The Primal Council, 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 The Primal Council 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
During this encounter, players fight against all Council members at once.
Shared Abilities
- The Council members do not share a health pool, and when killed begin channeling a powerful spell (noted for each of them below) until all other members are killed.
Kadros Icewrath
-
- Interrupt Frost Spike to prevent the light damage dealt to a random player, and force Kadros to move instead of casting.
- At 100% Energy, about every 2-minutes starting 45-seconds into the encounter, during Primal Blizzard:
- Players gradually gain stacks of Primal Blizzard, reducing Fire damage taken.
- At 10-stacks of Primal Blizzard, the player is Frozen in a Frost Tomb, taking light damage over time until the Frost Tomb is killed.
- Taking damage from Scorched Ground created by Embar removes all stacks of Primal Blizzard.
- Upon death, deals increasing moderate to heavy damage over time to all players with Glacial Convocation until all other Council members are killed.
Dathea Stormlash
-
- Interrupt Lightning Bolt to prevent the light damage dealt to a random players, and force Dathea to move instead of casting.
- When affected by Conductive Mark, stay more than 5-yards away from other players to avoid chaining the effect.
- Move within 5-yards of an Earthen Pillar created by Opalfang to remove the effect.
- Deals light damage to random players with Chain Lightning.
- Upon death, deals increasing moderate to heavy damage over time to all players with Storming Convocation until all other Council members are killed.
Opalfang
-
- The tanks will be dealing with extra heavy damage from Crush and the stacking increased Physical damage taken effect.
- Avoid the impact locations of Earthen Pillar, targeted on or near player's locations.
- Earthen Pillar
- Used to remove Conductive Marks puts on players by Dathea.
- Can be destroyed by Meteor Axes from Embar.
- On Heroic, deals light damage over time to all players with Quaking Pulse.
- Earthen Pillar
- Upon death, deals increasing moderate to heavy damager over time to all players with Quaking Convocation until all other Council members are killed.
Embar Firepath
-
- Don't stand in front to avoid Slashing Blaze. The tanks will be dealing with its extra heavy damage and stacking moderate to heavy damage over time effect.
- About every 55-seconds, Meteor Axes target two players.
- Affected players should move near Earthen Pillars to destroy them.
- Unaffected players must stack with one of the affected players to split the damage dealt.
- The two targeted players leave behind Scorched Ground, used to remove Primal Blizzard from Kadros' Primal Blizzard.
- On Heroic, stacking within two Meteor Axes at once will deal fatal damage.
- Upon death, deals increasing moderate to heavy damage over time to all players with Burning Convocation until all other Council members are killed.
Mythic Differences
- Scorched Ground now shrinks when used to remove stacks of Primal Blizzard.
- Conductive Mark lasts indefinitely unless removed by an Earthen Pillar.
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
- during Primal Blizzard [occurs evey 2-minutes]
- Use Minor Cooldowns on
- Meteor Axes [occurs about every 55-seconds]
- Conductive Mark [occurs about every 55-seconds]
- Pre-heal Before (mainly for heal over time classes)
- Primal Blizzard
- or, keep heal over time effects active throughout the encounter due to the persistent damage
- Potion of Frozen Focus use
- after Meteor Axes, in between Primal Blizzards
- Other things to watch for
- Earthen Pillars don't break line of sight but do block movement.
Debuffs to Track
Major
- Slashing Blaze causes the tanks to need additioanl moderate healing over time.
- Crush can cause tanks to need additional healing.
- Frost Tomb incapacitates players and causes them to need additional light healing over time.
- Several abilities cause players to need additional moderate healing.
Comment on The Primal Council, Healer Guide