Throne of Thunder Raid Guide: Entrance, Rewards, Bosses

Preferred Classes:

• Tanks:
  • Death Knights (Anti-Magic Shell ignores Static Wound).
  • Any tank with strong mitigation for Nature damage.
• DPS:
  • Ranged with high burst (e.g., Mages, Warlocks) to exploit Conductive Water buffs.
  • Melee with mobility to adjust for void zones.
• Healers:
  • Strong AoE healers (e.g., Restoration Shaman, Holy Priest) for Lightning Storm phases.

Tips:

• Conductive Water:
  • Stand in the newest zone for DPS/healing buffs.
  • Exit immediately during Lightning Storm (or risk lethal damage).
• Focused Lightning:
  • Ranged/healers: Kite orbs to designated spots (e.g., walls) to avoid detonating in water.
  • Avoid letting orbs touch Lightning Fissures (causes raid-wide Implosion).
• Tanks:
  • Swap on Static Wound (10 stacks).
  • Pre-taunt before Thundering Throw to control void zone placement.

Strategy:

• Phase Cycles:
  • Each cycle starts with Thundering Throw (new void zone) and ends with Lightning Storm.
  • Maximize DPS during Conductive Water uptime.
• Positioning:
  • Tanks: Keep boss near the active void zone for melee.
  • Ranged: Stay near the edge of void zones for easy orb kiting.
• Storm Phase:
  • Stack mid-room (avoid waters) and use raid cooldowns.
  • In Heroic, dodge Lightning Strike sparks while stacked.

Bloodlust/Drums:

~20 seconds after the first Conductive Water spawns.

• Allows 1-minute DPS cooldowns (and potions) to align with the buff.
• Ensures maximum uptime during subsequent void zones.

Preferred Classes:

• Tanks: High-mitigation tanks (e.g., Blood DKs, Brewmasters) for Triple Puncture swaps.
• Healers: Strong AoE healers ( Resto Druids, Holy Priests) for raid-wide damage.
• DPS:
  • Priority Add Killers: Hunters (MD), Warlocks (AoE), Rogues (interrupts).
  • Utility: Shamans (Purge, Hex), Mages (Spellsteal for Amani Flame Casters).

Tips:

• Positioning:
  • Tanks keep Horridon near active door; raid stacks on sides to avoid Double Swipe.
  • Designate interrupters for key casts (e.g., Venom Bolt Volley, Stone Gaze).
• Add Priority: Focus Dinomancer > tribe-specific dangerous adds (e.g., Venom Priests, Beast Shamans).
• Transitions:
  • Use 40-second downtime between doors to DPS Horridon, reposition, and swap tanks.
  • Avoid pushing Horridon below 30% before Jalak spawns.

Strategy:

• Phase 1-4 (Doors):
  • Farraki (NW): Dodge Sand Traps, interrupt/dispel Stone Gaze.
  • Gurubashi (NE): Interrupt Venom Bolt Volley, avoid Living Poison pools.
  • Drakkari (SE): Dispel Deadly Plague, kite Frozen Orbs.
  • Amani (SW): Spread for Chain Lightning, kill Beast Shamans ASAP.
• Phase 5 (Jalak):
  • Burn Jalak with all CDs (disarm if possible).
  • Healers prep for enraged Horridon’s tank damage.

Bloodlust/Drums:

During Jalak burn (Phase 5) for maximum uptime.

Preferred Classes:

All classes can contribute effectively to this fight, but certain roles are crucial:

• Tanks: Needed to manage the bosses and Living Sands.
• Healers: Essential for handling the sustained raid damage and intense moments.
• DPS: Must prioritize targets and manage interrupts.

Tips:

• Positioning: Spread out to minimize damage from abilities like Biting Cold and Sand Bolt.
• Interrupts: Assign interrupts for Sand Bolt, Wrath of the Loa, and Shadowed Loa Spirit.
• Cooldowns: Use defensive cooldowns during intense damage phases, such as when Kazra’jin is empowered.
• Communication: Clear communication is key for managing empowerments and target switching.

