Sennarth, Healer Guide
Updated 4 months, 2 weeks ago for patch 10.1 by Preston. View the change log.
This page covers a healer-focused strategy for Sennarth, the Cold Breath in Vault of the Incarnates in Dragonflight. 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 - Ice Climbers
This stage begins the encounter and ends when Sennarth reaches the fourth platform, after about 4.5-minutes.
- Sennarth ascends platforms with the following timings:
- Stationary for 45-seconds per platform.
- Then, slowly ascends to the next platform over 60-seconds, during which players can continue to attack by following up the stairs.
- Repeat until the fourth platform, when stage two begins.
- The tanks will be dealing with extra moderate damage from Web Blast and the increased damage taken from subsequent Web Blasts effect from stacks of Web Blast.
- Creates patches of Icy Ground with Breath of Ice. Patches land near random player's locations.
- Being in Icy Ground deals light damage over time and makes players slide while moving.
- When targeted by Chilling Blast, stay more than 3-yards away from other players to avoid chaining the damage dealt. This deals light damage over time to affected players.
- When affected by Enveloping Webs, move to the center of the current platform to drop the resulting Sticky Webbing, or move to a designated area.
- Standing in Sticky Webbing grants immunity to sliding pulling, and pushing effects, but applies stacks over time.
- At 10-stacks, Wrapped in Webs greatly reduces movement speed. On Heroic, it completely Stuns the affected player.
- This effect is removed after 30-seconds or by being in a Caustic Eruption from Caustic Spiderlings, detailed below.
- Can be used to deal with Gossamer Burst, detailed below.
- At 10-stacks, Wrapped in Webs greatly reduces movement speed. On Heroic, it completely Stuns the affected player.
- Standing in Sticky Webbing grants immunity to sliding pulling, and pushing effects, but applies stacks over time.
- During Gossamer Burst, which occurs 30-seconds and 60-seconds after becoming stationary on a new platform:
- Stand in Sticky Webbing, or use a movement ability, to negate the pull effect towards Sennarth.
- Players pulled off the edge end up on the first platform, take fall damage, are affected by Enveloping Webs, and take stacking light to moderate damage over time from Permafrost until reaching the active platform.
- Deals light damage to all players.
- Stand in Sticky Webbing, or use a movement ability, to negate the pull effect towards Sennarth.
- Once stationary on a new platform, spawns one Frostbreath Arachnid and gradually spawns five to six groups of five Caustic Spiderlings.
- Frostbreath Arachnid
- The tanks will be dealing with extra moderate damage from Freezing Breath, which creates additional Icy Ground patches.
- Deals increasing moderate to heavy damage over time to all players with Chilling Aura.
- Caustic Spiderlings
- Upon death, stay more than 5-yards away to avoid Caustic Eruption.
- Removes Wrapped in Webs (detailed above) from players and Sticky Webbing from the ground within 5-yards.
- Upon death, stay more than 5-yards away to avoid Caustic Eruption.
- Frostbreath Arachnid
Stage Two - The Frozen Precipice
This stage begins when Sennarth reaches the fourth platform, after about 4.5-minutes in stage one.
- To begin the stage, interrupt Apex of Ice to remove the greatly reduced damage taken effect.
- The entire platform is covered in Icy Ground, dealing light damage over time to all players and causing them to slide when moving.
- When targeted by Suffocating Webs:
- Move to the center of the platform, or to a designated area, to drop the resulting Sticky Webbing.
- Position relative to Sennarth to ensure you won't be knocked back off the edge or into Glacial Plume orbs, detailed below.
- Targeted players are immediately affected by Wrapped in Webs.
- Caustic Spiderlings continue to spawn during this stage.
- When targeted by Chilling Blast, stay more than 3-yards away from other players while moving to the side of the platform to drop the resulting Glacial Plume orb.
- Touching a Glacial Plume orb deals heavy damage and knocks back the player.
- Every 30-seconds, during Repelling Burst:
- Stand in Sticky Webbing to negate the push effect from Sennarth and avoid being pushed off the edge of the platform or into Glacial Plume orbs.
- Frequently applies a stack of Pervasive Cold to all players, increasing Frost damage taken.
Mythic Differences
- Wrapped in Webs now occurs at 8-stacks of Sticky Webbing.
- Avoid the Gusting Rime cyclones as they move around the platform. Players hit take moderate damage and are knocked back.
- Caustic Spiderling
- Caustic Eruption applies a stack of Dissolved Defenses to players hit, greatly increasing Nature damage taken.
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
- while Frostbreath Arachnids are active [occurs about every 1-minute 45-seconds in stage one]
- during stage two
- Use Minor Cooldowns
- as-needed on Chilling Blast
- Pre-heal Before (mainly for heal over time classes)
- Frostbreath Arachnids are active
- or, keep heal over time effects active due to the frequency of Chilling Blast
- Potion of Frozen Focus use
- after the second Gossamer Burst before arriving at a new platform
- Other things to watch for
- Healing required is persistent throughout the encounter, but increases quickly during stage two.
- The stairs between platforms can break line of sight if one player is on the platform and the other is still on the stairs.
- Dying in stage two due to high stacks of Pervasive Cold could mean more DPS is needed, not necessarily more healing.
Debuffs to Track
Major
- Web Blast can cause tanks to need additional healing.
- Wrapped in Webs permanently Stuns the affected player until removed with Caustic Eruption.
- Enveloping Webs causes players to need additional moderate healing over time.
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