Raid boss Guide: Guld´an (Nighthold) | World of Warcraft GamePlay Guides

Background

Gul’dan: The chain of events set in motion when Garrosh escaped to Draenor has continued, unbroken for all its twists and turns, leading to this very moment. Thwarted in Draenor, Gul’dan now stands on the precipice of achieving ultimate victory on behalf of his Legion masters. Standing atop the Nighthold, as the vortex of fel energy swirls in the skies overhead, the outcast orc warlock awaits his destiny.

Positioning

Phase 1

Raid
Bottom side of the platform.

Tanks
Bottom right side

Ranged
Bottom center side.
Stand spread from each other.

Phase 2

Raid
Move to the upper side of the platform and stay spread.

Tanks
Tank the boss in the upper center.

Ranged
Stand close to center and stay spread.

Phase 3

Raid
Move to the bottom side of the platform.

Tanks
Tank boss on bottom left edge side.

Ranged
Stand spread on bottom right edge side.

Players get an extra action bar ability (Essence of Aman´thul) in phase 1 and Phase 2

In phase 1 and phase 2, players gain power from the Eye of Aman´thul (Essence of Aman´thul).

As dps, you get an extra action button (Time Dilation)
As healer you get an extra action button (Scattering Field)
As tank, you get extra action button (Resonant Barrier)

DPS - Time Dilation (1 min cooldown)
30% increased casting, movement, attack speed and Periodic Effects.
30% decreased cooldown time

Healers - Scattering Field (30 seconds cooldown)
Place a protective dome that absorbs 50% fire damage taken shared amongst allies within 10 yards.

Tanks - Resonant Barrier (3 min cooldown)
Protective barrier that absorbs all damage taken for 6 sec.

Abilities and tactics

Phase 1 – The Council of Elders

You start phase 1 by attacking the boss that is positioned in the center of the platform.
When boss summons adds (Hand of Gul´dan), you cannot attack him (Immune) until the adds are dead.
Boss will still cast his abilities while the raid is attacking the adds.

Boss has three abilities in phase 1

Liquid Hellfire - Fel Orb on random target location
Fel Efflux – Fel Energy Beam
Hand of Gul´dan – Adds spawn

Liquid Hellfire

Shoots a big fel orb at a targeted players location.
Does deadly fire damage which decreases the further away players are from the impact.

Tactic: Liquid Hellfire

Raid
Stand spread from each other.
Run far away from the impact. The further you are from impact, the less damage you take.

Healers
Use the extra action bar ability: Scattering Field

Fel Efflux

Boss turns to a direction and starts casting a channel of Fel energy.
The cast takes 2 seconds before he shoots.
Players within the fel energy suffers Fire damage every 0.5 sec.

Tactic: Fel Efflux

Raid
Always keep an eye on boss to see what direction he is facing.
Move away from the fel energy (you have 2 seconds).

Hand of Gul´dan

Shoots a meteor at a random position that does deadly damage to anyone within 10 yards of the impact.
Each meteor consists of 1 out 3 different adds and boss will cast this 3 times in phase 1.
Each meteor (with an add) comes every 14 seconds.
First add is Fel Lord Kuraz´mal
Second add is Inquisitor Verthriz
Third add is D´zoryx the Trapper

Fel Lord Kuraz´mal

Shatter Essence

Does overkill fire damage on tank.

Fel Obelisk (Heroic)

A Fel sword from the ground to impale targets.
Does high fire damage and stuns players.
The hit also does bleed damage (every 0.5 sec for 7 seconds)

Inquisitor Verthriz

Gaze of Verthriz
Summons several eyes that turns and shoots a beam on a target location. Does Shadow damage to any player hit by the beam.

Drain
Drains health from a random player every second for 21 seconds.
The dmg on the player also heals the add.

Dark Blast
The add blasts tank with Shadow dmg.

Shadowblink
The add teleports to another location.

D´zorykx the Trapper

Soul Vortex

Drops a cage at tanks location that pulls players to it and does dmg shadow damage every second for 6 seconds.
If a player is cought near the cage, they get a stacking debuff that increases dmg taken by 100% and does Shadow damage every 3 second for 30 sec.

Anguished Spirits

Shoots out a Shadow volley on random direction that explodes on impact.
Does high shadow damage.

Tactics: Adds (Hand of Gul´dan)

Fel Lord spawns first (kill second)

Tanks
- Tank the Fel Lord on the right side of the platform.
- Use the extra ability Resonant Barrier when the add does Shatter Essence.
- Tank swap after every Shatter Essence since it has a 3 min cooldown.

Dps
Start dps on Fel Lord until Inquisitor add spawns.
Kill the Fel Lords AFTER Inquisitor is dead.

Raid
Stand spread on the bottom right side of the platform.

Heroic
Move away from the Obelisk (sword that shoots up from the ground).

