This page covers healer-focused strategies for the Vortex Pinnacle dungeon in Cataclysm. 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 contact me.

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.

Below are guides for the bosses in Vortex Pinnacle, including their abilities, healer notes, and addon settings.

• Remains stationary in the center of the room.
• Interrupt Lightning Bolt to prevent the light damage dealt to the tank.
• Avoid the path of the Cyclone Shield ring as it circles around Ertan. Players hit take moderate damage and have their Haste and movement speed greatly reduced.
  • Every 30-seconds, the Cyclone Shield ring expands or contracts.
    • While expanded, stand inside the ring.
    • While contracted, stand outside the ring.
    • Players outside the ring take moderate damage over time from Storm's Edge.
• On Heroic, Lurking Tempests gradually spawn along the edges of the room.
  • Lurking Tempest
    • Effectively unkillable.
    • Only active if no player is facing it, due to Lurk.
      • Affected by Feign Death while inactive.
    • While active, deals light damage to random players with Lightning Bolt.

• Avoid the paths of Cyclone Shield Fragments orbs that emanate from the Cyclone Shield. Players hit take moderate damage and have their Haste and movement speed reduced.
• Lurking Tempests spawn in sets of three.
  • Lurking Tempest
    • While active, deals moderate damage to all players with Lethal Current.

Mythic+ Affix Notes

• Can make moving for the expanding and contracting Cyclone Shield more difficult.

• Use cooldowns as-needed to deal with excessive damage from [!WcDb? &name=`Storm's Edge` &id=`86309` &type=`spell`]].

• There are no particular debuffs to track.

• Don't stand in front when he turns to cast Chilling Breath, targeted at a random player.
• Every 15-seconds, the direction of the wind blowing across the platform changes.
  • Standing upwind of Altarius (so the wind effectively hits you before Altairus) grants Upwind of Altairus, increasing Haste and movement speed.
  • Standing downwind applies Downwind of Altairus, reducing Haste and movement speed.
• On Heroic, avoid the Twisting Winds cyclones that cover the platform. Players hit take light damage and are knocked into the air.
• Any players not on the platform take heavy damage over time from Lightning Blast.

• Upwind of Altairus no longer increases movement speed.
• Downwind of Altairus now also deals light damage over time.
• During Downburst:
  • Use Twisting Winds to get knocked into the air to avoid the expanding Downburst ring.
  • Players hit are Pacified and take light damage over time.
• Deals light damage over time to all players with Biting Cold for the duration of the encounter.
• Players not on the platform take heavy damage over time and have their healing and damage done greatly reduced by Cold Front. 

Mythic+ Affix Notes

• Can make positioning for Upwind of Altairus more difficult.

• Use cooldowns as-needed if players are hit by Chilling Breath.

• Major: Downburst
• Minor: Downwind of Altairus

• Stay more than 8-yards away from other players to avoid chaining the light damage dealt from Chain Lightning.
• Starting 30-seconds into the encounter, and every 60-seconds after that, begins creating an Unstable Grounding Field at a random location in the room.
  • After 10-seconds (when the Unstable Grounding Field channel finishes), during Supremacy of the Storm, stand inside the Unstable Grounding Field to gain Grounding Field, which prevents the fatal damage dealt.
• Every 20-seconds, delayed by Unstable Grounding Field, during Static Cling:
  • Be prepared to jump so you're in the air as the cast finishes to avoid the Root effect from Static Cling (dispel, magic).
• Skyfall Stars appear near the edges of the room throughout the encounter.
  • Skyfall Star
    • Deals light damage to random players with Arcane Barrage.

• Static Cling now also deals light damage to players on the ground.
• Skyfall Stars are replaced by Skyfall Novas.
  • Skyfall Nova
    • Deals light damage to all players with Skyfall Nova.

Mythic+ Affix Notes

• Can make positioning for Supremacy of the Storm more difficult.

• Use cooldowns as-needed on Chain Lightning.

