Blizzard on Timing of Classic Kel'Thuzad's Abilities

Classic Posted 2020/12/02 at 5:09 PM by perculia

Kel'Thuzad in WoW Classic

Original Message:

He seems to sometimes be going incredibly long periods without casting it, something I can’t find in any video or recall in my own experience.

Example

00:00:55.502 Kel’Thuzad casts Frost Blast on Chewy
00:02:32.975 Kel’Thuzad casts Frost Blast on Soildsra
A full 1m37s without casting his ability that clearly has a 25 second cooldown since other times he’s casting it every 25 seconds.

I suspect it’s something to do with batching so he’s missing a cast and resetting his timer somehow.

Also less extreme examples

00:00:34.982 Kel’Thuzad Frost Blast Kiwiandapple 1818
00:01:45.867 Kel’Thuzad Frost Blast Kiwiandapple 1817
00:01:48.692 Kel’Thuzad Frost Blast Kiwiandapple 1818
00:03:07.292 Kel’Thuzad Frost Blast Leps 1738

Why doesn’t Kel’Thuzad use abilities on strict timers?decisions

Magmadar’s Panic Recast

Broodlord Lashlayer’s Blast Wave

Gurubashi Bat Rider’s Unstable Concoction

Nefarian’s Bellowing Roar

Comment by KSDraeRemovedComment by ElladarynInteresting change in design. Some bosses still have some randomness elements to them (like Hivemind) and others are almost exactly choreographic (Queen Azshara Mythic). I believe each fight tests different kinds of skills, making a raid more engaging.Comment by MuussThis happens because someone killed the cat. If you do the whole raid keeping Mr. Bigglesworth alive, then Kel'Thuzad will barely cast any spell. Kill the cat and face his wrath.Comment by TamrielicCyborgThis happens because someone killed the cat. If you do the whole raid keeping Mr. Bigglesworth alive, then Kel'Thuzad will barely cast any spell. Kill the cat and face his wrath.Comment by rpgmancerIt's the same way with Twin Emps teleport as well. Doesn't always get cast on cooldown so sometimes you will (as melee) run across the room and have to wait/kill bugs until they switch.Comment by viknInteresting change in design. Some bosses still have some randomness elements to them (like Hivemind) and others are almost exactly choreographic (Queen Azshara Mythic). I believe each fight tests different kinds of skills, making a raid more engaging.Comment by AnchorzGreat post.Comment by rsmith91487I love these "Not a Bug" reports from Blizzard. They give so much insight into the inner workings behind the game engine and the devs who respond always come back with honest, forthright explanations as to why things that seem like bugs are actually working as intended.Comment by FizGnomeWhy would anyone kill the cat? That doesn't make sense..Comment by ZEUStigerThe spells that can delay Frost Blast are Shadow Fissure and Frostbolt (the aoe one). They all belong to the same cooldown category "Creature Special" (ID 1152). Frost Blast and Shadow Fissure trigger a 5 sec category-wide cooldown, Frostbolt - an 8 sec.

Chains of Kel'Thuzad also belongs to the same category, but it's a self-cast script effect and I can't be certain who casts it - whether it's KT or the players that are chosen for MC. It probably is KT, tho, as it's the only spell that I can see that could be used as a "primer" for target selection and casting of the actual MC Chains of Kel'Thuzad. It doesn't trigger a cooldown, but it should still be subject to cooldown from other spells in that category.