Inquisitor spawns 2^nd (kill first)

Tanks
This add is non-tankable and teleports periodically. Continue tanking Fel Lord.

Dps
All dps change to this add and kill it before any other add.
Use the extra ability Time Dilation when Inquisitor spawns.

Healers
Beware of raid dmg

Raid
Move away from the eye beams.

Heroic mode
Use dps cooldowns to kill this add fast.
Use defensive/Immune abilities if you are targeted by with drain.
Healers use the extra ability Scattering Field on player that is drained.

Trapper add comes 3^rd(kill last)

Tanks
- Off tank picks up this add and positions it to where Fel Lord is.
- Move upwards alongside the platform when the trapper does Soul Vortex (puts a cage on your location).
- Main tank moves with the Fel Lord downwards alongside the platform when Trapper does Soul Vortex.

DPS
Kill Trapper AFTER inquisitor and Fel Lord are dead.

Heroic Mode
Move away from the Shadow Volleys.

Phase 2 – The Ritual of Aman´Thul

When the adds die, phase 2 will start and Gul´dan can now be attacked again.
He has 5 abilities in this phase.
At 85%, 70% and 55% health, these abilities become empowered.
You will still have Essence of Aman´Thul in this phase (extra action bar ability).

When adds are dead, stand close to the middle because the boss will do a knockback on all players, that might kick you out of the platform.

Bonds of Fel

Boss targets several players (based on number of players in the raid, 15 players -> 3 players targeted).

Targets several random players and connects them to the position they stand.
Does fire damage every 0.5 sec and snares the player by 50%.
When the bind is broken by running away from that position, it explodes for overkill fire damage to the player and other players targets within 5 yards of the bound target divided evenly amongst targets hit.

Empowered Bonds of Fel
(When boss hits 85% and 70% and 55% HP)

Targets a random player and binds it to a location after knocking them back.
Does fire damage every 0.5 sec and snares the player by 70%.
When the bind is broken it explodes for overkill fire damage to targets within 5 yards of the bound target divided evenly amongst targets hit.

Tactic: Bonds of Fel

Stand spread in a half circle around boss.
Players that are targeted will have a circle around them.
Players with dbm will also announce that they have the debuff “Bonds of Fel (1) on …”
You can also see who is targeted when they move away from the chain position (fel fire chain)
When the player moves from its chain position, the circle will be on the player.
Players that soaks the damage need to follow the targeted player and stand within the circle.
Every player should help and soak the damage.
Beware that tanks can also get this debuff.

Side note: If you have immune spells like Divine Shield, Ice Block etc, you can use that.

Eye of Gul´dan

Boss summons several Eye beams that targets a random player and channels shadow energy on that player and also shadow damage to players within 8 yards of that player, every 1 sec.
The damage increases by 3% every cast.
The eyes also casts a duplicate and moves to a new location.

Empowered Eye of Gul´dan
(When boss hits 85% and 70% and 55% HP)

Same as above with some changes:
The energy is fire instead of shadow.
The eye follows their highest threat target.

Tactics: Eye of Gul´dan

Raid
Stand spread from each other.

Dps
All dps prio nuke and kill the eyes
Use the extra ability Time Dilation

Tanks
Take the threat from the eyes when they are empowered.

Melee
Beware if you are the target by an eye, and don’t run close to other players when nuking the eyes down.

Liquid Hellfire

Shoots a big fel orb at a targeted players location.
Does deadly fire damage which decreases the further away players are from the impact.

Empowered Liquid Hellfire
(When boss hits 85% and 70% and 55% HP)

The orb also leaves a fire pool on the ground for 3 minutes.
Standing on it does fire damage every second.

Tactic: Liquid Hellfire

Raid
Stand spread from each other.
Run far away from the impact. The further you are from impact, the less damage you take.

Healers
Use the extra action bar ability: Scattering Field

Positioning: Fire pools
Make sure that you are positioned proper in order to control the fire pools on the ground.
Tanks on left side of the center of the platform, face the boss to the center.
Melee on the side of the boss.
Ranged on the side of the boss, spread out.
When there are to many fire pools, entire raid moves to the right, closer to middle.
After passing middle area, turn the boss so he faces middle again.

Fel Scythe

This ability can happen in 2 ways:

When a player stands within 2 yards of the main tank, he will cast Fel Scythe.
When Gul´dan reaches full energy. Gul´dan has an energy bar that ticks 40 times (40 points) until reaching full energy.

Fel Scythe cleaves the tank for very high fire damage divided on players within 2 yards.
Fel Scythe also consumes all Gul´dans energy in which each energy point that was consumed, increases his damage by 5%.
Fel Scythe also grants Gul´dan an ability called Fury of the Fel.

Fury of the Fel gives Gul´dan increased attack speed by 15% for 10 sec and stacks.

Tactic: Fel Scythe

Raid
No one stands near main tank (except when main tank has Bonds of fel).

