Mythic+ Boss Mechanics Cheat Sheet
This cheat sheet covers all 28 bosses of the Midnight Season 2 Mythic+ pool on one page. For every boss it lists only the mechanics that wipe groups or kill players, what to do about them and which role owns them, so you can check a fight in the seconds before the pull. Full tactics, phases and loot are in the dungeon guide linked under each table. Everything reflects the hotfixes up to patch 12.1.5.
How to Use This Cheat Sheet
Each table has one row per boss: the abilities that decide the fight, the counter, and the role responsible. T is tank, H is healer, D is damage dealers and All is the whole group.
On Tyrannical weeks, which alternate from +7 and stay on from +10, bosses have 25% more health, and they and their minions deal up to 15% more damage. That hits hardest on fights built around stacking effects, such as Rav'i, Zul'jan and Charonus, because every extra second adds another stack. The Tyrannical affix guide covers cooldown planning for boss weeks.
Altar of Fangs Boss Mechanics
The bosses of Altar of Fangs in fight order.
| Boss | Deadly mechanic | What to do | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rav'i | Ssscavenging: she shields herself at a Carrion Pile, and Carrion Burst stacks on everyone until the shield breaks | Burst the shield with cooldowns; tank her away from piles with Fresh Meat; spread Triple Shot | D, T |
| The Writhing Coil | Death Rattle (deadly): stacking group damage until every tethered player runs 10 yards out | Everyone runs out together on the cast; kick all three Toxic Atrophy casts; defensive on Tail Scythe | All, D |
| Zul'jan | Ritual of the Fang and Ritual Venom (deadly): unsoaked beams empower him, and Ritual Venom kills its carrier when it expires | Soak all four beams in turns; clear Ritual Venom with one Boneslicer hit; defensive for both Chop Down hits | All, T |
Zul'jan has the highest wipe rate of any boss with published data. Full tactics are in our Altar of Fangs guide.
Den of Nalorakk Boss Mechanics
The bosses of Den of Nalorakk in fight order.
| Boss | Deadly mechanic | What to do | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Hoardmonger | Resourceful Measures at 90%, 70% and 40%: each pile he eats adds an ability that stays for the rest of the fight | Healing cooldowns for Ravenous Bellow; dodge the frontal slam; touch the mushrooms and dispel Toxic Spores | H, All |
| Sentinel of Winter | Frozen Tempest hurts far more outside the eye; unsoaked Rimeshatter shards hit everyone and root them | Stay in the eye; kick Winter's Shroud; one player soaks each shard; dispel Glacial Torment | All, D, H |
| Nalorakk | Overwhelming Onslaught (deadly): three armor-ignoring group hits; Fury of the War God sends Echoes at Zul'jarra | Stand behind Zul'jarra's Defensive Stance; tank soaks Forceful Slam; the group body-blocks the Echoes | All, T |
Full tactics are in our Den of Nalorakk guide.
Murder Row Boss Mechanics
The bosses of Murder Row in fight order.
| Boss | Deadly mechanic | What to do | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kystia Manaheart | Nibbles is the real target; at 20% Kystia is Destabilized and takes 115% more damage while the group takes heavy damage | Kill Nibbles first; burst Kystia in the Destabilized window; kick Felstorm; dispel Corroding Spittle | D, H |
| Zaen Bladesorrow | Murder in a Row (deadly): a shot at everyone in sight | Hide close behind a barrel; use the first Fire Bomb casts on one barrel and keep another for cover; healing cooldown for Killing Spree | All, H |
| Xathuux the Annihilator | Legion Strike cuts healing on the tank by 80%; Demonic Rage speeds him up and leaves fire | Tank defensive on Legion Strike; kite slowly through Demonic Rage; kill every axe from Axe Toss at once | T, D |
| Lithiel Cinderfury | Chaos Bolt on random players; Malefic Wave stacks 50% more fire damage taken | Kick every Chaos Bolt; enter the Demonic Gateway to escape the wave; tank kites the Infernal | D, All, T |
Since the October 16 hotfix, barrels on Zaen protect only players standing close to them. Full tactics are in our Murder Row guide.
