The Arcatraz, Healer Guide
Updated 2 years ago for patch 2.5.2 by Preston. View the change log.
This page covers healer-focused strategies for The Arcatraz dungeon in The Burning Crusade. 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 as well as Dungeon Journal and combat log information. I'll continue to update it as-needed.
The overall goal of this dungeon is to prevent the enemies and bosses from destroying Medivh's shield. Medivh is located near the back of the dungeon by the Dark Portal. All enemies and bosses will attempt to attack him until damaged by a player.
Bosses
Below are guides for the bosses in The Arcatraz, including their abilities, healer notes, and addon settings.
Zereketh the Unbound
- Dispel Seed of Corruption (magic) to prevent the moderate damage dealt when it detonates.
- If no magic dispel is available, stay at least 10-yards away from other players when affected.
- Avoid the locations of Void Zones.
- Deals heavy damage to all players and knocks them back a long distance with Shadow Nova.
Healing Notes
- Depending on positioning, players can regularly end up out of range due to Shadow Nova.
Debuffs to Track
- Major: Seed of Corruption (dispel, magic)
Addons
Dalliah the Doomsayer
- Avoid healing the tank as much as possible while they're affected by Gift of the Doomsayer.
- Stay at least 8-yards away to avoid Whirlwind.
- Interrupt Heal to prevent the healing.
- On Heroic, deals moderate damage to random players with Shadow Wave, increasing shadow damage taken.
Healing Notes
- Keep the tank near full health so you can avoid healing them as much as possible while they're affected by Gift of the Doomsayer.
Debuffs to Track
- Major: Gift of the Doomsayer, Shadow Wave
Addons
Wrath-Scryer Soccothrates
- The tank will be dealing with the knock back from Knock Away.
- Stay at least 15-yards away to avoid Fel Immolation.
- Avoid the line of Felfire when he charges towards a random player.
- Targets random players with Felfire Shock, dealing moderate damage and then light damage over time.
Healing Notes
- Keep players near full health so they can survive the initial damage from Felfire Shock.
Debuffs to Track
- Minor: Felfire Shock
Addons
Harbinger Skyriss
- This fight begins with a gauntlet of three mini-bosses, selected from the bosses below.
- Akkiris Lightning-Waker
- Teleports to a random location and resets threat with Lightning Jump.
- Dispel Lightning Waker's Curse (curse) to remove the increased magic damage taken effect.
- Purge Deaden Magic to remove the reduced magic damage taken effect.
- Interrupts random player's spell casts with Spell Shock.
- Deals light damage to all players with Lightning Discharge
- Blackwing Drakonaar
- The tank will be dealing with Mortal Strike, reducing healing received.
- Don't stand in front to avoid Brood Power: Black.
- Stay at least 30-yards away to avoid Blast Wave.
- Blazing Trickster
- Interrupt Firebolt to prevent the moderate damage dealt.
- Purge Fire Shield to remove the increased fire resistance effect and damage dealt to melee attackers.
- Phase-Hunter
- The tank may take extra damage from Back Attack if hit from behind.
- Gains increased attack and movement speed while Phase Burst is active.
- Teleports behind random players with Warp.
- Sulfuron Magma-Thrower
- Interrupt Shadow Bolt to prevent the moderate damage dealt.
- Dispel Magma-Thrower's Curse (curse) to remove the reduced healing received effect.
- Avoid the location of Rain of Fire.
- Twilight Drakonaar
- Don't stand in front when the boss turns to cast several abilities.
- Brood Power: Green (dispel, magic), stuns players hit.
- Brood Power: Black
- Brood Power: Blue (dispel, magic), reduces attack speed of players hit.
- Brood Power: Bronze (dispel, magic), reduces cast speed of players hit.
- Brood Power: Red, deals light damage over time.
- Don't stand in front when the boss turns to cast several abilities.
- Akkiris Lightning-Waker
- Harbinger Skyriss
- Interrupt or dispel Fear (magic) to prevent the fear effect.
- Interrupt Mana Burn to prevent the mana drain effect.
- Stuns random players with Mind Rend, dealing heavy damage over time.
- Mind-controls random players with Domination.
- At 66% and 33% health, creates an Illusion of Skyriss.
- Illusion of Skyriss
- Stuns random players with Mind Rend, dealing light damage over time.
