Match every DPS with a tank or healer. Then each DPS +tank/healer pair pick a color.
Phase 1: Central circle color
The pair with the same color as the central circle undernearth Master Control will need to split up. The tank/healer stands inside the central circle while DPS channel at a console to unlock two datacores that can be attacked. You have 70 seconds in each colored phase to kill the two datacores (additional adds may spawn if you dont kill them within the time limit).
Phase 1: Recognizer adds/Regulator
Recognizer adds will come running to attack the pair standing in the central circle or channeling at the console, a tank should remain to tank them. One regulator add will come instead of the Recognizer add when you destroy the last 2 datacores.
Phase 2: Black Obtuse
Players will need to find their colored circle within 10 seconds while Operator IX casts Black Obtuse.
This fight on storymode is very relaxing and tests your coordination skills rather than throwing out big damage numbers.
Color coordination
Before the start of the fight, everyone will need to pick a color. On a 8m group, you will typically have 2 tanks, 4 DPS and 2 healers. You will want to pair a non DPS color and pick a color. You will end up with something like this
1x DPS and 1x Tank picking color A
1x DPS and 1x Tank picking color B
1x DPS and 1x Heal picking color C
1x DPS and 1x Heal picking color D
color A, B, C, D could be any of the four colors provided: blue, purple, yellow and orange.
Once everyone has picked, you will end up with something like this and ready to start the fight!
Phase 1
In phase 1, you will want to keep an eye on the Master Control in the middle, especially on the circle he is standing on top of. When that circle turns into one of the four colors, the healer/tank of that color will need to run to the circle and stand in it. The DPS of the pair will need to run to one of the console activated nearby and channel it. This will unlock two data cores on the outer rims of the room.
The sequence of the circles will be
1. Blue
2. Orange
3. Purple
4. Yellow
You will want to keep a tank healer/combo near the Master Control as there will be some Recognizer adds come running by to attack the person channeling the console. These adds have very little health and can be killed quickly. Rest of the raid can run to the Data Cores to attack them.
There will be two Data Cores activated per color pair. They tend to be on opposite sides of the room but you run slightly faster inside the room.
When you are down to the last two data cores, you may get a Regulator add instead of the regular Recognizers. He has slightly more health.
Phase 2
Phase 2 gets slightly more exciting. Master Control will disappear and Operator IX, a giant droid, will show up. Operator IX will announce periodically, Operator Response timed out, Please Repeat and start casting Black Obtuse, a 10 second channel. While he is channeling, the small circles around him will have colored circles and each person of the pair will need to run to the appropriate colored circle within 10 seconds. It is recommended that you do not stand in the smaller circles when fighting and do not run through them during the Black Obtuse stage.
Running through the wrong colored circles may cause that circle to disappear, screwing other color pairs. In storymode you can get away with it.
In the event that one player of a specific color pair dies, the remaining player of that color will need to run to both circles during this stage.
Operator IX may have an aggro during/after Black Obtuse so tanks will need to taunt right before he finishes the channel.
This fight on hardmode is tightly tuned and is a lot of fun. Enrage timer is 5:55 6 minutes on Operator IX (phase 2).
Additional Mechanics
Strategy
Phase 1: Timer on killing data cores.
Blue: 70 seconds, Orange: 60 seconds, Purple: 55 seconds, Yellow: 50 seconds. Failure to kill both datacores within the time limit will cause the Master Control to repeat that color (giving you time to kill the datacores) but also spawns a Rectifier and any adds in that phase.
Phase 1: Rectifier
Rectifier have a conal attack and must be tanked away from the raid.
Phase 1: Adds
Both orange and yellow will spawn 2x Champion adds called Regulators while blue and purple only spawn Recognizers. You want to make sure you kill the datacores in orange and yellow phase in a timely manner if possible.
Phase 1: Color spheres
Everyone must kill a color sphere of their color to get a buff for phase 2.
Phase 2: Disinfection
Disinfection, a 19k hit (close to one shot) to a random player seems to be some sort of aggro wipe/attack on the player with the 2nd highest threat. Occurs after Black Obtuse.
Phase 2: Color Deletion Protocol
The person called out for color deletion have a circle underneath them that the raid member with the respective color have to run to in order to protect them.
Phase 1
Timer on killing datacores
On storymode, all the colored circles are given a 70 second window to kill both datacores. This is not the case for hardmode.
Blue: 70 seconds
Orange: 60 seconds
Purple: 55 seconds
Yellow: 50 seconds.
