
Theater of Pain, Healer Guide
Updated 1 month, 2 weeks ago for patch 9.0.5 by Preston. View the change log.
This page covers healer-focused strategies for the Theater of Pain dungeon in Shadowlands. While it's tailored for healers, other roles may also find the information useful. If you have any suggestions or feedback, you can leave a comment below or tweet @PrestonDvorak.
This guide has been updated and maintained based on my own experiences as well as Dungeon Journal and combat log information. I'll continue to update it as-needed.
Bosses
Below are guides for the bosses in the Theater of Pain, including their abilities, healer notes, and addon settings.
An Affront of Challengers
- Dessia the Decapitator
- The tank will be dealing with
Mortal Strike, which reduces healing received, and
Slam.
- At 40% health, soothe
Enrage (enrage) to remove the damage absorption effect and prevent attacks against random players.
- The tank will be dealing with
- Paceran the Virulent
- Targets random players with
Plague Bolt, dealing light damage.
- Avoid the locations of
Noxious Spore pools.
- At 40% health, dispel
Genetic Alteration (disease) to prevent players from creating
Noxious Spore pools.
- If no Disease dispel is available, keep the resulting pools grouped together to maximize usable space.
- Targets random players with
- Sathel the Accursed
- Targets random players with
Necromantic Bolt, dealing light damage.
- When affected by
Searing Death, stay at least 3-yards away from other players.
- Purge
Spectral Transference to prevent the healing on the affected boss.
- At 40% health,
One with Death grants a damage absorption shield and grants immunity to interrupts while the shield persists.
- Targets random players with
Healing Notes
- If multiple bosses are bought to 40% health at the same time, be prepared for extra healing required on random players.
Debuffs to Track
- Major:
Mortal Strike,
Opportunity Strikes
- Minor:
Genetic Alteration (dispel, disease)
- Buffs to Purge:
Spectral Transference
- Enrages to Soothe:
Enrage
Addons
Gorechop
- The tank will be dealing with
Hateful Strike.
- Avoid the path of
Meat Hooks as the move across the room.
- Players hit will take light damage over time from
Jagged Gash.
- Players hit will take light damage over time from
- Oozing Leftovers are regularly brought in on
Meat Hooks.
- Oozing Leftovers
- Lose 5% of their health every 1-second due to
Oozing.
- Avoid the impact location of
Leaping Thrash.
- Upon death, avoid the
Coagulating Ooze pool left behind.
- Lose 5% of their health every 1-second due to
- Oozing Leftovers
- On Mythic, move at least 10-yards away from Gorechop after being pulled in by
Tenderizing Smash.
Healing Notes
- The tank may need an external defensive cooldown to survive
Hateful Strike.
Debuffs to Track
- Minor:
Jagged Gash
Addons
Xav the Unfallen
- The tank will be dealing with
Brutal Combo.
Oppressive Banner reduces all players' movement speed over time in 15% intervals.
- During
Might of Maldraxxus, avoid the series of attacks from Xav in the center of the room.
- Don't stand in the line in front of the boss to avoid
Crushing Slam.
- Don't stand in the hemisphere in front of the boss to avoid
Massive Cleave.
- Don't stand in the line in front of the boss to avoid
- At 100% Energy,
Blood and Glory sends two players into the dueling pit.
- Players have 45-seconds to kill one another, if neither player dies, both are affected by
Cowardice, reducing their damage dealt.
- While in the dueling pit, both players continuously gain stacks of
Glorious Combat, increasing their damage taken.
- The player that dies is affected by
Bloodied, reducing their damage dealt.
- The surviving player gains
Glorified, increasing their damage dealt.
- Players have 45-seconds to kill one another, if neither player dies, both are affected by
Healing Notes
- The tank may need an external defensive cooldown to survive
Brutal Combo.
Debuffs to Track
- There are no particular debuffs to track.
Addons
Kul'tharok
- The tank will be targeted by
Spectral Reach (dispel, curse) if not in melee range.
- When affected by
Draw Soul, intercept your soul as it moves towards Kul'tharok.
- While affected, players take heavy damage over time and are pacified by
Soulless.
- Upon reclaiming your soul,
Reclaimed Soul increases damage dealt.
- On Mythic, failing to intercept the soul causes the affected player to become mind-controlled with
Possession.
- The mind-control effect can be broken by damaging the player a sufficient amount.
- While affected, players take heavy damage over time and are pacified by
- When affected by
Phantasmal Parasite (dispel, magic), stay at least 3-yards away from other players.
- Avoid the locations of
Grasping Hands.
- These can be used to root the souls of players affected by
Draw Soul, making them easier to reclaim.
