Feral Druid DPS Castle Nathria Raid Guide — Shadowlands 9.2.7

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.

During Shadowlands Season 4, Castle Nathria, Sanctum of Domination, and Sepulcher of the First Ones will each spend time being featured as a Fated Raid. During these times encounters within the 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.

Feral remains largely similar to the original choices made when Nathria first released, with some extra additions. It is heavily recommended to be playing Night Fae not only due to its strength for Feral as a spec, but the benefits of Convoke the Spirits in multiple Nathria fights.

Feral only has one real build that it focuses on no matter the situation, with some very small deviations if needed. In particular your Legendary choice is mostly Frenzyband, while Apex Predator's Craving has some niche benefits for fights that can make use of funnel.

Covenant: Night Fae

Legendaries: Celestial Spirits with either Frenzyband or Apex Predator's Craving

Soulbind: Niya (Link)

• Level 15: Sabertooth
• Level 30: Balance Affinity
• Level 40: Soul of the Forest
• Level 40: Brutal Slash ( Primal Wrath for AoE)
• Level 50: Bloodtalons

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: 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 Shriekwing.

1. Frenzyband
2. Unity

Purely single-target encounter, and cooldown timers make Frenzyband even stronger than usual due to the intermission timing not interfering with your Berserk.

• 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. This can also be paired with Heart of the Wild.
• 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.
• The first intermission happens at roughly 90 seconds in, so keep that in mind when planning your Berserk and Convoke the Spirits windows at the start.

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: 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 Huntsman Altimor.

1. Frenzyband
2. Unity

While there are extra targets active throught the encounter, are often moved in and out of range. Burst windows also further incentivize sticking to a single-target build with Frenzyband.

• Try to maintain Bleeds on both the boss and the active Gargon whenever it is brought into melee range.
• Try to make sure that you have Tiger's Fury, Berserk and Convoke the Spirits ready to burst down Shades of Bargast when they have high debuffs.
• Shapeshifting allows you to remove the slowing effect from Petrifying Howl, giving you more time to place it in a good place.
• If you are targeted by Sinseeker, use Barkskin. The damage is significant and the cooldown of Barkskin is low enough to let you use it without much worry.
• Soulshape and Tiger Dash / Wild Charge are useful to get to the ranged camps to soak Sinseeker if you are targeted.

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: Sabertooth
• Level 25: No specific recommendation
• Level 30: Restoration Affinity (or Balance Affinity, situationally)
• 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. Frenzyband
2. Unity

While there are a lot of adds throughout the fight, they are usually very shortlived so AoE and funnel do not really get a chance to shine here.

• Berserk has multiple uses here depending on whether you want to burst down adds via the 4-piece bonus, or burn down the Cloak of Flames in the intermission.
• Also aim to have Convoke the Spirits available for the Cloak of Flames cast to break the shield quickly.
• Primal Wrath should be taken to deal with the main phases due to Brutal Slash's low impact here.
• 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. If you stand out of range of enemies, Convoke the Spirits can be committed here as well.
• 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: Tiger Dash or Wild Charge
• 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. Frenzyband
2. Unity

Purely single-target encounter, but has some downtime that can allow for DoTs and burst to shine. Therefore, Frenzyband is the play here.

• 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 depending on your Affinity choice.
• Tiger Dash can be helpful to outrange some of the mechanics in each phase, and help with moving Seeds of Extinction if needed. Alternatively Wild Charge can be used to get back to the boss quickly when forced out, so both choices are good here.
• 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: Tiger Dash or Wild Charge
• Level 30: Balance Affinity (or Guardian Affinity, situationally)
• 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. Frenzyband
2. Unity

Purely single-target encounter with some downtime, so frontloaded damage that is less impacted by downtime works best here, suiting Frenzyband.

• 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. Heart of the Wild can be paired with this.
• Stampeding Roar can be used to get your group to the edge of the room to drop orbs when Expunge is cast.
• Both Expunge and Consume force you out of melee range, so watch for these timers so you do not waste a Berserk use.

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 Legendaries against Lady Inerva Darkvein.

1. Frenzyband
2. Unity

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 pool some charges of Brutal Slash and Combo Points to get a Rip up on Conjured Manifestation spawns.
• Adds spawn roughly 55 seconds into the fight and every minute thereafter (though timers can be variable), so Tiger's Fury and Convoke the Spirits casts should naturally hit this spot.
• Ideally if possible you should aim to have Berserk ready to leverage the 4-piece bonus when adds spawn.
• 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 or Primal Wrath
• Level 50: Bloodtalons

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

1. Apex Predator's Craving
2. Frenzyband
3. Unity

A deceptively single-target fight that has a lot of opportunity for funnel effects. Therefore, Apex Predator's Craving is good here to make use of Primal Wrath to generate procs, but Frenzyband is also an option due to the downtime present on the fight.

• 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.
• The exception to this is Primal Wrath casts to maintain Rips to generate Apex Predator's Craving procs if using it.
• Barkskin can mostly be used on cooldown in this encounter, due to the sheer amount of raidwide damage happening.
• Save Survival Instincts if targeted by Dark Recital and your partner is not quick to react, as this will likely kill you.
• Pooling some Combo Points for Dutiful Attendant spawns to burn them down quickly before they reach the boss.

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: Tiger Dash (or Renewal, situationally)
• Level 30: Balance Affinity or Guardian 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 Legendaries against Sludgefist.

1. Frenzyband
2. Unity

A heavily single-target focused boss with bursts of 10 seconds of damage amplification every minute. This heavily leans toward Frenzyband due to how condensed these periods are that line up well with Feral cooldowns.

• The first Destructive Impact occurs roughly 55 seconds into the encounter. Make sure whenever possible to line Berserk up with this (pre-casting before the charge or holding if necessary), Convoke the Spirits should naturally align.
• Be aware of your partners position with Chain Link and avoid sprinting away from them (or charging the boss!) and breaking it.
• Colossal Roar is the most dangerous unavoidable damage event in the fight, so is a good spot for Barkskin or, in emergencies Survival Instincts.
• Balance Affinity is extremely useful here due to it allowing you to keep more uptime during Destructive Stomp.

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 (or Primal Wrath, situationally)
• Level 50: Bloodtalons

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

1. Apex Predator's Craving
2. Frenzyband
3. Unity

While there are often adds up in the encounter, there are also significant periods of downtime or enemies being immune. There are some opportunities here to funnel with Apex Predator's Craving, but Frenzyband also provides extremely value burst to deal with certain parts of the encounter.

• Maintain Bleeds on the active General at all times here, and also make sure to apply them to any spawning Stone Legion Goliath.
• If playing Apex Predator's Craving try to maintain Rips on any active target via Primal Wrath to generate procs. Just be careful in the intermission to not overkill adds.
• 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
• Level 50: Bloodtalons

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

1. Frenzyband
2. Unity

There are a lot of opportunities to cleave and AoE on this boss, however the primary focus is on single-target. Burst is also very useful here at some points, so Frenzyband is the go-to.

• 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.
• Pre-casting Stampeding Roar can also be useful as Phase 1 ends and March of the Penitent begins, but you need to do it before you get silenced.
• Try to have Energy ready to apply Bleeds to the Cabalist spawns in the encounter to burn them down quickly.
• Also try to maintain Bleeds as much as possible on Remornia in Phase 2, as the health pool is shared.

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