Strategy:

• Tanking: One tank handles High Priestess Mar’li and Sul the Sandcrawler, while the other manages Frost King Malakk and Kazra’jin. Tanks must switch to avoid the stun from Frigid Assault.
• Healing: Focus on tank healing when Frost King Malakk is active and use cooldowns during high damage phases.
• DPS: Prioritize killing Blessed Loa Spirit and Shadowed Loa Spirit, then Living Sands, and finally the empowered boss. Avoid burning down bosses too quickly to maximize the empowerment cycle.
• Empowerment Management: Break empowerments before the Trolls reach 100 Dark Energy to avoid heavy raid damage from Dark Power.

Bloodlust/Drums:

At the pull to maximize initial damage output.

Preferred Classes:

• Tanks:
  • High-mitigation tanks (e.g., Blood DK, Prot Paladin) for Snapping Bite.
  • Monk tanks can kite bats if needed (Heroic).
• DPS:
  • Ranged: Prioritize killing Whirl Turtles (e.g., Mages, Hunters).
  • Melee: Cleave bats while focusing Tortos (e.g., Warriors, Ret Paladins).
• Healers:
  • Strong raid healers (e.g., Resto Druid, Holy Priest) for Quake Stomp/Rockfall.

Tips:

• Turtles:
  • Assign 1–2 players to kick turtles (ranged/healers ideal).
  • Kick turtles during Shell Block phase (immune to damage).
• Bats:
  • Tank must stay above 350k HP to prevent bat healing (Drain the Weak).
• Positioning:
  • Melee stack near bats for cleave; ranged spread for Rockfall.
• Heroic Note:
  • Use Humming Crystal shields before Quake Stomp (prevents 1-shots).

Strategy:

• Tanks:
  • Main tank: Stay in melee range (avoids Growing Fury). Mitigate Snapping Bite.
  • Off-tank: Grab bats, position near Tortos for cleave.
• DPS:
  • Priority: Whirl Turtles > Bats > Tortos.
  • Save cooldowns for Shell Concussion (25% damage buff after kick).
• Interrupts:
  • Kick a turtle during Furious Stone Breath cast (watch Fury bar).
• Healers:
  • Top raid before Quake Stomp; pre-shield in Heroic.

Bloodlust/Drums:

During Shell Concussion (after kicking a turtle, +25% damage).

Preferred Classes:

• Tanks: High-mobility classes (e.g., Monks, Warriors) for quick swaps.
• Healers: Strong AoE healers ( Resto Druids, Holy Priests) for Rampage phases.
• DPS: Ranged preferred to handle mechanics; Hunters/ Mages excel at kiting/clearing adds.

Tips:

• Stack during Rampage to ease healing. Spread afterward.
• Prioritize killing Frozen Heads first (slow mechanics are deadly).
• Dispel Cinders over icy patches to clear hazards.
• Kite Torrent of Ice away from raid; use it to extinguish fiery zones.
• Avoid Venomous Heads in Heroic (triple Acid Rain is brutal).

Strategy:

Phase Rotation:

1. Focus one head (e.g., Frozen) → Kill it → Trigger Rampage (stack + heal).
2. Post-Rampage: Tanks grab heads, face them away, swap at 2 breath stacks.
3. Handle back-of-cave mechanics:
   • Cinders: Dispel after running over icy patches.
   • Torrent of Ice: Kite away; use beam to clear fire zones.
   • Acid Rain: Move 15+ yards from impact.
4. Repeat, balancing head kills to avoid high Hydra Frenzy stacks.

Heroic Notes:

• Arcane Head spawns Nether Wyrms (interrupt/stun dispel).
• Never kill Venomous Heads (triple Acid Rain is unmanageable).
• Icy patches expand; use Cinders sparingly to clear space.

Bloodlust/Drums:

During the final Rampage phase (highest raid damage).

Preferred Classes:

• Mobility-heavy classes (e.g., Hunters, Mages, Monks, Rogues) excel at nest duty.
• Strong AoE classes (e.g., Warlocks, Shadow Priests) for clearing Hatchlings/Mature Eggs.
• Tanks with good mobility (e.g., Monks, Druids) for handling Nest Guardians (Heroic).

Tips:

1. Nest Teams: Assign 3-4 DPS + 1 healer per nest (rotate due to Lesson of Icarus debuff).
2. Flight Management: Save Flight charges to:
   • Return to platform.
   • Intercept Feed Young slime for Primal Nutriment.
3. Down Draft: Sprint toward Ji-Kun or use Flight to avoid being pushed off.
4. Feed Pools: Stand in slime pools for 3s to remove them (avoid stacking Slimed debuff).
5. Juveniles: Prevent spawning by killing eggs/Hatchlings promptly.

