Arcane Mage DPS Sepulcher of the First Ones Raid Guide — Dragonflight 10.2.5

Last updated on Jan 15, 2024 at 15:00 by Dutchmagoz 52 comments
General Information

On this page, you will find tips, tricks, and strategies tailored to your Arcane Mage for each boss of the following raid: Sepulcher of the First Ones. All our content is updated for World of Warcraft — Dragonflight 10.2.5.

1.

Introduction

On this page, you will find Arcane-Mage-specific information to deal with each boss in the Sepulcher of the First Ones raid. This page assumes you already have a basic understanding of the fights, and focused primarily on how to do the fights as a Arcane-Mage specifically.

During the Dragonflight Pre-Patch, Castle Nathria, Sanctum of Domination, and Sepulcher of the First Ones will be simultaneously featured as Fated Raids. During this time encounters within each specific raid will include an additional mechanic and items will drop at increased item levels. If you would like to learn more general information about the Fated Raids system as a whole, please see our overview below. Otherwise, continue to use this page for specialization-specific tips.

Disclaimer: The tips on this page are based on Shadowlands Season 4, not Dragonflight changes.

2.

Talent Cheatsheet

Below we list the most common talent setup for all bosses. This talent setup assumes you play as a Kyrian with the Arcane Harmony Icon Arcane Harmony Legendary.

You can easily import the talent tree below into the game with the following string:

  • B4DAHVkVsxxZrVqBmAzlSR2f7LAkWiQiUARLJiISTIBQChkAAAAAAAAAAAAEJJJhESSC
3.

Vigilant Guardian

We advise you to use the following Legendary against Vigilant Guardian: Arcane Harmony Icon Arcane Harmony.

The Level 35 talent row is either Resonance Icon Resonance or Arcane Echo Icon Arcane Echo. Which one you pick depends on whether or not you have the Arcane Lucidity Icon Arcane Mage 4-Piece bonus and whether or not you are struggling to meet the Phase 3 DPS check. If you have 4-set, you should use Arcane Echo Icon Arcane Echo if you are struggling with the p3 DPS check, otherwise use Resonance Icon Resonance.

3.1.

Tips

3.1.1.

Phase 1

Mages are very good at picking up the bombs and bringing them to the boss. Use Alter Time Icon Alter Time before activating Shimmer Icon Shimmer to get to the bombs that are far away. Then get back closer to the boss by re-activating Alter Time.

DPS-wise, there is not too much to optimise. Just make sure that you activate your burst combo on high health mobs to ensure they do not die before your burst is over, and ensure that you are hitting multiple targets with Arcane Barrage Icon Arcane Barrage and Arcane Orb Icon Arcane Orb.

3.1.2.

Phase 2

You can use Alter Time Icon Alter Time if you are targeted by Matter Dissolution Icon Matter Dissolution before using Shimmer Icon Shimmer (or Blink Icon Blink) to move out and re-activating it after getting hit to move back into position.

3.1.3.

Phase 3

Ensure that all your dps cooldowns are ready before phase 3 begins.

For more information, please refer to our Vigilant Guardian guide.

4.

Skolex, the Insatiable Ravener

We advise you to use the following Legendary against Skolex, the Insatiable Ravener: Arcane Harmony Icon Arcane Harmony.

The Level 35 talent row is either Resonance Icon Resonance or Arcane Echo Icon Arcane Echo. Which one you pick depends on whether or not you have the Arcane Lucidity Icon Arcane Mage 4-Piece bonus. If you have 4-set, you use Arcane Echo Icon Arcane Echo, otherwise use Resonance Icon Resonance.

4.1.

Tips

If you are assigned to be one of the furthest people away from the boss, make sure you use your defensive cooldowns properly to minimise damage you take, as you will be taking more damage than the rest of the raid. A typical scenario would be to activate Alter Time Icon Alter Time on full health, waiting until you drop low, and then re-activating it or waiting for it to time out. After that, use defensives like normal to reduce damage taken.

Make sure to not be within 20 yards of the boss to avoid unnecesary movement.

