Feral Druid DPS Castle Nathria Raid Guide — Shadowlands 9.0.2

On this page, you will find Feral Druid specific information to deal with each boss in the Castle Nathria raid.

This page assumes that you already understand most of the mechanics of each encounter. These can be found on the full raid guide, so what is contained here are details specifically tailored toward Feral Druid and what you can do to deal with each fight as best as possible.

Most of your talent choices are not altered by Covenant choices, but will assume you are playing with Night Fae due to its strength in many encounters.

A few of the Feral legendary choices are specific in their uses or require you to do a little extra to make use of them. Some important notes to bear in mind with the recommendations:

• Apex Predator's Craving really likes extra Rips being active. If you are not playing Primal Wrath that means you need to be applying them manually (and potentially refreshing them with Sabertooth). Bear that in mind and make use of it if you can.
• Draught of Deep Focus is purely single-target. If there is ever other targets active, this should not be taken.
• Circle of Life and Death requires targets to live for a reasonable amount of time to get use out of. While it is the best AoE choice, if targets die too quickly for you to capitalize upon it, it begins to fall off.

Please refer to our dedicate page for more information.

We advise you to use the following talents against Shriekwing.

• Level 15: Sabertooth
• Level 25: No specific recommendation
• Level 30: No specific recommendation
• Level 35: Mighty Bash
• Level 40: Soul of the Forest
• Level 45: Brutal Slash
• Level 50: Bloodtalons

We advise you to use the following Legendaries against Shriekwing.

1. Apex Predator's Craving
2. Draught of Deep Focus

Purely single-target encounter, so your build is standard. Legendary choice between Apex Predator's Craving and Draught of Deep Focus depends on preference, but both work.

• If you use Balance Affinity, you can switch to Moonkin Form to deal extra damage when forced out of range if you are targeted by Echolocation.
• Stampeding Roar can be used to help the group get to safety during Earsplitting Shriek, and avoid the rings during the intermission.
• If you or anyone nearby trigger Descent, use Barkskin or Survival Instincts to stay healthy.
• Your natural movement speed should help for Echolocation and Echoing Screech, but if need be use Dash/ Tiger Dash to quickly readjust.

For more information, please refer to our Shriekwing guide.

We advise you to use the following talents against Huntsman Altimor.

• Level 15: Sabertooth
• Level 25: No specific recommendation
• Level 30: Balance Affinity
• Level 35: Heart of the Wild
• Level 40: Soul of the Forest
• Level 45: Brutal Slash
• Level 50: Bloodtalons

We advise you to use the following Legendary against Huntsman Altimor: Apex Predator's Craving.

While there are extra targets active throught the encounter, they either last for short periods of time or are often out of range. Therefore, a more single-target oriented approach with manual Bleed maintenance is ideal here.

• Try to maintain Bleeds on both the boss and the active Gargon, especially if you are playing with Apex Predator's Craving.
• Try to make sure that you have Tiger's Fury ready to burst down the Shades of Bargast, this also extends to Berserk but the timing is more dependant on your group here.
• Shapeshifting allows you to remove the slowing effect from Petrifying Howl, giving you more time to place it.
• If you are hit by Sinseeker, use Barkskin. The damage is significant and the cooldown of Barkskin is low enough to let you use it without much worry.

For more information, please refer to our Huntsman Altimor guide.

We advise you to use the following talents against Sun King's Salvation.

• Level 15: Predator or Sabertooth
• Level 25: No specific recommendation
• Level 30: Restoration Affinity (situational options: Balance Affinity or Guardian Affinity)
• Level 35: Heart of the Wild
• Level 40: Soul of the Forest
• Level 45: Primal Wrath (or Brutal Slash, situationally)
• Level 50: Bloodtalons

We advise you to use the following Legendaries against Sun King's Salvation.

1. Circle of Life and Death
2. Apex Predator's Craving

This has a significantly different playstyle depending on Heroic or Mythic for you. The ability to contribute to healing Kael'thas via Heart of the Wild and (if Night Fae) Convoke the Spirits mean you may shift up your choices.