Strategy:

• Tanks: Swap at 2-3 stacks of Infected Talons or after Talon Rake.
• Nest Priority:
  • Lower nests: Kill Hatchlings before they eat (10s window).
  • Upper nests: Destroy Mature Eggs before they hatch (20s window).
• Heroic Mode: Assign tanks to Nest Guardians (spawn on specific nests).

Bloodlust/Drums:

Late in the fight (~30% boss HP) when:

• Juveniles may spawn from upper nests.
• Raid damage increases (Quills + Feed Pools).
• Ensures a clean kill before mechanics overwhelm.

Preferred Classes:

• Tanks: Paladins (for debuff removal via Divine Shield/Hand of Protection).
• DPS:
  • Melee (for Crimson Fog kills in Colorblind Phase).
  • Ranged with strong AoE (e.g., Warlocks, Elemental Shamans) for Heroic’s ice walls.
• Healers: Strong raid healers (e.g., Restoration Druids, Holy Priests) due to high AoE damage.

Tips:

• Normal Phase:
  • Tanks swap to manage Arterial Cut (heal to full to clear).
  • Drop Lingering Gaze void zones at edges/under Durumu to avoid clutter.
  • Intercept Life Drain beams to minimize boss healing.
• Colorblind Phase:
  • Red beam player: Move to reveal Crimson Fogs (melee focus these).
  • Blue beam player: Avoid revealing Azure Fog (causes raid damage).
  • Yellow beam: Ranged stand here; avoid revealing Amber Fog (Heroic only).
• Disintegration Beam Phase:
  • Follow the moving safe zone (marked player can lead).
  • Avoid stepping on Eye Sores (high damage).

Strategy:

• Colorblind Phase Priority:
  1. Pre-mark Fog locations during the brief flash before beams spawn.
  2. Kill Crimson Fogs ASAP (phase ends when all 3 die).
  3. Never move beams off revealed Fogs before they die.
• Heroic Additions:
  • Break ice walls quickly with AoE.
  • Kill Amber Fogs immediately if revealed.
  • Manage Dark Parasite dispels carefully (delay to reduce
  • Wandering Eye spawns).

Bloodlust/Drums:

Start of fight (maximize DPS before mechanics).

Preferred Classes:

• High Mobility & Burst DPS ( Hunters, Mages, Rogues, Warlocks) are ideal for quickly killing adds and switching to boss DPS.
• Strong AoE Classes ( Frost DKs, Balance Druids, Elemental Shamans) help clear Living Fluids efficiently.
• Tanks with Self-Sustain ( Blood DKs, Brewmaster Monks) handle Malformed Blood stacks well.
• Healers with Raid CDs ( Disc Priests, Holy Paladins) help mitigate Ventral Sacs and Pathogen Glands damage.

Tips:

• DPS Priority:
  • Non-mutated players kill adds and collect buffs.
  • Fully Mutated players focus Primordius.
• Avoid Over-Mutation: Once Fully Mutated, do not touch more pools (they debuff you).
• Tank Swap: Swap at ~3 stacks of Malformed Blood (Nature DoT + increased add damage).
• Volatile Pools: Move boss away from them—they heal him if they reach him.

Strategy:

Phase Breakdown:

1. Add Control: Kill Living Fluids away from the boss (prevents Volatile Pools spawning near him).
2. Buff Management: Players collect 5 mutation stacks (random buffs) to become Fully Mutated.
3. Boss DPS: Fully Mutated players burn Primordius while others handle adds.
4. Boss Abilities: Adapt based on his current mutations:
   • Ventral Sacs: Heavy raid damage → stack for AoE heals.
   • Caustic Gas: Stack near boss to split damage.
   • Acidic Spines: Spread 5+ yards apart.
   • Pathogen Glands: Heal targets aggressively.
   • Erupting Pustules: Dodge falling projectiles.

Heroic Mode Differences:

• Viscous Horror adds spawn every 30s—must be tanked away from boss (explodes if near).
• Boss can have 4 mutations (instead of 3).

Bloodlust/Drums:

When most DPS are Fully Mutated (~30-40% boss HP) for maximum damage.

