Guide: Quick Tactics for All Mythic+ Dungeons in Season 1 of The War Within

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Quick Tactics for All Mythic+ Dungeons in Season 1 of The War Within

The first season of the new expansion has added four new dungeons from The War Within to the Mythic+ rotation, along with four dungeons from previous expansions. While players got a chance to try out the new dungeons only a few weeks ago, the older dungeons may already be quite familiar to veteran players. As a result, developers have made various adjustments and even reworked some mechanics. This guide contains essential information on the key mechanics of all eight dungeons in Season 1 of The War Within on Mythic+ difficulty, so you can review it just a few minutes before your run.

Important Note: This guide focuses only on the most critical boss or trash mechanics that, if ignored, will lead to the death of your character, specific party members, or even a full wipe. None of the eight dungeons contain “helpful” pools, circles, cones (or “cleaves,” which are mostly managed by tanks, by the way!), vortexes, or other mechanics that require you to “drop everything and get out of the glowing area under your feet.”

The same applies to interruptible abilities from bosses or trash mobs—generally, you should strive to interrupt everything that can be interrupted. Of course, in some specific cases, certain interruptible abilities are more dangerous than others, even from the same enemy. A clear example is the Twilight Earthcallers and their “Earth Bolt” (less important) versus “Quaking Slam” (more important and deadly when combined with other mechanics) in Grim Batol. However, such cases will be mentioned sparingly—try to interrupt whatever you can, but avoid situations where the entire group interrupts the same ability at once.

If there are any exceptions to the above rules—like the second boss of Threadweaver City with its crucial mechanic of “stacking on the tank during the ice circle”—such cases will be noted separately.

Overall, this guide is aimed at players running +2 to +10 Mythic+ dungeons and does not cover “professional strategies” used by the world’s top players, like “pulling 3+ packs of enemies and bursting them down while maintaining a rotation of interrupts and crowd control effects.”

 

Contents:

  • Threadweaver City (The War Within)
  • Stone Vault (The War Within)
  • Ara-Kara, City of Echoes (The War Within)
  • Radiant Dawn (The War Within)
  • Siege of Boralus (Battle for Azeroth)
  • The Necrotic Wake (Shadowlands)
  • Mists of Tirna Scithe (Shadowlands)
  • Grim Batol (Cataclysm)

Threadweaver City (The War Within)

Threadweaver City The War WithinThe initial enemies are difficult to handle since almost every other one has an interruptible spell: Stun (important to interrupt!) and Bolt (hurts a lot if two hit in a row). Be cautious when pulling large packs.

When facing the Heralds, it’s essential not only to interrupt their abilities but also to position yourself properly with the Blue Circles – their animation can be confusing. While the effect is on you, the spheres won’t deal any damage to others, despite the animation. However, once the effect ends or is dispelled, five spheres will shoot out from the player, which can be deadly for others.

First Boss: This boss has the same mechanic as the Heralds but affects two players at once. Due to the very limited fight area, you need to handle this mechanic very carefully. The boss draws a circle around itself that moves with it – players cannot leave this circle and will be “forcibly pulled” under the boss.

After dealing with the Blue Circles and dodging the Cone, the boss will leave behind a pool that will expand rapidly. The tank must coordinate the group and signal which direction they will move the boss. There is almost no time to react, and stepping into the pool is lethal!

City Exploration: You need to find four  Eyes of the Queen: the first is right at the entrance, while the other three are scattered across the city’s districts: the north (top of the minimap), east (right side), and west (left side). It’s recommended to follow this route since after defeating them all, you will need to go to the west district to face Nizrek the Judge to activate the second boss. The Eyes of the Queen are not dangerous – just avoid the cone and survive the passive damage.

Second Boss: A few key points to note:

  • They share a health pool and switch roles during the fight (odd/even phases), which changes their abilities.
  • In the odd phases, the boss casts Icicle Arrows – don’t stand in another player’s arrow and use personal defensive cooldowns! This ability is cast approximately every minute.
  • In the even phases, the boss casts Ice Circle on the tank. The entire group must “stack on the tank” to remove the blue circle; failure to do so will result in death.
  • Interrupt the Healing from the Shadow Weavers!

