Hellfire Assault (Hellfire Citadel) Strategy Guide

By Wowhead Updated: 2018/05/12

Hellfire CitadelHellfire CannonReinforced Hellfire DoorSiegemaster Mar'takHellfire CitadelClass GuidesWarcraft LogsMelee DPSRanged DPSHealersTanksLoot and RewardsSeal of Inevitable Fate Bonus RollsHellfire Assault

LFR (675)

Normal, Heroic, Mythic (690, 705, 720)

Cloth: Felgrease-Smudged Robes, Powder-Singed Bracers
Leather: Gorebound Wristguards, Rangefinder's Spaulders
Mail: Hand Loader Gauntlets, Iron Dragoon's Pantaloons
Plate: Blastproof Legguards, Flamebelcher's Insulated Mitts, Shell-Resistant Stompers
Neck: Bolt-Latched Felsteel Gorget, Faulty Detonator Cord
Cape: Forward Observer's Camouflage Cloak, Sparkburnt Welder's Cloak
Ring: Mar'tak's Rugged Seal, Sootstained Felsworn Signet
Trinket: Flickering Felspark
Weapons: Blackfuse Company Utility Knife, Felfire Munitions Launcher, Smoldercore Bulwark

Tome of Chaoslegendary questlineWe Don't Need No Library CardHellfire CitadelGlory of the Hellfire RaiderInfernal DirewolfHellfire AssaultNearly IndestructibleReturn to Table of ContentsNotable Trash MobsIron Bulwark

Gorebound Felcasters will cast Incinerate and Felfire Volley occasionally

When Gorebound Felcasters reach 50% health, they will begin to cast Metamorphosis, and will transform into Gorebound Terrors if this cast finishes

Gorebound Terrors will repeatedly cast Felfire Volley until killed, dealing very high raid damage

Metamorphosis, and the Terror's casts of Felfire Volley, cannot be interrupted

Hulking Berserker

Berserkers will use Slam on their current target approximately every 8 seconds, causing the tank to take additional Physical damage for 12 seconds

This effect stacks, resulting in extremely heavy tank damage

The optimal tank-swapping strategy is to swap at 2 stacks, but this results in very frequent swapping that may be impractical during trash fights

Berserkers also cast Cower!, dealing armor-piercing Physical damage to players within 20 yards and applying a movement speed reduction

Ranged DPS and healers should stay more than 20 yards from the Berserkers to avoid this damage

Contracted Engineer

Conducted Shock Pulse will target a random player and spread to up to 3 other nearby players

Affected players take moderate Nature damage and will be stunned for 6 seconds

The stun can be dispelled by healers

Engineers will also periodically leap to a random player and cast Boom, summoning three bombs in a small cluster

After 10 seconds, these bombs will explode, dealing heavy damage to players within 5 yards

Players must watch for nearby armed bombs and move away

Iron Dragoon

Felfire Flamebelchers will aim Belch Flame at a random player, launching a scattered volley of flames that deal moderate damage to players within 3 yards of the impact of each projectile

Felfire Demolishers target Siege Nova at a random distant player, creating a large red targeting reticule

Shortly thereafter, the Demolisher fires mortars that land in a teardrop-shaped pattern, stretching from the Demolisher to the reticule

Players within 3 yards of these mortars will take moderate to heavy Fire damage

Several seconds later, the Demolisher then fires another, larger mortar at the center of the targeting reticule

This mortar will damage all players within 100 yards, but players can reduce the amount of damage they take by moving far away from the mortar's impact point

Return to Table of ContentsMini-BossesGrand Corruptor U'roggGruteMythic Hellfire Assault

Corruption Nova creates a pattern of small green ruptures on the ground, which erupt several seconds later to deal moderate damage to players within 2 yards

Corruption Bolt deals moderate Shadow damage to U'rogg's current target

Corruption Siphon targets a random player and deals a large amount of damage to them, leaving a debuff that will absorb healing equal to the damage dealt

Gorebound Fanatics will Kaboom, haphazardly throwing explosives in the area around them

Gorebound Cauterizers will cast Fel Shock on their current target, summon Felfire Braziers that fling fire at the ground that deals damage to nearby players, and will heal other enemy mobs with Blazing Wounds

Gorebound Corruptors have the same Corruption Bolt and Corruption Siphon abilities that Grand Corruptor U'rogg has

