WotLK Trial of the Crusader Guide

For this encounter, it is recommended to have two tanks to handle the boss’s attacks. The number of healers you bring will depend on your raid’s familiarity with the mechanics and their ability to mitigate damage. Generally, bringing more DPS is beneficial as it shortens the fight and reduces the number of mechanics to handle. You can consider having 3-5 healers based on your raid team’s composition.

To aid your raid’s progress, you can use Bloodlust or Heroism during the boss fight that poses the most difficulty for your raid. In Trial of the Crusader, this often occurs during the encounter with Dreadscale and Acidmaw, as there are numerous mechanics to manage at this stage. Using the damage boost ability during this part of the fight can help your raid overcome the challenges more effectively.

Gormok the Impaler

The Gormok encounter in Trial of the Crusader is relatively straightforward. It requires tanks to occasionally swap aggro due to Gormok’s Impale debuff. When the debuff reaches two stacks, tanks should taunt or have the bleed removed using abilities like a Paladin’s Hand of Protection or Divine Shield if the tank is a Paladin.

During the fight, the raid should be spread out in a semi-circle around Gormok, positioning him where he initially spawns. It’s important to stay away from other players to minimize damage from the Firebombs thrown by Snowbold Vassals. Occasionally, Gormok will throw Snowbolds onto raid members. Depending on who the Snowbold attaches to, you may need to react accordingly. If it attaches to a healer or a spellcaster, it must be killed. However, if it attaches to a melee DPS, it can be ignored until the transition phase. Here is a list of his abilities.

Efficiency is key in this encounter, so it’s crucial to defeat Gormok as quickly as possible. This helps limit his Rising Anger stacks, which he gains each time he throws a Snowbold. By managing these mechanics effectively and maintaining high damage output, you can successfully overcome the Gormok encounter.

Acidmaw and Dreadscale

During the encounter, it is important for each tank to pick up one of the two bosses and ensure that they are always facing away from the raid. The bosses will alternate between being stationary and mobile, which affects the moves they can use.
When Acidmaw is mobile, he will apply Paralytic Toxin to his aggro target using Paralytic Bite. The debuff can be cleansed by the raid member affected by Burning Bile, which is applied randomly by Dreadscale’s Burning Spray ability. This dynamic changes when the bosses switch between being stationary and mobile.
During that phase, Burning Bile will be applied to the tank through Burning Bite, while a random raid member will be slowed and eventually stunned if not cleansed of Paralytic Toxin, which is applied by Paralytic Spray. To remove the Paralytic Toxin debuff, the player with Burning Bile simply needs to run into the raid member affected by Paralytic Toxin, which will dispel it. Here is the list of the abilities they use:

Aside from managing these mechanics, this portion of the encounter is relatively straightforward. The focus should be on healing through the spot damage caused by either boss and avoiding the puddles left by Slime Pool.

It is recommended to prioritize killing Acidmaw and consider using Heroism/Bloodlust during this phase to defeat him as quickly as possible. Keep in mind that Dreadscale will enrage when Acidmaw is defeated, so try to deal as much damage to Dreadscale as you can while still focusing on taking down Acidmaw swiftly.

Icehowl

Icehowl is another straightforward boss encounter. Tanks should swap when Icehowl casts Ferocious Butt to prevent him from hitting a stunned target. To mitigate the effects of Arctic Breath, the raid should spread out in a circle around the boss, reducing the overall damage taken.

The primary mechanic to watch out for is Icehowl’s Massive Crash ability. It’s important to avoid being in the targeted area when he uses this ability. Move away promptly to prevent being killed by the impact.

Continue to repeat these steps, swapping tanks during Ferocious Butt, spreading out for Arctic Breath, and evading Massive Crash, until Icehowl is defeated. By executing these strategies consistently, you can successfully overcome the encounter.

The encounter against Lord Jaraxxus offers some flexibility in terms of raid composition. While it can be completed with just one tank, having two tanks makes managing the adds easier. The number of healers you bring depends on your raid’s familiarity with the mechanics and their ability to mitigate damage. Generally, bringing more DPS is advantageous as it reduces the overall number of mechanics and healing required. Consider having 3-5 healers based on your raid team’s composition.

