The Nighthold - Chronomatic Anomaly Raid Strategy Guide

Background and Initial Positioning

• The Chronomatic Anomaly is an embodiment of the power of the Eye of Aman'thul. This is a unique encounter with time-altering effects.
• This fight features heavy movement, quick bursts of damage, and interrupts.
• Pull the boss where he stands and have DPS spread evenly. Initial positioning isn’t too important.

Abilities and Mechanics

• Passage of Time
  
  • The Anomaly uses this ability to either speed up, slow down, or normalize the flow of time.
  • The Anomaly uses a different set of abilities depending on the current rate of time.
• Waning Time Particle
  
  • The Anomaly will spawn an elemental add that must be dealt with quickly.
  • The add will cast Warp Nightwell. The frequency of the cast is determined by the current speed of time.
    • This ability does stacking raid-wide damage, but it is interruptible.
    • During Speed:Fast, the add will cast Warp Nightwell every 1.5 seconds, so CCs and AoE heals must be on point. Use CDs if necessary.
  • Killing the elemental add spawns 4 Fragmented Time Particles.
  • These adds also cast a (less dangerous) Warp Nightwell, so use AoE to disable and kill them quickly.
• Temporal Rift & Power Overwhelming
  
  • Killing a Waning Time Particle spawns a Temporal Rift on the ground.
    
    • Activating the rift causes an effect called Temporal Charge.
    • Only this ability can interrupt the Anomaly’s Power Overwhelming.
      
      • Power Overwhelming is a stacking raid-wide damage spell.
      • The player with Temporal Charge will interrupt the boss automatically if he is channeling Power Overwhelming.
      • Tanks are suggested Charge carriers, as the effect does a DoT until the interrupt occurs.
    • After interrupting, the boss takes 30% increased damage for 15 seconds. This is your burn phase.
    • The Anomaly can start casting Power Overwhelming before the Waning Time Particle has died, so kill it quickly and have healers ready to heal off the first couple AoE bursts if you’re a bit slow.
• Temporal Orbs
  
  • The Nightwell will occasionally spill out a bombard of Temporal Orbs.
  • These orbs deal moderate damage, but move with the current speed of time, making Speed:Fast particularly dangerous.
• Burst of Time
  
  • A simple ability where the Anomaly marks a location and fires a projectile.
  • DPS should stay spread; don’t stand in the impact area.
  • Travel time of projectiles is affected by current speed of time.
• Chronometric Particles
  
  • This is the tank-swap mechanic of the encounter. Don’t get to 10 stacks.
  • This ability is also affected by the speed of time, increasing debuff duration and application frequency.
    
    • During normal and fast speeds, feel free to have tanks swap off before reaching 9 stacks to limit damage.
    • During the slow speed, tanks will most likely need to reach the full 9 stacks before swapping.
• Time Bomb
  
  • Non-tank debuff that explodes after some time. This debuff is affected by current speed.
  • Non-tanks should stay spread and run out of the raid when affected.
• Time Release
  
  • This is a randomly targeted healing absorption shield.
  • If not healed away, the shield will explode and deal AoE damage equal to heal absorb remaining.
  • The speed of time affects the number of applications during a phase, the number of players targeted, the strength of the shield, and its duration before exploding.
    • Speed:Slow - 2 applications, and all players but 1 tank is targeted. Low shield strength, long duration. Strong AoE healing is needed. Prioritize players with the most heal absorb left. This is denoted by red or orange coloring.
    • Speed:Normal - 2/3 applications, 4 targets, and moderate shield strength and time. Spot heal targets up.
    • Speed:Fast - ~4 applications, 2 targets, strong shield strength, and short time. Heavily spot heal targets up.

The cavern at the base of the Nightwell is a maelstrom of raw energy, as the power to fuel an entire civilization courses from the earth. Born from this chaotic flux, the Chronomatic Anomaly is an embodiment of the power of the Eye of Aman'thul. As it lashes out with energy attacks, the bursts of energy warp the very flow of time.

