Two bosses may enter... but only one will get to leave in WoW Insider's fantasy deathmatch series. Every week we pit two of Azeroth's raid bosses against one another in a battle that your votes get to decide. This week we present Ragnaros the Firelord, coming all the way from the heart of Molten Core in Blackrock Mountain, and Ossirian the Unscarred, who's traveled from Ahn'Qiraj in the Silithus desert to participate in this match. Who wins and who loses? Ultimately, that's for you to decide -- so read on!
Ragnaros the Firelord was once a servant of the Old Gods, but at present he rules over the heart of Blackrock Mountain and answers to no one -- save the occasional raid group. Knowing he is a fire elemental, it's no surprise that Ragnaros takes down his opponents with massive fire damage. In battle, Ragnaros will use the following skills:
- Wrath of Ragnaros: a melee-range knockback.
- Hammer of Ragnaros: selects a random target at range and knocks everyone in the vicinity back.
- Elemental Fire: A high-damage fire DoT that Ragnaros puts on whomever has aggro.
- Magma Blast: If no one is in melee range, Ragnaros will do a high-damage physical attack -- enough to wipe your standard player raid.
Ossirian the Unscarred is the final boss in 20-player wing of Ahn'Qiraj -- and don't make the limited number of players involved fool you, he's a tough fight.
Ossirian starts the fight in "Supreme Mode" -- where he moves faster than an epic mount and hits harder than usual. Crystals spawn nearby him, which you can click to bring him out of Supreme Mode, and make him vulnerable to a specific type of spell damage (for a scant 45 seconds). Now, the real question -- would an NPC catch on about how to deactivate Supreme Mode, or would Ossirian simply be in Supreme Mode for the entire fight? Either way, I doubt Supreme mode would be as tough on another boss as it is on a player. His abilities are as follows:
- Enveloping Winds: an 8s stun on the target who has aggro.
- Tornados: Just like the real thing, these wander around once Ossirian is engaged and cause high damage to anyone caught inside.
- Curse of Tongues: an AoE Curse of Tongues (slows casting speed).
- Warstomp: a short-range AoE that does damage and a knockback.
Who wins and who loses in this epic battle? It's nearly time for you to to tell us, but before that, a reminder: we're considering these two bosses with approximately equal health and approximately equal damage output capabilities. We aren't making this into a math equation of who's got more health than who, so when you cast your vote, cast it on fighting style, not highest level.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
12-16-2007 @ 2:48PM
Earth23 said...
Ossirian would go supreme mode since rag can't move him. Ossirian supreme would obliterate rag.
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12-16-2007 @ 3:24PM
Green Armadillo said...
The issue isn't even the supreme mode, the issue is that Ossi has very high resists on all five regular schools of magic except the one he's debuffed for (if any). Rag's damage is going to be seriously gimped, Supreme mode or not.
Of course, if you spawn Rag on top of the one guaranteed crystal in Ossi's room (the battle has to be in Ossi's room because he cannot survive away from the crystals, so putting Rag on top of one is a relatively fair trade), he has a 20% chance of making Ossiran fire vulnerable. If that happens, he has 45 seconds of punting Ossi and then unleashing his massive AE for triple damage (while Ossi is snared and thus taking longer to get back into melee range). That would be more than enough time for Rag to end the fight.
12-16-2007 @ 7:18PM
Ghen said...
So in a perfect environment, Ragnaros has a 20% chance of winning. Thats not very good odds. I go with Ossy for this fight, his natural resists are just insane.
12-16-2007 @ 3:01PM
Killah said...
Agreed with Earth23. Ossirian would win.
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12-16-2007 @ 3:13PM
ranova said...
I think you guys should make some spreadsheets to see who exactly would win and by how much.
In other words, no one gives a shit, these polls are really about who is more badass, and in this case, ragnaros, as the polls show.
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12-16-2007 @ 3:13PM
dan said...
The trick is since they're in a neutral location neither would have access to their full arsenal of abilities or effects. Since Rag isn't in MC then he won't be able to submerge and summon his adds. Likewise Ossi wouldn't have the benefit of the tornadoes (an environmental effect in the area not an ability of his if I recall correctly). ...but also there'd be no crystals to take him out of supreme mode.
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12-16-2007 @ 3:43PM
Green Armadillo said...
According to the lore, Ossirian cannot leave the room where the crystals are without dying - they're bound to his life force and are the source of the power that lets him go Supreme. (This is also the nominal explanation of why they're lying around where players can use them to kill him.) So, the fight would basically have to be in Ossi's room (lest he be dead or reduced to a glorified trash mob).
12-16-2007 @ 9:08PM
Baluki said...
It's true that Ossirian can't leave his room, but neither can Rag. The pit where Rag is located is a crack in the Elemental Plane that lets a part of his full self into Azeroth.
12-16-2007 @ 3:30PM
Oilof said...
Well, raid-progression wise, Molten Core comes after AQ20. So...
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12-16-2007 @ 6:03PM
Velaegis said...
These matches are ignoring progression. Where have you been the last few months? :P
12-16-2007 @ 4:00PM
Ben said...
