Hardest Trash Packs in Mythic+ Season 2
In Midnight Season 2 most bricked keys die on trash, not on bosses. This page ranks the 13 trash packs across the eight-dungeon pool that wipe groups most often, explains what kills you in each and how to pull it, and lists the trash abilities that matter across the whole season. It reflects every tuning pass up to patch 12.1.5, including the October 13 nerfs.
Why Trash Wipes More Groups Than Bosses
A boss has a fixed script you learn once. A trash pack changes with every pull: how many mobs the tank grabs, which casts get kicked, whether cooldowns are ready. Three things make a pack deadly:
- Stacking tank damage, such as attack-speed buffs or armor shreds, that grows faster than healing.
- Unkicked group casts and fears that turn one missed interrupt into a wipe.
- Crowd-control-immune mobs that can only be handled with kicks, kiting and defensives.
On Fortified weeks, which alternate from +7 and stay on from +10, non-boss enemies have 20% more health and deal up to 20% more damage, so every pack below gets harder. The Fortified affix guide covers how routes change on those weeks.
No source publishes deaths per pack, so this ranking is built from dungeon timed rates, published tier lists, Blizzard's hotfix history and the packs players and creators name most.
The Deadliest Trash Packs in Season 2
The list runs from the most dangerous pack to the least; each entry names the dungeon first.
1. Altar of Fangs: the Opening Pulls Before Rav'i
The first area combines Twinfang Harrower and Primal Serpent packs with Ravenous Descendant groups and, in the bigger version, a Ritual Chieftain. Each Descendant gains 10% attack speed with every swing through Ravenous Claws, so six or more melt the tank in seconds; Harrowers strike twice with every melee hit through Duostrike, and every Piercing Hiss must be kicked.
How to pull it: drag the far Descendant pack onto the Harrower so everything arrives together, assign one kick per Serpent, and stun or kite the Descendants for two seconds to reset their stacks. On the Chieftain version, use Bloodlust, kill the Chieftain before its second Blood Sacrifice and plan a tank and a healer cooldown for the first one. This is the area where Altar of Fangs had a 78% timed rate on launch day, and it is still a knowledge check at +10.
2. Altar of Fangs: High Evolutionists and Rattling Writhe
On the way to The Writhing Coil, each High Evolutionist channels Evolve, a six-second heal that ends in a shield and crowd-control immunity, and then casts Envenom and Mass Envenom. The Rattling Writhe cannot be stunned, hits the tank with Corrosive Fangs (20% more damage taken for 20 seconds) and channels Rattle on the whole group.
How to pull it: stop every Evolve with crowd control, kick the Envenom casts, dispel the poison, and press a defensive late in Corrosive Fangs. Save at least three stops for the boss.
3. Altar of Fangs: the Ascendant Serpent Before Zul'jan
The Ascendant Serpent mini-boss must die to progress. It channels Noxious Spray on the tank for five seconds and spreads Infest, while Ula'tek's Chosen cast Mass Envenom and each Living Venom bursts on death with Venom Burst. It was nerfed twice, but it is still a cooldown pull: point the spray away, kick every Mass Envenom and stagger the Living Venom kills.
4. Den of Nalorakk: Spirit of Hunger and the Matriarchs
The Spirit of Hunger cannot be crowd-controlled, and its Starvation Effigy keeps casting Insatiable Hunger, a stacking curse that takes 15% of maximum health per stack, up to five. Each Earthwhisper Tender heals the pack with Healing Breeze, and a nearby Territorial Matriarch gains 50% damage through Mother's Wrath for every Curious Yearling that dies.
How to pull it: kill the Effigy first, dispel the curse, kick every Healing Breeze and keep the Spirit alone or last. Do not chain into it. Kill or soothe the Matriarch before the cubs.
5. Den of Nalorakk: the Snow Gauntlet
The big lust pulls in the snow combine Frostfang, Frigid Mauler and Terra Rumbler mobs with an Avatar of Determination and The Winter Squall. Frostfangs open with Bloodrush, 60% more attack speed for ten seconds; Frigid Roar halves haste and movement if it is not kicked; Glacial Tomb roots everyone, and Pulverize stuns anyone within 12 yards.
How to pull it: tank defensive for the first ten seconds, kick every Frigid Roar, break the tombs with freedom effects and run out of Pulverize. Kill The Winter Squall quickly to end Harsh Winter.
