Aberrus Raid Guide: Entrance, Rewards, Bosses

Aberrus, the Shadowed Crucible, is the second raid in World of Warcraft: Dragonflight, launched on May 8, 2023. It offers valuable transmogs, mounts, and collectibles. This hidden lab, created by Neltharion, has nine bosses, including Scalecommander Sarkareth, with unique armor sets, weapons, and achievements.

In this guide, we’ll cover:

• Aberrus location
• Bosses and their rewards
• Available mounts, weapons, and transmogs
• Achievements you can earn
• Can you solo Aberrus?

Whether you’re farming cosmetics or testing your solo abilities, this guide will help you maximize your experience in Aberrus in WoW Retail (The War Within).

Aberrus Entrance and Subregions

Aberrus, the Shadowed Crucible, is found in the Zaralek Cavern zone in World of Warcraft: Dragonflight. To get there, head to Zaralek Cavern, which you can access from the Dragon Isles. Take the flight path to Obsidian Rest and then go north to the raid entrance.

The entrance to Aberrus is at coordinates 48.46, 10.35, near a notable obsidian structure. Follow the path, watch out for enemies, and you’ll reach the main gates. Once there, walk through the doors to enter the raid and start your journey.

Inside, you’ll explore different subregions as you make your way to Scalecommander Sarkareth.

Aberrus has the following subregions:

• The Discarded Works,
• Fury of Giants,
• Neltharion’s Shadow,
• Edge of the Void.

Each area has its own challenges and bosses, which we’ll briefly cover below.

Aberrus Bosses Overview

Aberrus, the Shadowed Crucible is a raid in World of Warcraft: Dragonflight, where players explore Neltharion’s secret laboratory to stop dangerous forces from claiming his dark legacy. The raid has nine bosses, each tied to the themes of experimentation and shadowy power. Encounters vary from strategic fights like Zskarn, the Vigilant Steward, who uses traps and mechanical minions, to intense battles against Rashok, the Elder, a fiery giant with devastating attacks. The final showdown against Scalecommander Sarkareth is a dramatic clash in the depths of the cavern, where players must overcome his void powers to secure victory.

Below, we’ll overview the Aberrus raid boss fights and their loot tables.

Can You Solo Aberrus in The War Within?

Farming Aberrus, the Shadowed Crucible, in The War Within is an excellent way to collect transmog sets, mounts, pets, and achievements from Dragonflight. Although soloing older raids is generally easier thanks to stat scaling and better gear, some Aberrus bosses still have challenging mechanics. This guide provides strategies for soloing each boss, including recommended classes, tips, and the optimal times to use Bloodlust or Thunderous Drums.

Kazzara, the Hellforged

Kazzara, the Hellforged is the first boss encounter in Aberrus, the Shadowed Crucible raid. This encounter consists of a few repeating abilities which become more difficult to deal with throughout the encounter. The goal is to defeat the boss before the raid runs out of usable space due to the Molten Scar and Dread Rifts left behind. Kazzara notably drops the Blacksmithing recipe Plans: Shadowed Impact Buckler and a very rare trinket, Screaming Black Dragonscale, which is several item levels higher than the rest of the loot table and comes with a special equip effect.

Preferred Classes:

• Tanks: Strong defensive cooldowns to handle Hellsteel Carnage bursts.
• Healers: High AoE healing output to manage raid-wide damage from Wings of Extinction and Hellbeam.
• DPS: Ranged DPS are preferred for easier positioning and handling of Rays of Anguish. Melee DPS need to be cautious of Dread Rifts and Hellbeam.

