High Council (Hellfire Citadel) Strategy Guide

By Wowhead Updated: 2018/05/12

Hellfire CitadelDia DarkwhisperGurtogg BloodboilBlademaster Jubei'thosHellfire CitadelClass GuidesWarcraft LogsMelee DPSRanged DPSHealersTanksLoot and RewardsSeal of Inevitable Fate Bonus RollsDia DarkwhisperGurtogg BloodboilBlademaster Jubei'thos

LFR (675)

Cloth: Sash of Guttural Intonation, Void-Pact Leggings
Leather: Fel-Crazed Pauldrons
Mail: Bladewalk Boots, Gauntlets of Reckless Assault
Plate: Blade-Chipped Waistguard, Wailing Woe Pauldrons
Neck: Gorget of Induced Madness
Cape: none
Ring: Hazy Voidstone Band, Shadowmoon Ancestry Ring
Trinket: Smoldering Felblade Remnant
Weapons: Hellfire Mindblade, Viscera-Stained Longsword, Spring-Loaded Jawstaff, Rivetspike Cleaver

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

Tome of Chaoslegendary questlineWe Don't Need No Library CardHellfire CitadelGlory of the Hellfire RaiderInfernal DirewolfDon't Fear the ReaperReturn to Table of ContentsNotable Trash Mobs

Hellfire Guardians attack tanks with Fel Strike, and will use Shield Leap Impact to rush to and damage players at range

After Shield Leap Impact, the Guardian gains Empowered Fel Strike, and tanks should use a CD to survive.

Fel Hellweavers will channel Hellweaving on random players, which healers should dispel. Hellweaving cannot be conventionally interrupted, but stuns, incapacitates, knock-backs, and other similar effects will also break the channel.

Fel Hellweavers also cast Fel Fireball at random targets; and they summon an Orb of Destruction that players should move away from.

Fel Touched Seers will cast Fel Cauterize on their allies, dealing 10% of their life in damage, then healing for 5% of their life each second for up to 8 seconds unless the Fel Cauterize buff is removed.

Seers also cast Fel Lava Beam at tanks, which will chain to up to four additional players, typically the melee DPS.

The Shambling Hulk casts Fel Slam approximately every 20 seconds, creating a line of Fel Geysers in front of him; players within 3 yards of these Geysers will take moderate Fire damage and be knocked back.

Additionally, Shambling Hulk will cast Brutal Shout, dealing raid-wide Physical damage. This ability is used more frequently as the Hulk reaches lower health.

Fel CauterizeFel-Starved TraineeGorebound Assassin

Fel-Starved Trainees are accompanied by Fel-Touched Seers. The Trainees deal melee damage and buff themselves with Fellust.

Gorebound Assassins are stealthed, and when a player walks into their range, will de-stealth and use Cheap Shot on the nearest target.

Cheap Shot stuns the targeted player for five seconds, and the Assassin will fixate their melee attacks on that player for the duration of the stun.

Additionally, Assassins will periodically target a random player with Fel Poison, which can be removed by poison-dispelling effects such as Cleanse or Detox.

Graggra

Bad Breath is a cone attack she will cast at the current tank every 12 seconds, dealing heavy fire damage and leaving a debuff that increases fire damage taken by 200%

Tanks must swap duties after each Bad Breath to avoid ever taking Bad Breath damage while debuffed

Graggra will target all players with Blazing Fel Touch, placing small green felfire spheres over the players' heads

After 30 seconds, the Blazing Fel Touch will erupt, dealing damage to all players within 6 yards

Players will get a green circle around them when there are 5 seconds left on the Blazing Fel Touch debuff, to indicate the size of its explosion

The raid must spread out to avoid splashing damage on other players

Graggra will also target one player with Graggra Smash, placing a green arrow over their head and a large circle around them, and leaping to their position after 5 seconds

