Elerethe Renferal Raid Boss Strategy Guide

Damage Dealers:
During Spider form, stand apart from the raid during to place venomous pools.
During Roc form, place away from the raid.
Kill Venomous Spiderlings.

Healers:
During Spider form, heal allies connected by .
During Roc form, the raid takes ramping damage from until they reach the eye of the storm.

Tanks:
During Spider form, take turns tanking Spiderlings to manage applications of .
During Roc form, quickly taunt Elerethe after .
During Roc form, pick up a to speed your way across the webbing. (Normal, Heroic, Raid Finder)
Keep Venomous Spiderlings away from the boss or they will grant her stacks of . (Mythic)

Notable Trash MobsTrash in the Core of the NightmareNythendraLurking Horror

Lurking Horrors will occasionally cast Torturous Leer

If the cast is successful, the Horror will channel Torturous Leer for 10 seconds, dealing Shadow damage to players in front of the Horror every second

Players can interrupt both the cast and channel portions of the spell, preventing or reducing the damage dealt

Tanks should keep Lurking Horrors faced away from the raid, and melee DPS should be careful to stay behind the Horror

Taintheart BefoulerTaintheart TormenterTaintheart Trickster

Befoulers will frequently cast Terror Barrage, firing Shadow bolts at a randomly-chosen target

The Terror Barrage will strike the targeted player and all other players within 10 yards

Healers should be prepared to use AoE and ground-based healing to top the party up after several Terror Barrage casts

It is not worth trying to spread out to avoid splashing Terror Barrage, since the damage is so light

Befoulment

The target is marked with a red arrow as well as a red circle

Befoulment roots the targeted player in place for 15 seconds, and when it expires, deals massive damage split amongst all players within 10 yards

This damage is enough to kill any single player, so the raid should stack inside the Befoulment area of effect to split the damage amongst as many targets as possible

Immunities do not remove the debuff, but can mitigate the damage it deals as it fades

The initial Befoulment cast cannot be interrupted, but stuns and other disruptive abilities may delay the cast

Tormenters will inflict Horrific Mortal Wounds on their tank

This ability deals moderate damage, and debuffs the tank to reduce incoming healing by 10% until healed to full health

The Horrific Mortal Wounds debuff can stack, making it harder to heal up the tank

Tanks should use self-healing abilities to help clear the debuff

Taintheart Tricksters will attack the tanks with Puncture Wound, dealing light periodic damage

This DoT can also stack, and may be dangerous if the tank is also affected by Horrific Mortal Wounds

Horrific Mortal WoundsEssence of Nightmare

Essences of Nightmare periodically cast Lingering Terror, applying Lingering Terror to all players within 10 yards

Lingering Terror can stack, dealing additional damage and slowing the players' movement speed more severely with each stack

Affected players are likely to reach 7 stacks quickly, and will take moderate damage from the DoT

Healers should use ground-based AoE and CDs to heal through the Lingering Terror damage

Ranged players should stay more than 10 yards away from Essences of Nightmare to avoid the debuff

Use AoE stuns and other CC to reduce melee damage on the tanks

Deathroot Ancient

Deathroot Ancients will attack the raid with Devastating Stomp, dealing moderate physical damage to all players within 15 yards

Devastating Stomp damage also stuns affected players for 2 seconds

Devastating Stomp has a long cast time, allowing players to escape its area of effect if they react quickly

Additionally, Deathroot Ancients will breathe a Rotting Gasp at the tank

This deals one burst of moderate damage to all players in front of the Ancient

Tanks should be sure to keep the Ancients facing away from the raid, and melee DPS should be careful not to be in front of the Ancients

Devastating StompLingering TerrorDevastating StompDrake's FuryDrake's WrathDrake's WrathDragons of NightmareElerethe RenferalIl'gynothUrsocScreeching SpiderlingVenomous Spiderling

Both Spiderlings leave Venomous Pool at their location when they die

Tanks should pull the remaining mobs away from Venomous Pools that form as Spiderlings die

Venomous Spiderlings attack tanks with Dripping Fangs, a stacking debuff that deals increasing Nature damage

