Vexie and the Geargrinder

Overview:

The Vexie and Geargrinder fight involves a dismantling phase where players avoid fire circles, red lines, and oil slicks while destroying the boss’s plating by using bikes, followed by a burn phase where the raid deals as much damage as possible while interrupting the pit crew. The burn phase is extended depending on how well the raid performs in the first phase and happens in 2-minute intervals.

Audio Overview

Listen to our Deep Dive into the phases, abilities, and mechanics of raid boss Vexie and the Geargrinder.

Key Mechanics:

• Tank Buster: The Geargrinder machine will knock the tank back. On Heroic difficulties and higher, this effect also drops a pool of oil.
• Pawn Swap: Vexie puts purple circles on players, causing them to spew oil after a delay. Players should drop this oil in the same general location to limit the number of oil pools.
• Exhaust Fumes: The raid will take constant soft enrage damage from exhaust fumes. The damage from this debuff increases over time.
• Fire Circles: Red circles will periodically appear around the arena, which players should avoid.
• Red Arrows: Several players will be marked with red arrows, indicating they are being chased by fire circles. These players must run the fire circles into oil slicks to remove the oil.
• Unrelenting Cage: At 100 energy, Vexie will begin a raid-wide damage mechanic that requires players to break off the multiple plates on the boss to stop it.
• Bikers: Red lines will appear, and bikers will ride down these lines, dealing damage to anyone in their path. Players can destroy the bikers and then use their bikes to remove the boss’s plating, as long as the bike doesn’t hit any oil slicks.
• Pit Stop: After all platings have been removed, the boss enters a Pit Stop phase where Pit Stop crew rush in to repair her. During this phase, the boss takes increased damage, and players should focus on killing the pit crew while interrupting and stunning them to prevent repairs.
• Burn Phase: The raid deals as much damage as possible while interrupting the pit crew. The burn phase happens in 2 minute intervals.

Phase 1: Dismantling Phase

• Core Objective: Remove the platings from the Geargrinder to trigger the intermission/Burn Phase.
• Geargrinder Tank Buster: targets a tank with a Tank Buster, which knocks the tank back. On Heroic and Mythic, this ability leaves a pool of oil on the ground.
• Oil Management: Several mechanics create oil slicks. Place them in pre-determined locations. Consolidate but don’t double-stack oil slicks.
• Pawn Swap: Vexie marks players with purple circles, causing them to spew oil out around them after a delay. Players affected by Pawn Swap should move to pre-determined stacking locations to consolidate oil slicks.
• Red Arrows: Boss marks players with red arrows, causing them to be chased by fire circles. Players should lead fire circles into oil slicks to remove them. This mechanic is critical for maintaining sufficient room to maneuver.
• Exhaust Fumes: Entire raid will receive a stacking debuff called Exhaust Fumes, which deals increasing damage over time.
• Red Circles: Avoid the regularly spawning red circles.
• Bikers: Periodically, bikers will appear and ride along red lines, dealing damage to anyone in their path. Players should destroy these bikers. Players can then hop on the downed bikes and shoot them at the boss to remove a plating. NOTE: Bikes should not be directed through oil slicks.
• Phase 1 Strategy Summary: Phase one is about constantly avoiding fire circles and red lines all DPS should be prioritizing killing bikers and using the bikes to remove plating, causing the Burn Phase.

Pit Stop Phase (Burn Phase/Intermission)

• Begins: When all platings have been removed from the Geargrinder.
• Damage Amplification: The boss takes 100% increased damage during this phase.
• Prioritize Burst Damage: The raid should use all available damage cooldowns (“lust”) during this phase.
• Stun/Interrupt Crew: Stop pit crew as they attempt to repair the boss’s platings. Players should interrupt and stun them to prevent these repairs.
• Raid-Wide damage: Entire raid will also take constant pulsing damage. Healers need to be prepared to manage this.

Tank

• Tank Buster: The Geargrinder machine will knock the tank back. Be prepared for this knockback.
• Oil Pools (Heroic and Higher): On Heroic difficulty and higher, the Tank Buster effect will drop a pool of oil on the ground. It is important to move out of the oil.
• Positioning: Point the Geargrinder away from the raid group to avoid the Tank Buster hitting other players.