• Minor: Static Cling (dispel, magic)
• Root Effects: Static Cling

Below are notes for the trash mobs in The Vortex Pinnacle. The Vortex Pinnacle has a relatively linear layout, and trash mobs are ordered as if you're completing bosses in the order they're listed above.

The following notes apply to Normal, Heroic, and Timewalking difficulties only.

• Players who die and release are placed at the entrance of the dungeon. There is a Slipstream that can be clicked on near the dungeon portal to send players to their furthest checkpoint, usually after each boss. Players also gain Slipstream, greatly increasing movement speed until entering combat.

Entrance thru Grand Vizier Ertan

• Armored Mistral
  • Stay more than 8-yards away to avoid Storm Surge. Players hit take light damage.
  • Purge Gale Strike to prevent the extra light damage dealt to the tank.
  • Gains stacks of Rising Winds over time, increasing damage dealt.
• Wild Vortex
  • Interrupt Cyclone to prevent the incapacitating and immunity to all damage and healing effect on a random player.
  • When possible, interrupt Lightning Bolt to prevent the moderate damage dealt to a random player.
  • Interrupts player's casts with Wind Shock.
• Gust Soldier
  • Don't stand in front to avoid Wind Blast (dispel, magic). Players hit have their attack speed greatly reduced.
  • Stay more than 6-yards away to avoid Air Nova. Players hit take light damage and are knocked back.
  • Targets random players with Charge, Stunning them.
• Lurking Tempest
  • Effectively unkillable.
  • Only active if no player is facing it, due to Lurk.
    • Affected by Feign Death while inactive.
  • While active, deals light damage to random players with Lightning Bolt.
• Cloud Prince
  • Avoid the location of Starfall. Players in the area take light damage over time.
  • Spawns about a dozen Whipping Winds.
    • Whipping Wind
      • Deals light damage to random players with Lightning Bolt.

Grand Vizier Ertan thru Altairus

• To begin this section, players must click on a Slipstream tornado off the edge of the platform, which carries them to the next set of platforms.
• This area includes Wild Vortexes, and Gust Soldiers, detailed above.
• Turbulent Squall
  • Avoid the location of Hurricane. Players in the area take light damage over time and have reduced attack speed.
  • Dispel Asphyxiate (maigc) to remove the light damage over time effect.
  • Deals light damage to all players with Cloudburst.
• Empyrean Assassin
  • Dispel Lethargic Poison (poison) to remove the decreased attack, casting, and movement speed effect.
  • Interrupt or purge Vapor Form to remove the decresed damage taken effect.
• Young Storm Dragon
  • The tank should keep enemies out of the Healing Well to avoid the healing over time.
    • Players can also stand in the Healing Well to be healed over time.
  • Stay more than 6-yards away from the tank to avoid Brutal Strikes. Players hit take moderate damage.
  • Don't stand in front to avoid Chilling Blast.
• Partway through this area, players must pass a bridge with two Howling Gales on it.
  • Attacking the Howling Gales temporarily disables their Howling Gale, allowing players to pass without being knocked back.

Altairus thru Asaad

• To begin this section, players once again must click on a Slipstream tornado off the edge of the platform, which carries them to the next set of platforms.
• Executor of the Caliph
  • The tank will be dealing with extra light damage from Devastate as well as stacks of Sunder Armor, reducing Armor.
  • Don't stand in front to avoid Shockwave. Players hit are Stunned.
  • Causes enemies within 30-yards to deal damage to attacking players with Rally.
• Temple Adept
  • Interrupt Greater Heal to prevent the healing.
  • When possible, interrupt Holy Smite to prevent the moderate damage dealt to a random player.
  • Has greatly increased casting speed while Desperate Speed is active.
• Servant of Asaad
  • Stay more than 8-yards away to avoid Divine Storm. Players hit take light damage.
  • Dispel Sure Strike (magic) to remove the extra Holy damage taken effect.
  • Purge Hand of Protection to remove the immunity to Physical damage effect.
• Minister of Air
  
  • Stay more than 10-yards away to avoid Lightning Nova. Players hit take light damage and are knocked back.
  • Deals moderate damage over time to random players with Lightning Lash.
• Skyfall Star
  • Deals light damage to random players with Arcane Barrage.