Bloodlust or Heroism can be used either at the beginning of the fight or whenever it will maximize your raid’s damage output. If you’re struggling with handling the adds, you can also consider using them to quickly eliminate the spawning devices. However, prioritize using personal DPS cooldowns before activating Bloodlust and Heroism for this purpose. Check out the list of Lord Jaraxxus’ spells:

The fight against Lord Jaraxxus is relatively straightforward. He should be tanked in the center of the room but can be moved around to allow your DPS to cleave the spawners and adds. On the Heroic difficulty, the Nether Portal and Volcano are the only targets. On normal difficulty, you don’t need to worry about killing them. Mages in your raid should prioritize spell-stealing Netherpower from Jaraxxus whenever possible, as it provides a significant damage increase. If mages are not available, make sure to dispel Netherpower using another class.

In terms of positioning, melee players should stack on the boss, while ranged players should be evenly spread in a circle surrounding Jaraxxus. This helps mitigate the bounces of Fel Lightning, considering it has a target cap. The primary focus of the encounter is to quickly kill the Mistress of Pain and Felflame Infernal adds once their respective spawners have been destroyed (applies to Heroic difficulty). Check out their spells:

When targeted with Legion Flame, raid members must move out of the fire beneath them while avoiding running on top of other players. Jaraxxus will occasionally target a random raid member with Incinerate Flesh, which must be healed promptly to remove the debuff. Failing to heal the targeted player sufficiently will deal massive damage to the raid and likely result in a wipe. In emergency situations, abilities like Divine Shield and Ice Block can be used as immunities to remove Incinerate Flesh, but they should be saved for such situations.

The Mistress of Pain will randomly select a raid member to apply Mistress Kiss, which interrupts their next spell cast. If your class has multiple schools of magic, try using a non-primary school to consume this interrupt. Note that effects such as Aura Mastery cannot prevent this interrupt.

In summary, the key elements of this encounter involve killing portals/volcanos, swiftly eliminating adds, damaging the boss, avoiding fire, and healing the target with Incinerate Flesh. By effectively managing these mechanics and keeping everyone alive, you can defeat Lord Jaraxxus efficiently.

For the Faction Champions encounter, your raid composition should be based on your group’s confidence in handling them. Tanks are optional but can be helpful. Protection Warriors excel here with talents like Shockwave, Concussive Blow, and Improved Disarm. Aim for 3-4 healers, but adjust as needed. Effective use of defensive cooldowns is important before adding more healers, as prolonged fights require more crowd control.

Faction Champions consists of 10 Champions in a 25-player raid and 6 Champions in a 10-player raid. They mimic player classes and use their abilities. There’s no traditional aggro table, so targets are chosen randomly. Monitor their target selection for survival. Crowd control follows player rules, so assign specific raid members accordingly. Dispel debuffs on raid members and Champions. Interrupts are crucial; use them on cooldown. Start by focusing on healers and adjust your kill priority based on raid composition and available control abilities.

Here is a rough kill order for the Faction Champions encounter, along with some tips on how to deal with each Champion.

Each week, the composition of the Champions you face in the encounter is random. However, it will always include 3 Healers and the remaining Champions will be DPS in a 25-player raid. In a 10-player raid, there will be 2 Healers.

In this encounter, you will need two tanks to handle the Twin Val’kyr. The number of healers should be determined based on your raid’s preference and the ability of your soakers to catch orbs. Generally, 3-5 healers should suffice.

The most effective strategy is to prioritize one boss and largely disregard the orbs. Assign 4-5 players as “soakers,” preferably those with mobile classes like Restoration Druids, Discipline Priests, or Hunters. These soakers should start with the Light essence debuff, while the rest of the raid should have the Darkness essence debuff. This allows the raid to deal full damage to Fjola Lightbane, the boss you’ll be primarily attacking.

Position both bosses at the starting location of Fjola Lightbane, right next to the Light essence font in the North West corner of the room. Stack the bosses on top of each other to facilitate raid-wide cleave damage. Focus your attacks on the boss opposite to your debuff: Fjola if you have Darkness, or Eydis if you have Light. Keep the entire raid stacked on the bosses, except for the designated soakers.

The soakers, who currently have the Light essence debuff, must do their best to soak the Light orbs bouncing around the room. These orbs can deal significant AoE damage if they reach the stack. Assign each soaker a specific direction or quadrant around the boss to ensure effective soaking.