The Spiderlings should be killed quickly, and the raid should use AoE stuns and other CC to help reduce tank damage

Venomous Spiderlings will spawn during the boss encounter, and use these same abilities

Screeching Call

Web Wrapped will occasionally root all players within 15 yards

Web Wrapped cannot be dispelled, and lasts 4 seconds

This can cause high damage if players are Web Wrapped inside a Venomous Pool

After casting Web Wrapped, the Screeching Spiderling will leap away and begin to cast Screeching Call

Screeching Call summons an additional Venomous Spiderling

The Venomous Spiderling takes around 10 seconds to appear, as it must crawl down from an overhead web

Nightmother

Nightmother will choose two random targets and hurl Noxious Venom at them

This creates a Venomous Pool at the targets' locations

The damage dealt by these Venomous Pools appears to ramp, dealing approximately 50% more damage with each tick

Players should move quickly out of Nightmother's Venomous Pools, and should avoid pulling her with the other Spiderling trash

She will also use Wretched Ambush, leaping to one of the overhead webs and crashing back down after several seconds

Wretched Ambush deals extremely heavy damage to all players, reduced by the player's distance from Nightmother

Players who stay in the direct area of effect of Wretched Ambush will be knocked back if they survive the initial Wretched Ambush hit

The raid should run away from the targeting circle for Wretched Ambush, and healers should use powerful AoE abilities or cooldowns to recover

Shadowfeather

Shadowfeather attacks the tanks with Raking Talons every 20 seconds, dealing extremely heavy damage

Raking Talons occurs in short bursts of three hits, each 4-5 seconds apart

Tanks can spread this damage out by taunt-swapping for each hit, or can mitigate the damage by using strong cooldowns

30 seconds into the fight, Shadowfeather will cast Gathering Winds

Gathering Winds pushes all players back and deals moderate damage each second for 4 seconds

Players should make sure to position so they are not pushed back through Venomous Pools or off the edge of the platform

Healers should use damage-reduction or throughput cooldowns to heal the raid through the Gathering Winds damage

Elerethe Renferal Abilities & StrategyElerethe Renferal

Elerethe begins in Spider form

She will switch between forms each time her Energy bar fills up

Upon transforming into a Roc, she will fly to a new platform

The raid will take heavy damage until they reach Elerethe's destination

Once on the new platform, she will complete a full Roc phase and a full Spider phase

When she next transforms into a Roc she will fly to the third platform

This cycle repeats until players have defeated Elerethe

Pulsing Egg Sac

If a player stands too close to a Pulsing Egg Sac, they will disturb it

A disturbed egg sac will burst open with a Violent Rupture, dealing extremely heavy damage and knocking nearby players back

A pack of five Skittering Spiderlings will emerge from the ruptured egg sac and begin attacking nearby players

These Skittering Spiderlings only attack with basic melee attacks, and do not create Venomous Pools when they die

Violent Rupture

The Venomous Spiderlings summoned in the Elerethe Renferal encounter have the same abilities as the trash mobs of the same name

They stack Dripping Fangs DoTs on the tank and create Venomous Pools when they die

Venomous Pools deal moderate periodic damage to players standing in them

Whenever players must chase Elerethe to another platform, these Spiderling spawns cannot be avoided

Stay off the web bridges at all other times!

BloodlustHeroismTime WarpIf at any time Elerethe Renferal steps on one of the web bridges leading to another platform, she will gain the Web Walker buff. This buff will persist for the remainder of the encounter. Avoid this by making sure never to bring Elerethe near a web bridge!Phase 1: Spider FormWeb of Pain

Elerethe always links the two tanks together

She will also choose two random non-tank targets for the second Web of Pain

Web of Pain causes the linked players to reflect any damage they take to their partner

100% of the damage is transferred when players are within 20 yards of each other

If players are further than 20 yards apart, Web of Pain will deal more than 100% damage to the linked player

The two targeted players should stand close together to avoid the excess damage

Web of Pain lasts for 90 seconds

Web of PainNecrotic Venom

Two random non-tank players are targeted with Necrotic Venom, drawing a 7-yard-radius circle around those players' feet

