This page covers a healer-focused strategy for N'zoth the Corruptor in Ny'alotha, the Waking City. 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, log information, and Dungeon Journal information. I'll continue to update it as-needed.

General Mechanics and Abilities

Normal and Heroic

All Stages

• Players must keep their Sanity above 0 for as long as possible.
  • Sanity is tracked with the Alternate Player Power Bar UI element, just like in Horrific Visions.
  • Players can use the Extra Action Button ability Azeroth's Radiance to restore 80 Sanity over 4-seconds while not moving or attacking.
  • Players that reach 0 gain Gift of N'zoth, dealing increased damage and healing for 20-seconds.
    • When the effect expires, the player becomes a Servant of N'zoth.
      • The player is Charmed and can be killed.
      • Interrupt Mental Decay to prevent the Sanity drain and light damage over time on other players.

Stage One - Dominant Mind

This stage begins the encounter and ends when Psychus is killed. This stage is also a repeatable mechanic in stage two, with more details specific to that in the stage two section.

• Glimpse of Infinity pulls all players into the Mind of N'zoth.
• Exposed Synapse
  • Stay at least 5-yards away from other players to avoid chaining Probe Mind.
  • When an Exposed Synapse is killed, all others are healed to full health by Resilient Synapses.
• Psychus
  • The tanks will be dealing with Mindwrack.
  • Avoid the large Creeping Anguish pools.
    • Being inside a pool causes light damage over time and 10 Sanity loss every 2-seconds due to Anguish.
  • Each Exposed Synapse killed within 8-yards of Psychus applies a stack of Synaptic Shock, increasing damage taken.
  • Must be killed before reaching 100% energy to avoid the heavy damage over time and Sanity drain from Manifest Madness.
  • When killed, Shattered Ego stuns N'zoth and all tentacles, allowing N'zoth to be damaged.
    • Players must click on their body where it was when they were pulled into the realm in order to leave before Collapsing Mindscape deals fatal damage.
• During Void Gaze, all players take moderate damage over time and lose 15% Sanity over 3-seconds.

Stage Two - Writhing Onslaught

During this stage, players will be fighting against N'zoth and several types of tentacles.

• N'zoth
  • Mindgrasp forces players to move either towards or away from N'zoth.
  • Spawns Corrupted Neurons.
    • Corrupted Neurons
      • Veil of Anguish creates a void zone around N'zoth, encircling the room, and around each Corrupted Neuron.
        • Being inside any of the zones inflicts Anguish, dealing heavy damage over time and draining Sanity.
  • When affected by Paranoia, stay within 5-yards of the player you're linked to while avoiding all other players.
    • Being near a non-linked player causes Sanity loss.
  • Deals moderate damage to all players in the physical realm with Eternal Torment.
• Basher Tentacle
  • Gains a stack of Evolving Might with each melee attack, increasing damage dealt.
  • The tank will be dealing with Void Lash, which deals heavy damage over time.
  • If no players are in melee range, Tumultuous Burst deals heavy damage to all players and reduces haste.
  • When killed, avoid the impact locations of Corrupted Viscera.
• Corruptor Tentacle
  • Interrupt Corrupted Mind (dispel, magic) or dispel it from affected players before it expires to avoid the Sanity loss.
  • When killed, avoid the impact locations of Corrupted Viscera.
• Spike Tentacle
  • Deals moderate damage to random players with Pain Spike.
  • When killed, avoid the impact locations of Corrupted Viscera.
• Players can use the Mindgate to enter the Mind of N'zoth again, this gate is opened twice during the stage.
  • This functions identically to stage one with some additional mechanics based on the scenario being reconstructed.
    • Corruption of Deathwing
      • Deals moderate damage to all players and drains 20 Sanity over 9-seconds with Cataclysmic Flames.
      • Avoid the impact locations of Flames of Insanity (dispel, magic).
    • Treacherous Bargain
      • Tread Lightly causes players to take light damage over time while moving due to Contempt.
      • Deals moderate damage to all players and drains 12 Sanity over 3-seconds with Black Volley.
  • On Heroic, Fettered Mind prevents players from entering the Mind of N'zoth more than once.

Stage Three - Convergence

• N'zoth
  • Mindgrasp and Paranoia continue during this stage.
  • When affected by Evoke Anguish, move as far away from other players as possible to drop the resulting pool of Anguish.
    • On each subsequent cast, existing pools of Anguish will expand.
  • Avoid the path of Stupefying Glare originating from the Eyes of N'zoth.
• Thought Harvester
  • The tanks will be dealing with Mindwrack.
  • When Harvest Thoughts is cast, move within 15-yards of the Thought Harvester to help split the Sanity loss effect.
    • If at least three players aren't hit, it instead drains 50 Sanity from all players.

Mythic Differences

• The encounter now starts in stage two.

Stage Two - Writhing Onslaught

• Corruptor Tentacle
  • When killed, Psychophagic Anomaly spawns Psychophages inside the Mind of N'zoth.
    • Psychophange
      • Stay at least 10-yards away to avoid Devour Thoughts.
      • When killed, stay at least 5-yards away to avoid Psychic Burst.
• Psychus
  • Shattered Ego no longer stuns tentacles.
• Exposed Synapse
  • When killed, Psychophagic Anomaly spawns Psychophanges inside the physical realm.
    • Psychophange
      • Stay at least 10-yards away to avoid Devour Thoughts.
      • When killed, stay at least 5-yards away to avoid Psychic Burst.

Stage Three - Forge of Fate

• This stage is currently a secret, with no information available at the moment! I'll update this section ASAP.

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
  
  • Cataclysmic Flames
  • Black Volley
• Use Minor Cooldowns on
  
  • Void Gaze
  • Eternal Torment
• Pre-heal Before (mainly for heal over time classes)
  • Cataclysmic Flames
  • Black Volley
  • Void Gaze
  • Eternal Torment
  • Harvest Thoughts
• Potion of Replenishment use
  • likely at the start of stage three
• Other things to watch for
  • Keep a close eye on your Sanity level, using Azeroth's Radiance when healing requirements are low.
  • During stage two, healers will be often be split between the physical realm and the Mind of N'zoth. Be prepared for an increased healing requirement.

Debuffs to Track

Major

• Mindwrack causes tanks to take additional physical damage.
• Void Lash causes the tanks to need additional healing.
• Corrupted Mind (dispel, magic) should be dispelled quickly.
• Flames of Insanity (dispel, magic) should be dispelled quickly.

Minor

• (Optional) Paranoia can cause players to need additional healing.

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 DBM Settings

Below are the DBM settings I'll be using for N'zoth the Corruptor. 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 N'zoth the Corruptor

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