Tips:

1. Positioning:
   • Tank Kazzara near one side of the room.
   • Raid should form a half-circle behind the boss, spread out to avoid overlapping mechanics.
   • Gradually move across the room as space becomes limited.
2. Dread Rifts:
   • Drop them to the sides or behind the raid to avoid cluttering the main area.
   • Avoid dropping them in the path of Hellbeam.
3. Rays of Anguish:
   • Fixated players should kite the beams away from others.
   • On Heroic, kite beams over Dread Rifts to deactivate them.
4. Hellbeam:
   • Stay spread out to minimize the number of players needing to move.
   • Be aware of overlaps with Dread Rifts.
5. Hellsteel Carnage:
   • Prepare for increasing raid damage at 80%, 60%, and 40% health.
   • Use personal and raid-wide cooldowns during these phases.

Strategy:

• Phase 1 (100%-80%):
  • Handle Dread Rifts and Rays of Anguish.
  • Spread out to minimize Hellbeam impact.
• Phase 2 (80%-40%):
  • Manage increasing damage from Hellsteel Carnage.
  • Continue dropping Dread Rifts strategically.
  • Kite Rays of Anguish over Dread Rifts on Heroic.
• Phase 3 (40%-0%):
  • Maximize DPS while handling intensified mechanics.
  • Ensure the raid has enough space to maneuver.

Bloodlust/Drums: at the start of the fight or during the final phase (40%-0%).

Kazzara loot table:

The Amalgamation Chamber

The Amalgamation Chamber is a boss encounter in the Aberrus, the Shadowed Crucible raid in World of Warcraft. This encounter features two elemental bosses, the Essence of Shadow and the Eternal Blaze, which must be managed simultaneously. The fight is split into two phases: in the first phase, the raid is divided to handle each boss separately, and in the second phase, the bosses merge into a single entity, the Shadowflame Amalgamation, combining their abilities and increasing the complexity of the encounter.

Preferred Classes:

• Tanks: Classes with strong defensive cooldowns (e.g., Protection Paladin, Blood Death Knight) to handle high-damage abilities like Fiery Meteor.
• Healers: Classes with strong AoE healing and dispels (e.g., Restoration Druid, Holy Priest) to manage stacking DoTs and raid-wide damage.
• DPS: Mobile ranged DPS (e.g., Mage, Hunter) are ideal for handling mechanics like Swirling Flame and Coalescing Void. Melee DPS should be cautious of proximity-based mechanics.

Tips:

• Positioning:
  • Split the raid into two groups, each handling one boss. Keep the bosses at least 50 yards apart to avoid overlapping mechanics.
  • Use a Demonic Gateway to swap sides around 1:10–1:20 into the fight to reset Shadowflame Contamination stacks.
  • In Phase 2, alternate sides of the room after each Gloom Conflagration cast to avoid secondary explosions.
• Key Mechanics:
  • Coalescing Void (Shadow): Move 20–30 yards away to avoid fall-off damage.
  • Fiery Meteor (Fire): At least one player (preferably the tank) must stand in the impact zone to split damage.
  • Swirling Flame: Position yourself in front, behind, or on the wall side of the boss to minimize player exposure.
  • Gloom Conflagration (Phase 2): At least 5 players must stand in the impact zone to split damage, then move 40+ yards away to avoid secondary explosions.
• Heroic Difficulty:
  • Shadows Convergence: Move to the edges to avoid converging orbs.
  • Molten Eruption: Assign one player per fireball to soak damage.
  • Convergent Eruption: Mobile classes should handle fireball soaks and quickly move away from converging orbs.

Strategy:

• Phase 1:
  • Assign two tanks, one for each boss.
  • Split DPS and healers evenly between the two bosses.
  • Bring both bosses to 50% health simultaneously to trigger Phase 2.
  • Use Demonic Gateway to swap sides and reset Shadowflame Contamination stacks.
• Phase 2:
  • Stack loosely as a raid, 30–40 yards from the Shadowflame Amalgamation.
  • Alternate sides of the room after each Gloom Conflagration cast.
  • Use Bloodlust or Drums of Fury early in Phase 2 to burn the boss quickly, as Shadowflame Contamination stacks cannot be reset.

Bloodlust/Drums: at the start of Phase 2.