The following notes apply to Mythic+ difficulty only.

Entrance thru Grand Vizier Ertan

• Armored Mistral
  
  • Stay more than 15-yards away to avoid Pressurized Blast.
  • Avoid attacking into the Cloud Guard shield, which deflects all attacks from the direction it's facing.
  • Should be killed first or otherwise prevented from gaining excessive stacks.
• Wild Vortex
  • Interrupt Cyclone to prevent the incapacitating and immunity to all damage and healing effect on a random player.
  • When possible, interrupt Wind Bolt to prevent the moderate damage dealt to a random player.
  • Soothe immediately.
  • Can be difficult to move due to their preference for casting spells.
• Gust Soldier
  • The tank will be dealing with extra light damage while Wind Flurry is active.
  • Dispel Rushing Wind (dispel, magic) to remove the moderate damage over time effect.
• Lurking Tempest
  • Effectively unkillable.
  • Only active if no player is facing it, due to Lurk.
  • While active, deals moderate damage to all players with Lethal Current.
• Cloud Prince
  • Avoid the impact location of Bomb Cyclone. Players hit take heavy damage and are knocked back.
  • Deals light damage over time to all players and pushes them away with Turbulence.
  • Should be killed first or otherwise prevented from gaining excessive stacks.
  • Does not move while channeling Turbulence.

Grand Vizier Ertan thru Altairus

• To begin this section, players must click on a Slipstream tornado off the edge of the platform, which carries them to the next set of platforms.
• This area includes Wild Vortexes, and Gust Soldiers, detailed above.
• Turbulent Squall
  • Purge Storm Shield to remove the damage absorption shield and prevent the light damage dealt to all players.
• Empyrean Assassin
  • Interrupt Vapor Form to prevent the greatly reduced damage taken effect.
  • Stay more than 5-yards away from other players to avoid chaining the damage dealt by Assassinate.
  • Soothe immediately.
• Young Storm Dragon
  • The tank should keep enemies out of the Healing Well to prevent the healing over time.
    • Players can also stand in the Healing Well to be healed over time.
  • Don't stand in front to avoid Chilling Breath. Players hit take moderate damage.
  • Deals moderate damage over time to all players with Chilling Blast.

Altairus thru Asaad

• To begin this section, players once again must click on a Slipstream tornado off the edge of the platform, which carries them to the next set of platforms.
• Executor of the Caliph
  • Interrupt Rally to prevent the increased health effect on enemies within 40-yards.
  • Deals moderate damage to all players with Crashing Stone.
  • Should be killed first or otherwise prevented from gaining excessive stacks.
• Temple Adept
  • Interrupt Greater Heal to prevent the healing.
  • When possible, interrupt Holy Smite to prevent the moderate damage dealt to a random player.
  • Has greatly increased casting speed while Desperate Speed is active.
  • Soothe immediately.
• Servant of Asaad
  • The tank will be dealing with extra moderate damage from Sure Strike.
  • Charges random players more than 8-yards away, reducing movement speed.
• Minister of Air
  
  • When targeted by Lightning Lash, stand inside the Grounding Field to avoid the likely-fatal damage over time.
  • During Overload Grounding Field, avoid standing in the nearby Grounding Field. Players in the area trake light damage over time.
  • Can be difficult to move due to their preference for casting spells.
• Skyfall Star
  • Deals light damage to random players with Starlight.

• Major:
  • Magic Dispel: Wind Blast (dispel, magic), Rushing Wind (dispel, magic)
  • Damaging: Sunder Armor, Lightning Lash
  • Incapacitating: Cyclone, Shockwave
• Minor:
  
  • Magic Dispel: Asphyxiate (maigc)
  • Poison Dispel: Lethargic Poison (dispel, poison)
• Enrages to Soothe: None
• Buffs to Purge: Gale Strike, Storm Shield, Vapor Form, Hand of Protection
• Root Effects: None