Every 45 seconds, the Twin Val’kyr will cast a special ability, which can be either Dark Vortex/Light Vortex or Twins Pact. If it’s Twins Pact, the entire raid must switch to the correct essence by clicking the corresponding font. Since you started with the Darkness font, you won’t need to switch if Fjola is shielded. However, if Eydis is shielded, click the Light essence font located beneath the raid stack. Damage the shielded twin, interrupting as necessary to prevent healing. If you switched debuffs, return to the Darkness font near the entrance or in the South-West corner to allow the soaking team to focus on soaking.

If Dark Vortex/Light Vortex is cast instead of Twins Pact, the entire raid must change to the corresponding essence type. Dark Vortex requires Darkness debuff, while Light Vortex requires the Light debuff. The soaking team only needs to switch debuffs if Eydis casts Dark Vortex.

Lastly, there are heroic-only debuffs called Touch of Darkness/Touch of Light. The Val’kyr will occasionally target a player with the opposite essence and apply a debuff that damages them and pulses damage to nearby players with the opposite debuff. Dispel this debuff by clicking the corresponding font. For Touch of Darkness, get the Darkness essence debuff, and vice versa.

This boss may have a learning curve, but with practice, you’ll become more familiar with the mechanics. Pay attention to ability casts and react quickly, and don’t forget to coordinate with your healers. Good luck!

To successfully tackle this challenge, you will need a team of three tanks on the Heroic difficulty level, while two tanks will suffice on Normal. On Heroic, one tank should focus on holding Anub’arak, while the other two tanks take care of two Nerubian Burrower adds each, which appear during the encounter. On Normal, only two adds will spawn, so one tank is enough.

While this encounter does test your healing capabilities to some extent, the key to victory lies in effective target selection rather than sheer healing output. Having 3-4 healers on your team should provide ample support for this encounter.

Phase 1

The encounter with Anub’arak is relatively straightforward but requires careful execution to avoid failure. To begin, position the boss where it spawns and have the raid loosely stacked behind Anub’arak. Place two off-tanks on either side of the boss, which should be predetermined. Use Death Knights to pull the Frost Spheres floating near the boss’s spawn point towards its sides, creating frost patches on both the left and right of Anub’arak. This strategy helps control the Nerubian Burrowers by preventing them from using their Burrow ability and allows for efficient damage dealing. Focus the raid’s efforts on taking down the Nerubian Burrowers while also dealing significant damage to Anub’arak. Check out his spells for more information.

Periodically, the Nerubian Burrowers will attempt to cast Shadow Strike, which must be interrupted to prevent raid members from dying randomly. This ability can be interrupted by traditional kicks or stuns. A reliable method is to position a Paladin between the two stacks of Nerubian Burrowers and have them use their Holy Wrath ability. This setup ensures that the Paladins can stun all four Burrowers with Holy Wrath while still being close enough to the boss for cleave damage. It’s important to keep the Burrowers sufficiently apart to avoid their frenzy debuff, which occurs when they are near each other.

Additionally, Anub’arak will afflict five random players in the raid with Penetrating Cold, dealing substantial frost damage every 3 seconds for 18 seconds. This ability repeats every 18 seconds, so there will always be someone with this debuff after the initial cast. Repeat this strategy for two minutes, and then Anub’arak will burrow underground, triggering an intermission. It’s advisable to move Anub’arak to the far east side of the room a few seconds before the intermission begins. This positioning allows the raid members more time to handle the Pursued by Anub’arak mechanic.

Phase 2

After two minutes into the fight, Anub’arak will enter the intermission phase. During this time, he will no longer spawn Nerubian Burrowers but will instead summon Swarm Scarabs. These scarabs must be swiftly eliminated because they apply a stacking bleed debuff that can be lethal if not properly managed. Ranged DPS should prioritize shooting down Frost Spheres to create frost patches on the ground.

The primary mechanic of this phase is called Pursued by Anub’arak. Anub’arak will randomly choose a raid member and direct a massive set of spikes towards them. These spikes move towards the target and will instantly kill anyone they come into contact with, including the target, before moving on to another player. The speed of the spikes increases over time until they encounter a frost patch, which resets their speed to the initial level.