The Amalgamation Chamber loot table:

The Forgotten Experiments

The Forgotten Experiments is the fourth or fifth boss encounter in Aberrus, the Shadowed Crucible raid. This fight consists of three separate bosses—Neldris, Thadrion, and Rionthus—which need to be defeated in sequence. Each boss has a unique set of abilities that players must handle. The encounter is relatively straightforward on Normal difficulty but becomes more challenging on Heroic, especially during the second phase with Thadrion. The bosses will activate in the following order: Neldris > Thadrion > Rionthus. The fight involves managing various mechanics such as Rending Charge, Unstable Essence, and Temporal Anomaly.

Preferred Classes:

• Tanks: Classes with strong mitigation and mobility (e.g., Protection Paladin, Blood DK).
• Healers: Classes with strong AoE healing and dispels (e.g., Holy Priest, Restoration Shaman).
• DPS: Classes with strong cleave and burst damage (e.g., Fire Mage, Havoc Demon Hunter, Fury Warrior).

Tips:

• Phase 1 (Neldris):
  • Spread loosely on one side of the room.
  • Designate a safe spot for Rending Charge to minimize bleed stacks on the raid.
  • Dodge Massive Slam and move away during Bellowing Roar.
• Phase 2 (Thadrion):
  • Designate a dispel location 15-20 yards from the boss for Unstable Essence.
  • Use Mass Dispel when multiple debuffs are active.
  • Dodge Volatile Spew circles and allocate healing cooldowns for Violent Eruption.
• Phase 3 (Rionthus):
  • Use movement cooldowns to dodge Deep Breath.
  • Spread out to avoid splash damage from Disintegrate.
  • Intercept Temporal Anomaly orbs to prevent the boss from gaining shields.

Strategy:

• Normal Difficulty:
  • Focus on mechanics and positioning.
  • Use Bloodlust in Phase 3 for maximum DPS uptime.
• Heroic Difficulty:
  • Use Bloodlust in Phase 2 to reduce Unstable Essence stacks and make Phase 3 easier.
  • Kill Erratic Remnants quickly during Violent Eruption.
  • Move the boss on top of Erratic Remnants for cleave damage.

Bloodlust/Drums: Use in Phase 3.

The Forgotten Experiments loot table:

Assault of the Zaqali

The Assault of the Zaqali is a boss encounter in the Aberrus, the Shadowed Crucible raid in World of Warcraft. This encounter involves fighting Warlord Kagni and his Zaqali forces as they attempt to breach a magical barrier. The fight is split into two main phases, with the raid needing to manage various adds and environmental hazards while dealing damage to the boss.

Preferred Classes:

• Tanks: Classes with strong mobility and AoE threat generation (e.g., Protection Paladin, Blood DK).
• Healers: Classes with strong dispels and AoE healing (e.g., Restoration Druid, Holy Priest).
• DPS: High-priority add killers (e.g., Fire Mage, Affliction Warlock) and mobile ranged DPS for handling Cave Rubble mechanics.

Tips:

• Positioning:
  • Split the raid evenly between the two platforms in Phase 1.
  • Stay spread out in Phase 2 to avoid splash damage from Flaming Cudgel.
• Add Priority:
  • Focus Magma Mystics first (they shield themselves and deal raid-wide damage).
  • Quickly kill Flamebound Huntsmans to minimize puddle clutter.
  • Interrupt Lava Bolt from Magma Mystics.
• Cave Rubble:
  • Assign mobile ranged DPS and healers to pick up and throw rocks at Zaqali Wallclimbers to prevent them from reaching the barrier.
• Heroic Changes:
  • Watch for Volcanic Shield from Obsidian Guards and point it away from the raid.
  • Alternate raid members for soaking Catastrophic Slam to manage Weakened Vitality debuffs.