Preferred Classes:

• Tanks: Death Knights, Druids, Monks, Paladins, Warriors.
• Healers: Druids, Monks, Paladins, Priests, Shamans.
• DPS: All classes, with a preference for those with strong AoE and single-target burst damage.

Tips:

• Spread Out: Keep Anima Golems spread out to avoid the Acceleration Link buff.
• Prioritize Targets: Focus on killing Anima Golems near Massive Anima Golems to activate them.
• Dispel Carefully: Dispel Matter Swap after a few seconds to share damage evenly.
• Avoid Void Zones: Stay clear of Crimson Wake void zones from Large Anima Golems.

Strategy:

• Initial Setup: Assign tanks and DPS to handle Anima Golems.
• Activate Massive Golems: Kill Anima Golems near Massive Anima Golems to activate them.
• Tank Swap: Tanks should swap when affected by Anima Ring.
• DPS Focus: Burn down the Dark Animus while managing adds.
• Avoid Interrupts: Stop casting when Interrupting Jolt is used.

Bloodlust/Drums:

After the Dark Animus becomes active to maximize DPS and kill the boss before he reaches 100 Anima.

Preferred Classes:

• Tanks: Strong active mitigation (e.g., Blood DKs, Brewmasters) to handle Impale stacks.
• Healers: High raid healing (e.g., Resto Druids, Holy Paladins) for sustained AoE damage.
• DPS: Ranged favored for mechanics (e.g., Hunters, Mages), but melee can perform well with positioning awareness.

Tips:

• Phase 1 (Ro’shak):
  • Split raid into 3 groups (10-man) or 5 (25-man) to rotate Unleashed Flame stacks.
  • Avoid Burning Cinders lines (Fire DoT).
• Phase 2 (Quet’zal):
  • Dodge Storm Cloud lightning lines (3 stacks = stun).
  • Free Arcing Lightning victims quickly.
  • During Windstorm, exit the tornado circle ASAP to avoid 80% reduced damage/healing.
• Phase 3 (Dam’ren):
  • Avoid Frozen Blood lines (slow + Frost damage).
  • Adjust positioning for Dead Zone shields.
  • Passive Frozen Resilience reflects 10% damage.
• Phase 4 (Iron Qon):
  • Stack and burn while avoiding lingering tornadoes.
  • Use defensive CDs for Fist Smash and Ignite Cyclone.

Strategy:

• Normal Mode:
  • Phase 1: Rotate groups to soak Unleashed Flame and prevent Molten Overload.
  • Phase 2: Prioritize freeing Arcing Lightning targets; minimize tornado contact.
  • Phase 3: DPS while avoiding mechanics; heal through Freeze bursts.
  • Phase 4: Pop Bloodlust and focus Iron Qon.
• Heroic Mode:
  • Adds cast abilities while airborne (e.g., Whirling Winds, Frost Spike).
  • All 3 Quilen return in Phase 4—kill Dam’ren → Ro’shak → Quet’zal first.
  • Save Bloodlust for Phase 4 when Quilen are active.

Bloodlust/Drums:

Phase 4 after Quilen respawn—time it to burn down Dam’ren quickly.

Preferred Classes:

• Tanks: Strong single-target mitigation (Beast of Nightmares in Darkness Phase).
• Healers: Efficient single-target heals (to minimize Corrupted Healing stacks).
• DPS: High mobility and burst (to handle phase transitions and priority targets).
• Ranged: Preferred for avoiding Cosmic Barrage/Light of Day splash damage.

Tips:

• Darkness Phase (Lu’lin):
  • Avoid Moon Lotus clouds (sleep effect).
  • Tanks: Swap for Beast of Nightmares; fixated tank must DPS it down.
  • Healers: Minimize heals on the fixated tank to reduce Corrupted Healing.
  • Stand close to Suen during Tears of the Sun to reveal Lurkers in the Night (Heroic only).
• Daylight Phase (Suen):
  • Tank Suen near Ice Comets to reduce her Blazing Radiance stacks.
  • Dodge Flames of Passion fire trails.
  • Tanks: Swap due to Fan of Flames debuff.
• Break of Dusk Phase (Both):
  • Focus Suen first (Lu’lin becomes immune during Tidal Force).
  • Spread to avoid Light of Day splash damage.
  • Use raid cooldowns for Tidal Force waves.
• Celestial Buffs:
  • Daylight Phase: Use Chi-Ji (A Rush of Cranes) for extra damage.
  • Break of Dusk: Prioritize Niuzao (Fortitude of the Ox) and
  • Xuen (Tiger’s Celerity) for survival.

