Apothecary Hummel

Apothecary Hummel is a boss found in Shadowfang Keep, during the Love is in the Air event.

Strategy
The basic strategy in this fight is to tank-and-spank Apothecary Hummel and Apothecary Baxter, while avoiding the damage zones created on the ground by Apothecary Frye. Baxter engages about 10 seconds after Hummel, and then Frye about 10 seconds after that.

Apothecary Hummel deals "perfume damage" (purple aura) while Apothecary Baxter deals "cologne damage" (green aura). Each boss has a short-range aura dealing around 2000 damage per second, and a channeled frontal cone attack. Each also occasionally casts "Chain Reaction", a 3-second cast that does a (physical) PBAOE for about 7500 damage. (Not sure if this can be interrupted.) Apothecary Frye randomly tosses vials of both perfume and cologne which create color-coded damage zones on the ground, dealing about 2000 damage per second unless you are wearing the matching neutralizer. Frye is 'untankable', but can be stunned (unsure about snares and other CC).

All three bosses do minimal melee damage (less than 1000 on cloth), and so can be "tanked" by any class. Wearing the appropriate neutralizer (given to you as part of the daily quest) negates all of the bosses' damage except their melee and the "Chain Reaction" PBAOE. Hummel and Baxter should be separated and faced away from each other, so that the others in the group are only hit by one or the other at a time. Frye should be ignored until the other two are dead; melee attackers will have to chase him down if they cannot stun or snare him.

Before Patch 3.3.3, weak adds also spawned throughout the fight, and would run in and self-destruct for about 2500 damage after 5–10 seconds. These could be killed if they were causing trouble for the healer, although high-DPS (or high-healing) groups would largely ignore them.

Alternate Strategy
If, for some reason, you insist on doing this with one tank, you should use cooldowns to kill Hummel as quickly as possible, and try to CC Baxter until Hummel is killed. Once Hummel is killed, everyone switches to the green neutralizer and gangs up on Baxter.

All party members begin with Purple Buff on, once Hummel is downed switch to Green. Frye will throw both colors so all members avoid poison, poison is what will wipe groups. Once Hummel is down, go for Baxter. Once these two are down, Frye is more or less soloable if one stays out of poison.

The random mobs mentioned earlier self-destruct for fairly decent AoE damage, if your healer is having trouble, pick a ranged dps to focus on these.

And remember, POISON WIPES GROUPS. Other than that, the encounter is quite easy.

Quotes

 * Due to the, ah, "misunderstanding" in Dragonblight, we've had to relocate our facilities to this decrepit mess of a castle.


 * Still we've now plenty plenty of space and time to work on various new and lovely...Products...


 * A few weeks in this pathetic castle will give us time to work on some new products and let others forget about the unfortunate... misunderstanding in Dragonblight.


 * Aggro
 * say
 * say
 * say


 * Calling Apothecary Baxter
 * say


 * Calling Apothecary Frye
 * say


 * Death
 * say

Removed in Patch 3.3.3:
 * Summoning Apothecaries
 * say

Loot
Starting in 2011, the first killing of this boss per day will drop a Heart-Shaped Box for each group member. The box may have one of the following items when opened, but can be empty. It will however always hold 24 Justice Points.

The Big Love Rocket and the pre-Cataclysm versions of the rare items formerly dropped off of Hummel himself, in a system identical to the original Coren Direbrew, Headless Horseman, and Lord Ahune encounters.

As well, the first time you defeat this boss, he drops a, which starts the quest

2010 loot table
For historical purposes, these items were only available during the 2010 event.
 * Choker of the Pure Heart (level 80)
 * Heartbreak Charm (level 80)
 * Sweet Perfume Broach (level 80)
 * Shard of Pirouetting Happiness (level 80)

Trivia
Apothocaries Hummel, Frye and Baxtor are all references from the movie The Rock, I.E. Brig. General Francis Hummel, Captain Frye, and Major Baxtor. All the quotes as well are straight from the movie.

While rockets loaded with chemical agents played a part in the movie, there are more obvious innuendos applicable to the Big Love Rocket.

A TCG loot card awards Papa Hummel's Pet Biscuits, which enlarge a non-combat pet. There may be a connection, especially as the Toxic Wasteling pet expands when it eats.