6. Den of Nalorakk: the Final Stretch Before Nalorakk
Each Grizzled Warbringer stacks Primal Echo on the group, each Stormbound Mystic casts Arc Lightning on three players, a Bonded Beasttamer triggers Bestial Wrath, and Loa Speaker Nanea drops a Volatile Totem. Kick every Arc Lightning, soothe or purge Bestial Wrath, and kill every totem as soon as it lands.
7. Murder Row: the Street Before Xathuux
The longest trash section in Murder Row stacks crowd-control-immune mobs. Each Shivan Punisher gains damage every time the tank dodges through Punishing Might and at half health enters Demonic Frenzy, pulsing the group every second. Each Wrathguard Flayer casts Fel Rage (60% less damage taken and crowd-control immunity), each Corrupted Warlock applies Curse of Doom, and each Fel Invoker channels Health Funnel.
How to pull it: kick or soothe Fel Rage, dispel Curse of Doom before its target dies and summons a Doomguard, and kill the Punishers before Demonic Frenzy overlaps. Blizzard removed one pack here at launch.
8. Murder Row: Defiled Golems and Felmaster Lucsei
After the third boss, each Defiled Golem casts Defiled Slam on the whole group and Fel Beam lines on every player, leaving fire on the ground. Felmaster Lucsei adds Blade Dance and Eye Beam. Spread the beams away from the group, rotate healer cooldowns for every Slam and use personal defensives on overlapping casts.
9. Voidscar Arena: Devouring Brutalizers
All three Devouring Brutalizer packs before Charonus must die. Each Brutalizer casts Devour, eating a low-health mob to heal itself for half its health, and channels Brutalize on the tank, the biggest trash hit of the season. The Kilivore Screamer in these packs fears everyone within 60 yards with Mad Shriek.
How to pull it: kill the mob targeted by Devour within the nine-second cast, kick every Mad Shriek, and use a strong defensive for each Brutalize. Avoid knocking the group into other packs with Dreadbellow.
10. Voidscar Arena: the Opening Corridor
The first stretch of Voidscar Arena depends on the path. Each Dominated Brawler casts Demoralizing Shout and enrages, each Brutal Overseer shields itself while it slams the tank with Brutal Slams, and each Voidtouched Magi casts Shadowbolt Volley. Before the first boss, Brutok charges through the group with Smashing Charge. Kick every Shout and Volley, break the Overseer shield and aim the charge at a wall. Sources disagree on which side is easier, so follow the route your group knows.
11. The Blinding Vale: the Lasher and Belcher Pull
The pull after the first boss mixes Lasher mobs, a Lightgorged Lasher, Underbrush Stalker mobs, a Virid Grovekeeper and a Sporeblight Belcher. Lasher melee stacks Spore Spines, a magic damage-over-time, on the tank, Lightbloom Pollination gives nearby mobs a shield, crowd-control immunity and 50% attack speed, and the Belcher keeps pulsing poison. The October 13 nerfs cut the Belcher's health and projectiles, but this is still the pull that ends Vale keys.
How to pull it: break the Pollination shields first, dispel the Spore Spines stacks, and kick Light Bolt Volley and Disorienting Screech.
12. Ruby Life Pools: Defier Draghar and the Caster Packs
Defier Draghar must die before the first boss. It channels Steel Barrage on the tank, while Primal Juggernaut and Deepstone Earthshaper mobs stack Tectonic Strike. Later, Primalist Cinderweaver, Ashseer Flamelasher and Blazebound Destroyer packs punish every missed kick: Flaming Barrage can only be stopped with crowd control, and Destroyers explode on death. Living Bomb can be dispelled since October 13, and the bomb does not explode when it is.
How to pull it: tank cooldowns for Steel Barrage, a strict kick rotation on Cinderbolt and Fiery Blast, crowd control on every Flaming Barrage, and dispels on Living Bomb.
13. Kings' Rest: Minions of Zul and the Hallway Packs
The entrance pull pairs each Animated Guardian with a crowd of Minion of Zul adds. A Minion that reaches a player fears them for 12 seconds with Pit of Despair; purging its Bound by Shadow shield kills it instantly. Further in, each Risen Hexer casts Hex Volley, each Shadow-Borne Champion enrages with Ancestral Fury (150% more damage, soothe it), and Animated Guardians gain 75% attack speed below half health through Released Inhibitors, which nothing removes.
