The Nexus, Healer Guide
Updated 1 year ago for patch 3.4.1 by Preston. View the change log.
This page covers healer-focused strategies for The Nexus dungeon in Wrath of the Lich King. 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.
Bosses
Below are guides for the bosses in The Nexus, including their abilities, healer notes, and addon settings.
Commander Stoutbeard/Commander Kolurg
On Heroic, Horde players will fight Commander Stoutbeard, while Alliance players fight Commander Kolurg. Both bosses have the same abilities.
- Stay more than 8-yards away to avoid Intimidating Shout and Whirlwind
- Targets random players with Charge, stunning them and dealing light damage.
- Increases the attack power of enemies within 20-yards with Battle Shout.
Healing Notes
- Keep the tank near full health incase you're stunned by Charge.
Debuffs to Track
- Major: Charge
Addons
Grand Magus Telestra
Stage One - The Grand Magus
This stage begins the encounter and ends when Telestra reaches 50% health. It begins again following stage two, and ends for the final time when Telestra is killed.
- Stay more than 5-yards away from other players to avoid chaining the damage from Firebomb.
- During Gravity Well all players are pulled towards the center of the room and knocked around, while taking light damage over time.
- Deals light damage to and stuns all players with Ice Nova.
Stage Two - Images
This stage begins when Telestra reaches 50% health and ends when all Images are killed, at which point stage one begins again.
- Telestra splits into three Images, Fire, Frost, and Arcane.
- All Images are susceptible to crowd control.
- Fire Image
- Interrupt Scorch to prevent the moderate damage dealt to random players.
- Deals moderate damage to random players with Fire Blast.
- Arcane Image
- Frost Image
Healing Notes
- Keep players near full health as it may be difficult to heal during Gravity Well.
- Use cooldowns as-needed during stage two.
Debuffs to Track
- Major: Critter (dispel, magic)
Addons
Anomalus
- The tank will be dealing with Spark.
- Dispel Arcane Attraction (magic) to remove the increased Arcane damage taken effect.
- When Anomalus reaches 25%, 50%, and 75% health:
- Becomes immune to damage due to Rift Shield until the channel ends or all Chaotic Rifts are killed.
- Summons a Chaotic Rift.
- Chaotic Rift
- Deals light to moderate damage to up to three players with Chaotic Energy Burst.
- During Rift Shield, noted above, this becomes Charged Chaotic Energy Burst, which deals increased damage.
- Periodically summons Crazed Mana-Wraiths.
- Crazed Mana-Wraith
- Interrupt Arcane Missiles to prevent the light damage dealt to random players.
- Crazed Mana-Wraith
- Deals light to moderate damage to up to three players with Chaotic Energy Burst.
- Chaotic Rift
Healing Notes
- Use cooldowns as-needed while Rift Shield is active.
Debuffs to Track
- Major: Arcane Attraction (dispel, magic)
Addons
Ormorok the Tree-Shaper
- Stay more than 10-yards away to avoid Trample.
- Avoid the random lines of Crystal Spikes.
- While Spell Reflection is active, up to four spells will be reflected back at the casting player.
- Spawns Crystalline Tanglers throughout the encounter.
- Crystalline Tangler
- Melee attacks root players in place with Tangle.
- Crystalline Tangler
- At 30% health, goes into a Frenzy, greatly increasing physical damage dealt.
Healing Notes
- The tank will need additional healing while Frenzy is active.
- Players affected by Tangle may be unable to avoid Crystal Spikes.
Debuffs to Track
- Minor: Tangle
Addons
Keristrasza
- Don't stand in front to avoid Crystalfire Breath (dispel, magic).
- Don't stand behind to avoid Tail Sweep.
- Dispel Crystal Chains (magic) to remove the root effect.
- On Heroic, Crystallize (dispel, magic) roots all players.
- Applies stacks of Intense Cold to all players throughout the encounter, reducing attack, casting, and movement speed. Moving or jumping will remove stacks.
- At 25% health, Enrages, greatly increasing attack speed and physical damage dealt.
Healing Notes
- Use cooldowns as-needed to deal with high stacks of Intense Cold.
Debuffs to Track
- Major: Crystalfire Breath (dispel, magic)
- Minor: Crystal Chains (dispel, magic), Crystallize (dispel, magic)
Addons
Trash Mobs
Below are notes for the trash mobs in The Nexus. The Nexus has a relatively open layout. The trash below is grouped into the different sections of the dungeon, ordered as if you're completing the bosses in the order they're listed above.
Keristrasza's Area
- Azure Magus
- Interrupt Frostbolt to prevent the light damage dealt.
- Dispel Arcane Shock (magic) to prevent the light damage over time.
- Azure Warder
- Dispel Silence (magic) to remove the silence effect.
- Purge Mana Shield to remove the physical damage absorption effect.
Stoutbeard and Kolurg's Area
- Mage Hunter Ascendant
- Purge Aura of Arcane Haste to remove the increased casting speed and spell damage effect.