The trick to know the time remaining on each colored phase is to have the Master Control as a focus target. This will allow you to see his cast bar.
You have will plenty of time to kill both datacores on blue phase but the subsequent phases might be close. You should aim to kill both datacores within the time limit for Orange phase as well as that will make the encounter slightly easier.
Tip for killing datacores: DPS killing datacores do not need to move back to thecenter after a color phase is over (unless their color is called). Instead, they can stay at the destroyed datacore and datacore that will be unshielded next is either to the left or right. This can shave off a few of those precious seconds.
It is not always bad to fail the time limit and for some phases like purple you may actually fail the timer on purpose to clean up the adds (explained below).
Consequences of not killing datacores within time limit
Not killing the two datacores for a color phase within the time limit will cause the Master Control to repeat that color phase (giving you more time to kill the datacores) but there there are two consequences.
1) Rectifier Spawns (you will get the following message on screen: Failed to Achieve Red Obtuse. Activating Green Bisector). Rectifier has 90k HP and a very nasty conal attack so he should be tanked faced away from other players.
2) Any adds that spawn during that color phase will spawn again (i.e. if you repeat orange phase for example, you will get two more champion Regulators.
If you have to repeat a color phase, you want to do it on the color without the Regulator adds.
Adds
Blue and Purple phases only spawn Recognizer adds, these have very low HP (15K) and doesnt do a lot of damage (i.e. mostly harmless).
Orange and Yellow phases spawn 2x Regulator adds. These are champion level mobs with 70k HP and cast a spell called End of Line, which is a knockback. For this reason, they should be tanked well away from the central color circle and the person channeling on the console. The second Regulator will spawn about 10 seconds after the first, giving you sometime to DPS down the first.
To help burn down the Regulator adds quicker, we have the tanks within each tank/DPS color pair to channel at the console (the other tank grab both Regulator adds). This allow the DPS in the middle circle to help burn down the first Regulator.
Repeating a color phase
We tend to repeat the purple phase on purpose to give us time to clean up the Regulator adds from the yellow phase. When repeating this phase, we have all the DPS burn down the Rectifier and Regulator adds first before running back to the data cores to finish the purple phase.
The reason we picked purple is because 1) only Recognizer adds spawn 2) 55 seconds is fairly tight and you dont want to waste your DPS cooldowns and have nothing for the subsequent yellow phase.
Depending on your DPS, you may repeat the Yellow phase (last colored phase of Phase 1). If this happens, make sure you kill the Rectifier and Regulator adds first before killing the datacores to end Phase 1 or otherwise you will bring these adds into Phase 2 with Operator IX.
Colored spheres
During each color phase, two color spheres of the corresponding color will spawn. Each person of the same colored pair will need to grab one and kill it to receive a buff. Players not of that color will need to avoid damage these spheres and accidently killing them (they only have 5K HP).
For example, during the purple color phase, two purple spheres will spawn. The two players with the purple color will need to each grab a sphere and kill it individually to receive a buff called Purple Obtuse. This buff is crucial for phase 2 and not getting that buff may cause you to wipe on that phase.
These color spheres of the previous color do not despawn when you transition into a new color, as long other players dont accidently kill them.
Phase 2
Black Obtuse
Black Obtuse on hardmode is only 8 seconds (storymode is 10 seconds). This means that all the players should stack in the middle with Operator IX as that offers the shortest travel time to their circles during Black Obtuse.
In the event that one player of a specific color pair dies, the remaining player of that color will need to run to both circles during this stage.
Operator IX may have an aggro drop during Black Obtuse so tanks need to make sure to taunt him near the end of his channel.
Disinfection
This is a 19k hit on a random player shortly after Black Obtuse and before Color Deletion Protocol. The cause of this attack is not certain but it was theorized to be some sort of aggro wipe/attack on person with the second highest threat. Disinfection can be rendered mostly harmless by having both tanks fighting for aggro immediately during and after Black Obtuse. This strat seemed to focus most of the Disinfection on tanks.
Color Deletion Protocol
Color Deletion Protocol comes after Operator IX finishes channeling Black Obtuse. One random member of the raid (name will be announced in red text) will be targeted for deletion by a specific color. The person with that color buff will need to run to that person (who also have a corresponding color circle undernearth them). Doing so will protect them from the deletion protocol. You have 5 seconds to do this.
Since there are two players with the buff for each color, make sure you sort out who does the protect first as to not waste both buffs. If both players run in to protect, both of their buffs will be used up (see picture below).
Make sure that the player targeted for deletion stand still and those without the corresponding color buff to protect that person move away.