• Try to snipe Predator resets if playing it here on adds that are dying. You will often be away from groups of enemies because this is a very spread out fight, but watch out for opportunities.
• On Mythic. aim to pool some Combo Points to deal with Cloak of Flames and burst it down.
• Primal Wrath is a good choice to deal with the high number of enemy targets, and can sync up well with Apex Predator's Craving to funnel into higher health enemies.
• Pay special attention to adds dying to avoid taking hits from Fragmentation. This is lethal if you stand in a stack.
• You can assist with healing needed on both Kael'thas and on canisters with Predatory Swiftness procs, and, if taken, Heart of the Wild paired with Restoration Affinity.
• Make sure to assist with interrupting Vulgar Brand, as this effect can be a big problem to deal with if it goes off. If it does, you can use Remove Corruption to get rid of it.

For more information, please refer to our Sun King's Salvation guide.

We advise you to use the following talents against Artificer Xy'Mox.

• Level 15: Sabertooth
• Level 25: No specific recommendation
• Level 30: No specific recommendation
• Level 35: Heart of the Wild
• Level 40: Soul of the Forest
• Level 45: Brutal Slash
• Level 50: Bloodtalons

We advise you to use the following Legendaries against Artificer Xy'Mox.

1. Apex Predator's Craving
2. Draught of Deep Focus

Purely single-target encounter, but has some downtime that can allow for DoTs to shine. Both Apex Predator's Craving and Draught of Deep Focus have their ups and downs depending on if you are targeted by mechanics.

• Heart of the Wild can be used to either continue dealing damage or assist the raid when forced out of range by the Dimensional Tear or Fleeting Spirit fixate.
• Tiger Dash can be helpful to outrange some of the mechanics in each phase, and help with moving Seeds of Extinction if needed.
• Stampeding Roar can help the players having to deal with Seeds of Extinction, assist players moving between portals or keep players out of range of Edge of Annihilation.

For more information, please refer to our Artificer Xy'Mox guide.

We advise you to use the following talents against Hungering Destroyer.

• Level 15: Sabertooth
• Level 25: No specific recommendation
• Level 30: No specific recommendation
• Level 35: Heart of the Wild
• Level 40: Soul of the Forest
• Level 45: Brutal Slash
• Level 50: Bloodtalons

We advise you to use the following Legendaries against Hungering Destroyer.

1. Apex Predator's Craving
2. Draught of Deep Focus

Purely single-target encounter with some downtime that means both Apex Predator's Craving and Draught of Deep Focus work well depending on preference.

• Use Barkskin when targeted by Gluttonous Miasma, the cooldown is low and the reduced damage alleviates the pressure from other players needing to keep you healthy.
• Save Survival Instincts for Expunge or Volatile Ejection if it overlaps with you having Miasma, as this is very dangerous.
• If using Balance Affinity, make use of the extra damage you can deal from range by shifting into Moonkin Form during Consume or carring orbs out with Expunge.
• Stampeding Roar can be used to get your group to the edge of the room to drop orbs when Expunge is cast.

For more information, please refer to our Hungering Destroyer guide.

We advise you to use the following talents against Lady Inerva Darkvein.

• Level 15: Sabertooth
• Level 25: No specific recommendation
• Level 30: No specific recommendation
• Level 35: Heart of the Wild
• Level 40: Soul of the Forest
• Level 45: Brutal Slash
• Level 50: Bloodtalons

We advise you to use the following Legendary against Lady Inerva Darkvein: Apex Predator's Craving.

While there are extra targets in the encounter, they are often short-lived and tend to line up with the natural cooldown of Tiger's Fury. Therefore, a pure single-target build with some manual Bleed maintenance is better, while focusing on burning the boss.

• Try to hold some Combo Points to get a Rip active on Concentrated Anima spawns to capitalize on the Apex Predator's Craving procs.
• Adds spawn roughly 55 seconds into the fight and every minute thereafter (though timers can be variable), so Tiger's Fury should naturally hit this spot.
• Stampeding Roar is extremely useful to speed up any melee targeted by Shared Suffering, so they can clear the orbs quickly, and should be used there.

For more information, please refer to our Lady Inerva Darkvein guide.

We advise you to use the following talents against The Council of Blood.

• Level 15: Sabertooth
• Level 25: No specific recommendation
• Level 30: No specific recommendation
• Level 35: Heart of the Wild
• Level 40: Soul of the Forest
• Level 45: Brutal Slash
• Level 50: Bloodtalons

We advise you to use the following Legendaries against The Council of Blood.

