The most notorious boss mechanic from World of Warcraft is back. And once again, the Heigan Dance will claim victims.
Over the course of 16 years, World of Warcraft has seen thousands of boss mechanics that players had to master. It is not surprising that some mechanics repeat themselves. However, in the next patch of Shadowlands, veterans will likely encounter one of the oldest and most feared boss mechanics once again – the Heigan Dance.
What was the Heigan Dance? The Heigan Dance is a notorious boss mechanic from Naxxramas. It was used in the Plague Wing against Heigan. Players had to react quickly because deadly green plague would burst forth in 3/4 of the room, killing players in most cases with one hit. The safe area changed every few seconds in a fixed sequence, meaning players had to move swiftly from spot to spot to survive.
This sequence of steps that had to be practiced was reminiscent of a dance. Hence the name “Heigan Dance”.
In Vanilla, this was considered one of the more complicated boss mechanics and was also referred to as a “Noob filter”.
How is the Heigan Dance coming back? In the upcoming raid, Sanctum of Domination, in Patch 9.1 Chains of Domination, there is a mechanic that resembles the Heigan Dance quite a bit. In the fight against the boss “Soulrender Dormazain”, there is a similar mechanic. Here, the boss also fills 3/4 of the room with deadly areas, and players must dodge. This initially happens only in individual sections, but later on, there is also an interval during which several of these spells are cast in succession. Players must again react quickly and enter the respective safe area.
Particularly tricky: During one of these dance steps, players must switch between the two outer areas. Without additional movement speed and quick reactions, or a Warlock portal, this is not so easy.
New raid is full of old mechanics: Basically, it seems that there are a whole series of old mechanics dressed in new garb in the Sanctum of Domination, with many nods to old encounters. Kel’Thuzad makes an appearance once again and brings many mechanics and adds that players already know from Naxxramas. In passing, he is likely to leave behind the template for the renewed “South Park” sword.
Are you already looking forward to the new raid in Patch 9.1 with its nods to the past? Or would you have preferred completely new boss mechanics?
