Level 50, ilvl 70
50, i110
Coerthas Central Highlands (X:7, Y:11)
Blood for Stone
Ishgard's war against the Dravanian Horde rages on, and Lord Drillemont of House Durendaire means to reclaim a stronghold vital to the protection of Ishgard─the Stone Vigil. Though his forces stand with banners raised and blades at the ready, the watchtower now teems with heretics who would gladly embrace death if only to see knights of Ishgard suffer. It was an adventurer who slipped silently into those frosted halls in the dead of night to cull their ranks, and so it shall be once more.
The Gorynich fight bears similarities to the initial boss fight in the Stone Vigil. Gorynich is an agile adversary, utilizing a move called Swinge while constantly moving around. To avoid being struck, it is advisable to use Sprint and position oneself behind him. When Gorynich summons additional enemies, these foes will automatically target the healer. It is crucial for the DPS to swiftly eliminate these adds. It is important to be aware that upon their demise, the adds will unleash area-of-effect attacks. One of these attacks is a large cone-shaped assault, while the other manifests as a sizable circular zone. If the boss is within range of these AoEs, it will gain the bonuses of Haste and Damage Up. To optimize the encounter, it is recommended to corral the boss into a corner and keep the healer at a distance.
In this Cuca Fera encounter, players will control four cannons positioned in the corners of the room to attack the boss. These cannons have two abilities: a normal damaging shot with a short cooldown and a shot that stuns the boss but has a long cooldown. It is important to use the normal shots to damage the boss, but avoid firing at it when it uses Diamondback to become invulnerable. The boss will show signs of turtling when its shell glows red, and during this time, shooting at it will cause the shots to bounce back and harm the players instead. Two players should be designated as "stunners" to interrupt the boss's group-wide attack called Hard Stomp by using the second ability of the cannons. By rotating the stuns, cooldowns can be replenished. The boss also has an attack where it ignites itself and charges towards a cannon, which can be easily avoided if players pay attention. When additional enemies appear, players should eliminate them using their cannons, and party members should assist each other in clearing them since the cannons cannot target nearby enemies. It is crucial to prevent all of the NPCs from being defeated, as this will trigger an unstunnable Hard Stomp that instantly wipes out the party. It is worth noting that when running the dungeon with Unrestricted Party enabled, defeating the boss solo can be incredibly tedious due to Cuca Fera's damage reduction, even at higher levels. However, it seems that the Machinist's Wildfire ability can bypass this damage reduction, as of Patch 6.4, allowing players to swiftly defeat the boss.
Giruveganaus presents a relatively straightforward yet annoying fight as the boss follows a random attack pattern, disregarding hate generation. It is crucial for all players to remain vigilant and watch for Giruvenganaus' various tells in order to anticipate and evade attacks. These attacks not only inflict moderate to high damage but also impose a debuff called Infirmity, which reduces healing from magical sources. Phase 1 of the battle involves three attacks: a burning shoulder tackle, signaled by the boss lowering its shoulder and charging forward to damage everyone in its path; a tail swipe, preceded by the boss pausing and raising its tail, striking a cone area behind it; and a frontal cleave attack, where the boss stops and rears up on its hind legs to swing at those in front of it. Staying in the flank of the boss provides a safe zone between the range of the frontal cleave and tail swipe. When the boss reaches approximately 60% health, phase 2 commences. In phase 2, Giruvenganaus summons a clone with identical attacks and stats as the original but at full health. Additionally, the boss gains a new attack shared with the clone: launching a fireball towards a random player, damaging the target and anyone nearby. To identify this attack, a small flame appears in the boss's mouth as it turns towards its target. It is advisable to focus on defeating the original boss during this phase while dodging attacks, and once the original is defeated, direct attention to the clone, who should soon follow suit.