DPS

• Bikers: DPS should prioritize taking out the bikers that appear during the fight.
• Bike Usage: After destroying a biker, players can hop on the bike and shoot it at the boss to remove one of the platings. Ensure the bike does not hit any oil slicks on its way to the boss. If there’s an oil slick in the path, either burn off the oil slick or reposition the boss for a clear shot.
• Fire Circles: Be aware of the red circles that appear around the arena and avoid them.
• Red Arrows: If marked with red arrows, run towards oil slicks to remove them with the fire circles.
• Pit Stop Phase: During the Pit Stop phase, the boss takes 100% increased damage. Maximize damage output during this phase by using your two and three-minute cooldowns.
• Interrupts/Stuns: Focus on killing off the pit crew, and interrupting and stunning them to stop as many repair casts as possible. Preventing repairs ensures the boss does not regain plating quickly

Healer

• Exhaust Fumes: Be prepared for a constant, raid-wide damage debuff from exhaust fumes, which increases in intensity over time. You will need to keep the raid healed through this persistent damage.
• Oil Stacks: If players end up double-stacking oil, they will need defensive cooldowns due to the significant damage.
• Pit Stop Phase: During the Pit Stop phase, there is a constant pulse of raid-wide damage that healers will need to manage.

Key Takeaways:

• Positioning and Awareness: The Vexie and Geargrinder encounter is a multi-phase fight that requires players to be aware of their positioning to avoid mechanics like fire circles and red lines.
• Oil Management: Managing oil slicks is crucial during the first phase of the fight. Players marked with purple circles from Pawn Swap should aim to drop oil in the same general location to limit the area covered in oil. Players with red arrows should run fire circles into oil slicks to remove them.
• Biker Priority: Damage dealers (DPS) should prioritize taking out the bikers that appear during the fight. After destroying a biker, players can use the bike to remove the boss’s plating, provided they avoid hitting any oil slicks.
• Pit Stop Damage: Players should maximize their damage output during the Pit Stop phase when the boss takes 100% increased damage. It is recommended to use two and three-minute cooldowns during this phase.
• Interrupt Repairs: Interrupting and stunning the Pit Stop crew is critical to prevent them from repairing the boss’s plating. The more repair casts that are interrupted, the shorter the Pit Stop phase will be.

1. What are the two main phases of the Vexie and the Geargrinder encounter?

The fight consists of two main phases: a dismantling phase where players must remove the platings from the Geargrinder, and a burn phase (Pit Stop) where the boss takes increased damage, and players must deal as much damage as possible while disrupting the pit crew repairing the boss.

2. How does the “Tank Buster” mechanic work, and what’s the best strategy for handling the oil slicks it creates?

The “Tank Buster” effect knocks the tank back and, on Heroic and Mythic, leaves a pool of oil. Stack your oil pools in the same location to limit the area covered in oil. The oil slicks do significant damage if double stacked, so defensive cooldowns should be used.

3. How should players handle the “Pawn Swap” mechanic and the oil it creates?

“Pawn Swap” marks players with purple circles, causing them to spew oil after a delay. If marked with a purple circle, players should move to the designated oil stacking location to consolidate the oil slicks.

4. What are exhaust fumes and how does this debuff work?

Exhaust fumes are a constant source of raid-wide damage. The damage increases with each application, eventually overwhelming the raid.

5. How do we deal with red arrows during the dismantling phase?

Red circles appear around the arena and should be avoided. Players marked with red arrows should run towards existing oil slicks. If the fire circles detonate in an oil slick, it is removed from the field. This is crucial for maintaining maneuverability.

6. How do players prevent Unrelenting Cage?

Unrelenting Cage is a raid-wide damage mechanic triggered when Vexie reaches 100 energy. To prevent it, players must break off the platings on the Geargrinder by utilizing the biker mechanic.

7. How does the biker mechanic work, and what should DPS players prioritize during this phase?

Red lines indicate biker paths. Bikers will ride down these paths, damaging anyone in their way. DPS should prioritize killing the bikers. After they die, hop on the bike and shoot the bike at the boss to remove plating, provided there are no oil slicks in the way.

8. What’s the strategy for the “Pit Stop” phase?

During the “Pit Stop” phase, Vexie takes 100% increased damage. Players should use all available damage cooldowns (2-3 minute cooldowns) to maximize damage output. Simultaneously, players should interrupt and stun the pit crew attempting to repair the boss, as this reduces the duration of the pit stop phase. There will also be constant raid wide damage, which healers will have to maintain.

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