- These can be used to root the souls of players affected by
- Deals light damage over time to all players for the duration of the encounter with
Chill of the Beyond.
Healing Notes
- Damage can stack up on players depending on who's affected by
Draw Soul and
Phantasmal Parasite.
Debuffs to Track
- Major:
Phantasmal Parasite (dispel, magic),
Draw Soul,
Soulless,
Spectral Reach (dispel, curse)
- Minor:
Grasping Hands
Addons
Mordretha, the Endless Empress
- The tank will be dealing with
Reaping Scythe.
- Avoid the
Dark Devastation beam.
- Run against the pull of
Grasping Rift to avoid being affected by
Death Grasp (dispel, curse) within the rift.
- Deals light damage over time and then moderate damage to all players within 6-yards of another player with
Manifest Death.
- On Mythic, each player spawns a Deathwalker.
- Deathwalker
- Interrupt
Death Bolt to prevent the light damage dealt.
- Interrupt
- Deathwalker
- On Mythic, each player spawns a Deathwalker.
- On Mythic, at 50% health,
Echoes of Carnage deals light damage to all players and then light damage over time for the remainder of the encounter.
- Ghostly Combatants will periodically join the encounter.
- Ghostly Combatant
- Stay at least 8-yards away to avoid
Echo of Battle.
- Avoid the path of
Ghostly Charge.
- Stay at least 8-yards away to avoid
- Ghostly Combatant
- Ghostly Combatants will periodically join the encounter.
Healing Notes
Manifest Death can deal a lot of damage if players are stacked up when the effect expires.
Debuffs to Track
- Major:
Death Grasp (dispel, curse)
Addons
Trash Mobs
Below are notes for the trash mobs in Theater of Pain. Theater of Pain is a relatively linear dungeon with a choice between which of two wings to clear before the other. The trash below is ordered as if you're completing the bosses in the order they're listed above.
Entrance thru An Affront of Challengers
- Raging Bloodhorn
- Deals light damage over time to all players with
Raging Tantrum.
- Deals light damage over time to all players with
- Unyielding Contender
- Soothe
Death Wish (enrage) to remove the increased damage dealt effect.
- Soothe
An Affront of Challengers thru Gorechop
- Diseased Horror
- Applies stacks of
Decaying Blight (dispel, disease) to random players, reducing maximum health.
Meat Shield grants a damage absorption shield.
- Applies stacks of
- Putrid Butcher
- Targets random players within 12-yards with
Chop, dealing light damage over time.
- Heal themselves with
Devour Flesh.
- Targets random players within 12-yards with
- Disgusting Refuse
- Upon death, avoid the
Withering Blight (dispel, disease) impact location.
- Upon death, avoid the
- Rancid Gasbag
- Don't stand in front or behind when
Vile Eruption is cast.
- Deals moderate damage over time to all players with
Disease Cloud.
- Don't stand in front or behind when
Gorechop thru Xav
- Shambling Arbalest
- Target random players
Jagged Quarrel, dealing light damage over time.
- Target random players
- Ancient Captain
- Stay at least 8-yards away to avoid the interrupt from
Shield Bash.
- Reduces damage dealt by all players with
Demoralizing Shout.
- Stay at least 8-yards away to avoid the interrupt from
- This area also includes a selection of enemies from the following choices.
- Nekthara the Mangler
- Stay at least 10-yards away to avoid
Whirlwind.
- Don't cast spells as the
Interrupting Roar cast finishes to avoid the interrupt effect.
- Avoid the locations of
Whirling Blades.
- Stay at least 10-yards away to avoid
- Heavin the Breaker
- Applies
Colossus Smash to the tank, increasing damage taken.
- Don't stand in front when
Ground Smash is cast.
- When targeted by
Ricocheting Blade, stay at least 5-yards away from other players.
- Don't cast spells as the
Interrupting Roar cast finishes to avoid the interrupt effect.
- Applies
- Harugia the Bloodthirsty
- Interrupt or soothe
Battle Trance (enrage) to remove the increased attack speed effect.
- When targeted by
Ricocheting Blade, stay at least 5-yards away from other players.
- Avoid the impact location of
Bloodthirsty Charge.
- Interrupt or soothe
- Rek the Hardened
- Applies
Unbalancing Blow to the tank, reducing dodge, parry, and black chance.
- Stay at least 10-yards away to avoid
Whirlwind.
- While
Swift Strikes is active, all attacks deal damage to two additional players.
- Applies
- Dokigg the Brutalizer
- Interrupt or soothe
Battle Trance (enrage) to remove the increased attack speed effect.
- Avoid the impact location of
Brutal Leap.