Strategy:

• Phase 1:
  • Assign groups to each platform.
  • Tanks should position the boss away from the raid to avoid Devastating Leap damage.
  • Handle adds efficiently, prioritizing Magma Mystics and Flamebound Huntsmans.
  • Use Cave Rubble to instantly kill Wallclimbers.
• Phase 2:
  • Stack in the center to handle Catastrophic Slam (split damage among 10+ players).
  • Spread out to avoid Flaming Cudgel splash damage.
  • Healers should focus on raid-wide damage and dispels.

Bloodlust/Drums: use in Phase 2.

Assault of the Zaqali loot table:

Rashok, the Elder

Rashok is the fourth or fifth boss encounter in the Aberrus, the Shadowed Crucible raid. The primary goal of this encounter is to prevent Rashok from reaching 100 energy, which would result in a raid wipe due to Ancient Fury. The fight revolves around managing Rashok’s energy levels and handling various abilities that deal significant damage to the raid. The boss gradually gains energy over time while outside the Elder’s Conduit. At 100 energy, Rashok gains Ancient Fury and begins to pulse deadly Shadowflame damage.

Preferred Classes:

• Tanks: Classes with strong mitigation and mobility (e.g., Protection Paladin, Blood Death Knight) to handle Charged Smash and positioning.
• Healers: Classes with strong raid-wide healing and cooldowns (e.g., Restoration Shaman, Holy Priest) to manage Scorching Heatwave and Doom Flames.
• DPS: High single-target damage dealers (e.g., Affliction Warlock, Fire Mage) with good mobility to handle mechanics like Searing Slam and Doom Flames.

Tips:

• Positioning:
  • Tank Rashok halfway between the center and edge of the room, moving clockwise/counterclockwise to avoid overlapping Lava Vortexes.
  • During Intermission, stack near the boss for efficient healing.
• Mechanics:
  • Searing Slam: Place Lava Vortexes near walls to avoid overlapping and triggering Lava Explosion.
  • Doom Flames: Ranged and healers should soak missiles to minimize raid damage.
  • Charged Smash: Split damage among the raid to reduce energy gain and use raid cooldowns (e.g., Power Word: Barrier, Spirit Link Totem).
• Intermission:
  • Chain healing cooldowns to survive Scorching Heatwave.
  • Avoid Shadowflame Fissures and ensure no Lava Vortex is behind the raid when knocked back.

Strategy:

• Phase 1:
  • Tank Rashok in a circular path, dropping Lava Vortexes near walls.
  • Soak Doom Flames and mitigate Charged Smash with raid cooldowns.
  • Move Rashok to the center at 90+ energy to trigger Intermission.
• Intermission:
  • Stack for healing and avoid Shadowflame Fissures.
  • Use strong healing cooldowns as Scorching Heatwave damage ramps up.
• Heroic Changes:
  • Charged Smash: Apply Overcharged debuff; consider reducing the number of soakers.
  • Scorching Heatwave: Stacks Scorched Flesh, increasing damage taken; assign stronger cooldowns later in the phase.

Bloodlust/Drums: during the Intermission when the raid is stacked and Rashok is vulnerable.

Rashok loot table:

The Vigilant Steward, Zskarn

The Vigilant Steward, Zskarn is the sixth boss encounter in the Aberrus, the Shadowed Crucible raid. This boss fight is primarily a single-target encounter with occasional high-priority adds spawning. The main goal is to defeat Zskarn before the entire room is covered in active Dragonfire Traps, which activate periodically and limit the available space for the raid.

Preferred Classes:

• Tanks: Blood DK, Protection Paladin, Guardian Druid
• Healers: Restoration Druid, Holy Paladin, Discipline Priest
• DPS: Havoc DH, BM Hunter, Fire Mage, Arms Warrior

Tips:

• Positioning: Always position the boss close to the edge of the room, with ranged DPS in the center.
• Dragonfire Traps: Avoid standing on traps as they apply a stacking DoT.
• Animate Golems: Interrupt and kill golems quickly to prevent them from activating more traps.
• Tactical Destruction: Move the boss away from active dragon statues before this ability is cast to avoid massive explosions.
• Blast Wave: Position yourself to avoid being knocked into traps or walls.

