Source of this guide at http://web.archive.org/web/20060609075832/http://www.tkasomething.com/avatarfaq.php
This is from a retail guide so some things can have minor differences. Copying it here in case it ever vanishes from archives. I will try to adjust the guide accordingly to Nostalrius.
TL;DR? Ctrl+F "video", with my personal kill videos from PTR on 6th august 2015.
Tip: You can try them on Player Test Realm if it is available, try connecting through realm menu. But I advise not to kill them in case someone wants to try them too.
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"This guide contains major spoilers for the Hunter Epic quest. If you do want to figure out the quest on your own... you've been warned.”
"Your raid group must clear Molten Core and spawn Majordomo Executus. He is spawned by dousing each of the 7 firelord runes in Molten Core with the Aqual Quintessence from the Duke Hydraxis series of quests. You must then successfully defeat Majordomo Executus. After defeating Majordomo (making him concede after his 8 adds are dead), a chest will spawn called a "Cache of the Firelord." Inside, there will be an 'Ancient Petrified Leaf' (the item we need) or the Priest's Epic starter item 'Eye of Divinity'. You have a 50/50 chance.”
- Avatar of Warsong
The Quest Begins
After obtaining the leaf, you must travel to Felwood. Here, you must travel to the island in the dead center of Irontree Woods.
Once there, walk to the highest peak of the island, and 3 guardian tree spirits will spawn.
Speak to each one of them and they will all give you a separate quest:
Vartrus the Ancient gives [60] Stave of the Ancients.
Stoma the Ancient gives [63] A Proper Sting.
Hastat the Ancient gives [63] Ancient Sinew Wrapped Lamina.
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The Demons
The Demons are located in Winterspring, Burning Steppes, Un'Goro Crater, and Silithus. General guidelines to follow for fighting each of the demons:
- You can only get help before the fight starts, never during. Apply all buffs beforehand and do not refresh them during the fight. Make sure you have everything planned out the way you want it.
- Planning and preparation will win these fights for you. For example, clearing (killing all mobs) in your prospective kite path is a pre-emptive strike on a problem you don't need while fighting the demons.
- If you receive any outside assistance during any fight or if any one of the demons gets another target besides you on its aggro list at any time during the fights, it will call you a coward and immediately despawn. That being said, you obviously cannot use your pet.
- You cannot share paladin auras, totem effects, a Warlock's imp buffs, Blessing of Wisdom, Druid Regeneration or any type of proximity effect or active buff effect. You will lose proximity buffs from time to time while fighting, and it considers them the same as recieving a new buff midfight. The same goes for buffs with an active ticker such as BoW. The encounters are defeatable without them, don't attempt to trivialize the fight at the expense of time and resources. This quest already costs enough for most people.
- You shouldn't have anyone in your group, and I highly suggest you have everyone stand at the edge of viewing distance. The Demons would often begin to rubber-band towards anyone I was partied with during my encounter, even if beyond 45 yards. If they get close enough to launch their 41,000 damage AOE on someone (which happens if anyone enrages), they will evade bug and heal to 100% (and kill everyone within the AE range, obviously). Whenever I was in a party, the demon would bug out in some manner or another, so it's just easier without a group unless you feel it's absolutely necessary for your strategy to win.
- DO bring a friend, so long as they stand well away from you - someone who can warn people away from the area and prevent the unintentional despawning of the demons. If you can't find someone to come with you that you trust to stay out of range, make a macro that you can hit (although this might attract unwanted attention, especially if you /yell it).
- Be careful when fighting. Similar to above, things you may not think would be considered to be secondary target include Barov Peasant Caller, Cannonball Runner, Battle Chickens, Dragonlings, Target Dummies, etc. Better safe than sorry.
- The demons stay spawned for roughly 15 minutes until they despawn for 3 hours of real time. If you fail and die to a demon, it will remain up until the initial timer from when the spawn began, ends. Due to this, it's often wise to bring a priest with you to not only buff, but ressurect after a potential failure.
- If you do not tap the demon every 12 seconds or so, it will get "bored," de-aggro, and run back to the start. To counter this, use Rank 1 Arcane Shot to keep all demons tagged.
- None of these fights require any special preparation going into them except maybe Solenor. I did the other 3 demons very half-assed and unknowledgable of their abilities and got them all on the first try.
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Winterspring, Artorius
This demon appears as a male tauren before being conversed with.
