Never Apart

Never Apart is the third challenge on the Ties That Bind board. It consists of defeating a duo of Achilles and Patroclus at the same time.
== Rules ==
=== Achilles ===
# For the first 12 attacks, either uses a Spear rotation or a Shield rotation, depending on whether or not any of the player's MPM or BPD stats exceed 100.
#* Spear rotation grows in power the more hits he lands.
#* Shield rotation grows in power the more hits he receives.
# After 12 attacks, Achilles will transition to phase 2, and combines both rotations together.
#* Starting with the first repeat, Achilles ends his rotation with a massive nuke.
# If Patroclus is defeated first:
#* Achilles resets his rotation.
#* Achilles immediately transitions to phase 2, if he hasn't already.
#* Achilles gains his massive end of rotation nuke, if he hasn't already.
=== Patroclus ===
# Outside of his first attack, all of Patroclus' buffs require hitcheck.
# After his first attack, Patroclus gains All every time he receives damage, which resets at the start of his turn.
#* This includes damage from DoTs.
# Patroclus can forcibly unequip your Pet. If he does so, he gains 50 Boost for 4 turns.
# At the end of his rotation, Patroclus can begin tracking player effects with 'Termination' for the next 4 turns.
#*Patroclus checks for effects on the player that increase any of the following:
#**Resistances (except Health).
#***Patroclus ignores 'Relic Barrier' from DeathKnight.
#**Stats.
#**Boost.
#**Bonus.
#**Crit.
#**Damage Multipliers.
#**Melee/Pierce/Magic.
#***Patroclus ignores 'Umbral Form' from ShadowWalker of Time.
#**Block/Pierce/Dodge.
#**Damage Reduction.
#**Patroclus also ignores permanent effects, such as 'Underworld's Call'/'Underworld's Song' from Underworld/Virtuoso Epoch.
#**If any of these stats are increased by effects, Patroclus will enrage, healing 17% of its maximum HP, and use an extremely powerful, accurate nuke, which purges 'Termination'.
#If Achilles is defeated first: 
#* 'Termination' becomes permanent.
#*Patroclus gains +100 Boost for the rest of the fight.
==Turn Order==
Patroclus -> Achilles 
==Equipment ==
Since they only deal Evil damage, stacking Evil resistance is recommended
The following is a relatively easy free player setup that maximises Evil resistance: 
*(0+10) Exalted Apotheosis
*(0+10) Ancient Dragonlord Helm III
*(0+15) Wings of the Thousand Flames
* (0+10) Parallel Chaos Amulet/Tizheruk Scale IX
*(0+10) Grimoire of the Lich III/Ourobouros Root Belt III/Paper Coil III
*(15+0) Relic DeathKnight Circlet
*(5+0) Exalted Blaster II (any version will work, but Doom is probably best for burst)
*(0+1) Legion Bracer
Total: 76 Evil + All
The following setup also maximises Evil resist and provides much better stats, but requires DM and seasonal gear:
*(0+10) Exalted Apotheosis
*(12+0) Boxhat IX
*(0+15) Wings of the Thousand Flames
*(0+10) Defender's Dragon Necklace XXXV
*(0+10) Defender's Dragon Belt XXIII
*(15+0) Relic DeathKnight Circlet
*(5+0) Exalted Blaster II (Doom)
*(0+1) Legion Bracer
Total: 78 Evil + All
==Strategy==
Due to the various debuffs to avoid from both enemies, a rotation of the fight has been documented here. 
*There is no preferred order in who to defeat first.
*As every single buff on Patroclus requires hitcheck, shields can be strategically used to stop it from gaining its buffs.
**If no shield is available, Pets can be unequipped on the turn Patroclus would attempt to unequip them, to avoid giving it +Boost.
*Achilles' empowered phase 2 nuke must be shielded, as its raw damage means it cannot be safely tanked, even with max resistances.
== Classes== 
*Doomknight is an excellent choice, as it has low hitcount to deal with Patroclus handily, and the damage to burst Achilles.
*Kathool Adept is another good choice, as Writhe lines up perfectly with an enraged Achilles, and deals very high damage with low hitcount, circumventing both monster's anti-hitcount mechanics.
*Technomancer is one of the best free classes for this fight, with correct shield timing it can also avoid all the nasty debuffs from both monsters, while high +bonus and low hitcount lets you burst them both to prevent dragging out the fight further.
*DeathKnight has enough big damage to burst Achilles and the sustainability to survive against Patroclus.
*Ranger
Category:Boss