- Interrupt or soothe
- Nekthara the Mangler
Xav the Unfallen thru Kul'tharok
- Avoid the impact locations of
Necrotic Volley during the first portion of this section.
- Shackled Soul
- Interrupt
Bind Soul to prevent the light damage over time and decreased movement speed effect.
- Interrupt
- Portal Guardian
- Deals light damage over time to all players with
Soulstorm.
- Dispel
Shadow Vulnerability (curse) to remove the increased shadow damage taken effect.
- Upon death, leaves behind a
Strange Orb which must be placed in the Orb Holder of the nearby portal to activate it.
- Deals light damage over time to all players with
- Bone Magus
- Interrupt
Bone Spear to prevent the damage dealt to a random player.
- Interrupt
- Soulforged Bonereaver
- Avoid the impact locations of
Bone Spikes.
- Stay at least 8-yards away to avoid
Bonestorm.
- Avoid the impact locations of
- Maniacal Soulbinder
- Interrupt
Necrotic Bolt Volley to prevent the healing absorption effect applied to all players.
- Dispel
Soul Corruption (magic) to remove the moderate damage over time effect.
- Interrupt
- Nefarious Darkspeaker
- Dispel
Curse of Desolation (curse) or stay at least 3-yards away from other players to prevent the damage dealt.
- Don't stand in front when
Death Winds is cast to avoid the knock back effect, which will likely knock players hit off the platform.
- Dispel
Kul'tharok thru Mordretha
- There is no notable trash on the way to Mordretha.
Trash Debuffs to Track
- Major:
- Curse Dispel:
Shadow Vulnerability (dispel, curse),
Curse of Desolation (dispel, curse)
- Disease Dispel:
Withering Blight (dispel, disease),
Decaying Blight (dispel, disease)
- Damaging:
Colossus Smash,
Unbalancing Blow
- Incapacitating:
Vile Eruption
- Curse Dispel:
- Minor:
- Magic Dispel:
Soul Corruption (dispel, magic)
- Damaging:
Bind Soul,
Jagged Quarrel,
Ricocheting Blade,
Chop,
Bone Spear,
Necrotic Bolt Volley
- Magic Dispel:
- Enrages to Soothe:
Death Wish,
Battle Trance
- Buffs to Purge: None
Trash Addons
- Useful addons will be added as they're available.
Mythic+ Notes
Below are notes that pertain to high mythic+ levels and certain affixes. What constitutes a high mythic+ level will depend on your gear and group, so if you out-gear a particular mythic+ level these notes may not apply. The notes are grouped by affix but are in no particular order.
Tyrannical
- No exceptional interactions noted yet!
Fortified
- Raging Bloodhorn
Raging Tantrum may require minor cooldowns to survive.
- Heavin the Breaker
- The tank may need external defensive cooldowns while affected by
Ground Smash.
- The tank may need external defensive cooldowns while affected by
- Rancid Gasbag
Disease Cloud may require minor cooldowns to survive.
- Portal Guardian
Soulstorm may require minor cooldowns to survive.
- Raging Bloodhorn
Sanguine
- Battlefield Ritualist
- Can be difficult to move due to their preference for casting spells. Be ready with knock backs and interrupts.
- Raging Bloodhorn
- Will not move while channeling
Raging Tantrum.
- Will not move while channeling
- Portal Guardian
- Will not move while channeling
Soulstorm.
- Will not move while channeling
- Maniacal Soulbinder
- Can be difficult to move due to their preference for casting spells. Be ready with knock backs and interrupts.
- Battlefield Ritualist
Bolstering
- Raging Bloodhorn
- Should probably be killed first, or carefully killed at the same time as other enemies.
- Raging Bloodhorn
Grievous
- No exceptional interactions noted yet!
Raging
- Raging Bloodhorn
- Must be soothed quickly if channeling
Raging Tantrum.
- Must be soothed quickly if channeling
- Rancid Gasbag
- Must be soothed quickly to avoid additional damage from
Disease Cloud.
- Must be soothed quickly to avoid additional damage from
- Heavin the Breaker
- Should be soothed quickly to avoid additional damage from
Colossus Smash.
- Should be soothed quickly to avoid additional damage from
- Rek the Hardened
- Should be soothed quickly to avoid additional damage from
Unbalancing Blow and
Swift Strikes.
- Should be soothed quickly to avoid additional damage from
- Portal Guardian
- Must be soothed quickly if channeling
Soulstorm.
- Must be soothed quickly if channeling
- Raging Bloodhorn
Videos
Mythic 0 Clear, Restoration Druid PoV
Below is a video of me clearing Theater of Pain on Mythic 0 difficulty.
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