Keep an eye on your boss mod timer for the boss' frontal cone (Retch Icon Retch) on a raid member, and ensure you do not activate your DPS cooldowns right before it goes out to avoid losing uptime on your cooldowns.

For more information, please refer to our Skolex, the Insatiable Ravener guide.

5.

Artificer Xy'Mox

We advise you to use the following Legendary against Artificer Xy'mox: Arcane Harmony Icon Arcane Harmony.

5.1.

Tips

5.1.1.

Phase 1

You can deal with the Genesis Rings Icon Genesis Rings like everyone else, but as a Mage you can also simply use Shimmer Icon Shimmer (or Blink Icon Blink) to go through the rings without taking any damage.

5.1.2.

Phase 2

Make sure you have DPS cooldowns (at the minimum Radiant Spark Icon Radiant Spark and Touch of the Magi Icon Touch of the Magi) ready for this phase and use your cooldowns on the Hyperlight Acolyte.

6.

Dausegne, the Fallen Oracle

We advise you to use the following Legendary against Dausegne, the Fallen Oracle: Arcane Harmony Icon Arcane Harmony.

6.1.

Tips

  • Use Alter Time Icon Alter Time when you start soaking Staggering Barrage Icon Staggering Barrage and re-activate it immediaitely after it ends.
  • On Heroic, you can use Ice Block Icon Ice Block to get rid of the debuff applied from soaking Staggering Barrage Icon Staggering Barrage to be able to soak it an additional time.
  • Time your Radiant Spark Icon Radiant Spark and Touch of the Magi Icon Touch of the Magi so that the final Arcane Barrage Icon Arcane Barrage of Radiant Spark gets cleaved to the Domination Core, for Resonance Icon Resonance damage.
  • Use Shimmer Icon Shimmer (or Blink Icon Blink) to go through the Disintegration Halo Icon Disintegration Halos to make them much easier to deal with when multiple spawn after eachother.

For more information, please refer to our Dausegne, the Fallen Oracle guide.

7.

Prototype Pantheon

We advise you to use the following Legendary against Prototype Pantheon: Arcane Harmony Icon Arcane Harmony.

7.1.

Tips

7.1.1.

Phase 1

Prototype of War teleports away to cast Pinning Volley Icon Pinning Volley, so make sure to not activate your cooldowns on War right before Pinning Volley as it will go to waste.

7.1.2.

Phase 2

After Hand of Destruction Icon Hand of Destruction pulls you in, you can activate Alter Time Icon Alter Time before using Shimmer Icon Shimmer (or Blink Icon Blink) to move away from the boss, and re-activating it after the explosion. If you get hit by any of the red blobs, you can use Ice Block Icon Ice Block to remove the stun.

7.1.3.

Phase 3

Make sure all your cooldowns are ready when this phase begins. Other than that, the tips from Phase 1 and Phase 2 still apply.

For more information, please refer to our Prototype Pantheon guide.

8.

Lihuvim, Principal Architect

We advise you to use the following Legendary against Lihuvim, Principal Architect: Arcane Harmony Icon Arcane Harmony.

8.1.

Tips

8.1.1.

Phase 1

Right before Cosmic Shift Icon Cosmic Shift, activate Alter Time Icon Alter Time and re-active it immediately after the cast finished to heal yourself to full and re-position yourself again.

8.1.2.

Phase 2

Depending on your strategy, you might have to hold on to your DPS cooldowns for this phase to be able to quickly kill one of the adds before it spawns.

For more information, please refer to our Lihuvim, Principal Architect guide.

9.

Halondrus the Reclaimer

We advise you to use the following Legendary against Guardian of the First Ones: Arcane Harmony Icon Arcane Harmony.

9.1.

Tips

Note: This fight has been changed substantially from the version of it that was tested on the Public Test Realm. As such, the tips for it will be sparse until the encounter can be personally experienced on live servers.

For more information, please refer to our Halondrus the Reclaimer guide.

10.

Anduin Wrynn

We advise you to use the following Legendary against Anduin Wrynn: Arcane Harmony Icon Arcane Harmony.

10.1.