This deals very heavy damage, split between all players within the impact zone

The raid must stack in the circle to split the damage, but be mindful of the timing on Blazing Fel Touch and spread back out immediately after

Return to Table of ContentsHellfire High Council Encounter Mechanics

These bosses do not share health, and should be defeated one at a time

The suggested kill order is Gurtogg > Jubei'thos > Dia

When a boss reaches 30% health (Final Hour), they gain a new ability that will persist through the fight even after their death

It is very important not to push two bosses below 30% health at the same time

Players must be careful with multi-DoTting and cleave abilities

Once a boss has reached 30% health, players must defeat the boss quickly

Dia Darkwhisper

Dia's Void Haze ability means she must be tanked far away from the other two bosses, so that the other bosses do not become immune to damage

Bosses under the effect of Dia's Void Haze become shadowy and transparent; if tanks see this, they must move the boss away from Dia

Dia will attack her threat target with Void Bolt, which can be interrupted

Every 35 seconds, Dia will gain Nightmare Visage, dealing heavy damage to her tank

During Nightmare Visage, tanks should use strong survivability cooldowns or call for a healer's external CD

If the tank leaves melee range during Nightmare Visage, Dia will Charge to them; she cannot be kited to avoid the Visage damage

Mark of the NecromancerReap

Dia will cast Mark of the Necromancer on a player about once every 70 seconds

This debuffs the player with a Magical DoT that deals increasing damage with each tick

As the debuff grows in damage, its icon changes color, allowing healers to quickly assess the severity of a player's debuff

The weak version is Mark of the Necromancer; the moderate version is Mark of the Necromancer; the strong version is Mark of the Necromancer

When Mark of the Necromancer is dispelled from a player, it jumps to two new targets, resetting its damage

ReapMark of the NecromancerReap

Reap deals heavy damage to players standing inside its area of effect, and will stack if more than one Reap puddle spawns in the same location

During Reap's long cast time, players afflicted by Mark of the Necromancer must run out of the raid to drop their Reap zones in unused areas of the room

Once the Reap cast completes and the puddle forms, players must move out of the puddle quickly to limit their damage intake

Note that dispelling a player during the Reap cast will still create a Reap puddle under that player, as well as the two players it jumps to

Healers should avoid dispelling Mark of the Necromancer during the Reap cast

Mark of the NecromancerReapReapMark of the NecromancerMark of the Necromancer

During this time Dia will no longer cast Reap

As a result, as healers begin to dispel dangerously high Mark of the Necromancer debuffs, the entire raid will eventually become covered by Mark of the Necromancer debuffs

Once this happens, healers should just dispel on CD, since this will overwrite high-damage Mark of the Necromancer debuffs with the low-damage versions when it bounces

Mark of the NecromancerReturn to Table of ContentsBlademaster Jubei'thos

Felstorm, which he will cast approximately every 30 seconds, deals moderate, unavoidable raid-wide damage

Although this ability looks like a whirlwind-type effect, players will take the same amount of damage no matter where they are in the room, so melee do not need to run out

Jubei'thos will also throw his Fel Blade in a randomly-chosen direction, dealing heavy damage and knocking back any player in its path

The green arrow at Jubei'thos's feet will indicate the direction in which Fel Blade will travel

Players, particularly melee DPS, should make sure to move out of the Fel Blade's path

Wicked StrikeWicked StrikeReturn to Table of ContentsGurtogg BloodboilAcidic WoundVoid HazeFel RageFel Rage

Fel Rage increases the player's damage dealt, healing done, and Leech rating significantly

Gurtogg will run to the Fel Rage target and melee them until Fel Rage fades, and will then return to the tank

The player targeted by Fel Rage should kite the boss 25-30 yards away from the tank so that Gurtogg's travel time will allow the tank's Acidic Wounds to drop

Do not kite Gurtogg toward Dia! Void Haze completely negates the additional damage from Fel Rage