This is just a "warning" debuff that lasts for 10 seconds, but does no damage itself

When the "warning" debuff expires, the targeted players gain a new Necrotic Venom debuff with a 6-second duration

This debuff deals moderate periodic damage to the player and light damage to all players within 7 yards

In addition, the affected player will drop a Venomous Pool at their feet immediately and every second until the debuff expires

During the initial "warning" debuff, move away from the raid toward the edge of the platform

During the second debuff, use a defensive cooldown and keep moving to avoid taking Venomous Pool damage

Take care not to drop Venomous Pools in the raid's path between platforms

Venomous PoolNecrotic Venom

Eight seconds later, Elerethe will drop back down with a powerful Vile Ambush

The Vile Ambush deals damage to all players, with the amount reduced the farther away players are from the impact point

Players who are still within the green targeting circle when Elerethe lands will take very heavy, if not fatal, damage, and be knocked back

When Elerethe ascends to the web, players should run to the opposite side of the platform

Movement speed boosts like Stampeding Roar or Wind Rush Totem are very useful here

Tanks should lag behind a little and pick up the Venomous Spiderlings as they land

Healers should use raid cooldowns to heal up from the Vile Ambush damage

Venomous PoolVile AmbushVile AmbushPhase 2: Roc Form

Twisting Shadows

Like the initial Necrotic Venom debuff, the Twisting Shadows debuff is a 10-second "warning" debuff

During these 10 seconds, the targeted players can destroy Venomous Pools by running over them

When the Twisting Shadows debuff wears off, a Twisting Shadows tornado spawns at the player's location

These tornadoes wander in the immediate area they were dropped in

Players who enter the Twisting Shadows tornado will be sucked in to the cyclone, are stunned for 4 seconds, and take moderate periodic damage

When the stun fades, the captured player is thrown away and may take Falling damage

Twisting ShadowsGathering Clouds

Gathering Clouds will deal light to heavy periodic damage to the entire raid

In addition, the Gathering Clouds pushes all players back

Players must fight the winds to avoid being pushed into Venomous Pools, Twisting Shadows, Pulsing Egg Sacs, or off the edge of the platform

The damage each player takes depends upon their distance from the boss

Healers should use minor raid CDs, particularly damage-reduction ones, to stabilize the raid during Gathering Clouds

Players running out with the Twisting Shadows debuff will take heavy damage due to their distance from the boss, and should use personal defensive cooldowns

At least one healer should be assigned to keeping these players topped up

Gathering Clouds

This begins the "interlude" phase; the raid must chase Elerethe to her new location

For the remainder of the Roc form phase, Dark Storm will affect the other two platforms in the encounter area

Dark Storm deal light raid damage, but gain 5% additional damage per tick, eventually ramping up to heavy raid damage

The raid must quickly get to Elerethe's new platform, where they will gain the Eye of the Storm buff and no longer take Dark Storm damage

Shimmering Feathers

Jump to 'fly'

Extra Action Button

Land on Spiderlings

Shimmering Feather

If a player walks through a Shimmering Feather, they consume it and gain a Shimmering Feather buff

This allows the player to jump very high, and applies a slow fall effect that allows the player to glide over the gap between platforms

Only one player can take each Feather

The raid should assign 1 tank, at least 1 healer, and several DPS to take Shimmering Feathers

The feather tank should move quickly to Elerethe's new platform, taunt her, and make sure she never steps on a web bridge so she does not gain Web Walker

Shimmering Feather

Shimmering Feather also grants the player an Extra Action Button

The Shimmering Feather ability allows the player to target a spot on the ground and land powerfully, instantly killing any Venomous Spiderlings within 9 yards

The rest of the raid who is stuck on the ground will spawn Venomous Spiderlings by walking across the web bridge

Feather players should use their Extra Action Button to kill these Venomous Spiderlings

Note that Venomous Spiderlings killed by Shimmering Feather still drop Venomous Pools, so this must be done when the Pools will not block the raid's path across the web bridge

Shimmering Feather

Venomous Spiderlings will spawn occasionally as players walk across the web bridges

The "ground" tank should pick these up when they reach the other end of the bridge, and drag them away from the raid

Web bridges are blocked by patrolling Twisting Shadows tornadoes

There will always be a clear path, but players may have to drop down to a lower web bridge level to avoid them

Be cautious - survival is more important than a speedy crossing!