The Blinding Vale Boss Mechanics
The bosses of The Blinding Vale in fight order.
| Boss | Deadly mechanic | What to do | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lightblossom Trinity | Lightblossom Beam feeds the flowers until they cover the group in Lightbloom Overgrowth | Stand in the beams to stop the stacks; soak the circles; kick every Light Bolt; defensive on Bedrock Slam | All, D, T |
| Ikuzz the Light Hunter | Bloodthirsty Gaze: he fixates a player and stuns them with Incise if he catches them | The target runs and kites him through the roots; dispel or break Bloodthorn Roots; healing cooldown for Thorncaller Roar | All, H |
| Lightwarden Ruia | Three forms; the bear's Grievous Thrash bleed stacks until the target is healed to full, and below 40% she uses everything at once | Kick Warden's Wrath; heal bleed targets to full; save cooldowns or Bloodlust for the last phase | D, H, All |
| Ziekket | Lashers come back stronger after going dormant; orbs from Lightbloom's Essence explode on the group if they reach him | Kick Lightspore Shot; destroy dormant Lashers with the beam; soak the orbs before they reach him | D, All |
Full tactics are in our The Blinding Vale guide.
Voidscar Arena Boss Mechanics
The bosses of Voidscar Arena in fight order.
| Boss | Deadly mechanic | What to do | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| Taz'Rah | Dark Bloom hits the group and leaves Void Fissures and orbs | Rotate around the arena after each cast; dodge the orbs; defensive on Void Blast | All, T |
| Atroxus | Sickening Bite: 50% more Nature damage taken for five minutes, stacking, which makes Hulking Claw lethal | Kill and kite the Toxic Creeper from Monstrous Roar so it never bites; defensive on every Hulking Claw; stay close to sidestep Noxious Breath | T, D |
| Charonus | Unstable Singularity atomizes players caught inside for 15 seconds; Gravitic Orbs stack a damage-over-time | Stay out of singularities and place them together; kite each orb into a singularity; tank aims Dark Waves away | All, T |
There are no boss interrupts in Voidscar Arena. Full tactics are in our Voidscar Arena guide.
Kings' Rest Boss Mechanics
The bosses of Kings' Rest in fight order.
| Boss | Deadly mechanic | What to do | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Golden Serpent | Animated Gold that reaches the boss gives him Luster: more damage and a shield | Drop gold puddles on top of each other; slow and kill the blobs; healing cooldown for Serpentine Gust; defensive on Tail Thrash | All, H, T |
| Mchimba the Embalmer | Entomb locks a player in a crypt while Mchimba opens the others and releases mummies | Find the shaking coffin quickly; break Drain Fluids or heal its target above 90%; kick Wretched Discharge | All, D |
| The Council of Tribes | Barrel Through (deadly alone) must be split; Debilitating Backhand makes the tank take 200% more physical damage | Stack on the Barrel Through target; the tank kites or uses a big defensive after Backhand; kick Poison Nova; kill the Explosive Totem first | All, T, D |
| Dazar, The First King | Blade Combo and Gilded Destruction on the tank and group; leaps on the farthest players | Tank defensives for every Blade Combo; kick every Deathly Roar; kill Reban before Dazar reaches 80%; spread for the leaps | T, D, All |
The Council ends as soon as Zanazal dies. Full tactics are in our Kings' Rest guide.
Temple of Sethraliss Boss Mechanics
The bosses of Temple of Sethraliss in fight order.
| Boss | Deadly mechanic | What to do | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adderis and Aspix | Thunder and Lightning (deadly alone): a dash split among nearby players, then a group hit | Stack for the split, then step out; swap targets as their immunity flips; defensive on Overload | All, D, T |
| Merektha | A Knot of Snakes stuns two players for 20 seconds; Burrow stuns anyone in her path | Stack in melee so one area crowd control frees both; dodge Burrow; healing cooldown for Serpentstorm | All, H |
| Galvazzt | Each Lightning Spire energizes him; at 100 energy Consume Charge cuts group damage in half and buffs him | A DPS player blocks each spire beam with a cooldown; never let him reach full energy | D, All |
| Avatar of Sethraliss | Corrupted Lifeforce orbs explode on the group if not soaked within six seconds; Tormentors fixate the healer | DPS and tank soak orbs with defensives; kill every Essence Defiler; the healer kites the Tormentors | D, H |
Full tactics are in our Temple of Sethraliss guide.
Ruby Life Pools Boss Mechanics
The bosses of Ruby Life Pools in fight order.
| Boss | Deadly mechanic | What to do | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| Melidrussa Chillworn | Frost Overload (deadly): she shields herself and pulses stacking frost damage until the shield breaks | Save damage cooldowns for the shield; kick Frigid Shard; gather the whelps and dispel Cold Claws | D, T, H |
| Kokia Blazehoof | Searing Blows stack a fire damage-over-time on the tank; Blazebound Firestorm adds explode on death | Defensive on every Searing Blows; kick Blaze Volley; kill the add away from the group; dodge Molten Boulder | T, D, All |
| Kyrakka and Erkhart Stormvein | Stormslam doubles Nature damage taken on the tank, stacking; Interrupting Cloudburst locks casters | Dispel the tank or use a defensive; stop casting before Cloudburst lands; drop fire puddles so the winds carry them away | T, H, All |
Full tactics are in our Ruby Life Pools guide.