This is an open and shut fight: a raid boss that's basically a resist check versus a raid boss with nasty resistances. First, progression is irrelevent for these fights: assume equal HP, etc. Second, Ossirian isn't pre-MC in progression. A guild that can take 20 through AQ should be able to dominate MC. A guild that was farming AQ20 at least had their foot in the door of BWL.
If they're in a neutral location Ossirian is effectively unkillable. In supreme mode, yes, he hits like a truck and can outrun an epic mount, but he's also effectively immune to incoming damage (all sources reduced to negligable value). For that matter, if Rag fought Oss in MC, Oss would be unkillable. The only place in the world where Ossirian can really be killed is his room, and even there Rag only has a 1/5 chance of being able to do decent damage (since rag is a 1 schooler). Even if Rag could deactivate Supreme, there's still an 80% chance he wouldn't be able to do substantial damage. The only way I see this going in Rag's favor is if he gets VERY lucky: deactivates supreme, gets FR debuff on Oss, gets punted out of melee AND gets his AoE off before Oss closes the distance.
Looking at the poll, I have to wonder how many of the voters have actually fought these guys....
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12-16-2007 @ 4:21PM
Rax said...
Two Bosses enter is still going on? It's like the series that never ends....By the time you're finished, WotLK will come out with a whole new set.
In other news: kids vote based on the scary picture of Rag at the top of the thread. They don't think a bird-headed guy could possibly win. That's the main reason this whole Boss-vs-Boss debate fails.
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12-16-2007 @ 4:42PM
Jesse said...
assuming the fight takes place in a neutral location, oss is dead, as he can't survive away from his crystals.
If thefight DID take place in oss's room, it would provide him an unfair advantage, not a fair fight...
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12-16-2007 @ 5:15PM
Tridus said...
Lets see, super gimmicky AQ fight that no NPC could possibly figure out, vs Ragnaros.
How about we just skip to the end of the contest and put one super gimmicky AQ fight against another super gimmicky AQ fight?
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12-16-2007 @ 6:00PM
jappaex said...
I demand C'thun VS KT!!!
In other news: Ossirian wins.
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12-16-2007 @ 8:22PM
mortalbound said...
Lemme put a third perspective on this. See, the people here that have commented have let on essentially two views - First, is the Progressionist view. "Ossi is a 20 man, rag is 40, so rag wins." Second, the situationalist view. "Osi can't leave his room, so the fight is there. Rag can't move to turn off the crystals, so Ossi wins."
As I said - I have a third view.
Think for a moment, if you will. Ragnaros is a Firelord. fireLORD. He didn't get that way by sitting in a hottub in the center of the world for 1000 years. No, he went out and KICKED SOME AZEROTHAIN ASS to get that way. You gotta be able to move somehow to do that - So yeah, Rag can move. He'll hover about menacingly and stuff.
Second - Ossi and his crystals. Lets think for a second moment, and be imaginiative. The Quiraji could very well be the biggest threat to any living being, second only to the Burning Legion, MAYBE the Scourge. Do you really think they're going to have Ossi tied to a bunch of stationary crystals for long? Take a look at the Colossi that spawned during the AQ gate events - You could easily carve the crystals out of the ground, take some hot glue and duct tape, and place 'em on some really big silithids, allowing Ossi to come out of his pen to play "Catch the Fireball" with his ol' buddy Rag.
NOW IT'S A REAL FIGHT!
In my mind... Behold. Ragnaros is screaming and yelling his whole 'you will die' thing at Ossi. Just for the fun of it, let's say this is the barrens - Winner faces a horde of Chuck Norris impersonators. Ossi flings a few spears at Rag, who unsuprisingly burns them to a crisp. Ragnaros slams his hammer against one of the crystals. Let's see... 60,000 year old hunk of rock vs. elementally infused greater-than-legendary god-weapon... "Crack." Ossi is a little discouraged now, and insists that the crystal carriers keep a few feet back. Ragnaros plows past a helpless Quiraji Construct, and begins to pound the other crystals. Ossi just stands there throwing anything he can at Ragnaros. Including his shoe. Horisanth Shoes are very sharp if you throw them the right way, after all. But, Ragnaros ultamitely breaks the crystals, and Ossi begins to crumble. But, Ragnaros, being such a nice guy, decides to help. He MELTS the bugger into oblivion, and the lava goes and kills half a dozen player raids that we're running from the south to get them both.
Sounds like movie material to me!
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12-16-2007 @ 8:50PM
kr3wman said...
That would only happen if Ragnaros would be powerful enough to get out of Blackrock mountain, and if he would strong enough to do that, only current bosses like Archimonde, C'thun and Illidan - to an extent - have a shot at him one on one. Also, Rag only needs to spam Melt weapon and reduce Ossyrian to crumbles, regardless of supreme mode...Since he's just one big weapon.
12-16-2007 @ 11:58PM
Druid dude said...
Ossirian: Has to be moved to be beat.
Ragnaros: Can't move. Ouch. GG.
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12-17-2007 @ 12:16AM
Vaylix said...
You guys are ridiculous. This isn't about your data, or in game logic. This is about who is more awesome. Stop being nerds and vote.
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12-17-2007 @ 12:40AM
Melf said...
You can't debate nerdiness on a blog devoted to an rpg. you check that at the door and wear your badge like the rest of us. It's opinion and conjecture, just like every other poll about anything else :)