Strategy:

• Manipulate Traps: Move the boss to activate Dragonfire Traps around the edges of the room and use Salvage Parts to deactivate traps in the center.
• Golem Management: Group golems in the center using grips and knocks, then use AoE stuns to kill them.
• Safe Zones: Always keep one edge of the room clear for dodging abilities later in the encounter.
• Tank Swaps: Tanks should swap at 5-7 stacks of Searing Claws to manage the DoT.
• Shrapnel Bombs: Off-tank should clear bombs by running over them, ensuring the debuff falls off before clearing a new one.

Bloodlust/Drums: On pull.

Zskarn loot table:

Magmorax

Magmorax is the seventh boss encounter in the Aberrus, the Shadowed Crucible raid in World of Warcraft. This single-target encounter requires high damage and healing output from the raid. The key mechanic involves managing Magma Puddles, which grow over time and must be soaked by players to prevent them from overwhelming the platform. The boss gains energy throughout the fight, and if it reaches 100 energy, it will cast Catastrophic Eruption, significantly increasing damage and likely wiping the raid. The goal is to defeat Magmorax before this enrage mechanic is triggered.

Preferred Classes:

• Tanks: Any tank class can handle this encounter, but they must be prepared to swap after the Incinerating Maws combo and avoid letting the boss stand in Magma Puddles to prevent Blazing Tantrum.
• Healers: A strong healing composition is necessary due to the increasing damage from Igniting Roar and the constant damage from Searing Heat stacks. Classes with good raid healing and damage reduction cooldowns are preferred.
• DPS: High sustained single-target damage is crucial. Classes with strong burst damage and the ability to quickly switch targets to soak Magma Puddles are beneficial.

Tips:

• Positioning: Tank the boss close to one side of the platform to minimize movement for mechanics. Players should be loosely spread to avoid overlapping damage from abilities like Blazing Breath and Molten Spittle.
• Soaking Puddles: Assign half the raid to soak odd sets of Magma Puddles and the other half to soak even sets. This helps manage the Searing Heat debuff and prevents the puddles from growing too large.
• Avoiding Knockbacks: Use knockback-avoiding abilities or position yourself to be knocked towards the center of the platform during Overpowering Stomp.

Strategy:

• Phase 1:
  • Tank the boss close to one side of the platform.
  • Drop Molten Spittle puddles behind the boss and soak them quickly.
  • Avoid standing in Magma Puddles to prevent additional stacks of Searing Heat.
  • Intercept Lava Ejection globs to prevent them from spawning additional puddles.
  • Position near the boss to avoid being knocked into the lava by Overpowering Stomp.
  • Move out of the way of Blazing Breath.
• Heroic Changes:
  • Searing Heat will instantly kill any player who reaches 10 stacks.
  • Use the alternating soaking strategy to manage stacks.

Bloodlust/Drums: On pull.

Magmorax loot table:

Echo of Neltharion

Echo of Neltharion is the first boss encounter in the Aberrus, the Shadowed Crucible raid. This complex, three-phase encounter involves navigating the arena by breaking down walls summoned by Neltharion using specific abilities. The boss drops notable loot, including Tier Set Shoulder tokens, the weapon Ashkandur, Fall of the Brotherhood, and the Leatherworking recipe Pattern: Shadowflame-Tempered Armor Patch.

Preferred Classes: The encounter favors classes with strong mobility and burst damage capabilities. Classes that can handle the mechanics of breaking walls and avoiding Shattered Rock are particularly useful.

Tips:

• Positioning: Always aim Rushing Darkness and Sunder Reality at the edge of the room to avoid destroying walls.
• Debuff Management: Players with the Volcanic Heart debuff should spread out at least 15 yards from others.
• Add Control: In Phase 2, focus on killing the Voice From Beyond adds while managing Neltharion’s health.
• Healing: Stack close to the boss during Umbral Annihilation to make healing more efficient.
• Tank Swap: Taunt swap after each Sunder Shadow cast to manage the tank buster effectively.

