in range, it starts hitting it.
• If there is nobody in melee range, then the mob will continue to change targets (from its hate list), getting further and further away.
• Once the mob becomes free, it doesn’t change target immediately, but instead will run at the target it has, until there is some event that causes it to examine its hate list again. That target may be far away and that causes problems.

ZAM credits this article at EQ2 Wire for the original strategy and diagrams.

Rise of Kunark Raid Quest Series
Tier	Quest	Bosses
1	The Fate of Norrath	Tairiza the Widow Mistress - Pawbuster - Imzok's Revenge
2	The Amulet of Drolakis	Emperor Venril - Overking Selrach
3	Into the Bowels of the Beast	The Leviathan
4	The Secret of the Stone Sub-quest:Taking on Trakanon	Kluzen the Protector - Elder Ekron - Nexona - Druushk - Taskmaster Nichok - Milyex Vioren - Qunard Ashenclaw - Xygoz - Hoshkar - Travenro the Skygazer - Silverwing - Phara Dar Trakanon