Movement speed boosts can be dangerous, especially when trying to jump down to another bridge level - take care

Pulsing Egg Sacs are also found along these web bridge paths - avoid triggering Violent Rupture, as it is likely to be fatal in conjunction with Dark Storm

Gathering CloudsDark StormTwisting ShadowsTwisting ShadowsRaking Talons

She will cast Raking Talons 3 times during this phase, 33 seconds apart

Each cast deals two Raking Talons hits, 3 seconds apart, dealing heavy damage

If a tank is struck by both of these Raking Talons hits, the second strike will deal 100% additional damage

Tanks should taunt swap between the two Raking Talons strikes to avoid the excess damage

Use Active Mitigation or defensive cooldowns to mitigate its damage

Call for external CDs from healers if necessary

Raking TalonsRazor Wing

Razor Wing deals damage to all players in a cone in front of Elerethe

This should only strike the current tank

Melee DPS and the off-tank should stand behind or beside Elerethe to avoid taking Razor Wing damage

The Elerethe tank should make sure to keep her pointed away from the raid once she begins casting Razor Wing

Twisting ShadowsNecrotic VenomVile AmbushStrategy Summary

Dashed green lines indicate Vile Ambush movement while Elerethe is in Spider form

Thick red arrows show the paths Elerethe will take when she flies away after entering Roc form

Solid purple arrows show the path tanks should follow when dragging Elerethe away from nearby Twisting Shadows in Roc form

The platforms are labeled in order that the raid will visit them; the encounter begins on Platform 1

Dark Storm

Spider form:
Tank Elerethe near the bridge between the current platform and her next destination

The whole raid should swap to the opposite side of the platform for each Vile Ambush

The off-tank should pick up the Venomous Spiderlings and drag them out of the raid before they die

Players with Web of Pain should stand close to their partner

Players with Necrotic Venom should drop Venomous Pools at the edges of the room

When Elerethe reaches 100 Energy she should be near the web bridge to the next platform

Players with Twisted Shadows should eat Venomous Pools and drop the tornado in a safe location

Use a healing cooldown for Gathering Clouds

Designated players (1 tank, 1 healer, 7 DPS) should pick up the Shimmering Feathers and follow Elerethe when she flies away

The rest of the raid should cross the web bridge, and use a healing CD when they reach the new platform

The ground tank should pick up Venomous Spiderlings that spawn on the web bridge, and drag them to the right of the bridge after reaching Platform 2

Players who took the Shimmering Feathers should use the Extra Action Button to land on and kill the Venomous Spiderlings

Gradually move Elerethe toward the bridge to the next platform, so the raid doesn't have to stand in tornadoes

Tanks should taunt swap between the two Raking Talons strikes

Face Elerethe away from the raid for Razor Talons

BloodlustHeroismTime WarpTank Responsibilities

In general, tank Elerethe Renferal on one side of the platform, rather than in the center

During Spider form:
When targeted by Web of Pain, be sure to stay within 20 yards of your co-tank

Use stronger Active Mitigation or cooldowns during Web of Pain

Run to the opposite side of the platform for Vile Ambush

During Vile Ambush, pick up the spawning Venomous Spiderlings and drag them away from the Vile Ambush AoE

Shimmering FeatherVenomous Pool

Face Elerethe away from the raid so Razor Wing only hits tanks

Taunt swap between successive hits of the Raking Talons ability (3 seconds apart)

Use a strong cooldown or more powerful Active Mitigation for each Raking Talons hit

Move Elerethe away from nearby Twisting Shadows tornadoes

Dark StormDamage-Dealer Responsibilities

Wait until Venomous Spiderlings are pulled away from the raid before switching to them