Strategy:

• Phase 1
  • Twisted Earth: Neltharion summons walls that can only be destroyed using Rushing Darkness or tank hits.
  • Rushing Darkness: Knocks players back, destroying walls and spawning Shattered Rock.
  • Volcanic Heart: Players marked with this debuff should spread out.
  • Sequence: Rushing Darkness > Volcanic Heart > Twisted Earth > Calamitous Strike > Echoing Fissure.
  • Positioning: Loosely stack near the boss, with marked players moving to the edge of the room.
• Phase 2
  • New Walls: Neltharion summons a new set of walls and three Voice From Beyond adds.
  • Add Control: Kill the adds while managing Neltharion’s health.
  • Umbral Annihilation: Soft enrage mechanic; finish the phase before it becomes too powerful.
  • Corruption: Debuffed players should move slightly out of the raid.
  • Sunder Shadow: Tank buster that allows tanks to walk through walls; aim at the cross section between two walls.
• Phase 3
  • Sunder Reality: Neltharion rips Twisted Earth into portals, spawning Twisted Aberrations.
  • Ebon Destruction: Stand on portals to avoid being killed.

Bloodlust/Drums: at the start of Phase 3.

Echo of Neltharion loot table:

Scalecommander Sarkareth

Scalecommander Sarkareth is the final boss of the Aberrus, the Shadowed Crucible raid. This encounter is notable for its complex mechanics and the valuable loot it drops, including the omni-token Void-Touched Curio, the rare cloak Voice of the Silent Star, and the Cracked Titan Gem, which is essential for the Evoker Legendary weapon. The boss starts with typical Dracthyr abilities but becomes increasingly corrupted by the void as the phases progress.

Preferred Classes:

• Tanks: Classes with strong mitigation and mobility to handle Void Slash and positioning.
• Healers: Strong AoE healing and dispels for Oppressing Howl, Seared, and Infinite Duress.
• DPS: High burst damage for adds (Null Glimmers) and consistent damage for boss mechanics.
• Utility: Classes with interrupts, crowd control, and mobility are highly valuable.

Tips:

• Phase 1:
  • Assign groups to clear Oppressing Howl using Searing Breath or Mass Disintegrate.
  • Avoid overlapping Scorching Bomb explosions with other mechanics.
  • Position Mass Disintegrate away from the raid to minimize damage.
• Phase 2:
  • Collect Astral Flares and mind fragments in the Emptiness Between Stars.
  • Handle Void Bombs by having players absorb them and enter the Emptiness.
  • Interrupt and kill Null Glimmers quickly to prevent Blasting Scream.
• Phase 3:
  • Use Astral Formations to line-of-sight Scouring Eternity.
  • Drop Embrace of Nothingness near Astral Formations to split damage.
  • Avoid Motes of Oblivion unless carrying a bomb.
• Heroic:
  • Watch for Infinite Duress debuffs and coordinate dispels to avoid raid-wide damage.
  • Focus Null Glimmers to counter their Rescind healing.

Strategy:

• Phase 1:
  • Focus on clearing Oppressing Howl before Glittering Surge.
  • Kite Scorching Bombs around the platform.
  • Use Searing Breath strategically to remove debuffs without overwhelming healers.
• Phase 2:
  • Interrupt the boss to start the phase.
  • Collect Astral Flares for buffs and mind fragments to avoid being lost in the Emptiness.
  • Manage Void Bombs by having players absorb them and enter the Emptiness.
• Phase 3:
  • Use Astral Formations to mitigate Scouring Eternity.
  • Split damage from Embrace of Nothingness by grouping on Astral Formations.
  • Avoid Motes of Oblivion to prevent stacking Oblivion.

Bloodlust/Drums: On pull.

Scalecommander Sarkareth loot table:

Aberrus Achievements List