How to pull it: purge or burst the Minions before they arrive, kick every Hex Volley and Bind Soul, soothe the Champions and save a tank cooldown for the Guardians' last 50%.
Honorable Mention: Temple of Sethraliss Opening
Temple of Sethraliss is hard only up to the second boss. Each Shrouded Fang opens with Poisoned Cheap Shot from stealth, each Sandswept Hunter channels Arrow Barrage on one player and needs crowd control, and each Sand-Sworn Rider brings krolusk adds with bleeds. After Merektha the dungeon eases off.
The pull-by-pull plan for each of these packs is in the route guide of its dungeon: Altar of Fangs, Den of Nalorakk, Murder Row, Voidscar Arena, The Blinding Vale, Ruby Life Pools, Kings' Rest and Temple of Sethraliss.
Season 2 Trash Abilities That Kill Groups
The abilities below decide most trash pulls across the season. Full per-dungeon kick and dispel tables are in the Mythic+ DPS guide and the Mythic+ healer guide.
| Type | Abilities | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Must-kick casts | Piercing Hiss, Mass Envenom, Frigid Roar, Arc Lightning, Mad Shriek, Hex Volley, Light Bolt Volley | Assign a kick for every cast before the pull |
| Unkickable, needs crowd control or a break | Evolve, Flaming Barrage, Arrow Barrage, Brutal Slams, Lightbloom Pollination | Stun, knock back or break the shield |
| Tank busters | Brutalize, Dismember, Steel Barrage, Corrosive Fangs, Soul Crush, Sunder Slam | Plan a tank defensive or an external |
| Enrages and buffs | Ravenous Claws, Mother's Wrath, Fel Rage, Ancestral Fury, Bestial Wrath | Soothe, purge or kill the caster first |
| Healer checks | Rattle, Blood Sacrifice, Defiled Slam, Primal Echo, Molten Blood | Healing cooldown or personal defensives |
How to Pull Dangerous Packs
The same rules keep almost every pack above under control:
- No more than two dangerous mobs per pull. Big pulls are faster only if they survive; on a new key, pull the worst packs alone.
- Gather before you fight. Tag the far pack and drag it to the main one so every mob arrives at once and area damage hits all of them.
- Plan stops before the pull. Name who kicks what; one missed Mad Shriek or Hex Volley costs more time than a slower pull.
- Cover the first ten seconds. Most tank deaths happen while the pack is still gathering: press a defensive on the pull, not after the first big hit.
- Lust trash on Fortified. On Fortified weeks the first big pull of a dungeon is usually a better Bloodlust target than a boss.
- Stagger kills. Mobs with death effects, such as Living Venom and Blazebound Destroyer, should not die at the same time.
More Guides for Season 2 Trash
For your role's part of these pulls, read the Mythic+ tank guide, the Mythic+ healer guide and the Mythic+ DPS guide. For the bosses between these pulls, see the Mythic+ boss mechanics cheat sheet, and for packs you can leave out, the Mythic+ mob skips guide.
Hardest Trash Packs FAQ
These are the questions players ask most about Season 2 trash.
The opening pulls of Altar of Fangs, with Ravenous Descendant, Twinfang Harrower and Primal Serpent packs and a Ritual Chieftain. They are the main reason Altar of Fangs had the lowest timed rate at launch.
Ravenous Descendant mobs gain attack speed with every swing, and Twinfang Harrower mobs hit twice. Stun or kite the Descendants for two seconds to reset their stacks and press a defensive on the pull.
Piercing Hiss and Mass Envenom in Altar of Fangs, Frigid Roar and Arc Lightning in Den of Nalorakk, Mad Shriek in Voidscar Arena and Hex Volley in Kings' Rest are the most punishing.
Ravenous Descendant, Territorial Matriarch, Wrathguard Flayer and Shadow-Borne Champion buffs, plus the Bound by Shadow shield on each Minion of Zul.
Yes: at launch on August 18, on August 21 for Altar of Fangs, on August 25 across seven dungeons and on October 13 with patch 12.1.5. Den of Nalorakk and Kings' Rest were left out of the October pass.
Non-boss enemies have 20% more health and deal up to 20% more damage, so pulls take longer and tank busters hit harder. Fortified alternates with Tyrannical from +7 and is always on from +10.
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