Siegeworks Technicians throw Felflame Crates at random players, dealing moderate fire damage to players within the impact zone

Gorebound Terrors

Any mini-boss in the pack

Hulking Berserkers

Gorebound Cauterizers

Gorebound Felcasters

The remaining mobs are not very dangerous and can be killed with AoE and incidental cleave

Return to Table of ContentsHellfire Assault Encounter Mechanics

This is achieved by destroying the Iron Horde's Fel-Infused Siege Weapons, which spawn about once per minute and drive towards the Hellfire Cannons

Each Siege Weapon that players destroy will drop a box of Felfire Munitions that persists for 90 seconds or until picked up

Players can pick up the Felfire Munitions and carry it to one of the two Hellfire Cannons flanking the gate through which players entered the raid

The Felfire Munitions will automatically be thrown to the Cannon when the player moves close enough to it

This gives the Hellfire Cannon enough ammunition to fire Hellfire Rounds at the Reinforced Hellfire Door four times

24 total shots, or 6 boxes of Felfire Munitions, are required to destroy the Reinforced Hellfire Door and complete the encounter

Felfire Munitions

If a Hellfire Cannon is destroyed, it will unleash Hellfire Destruction, instantly killing all players

The Felfire Flamebelcher, Felfire Crusher, and Felfire Artillery Siege Weapons will attack the Hellfire Cannons until destroyed

Additionally, any untanked Hellfire Reinforcement adds will also use their damaging abilities on the Hellfire Cannons

Hellfire Reinforcements consist of the familiar trash mobs - Gorebound Felcasters, Hulking Berserkers, Contracted Engineers, and Iron Dragoons

Return to Table of ContentsSiegemaster Mar'tak

Siegemaster Mar'tak will frequently create a Shockwave, facing a random player and summoning a cone of earthen spikes

Players struck by the spikes will take heavy damage and be knocked back

Mar'tak will also periodically target three players with Howling Axe

When the Howling Axe debuff wears off, she will throw her axe at the indicated players, traveling to each target before returning to Siegemaster

Players struck in this fashion take heavy damage and will splash that damage onto other players within 8 yards

The three marked players must be sure to move away from the rest of the raid and each other before the Howling Axe debuff fades

Mar'tak also buffs herself and nearby enemy units with Inspiring Presence, the effect of which increases over time

Once Mar'tak reaches 50% health, she flees the encounter area, removing the Shockwave, Howling Axe, and Inspiring Presence mechanics from the fight

The impact point for these capsules is marked by large orange ground effects

Players within a few yards of the impact will take Capsule Impact damage and be knocked back

Once landed, the capsules will open, and Hellfire Reinforcement adds will emerge

Tanks must quickly pick these adds up so they do not run to the Hellfire Cannons and damage them - particularly the Hulking Berserkers

Players should kill the adds according to the appropriate kill priority

Return to Table of ContentsFel-Infused Siege Weapons

Felfire Flamebelchers will Belch Flame at the Cannons, dealing heavy damage to the Cannon with each shot, and also dealing damage to players within 3 yards of the impact

Felfire Crushers will Bore any players standing in its path, bears several untargetable Gorebound Siegeriders that blast Burn off the sides and back of the vehicle, and will Crush the Hellfire Cannon upon reaching it, quickly destroying it

Felfire Artillery will fire Artillery Blast at the Cannons, dealing extremely heavy damage to the Cannon and any players within 40 yards

Except while carrying Felfire Munitions to the Hellfire Cannons, or picking up adds that slipped past the tank, players should stay away from the Cannons to avoid taking incidental damage from these effects

Felfire MunitionsReturn to Table of ContentsHellfire Assault Strategy Summary

Siege Weapon Schedule, Normal

Wave

Siege Weapon Type

Felfire Flamebelcher

Felfire Crusher

Felfire Artillery

Felfire Crusher

Felfire Flamebelcher

Felfire Artillery

Felfire Crusher

Whichever Siege Weapon is currently active, especially if it is a Felfire Crusher

Gorebound Terror

Hulking Berserker

Contracted Engineer

Gorebound Felcaster

Iron Dragoon

Metamorphosis

Between Siege Weapon spawns, the raid leader should mark a Felcaster to push

Once the marked Felcaster has transformed into a Terror, all DPS must kill it quickly before beginning to kill another Felcaster

