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Mythic+ Affixes, Shadowlands

Updated 5 months, 3 weeks ago for patch 9.2.7 by Preston. View the change log.

This page covers strategies and information regarding Mythic+ affixes in Shadowlands. 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 and combat log information. I'll continue to update it as-needed.

Seasonal Mythic+ Affixes

Seasonal Affixes are special affixes that don't start appearing on mythic+ keys until level 10 or higher, and only change when a new season begins.

Shrouded, Season 4

The Shrouded affix lets each player choose a Bounty at the beginning of a dungeon; Bounties grant a stacking secondary stack buff to the player. The Bounty is to kill dreadlords throughout the dungeon, and doing so grants another stack of the chosen Bounty.

Bounties

One of the following Bounties can be chosen per dungeon. Each player chooses their own Bounty.

Dreadlords

Dreadlords are disguised as other enemies, denoted by the Disguised debuff. When engaged, most will reveal themselves to be Nathrezim Infiltrators, but one is disguised as Zul'gamux, a dreadlord mini-boss.

Nathrezim Infiltrator
  • The tank will be dealing with Vampiric Claws, which heals based on the damage it deals.
  • Don't stand in front when it turns to cast Carrion Swarm (dispel, magic).
  • Avoid the locations of Nightmare Cloud.
    • Players hit are incapacitated by Nightmare (dispel, magic).
  • Upon death, the capturing Broker grants all players health and mana over time with Restoration.
Zul'gamux
  • The tank will be dealing with stacks of Shadow Claws (dispel, magic), dealing light to moderate damage over time.
  • During Blood Barrier, the damage absorption shield must be depleted to interrupt Blood Siphon and stop the healing over time.
  • Spawns Hypnosis Bats that attempt to cast Hypnosis on a random player.
    • Hypnosis Bat
      • Stun or incapacitate to interrupt Hypnosis, to prevent the mind-control-like effect.
        • Affected players retain control of their character, but are hostile to all other players and take moderate damage over time until their Shadowy Barrier damage absorption shield is depleted.
  • During Shadow Eruption, stay more than 10-yards away to avoid the heavy damage and greatly reduced healing taken effect.
  • Upon death, the capturing Broker grants all players health and mana over time with Restoration.
    • Additionally, Zul'gamux's capture grants three stacks of player's chosen Bounty.

Encrypted, Season 3 - +

This affix was only active during Season 3 of Shadowlands.

The Encrypted affix adds sets of three relics near enemies throughout the dungeon and near each boss. While alive, the relics will harm players or aid enemies. The first relic killed will spawn an automa, and when that's killed the group will gain a temporary buff based on which relic was killed.

Urh

  • Deals light damage to all players with Energy Barrage.
  • If killed first, spawns a Urh Dismantler.
    • Urh Dismantler
      • The tank will be dealing with Deconstruct, greatly increasing damage taken.
      • Avoid the impact location of Force Slam. Players hit are stunned.
      • Upon death, grants all players Decrypted Urh Cypher, reducing cooldowns and restoring health and mana.

Vy

  • Increases movement speed of enemies with Quickening FIeld.
  • If killed first, spawns a Vy Interceptor.
    • Vy Interceptor
      • Deals light damage to random players with Shoot.
      • After it teleports, avoid the Fusion Beam between it and the targeted location.
      • Upon death, grants all players Decrypted Vy Cypher, increasing haste and a chance to cause extra damage or healing.

Wo

  • Decreases damage taken by nearby enemies with an ability (I need name and spell ID once live).
  • If killed first, spawns a Wo Drifter.
    • Wo Drifter
      • Interrupt Burst to prevent the moderate damage to all players.
      • Upon death, grants all players Decrypted Wo Cypher, greatly increasing movement speed, reducing damage taken, and granting stealth while out of combat.

Tormented, Season 2 - +

This affix was only active during Season 2 of Shadowlands.

The Tormented affix adds four special enemies to each dungeon. Defeating each of these grants players the option to choose one of three anima powers, similar to those in Torghast. Failing to defeat one or more of the enemies before engaging the final boss of a dungeon will afflict players with an "undefeated aura" debuff, noted below.

Executioner Varruth

  • Deals moderate damage and then light damage over time to the tank with Sever.
  • When targeted by Carnage, move more than 5-yards away from other players to avoid chaining the damage. This deals moderate damage over time to all players hit.
  • When Wave of Terror (dispel, magic) is cast, be within 6-yards of at least one other player to avoid the fear effect.
  • Reduces healing received by all players with Thanatophobia.

Incinerator Arkolath

  • Interrupt Inferno to prevent the moderate damage dealt to all players.
  • Dispel Melt Soul (magic) to remove the increased fire damage taken effect.
  • Avoid the impact location of Scorching Blast and the fire patch left behind.
  • Deals light damage over time to all players with Soulforge Flames.

Oros Coldheart

  • Don't stand in front when it turns to cast Frost Lance.
  • During Cold Snap, avoid the impact locations that follow each player.
  • When affected by Biting Cold, move more than 5-yards away from other players to avoid chaining the damage dealt.
  • Reduces the movement speed of all players with Chilling Presence.