And patrols this area:
Strengths:
- Enrages periodically, greatly increasing its DPS
- Casts Demonic Doom, that makes you look like a demon and causes 350 shadow damage every 3 seconds for 1 minute
Weaknesses:
- Easily kited, running at normal speed
- Serpent Sting does 350% damage to this demon, having a damage debuff effect on this demon that stacks if you re-apply it
- Demonic Doom has a limited range that it cannot be casted outside of
- Enrage can be removed by using Tranquilizing Shot
Strategy:
- No brainer really. Just kite him with Aspect of the Cheetah on (but be careful not to run out of range). Keep Serpent Sting on at all times and Concussive Shot her whenever he gets close. It is important to remain beyond 30 yards of the Demonic Doom, yet within range to use Arcane Shot so that he continues chasing you. If you rely completely on Serpent Sting for damage, he will break aggro and return to where he started. Once you apply Serpent Sting, count to 4, and apply it again before it wears off (the damage does stack). You will be able to see this by a 2nd damage listing "Entropic Sting", which will continue to increase each time the sting is applied. Also, be sure to clear the area you plan on fighting so as to not get dazed by another NPC wandering by.
Additional items to bring: Major Health/Mana Potion/Greater Shadow Protection Potion
Suggestions:
- If you know a friendly enchanter, get your boots enchanted with Minor Speed (however, keep in mind that the line between Demon-ization and being out of range is small - you don't want to go TOO fast)
- If you're having trouble with Demonic Doom, consider packing a few Restorative Potions along (Removes 1 magic, curse, poison or disease effect on you every 5 seconds for 30 seconds)
- If you bring friends, have ALL your party members in front of you on their mounts to train ALL the mobs away that you may run into. Alternatively, if you catch him right about at the South-western tip of his path, you take him from there up to the road and kite along there with less chance of encountering other NPCs
Nostalrius video by me: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENmGqArt4dg
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Burning Steppes, Klinfran
This demon appears as a male human before being conversed with. This demon's patrol route:
Strengths:
- Enrages every 15 seconds extremely increasing its DPS, to upwards 2000 damage per hit
- Runs relatively fast, but slightly slower than Aspect of the Cheetah
- After an enrage, all negative effects on him are purged (removed [Serpent Sting, Hunter's Mark, Immolation Trap, etc]) except Wing Clip
Weaknesses:
- Scorpid Sting makes him deal 1 damage in melee combat (use the highest rank, nothing else)
- Tranquilizing shot removes his frenzied state (but isn't necessary, as long as Scorpid Sting remains on)
- Can be kited with Aspect of the Cheetah
Strategy:
- One strategy, the one I used initially, was just kiting him for a good long while with Serpent Sting and Concussion Shots. I used about 2 or 3 major mana potions, but was never in any risk of dying. Simply pull him up and left on the road toward the Altar of Storms where very few people ever go. Kite there, then before circling back, either Scatter Shot him or Concussion Shot and turn around and repeat that route over and over.
- The next strategy is to shoot a Scorpid Sting on the demon and jump in to melee, remembering to keep him Wing Clipped at all times. Do not waste mana on Raptor Strike or Mongoose Bite. Try to time when the enrages are, then before you know he's going for it, Wing Clip him and run out. If you never have your back to him, you won't get dazed, so stay out of range waiting for him to enrage again. After the enrage, Tranquilizing Shot him to remove the enrage status and then Scorpid Sting him to lower his melee damage, and get back to beating on him in melee. The timing in this fight is what you have to get down. If you can learn to melee while his enrage timer is ticking away, you will do all the DPS output with your base weapons that is required. The important part is NOT being within range when he enrages. If you find yourself in melee with him when he enrages, you can use Scatter Shot to get out.
- A variation on this strategy is to lay down a Frost Trap to initially slow down the demon and then Aimed Shot. Keep moving back until he enrages (turns red). When you see him turn red, hit him with Scorpid Sting (remember to use the highest rank). Once he calms down, run in and melee - but again, do not waste mana on Raptor Strike or Mongoose Bite. After about 3 melee hits (possibly a few more if you are dual wielding), use Rank 1 Wing Clip and strafe sideways from him. If you are faced opposite him, he has the chance to snare you. If Rank 1 Wing Clip isn't getting you far enough from the demon, you can use Rank 3, but in that case you'd want to bring Night's Dragon Breath and Major Mana Potions as well, and use them every time their timers are up. Keep running and use Rank 1 Arcane Shot to keep the demon aggro'ed until he enrages again, rinse and repeat.
