Recent Dungeon and Raid Tuning Changes Highlights and Analysis
There have been many updates and tuning passes in Shadowlands' first season recently, especially for the dungeon and Mythic+ content, so we wanted to highlight some of the more relevant changes. We've had a couple of big tuning passes for dungeons and raids (including a nerf to the very disliked Tyrannical affix), buffs to anima rewards, and a lot of smaller hotfixes as well in the past week, so let's get into it!
Today saw the announcement of a big raid tuning pass, affecting 6 bosses, with the focus of most of the changes being the Raid Finder, Normal and Heroic "flex" difficulty aspect, aka the fact that lower group sizes tended to be more difficult. That has been addressed by damage reductions for smaller groups, as well making the mechanics themselves easier by reducing the number of bottles thrown on Lady Inverva when there's fewer players, for example.
The other big change for Castle Nathria came to the Stone Legion Generals, who received a number of tweaks in Mythic difficulty, with a 10-ish% HP nerf, which should help the many guilds stuck on the penultimate boss on its highest difficulty.
Dungeons and Mythic+ itself also received a large amount of changes this past week and, in addition to the analysis we've already done on the Tyrannical and trash mob changes, we now have Dratnos here to discuss all the most important changes in context together with the most recent additions:
Dratnos' Thoughts
And, as an interesting statistic and to give you a better idea of what the timer nerf for De Other Side will be like, for all +10 and higher runs of the dungeon done so far, the added 2 minutes would have increased the success rate for the dungeon by 24%!
Dungeons and Raids
De Other Side
Necrotic Wake
Spires of Ascension
Theater of Pain
Also, don 't forget that the anima rewards have been significantly increased for both raids and Mythic+ starting this week! You can check out everything that's being added with the weekly reset in Blizzard's official hotfix notes right here.
Today saw the announcement of a big raid tuning pass, affecting 6 bosses, with the focus of most of the changes being the Raid Finder, Normal and Heroic "flex" difficulty aspect, aka the fact that lower group sizes tended to be more difficult. That has been addressed by damage reductions for smaller groups, as well making the mechanics themselves easier by reducing the number of bottles thrown on Lady Inverva when there's fewer players, for example.
The other big change for Castle Nathria came to the Stone Legion Generals, who received a number of tweaks in Mythic difficulty, with a 10-ish% HP nerf, which should help the many guilds stuck on the penultimate boss on its highest difficulty.
With hotfixes that will go live during scheduled weekly maintenance this week (tomorrow, February 9 in this region), we will make the following tuning adjustments to many dungeon and raid encounters.
Castle Nathria
Artificer Xy’mox
Sun King’s Salvation
Lady Inerva Darkvein
Sludgefist
Stone Legion Generals
Sire Denathrius
Additionally, with a hotfix that is now live, Nadjia’s Familiar Predicaments will no longer unintentionally reduce the duration of Dancing Fever.
Castle Nathria
Artificer Xy’mox
- Glyph of Destruction damage reduced by up to 20%, depending on group size, on Raid Finder, Normal, and Heroic difficulties.
- Withering Touch damage reduced by up to 20%, depending on group size, on Raid Finder, Normal, and Heroic difficulties.
Sun King’s Salvation
- Soul Infusers, Vile Occultists, Bleakwing Assassins, Pestering Fiends, and Rockbound Vanquishers’ health reduced by 10% on Raid Finder, Normal, and Heroic difficulties.
Lady Inerva Darkvein
- Lady Inerva Darkvein now throws fewer bottles for smaller raid sizes, scaling from 1 to 3 (was 2 to 3) on Normal difficulty, and scaling from 2 to 4 (was 3 to 4) on Heroic difficulty.
- Anima Web now does up to 20% less damage for raids with fewer than 30 players on Normal and Heroic difficulties.
- Shared Suffering now does up to 20% less damage for raids with 10 players on Normal and Heroic difficulties.
- Base health for Conjured Manifestations and Harnessed Specters is now lower for raids with fewer than 30 players on Normal and Heroic Raid difficulties.
Sludgefist
- Fixed an issue that caused Chain Slam damage to not scale correctly with group size on Heroic difficulty.
- Chain Slam damage reduced by up to 35%, depending on group size, on Heroic difficulty.
- Colossal Roar damage reduced by up to 20%, depending on group size, on Raid Finder, Normal, and Heroic difficulties.