Soggodon the Breaker

  • Deals moderate damage to the tank with Crush.
  • Pulls all players to melee range with Bindings of Misery, rooting them in place. Players must kill the chains or otherwise remove the root effect to avoid the moderate damage and stun effect from the subsequent Massive Smash.
  • Deals light damage to all players with Seismic Wave.
  • Increases the physical damage taken by all players with Intimidation.

Undefeated Auras

When the final boss of a dungeon is engaged, if any of these special enemies remain alive, players will gain the following harmful effects. Each effect stacks with the previous one, so if two special enemies are alive players are affected by the damage over time effect and reduced movement speed effect.

  • One Alive: reduced movement speed
  • Two Alive: take light damage over time
  • Three Alive: take reduced healing
  • Four Alive: take increased physical damage

General Mythic+ Affixes

General affixes change every week and are constant across all seasons. The affixes are split up into categories based on which mythic+ key level it can appear.

Level 2+ Affixes

The affixes below appear on level 2 keys and higher and alternate each week.

Fortified

The Fortified affix causes non-boss enemies to have more health and deal more damage. This means you'll be more likely to need cooldowns and defensive abilities when fighting trash mobs instead of when fighting bosses. 

Tyrannical

The Tyrannical affix causes bosses to have more health and deal more damage. This means you'll be more likely to need cooldowns and defensive abilities when fighting bosses instead of when fighting trash mobs.

Level 4+ Affixes

The affixes below appear on level 4 keys and higher and change each week.

Bolstering

The Bolstering affix causes non-boss enemies to apply a stack of Bolster to enemies within 30-yards upon death, increasing health and damage dealt. This means it's more important to either kill all trash mobs at the same time or make sure you prioritize the most problematic trash mobs first. It also means you'll never want to kill trash mobs while fighting a boss.

Bursting

The Bursting affix causes enemies to apply a stack of Burst to all players upon death, dealing stacking light damage over time. This means you may need to hold off on killing enemies if stacks are already high. Burst can be dispelled by anything that removes magic effects. 

Inspiring

The Inspiring affix grants select non-boss enemies Inspiring Presence, making all other enemies within 15-yards immune to crowd control and interrupt effects. Your best options when dealing with this is to either crowd control the enemy with Inspiring Presence while pulling all other enemies away from it, or simply kill the enemy with Inspiring Presence as quickly as possible.

Raging

The Raging affix causes non-boss enemies to Enrage upon reaching 30% health, increasing their damage dealt. This means you'll want to kill trash mobs in a controlled manner, pay special attention to enemies that deal heavy focused damage or heavy damage to all players. Enrage can be dispelled by anything that removes enrage effects.

Sanguine

The Sanguine affix causes non-boss enemies to leave a pool of Sanguine Ichor behind upon death, healing enemies and damaging players that stand in it. This means killing trash mobs at the same time will be advantageous, but this won't always happen, so being ready with knock backs and interrupts to get mobs moving will be helpful.

Spiteful

The Spiteful affix causes non-boss enemies to spawn a Spiteful Shade upon death. The Spiteful Shade fixates on a random player and deals heavy damage with their melee attacks. The Shades slowly lose health over time, so you don't necessarily need to kill them yourself, but situations may arise where damaging them is helpful. Shades are also susceptible to crowd controls, stuns, snares, etc.

Level 7+ Affixes

The affixes below appear on level 7 keys and higher and change each week.

Explosive

The Explosive affix causes enemies to spawn Explosive Orbs that must be killed before their Explosion cast finishes and deals heavy damage to all players. Area of effect and cleave abilities will not hit Explosive Orbs, so they must be targeted directly. This means larger trash mob groups can be more difficult as there will be more damage spent killing more Explosive orbs compared to smaller groups.

Grievous

The Grievous affix causes players to gain stacks of Grievous Wound while in combat and under 90% health, up to a maximum of five stacks, which deal increasing light damage over time. One stack is removed every time a player is healed with a direct heal, and all stacks are removed if a player is brought above 90% health. This can make enemies that deal damage to all players especially problematic, requiring defensive cooldowns and self-healing whenever possible to assist the healer.

Necrotic

The Necrotic affix causes players hit by melee attacks to gain a stack of Necrotic Wound, dealing increasing light damage over time and reducing healing received. This means the tank will quickly become unhealable when fighting large groups of trash mobs. Necrotic Wound can be removed by anything that removes bleed effects. 

Quaking

 The Quaking affix causes all players to periodically emit a Quake that interrupts spell casts and deals moderate damage to any players within 5-yards. This means all players should spread out and avoid casting spells when the effect occurs, even when out of combat. This can make fighting in smaller spaces especially difficult.

Storming

The Storming affix causes enemies to periodically spawn tornados within 5-yards that rotate around near where they spawned, dealing light damage to and knocking back any players hit. This can make fighting in smaller spaces especially difficult.

Volcanic

The Volcanic affix causes enemies to periodically space Volcanic Plumes within 5-yards of random players (preferring ranged players), dealing light damage to and knocking up any players hit when they detonate. This can make fighting in smaller spaces more difficult, as well as requiring somewhat frequent movement.

Mythic+ Affix Debuffs to Track

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