To optimize the pursuit mechanic, it is recommended that the initial target of Anub’arak’s fixation tries to prolong the chase as much as possible. Since the number of Frost Spheres available is limited, and thus the number of frost patches, it is crucial to maximize their usage. One effective strategy involves a Paladin using the Hand of Protection ability on themselves, granting temporary physical immunity. By doing so, the Paladin can deliberately be hit by the spikes without taking any damage. When only a few seconds remain on the immunity buff, the Paladin should then move onto a frost patch, resetting the speed of the pursuit.

It’s important to note that the original frost patches where the boss started should not be used during this phase, as they will be needed to tank the Nerubian Burrowers in the final phase. The intermission lasts approximately one minute, so careful planning is necessary to ensure an adequate supply of frost patches and prevent any casualties from the pursuit mechanic.

Phase 3

Phase 3 initiates when Anub’arak reaches 30% of his health. Note that in Heroic difficulty, Nerubian Burrowers will continue to spawn, whereas in Normal difficulty they will not. The key change in this phase is Anub’arak’s ability called Leeching Swarm. This debuff drains a significant portion of the target’s current health (10% in Normal, 20% in Heroic), inflicting massive damage to the raid while simultaneously healing Anub’arak. Therefore, healers must maintain the raid’s health at a low level while still keeping everyone alive. It is advisable to focus major direct healing on tanks or those affected by Penetrating Cold. Off-healing abilities like Healing Stream Totem from a Shaman or Vampiric Embrace from a Shadow Priest are extremely beneficial during this phase, as they provide healing without exceeding the necessary threshold.

Use Bloodlust or Heroism during this phase to maximize damage output, as it becomes a race against time to defeat the boss before the raid succumbs to the debuff. All mechanics from the first phase remain, so on Heroic difficulty, you must continue to handle the Nerubian Burrowers and heal those affected by Penetrating Cold. If your raid encounters difficulties in keeping the Penetrating Cold targets alive, consider using a Mighty Frost Protection Potion before entering the last phase. This potion consumes a tick or two of the debuff, which can make the difference between survival and death.

The final phase of the boss is the same as the first, with the addition of Leeching Swarm. Maintain healing, deal as much damage as possible, and focus on burning down the boss. Good luck!

The bosses in this encounter follow a specific schedule. Gormok spawns initially and must be defeated within 3 minutes. Failure to do so will result in the Jormungars entering the arena. At the 6:00 mark, Icehowl joins the fight, and you have 9 additional minutes to defeat him before he enrages.

Gormok the Impaler

Gormok’s Impale ability lasts for a longer duration. Additionally, the Snobold Vassals accompanying him throw Fire Bombs, which apply a damage-over-time effect. The DoT deals 1,000/2,000 (10/25-Player respectively) Fire damage every 2 seconds, stacks, and lasts for 20 seconds. The DoT is refreshed by fire, so caution is advised.

For this encounter, it is recommended to have three tanks. Tanks should alternate taunting Gormok every two stacks of Impale. Using damage reduction cooldowns and trinkets after the first full rotation is advised. Dealing with Snobolds depends on your group’s DPS, but generally, it is best to ignore Snobolds attacking melee or hunters. Casters with a Snobold on their back should move to melee, where both ranged and melee players can quickly dispatch it. Ranged players should be vigilant and move away from Fire Bombs before they land, as they cause significant damage.

Jormungars

The two Jormungars in this encounter are similar in mechanics. However, their Slime Pools deal increased damage, last longer, and have a larger area of effect.

The strategy for the Jormungars involves having two tanks focus on the mobile Jormungar and one tank on the stationary one. The raid should spread out and react quickly to the Toxin or Bile abilities. If your group’s DPS is insufficient to burn both worms equally, prioritize killing Acidmaw first and then rely on healing to sustain through Dreadscale’s enrage. Effective use of Bloodlust/Heroism is highly recommended during this phase.

Icehowl

Icehowl no longer grants Surge of Adrenaline before using Trample, which can make it challenging to avoid. Additionally, Frothing Rage, an ability previously removable, cannot be dispelled anymore.

Icehowl should not pose a significant challenge as long as you avoid being hit by Trample. Otherwise, it can become difficult. However, the strategy remains similar to the Normal difficulty raid. Even without Surge of Adrenaline, players should be able to move away from Icehowl before it crashes into their location.