Targeted players should use personal survivability cooldowns and focus on using the DPS boost to damage Gurtogg significantly

Healers must pay special attention to keeping the Fel Rage target alive

Fel RageFurySootheTranquilizing ShotFel RageBloodboilBloodboilTainted BloodReturn to Table of ContentsUltimate Abilities

Dia Darkwhisper will summon Wailing Horrors and fills the room with Darkness for 15 seconds

Blademaster Jubei'thos will Windwalk, vanishing from combat, but spawning Mirror Images; he will return after 45 seconds or all Mirror Images have died

Gurtogg Bloodboil will use Demolishing Leap, jumping to distant locations and dealing damage to the raid based upon their proximity to his landing site

These are excellent times for raid cooldowns, as these abilities deal heavy damage for extended periods of time

FelstormWailing HorrorDemolishing LeapWailing HorrorWailing HorrorDarknessWindwalkMirror ImagesMirror ImagesWindwalkMirror ImagesMirror ImagesFelstormFel BladeMirror ImagesFel BladeMirror ImagesDemolishing LeapDemolishing LeapReturn to Table of ContentsHellfire High Council Strategy Summary

Tank Dia Darkwhisper more than 25 yards away from the other two bosses, to avoid Void Haze

The primary DPS target should be Gurtogg, but cleaving onto Jubei'thos and carefully multi-dotting Dia to lower their health below 50% is fine

The player with Fel Rage should kite Gurtogg about 25-30 yards away from the tank, then focus on survival and dealing damage while under the increased damage effect

External damage reduction CDs should be used for Fel Rage on vulnerable players or on the Dia tank for Nightmare Visage

Switch DPS to Jubei'thos's Mirror Images when he uses Windwalk

Healers should dispel Mark of the Necromancer on any player in danger of death, or, when its icon becomes red in colour (Mark of the Necromancer)

When Dia Deathwhisper begins to cast Reap, players with Mark of the Necromancer must run out of raid to drop the Reap zones in an unused area of the room

Use raid healing or damage-reduction cooldowns for each "ultimate" ability usage (Wailing Horror, Demolishing Leap, Windwalk), and as frequently as possible during Dia's final hour phase

This encounter has a 10 minute Berserk timer, after which the remaining bosses will gain 500% damage and quickly wipe the raid

Gurtogg Bloodboil

Blademaster Jubei'thos

Dia Darkwhisper

Don't Fear the ReaperMark of the NecromancerTainted BloodTainted BloodDemolishing LeapDemolishing LeapDemolishing LeapReturn to Table of ContentsTank Responsibilities

One tank will be tanking Dia Deathwhisper the entire fight, while the other tank will have Gurtogg Bloodboil and Blademaster Jubei'thos

Pull Dia away from the other two bosses, so that her Void Haze does not make the other bosses immune to damage

The Dia tank should use survivability cooldowns during Nightmare Visage

The Gurtogg tank should use survivability cooldowns at high stacks of Acidic Wound, before Fel Rage occurs

When Fel Rage occurs, do not chase Gurtogg; use Gurtogg's travel to allow your stacks of Acidic Wound to drop

Move out of the path of Jubei'thos's Fel Blade attack, and move away from any incoming Wailing Horrors during Dia's Darkness ability

Should any Reap pools form near a boss, move the boss away so melee DPS can still attack

Damage-Dealer Responsibilities

Carefully manage multi-DoTting and cleave to avoid pushing two bosses below 30% at the same time

If afflicted by Fel Rage, use personal damage-reduction CDs to survive, drag the boss about 20-30 yards away from the tank, and deal as much damage to Gurtogg as possible

When possible, remove Gurtogg's Fury using an Enrage-dispelling effect

When Jubei'thos uses Windwalk to summon Mirror Images, kill the Images quickly to reduce the amount of damage the raid will take

Move out of the path of Jubei'thos's Fel Blade attack, and move away from any incoming Wailing Horrors during Dia's Darkness ability