• Overview - The rate at which time flows fluctuates over the course of the encounter. These changes affect players' movement and actions, but the Chronomatic Anomaly is exceptionally sensitive to the flow of time and its abilities may be drastically affected.
  
  • Tanks -
    • Monitor your stacks of Chronometric Particles and be aware of any changes in their duration.
    • Power Overwhelming can be interrupted by a Temporal Smash from a Temporal Orb.
  • Healers -
    • You will have significantly different amounts of time to react to Time Release based on the the current Passage of Time rate.
    • Waning Time Particles continually emit raidwide damage via Warp Nightwell.
    • Power Overwhelming inflicts increasing damage until it is interrupted by a Temporal Smash.
  • Damage Dealers -
    • Waning Time Particles and Fragmented Time Particles continually emit raidwide damage via Warp Nightwell unless interrupted.
    • Defeat Waning Time Particles quickly to allow your tanks to interrupt Power Overwhelming.
    • Once hit with Temporal Smash the Chronomatic Anomaly will take additional damage.
• Passage of Time - The flow of time near the Nightwell is ever changing. These changes will affect casting, movement, and attack speeds. Periodic effects and cooldowns will also be affected.
• Chronometric Particles - Each application inflicts 48,280 Arcane damage to the victim every 2 sec. If the victim ever has more than 9 applications of Chronometric Particles a Chronometric Overload occurs.
  
  • Chronometric Overload - The victim explodes with Chronometric energy, inflicting 714,500 damage to all players. The victim perishes in the process.
• Burst of Time - The caster hurls an orb of temporal energies that explodes when hitting the ground. The explosion inflicts 532,500 Arcane damage to all enemies within 6 yards of the target location.
• Time Release - Applies a healing absorb to the victim. When the effect ends, Arcane damage is dealt to all enemies based on the amount of heal absorbtion remaining.
• Time Bomb - Places a Time Bomb on the victim of variable duration. When this effect expires, all players suffer 720,000 Arcane damage. This damage dissipates the further away the victim is from the explosion.
• Depleted Time Particle - Fires Tachyon Pulses at random enemies. When a Depleted Time Particle dies, it explodes in a Tachyon Burst.
  
  • Tachyon Pulse - The caster sends out a burst of time particles, inflicting 400,000 Arcane damage to all players.
  • Tachyon Burst - When the caster dies, a massive burst of Tachyon energy is released, inflicting 568,000 Arcane damage to all players.
  • Temporal Volatility - This creature will react violently if exposed to a Temporal Charge, inflicting 0 Arcane damage and knocking back all enemies within 10 yards.
• Waning Time Particle - Continually Warps the fabric of time within the Nightwell, damaging all players in the zone. Leaves behind a Temporal Rift and divides into Fragmented Time Particles on death.
  
  • Warp Nightwell - The caster warps the Nightwell, inflicting 100,000 Arcane damage to all players.
    Each cast of this spell increases the damage of caster's successive Warps by 5%.
  • Temporal Rift - Upon death, the elemental fragments into four Fragmented Time Particles, leaving a Temporal Rift behind. Players can interact with the rift to gain a Temporal Charge.
    
    • Temporal Charge - You are infused with volatile Temporal energy, inflicting increasing Arcane damage to you every second. This energy grants you the ability, "Temporal Smash."
      
      
      • Temporal Smash - The caster unleashes their stored temporal energy at the target. The victim stops channeling Power Overwhelming and will take 30% more damage for the next 15 sec.
    • Fragmented Time Particle - Fragmented Time Particles continually Warp the Nightwell until they are defeated.
  • Chronomate - Strikes the target for Arcane damage.
• Temporal Orbs - The energies of the Nightwell overflow, issuing out a multitude of Temporal Orbs. These orbs inflict 284,620 Arcane damage to all players in their path.
• Power Overwhelming - The caster focuses their power on the Nightwell, causing it to periodically pulse out 355,000 Arcane damage to all players. The caster will continue to focus their power in this manner until they are interrupted by a Temporal Smash.
  Each burst of damage increases the damage of further bursts by 15%.