During Spider form:
If you are targeted with Web of Pain, move closer to the player you are linked to

If affected by Necrotic Venom, move away from the raid during the initial 10-second debuff

During the subsequent 5-second Necrotic Venom debuff, keep moving to drop a trail of Venomous Pools at the edge of the room

Run to the opposite side of the platform for Vile Ambush

Shimmering FeatherShimmering FeatherTwisting Shadows

If affected by the Twisting Shadows debuff, pop a defensive cooldown and run over Venomous Pools to clear them

Spawn the Twisting Shadows tornado in a safe location

If possible, put your back to a wall during Gathering Clouds

Do not be in front of Elerethe during Razor Wing

Healer Responsibilities

Tanks will take heavy damage during Web of Pain, Razor Wing, and Raking Talons

Use raid cooldowns to recover from Vile Ambush, Gathering Clouds, and Dark Storm damage

Use the strongest cooldowns once players reach a new platform, after Elerethe takes on Roc form

Players targeted by Necrotic Venom or Twisting Shadows will require heavy single-target healing

During Spider form:
If you are targeted with Web of Pain, move closer to the player you are linked to

If affected by Necrotic Venom, move away from the raid during the initial 10-second debuff

During the subsequent 5-second Necrotic Venom debuff, keep moving to drop a trail of Venomous Pools at the edge of the room

Run to the opposite side of the platform for Vile Ambush

Shimmering FeatherShimmering FeatherTwisting Shadows

If affected by the Twisting Shadows debuff, pop a defensive cooldown and run over Venomous Pools to clear them

Spawn the Twisting Shadows tornado in a safe location

If possible, put your back to a wall during Gathering Clouds

Do not be in front of Elerethe during Razor Wing

Looking For Raid DifficultyWeb of PainRaking TalonsRaking TalonsHeroic DifficultyTwisting ShadowsVenomous Pool

This new mechanic only applies to the Twisting Shadows tornadoes that form after a player's Twisting Shadows debuff falls off

The tornado will consume a Venomous Pool it comes into contact with

It will then release several bursts of Venomous Pool, targeting two random players with each burst

This damage will splash to other players within 5 yards of the target

Despite the name, Venomous Pool does not leave any Venomous Pool patches on the ground; it is a one-off effect

Twisting ShadowsVenomous PoolNecrotic VenomTwisting ShadowsVenomous Pool

Make sure that all players marked with Necrotic Venom drop their Venomous Pools as closely packed together as possible

The players targeted with Necrotic Venom should use strong personal CDs when possible, since overlapping the pools does cause damage

Players targeted with Necrotic Venom must avoid dropping Venomous Pools in critical areas, like near the web bridge to the next platform

Players with the Twisting Shadows debuff should only clear Venomous Pools if they are overly disruptive to the strategy!

Otherwise, players should drop the Twisting Shadows tornadoes in a clear area of the room away from other Venomous Pools

Mythic DifficultySwarmWeb of PainPain Lash

If the Web of Pain line passes through another player, that player will take Pain Lash damage

Players damaged by Pain Lash are also knocked back

This primarily interferes with running away from Vile Ambush, as it can knock players back into the Vile Ambush area of effect

The players linked by Web of Pain should stand very close to one another to make the Web of Pain as short as possible, and move out of the raid when possible

When Vile Ambush occurs, the Web of Pain targets must run alongside, but not stacked with, the rest of the raid

Vile AmbushTangled WebsTangled Webs

Tank Elerethe on the far left or right of the platform, so that the opposite side will remain clear of Tangled Webs

Use a movement speed increasing effect like Stampeding Roar or Wind Rush Totem to ensure the raid escapes the Vile Ambush area before the Tangled Webs spawn

Tangled Webs persist for up to 1.3 minutes, but will begin to slowly recede as Elerethe prepares to cast her next Vile Ambush

If any excess Venomous Spiderlings spawn, tanks should be sure to taunt them and position them away from Elerethe to avoid Swarm

Raking TalonsmustRaking TalonsViolent Winds

Elerethe will leap across the platform to a new position before casting Violent Winds

