The Nighthold - Star Augur Etraeus Raid Strategy Guide

Background and Initial Positioning

• This Nightborne Astromancer has been using the power of the Nightwell to scout the worlds outside our sight. He’s not happy you plan to disrupt that power.
• This fight has a lot of tank mechanics, but it has limited adds until the final phase. It consists of 4 phases that are triggered by remaining HP percentages.
• Initial positioning isn’t terribly important. Simply pull the boss where he stands on the platform.

Abilities and Mechanics
Phase 1

• Coronal Ejection
  
  • Etraeus will summon spheres near a player. The spheres will explode after a short time, applying a DoT to 4 targeted players. It is unavoidable.
• Starburst
  
  • This is the tank-focused ability for this phase. It’s a simple magic-based attack that targets the enemy with the highest threat.

Phase 2 - Activated at 90% HP

• Gravitational Pull
  
  • This ability affects a tank, telegraphing a Comet Impact. When this happens, the off-tank should taunt, and the tank should run to a clear location.
  • The impact will affect all players within a 5 yard radius.
  • Afterwards, the tank will be inflicted with Absolute Zero, a heavy DoT which can be removed by having 3 allies stand in the demarcated circle.
  • Players that help remove the debuff will be afflicted with Chilled. The debuff limits them from removing the DoT again for 12 seconds, under fear of being stunned for an extended duration.
  • For this phase, split your raid group into 2 or more groups and have your tanks alternate groups that they run to to remove the buff. Tanks should be careful to not get too close before the Comet Impact.
• Icy Ejection
  
  • A variant of the original Coronal Ejection, this version spawns a sphere which inflicts nearby players with a debuff, causing them to Shatter after a time. This will cause them to dealing AoE damage.
  • Affected players must move from the raid so that Shatter doesn’t affect allies.
  • This sphere will always affect one of the Absolute Zero soak groups.
• Iceburst
  
  • The unique tank ability for this phase, it’s a simple splash attack. Don’t stack with your off-tank or other players.

Phase 3 - Activated at 60% HP

• Fel Impact
  
  • This is the phase-specific variant of Comet Impact. It’s very similar to the previous incarnation, except for applying another Gravitational Pull debuff and some interactions with the next mechanic.
• Fel Ejection
  
  • This ability is similar in application to Icy Ejection, and players should run out of the raid when it is applied to them. Additionally, they will leave behind fel flame pools as they take damage.
  • Try and drop these pools in small, manageable stacks. Tanks can clear them by standing near them when Fel Impact hits.
• Felburst
  
  • This phase-specific tank-focusing ability causes a stacking DoT.
  • Save CDs for higher stacks of this DoT, as your off-tank will be having to deal with other mechanics before switching.

Phase 4 - Activated at 30% HP

• Void Impact
  
  • This is the phase-specific version of Comet Impact. This version does damage in a 5 yard AoE when landing, as well as spawning a Thing That Should Not Be.
  • The add will prevent most damage if tanked too close to the boss, so the tank should run far away before the impact lands.
  • This add is the highest priority target, as it deals raid-wide damage and fears those looking at it at the end of the Witness the Void cast.
• Void Ejection
  
  • Similar to other ejections, Void Ejection will spawn on a player and deal AoE damage.
  • Unique to this phase, the sphere will summon Voidlings.
  • AoE disrupt and damage these ASAP, as they place a damaging debuff, Voidburst, on the target of their attacks.
• Voidburst
  
  • The tank ability for this phase is a debuff gained from the boss as well as Voidling mobs.
  • This is a DoT that propagates when it expires, jumping to new targets. Therefore tanks should keep stacks as low as possible while managing adds and Void Impact.
  • This phase is particularly taxing on healers, as Voidburst causes substantial raid-wide damage that only increases as the fight continues. Try and be efficient in earlier phases to save CDs and mana for this one.

The nightborne astromancer Etraeus has devoted long years of research to scouring the skies of Azeroth, seeking answers to the great mysteries of the universe. His scrying has shown him worlds beyond our ken, and the power of the Nightwell allows him to draw upon the essence of those worlds to amplify his own powers.

• Overview - Star Augur Etraeus fights within a stellar observatory of his own construction. At 90%, 60%, and 30% health remaining, he will activate his observation deck to project the raid through the nether overlooking different worlds, siphoning the energies of those worlds to empower his abilities in different ways.
  
  • Tanks -
    • Huddle together with clumps of players to remove Absolute Zero, avoiding players with Chilled.
    • Use Fel Impact to clear pools of Felflame.
    • If a Thing Which Should Not Be is too close to Etraeus, they will both gain Void Shift.
    • Turn away from Things Which Should Not Be when they cast Witness the Void.
  • Healers -
    • Players affected by Coronal Ejection suffer heavy damage over time.
    • Fel Nova and Witness the Void deal heavy raid damage.
    • Voidburst deals increasing damage over time.
    • Turn away from Things Which Should Not Be when they cast Witness the Void.
  • Damage Dealers -
    • Move away from other players when afflicted by Icy Ejection to avoid damaging them with Shatter.
    • Avoid placing Felflame on other players when afflicted by Fel Ejection.
    • Turn away from Things Which Should Not Be when they cast Witness the Void.
• Grand Conjunction - Marks players with Star Signs. Players with the same star sign who touch each other have their star sign cleared. If a player with a sign touches a player with an opposing sign, a Grand Trine occurs.
  If a star sign expires without being removed, it also triggers a Grand Trine.
  