Tips

10.1.1.

Phase 1

If you are targeted by Domination Word: Pain Icon Domination Word: Pain, make sure to use defensives like Alter Time Icon Alter Time and Greater Invisibility Icon Greater Invisibility.

10.1.2.

Intermission 1

Make sure all your DPS cooldowns are ready for this phase.

10.1.3.

Phase 2

You can use Polymorph Icon Polymorph to interrupt the casts of the Grim Reflection adds, alongside Counterspell Icon Counterspell.

10.1.4.

Intermission 2

Same tips as Intermission 1 apply.

10.1.5.

Phase 3

You can deal with Hopelessness Icon Hopelessness like the rest of the raid by using the inner circle of the room, but if things get chaotic, you can also use Ice Block Icon Ice Block to remove the debuff.

For more information, please refer to our Anduin Wrynn guide.

11.

Lords of Dread

We advise you to use the following Legendary against Lords of Dread: Arcane Harmony Icon Arcane Harmony.

11.1.

Tips

When the bosses are in their Swarm form (Swarm of Darkness Icon Swarm of Darkness, make sure to activate Alter Time Icon Alter Time at full health as a defensive cooldown.

For more information, please refer to our Lords of Dread guide.

12.

Rygelon

We advise you to use the following Legendary against Rygelon: Arcane Harmony Icon Arcane Harmony.

12.1.

Tips

Ensure you line up Arcane Barrage Icon Arcane Barrage so that it goes out when Collapsing Quasars are close enough to the boss to cleave to them, to benefit from Resonance Icon Resonance and get additional cleave damage.

If you are soaking a swirl that is out of boss range, make sure you cast Alter Time Icon Alter Time before running out away from the boss, so you can re-activate it to get back to being in range of the boss quickly after soaking it.

For more information, please refer to our Rygelon guide.

13.

The Jailer

We advise you to use the following Legendary against The Jailer: Arcane Harmony Icon Arcane Harmony.

13.1.

Tips

This fight has various different types of knockbacks at many different intervals. Additionally, you also need to jump into holes in the floor which will knock you up. All of these mechanics can be circumvented with the use of Alter Time Icon Alter Time. This can be done by activating Alter Time before the knockback goes out, or before jumping into the hole in the floor, and then immediately re-activating it when the knockback/up animation has started. Additionally, the knockbacks can also be negated by using Shimmer Icon Shimmer after the animation started, but make sure to wait a short time before activating it as otherwise you risk still getting knocked back.

13.1.1.

Phase 1

Make sure you watch the timer for Torment Icon Torment, and be already properly spread from other people before it goes out if it lines up with Rune of Power Icon Rune of Power or Arcane Power Icon Arcane Power, to ensure you do not have to move out of your Rune while spreading for torment. Additionally, watch for the timer of Relentless Domination Icon Relentless Domination to ensure you do not have to hide behind a pillar in the middle of your DPS cooldowns.

13.1.2.

Phase 2

Make sure you watch the timer of Rune of Compulsion Icon Rune of Compulsion, try to line up Touch of the Magi Icon Touch of the Magi so the explosion hits as the Rune of Compulsion goes out. Only delay Touch of the Magi up to 10 seconds or so to enable this, otherwise just use it like normal. Additionally, make sure to line up your Arcane Barrage Icon Arcane Barrage casts so that you use it when it can hit multiple enemies to benefit from Resonance Icon Resonance and get additional cleave damage.

13.1.3.

Phase 3

Assuming your group is allowing the adds from Torment Icon Torment to get stacked up (via Knockbacks / Grips etc), you try to line up your Touch of the Magi Icon Touch of the Magi to explode Touch of the Magi onto them. Additionally, make sure you use Arcane Barrage Icon Arcane Barrage so it lines up with the adds as well to benefit from Resonance Icon Resonance and get additional cleave damage.

If you get targeted by Rune of Domination Icon Rune of Domination, you can use Ice Block Icon Ice Block to get rid of the debuff.

For more information, please refer to our The Jailer guide.

14.

Changelog

  • 24 Oct. 2022: Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
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