Like Razor Wing, Violent Winds deals damage to all players in front of Elerethe

This is a channeled spell rather than instant, and the channel lasts for 8 seconds

Like Gathering Clouds, Violent Winds deals more damage to players further away from her

This damage pushes the affected players back, and also applies Wind Burn stacks, causing subsequent Violent Winds attacks to deal increased damage

The strength of the push-back mechanic is reduced for each player standing in the Violent Winds' effect

Having more players in the Violent Winds effect also spreads out the Wind Burn stacks, making the damage more healable

Designated players should step in front of Elerethe to help mitigate the Violent Winds damage

The tanks should, when possible, tank with their back to a wall so Violent Winds does not push them out of melee range or off the edge of the platform

Healers should use ground-based AoE spells and raid CDs to keep the Violent Winds soakers alive

Wind BurnViolent WindsWind BurnViolent WindsViolent WindsViolent WindsWind BurnViolent WindsWind Burn

Assign half the raid to each group

Be sure to split healers up so that the healers not standing in the Violent Winds can use CDs effectively

The tank targeted by Violent Winds should use a CD to mitigate the damage

The rest of the raid must be sure to avoid standing in front of Elerethe during Violent Winds

Nightmare SpawnSurging Egg SacVile AmbushAbout the Author:Restoration Shaman@healiocentrichealiocentric ... a blog that revolves around healing

Comments

Comment by pherkier

This is gold right here

Comment by Aeliren

Great guide! Thank you!

Comment by jjanchan

Thanks for the painstaking work! Excellent guide.

One point I was confused about - in the Abilities and Strategy section, you note that those with the Twisting Shadows debuff are immune to Venomous Pools damage, but under Damage-Dealer responsibilities, you note that a defensive cooldown is advised to "reduce Venomous Pools damage" when running through them with Twisting Shadows. Was wondering whether or not the debuff actually made you immune to that damage.

Thanks again for the guide!

Comment by itzpaskaa

Not sure if an oversight or a last minute change by Blizzard but on heroic the tornado spawned by Twisting Shadows will also consume the Venomous Pool and launch it onto two targets.

Comment by Ovahealz

Ok so everytime we pulled this girl and she went to the second platform she gets a buff called "Web Walker" which gives her 500% extra damage and 70% attack speed. This guide doesn't say anything about it. Anyone knows what's up with that?

Comment by CzechCloud

One thing you should note that you can move to the second platform beside the tornados. There is a small part of the web leaning to the first platform where you can go. This strategy is particulary good on normal, because you dont need to move as aggresively.

Comment by Hordearmy

This boss looks like hard but after some trys it is an easy fight.

Comment by Subwiggle

When Elerethe reaches 100 Energy, she will shift back into her Spider form. Since spiders cannot fly, she will not move to a new platform.

Thank the Titans for spiders not flying.

Comment by Dedjim

No mention of Bombard during the start of Roc phase when she draws in and blows raid back. We took 2 wipes from near instant aoe dmg from these green circles. Because your pushed back against a wall or cliff it's almost impossible to avoid this 1 shot damage. I don't know if this is a bug or a new change but we gave up since there is no way to run from them..

Comment by draconicman

Not sure if this was an oversight on Blizz' part or what, but there is nothing in either the tooltips or the dungeon journal saying anything about the damage from Gathering Clouds changing depending on your distance from the boss.

Comment by swifty2016

Great guide! Thank you!

Comment by mauman1686

We're progressing through mythic, running a two tank strat, and have had issues with vile ambush one shoting web of pain targets. They are stacked (well within the 20 yards), running to the side of the platform to avoid the knock back to others, but the targets are getting destroyed with ~2mil damage each when ambush hits. They are not in the ambush green area or surrounding web when the Damage hits, yet are they simply not running far enough away? Seeing some strats suggest 3 tanks. Will this be that effective at reducing the webbed targets? We've been trying personal CDs, but it's just a massive amount of damage at once, so casted heals can't prevent it. Any suggestions?

Elerethe Renferal Raid Boss Strategy Guide

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