  • Grand Trine - Inflicts 2,000,000 Arcane damage to all players and increases their damage taken by 200% for 2 min.
• Stage One: The Dome of Observation -
  
  • Starburst - Fires a bolt of stellar matter at the target, inflicting 1,780,000 Arcane damage.
  • Coronal Ejection - Creates an unstable ball of energy that detonates after a short time, sending missiles at nearby players and inflicting 750,400 Fire damage immediately and 321,000 Fire damage every 2 sec. for 8 sec
• Stage Two: Absolute Zero -
  
  • Iceburst - Fires a bolt of frost at the target, inflicting 1,745,000 Frost damage to them and any other players within 6 yards.
  • Gravitational Pull - The targeted player attracts detritus from the nether, and is periodically struck by an impact from the area surrounding the platform.
    
    • Comet Impact - Inflicts 3,080,000 Physical damage to all players within 5 yards of the targeted player, and applies Absolute Zero to the targeted player.
      
      • Absolute Zero - Inflicts 1,285,500 Frost damage every 2 sec. This effect stacks.
        This effect can only be removed by standing within 5 yards of at least 3 other players.
        Players who help remove Absolute Zero are afflicted with Chilled for 12 sec.
      • Chilled - When a Chilled player comes within 5 yards of a player with Absolute Zero, the Chilled Player will be Frozen Solid.
        
        • Frozen Solid - Stuns the affected player for 10 sec.
  • Icy Ejection - Creates a ball of frost that shatters after a short time, inflicting 361,000 Frost damage immediately, 214,000 Frost damage every 2 sec. for 10 sec, and gradually slowing affected targets over 10 sec until they come to a complete stop, at which point they Shatter.
    
    • Shatter - The affected player shatters, causing 1,068,987 Frost damage to them and any other players within 8 yards.
      
      • Frigid Pulse - Inflicts 1,875,000 Frost damage to players within 5 yards and stuns them for 1.5 sec.
  • Frigid Nova - Inflicts 2,685,000 Frost damage to all players. Each player's damage taken is reduced for each other player standing within 5 yards, up to a maximum of four other players.
• Stage Three: A Shattered World -
  
  • Felburst - Fires a bolt of fel energy at the target, inflicting 928,000 Fire damage instantly and an additional 22,850 Fire damage every 1.5 seconds over 7.5 sec.
    This effect stacks.
  • Gravitational Pull - The targeted player attracts detritus from the nether, and is periodically struck by an impact from the area surrounding the platform.
    
    • Fel Impact - A piece of fel debris impacts the affected player, inflicting 2,510,000 Physical damage to players within 5 yards and destroying any pools of Felflame it comes into contact with.
  • Fel Ejection - Creates a ball of fel energy which bursts, launching missiles at several players, inflicting 250,000 Fire damage immediately, and 214,000 Fire damage every 2 sec. for 8 sec. Whenever this this deals damage, it also creates a pool of Felflame.
    
    • Felflame - Inflicts 264,000 Fire damage every 1 sec. to any players inside the Felflame pool.
      This effect stacks.
  • Fel Nova - Inflicts 5,710,000 Fire damage to all players, reduced by distance from the caster.
  • Fel Ember - Fel embers drift slowly towards the ground, inflicting 3,000,000 Fire damage and creating several patches of Felflame when they impact.
• Stage Four: Inevitable Fate -
  
  • Voidburst - Fires a bolt of void energy at the target, inflicting 35,714 Shadow damage every 2 sec. for 6 sec.
    When Voidburst expires, it will jump to two other targets, who will each receive half of the stacks that it had when it expired.
  • Gravitational Pull - The targeted player attracts detritus from the nether, and is periodically struck by an impact from the area surrounding the platform.
    
    • Void Impact - Inflicts 321,500 Physical damage to the targeted player and any other players within 5 yards, and summons a Thing Which Should Not Be.
      
      • Thing That Should Not Be -
        
        • Void Shift - When a Thing Which Should Not Be is too close to Astromancer, Astromancer's damage taken is reduced by 99%.
        • Witness the Void - Shows the horror of the void to players, inflicting 428,500 Shadow damage to all players and fearing any players looking towards the caster for 8 sec sec.
  • Void Ejection - Void energy manifests and flies to players, inflicting 700,000 Shadow damage immediately, and 700,000 Shadow damage after 8 sec. Additionally, after 8 sec, a Void Eruption will burst from affected players.
    
    • Void Eruption - Void energy bursts from a player, summoning several Voidlings.
      
      • Voidling - A void-born horror whose melee strikes inflict Shadow damage.
        
        • Bursting Void - Each of a Voidling's damaging melee attacks also inflicts a stack of Voidburst to the affected target.
  • Void Nova - Inflicts 500,000 Shadow damage and adds a stack of Voidburst to all players.
  • World-Devouring Force - The Void beings devouring the nearby planet manifest a massive Eye of the Void.
    The Eye of the Void unleashes a World- Devouring Force, inflicting 100,000,000 Shadow damage to all players in a line in front of the eye, and creates a Remnant of the Void.
    Remnant of the Void periodically casts Devouring Remnant at players.
    
    • Devouring Remnant - Inflicts 1,500,000 Shadow damage, divided among all enemies in front of the Remnant of the Void.