The Dawnbreaker Dungeon Guide: Location, Boss Strategies, and Trash

Darkflame Cleft is a max-level dungeon located on Hallowfall, Khaz Algar.

This guide will be an extensive overview of the dungeon, providing vital information on how to complete it across all difficulties. We will cover all 3 Boss fights, as well as the most notable trash enemies in the dungeon and their important abilities. If you would like to learn about the rest of the dungeons in The War Within Season 1, please see our overviews linked below. Otherwise, without further ado, let us begin!

• Nightfall Curseblade will only really be a threat to your Tank due to its Darkblade and otherwise be harmless to the rest of your group.
• Interrupt the Nightfall Shadowmage's Ensnaring Shadows Curse effect at all costs. Use any leftover interrupts or disturb effects for their Night Bolt casts.
• Use defensive cooldowns if you get targeted by Nightfall Ritualist's Tormenting Ray uninterruptable channel cast. In addition, your Healer has to react quickly and dispel Stygian Seed debuff out of you to prevent unnecessary damage taken.
• Your Tank must pay attention to Nightfall Commander's Tainted Slash busted, as it deals high frontload damage and adds a lingering Bleed effect. In addition, make sure to interrupt Abyssal Howl absorb shield.

Once you defeat all enemies at the main platform, you will have to load the empty barrels with explosives located on the 2 ships surrounding the main platform. Once you complete the event, the first boss of the dungeon - Speaker Shadowcrown will be summoned (in the middle platform). Here is what you should know about the non-boss-enemies located on the side ships:

• Interrupt as many Sureki Webmage's Web Bolts as you can. Make sure to use your defensive if you get the Bursting Cocoon on you.

• Interrupt as many Shadow Bolts as you can.
• Dodge the incoming Obsidian Beam, otherwise you will likely die upon contact.
• Use defensive cooldowns if you do get Shadow Shroud absorb effect. After the removal of it, move quickly to avoid further damage from the follow-up ground visual - Collapsing Night.
• Twice in the fight, at 50% HP and at 5% HP, Speaker Shadowcrown will cast Darkness Comes. During that time, use your Dragonflying mount to exit the ship and fly nearby Radiant Light, thus avoiding the explosion. After that, you can return to the ship and resume the fight.

• Move the boss away from any nearby Collapsing Night ground puddles, as it will make it harder for your party to effectively dodge the incoming Obsidian Beam.

• When the boss casts Burning Shadows, it will apply an absorb shield to several members of your part via Shadow Shroud. Upon removal, it will trigger its follow-up effect - Collapsing Night, hence why you want them to be quickly topped.

Once you defeat Speaker Shadowcrown, you must use your Dragonflying mount and head down to venture into the second boss of the dungeon - Anub'ikkaj. To make the boss easier, you first must defeat the 3 mini-bosses located in this area Ascendant Vis'coxria, Deathscreamer Iken'tak and Ixkreten the Unbreakable. Each of them has unique abilities that will prepare you for the boss encounter. Here is what you should know about the rest of the non-boss-enemies surrounding them:

• Nightfall Shadowalker will be the easiest mob in this area since it only attacks your tank with Umbral Rush and otherwise will be harmless to your team.
• Sidestep the shadowy ground visuals coming from Manifested Shadow's Black Hail. In addition, use your defensive if you get the Abyssal Blast DoT, as it hits quite hard.
• Interrupt Nightfall Darkcaster's Tormenting Beam. Use your crowd control effects to stop their Umbral Barrier cast at all costs.
• Avoid being hit by the Nightfall Tactician's frontal ability.
• Beware of Sureki Militant as they are one of the most dangerous non-boss-enemy in this area due to its Entwining Threads + Tacky Nova combination. In addition, interrupt their Silken Shell cast at all times!

It is highly important to defeat all 3 mini-bosses due to their Empowered Might buff that they give to the Anub'ikkaj. Here is what you should know about each of the mini-bosses, as they will prepare you to fight the Anub'ikkaj:

• Ixkreten the Unbreakable will apply Abyssal Blast to a random party member (use defensive). In addition, run away from its Terrifying Slam.
• Deathscreamer Iken'tak will apply Abyssal Blast to a random party member (use defensive). If you get targeted by Dark Orb, aim it the way it travels the furthest, as you will take less damage. The closer the Dark Orb explodes (when colliding with an obstacle), the more damage you will take.
• Apart from casting Abyssal Blast, Ascendant Vis'coxria has its own unique ability called Shadowy Decay, dealing AoE damage to the entire group.