- Illusion of Skyriss
Healing Notes
- Akkiris Lightning-Wake: If no curse dispel is available, be prepared for the increased healing required on all players while Lightning Waker's Curse (dispel, curse) is active.
- Sulfuron Magma-Thrower: If no curse dispel is available, be prepared for the reduced healing on players affected by Magma-Thrower's Curse (dispel, curse).
- Harbinger Skyriss: Keeps all players near full health in case you're targeted by Mind Rend or Domination.
Debuffs to Track
- Major:
- Magic Dispel: Brood Power: Green (dispel, magic), Brood Power: Blue (dispel, magic), Brood Power: Bronze (dispel, magic), Fear (dispel, magic)
- Curse Dispel: Lightning Waker's Curse (dispel, curse), Magma-Thrower's Curse (dispel, curse)
- Damaging: Mortal Strike, Brood Power: Red, Mind Rend
- Minor: Brood Power: Red
- Buffs to Purge: Deaden Magic
Addons
Trash Mobs
Below are notes for the trash mobs in The Arcatraz. The Arcatraz is a relatively linear dungeon. The trash below is ordered as if you're completing the bosses in the order they're listed above.
Entrance thru Zereketh the Unbound
- Both sets of two Arcatraz Warders should be killed to stop the constant spawning of Proteon Horrors in the areas ahead.
- Arcatraz Warder
- Stay at least 5-yards away to avoid Improved Wing Clip.
- Targets random players with Charged Arcane Shot.
- Arcatraz Defender
- The tank will be dealing with Infected Blood (disease), dealing moderate damage over time.
- Dispel Immolate (magic) to prevent the light damage over time.
- Protean Nightmare
- The tank will be dealing with Gaping Maw, dealing light damage over time.
- Targets random players with Infectious Poison, dealing light damage.
- Targets random players with Incubation, eventually stunning them with (36634 &type=spell) and spawning four Protean Spawns.
- Protean Spawn
- The tank will be dealing with Acidic Bite, reducing armor.
- Soul Devourer
- Don't stand in front to avoid Fel Breath.
- Soothe Frenzy to remove the increased attack speed effect.
- Summons Sightless Eyes.
- Sightless Eye
- Interrupt Sightless Touch to prevent the light damage dealt and the reduced casting, attack, and movement speed effect.
- Sightless Eye
- Death Watcher
- Don't stand in front to avoid Tentacle Cleave.
- Interrupt or dispel Drain Life to prevent the healing.
- At ~50% health, applies Death Count to all players, dealing heavy damage with Death Blast upon expiring if the Death Watcher is still alive.
- If needed, this can be avoided by breaking line of sight on the Death Watcher.
- Entropic Eye
- Don't stand in front to avoid Tentacle Cleave and Chaos Breath.
- Several effects need to be dispelled, most of which come from being hit by Chaos Breath.
- Hex (dispel, magic) to remove the incapacitating effect.
- Necrotic Poison (dispel, poison) to remove the reduced healing effect.
- Corrosive Poison (dispel, poison) to remove the reduced armor effect.
- Fevered Fatigue (dispel, disease) to remove the reduced strength and intellect effect.
- Shrink (dispel, curse) to remove the reduced strength and stamina effect.
- Wavering Will (dispel, magic) to remove the reduced attack, casting, and movement speed effect.
- Withered Touch (dispel, disease) to remove the mana drain and light damage over time effect.
- Piercing Shadow (dispel, curse) to remove the reduced shadow resistance effect.
- Deals moderate damage to random players with Poison Bolt.
Zereketh the Unbound thru Dalliah the Doomsayer
- Arcatraz Sentinel
- Deals moderate damage to random players with Energy Discharge.
- Just before death, stay at least 10-yards away to avoid Explode.
- Negaton Screamer
- Stay at least 8-yards away to avoid Psychic Scream (dispel, magic).
- Gains a reduced magic damage taken effect based on the school of magic of the first magic ability it's damaged by.
- Deals moderate damage to all players with an ability that matches the type of its reduced magic damage taken effect. Once this volley happens, it will gain a new reduced magic damage taken effect based on the next magic ability it's damaged by.
- Negaton Warp-Master
- Must be moved out of the Summon Negaton Field it places under itself to avoid the healing done.
- Eredar Soul-Eater
- Dispel Soul Steal (magic) to remove the reduced stats and physical damage dealt effect.