1. Apex Predator's Craving
2. Draught of Deep Focus

A deceptively single-target fight that has a lot of opportunity for funnel effects. However, since the benefit of Primal Wrath is nil here, the extra Rips maintained to generate Apex Predator's Craving procs are not valuable, meaning it is roughly equal with Draught of Deep Focus.

• If you find yourself struggling, save Dash/ Tiger Dash for the intermission to make sure that you make it to your position in time.
• Spend your time focusing on your kill target - Bleeds maintained on other enemies are useless as they reset to full when a member of the council dies.
• Barkskin can mostly be used on cooldown in this encounter, due to the sheer amount of raid effects happening.
• Save Survival Instincts if targeted by Dark Recital and your partner is not quick to react, as this will likely kill you.

For more information, please refer to our The Council of Blood guide.

We advise you to use the following talents against Sludgefist.

• Level 15: Sabertooth
• Level 25: No specific recommendation
• Level 30: No specific recommendation
• Level 35: Heart of the Wild
• Level 40: Soul of the Forest
• Level 45: Brutal Slash
• Level 50: Bloodtalons

We advise you to use the following Legendaries against Sludgefist.

1. Apex Predator's Craving
2. Draught of Deep Focus

A heavily single-target focused boss with bursts of 10 seconds of damage amplification every minute. Both legendaries function here, depending on if you want the sustained extra damage throughout the encounter from Draught of Deep Focus, or are willing to gamble on procs from Apex Predator's Craving. Otherwise, a standard build is ideal.

• The first Destructive Impact occurs roughly 55 seconds into the encounter, so cooldowns should be planned around this moment. They will happen every minute thereafter.
• Be aware of your partners position with Chain Link and avoid sprinting away from them (or charging the boss!) and breaking it.
• Convoke the Spirits is extremely powerful here during the Destructive Impact windows, so try to align it with these moments.
• Colossal Roar is the most dangerous unavoidable damage event in the fight, so is a good spot for Barkskin or, in emergencies Survival Instincts.

For more information, please refer to our Sludgefist guide.

We advise you to use the following talents against Stone Legion Generals.

• Level 15: Sabertooth
• Level 25: No specific recommendation
• Level 30: No specific recommendation
• Level 35: Heart of the Wild
• Level 40: Soul of the Forest
• Level 45: Brutal Slash
• Level 50: Bloodtalons

We advise you to use the following Legendary against Stone Legion Generals: Apex Predator's Craving.

While there are often adds up in the encounter, there are also significant periods of downtime or enemies being immune. Therefore having a build focused on one target while maintaining Bleeds on those for some additional cleave will work out best.

• Maintain Bleeds on the active General at all times here, and also make sure to apply them to any spawning Stone Legion Goliath.
• Try to pool some Combo Points (or have Tiger's Fury ready) for when the Goliaths reach low health so you can burn then down quickly to end Soultaint Effigy.
• Save Stampeding Roar and personal movement tools for the intermission to carry Anima to Renethal as quickly as possible.
• Use Barkskin liberally in the encounter, especially if you are hit by Wicked Blade and get stacks. Save Survival Instincts for Pulverizing Meteor soaks, or if you need to soak an Echoing Annihilation.

For more information, please refer to our Stone Legion Generals guide.

We advise you to use the following talents against Sire Denathrius.

• Level 15: Sabertooth
• Level 25: No specific recommendation
• Level 30: No specific recommendation
• Level 35: Heart of the Wild
• Level 40: Soul of the Forest
• Level 45: Brutal Slash (or Primal Wrath, situationally)
• Level 50: Bloodtalons

We advise you to use the following Legendary against Sire Denathrius: Apex Predator's Craving.

There are a lot of opportunities to cleave and AoE on this boss, however the primary focus is on single-target. This is especially true in the final phase burn when no additional enemies are active, so your build should be focused on that.

• Primal Wrath can be used to gain extra damage in Phase 1 and 2, but has no real use in the final phase so it is a personal choice.
• There are a lot of opportunities on this encounter where you may be forced out of range, and Balance Affinity combined with Heart of the Wild are great for covering this.
• Stampeding Roar can be used at many times throughout the encounter: Phase 1 can assist the raid to avoid Ravage, Phase 2 to dodge Crescendo and Command: Massacre, and Phase 3 to adjust for soaking seeds spawned by Fatal Finesse.
• Try to have Energy ready to apply Bleeds to the Cabalist spawns in the encounter to burn them down quickly.

For more information, please refer to our Sire Denathrius guide.