It is very difficult to heal the raid through two Gorebound Terrors at the same time, and will drain healers' mana

Felfire MunitionsFelfire MunitionsFelfire MunitionsFelfire VolleyTank Responsibilities

The Fel-Infused Siege Weapons cannot be tanked

At the start, one tank should take Siegemaster Mar'tak and the other tank should take the rest of the adds

Once it spawns, move the Hulking Berserker far enough away from Mar'tak that the Inspiring Presence buff fades

If necessary, swap the Hulking Berserker after Siegemaster Mar'tak has fled, and swap future Hulking Berserkers after taking at least 2 stacks of Slam

To prevent Gorebound Felcasters from pushing to the Gorebound Terror phase prematurely, keep them away from Siege Weapons so they don't get cleaved

Keep an eye out for Capsules that will deliver the next wave of adds; stand back as they land to avoid taking Capsule Impact damage

Drag mobs away from the Contracted Engineers' bombs, so melee DPS do not take bomb damage

Interrupt the Gorebound Felcasters' Felfire Volley, and the Contracted Engineers' Conducted Shock Pulse, when possible

Use survivability cooldowns when Slam stacks are high

Move out of Shockwave and avoid the Burn from the Felfire Crusher

Damage-Dealer Responsibilities

Defeating the Siege Weapons quickly, so you can focus on other adds, is the key to success in this encounter

Multi-DoT classes should be cautious with the Gorebound Felcasters; pushing them to the Gorebound Terror phase early can cause raid wipes

Line up cooldowns with the Siege Weapons, particularly the Felfire Crusher

Stay spread out to avoid splashing Howling Axe or Conducted Shock Pulse damage to other players

Move out of Shockwave, away from bombs, and away from the Capsule Impact, and avoid taking Burn damage from the Felfire Crusher as it passes

Interrupt the Gorebound Felcasters' Felfire Volley, and the Contracted Engineers' Conducted Shock Pulse, when possible

Healer Responsibilities

Tank damage is very heavy while Hulking Berserkers are active, especially if the tank has 2+ stacks of Slam

Players with the Howling Axe debuff will take moderate to heavy damage shortly after the debuff expires

Raid damage will be spiky and unpredictable

Healing/damage-reduction CDs should be used when Gorebound Terrors are casting Felfire Volley

Dispel the Conducted Shock Pulse stun from affected players

Stay spread out to avoid splashing Howling Axe or Conducted Shock Pulse damage to other players

Move out of Shockwave, away from bombs, and away from the Capsule Impact, and avoid taking Burn damage from the Felfire Crusher as it passes

Interrupt the Gorebound Felcasters' Felfire Volley, and the Contracted Engineers' Conducted Shock Pulse, when possible

When to use Bloodlust/Heroism/Time WarpBloodlustHeroismTime WarpShockwaveHowling AxeWhen to use Legendary Ring EffectsBloodlustHeroismTime WarpFelfire VolleyMetamorphosisSlamLooking For Raid DifficultyBurnReturn to Table of ContentsHeroic Difficulty

Siege Weapon Schedule, Heroic

Wave

Siege Weapon Type

Felfire Flamebelcher

Felfire Crusher

Felfire Artillery

Felfire Demolisher

Felfire Flamebelcher

Felfire Artillery

Felfire Demolisher

Felfire Flamebelcher

Felfire Demolisher

Demolishers target Siege Nova at a random distant player, creating a large red targeting reticule

Shortly thereafter, the Demolisher fires mortars that land in a teardrop-shaped pattern, stretching from the Demolisher to the reticule

Players within 3 yards of these mortars will take moderate to heavy Fire damage

Several seconds later, the Demolisher then fires another, larger mortar at the center of the targeting reticule

This mortar will damage all players within 100 yards, but players can reduce the amount of damage they take by moving far away from the mortar's impact point

Damage-reduction CDs or minor healing CDs may be useful in healing the raid back up after this damage

Siege Nova

Siege Nova first shoots a mortar volley around the reticule

Then fires a large mortar dealing raid-wide damage

Repair28 shots - or 7 boxes of Felfire Munitions - are required to break down the Reinforced Hellfire Door on Heroic difficultyReturn to Table of ContentsMythic Difficulty

Siege Weapon Schedule, Mythic

Wave

Left

Right

Time

Siege Weapon Type

Time

Siege Weapon Type