- If possible, stay at least 35-yards away to avoid the reduced casting, attack, and movement speed effect from Entropic Aura.
- Stay 20-yards away to avoid Soul Chill (dispel, magic).
- Purge Soul Steal to remove the increased stats and physical damage dealt effect.
- Eredar Deathbringer
- The tank will be dealing with stacks of Diminish Soul, increasing damage taken.
- Don't stand in front to avoid Forceful Cleave.
- Deals light damage over time to all players with Unholy Aura.
- Spiteful Temptress
- Stay at least 15-yards away from the tank to avoid chaining damage from Shadow Bolt.
- Mind-controls random players with Domination and greatly increases their threat generated with Spiteful Fury.
- Unbound Devastator
- The tank will be dealing with the knock back from Devastate.
- Additionally, stay at least 8-yards away to avoid being randomly targeted.
- Silences and disarms all players with Deafening Roar.
- The tank will be dealing with the knock back from Devastate.
- Skulking Witch
- Are invisible to begin with due to Greater Invisibility.
- Stay at least 8-yards away to avoid Gouge.
- This may lead to a temporary threat drop if the tank is affected.
Wrath-Scryer Soccothrates thru Harbinger Skyriss
- This area includes Arcatraz Sentinels, detailed above.
- Ethereum Life-Binder
- Stay at least 15-yards away to avoid Bind (dispel, magic).
- Interrupt Shadow Mend to prevent the healing.
- Dispel Shadow Word: Pain (magic) to prevent the light damage over time.
- Ethereum Slayer
- Gains increased dodge chance while Evasion is active, possibly leading to threat generation issues.
- Dispel Impairing Poison (poison) to remove the reduced casting, attack, and movement speed effect.
- Ethereum Wave-Caster
- Dispel Polymorph (magic) to remove the incapacitating effect.
- Purge Arcane Haste to remove the increased cast speed effect.
- Interrupts random player's spell casts with Sonic Boom.
- Sargeron Archer
- Stay at least 15-yards away to avoid Scatter Shot.
- This may lead to a temporary threat drop if the tank is affected.
- Stay at least 3-yards away from other players to avoid chaining the Immolation damage from Immolation Arrow.
- Dispel Serpent Sting (poison) to prevent the light damage dealt.
- Purge Rapid Fire to remove the increased ranged attack speed effect.
- Targets random players with Hooked Net, dealing light damage and rooting them in place.
- Stay at least 15-yards away to avoid Scatter Shot.
- Sargeron Hellcaller
- Avoid the location of Hell Rain.
- Dispel Curse of the Elements (curse) to remove the increased fire and shadow damage taken effect.
- Gargantuan Abyssal
- Stay within 10-yards of as many other players as possible to split the damage dealt by Meteor.
- Deals light damage to all players within 20-yards with Fire Shield.
- Unchained Doombringer
- The tank will be dealing with Agonizing Armor, reducing armor.
- Stay at least 15-yards away to avoid War Stomp.
- Targets random players with Berserker Charge, dealing light damage and knocking back.
Trash Debuffs to Track
- Major:
- Magic Dispel: Hex (dispel, magic), Wavering Will (dispel, magic), Psychic Scream (dispel, magic), Soul Steal (magic), Polymorph (dispel, magic)
- Curse Dispel: Piercing Shadow (dispel, curse), Shrink (dispel, curse), Curse of the Elements (dispel, curse)
- Poison Dispel: Corrosive Poison (dispel, poison), Impairing Poison (dispel, poison)
- Disease Dispel: Infected Blood (dispel, disease), Fevered Fatigue (dispel, disease), Withered Touch (dispel, disease)
- Damaging: Gaping Maw, Acidic Bite, Diminish Soul, Agonizing Armor
- Incapacitating: Gouge, Scatter Shot, War Stomp
- Minor:
- Magic Dispel: Immolate (dispel, magic), Soul Chill (dispel, magic), Shadow Word: Pain (magic), Bind (dispel, magic)
- Poison Dispel: Serpent Sting (dispel, poison)
- Damaging: Fireball Volley, Immolation
- Incapacitating: Hooked Net
- Enrages to Soothe: Frenzy
- Buffs to Purge: Soul Steal, Arcane Haste
Trash Addons
- There are currently no notable addons for this dungeon's trash.
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