The Deadliest Boss Abilities in Season 2
These ten abilities cause the most wipes across the pool, ranked from the worst.
- Ritual Venom and Ritual of the Fang (Zul'jan). A stack that kills on expiration and beams that empower the boss if skipped. The highest measured wipe rate of the season.
- Ssscavenging and Carrion Burst (Rav'i). Group damage that keeps stacking until the shield breaks; the worst boss of launch day.
- Death Rattle (The Writhing Coil). One player who does not run out wipes the group.
- Murder in a Row (Zaen Bladesorrow). Everyone in line of sight is hit; only a barrel saves you.
- Overwhelming Onslaught (Nalorakk). Three armor-ignoring hits that you survive only behind Zul'jarra's shield.
- Consume Charge (Galvazzt). A missed spire block halves your damage and strengthens the boss.
- Sickening Bite (Atroxus). A five-minute stacking vulnerability that turns every tank hit lethal.
- Barrel Through and Debilitating Backhand (The Council of Tribes). A hit that kills anyone who takes it alone, and a tank debuff that triples physical damage.
- Unstable Singularity (Charonus). Fifteen seconds without abilities for anyone pulled inside.
- Frozen Tempest (Sentinel of Winter). Lethal for anyone outside the eye.
Must-Interrupt Boss Casts and Bloodlust Timing
Boss casts to kick and the usual Bloodlust windows for each dungeon:
| Dungeon | Boss casts to kick | Common Bloodlust windows |
|---|---|---|
| Altar of Fangs | Toxic Atrophy (The Writhing Coil) | First big pull, the split on The Writhing Coil, Zul'jan |
| Den of Nalorakk | Winter's Shroud (Sentinel of Winter adds) | First big pull, the big pulls in the snow, the last pulls or Nalorakk |
| Murder Row | Felstorm (Kystia Manaheart), Chaos Bolt (Lithiel Cinderfury) | First big pull, Zaen Bladesorrow with the trash in his room, Lithiel |
| The Blinding Vale | Light Bolt (Lightblossom Trinity), Warden's Wrath (Lightwarden Ruia), Lightspore Shot (Ziekket) | First big pull, Ikuzz the Light Hunter, Ziekket |
| Voidscar Arena | None | First big pull, the pack before Atroxus, Charonus |
| Kings' Rest | Poison Nova (The Council of Tribes), Deathly Roar (Dazar) | First big pull, Mchimba the Embalmer, Dazar |
| Temple of Sethraliss | Poison Spit (Merektha's vipers), Flame Shock (adds on Avatar of Sethraliss) | First big pull, Merektha, Avatar of Sethraliss |
| Ruby Life Pools | Frigid Shard (Melidrussa Chillworn), Blaze Volley (Kokia Blazehoof's add) | First big pull, Kokia or the packs before her, the last boss |
A full Bloodlust plan for each dungeon is in its route guide, for example the Altar of Fangs route. On Fortified weeks the first big trash pull often deserves Bloodlust more than a boss.
More Guides for Season 2 Bosses
For the full fight of every boss, start from its dungeon guide; for how each boss fits into the run, read the Mythic+ routes guide. The Season 2 dungeons list ranks the pool by difficulty, and the hardest trash packs guide covers the pulls between the bosses.
Mythic+ Boss Mechanics FAQ
These are the questions players ask most about Season 2 bosses.
Zul'jan in Altar of Fangs has the highest wipe rate across the season. Rav'i, in the same dungeon, was the worst on launch day.
28: three each in Altar of Fangs, Den of Nalorakk, Voidscar Arena and Ruby Life Pools, and four each in Murder Row, The Blinding Vale, Kings' Rest and Temple of Sethraliss.
Ritual Venom on Zul'jan, Death Rattle on The Writhing Coil, Murder in a Row on Zaen Bladesorrow, Overwhelming Onslaught on Nalorakk and Barrel Through on The Council of Tribes kill or wipe when ignored.
Bosses have 25% more health, and they and their minions deal up to 15% more damage. Longer fights add stacks of every ramping mechanic.
Usually on the first big pull, one middle boss or pack, and the last boss. The table above lists the common windows per dungeon.
Yes. The Altar of Fangs bosses were nerfed on August 21, Avatar of Sethraliss was reworked at launch, and patch 12.1.5 on October 13 nerfed bosses in Altar of Fangs, Murder Row, The Blinding Vale, Voidscar Arena and Ruby Life Pools.
Update history 1
- Release