Additional Tips:

 

Third Boss: This fight is simple: don’t let any Flying Orbs reach the boss (they apply healing absorption). If the boss reaches 100 energy, it will deal massive damage to the group, so use defensive cooldowns!

Before the Fourth Boss: You must defeat a Giant Beetle and a Vizier before activating the boss. Since their mechanics are used by the boss, let’s cover them here:

  • Giant Beetle (or its projection on the boss): First, it Slams the Ground (deals very high damage, use cooldowns!), then it summons Scarabs – personal defensives are required for the first slam, and the tank must handle the second.
  • Vizier (or its projection on the boss): It immobilizes all players, dealing significant damage – be sure to use defensives here! If possible, remove the immobilization with abilities or quickly kill the bonds on yourself and your allies, especially during the boss fight.

Fourth Boss: In addition to the mechanics above, three Blue Spheres will spawn that deal lethal damage to any player upon contact. These spheres target random players, so be mindful of their positioning and avoid standing between a sphere and your allies!

Periodically, the boss will summon projections of the Vizier or Beetle, using their abilities – personal defensive cooldowns are mandatory for each projection to avoid death!

After about a minute, the boss will summon all three spheres to itself and throw them at the tank, dealing heavy damage – make sure not to stand with the tank during this mechanic.

Stone Vault(The War Within)

Stone Vault The War Within

For the love of all that’s holy, interrupt the Mass Fear cast by the Dread Souls! Even when pulling multiple packs of enemies, you should only pull 1-2 at a time! These are literally the only dangerous enemies on the arena with the first boss.

First Boss Key Mechanics:

  1. Spike Pools: Pools of spikes appear under players—move out and avoid stepping on them.
  2. Arrows on Players: Players with arrows must break as many spikes as possible using the wave effect from the arrows (the wave shoots behind you at a large distance). If you don’t break at least half of the spikes, the boss will “break” your team by dealing massive damage.
  3. Healer Tip: When the tank has a Magic Effect on them, dispel it only when the boss is casting Dread Strike on the tank to provide a “damage reduction” effect.

You have a choice: head left to Skarmorrak or right to the Heralds. This section is dedicated to the path towards Skarmorrak (left from the dungeon entrance).

Second Boss Key Mechanics:

  1. Prioritize killing the Crystal Shards (3 spawn at once) but no more than two at a time, or it’s group suicide. Damage priority: Crystals > Boss, otherwise, the boss will absorb them and become stronger.
  2. The boss periodically spawns dark spheres near the crystals, which players can “collect to gain power” (but do NOT catch them, or you’ll die). Healers should collect the first 2-3 spheres to help with healing the group! The effects refresh, and after breaking the boss’s shield during the transition phase, all effects are removed from players.
  3. When the healer has 2-3 sphere effects, DPS players should grab 1-2 spheres to help break the boss’s shield.

This segment is dedicated to the path toward the Heralds (right from the dungeon entrance):

  • Healers often try to Heal their allies—don’t let them!
  • In general, enemies are primarily dangerous for the tank and have many interruptible abilities targeting random players. And don’t forget to dodge the Meatballs!

Third Boss:

This is a particularly tough fight and requires strict tactics:

  1. Both bosses must die within about 7-10 seconds of each other, or it’s a wipe.
  2. Never, never ever stand in the center of the arena. Always stick to the corners with the whole group.
  3. You need at least one player with a 30+ meter interrupt ability. When Brokku flies away and begins returning, you must interrupt him—this helps him reach the tank instead of lingering at the far side of the arena.
  4. When the golem rolls the cube to the center of the arena, avoid standing on the flat side of the cube—stand near the corners at the edges of the arena.
  5. In the transition phase, previously “safe” corners of the arena will be covered in fire—all except one. The safe corner will have air blowing from it instead of fire. The entire group must move to this corner to survive.

Healers are now called Repairers—still, interrupt their Healing! Never fight more than one Stone Golem at a time, or it’s a wipe.

If you see a Totem, focus all your damage on it immediately. If the totem stays alive, you’re dead (even through walls).

