
Sun King's Salvation, Healer Guide
Updated 1 year, 4 months ago for patch 9.0.5 by Preston. View the change log.
This page covers a healer-focused strategy for Sun King's Salvation 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
During this encounter players must heal Kael'thas while fending off Sire Denathrius' forces.
- High Torturer Darithos is present to begin the encounter.
- When targeted by
Greater Castigation, move at least 6-yards away from other players.
- When targeted by
- Ministers of Vice will join throughout the encounter.
- Rockbound Vanquisher
- The tanks will be dealing with
Vanquishing Strike and gaining stacks of
Vanquished.
- Deals light damage to all players with
Concussive Smash.
- Each use grants a stack of
Reverberation, increasing the damage of subsequent
Concussive Smashes.
- Each use grants a stack of
- The tanks will be dealing with
- Bleakwing Assassin
- When targeted by
Crimson Flurry, move at least 8-yards away from other players.
- At low health, casts
Return to Stone, healing back to full health if not killed before the cast finishes.
- When targeted by
- Vile Occultist
- Interrupt or dispel
Vulgar Brand (magic) to prevent the increased damage taken effect.
- Deals light damage to random players with
Scornful Blast.
- Teleports to random locations with
Door of Shadows.
- Interrupt or dispel
- Soul Infuser
- Channels
Soul Infusion, damaging Kael'thas.
- If the Shade of Kael'thas (detailed below) is active, this heals Kael'thas instead.
- Channels
- Pestering Fiend
- Stay at least 3-yards away from other players to minimize the damage from
Shattering Ruby.
- On Heroic, upon death, stay at least 7-yards away to avoid
Fragmentation.
- Stay at least 3-yards away from other players to minimize the damage from
- Rockbound Vanquisher
- Various Infusing Essences will become available throughout the encounter to assist in healing Kael'Thas.
- Vile Occultist
- Upon death, drops an Essence Font.
- Essence Font
- Loses health over time at an increasing rate due to
Cracked Reservoir. At 0% health the Font is lost.
- At 100% health, triggers
Essence Overflow, healing Kael'thas.
- Loses health over time at an increasing rate due to
- Essence Font
- Upon death, drops an Essence Font.
- Soul Infuser
- Upon death, leaves behind an Infuser's Orb. Clicking on the Orb grants a stack of
Infuser's Boon, increasing healing done for 15-seconds.
- Upon death, leaves behind an Infuser's Orb. Clicking on the Orb grants a stack of
- Soul Pedestals are located around the room.
- Soul Pedestal
- Clicking on a Pedestal channels
Soul Infusion, sacrificing health to heal Kael'thas over 15-seconds.
- Additionally, applies
Drained Soul, preventing the use of Soul Pedestals for 1-minute.
- Additionally, applies
- Clicking on a Pedestal channels
- Soul Pedestal
- Vile Occultist
- When Kael'thas reached 40% and 90% health, a Shade of Kael'thas spawns.
- Shade of Kael'Thas
- Kael'thas cannot be healed while the Shade is active due to
Reflection of Guild.
- Shade of Kael'Thas leaves the fight again when brought to 45% and 0% health.
- Avoid the
Smoldering Remnants pools left behind by various abilities (noted below).
- Don't stand in front of the Shade to avoid
Fiery Strike.
- The tanks will be dealing with stacks of
Burning Remnants.
- The tanks will be dealing with stacks of
- Stack with the player affected by
Ember Blast to split both the damage dealt and the stacks of
Lingering Embers applied.
- This leaves behind
Smoldering Remnants pools.
- This leaves behind
- At 100% Energy, avoid the
Blazing Surge cone targeted on a random player.
- This leaves behind
Smoldering Remnants pools.
- This leaves behind
- Reborn Phoenix
- Fixate on a random player.
- Stay at least 6-yards away from the Phoenix to avoid
Smoldering Plumage.
- This leaves behind
Smoldering Remnants pools.
- This leaves behind
- At 0% health,
Phoenix Embers gradually heals the Phoenix back to full health again.
- Disappear when the Shade of Kal'thas is killed.
- Kael'thas cannot be healed while the Shade is active due to
- Shade of Kael'Thas
Mythic Differences
- Kael'thas
- Periodically gains a
Cloak of Flames shield, absorbing incoming healing.
- While active, avoid the impact locations of
Unleashed Pyroclasm
- While active, avoid the impact locations of
- Periodically gains a
- Shade of Kael'thas
- Reborn Phoenix
- No longer disappear when the Shade is killed.
- Reborn Phoenix
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
- to heal Essence Fonts and Kael'thas directly, especially with stacks of
Infuser's Boon
- to heal Essence Fonts and Kael'thas directly, especially with stacks of
- Use Minor Cooldowns
- on
Ember Blast
- to heal Essence Fonts and Kael'thas directly
- on
- Pre-heal Before (mainly for heal over time classes)
Potion of Spiritual Clarity use
- likely while Shade of Kael'thas is active and Kael'thas cannot be healed.
- Other things to watch for
- Be careful not to heal any Essence Fonts while the Shade of Kael'thas is alive as the healing will be absorbed.
- If
Vulgar Brand (dispel, magic) is not interrupted, dispel it from the tanks quickly.
Debuffs to Track
Major
- Dispel
Vulgar Brand (magic) quickly if it's not interrupted.
- Several abilities cause players to need additional healing.
- Several abilities cause the tanks to need additional healing:
Minor
- Several abilities cause players to need additional healing over time.
Useful Addons
Below are the DBM settings I'll be using for Sun King's Salvation 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.
DBM Settings
Healer DBM Settings for Sun King's Salvation
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