Strategy:

• Phase 1 (Darkness):
  • Ignore Lurkers until phase end (Heroic).
  • Dot Suen during her brief appearances.
• Phase 2 (Daylight):
  • Kite Suen through Ice Comets to manage her damage buff.
  • Save Bloodlust/Drums for this phase if struggling with DPS.
• Phase 3 (Break of Dusk):
  • Burn Suen; use all Celestial buffs.
  • Assign personal/raid cooldowns for Tidal Force.
• Phase 4:
  • If Suen dies first, clean up Lu’lin (no new mechanics).
  • If Lu’lin dies first, stack Fire resistance cooldowns for Suen.

Bloodlust/Drums:

Break of Dusk Phase (to burn Suen quickly).

Preferred Classes:

• Tanks: High-mobility tanks (e.g., Brewmaster Monks for taunt + boss movement).
• Healers: Strong AoE healers (e.g., Restoration Shaman, Holy Paladin).
• DPS:
  • Ranged with high mobility (e.g., Hunters, Mages).
  • Melee with immunities/survivability (e.g., Rogues, Death Knights).
• Utility:
  • Priests (Leap of Faith for Helm of Command).
  • Death Knights (Gorefiend’s Grasp for Ball Lightnings in Heroic).

Tips:

• Conduit Priority:
  • Phase 1: Overload the East Conduit first (Diffusion Chain is the most disruptive).
  • Phase 2: Overload the North Conduit (Static Shock) to minimize mechanics in Phase 3.
• Tank Swaps:
  • Decapitate (Phase 1): Off-tank taunts, current tank runs away.
  • Fusion Slash (Phase 2): Swap after knockback to avoid debuff stacks.
• Positioning:
  • Spread for Diffusion Chain, stack for Static
  • Shock/Overcharged.
  • Dodge Lightning Whip and Thunderstruck markers.
• Transition Phases:
  • Assign groups to soak Bouncing Bolts in each quadrant.
  • Use immunities (e.g., Ice Block, Divine Shield) for Static Shock.

Strategy:

• Phase 1:
  • Rotate Lei Shen between conduits to prevent level-ups.
  • Handle Decapitate, Thunderstruck, and Crashing Thunder voids.
• Phase 2:
  • Destroy Ball Lightnings ASAP.
  • Avoid Lightning Whip lines (jump over them).
• Phase 3:
  • Tank swap at ~10 stacks of Overwhelming Power.
  • Stack tightly to mitigate Violent Gale Winds pushback.

Bloodlust/Drums:

Phase 3 (to burn boss before Gale Winds damage overwhelms the raid).

Preferred Classes:

• Tanks: High-mitigation classes (e.g., Protection Paladin, Guardian Druid) for Fatal Strike.
• Healers: Strong AoE healing (e.g., Holy Priest, Restoration Shaman) for Unstable Anima/Vita explosions.
• DPS:
  • Ranged for Unstable Vita positioning.
  • Strong AoE for add phases (Sanguine Horror, Crackling Stalker).

Tips:

• Tanks: Always have active mitigation up for Fatal Strike (insta-kill otherwise).
• Debuff Management:
  • Unstable Anima: Stack in groups to split damage.
  • Unstable Vita: Spread out; lightning jumps to the farthest player.
• Adds Priority: Kill Sanguine Horrors (Anima phase) and Crackling Stalkers (Vita phase) immediately.
• Movement: Avoid lightning paths during Unstable Vita.

Strategy:

• Phase 1 (Anima):
  • Stack for Unstable Anima explosions.
  • Interrupt Sanguine Volley from Horrors.
• Phase 2 (Vita):
  • Spread out; designated players handle Unstable Vita jumps.
  • Dodge Crackle chains.
• Repeat: Phases alternate; damage increases with Lingering Energies.

Bloodlust/Drums:

Optimal Timing:

• Early: Use on pull to burn adds quickly in Phase 1.
  Late: Save for final phase (after 3+ Lingering Energies stacks) if DPS is tight.

Heroic Note: In 25H, Murderous Strike demands high healing CDs during Anima phases.