This page covers a healer-focused strategy for Sire Denathrius 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

Stage One - Sinners Be Cleansed

This stage begins the encounter and ends when Denathrius reaches 70% health.

• At the start of the encounter, all players receive four stacks of Burden of Sin (five on Heroic), which deal very light damage over time and are used to deal with other abilities as noted below.
• Uses Inevitable to reach the tank if they're ever too far away or otherwise unreachable.
• Don't stand in front to avoid Cleansing Pain, unless you're reducing your Burden of Sin stacks.
  • All players hit lose one stack of Burden of Sin and spawn an Echo of Sin.
    • Echo of Sin
      • Immune to all crowd control due to Ephemeral.
      • Deals light damage to all players with Painful Memories.
• When targeted by Feeding Time, move at least 4-yards away from other players.
• On Heroic, stand between the players targeted by Night Hunter and their associated image to split the damage taken from Insatiable Hunger.
  • Do not stand within 5-yards of the targeted player or the damage taken will also heal Denathrius.
  • Being hit applies Touch of the Night, increasing damage taken by subsequent Night Hunters while the effect persists. 
• Blood Price pacifies a selection of players that have the same number of Burden of Sin stacks. Shortly after, these players take moderate to heavy damage based on how many players are affected.
• At 100% Energy, when Command: Ravage is cast, avoid the large Ravage arc from the center of the room and the resulting Desolation. 
  
  • Grants Darnathrius a stack of Commanding Presence, increasing damage dealt.

Intermission One - March of the Penitent

This intermission ends after 15-seconds, as noted below.

• March of the Penitent throws all players to the edge of the room.
  • Players have 15-seconds to move within 16-yards of Denathrius to remove any remaining Burden of Sin stacks.
  • Each stack of Burden of Sin reduces movement speed and prevents the use of abilities.
  • Players that fail to reach Denathrius in time are killed by Fall of the Unworthy.

Stage Two - The Crimson Chorus

This stage begins when Denathrius reaches 70% health, following the intermission, and ends when Denathrius reaches 40% health.

• Each platform leading out from the center area has a large Mirror at the end. Walking through a Mirror takes you to the opposing Mirror on the other side of the room. This is useful when dealing with Hand of Destruction, as noted below.
• Crimson Cabalists periodically join the encounter.
  • Crimson Cabalist
    • Deals light damage to all players, increased by each Cabalist that's alive, with Crimson Chorus.
    • When Denathrius reaches 40% health, Dusk Elegy reduces healing received by all players by 10% for each Cabalist alive.
    • On Heroic, upon death, avoid the impact locations of Crescendo.
• Remornia
  • Shares damage taken with Denathrius due to Bloodbound.
  • Uses Inevitable to reach players if they're ever too far away or otherwise unreachable.
  • All melee attacks and abilities cause affected players to take stacking light damage over time from Carnage.
  • When targeted by Impale, position yourself so there are no unaffected players between you and the other players targeted.
    • On Heroic, all players hit leave behind a patch of Rancor.
• Denathrius
  • Continues to use Inevitable to reach the tank if they're ever too far away or otherwise unreachable.
  • Don't stand in front to avoid Wracking Pain.
    • This increases the damage taken of any players and Crimson Cabalists hit.
  • After being pulled in by Hand of Destruction, run through a nearby Mirror or get as far away as possible by other means to reduce the damage taken.
  • At 100% Energy, when Command: Massacre is cast, avoid the Massacre lines.
    • On Heroic, all players hit leave behind a patch of Rancor.

Stage Three - Indignation

This stage beings when Denathrius reaches 40% health and ends when he is killed.

• Stay within the center of the room to avoid the Indignation storm.
• Continues to use Inevitable to reach the tank if they're ever too far away or otherwise unreachable.
• The tanks will be dealing with the increased damage due to Remornia and stacks of Scorn.
• When targeted by Fatal Finesse, move at least 9-yards away from other players.
  • On Heroic, soak the Smoldering Ire orbs left behind to prevent the heavy damage dealt to all players. Soaking players take heavy damage over time.
• After being pulled in by Hand of Destruction, run as far away as possible to reduce the damage taken.
• Shattering Pain deals heavy damage to the tank followed by moderate damage to all players, knocking all players back.
  • Be aware of positioning so you're not knocked off the platform or into the Indignation storm.
• At 100% Energy, Sinister Reflection creates a Sinister Reflection.
  • Sinister Reflection
    • Avoid the large Ravage arc and the resulting Desolation.
    • Avoid the Massacre lines.
      • On Heroic, all players hit leave behind a patch of Rancor.

Mythic Differences

Stage One - Sinners Be Cleansed

• At the start of the encounter, all players now receive six stacks of Burden of Sin.
• Players hit by Cleansing Pain now also deal moderate damage to other players within 1-yard with Collective Trauma.
  • Echo of Sin
    • If not killed in 14-seconds, Spiteful causes the Echo to return to its originating player, granting a stack of Burden of Sin.

Stage Two - The Crimson Chorus

• Members of The Nightcloaks join the encounter.
  • Upon death, avoid the impact locations of Crescendo.
  • Lady Sinsear
    • Deals increasing light to moderate damage to all players with Nathrian Hymn: Sinsear.
    • Avoid the paths of Searing Censure bolts.
  • Lord Evershade
    • Deals increasing light to moderate damage to all players with Nathrian Hymn: Evershade.
    • At 66% and 33% health, summons Baleful Shadows.
      • Baleful Shadow
        • Interrupt Vengeful Wail to prevent the heavy damage dealt to all players and silence effect.
  • Baron Duskhollow
    • Deals increasing light to moderate damage to all players with Nathrian Hymn: Duskhollow.
    • Players who attack Duskhollow from more than 25-yards away are pulled to him with Hollow Grasp.
  • Countess Gloomveil
    • Deals increasing light to moderate damage to all players with Nathrian Hymn: Gloomveil.
    • Surrounded by a Gloom Veil which players cannot attack into or out of.

Stage Three - Indignation

• Through the Mirror causes players who pass through a mirror during this stage to become a reflection of their former self - it's not clear exactly what that means.
• Blood Price is now used during this stage.

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 on
  
  • Blood Price
  • Shattering Pain
• Use Minor Cooldowns on
  
  • Echo of Sin / Painful Memories
  • Hand of Destruction
• Pre-heal Before (mainly for heal over time classes)
  • Blood Price
  • Echo of Sin / Painful Memories
  • Shattering Pain
• Potion of Spiritual Clarity use
  • likely at the start of stage three
• Other things to watch for
  • I'll update this section once I've had a chance to see the fight.

Debuffs to Track

Major

• Several abilities cause players to need additional healing.
  • Impale
  • Fatal Finesse
  • Smoldering Ire
  • Night Hunter
• Wracking Pain causes the tanks to take additional damage.

Minor

• Carnage causes players to need additional healing over time.
• Scorn causes the tanks to need additional healing over time.

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Useful Addons

Below are the DBM settings I'll be using for Sire Denathrius 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 Sire Denathrius

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