In the Heroic version of this encounter, there are a few important changes to be aware of:

• The Nether Portal and Infernal Volcano will now continuously spawn additional adds until they are killed. This means that dealing with the adds promptly becomes crucial to the fight’s success.
• The Mistress of Pain will randomly cast a spell that inflicts damage and interrupts the next spell cast within 8 seconds, causing a temporary lockout on that school of magic.
• Felflame Infernals can no longer be crowd-controlled (CCed) or interrupted. They must be dealt with using other means.

Your DPS will need to swiftly switch their focus to the newly spawned Nether Portals and Infernal Volcanos as soon as they appear. If your group performs well, you should only face one Mistress of Pain or three to four Felflame Infernals at a time, which is consistent with the Normal version. However, it is crucial to eliminate these adds quickly, as they have become deadlier in the Heroic mode.

For casters, it is recommended to have a spell from a school of magic that you don’t typically use readily available on your action bar. As soon as you are affected by Mistress’ Kiss, immediately cast this spell. By doing so, the school of magic you use the least will be locked, allowing you to continue your DPS (damage per second) or healing output.

When facing the Felflame Infernals, it is important to run away from them when they activate their area-of-effect ability. The damage from this ability will be more severe on Heroic difficulty, and you are unable to interrupt or stop them this time.

Remember to prioritize killing the adds as they spawn, manage your interrupted spells effectively, and avoid the Felflame Infernals’ area-of-effect damage to succeed in the Heroic version of the Lord Jaraxxus encounter.

In this Heroic iteration, the Faction Champions pose a greater challenge. Notably, they possess heightened health pools, deal increased damage, and wield an expanded repertoire of spells. The previous strategy of relying solely on taunt abilities to redirect their attention will no longer be effective. To overcome this new obstacle, it becomes imperative to focus on employing crowd control tactics and maintaining heightened vigilance.

Key Changes:

• Immunity to Taunt: The Champions are no longer affected by taunt abilities.
• PvP Trinket: Each Champion now possesses a PvP Trinket, granting them an additional escape or crowd control-breaking ability.
• Restoration Druid now casts Tranquility

Key Changes:

• Increased Spawn: Concentrated Light and Concentrated Darkness manifestations are now more numerous in the encounter area.
• Touch of Light/Darkness: The Twin Val’kyr gain the ability to cast Touch of Light and Touch of Darkness. These debuffs afflict a random player, causing area-of-effect damage to nearby players of the opposite color. The debuff dissipates when the player switches to the corresponding essence.

To effectively navigate the Heroic Twin Val’kyr encounter, the following considerations are essential:

• Assigning Roles: Designate a player on each side to match the color of the respective boss. Ideally, a healer, preferably a druid, is recommended due to their mobility. For example, on the right side, where Dark Essence prevails, appoint a “ball collector” who possesses Light Essence, while on the left side, the roles are reversed.
• Essence Collection: The assigned “ball collector” should actively gather the concentrated essences found in their designated area. This task involves swiftly moving around to collect the essences that would typically pose a threat to their side.

In Heroic version, Fjola unleashes Touch of Light, while Eydis employs Touch of Darkness. The targeted player marked by these spells becomes a source of damage to everyone in close proximity, similar to XT’s Searing Light ability. To counter this, the affected player must momentarily switch their essence color to the opposite, neutralizing the harmful effects, before returning to their original essence.

By implementing these strategies and adapting to the Twin Val’kyr’s new abilities, you can overcome the challenges posed in the Heroic encounter.

Key Changes:

• Frost Spheres: Only six Frost Spheres will spawn during the encounter.
• Nerubian Burrowers: The number of Nerubian Burrowers in each set is doubled, and they continue to spawn in Phase 3.
• Nerubian Burrowers: The Burrowers now have the ability to use Shadow Strike, which can be interrupted.
• Skittering Scarabs: The Scarabs are now immune to taunt.

Anub’arak’s Heroic encounter requires significant adjustments to your approach. Consider the following strategies to enhance your chances of success:

By implementing these strategies and adapting to the specific challenges of the Heroic Anub’arak encounter, you can increase your chances of emerging victorious.