The Desolate Host Abilities

Table of Contents

• +Introduction
  • 1. Contents
  • 2. Lore
  • 3. Outline
  • 4. TL;DR
    • 4.1. Tanks
    • 4.2. Healers
    • 4.3. All Players
  • 5. Positioning
  • 6. Bloodlust/Heroism/Time Warp
  • 7. Changelog
• ×Abilities
  • 1. Overview
  • 2. All Realms
  • 3. The Corporeal Realm
    • 3.1. The Engine of Souls
    • 3.2. Reanimated Templar
    • 3.3. Ghastly Bonewarden
  • 4. The Spirit Realm
    • 4.1. Soul Queen Dejahna
    • 4.2. Fallen Priestess
    • 4.3. Soul Residue
  • 5. "Phase Two": The Desolate Host
    • 5.1. The Desolate Host
  • 6. Changelog
• +Normal/Heroic Strategy/Tactics
  • 1. Overview
  • 2. Positioning
  • 3. Corporeal Group
  • 4. Spirit Group
  • 5. The Desolate Host
  • 6. Tank Concerns
  • 7. Healing Concerns
  • 8. Raid Concerns
  • 9. Bloodlust/Heroism/Time Warp
  • 10. Changelog
• +Mythic Strategy
  • 1. Mythic Mode Abilities
    • 1.1. Bound Essence
    • 1.2. Unrelenting
    • 1.3. Spiritual Fonts
  • 2. Strategy
  • 3. Changelog

General Information

On this page, we list all the abilities from the The Desolate Host encounter in Tomb of Sargeras. The idea is to give you a solid understanding of the encounter before you read the strategy.

If you are already familiar with the encounter, then you can skip to the strategy and tactics page or access any other page of the guide by using the table of contents on the right.

The Desolate Host is a unique encounter where the raid will engage two bosses simultaneously in separate planes; the Corporeal Realm and the Spirit Realm. In the Corporeal Realm the Engine of Souls will summon fallen Night Elf spirits to engage the raid, while Soul Queen Dejahna will engage the players in the Spirit Realm along with allies of her own. When the Engine of Souls reaches 30% health, a vast amount of spirits will coalesce into The Desolate Host and attack the group.

The Engine of Souls and Soul Queen Dejahna share a health pool throughout the encounter.

Dissonance causes all players and creatures to inflict Shadow damage constantly to any players within 8 yards in an opposing realm.

Players can enter and exit the Spirit Realm by using the Spiritual Fonts found at various points on the edges of the arena.

Bone Shards inflicts 100% of weapon damage to the current target. This is a cast and replaces a standard melee attack for the Engine.

Collapsing Fissures last 1.5 minutes and deal moderate Shadow damage to any players within them every second. They have a 10-yard diameter and appear as shadowy purple circles on the floor.

Tormented Cries marks a player and fires a cone of dark magic at them. This cannot be avoided by movement and deals moderate Shadow damage. This leaves a long purple void zone on the ground. If a player is in an existing Tormented Cries zone when they are damaged by a fresh cast, the initial damage is increased by 300%. Anyone within a Tormented Cries zone takes ticking damage every second and is silenced.

Spear of Anguish is only present on Heroic and Mythic difficulties. A random player is marked with a Spear of Anguish, indicated by a translucent circle around them. After 6 seconds, the Spear inflicts moderate Shadow damage to all players (including the target) within 5 yards of the targeted player and knocks their spirit out of their body, sending them to the Spirit Realm. Targets struck also receive a heavy healing absorb on them, preventing them from interacting with Spiritual Fonts.

Quietus is only cast if no players remain in the Corporeal Realm. This deals moderate Shadow damage to all players and increases the Engine of Souls' Shadow damage by 25% for 12 seconds. This buff stacks with each cast of Quietus.

Reanimated Templars spawn periodically in the Corporeal Realm. They have an aggro table and can be held by the tanks.