If afflicted by Mark of the Necromancer when Dia begins casting Reap, move out of the raid to form the Reap pool in an unused area of the room

Healer Responsibilities

Players with Fel Rage will require heavy healing, and may need external CDs such as Ironbark or Pain Suppression

Tanks will need additional healing at high stacks of Acidic Wound (Gurtogg tank) or during Nightmare Visage (Dia tank)

Dispel Mark of the Necromancer when affected players gain the red variant of the debuff (Mark of the Necromancer)

Additionally, should Mark of the Necromancer land on a tank, be sure to dispel it from the tank before Reap occurs

Use raid healing or damage-reduction CDs for each "ultimate" ability; these occur approximately 1:15 apart

When Dia reaches 30% health and afflicts half of the raid with Mark of the Necromancer, dispel aggressively to keep raid damage low

Move out of the path of Jubei'thos's Fel Blade attack, and move away from any incoming Wailing Horrors during Dia's Darkness ability

If afflicted by Mark of the Necromancer when Dia begins casting Reap, move out of the raid to form the Reap pool in an unused area of the room

When to use Bloodlust/Heroism/Time WarpBloodlustHeroismTime WarpTainted BloodTainted BloodWhen to use Legendary Ring EffectsWailing HorrorDarknessNightmare VisageAcidic WoundLooking For Raid DifficultyVoid HazeMark of the NecromancerReturn to Table of ContentsMythic DifficultyBloodboilMark of the NecromancerBloodboil

Bloodboil targets the five furthest away players from Gurtogg

The DoT effect lasts for 24 seconds, and Gurtogg will cast it every 8 seconds

The raid should form two five-person groups of ranged DPS/healers to soak Bloodboil

The first group should start the fight at a designated Bloodboil-soaking location and take three stacks before moving closer to the boss

When the first group reaches three stacks, the second group should move out to take the first group's place

These groups of players must be farther away from Gurtogg than the Dia Darkwhisper tank is, or else that tank will gain unhealable stacks of Bloodboil

Members of the current soak group who gain Mark of the Necromancer should use personal survivability CDs

Mark of the Necromancerdo not drop their Reap on the Bloodboil-soaking locationBloodboilMark of the Necromancer

Dispelling Mark of the Necromancer will deal Burden of the Necromancer damage to the entire raid for each player dispelled

Additionally, dispelling Mark of the Necromancer causes the debuff to jump to three targets instead of two

Healers must dispel strategically to prevent the raid from becoming overrun by Mark of the Necromancer debuffs or Burden of the Necromancer damage

It appears that Revival will not dispel the Mark of the Necromancer effect, leaving Mistweavers safe to use this ability at any time, and especially during the final 30% of the encounter

Mark of the NecromancerReapWailing HorrorDarknessWailing HorrorWailing HorrorFel RageMethod's Mythic Hellfire High Council GuideReturn to Table of ContentsAbout the Author:Restoration Shaman@healiocentrichealiocentric ... a blog that revolves around healing

Comments

Comment by Erasto

How many healers are recommended for this fight?
As for countering the Mark of the Necromancer, how beneficial is the glyph that allows an extra dispel for classes like Shamans?

Comment by 1106042

this raid is far too similar to SOO..

Comment by Netspook

If you're trying to solo the council in Legion, you may not be able to save Dia for last. Her ability, Void Haze, makes the other bosses immune to damage if they're not at least 25 yards away from her. If you have excellent dmg, or are able to use some clever pet tanking, it may work, though, at least on Normal difficulty.

Personally, when soloing this with my desto warlock on 10 player Normal, I prefer to start with Dia, then Gurtog and Jubei'tos last. The hardest part is when Jubei'tos disappers and the mirror images appear - they do quite a lot of damage, and if you don't pay attention, they can easily kill you.

High Council (Hellfire Citadel) Strategy Guide

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