Fourth Boss Key Mechanics:

  1. Purple Circles: All players will have a Purple Circle placed on them—drop your pool in a spot that will be least disruptive for the group (preferably at the edges of the arena).
  2. When the “painful effect” is applied to all players, you must “cleanse” it by getting close to any portal. But be careful: do not step inside the portal, or you’ll die. After the first cleanse, the portal will move to a random edge of the arena.

Ara-Kara, City of Echoes (The War Within)

Ara-Kara, City of Echoes WoW: The War Within

Toxic Spiders cast Suicide – this can be interrupted with crowd control or you can immobilize them, letting them explode away from the group. Besides them, there are numerous caster enemies in the dungeon, so to reduce group damage, interrupt everything you can.

To activate the first boss, you need to kill three spiders: Ixina, Nakhta, and Atik. The first one (Ixina) has a dangerous ability: Interruptible Fear. The others only deal passive damage and have cone attacks.

First Boss Mechanics:

The main mechanic of the First Boss involves Spider Eggs and Spiders – you need to kill them, and under no circumstances allow them to reach the boss. Avoid the webs and pools under your feet.

Don’t let any Long, Uninterruptible Screeches from the Elkhide enemies finish – use crowd control, pulls, or knockbacks to stop them! Avoid pulling too many enemies with the Giant Beetle.

Second Boss Mechanics:

  1. The Arrow mechanic is controlled by a random player—don’t stand in the boss’s path, and if you are the one with the arrow, avoid directing it at the group.
  2. During the Phase Change, the boss creates a small safe zone. For tanks: this zone moves around the boss, so avoid sudden movements!
  3. Periodically, the boss will summon Nerubian Casters, whose sole ability needs to be interrupted before they are killed.

Enemies Between Second and Third Boss:

There’s nothing specific here worth mentioning – lots of passive damage, and heavy damage to the tank, especially if you go left or right. Expect to encounter many immobilizing pools left by the Fliers.

Third Boss Mechanics:

  1. The boss applies Poison Beams to all players. After they end or are dispelled, two waves shoot out from each player, which can be deadly to others. Make sure not to aim your wave at your teammates!
  2. Small Beetles constantly spawn on the arena. When they take any damage, they leave behind a blue immobilizing pool (similar to the Fliers). When the boss uses the Suction ability, players must quickly locate one of these pools and step into it to become immobilized, preventing them from being pulled in and dying.

Radiant Dawn (The War Within)

Radiant Dawn WoW: The War WithinPositioning with the “Big Scary Circle (magic): When this debuff drops or is dispelled, it deals significant damage to anyone inside the circle. Be cautious of your positioning to avoid unnecessary damage.

To activate the ship, you need to defeat two large groups of enemies onboard (central and left side), but the second group will only spawn once all five players are on the ship. Interrupt the “Absorption Shield cast by the Big Guy on the ship.

First Boss Mechanics:

This is one of the most challenging bosses in the dungeon due to its mechanics:

  1. Portals: Two random players (usually a healer and a ranged DPS) will leave behind a Portal-Pool. Pay attention to the timer on this ability. To avoid damage, run away just before the purple flash—portals appear two seconds later in the spot where you were two seconds ago. Place these carefully so you don’t block movement paths around the boss.
  2. Rotating Beams: The boss periodically casts 4 rotating beams. During this time, the tank must have full health and use defensives, as the beams deal massive damage. The rest of the group needs to avoid being hit by the beams.
  3. Healing Absorption: After Explosive Magic Dispersion, four players (not including the tank) will have a healing absorption debuff. Make sure no one has this debuff before the group transitions to flight, as it can kill players mid-air.

In the city, you’ll encounter Cultists and Nerubians. The Cultists have familiar mechanics (same enemies from earlier), but you must interrupt the Absorption Shield cast by Spellcasters. Avoid engaging Nerubians, as their Frequent Web Circles make melee combat difficult.

Third Boss Preparation:

Before fighting the third boss, you need to kill three lieutenants, each of whom uses one of the second boss’s mechanics:

  1. Nerub in the Church: This one uses Circle of Fear on the tank. Have the tank stand still, and just move out of it to simplify things.
  2. Nerub in the House: This one applies Passive Group Damage, which can be healed through.
  3. Nerub in the Tavern: This one shoots a Purple Orb at a random player. The targeted player has a few seconds to guide the orb away. Make sure it flies as far as possible without hitting any walls or obstacles to minimize the damage.

