Quest:Aces High!

Objectives
Corastrasza on the upper ring of the Nexus in Coldarra wants you to ride her drake and kill 5 Scalesworn Elites.
 * s Killed (5)

Description
You possess the courage to draw so near to Malygos' lair, mortal? Or is it simply ignorance? Soon we shall know....

I am a seasoned trainer of the graceful drakes of the red dragonflight. My business here is to study the enemy and teach my precious pets the tactics that will be most effective when we face the master of the blues.

To demonstrate your nerve and ability, I will allow you to ride one of my drakes against the enemy's minions.

The opportunity is yours for the asking...

Completion
My drake tells me that with practice, you might become a capable combatant.

Very well, then. In the interest of our war on Malygos, I shall allow you to practice with my pets at your leisure.

Make ready,, for he is a fierce and unforgiving opponent.

Rewards
You will receive:

You will also be able to choose one of these rewards:
 * Assault Hauberk
 * Incursion Vestments
 * Vest of the Assailant
 * Besieging Breastplate

Note: Becomes a Daily Quest after first completion.
 * +455 reputation with Wyrmrest Accord (first completion)
 * +325 reputation with Wyrmrest Accord (Each completion thereafter - Daily Quest)

Abilities of the red drake
On the drake you'll get six different abilities:
 * Flame Spike (10 Energy, Instant) - Fires a quick jet of fire at your target, causing 943 to 1057 Fire damage. Awards 1 combo point.
 * Engulf in Flames (50 Energy, Instant) - Launches a blast of flames, igniting your target for 1500 Fire damage (per stack) every 3 sec. This effect stacks without limit. Lasts longer per combo point:
 * 1 point : 6 seconds
 * 2 points: 10 seconds
 * 3 points: 14 seconds
 * 4 points: 18 seconds
 * 5 points: 22 seconds


 * Revivify (10 Energy, Instant) - Heals the target for 500 per second, stacking up to 5 times. Must be cast on a drake, not a player. Lasts 10 sec. Awards one combo point.
 * Life Burst (50 Energy, Instant) - Releases a burst of rejuvinating energy, healing friendly targets within 60 yards and increasing the caster's healing done by 50%. Heals for more and lasts longer per combo point:
 * 1 point : 5,000 heal / 5 sec
 * 2 points: 7,500 heal / 10 sec
 * 3 points: 10,000 heal / 15 sec
 * 4 points: 12,500 heal / 20 sec
 * 5 points: 15,000 heal / 25 sec


 * Blazing Speed (Instant) - Increases flight speed by 500% for 8 sec.
 * Flame Shield (25 Energy, Instant, 30 sec cooldown) - Surrounds the caster in a shield of flames, reducing all damage taken by 80%. Lasts longer per combo point:
 * 1 point : 2 seconds
 * 2 points: 3 seconds
 * 3 points: 4 seconds
 * 4 points: 5 seconds
 * 5 points: 6 seconds

You can only have combo points on a single target. For example, casting Revivify places a combo point on your heal target, and so removes all combo points from your enemy target. Casting Revivify or Engulf in Flames refreshes the duration of your stack already on the target.

Tactical notes
This quest WILL be a pain to those who are doing it for the first time. Here are some tips to avoid unnecessary keyboard destruction:


 * Make sure to enable the interface options Auto Self Cast and Cast Bars (under Combat).
 * Start by stacking Revivify on your drake five times (before engaging in combat). Optionally, also cast Lifeburst on yourself to make use of the combo points available.
 * Begin the pull with two Flame Spikes, then Engulf in Flames.
 * Recast Revivify on your drake; this keeps the HoT stack at 5 and refreshes its duration.
 * Recast two Flame Spikes, then Engulf in Flames; this increases DoT stack and refreshes its duration.
 * Repeat the rotation until the drake is dead (keys 1 1 2 3).
 * In any moment, if the blue drake starts casting Arcane Surge, you have plenty of time to use Flame Spike (if you don't have combo points) then Flame Shield. Arcane Surge deals a lot of damage, and you can't heal through it without a shield up. You only need two (one, if well timed) combo points to make the shield last through the whole Surge.

The following macro will help during this quest:. Simply place it on an action bar and bind it to a key that isn't used while you are on the drake. You can then just spam this macro while fighting. Think of it as easy mode.

Because the Arcane Surge can come up at any moment, you MUST always watch the enemy's cast bar, else you get a nasty surprise. If you're lucky, you may not even see Surge at all. Good luck!

This rotation focuses on stacking the DoTs from Engulf in Flames; once there are two stacks, it deals more damage (per energy) than Flame Spike. The combo points from Flame Spike only increase the duration of Engulf in Flames, not the damage dealt, so there's no point stacking more than two (giving you 10 seconds to rebuild the 80 energy needed for each cycle).

After you've stacked Engulf in Flames a few times, expand the cycle to using three Flame Spikes, to allow more time for energy regeneration. At that point, most of the damage is being done by the stacked Engulf in Flames, and energy may be running low.

Quest Tips

 * If your red drake dies while riding him/her you'll automatically get a parachute, like getting dismounted in Dalaran or Wintergrasp.
 * If you die on a platform you may come back as a ghost (bugged off and on), with no way back, forcing you to resurrect with all penalties.
 * There is no way to avoid a long and slow fall to the bottom, unless you are a Druid. You will frequently be killed while parachuting.. if death isn't bugged, fight over a platform (see tip #2)
 * Stack your HoT five times prior to engaging in combat. Then cast 1 x 5 then alternate 2(DoT) and 3(HoT) but always keep your HoT stacked five times.
 * The blue drakes have overlapping patrol routes. Be careful to only aggro one enemy drake at a time. Stay near the edge. Watch for extra aggro and fly away if it happens.
 * Parachuting through a flock of dragons is fatal.
 * The HoT doesn't last nearly as long as you think it will. Keep spamming the 3 key. Watch for the 2500+ heal text(you need heal text turned on).
 * You don't need to use the DoT to kill the Elites; constantly using your first ability and alternating your HoT and Flame Shield will work. If you can do that successfully, you can start working in using the DoT.

Trivia

 * The title of the quest may be a reference to a song of the same name from Iron Maiden's 1984 album Powerslave.
 * The term "Aces High" has also been used to refer to fighter pilots during wartime.