Additional items to bring: Mongoose Potion, Demonslaying Potion, Mana Potion
Suggestions:
Consider using a lower rank of Wing Clip to save on mana
If you use Scatter Shot while he is enraged, you need to wait until it wears off to re-apply Scorpid Sting (and you will need to remember that you will have less time in melee range because of this)
It is possible for your stings to miss, so plan accordingly
Nostalrius video by me: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JjnAGEYhhno
30.9.2015 "Klinfran will now cast his enrage even while having scorpid sting, dispelling it"
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Un'Goro Crater, Simone
This demon appears as a female troll accompanied by a wolf before being conversed with.
And patrols this area:
Strengths:
- Her pet turns into an elite felhound when the encounter begins
- Casts Temptress' Kiss which reduces ranged attack power by 1400 for 45 seconds and a slow casting lightning bolt for about 800 damage
- The demon and the felhound cannot be kited at the same time
Weaknesses:
- Viper Sting causes a silenced state on the demon
- Her pet is susceptible to ice trap
- Her lightning bolt can be interrupted with Scatter Shot. Aspect of the Wild helps reduce the damage it does (from 800 to about 200)
- Her melee damage output is relatively weak - you can kite her but you're probably better off meleeing
Strategy:
- I consider myself a well-equipped hunter for melee purposes, so I didn't really mess around with too many gimmicks here. I simply dropped a Freeze Trap in front of me, Aimed Shot the demon, and let the felhound run into the trap because she's trying to stop to cast. Concussive Shot her and wait until the last possible second to apply the Viper Sting before she gets within melee range. That way, you have roughly 15 seconds of un-interrupted melee against her until she can even cast again. After Viper Sting wears off, either interrupt her lightning with Scatter Shot or get back out of melee range and apply another Viper Sting. Rinse and repeat. You can use Aspect of the Wild to help reduce the lightning damage, but I chose to just to use Aspect of the Monkey and tank her, interrupt with Scatter Shot. Found it to work very well. You also do not need to kill the felhound solo after she dies.
- Alternatively, you can kill the felhound first. Lay a Freeze Trap, with your target for the trap being the demon herself. Have Aspect of the Cheetah on and make sure to line up a kitepath. You can open with an Aimed Shot the felhound or Concussion Shot, Serpent Sting and then start kiting. Do not fire another Concussion Shot on the felhound once the battle begins. You want to maintain your lead ahead of the Demon once Freeze Trap breaks as you kite the felhound around. You should merely shoot the felhound with Arcane, and re-apply Serpent Sting when it fades. Once the felhound is dead, Serpent Sting the incoming Demon (make sure to do this quickly so that she doesn't abandon aggro on you). Run in, and melee her. When she begins to cast her lightning bolt, count to 3, and use Scatter Shot. Then continue to melee her down after switching to Aspect of the Wild.
Additional items to bring: Mongoose Potion, Demonslaying Potion, Whipper Root Tuber, Major Health/Mana Potion, Nature Protection Potion
Suggestions:
- You may want to bring a hunter friend along, who will feign death for the duration of the battle, while keeping Aspect of the Wild on. That will free you up to use another Aspect during the fight. Remember that you will have to remain in range of them for this to be effective (and the fight will have to be under six minutes).
- If you are an engineer, you can use the Goblin Rocket Helmet to take the Felhound pet out of the fight for an extended duration (in addition to freezing it).
- If you are not an engineer, try to obtain some Magic Dust. Its effect puts the enemy target to sleep for up to 30 seconds. Any damage caused will awaken the target. Only one target can be asleep at a time. It is a rare drop from Dust Devils (who are themselves rare) in Westfall.
Nostalrius video by me: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqNVWQTTliw
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Silithus, Solenor
This demon appears as a male gnome before being conversed with.
And patrols this area:
Strengths:
- Easily the hardest demon of the 4 by far
- He does NOT predictably chase you. He frequently stops to fear (disorienting you and causing around 800 damage also) or will stop to shoot homing beetles at you
- The homing beetles basically prevent you from bandaging. They move extremely slow but hit extremely hard
- If you leave melee range (further than 2-3 range or so), he uses an instant cast fear spell that also does 700-800 damage instantly, and he can cast these quickly, almost seemingly chain casting. Shadow protection potions do absorb this damage, however, even with greater potions, he tears through them very fast. It's also likely that the fear will send you into the homing beetles
- Seemingly unlimited mana bar, so Viper Sting is useless
- Scorpid sting has very little/no effect on him
- Melees extremely hard and fast (200+) when in "normal" form (described later)
Weaknesses:
- If you use Wing Clip on him, it immobilizes him completely with "Crippling Clip" for 30 seconds (it must be Rank 3 Wing Clip)
- The homing missiles (creepings) are not fired when you remain in melee range
- He does NOT cast his fear when you remain in melee range
- Must be 'chilled' via Frost Trap prior to fully engaging
Strategy:
- The trick to this fight is being able to absorb a fairly high amount of shadow damage, along with keeping his beetles (creepings) eliminated in packs with Volley. Being that Volley has a 60 second cooldown, your movements throughout the fight should be somewhat like an insect rodeo with a large crippled demon for your audience. This is the most difficult and most technical of all the demons.