Once these three are dealt with, the boss’s mechanics are essentially identical, aside from periodically summoning small, non-mechanic enemies. It’s highly recommended to clear the entire market square (with the fountain), as the fountain is not a blocking obstacle for the purple sphere.

Activating the Fourth Boss:

To activate the fourth boss, return to the original ship where you fought the first boss and kill the Cultist Summoner. Focus all damage on the summoner—he will continuously summon enemies, and they will not despawn after his death, so killing him fast is crucial.

Fourth Boss Mechanics:

In the first phase, the healer and ranged DPS should focus on picking up Explosive Barrels and delivering them to the boss’s face (trigger them with the extra action button). This is the primary source of damage in this phase. There are a few other mechanics to manage:

  1. White Circles: Place White Circles compactly to the left or right of the group, especially during the second phase.
  2. Green Line: Players marked with the Green Line will notice that one side of the line has a green gradient. This indicates the direction the Wave will go, destroying all webs in its path (and lightly damaging players for each destroyed web). Do not let the wave hit other players! It will deal significant damage if it does.

By handling these mechanics carefully and coordinating well with your group, you can mitigate a lot of the potential damage and complete the encounter efficiently.

Siege of Boralus (Battle for Azeroth)

Siege of Boralus WoW: Battle for AzerothAvoid fighting more than one Enforcer at a time — two can use Shout simultaneously and wipe the entire group. Also, try not to engage a Raider together with an Enforcer or a Horse, especially with additional mobs (this combination appears before the 3rd boss). The Pull ability from Raiders can coincide with deadly mechanics from other mobs.

First Boss:

  • The player with the Arrow (usually the healer or ranged DPS) should guide the boss into the bombs lying on the ground. This will remove the arrow and stun the boss, significantly increasing the damage it takes.
  • After the boss finishes focusing on a player or recovering from the stun, it will immediately Pull all players to itself — position yourselves carefully to avoid being hit by other deadly mechanics.
  • Casters must interrupt the boss’s Shield, and the Horse’s Shout must also be interrupted.
  • Observers no longer deal damage to their allies with their Barrage, so there’s no need to place circles under the enemies.

Second Boss:

  • Always maintain some form of slow effect on the boss.
  • Tanks: while it’s possible to avoid the Cleave, it’s not recommended (the damage isn’t very high). Due to a glitch, the boss may either turn and face your current position or immediately target a random player with a Lethal Shot after the cleave.

Hozu Quarter:

  • Every puddle, object, and “void zone” is trying to kill you or control you — avoid anything that isn’t part of the environment.
  • Don’t collect bananas as if they buff you (they don’t).
  • Be sure to interrupt or dispel Silence cast by the Sauroks.

Sniper Group Damage:

  • The tank must initiate the fight and face the snipers away from the group, while the group should avoid standing behind the tank. This way, 90% of the shots will hit the tank.

Third Boss — Key Rules:

  1. Don’t stand near the statue, so you don’t block your path — the puddles disappear after each wave.
  2. Don’t stand near the arena’s edges when Waves spawn (track the boss’s energy) — they will kill you. You can avoid the waves not just by standing under the statue but also from a distance; use the lanterns as a guide.

Fourth Boss:

  • The fight has been significantly simplified: throughout the battle, you’ll face no more than three Clutching tentacles and no more than three Crushing tentacles — new Crushing tentacles no longer spawn. The group’s damage priority is always: Crushing >>> Clutching.
  • Position yourselves away from other players. When the boss places a Blue Circle on two players, anyone inside the circle at the time of its removal will be knocked back.

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The Necrotic Wake (Shadowlands)

The Necrotic Wake WoW: Shadowlands

All consumables, except “Anima” are recommended to be used exclusively during boss fights.