- Comes in one of three versions, Fire, Frost, or Arcane.
- Fire
- Interrupt or avoid the location of Rain of Fire.
- When possible, interrupt Fireball to prevent the light damage dealt.
- Avoid the location of Immolation Trap.
- Frost
- Don't stand in front to avoid Cone of Cold (dispel, magic).
- Interrupt Frostbolt to prevent the light damage dealt.
- Avoid the location of Freezing Trap Effect (dispel, magic).
- Arcane
- Interrupt or dispel Polymorph (magic) to prevent the incapacitating effect.
- Stay more than 10-yards away to avoid Arcane Explosion.
- Avoid the locations of Arcane Trap.
- Fire
- Mage Slayer
- Dispel Spell Lock (magic) to remove the silence effect.
- Stay more than 12-yards away to avoid Draw Magic.
- The other enemies in this area are prefixed with either Horde or Alliance, depending on the player's faction, but will function the same.
- Berserker
- Cleric
- Interrupt Flash Heal to prevent the healing.
- Purge Power Word: Shield to remove the damage absorption effect.
- Deals moderate damage to themselves and a random player with Shadow Word: Death.
- Commander
- Stay more than 8-yards away to avoid Whirlwind.
- Deals light damage to and stuns random players with Charge.
- Increases attack power of nearby enemies with Battle Shout.
- Ranger
- Interrupt Rapid Shot to prevent the moderate damage dealt to a random player.
- Deals light damage and then light damage over time to random players with Incendiary Shot.
- Deals light damage to random players with Shoot.
Telestra's Area
- This area includes Mage Hunter Ascendants and Mage Slayers, detailed above.
- Mage Hunter Initiate
- Interrupt or dispel Drain Mana (magic) to prevent the mana drain effect.
- Interrupt or dispel Magic Burn (magic) to prevent the light damage over time.
- Purge Renew to remove the heal over time effect.
- Steward
- Stay more than 10-yards away to avoid Arcane Torrent (dispel, magic).
- Targets random players with Spellbreaker, greatly reducing damage dealt by spells.
Anomalus' Area
- Chaotic Rift
- Deals light to moderate damage to up to three players with Chaotic Energy Burst.
- Periodically summons Crazed Mana-Wraiths.
- Crazed Mana-Wraith
- Interrupt Arcane Missiles to prevent the light damage dealt to random players.
- Crazed Mana-Wraith
- Azure Enforcer
- The tank will be dealing with extra damage from Brutal Strike.
- Don't stand in front to avoid Cleave.
- Azure Scale-Binder
- Interrupt Heal to prevent the healing.
- When possible, interrupt Arcane Blast to prevent the increasing cast speed effect.
- Crazed Mana-Surge
- Interrupt Mana Burn to prevent the light damage and mana drain effect on a random player.
- When possible, interrupt Arcane Nova to prevent the damage dealt to players within 10-yards and healing on Crazed Mana-Wraiths within 10-yards.
- Upon death, restores mana over time to players within 20-yards with Loose Mana.
Ormorok's Area
- Crystalline Tangler
- Melee attacks root players in place with Tangle.
- Crystalline Frayer
- Purge Crystal Bloom to remove the increased damage dealt effect.
- Targets random players with Ensnare, dealing light damage and slowing movement speed.
- While Ormorok is alive, upon death, regenerate health with Seed Pod.
- Players within 10-yards gain health and mana over time and take reduced damage due to Aura of Regeneration.
- Crystalline Keeper
- The tank will be dealing with extra damage from Crystal Strike.
- Purge Crystal Bark to remove the damage dealt to players and chance to stun effect.
- Dispel Crystal Freeze (magic) to remove the stun effect.
- Crystalline Protector
- Don't stand in front to avoid Shard Spray.
- Stay more than 10-yards away to avoid Thunderclap (dispel, magic).
- Targets random players with Crystal Chains (dispel, magic), rooting them in place.
- Crystalline Tender
- Interrupt Tranquility to prevent the healing on all enemies within 20-yards.
- Purge Toughen Hide to remove the increased armor and spell resistance effect.
Trash Debuffs to Track
- Major:
- Magic Dispel: Silence (dispel, magic), Freezing Trap Effect (dispel, magic), Polymorph (dispel, magic), Spell Lock (dispel, magic), Drain Mana (dispel, magic), Crystal Freeze (magic)
- Incapacitating: Charge
- Minor:
- Magic Dispel: Arcane Shock (dispel, magic), Cone of Cold (dispel, magic), Magic Burn (dispel, magic), Crystal Chains (dispel, magic), Thunderclap (dispel, magic)
- Damaging: Immolation Trap, Incendiary Shot
- Enrages to Soothe: None
- Buffs to Purge: Mana Shield, Aura of Arcane Haste, Bloodlust, Power Word: Shield, Renew, Crystal Bloom, Toughen Hide
- Root Effects: Crystal Chains, Crystal Chains
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