Rupturing Slam strikes the ground, sending shock waves that rupture outwards from the caster. Players hit by the ruptures take moderate Physical damage and are knocked back. These ruptures appear as fiery red eruptions in the groud. It appears there are 4 ruptures per cast, traveling outwards in a cross shape.

Bonecage Armor shields the Reanimated Templars when they reach 50% health, reducing their damage taken by 95% for 60 seconds. Being struck by Shattering Scream (cast by Fallen Priestess' in the Spirit Realm) removes this reduction effect.

Ghastly Bonewardens spawn periodically in the Corporeal Realm. They have an aggro table and can be held by the tanks.

Grasping Darkness damages a player for light Shadow damage, bouncing back and forth up to 3 times to any players within 5 yards of the target. The damage increases significantly with each bounce.

Bonecage Armor shields the Ghastly Bonewardens when they reach 50% health, reducing their damage taken by 95% for 60 seconds. Being struck by Shattering Scream (cast by Fallen Priestess' in the Spirit Realm) removes this reduction effect.

Soul Queen Dejahna must be tanked.

Crush Mind inflicts heavy Shadow damage to the current target and increases damage taken by Crush Mind by 5% for 90 seconds. This effect stacks, however, the cast can be interrupted.

Wailing Souls is cast occasionally, and releases a surge of souls that deal moderate Shadow damage every 2 seconds for 60 seconds to all players within the Spirit Realm.

Wither is a debuff that inflicts light Shadow damage to a player every 3 seconds for 60 seconds. Damage taken from Wailing Souls is increased by 100% while under the effects of Wither. This ability is only present on Heroic and higher difficulties.

Soulbind debuffs 2 players, inflicting moderate Shadow damage to all players within 10 yards of either of them until they move within 5 yards of a bound player in an opposing realm.

Quietus is only cast if no players remain in the Spirit Realm. This deals moderate Shadow damage to all players and increases Soul Queen Dejahna's Shadow damage by 25% for 12 seconds. This buff stacks with each cast of Quietus.

Fallen Priestess' spawn periodically in the Spirit Realm. They have an aggro table and can be held by the tanks.

Shattering Scream targets a player and deals moderate Shadow damage every 1.5 seconds for 7.5 seconds. Each successive hit reduces the target's movement speed by 10% for 12 seconds (per stack). After 5 stacks, the target explodes for moderate raid wide Shadow damage and removes Bonecage Armor from all targets within 5 yards.

Spirit Chains inflict moderate Shadow damage to a random player in the Spirit Realm and reduce movement speed by 50% for 30 seconds. Targeted players are prevented from using the Spiritual Fonts for the duration of the debuff.

Soul Residues spawn periodically in the Spirit Realm. They have an aggro table and can be held by the tanks.

Soul Rot is left behind by all Soul Residues as they move. Standing within Soul Rot inflicts moderate Shadow damage every 2 seconds and reduces damage done by 75%. Soul Rot manifests as "plague-like" green circles on the floor.

Soul Eruption occurs when Soul Residues die, inflicting heavy Shadow damage to any players within 5 yards and knocking them back.

When the Engine of Souls reaches 30% health it draws a massive number of tormented souls to form The Desolate Host. This must be tanked and has its own set of abilities. Both the Corporeal and Spirit Realms and their mechanics persist in this "phase".

Sundering Doom marks an area around The Desolate Host, dealing massive Shadow damage to everyone within 15 yards. This damage is split evenly between all players in the Corporeal Realm. Players in the Spirit Realm take even more damage, however, the damage for them is reduced by being further away from the Sundering Doom.

Doomed Sundering is the inverse of Sundering Doom. Massive Shadow damage is dealt to everyone within 15 yards, split evenly between all players in the Spirit Realm. Players in the Corporeal Realm take even more damage, however, the damage for them is reduced by being further away from Doomed Sundering.

Torment is periodically cast by The Desolate Host, increasing its damage done by 10%. If no one is struck by Sundering Doom or Doomed Sundering when they are cast, the Desolate Host will instantly gain 5 stacks of Torment.

• 07 Jun. 2017: Guide added.

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