Tanks:

  • 90% of enemies in this dungeon are out to kill you. This applies to both regular mid-sized and larger enemies, as well as half the bosses (especially the first and last). There are few enemies with dangerous auto-attacks; most of the damage is either magical or bleeding. Instead of listing every enemy in detail, follow this rule: if you see large enemies or casters, be ready to use all your defensive abilities.

First Quarter:

  • It’s highly recommended to interrupt all interruptible abilities—there’s a lot of passive damage across the group, and random enemy abilities can kill players. The most critical ability to mention is “Flesh Mending” from the Fabricators, but you’ll only encounter one at the start, with more appearing before the third boss.

First Boss:

  • You need to focus on two main tasks:
    1. Direct the “Green Cone” away from the group, preferably into a dead-end or behind the boss.
    2. Do not let the larvae that spawn after the green cone bite you.

Necromancers:

  • Every time you see a Necromancer, focus all your damage on them using single-target abilities. Killing the smaller adds is unnecessary, as they’ll die once the Necromancer is defeated. However, make sure to interrupt the “Volley” from the skeletal mages.

Giant Skeletons:

In general, avoid standing in any pools or cones, and always watch your footing. There are no “beneficial” ground effects in this dungeon.

Second Boss:

  • You will once again encounter necromancer minions (interrupt the “Volley” from mages!), but this time, you need to kill them as fast as possible. If even one survives, it will cause a “party wipe.”

Activating the Third Boss:

  • You need to kill every single creature inside the Necropolis. Many of them are the same as those you encountered earlier, so the rules remain the same: interrupt everything you can see. There’s an enormous amount of passive damage to the group and burst damage from bleeds to the tank.

The only new mechanic here is the “Red Arrow.” A random player controls it, and it must be directed behind any enemy to deal heavy damage. Don’t stand in its path! If there’s no way to aim it behind an enemy, the tank should absorb the damage.

Third Boss:

  • You’ll start the fight against a cadaver. Any “Hook Arrow” must be aimed either at the platform with the boss (for every odd hook: 1st, 3rd, 5th, etc.) or at the boss himself, as long as he is active, to interrupt the “Focus on a Random Player
  • New cadavers will spawn on a timer, so don’t let a second cadaver appear before the first one is dead—otherwise, you risk a “party wipe

Fourth Boss:

  • Do not use your powerful abilities at the start of the fight. After about 15 seconds, the boss will send a random player “off the arena,” where they’ll have to run a long distance and defeat a weak enemy. Once they return, they should head to the nearest corner of the square arena todrop a puddle,” and they’ll receive a “Powerful Buff” in return.
  • Do not dispel or remove “Magic Immobilization” while other players are inside the radius—give them time to move out!
  • Dodge your own and others’ “Comets.”

Mists of Tirna Scithe (Shadowlands)

Mists of Tirna Scithe WoW: ShadowlandsWhen fighting the Dogs at the beginning of the dungeon, remember the key rule: everyone must stand within melee range to prevent them from “jumping.”

Before the First Boss:

  • There are two Brutes. Do not bring both of them to 50% health at the same time, or you’re likely to cause a wipe.

First Boss:

  • There are only two rules:
    1. Always interrupt the boss’s “Lightning” ability.
    2. Don’t use all your powerful abilities with a cooldown longer than ~1 minute on the tree to maximize damage during the “Bonus Damage” phase.

Moths:

  • Dispel the “Blue Circle” from players at all costs.

Healers:

  • Interrupt their “Heal” ability at any cost – it’s cast roughly every 20 seconds.

Guards:

Second Boss:

Optional: In the TWW, “Arrows” now deal damage not only to the “Blue Fox” but also to “Clones during the phase transition.” You can pre-position yourself under the correct clone and send 3-4 arrows into it to deal massive damage and shorten the transition phase significantly.

Rogach:

  • Two players must alternate interrupts—one to stop the “Shield,” and the other to stop the “Heal.”

Flyers:

  • Can be grouped together to prevent them from stacking “Cumulative Poison.” Otherwise, use strong defensives/dispels.

Third Boss:

  • The critical mechanic that can cause a group wipe is the “Blue Lines.” These always target the tank, so players should pre-position themselves to avoid taking any ticks of damage.

