This page covers a healer-focused strategy for Lady Inerva Darkvein in Castle Nathria 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 with the encounter, combat log information, and Dungeon Journal information. I'll continue to update it as-needed.

General Mechanics and Abilities

Normal and Heroic

• Four Primal Anima Containers around the room slowly gather anima.
  • Containers can be opened and closed by clicking on them.
    • Open Containers deal light damage to all players with Loose Anima.
  • If a Container reaches full capacity, it continually deals moderate damage to all players with Container Breach until it's brought below full capacity.
  • The Container targeted by Focus Anima is locked closed and gains anima at an increased rate.
• Containers are marked by different labels and their current anima levels dictate how Inerva's ability used at 100% Energy functions.
  • The Container of Desire dictates how the tank-centric portion of the ability works.
    • Below 33% capacity, Expose Desires deals heavy damage to the tank and then light damage over time with Warped Desires.
    • Between 33% and 66% capacity, Expose Cognition causes the following in addition to the above mechanics:
      • Applies Shared Cognition to random players, causing them to also take any damage dealt to the tank as damage over time.
    • Above 66% capacity, Expose Heart causes the following in addition to the above mechanics:
      • Deals light to moderate damage to all players with Change of Heart, depending on how close they are to the tank.
  • The Container of Sin dictates how a raid-centric portion of the ability works.
    • Below 33% capacity, Lesser Sins and Suffering extracts a Sin of the Past (denoted by a small red orb) from three random players while granting three other players Shared Suffering.
      • Players affected by Shared Suffering are linked together with a beam and must position so the beam passes through each of the Sins of the Past to link them all together.
      • Failing to link a Sin of the Past before Shared Suffering expires deals light damage over time to all players with Indemnification.
      • Players not affected by Shared Suffering should avoid the beams between the linked players.
    • Between 33% and 66% capacity, Sins and Suffering causes the following in addition to the above mechanics:
      • Avoid the Anima Web beams emanating from Sins of the Past.
    • Above 66% capacity, Greater Sins and Suffering causes the following in addition to the above mechanics:
      • The Anima Web beams now rotate around their respective Sin of the Past.
  • The Container of Concentrated Anima dictates how another raid-centric portion of the ability works.
    • Below 33% capacity, Lightly Concentrated Anima deals light damage over time to random players and upon expiring deals light damage to any player within 8-yards with Unleashed Shadow.
      • Additionally, when the effect expires a mob is spawned.
        • Tanks spawn Harnessed Specters.
          • Harnessed Specter
            • Applies Unconscionable Guilt to the tank, increasing damage taken by Unconscionable Guilt and Expose Desires.
            • If no players are in melee range, Condemn continuously deals moderate damage to all players.
        • Non-tanks spawn Conjured Manifestations.
          • Conjured Manifestation
            • Interrupt Condemn to prevent the moderate damage dealt to all players.
    • Between 33% and 66% capacity, Concentrated Anima causes the following in addition to the above mechanics:
      • Affected players are now rooted in place by Rooted in Anima.
    • Above 66% capacity, Highly Concentrated Anima causes the following in addition to the above mechanics:
      • Avoid the paths of Fragments of Shadow launched from affected players when the effect expires.
  • The Container of Bottled Anima dictates how the splash damage portion of the ability works.
    • Below 33% capacity, impact locations of Bottled Anima must be soaked to prevent Unleashed Volatility from dealing moderate damage to all players.
    • Between 33% and 66% capacity, Lingering Anima causes the following in addition to the above mechanics:
      • Avoid the Lingering Anima pools left behind.
    • Above 66% capacity, Replicating Anima causes the following in addition to the above mechanics:
      • Each impact location creates a second impact location that must also be soaked.

Mythic Differences

• Anima drained from open Containers is now transferred to closed Containers instead.
• The Container of Desire
  • Expose Desires and its empowered versions now also affect the tank with Hidden Desire.
    • The tank must face the manifestations as they attack in order to avoid the moderate damage.
• The Container of Sin
  • A fourth Sin of the Past is spawned, but there are still only three players affected by Shared Suffering.

Healing Notes

Quick Notes, All Difficulties

The notes below mostly pertain to progression difficulty, meaning if you out-gear the difficulty you're on or use extra healers they may not apply.

• Use Major Cooldowns
  
  • when dealing with overlapping mechanics like Shared Suffering and Loose Anima
• Use Minor Cooldowns
  
  • during Shared Suffering
  • during Loose Anima
• Pre-heal Before (mainly for heal over time classes)
  • healing on this fight is fairly constant, making pre-healing unnecessary
• Potion of Spiritual Clarity use
  • after all mechanics of Inerva's 100% Energy ability have been dealt with
• Other things to watch for
  • Tanks may need external defensive cooldowns to not only mitigate the damage they take from Inerva's 100% Energy ability but also to mitigate the damage taken by any players affected by Shared Cognition.

Debuffs to Track

Major

• Several abilities cause players to need additional healing over time.
  • Shared Suffering
  • Shared Cognition

Minor

• Several abilities cause players to need additional healing.
  • Warped Desires 
  • Lightly Concentrated Anima
  • Concentrated Anima
  • Highly Concentrated Anima

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Useful Addons

DBM Settings

Below are the DBM settings I'll be using for Lady Inerva Darkvein in Castle Nathria. You can set them up however you'd like, but these ones should work well as a starting point. Some settings may be Mythic only.

Healer DBM Settings for Lady Inerva Darkvein

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