- Confirmed to work as recently as of patch 1.6, the strategy is as follows. Drink a Greater Shadow Protection Potion, and wait for the timer to cooldown. You will want to apply this effect immediately after his fear damage is no longer being absorbed. If you wait for your health to be low and use a Greater Health Potion, you will be undercutting your damage absorption. Strictly leave the timer open for another Greater Shadow Protection potion. By the time your timer is up, it will be gone. Lay a Frost Trap and use auto shot to engage him and set of the trap. Feign Death and you will see that he no longer has his bright red color. Lay down an Immolation Trap or Explosive Trap and drink up to full mana, you will need it for this fight.
- Now that you have him 'chilled', lay down an Explosive Trap, Hunter's Mark and open with an aimed shot if you have it. If not, Concussion and apply Serpent Sting. Once he reaches melee range, Wing Clip (Rank 3) and run 90 degrees to your left. As soon as you're within firing distance, open up with a Multi-shot. This, plus the Explosive Trap, will kill the first 2 beetles he has released, along with causing increased damage. Save all your mana for Multi-Shot/Volley/Serpent Sting. The "rodeo" part in this is timing your movement with your rate of fire. Shoot, move for a second, wait for Auto Shot to go off again, and repeat. He will fear you, and you will randomly path around. Random being defined as, if it's been 70 seconds since you last Volleyed, it will intentionally path you right down the middle of his pack of beetles. After fear breaks, it is important to have him already targetted, and immediately begin shooting. If he just released another pair of beetles, use your Multi-Shot to kill the new spawns. Shoot, move, shoot, move. It is crucial that you maintain your DPS to keep this fight as short as possible, while keeping your distance from the beetles. As soon as he has 8 or so beetles out, you must have them closely rounded up to volley them. If you've been smart about your movements, a single volley or 2nd wave should have them ALL dead. If you fail to execute this properly, you will have too many beetles up, and fear will path you right through them to end the fight (via your own, horrible death). Continue with Auto Shot and Wing Clip him whenever he gets in close. It is important to keep rounding up the beetles so that the moment your Volley is up, you can clear them all out.
Additional items to bring: Mongoose Potion, Demonslaying Potion, Whipper Root Tuber, Greater Shadow Protection Potion x 3
Suggestions:
- To be on the safe side, you might want to make macros that tie in with targetting the demon (/target solenor) or the beetle swarms (/target creeping), depending on what you're using (Serpent/Concussive/Wing Clip for one, Multi-Shot for the other)
- Engineers should bring bombs/grenades, which can also help with the beetles and non-engineers should pick up some EZ Throw Dynamite or complete the Un'Goro quest series involving crystals (North Pylon) that yields Crystal Charge
- If you find yourself running while feared immediately into Solenar's Swarm consistantly, Aspect of the Cheetah might slow you down some (due to the daze)
- Arcane Shot (Rank 1) is a good way to make sure you remain in combat once fear ends
- High Shadow resistance helps this fight, so if you have the means, you might consider picking up some inexpensive +shadow resist items (rings or possibly the Frostsaber crafted armor set)
Nostalrius video by me: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nj8rXXpHRwA
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Time to Slay the Dragon!
After defeating the four demons, all that remains is killing Onyxia and hoping she drops the Mature Black Dragon Sinew.
The Quest Ends
After obtaining the 4 heads, as well as the Mature Black Dragon Sinew, the Hunter must return to Felwood and turn in the items to the respective tree spirits that assigned the quests.
The Rewards
After completing those 2 quests, the hunter is able to form the Epic items. As of the patch (1.8), you now receive both the Bow and the Staff (they previously transformed from one to the other). Hunters who have already completed the quest can return to Vartrus the Ancient for the item they currently don't have.
The Mature Blue Dragon Sinew (from Azuregos or 'blue' dragonkin) is not necessary to create the weapon, only the quiver.
That wraps up the guide. Use it wisely or don't use it at all if you don't like spoilers. It's here as a reference for all hunters, nonetheless.
1.2.2016 Respawn time seems to be anywhere from 20 minutes to 3 hours, varied reports.