Additionally, if you’re targeted by the “Arrow,” try to kite the beetles through the tank so that after 20 seconds, the aggro transfers to them instead of staying on you.

Grim Batol (Cataclysm)

Grim Batol WoW: Cataclysm

When the large purple dragon starts “glowing,” move behind the nearest corner or away from any cliffs—this ability knocks players back significantly. Also, players with “arrows” leave behind pools—avoid placing them in narrow passages!

General Tips:

  • Try not to pull more than one Armored Draconid at a time—its “Reckless Tactics” removes control effects and increases both damage dealt and taken by all enemies!
  • During the dragon flight sequence, aim to hit two groups of enemies when they converge, and don’t attack groups with fewer than 5 enemies.

First Boss:

  • Move “Brown Circles” to the edges of the arena. You can overlap new pools on top of old ones to save space, but this will slightly increase the damage taken.
  • Otherwise, run around the clear areas where there are no purple lines.

Second Boss Preparation:

  • Clear about half or even two-thirds of the arena from enemies before starting the fight. The boss moves from edge to edge, so avoid him by staying along the inner edge of the arena.
  • Hooded humanoids can stun random players—interrupt or use control effects to save your teammates!
  • Position the boss with his back to a dead-end and his face toward a long corridor for safe retreat. DPS and healers should stand behind the boss, near the dead-end, to bait the “Cone” and neatly place “Arrow Pools” behind the boss, not in front of the tank.
  • Tank Tip: When the boss grabs his mace and starts inflating, run away into a clear area until he deflates.

Red Ogres:

  • Control or remove enrage effects on the red ogres to help the tank survive their “Enrage” ability.
  • Brown-armored ogres cast a very unpleasant “Curse” on two players. This curse can stack on a single player, so wait 2-3 seconds before dispelling to avoid overlaps.

Orc Shamans:

  • Shamans become 100% deadlier after dropping below 50% health—be cautious!

Third Boss:

  • Three key rules:
    1. Do not use powerful abilities on the orc boss—save them for when the dragon boss appears.
    2. If you have an arrow” after the portal phase, avoid standing near your elemental. The elemental can be controlled by any effects.
    3. When the dragon boss is active, he will knock all players away shortly after the elementals appear—avoid your arrow and the spinning whirlwinds where the boss was standing before the knockback.
  • Small creatures apply a stacking “Damage Taken” debuff on all players—don’t kill them before the large enemies use their abilities. This same mechanic appears on the fourth boss. Only kill the small enemies after the boss uses their “Powerful Area Damage” ability, which happens once after each dark zone phase.

Large Faceless Enemies:

Fourth Boss:

  • Avoid the tentacles at all costs, and after the Dark Zone shrinks, three random players with circles must spread out within the narrow safe area.
  • Also, remember to follow the previously mentioned mechanic with the small enemies that will appear after each dark zone phase.

Conclusion

The first season of The War Within expansion introduces four new dungeons into the Mythic+ rotation, alongside four returning dungeons from previous expansions. Each dungeon has been reworked or adjusted to fit the Mythic+ challenge, and this guide highlights key mechanics that are crucial to survival in all eight dungeons. These mechanics focus on dangerous boss abilities and trash packs that, if mishandled, can result in deaths or a full party wipe. The guide is especially aimed at players tackling Mythic+ runs from levels +2 to +10, and covers essential interrupts, positioning, and defensive cooldown usage to overcome key encounters.

The guide avoids covering advanced “professional” strategies such as pulling multiple packs and coordinating complex rotations but highlights the most important moments where timing, interrupts, and positioning matter. It includes breakdowns of each dungeon’s most lethal mechanics, including boss phases and trash packs, and provides tips for dealing with dangerous effects like AoE damage, crowd control, and debuffs. For example, in Threadweaver City, players must handle interruptible spells from enemies like the Herald of Ansurek and carefully manage positioning during boss fights, while in Stone Vault, players need to prioritize interrupts and avoid deadly mechanics like Seismic Reverberation and Howling Fear.

Each dungeon includes unique mechanics and challenges, but the overall advice remains to focus on interrupts, avoid deadly AoE effects, and keep a close eye on boss phases that require immediate attention.


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