Hodir, Healer Guide
Updated 3 months ago for patch 3.4.1 by Preston. View the change log.
This page covers a healer-focused strategy for Hodir in Ulduar in Wrath of the Lich King. While it's tailored for healers, other roles may also find the information useful. If you have any suggestions or feedback, you can leave a comment below or tweet @PrestonDvorak.
This guide has been updated and maintained based on my own experiences with the encounter, combat log information, and Dungeon Journal information. I'll continue to update it as-needed.
General Mechanics and Abilities
- Hodir
- The tanks will be dealing with extra moderate damage from Frozen Blows.
- Stay more than 10-yards away to avoid the Root effect from Freeze (dispel, magic).
- Every 50-seconds, during Flash Freeze:
- Avoid the three (two on 10-player) large impact locations of Ice Shards. These leave behind Snow Drift mounds.
- All players must stand on a Snow Drift mound to avoid being incapacitated by Flash Freeze (Flash Freeze on 10-player).
- Affected players are incapacitated until the Flash Freeze is killed.
- Avoid the impact locations of Ice Shards. Players hit take moderate damage and are knocked back.
- Starting 1-minutes 15-seconds into the encounter, and every 50-seconds after that, deals moderate damage over time to all players with Frozen Blows.
- Deals increasing light to moderate damage over time to all players with stacks of Biting Cold. One stack is applied every 4-seconds while a player is stationary.
- Stacks are reduced while actively moving or jumping, or completely removed while within 11-yards of a Toasty Fire, detailed below.
- Several friendly NPCs are present during the encounter, but are incapacitated by Flash Freeze (Flash Freeze on 10-player). When freed, they provide beneficial effects, noted below.
- All friendly NPCs can be incapacitated again by Flash Freeze (Flash Freeze on 10-player).
- Druids - Tor Greycloud/Kar Greycloud (H); Ellie Nightfeather/Eivi Nightfeather (A)
- Shaman - Spiritwalker Yona/Spiritwalker Tara(H); Elementalist Avuun/Elementalist Mahfuun (A)
- Targets a random player with Storm Cloud (Storm Cloud on 10-player).
- Up to six (four on 10-player) players within 3-yards gain Storm Power (Storm Power on 10-player), greatly increasing critical strike damage dealt.
- Deals light damage to enemies with Lava Burst.
- Targets a random player with Storm Cloud (Storm Cloud on 10-player).
- Mages - Veesha Blazeweaver/Amira Blazeweaver (H); Missy Flamecuffs/ Sissy Flamecuffs (A)
- Places a Toasty Fire at a random, nearby location.
- About twelve (five on 10-player) players within 11-yards:
- No longer gain stacks of Biting Cold while stationary, nor are affected by Freeze (dispel, magic).
- Have a chance to apply a stack of Singed to Hodir when dealing spell damage, increasing his spell damage taken.
- About twelve (five on 10-player) players within 11-yards:
- Applies Melt Ice to Flash Freezes, effectively killing it after 10-seconds.
- Places a Toasty Fire at a random, nearby location.
- Priests - Battle-Priest Eliza/Battle-Priest Gina (H); Field Medic Penny/Field Medic Jessi (A)
- Dispels Magic effects from players with Dispel Magic.
- Heals friendly NPCs with Great Heal.
- Deals light damage to enemies with Smite.
Hardmode Differences
Hardmode criteria is satisfied by killing Hodir in under 3-minutes, before the Rare Cache of Winter is destroyed.
Healing Notes
Quick Notes, All Difficulties
The notes below mostly pertain to progression difficulty, meaning if you out-gear the difficulty you're on or use extra healers they may not apply.
- Use Major Cooldowns on
- Frozen Blows [occurs every 50-seconds]
- Use Minor Cooldowns
- as-needed to deal with Biting Cold
- Pre-heal Before (mainly for heal over time classes)
- Other things to watch for
- Be careful not to consume DPS buffs like Storm Power (Storm Power on 10-player) and potentially Toasty Fire/Singed stack applications.
Debuffs to Track
Major
- Flash Freeze (Flash Freeze on 10-player) incapacitates affected players.
Minor
- Freeze (dispel, magic) can be dispelled immediately, especially if Flash Freeze is happening soon.
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