Tanks
Main tank in front of boss
Offtank stands on the side/behind boss.
Tank swap when boss energy bar is around 40%.
Tank swap after you stack on main tank.
After tank swap, the other tank moves to the side/behind boss.

In this way you control this ability so that Fury of the Fel doesn’t stack more than once and that the increased damage from boss energy bar doesn’t reach to high.

There will be periods in which the boss will use Fel Scythe before 15-20 stacks
- When main tank has Bonds of Fel.
- When off tank moves to main tank before tank swap.

Hand of Gul´dan (Heroic Mode)

Summons a meteor that does very high shadow damage on impact to anyone within 10 yards.
An add (Dreadlord) comes out from each meteor.

Add: Dreadlords of the Twisting Nether
Have 2 abilities:

Carrion Wave
Causes a wave of explosions in front of them that does high shadow damage and putting a player to sleep for 6 sec.
Interruptible
Focused Assault
If Carrion wave is interrupted, the add increases all damage by 20% and attack speed by 15%, which also stacks every time it is interrupted.

Tactics: Hand of Gul´dan (Heroic Mode)

Tanks
Tank the Dreadloard on top of boss and phase him to the side so that offtank is not close to main tank.

Raid
Interupt Carrion Wave.

Dps
Prio nuke Dreadlord. Use the extra action bar ability: Time Dilation

Phase 3 – The Master´s Power

When Gul´dan reaches 40% health, phase 3 starts.
Boss teleports to the middle again and gets empowered.
Players no longer have extra power buffs/abilities.

Boss has 5 abilities in phase 3:

Well of Souls
Flames of Sargeras
Empowered Eye of Gul´dan
Storm of the Destroyer
Fel Scythe

Well of Souls -> Black Harvest

What this does in general
Boss runs to the middle and starts summoning a Well of Souls in the center, for 7 seconds in the beginning of phase 3.
Standing in the well does shadow dmg every second and causes enemies to ignore you.
The Well collects soul fragments through boss abilities during phase 3 (Soul Siphon).
Based on the amount of soul fragments into the well, the boss will unleash damage to the raid Black Harvest).
But, players can take back soul fragments from the well by going in and out from it but entering the well does damage (Soul Corrosion).

Soul Siphon
Boss targets random players with Soul Siphon and a soul fragment from that player is sent to the well.
This does shadow damage and applies a 30 sec debuff that absorbs incoming heals.

Soul Corrosion
When a player enters the well for 3 seconds, a soul fragment from the well will be returned out to the player.
When a player enters the well, it will do debuff that does shadow damage every second for 1 min, and the debuff stacks.

Black Harvest
Boss does high shadow damage every 2 seconds to every player.
Each Harvest soul fragment in the soul well does extra shadow damage over 4 seconds to every player.

Tactics: Well of Souls -> Black Harvest

Whenever players are targeted with Soul Siphon, the same number of players should enter the well in order to return the soul fragments.
Enter the well for 3 seconds before exiting the well.

Have dedicated players entering the well and remember that you get a debuff for 1 min, so have different players entering. It will most likely lead to that some players will have to go twice.

Dps are preferred to enter the well.
Healers second hand.
Tanks will not go.

Black Harvest
All stack on boss for AoE healing.

Flames of Sargeras

Boss puts a debuff on several random players.
After 3 seconds, those players will burn for 3 sec and each second does a fire explosion damage to them and more to other players within 8 yards.
When 3 seconds have passed, they explode again and leave several fire pools on the ground.

Tactics Flames of Sargeras

Raid in General
Move left to have more empty space to fight.
Move right to drop of fire pools.

Tanks
Tank boss on the bottom right edge of the platform. Move left (clockwise) when more space is needed from fire pools.

Melee
Fight behind the boss.
When getting a debuff, run to the right center side to drop of the fire pools.

Ranged
Spread out in the bottom center of the platform on the left side of boss.
When getting a debuff, run to the right side to drop of the fire pools.

Empowered Eye of Gul´dan

Boss summons several Eyes that targets a random player and channels shadow energy on that player and also shadow damage to players within 8 yards of that player, every 1 sec.
The damage increases by 3% every cast.
The eyes also casts a duplicate and moves to a new location.

The energy is fire instead of shadow.
The eye follows their highest threat target.

Tactics: Empowered Eye of Gul´dan

Raid
Stand spread from each other.

Dps
All dps prio nuke and kill the eyes

Tanks
Take the threat from the eyes

Storm of the Destroyer

Does a storm on a location that increases 4 times and does shadow damage.
First: high dmg within 10 yards.
Second: very high damage to players within 20 yards.
Third: very high damage to players within 30 yards.
Fourth: Deadly damage to players within 60 yards.

Tactic: Storm of the Destroyer

Make sure you are tanking the boss on the outer side of the platform, in this way, there will be space to run when you run to the opposite side.
Run away fast to the opposite outer side of the platform.