Stone Legion Generals
- Overall damage scaling updated, with damage having been decreased by 25% for 10-player raids and increased by 10% for 30-player raids on Raid Finder and Normal difficulties.
- Overall damage scaling updated, with damage having been decreased by 33% for 10-player raids and increased by 17% for 30-player raids on Heroic difficulties.
- Stone Legion Goliath health decreased 11.1% on Mythic difficulty.
- Stone Legion Skirmisher health decreased 10% on Mythic difficulty.
- Heart Rend now targets 1 to 3 players, scaling from 10 to 30-player raid sizes, on Heroic difficulty.
- Seismic Upheaval now targets 4 to 10 players, scaling from 10 to 30-player raid sizes, on Normal and Heroic difficulties.
- Seismic Upheaval now targets 3 to 5 players, scaling from 10 to 30-player raid sizes, on Raid Finder difficulty.
- Wicked Laceration damage now scales with the number of players on Normal and Heroic difficulties
Sire Denathrius
- Crimson Cabalist health reduced by up to 10%, depending on group size, on Raid Finder, Normal, and Heroic difficulties.
Additionally, with a hotfix that is now live, Nadjia’s Familiar Predicaments will no longer unintentionally reduce the duration of Dancing Fever.
Dungeons and Mythic+ itself also received a large amount of changes this past week and, in addition to the analysis we've already done on the Tyrannical and trash mob changes, we now have Dratnos here to discuss all the most important changes in context together with the most recent additions:
Dratnos' ThoughtsA crucial nerf to keep in mind from a week ago was Tyrannical's nerf from 40% to 30%. Since Tyrannical wasn't active last week, these nerfs are all going to be experienced at the same time. The biggest set of changes are in De Other Side, where much less health will need to be chewed through thanks to the Tyrannical nerf, and 2 extra minutes will further reduce the chance of failing a clean (or close to clean) run due to the timer. Hakkar is a fight that was disproportionately difficult in high Tyrannical due mostly to the massive amount of extra health it would gain from extra Blood Barrier shielding as the fight went on - the highest impact nerf to this is actually still just the Tyrannical nerf, though the reductions in damage on the fight will also make it less punishing when it does go long. Dealer Xy'exa will also be far less lethal with Arcane Lightning's 25% nerf, as that was a very lethal ability in combination with any other incoming damage.
Slight changes have landed in other dungeons - Necrotic Wake rewards you more for completing the Dark Exile on the last boss, and Ventunax in Spires of Ascension still does a nasty bleed, but it only lasts for 15 instead of 20 seconds. Xav the Unfallen in Theater of Pain has also been hit with a direct health nerf in addition to the Tyrannical nerf - this is a good boss fight to target with such nerfs as it summons adds throughout the fight that effectively further increase its health the longer the fight goes on.
Slight changes have landed in other dungeons - Necrotic Wake rewards you more for completing the Dark Exile on the last boss, and Ventunax in Spires of Ascension still does a nasty bleed, but it only lasts for 15 instead of 20 seconds. Xav the Unfallen in Theater of Pain has also been hit with a direct health nerf in addition to the Tyrannical nerf - this is a good boss fight to target with such nerfs as it summons adds throughout the fight that effectively further increase its health the longer the fight goes on.
And, as an interesting statistic and to give you a better idea of what the timer nerf for De Other Side will be like, for all +10 and higher runs of the dungeon done so far, the added 2 minutes would have increased the success rate for the dungeon by 24%!
Dungeons and Raids
De Other Side
- Mythic Keystone timer increased to 43 minutes (was 41 minutes).
Hakkar - Son of Hakkar melee damage reduced by 50%.
- Blood Nova damage reduced by 20%.
Dealer Xy’exa - Arcane Lightning damage reduced by 25%.
Necrotic Wake
- Champion’s Boon duration increased to 30 seconds (was 15 seconds).
Nalthor the Rimebinder
Spires of Ascension
- Dark Stride duration decreased to 15 seconds (was 20 seconds).
Ventunax
Theater of Pain
- Health reduced by 10%.
Xav the Unfallen
Also, don 't forget that the anima rewards have been significantly increased for both raids and Mythic+ starting this week! You can check out everything that's being added with the weekly reset in Blizzard's official hotfix notes right here.