• If you get targeted by Dark Orb, make sure to position yourself the way that it lets the orb travel the furthest. The further it explodes (after colliding with an object) the less damage your team takes. Keep in mind that if you do get hit by it, it will likely kill you, and if not, you will receive a Dark Scars debuff, which will be the end of you.
• Out-range the Terrifying Slam.
• Use defensive cooldowns during Shadowy Decay pulsating AoE.

• When Anub'ikkaj casts Animate Shadows, make sure to collect all the nearby Abyssal Blast droplets and stack them under the boss for a better cleave. Here is the perfect place to use your crowd control effects to stop their Congealed Darkness casts.

• Use your major healing cooldowns during the Shadowy Decay as the whole team will take damage.

• If you get targeted by the Nightfall Dark Architect's Tormenting Eruption, use your defensives. In addition, interrupt as many Night Bolts while defeating the surrounding spawned mobs from Usher Reinforcements.

Rasha'nan is one of the few 2-phase boss fights in The War Within, offering you a unique challenge that involves testing your Dragonflying skills during Phase 2. You will have to use your Dragonflying mount, collect the Light Fragments placed in the air to extend your Radiant Light buff and avoid dying from Encroaching Shadows. Once you arrive at the final platform of the boss fight, you must interrupt its Acidic Eruption cast before continuing to Phase 2. More info down below:

• During Phase 1, the most important detail is prioritize the Arathi Bombs event. Pick up any active Sparking Arathi Bombs and use the special action button to trigger Throw Arathi Bomb. Each successful bomb chunks around 5.8% of the boss' health pushing him closer to Phase 2 (once he is below 65% HP).
• Sidestep the Expel Webs frontal.
• During both phases, a random member from your party will get targeted by Rolling Acid. Make sure to place the wave so that it doesn't hit any of your team members (follow the indications above your head). This way, you will prevent further damage to your party from Corrosion, and the only person who will get damaged is you via Acidic Stupor.
• During Phase 2, the boss will randomly select 2 members of your party (usually the DPS) to cast Spinneret's Strands on you. It will deal direct damage upon finishing its cast and leave Sticky Webs lingering damage the longer you stay in the webs. The goal here is to escape the webs and resume the fight, thus activating the follow-up effect - Spinneret's Websnap.

• During Phase 2, use your active mitigation for each Tacky Burst tank buster.

• During Both Phases, use your healing cooldowns for when Erosive Spray is activated, as it will deal group-wide damage and leave 3 undispellable stacks of Lingering Erosion DoT to each team member.
• During Phase 2, spot-heal any party member that gets a Spinneret's Strands debuff on them.

Type	Item	Stats
Off-hand	Overflowing Umbral Pail	Int, Crit/Vers
Cloth Shoulder	Fanatic's Blackened Shoulderwraps	Vers/Crit
Plate Waist	Girdle of Somber Ploys	Mastery/Haste
Leather Waist	Shadow Congregant's Belt	Crit/Mastery
Ring	Devout Zealot's Ring	Crit/Haste
Trinket	Void Pactstone	Str

Type	Item	Stats
Polearm	Black Shepherd's Guisarme	Haste/Crit
Dagger	Parson's Ornamented Blade	Crit/Vers
Mail Shoulder	Shadowblight Mantle	Mastery/Vers
Plate Chest	Dark Priest's Carapace	Crit/Vers
Leather Wrist	Scheming Assailer's Bands	Haste/Crit
Mail Feet	Defiance Crusher's Sabatons	Vers/Haste
Ring	High Nerubian Signet	Vers/Mastery
Trinket	Empowering Crystal of Anub'ikkaj	Agi/Intellect

Type	Item	Stats
1H-Mace	Shipwrecker's Bludgeon	Haste/Crit
1H-Sword	Zephyrous Sail Carver	Vers/Crit
Crossbow	Recurved Hull Impaler	Haste/Mastery
Plate Head	Soaring Behemoth's Greathelm	Vers/Crit
Leather Shoulder	Epaulets of the Clipped Wings	Haste/Mastery
Mail Chest	Goliath's Chitinous Chainmail	Haste/Vers
Cloth Feet	Membranous Slippers	Mastery/Crit
Trinket	Mereldar's Toll	Int

There are 4 total achievements to obtain in The Dawnbreaker:

Achievement	Criteria
The Dawnbreaker	Defeat Rasha'nan in The Dawnbreaker.
Heroic: The Dawnbreaker	Defeat Rasha'nan in The Dawnbreaker on Heroic difficulty or higher.
Mythic: The Dawnbreaker	Defeat Rasha'nan in The Dawnbreaker on Mythic or Mythic Keystone difficulty.
Keystone Hero: The Dawnbreaker	Complete The Dawnbreaker at Mythic Level 10 or higher, within the time limit. You will receive Reward: Teleport to the Dawnbreaker.