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Gul'dan, DPS Guide

Updated 6 years, 4 months ago for patch 7.2 by Virendra. View the change log.

Gul'dan Dungeon Journal ModelThis page covers a DPS-focused strategy for Gul’dan in The Nighthold. While it's tailored for DPS, other roles may also find the information useful. If you have any suggestions or feedback, you can leave a comment below or tweet @VirendraDG.

This guide has been updated and maintained based on my own experiences with the fight as well as Dungeon Journal information. I'll continue to update it as-needed.

General Mechanics and Abilities

Normal and Heroic

Gul’dan is the final encounter in The Nighthold.  He will use the Eye of Aman’Thul to unleash powerful magic, but players also get to harness the power of the final Pillar of Creation

Stage One: The Council of Elders

  • Essence of Aman'Thul grants players a power based on their roles. DPS players gain Time Dilation, allowing them 30% faster cooldown regeneration, attack speed, casting, movement speed, and causes DOTs on them to tick faster. Receiving fire damage will remove the buff.
  • Gul'dan will be throwing out abilities from inside the Eye of Aman'Thul.
  • Liquid Hellfire targets a random player and deals high damage when the fel orb lands. Damage is decreased the further away from the impact zone. Healers can mitigate the raid's damage by using their extra action button.
  • Gul'dan fires Fel Efflux from the middle of the room, dealing massive damage to anyone in the path. He points in a direction while casting, so pay attention and move away from the targeted zone.
  • Hand of Gul'dan will deal massive damage to anyone within 10 yards of the impact zone and summon a demon lord.
  • Fel Lord Kuraz'mal uses abilities that the tanks need to deal with.
  • Inquisitor Vethriz summons Gaze of Vethriz adds which channel a beam of magic. Avoid the beam.
    • He will use Shadowblink to teleport around the room.
  • D'zorykx the Trapper will use Soul Vortex on a target, dealing some a bit of damage. However, anyone caught near the cage will gain the Torn Soul debuff and take way more damage.

Stage Two: The Ritual of Aman'Thul

  • Gul'dan joins the fight after his demons are defeated. At 85%, 70%, and 55%, Gul'dan gains empowered abilities.
  • Liquid Hellfire continues, but becomes Empowered Liquid Hellfire. It is handled the same as before, running away from the impact, but now the ground is set on fire for 3 minutes.
  • Bonds of Fel snares a target and deals ticking Fire damage. When broken, it deals deadly damage that needs to be soaked by other raid members.
  • Eye of Gul'dan adds will channel Shadow damage.
    • Casts Duplicate at full energy and moves locations.
    • Empowered Eye of Gul'dan deal fire damage and follow the target with the highest threat.
    • DPS these down immediately, as Duplicate will cause them to multiply out of control.
  • Hand of Gul'dan continues, and summons a dreadlord add.
    • DPS will need to interrupt Carrion Wave from the dreadlords, but DPS it down before stacks of Fervor get too high.
    • The dreadlord gains a stack of Fervor every time a cast is interrupted.

Stage Three: The Master's Power

  • Stage Three begins at 40% and disrupts the player buffs from the Eye of Aman'Thul.
  • Empowered Eye of Gul'dan continue to spawn.
  • Well of Souls will deal damage to players inside it but causes enemies to ignore you.
    • Soul Corrosion will cause a soul fragment to leave, causing more damage on the raid for every 3 seconds a player stands in the Well of Souls.
  • Black Harvest will cause any souls stored in the Well to explode for raid-wide damage.
  • Storm of the Destroyer deals deadly damage within 10 yards, then 20 yards, then 30, and then 60 yards.
  • Flames of Sargeras burn the target and causes splash damage to anyone within 8 yards. Additionally, targeted players leave a Desolate Ground for 2 minutes. Run towards the outer edges to drop your flames.

 DPS Strategy

  • Save your Essence of Aman'thul for when Inquisitor Vethriz spawns and for Eye of Gul'dan spawns thereafter.
  • Melee and ranged DPS need to help break Bonds of Fel and Empowered Bonds of Fel. This will mean that melee has to ocassionally run out to assist.
  • Consider using a Weak Aura to alert when you have Flames of Sargeras.
  • Run to the opposite side of the platform during Storm of the Destroyer.
  • Never stand on the tanks. Gul'dan's Fel Scythe ability will destroy any DPS.

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Changelog - View the last ten changes. - +

April 30, 2017 - 12:00 am (Nighthold) - Added Mythic Tel'arn video to healer guide.

April 30, 2017 - 12:00 am (Nighthold) - Added better mythic information to the Tel'arn healer guide.

April 11, 2017 - 12:00 am (Nighthold) - Updated healer DBM settings for the first six bosses, added Mythic Aluriel kill video to healer guide.

April 04, 2017 - 12:00 am (Nighthold) - Added mythic kill video to the Tichondrius healer guide and reviewed all information, only minor corrections were needed.

March 24, 2017 - 12:00 am (Nighthold) - Guides reviewed for patch 7.2, no major updates made.

March 13, 2017 - 12:00 am (Nighthold) - Added Mythic kill video to Krosus healer guide.

March 06, 2017 - 12:00 am (Nighthold) - Did a full review of all healer guides. No major changes were made, mostly just wording clarifications.

February 14, 2017 - 12:00 am (Nighthold) - Made final update to Trilliax healer guide and added mythic kill video.

February 12, 2017 - 12:00 am (Nighthold) - Made final updates to the Chronomatic Anomaly healer guide and added the mythic kill video.

February 11, 2017 - 12:00 am (Nighthold) - Added mythic information to Skorpyron and Chronomatic Anomaly DPS guides.