Feral Druid DPS Ny'alotha Raid Guide — Battle for Azeroth (BfA) 8.3

Feral Druids are still a niche spec within Battle for Azeroth in 8.3, but does have room to contend. This is helped by some good gearing options and fight mechanics that do open up some of the strengths of the toolkit previous tiers have not tapped into.

In this section, you will find information and guidance for Feral Druids on each boss individually in Ny'alotha. These are not complete encounter guides, but rather provide specific tips for doing the bosses as a Feral Druid.

There are some small universal rules that are useful to bear in mind when looking at the below pages. These will not be elaborated on for each individual boss, but are important notes to bear in mind:

• Lethal Strikes is recommended assuming you either have Rank 3, or need the Corruption resistance. If you have access to Symbiotic Presence but not Breath 3, this can be substituted in cleave encounters for similar gains.

We advise you to use the following talents against Wrathion, the Black Emperor.

• Level 15: Sabertooth
• Level 30: Tiger Dash or Wild Charge
• Level 45: Balance Affinity (situational options: Guardian Affinity or Restoration Affinity)
• Level 60: No specific recommendation
• Level 75: Soul of the Forest
• Level 90: Brutal Slash (or Primal Wrath, situationally)
• Level 100: Bloodtalons

We advise you to use the following essences against Wrathion, the Black Emperor.

• Ideal
  • Major Slot
    • Worldvein Resonance — Rank 3: Worldvein Resonance + Lifeblood
  • Minor Slots
    • Breath of the Dying — Rank 3: Lethal Strikes
    • Memory of Lucid Dreams — Rank 3: Lucid Dreams
    • Conflict and Strife — Rank 3: Strife
• Alternatives
  • Major Slot
    • Blood of the Enemy — Rank 3: Blood of the Enemy + Blood-Soaked
  • Minor Slots
    • Blood of the Enemy — Rank 3: Blood-Soaked
    • The Formless Void — Rank 3: Symbiotic Presence
    • Worldvein Resonance — Rank 3: Lifeblood

Wrathion is a fight divided into a very static Phase 1, a very high movement intermission and an AoE heavy Phase 2 that cycles in this order. Feral has a lot of tools to deal with the movement portions, but can suffer from downtime with Bleed effects falling off. Make sure to plan around this downtime by refreshing as late as possible.

For more information, please refer to our Wrathion, the Black Emperor guide.

We advise you to use the following talents against Maut.

• Level 15: Sabertooth
• Level 30: Tiger Dash (or Wild Charge, situationally)
• Level 45: Guardian Affinity or Restoration Affinity (or Balance Affinity, situationally)
• Level 60: No specific recommendation
• Level 75: Soul of the Forest
• Level 90: Brutal Slash
• Level 100: Bloodtalons

We advise you to use the following essences against Maut.

• Ideal
  • Major Slot
    • Worldvein Resonance — Rank 3: Worldvein Resonance + Lifeblood
  • Minor Slots
    • Breath of the Dying — Rank 3: Lethal Strikes
    • Memory of Lucid Dreams — Rank 3: Lucid Dreams
    • Conflict and Strife — Rank 3: Strife
• Alternatives
  • Major Slot
    • Blood of the Enemy — Rank 3: Blood of the Enemy + Blood-Soaked
  • Minor Slots
    • Blood of the Enemy — Rank 3: Blood-Soaked
    • The Formless Void — Rank 3: Symbiotic Presence
    • Worldvein Resonance — Rank 3: Lifeblood

Maut is largely a single-target encounter for Melee players, so your build will be focused on dealing as much of that as possible. Survival is also important here due to the self-inflicted damage in Phase 2, so be careful especially when using Ferocious Bite to not put you in a dangerous position. Feral's self healing and options with both Guardian Affinity and Restoration Affinity for survival are also useful here to keep yourself comfortable.

For more information, please refer to our Maut guide.

We advise you to use the following talents against The Prophet Skitra.

• Level 15: Sabertooth
• Level 30: Tiger Dash or Wild Charge
• Level 45: Balance Affinity (or Guardian Affinity, situationally)
• Level 60: Mass Entanglement (or Typhoon, situationally)
• Level 75: Soul of the Forest
• Level 90: Brutal Slash
• Level 100: Bloodtalons

We advise you to use the following essences against The Prophet Skitra.

• Ideal
  • Major Slot
    • Worldvein Resonance — Rank 3: Worldvein Resonance + Lifeblood
  • Minor Slots
    • Breath of the Dying — Rank 3: Lethal Strikes
    • Memory of Lucid Dreams — Rank 3: Lucid Dreams
    • Conflict and Strife — Rank 3: Strife
• Alternatives
  • Major Slot
    • Blood of the Enemy — Rank 3: Blood of the Enemy + Blood-Soaked
  • Minor Slots
    • Blood of the Enemy — Rank 3: Blood-Soaked
    • The Formless Void — Rank 3: Symbiotic Presence
    • Worldvein Resonance — Rank 3: Lifeblood

Skitra has a massive arena that can force you to move large distances in intermissions, but is otherwise a simple static encounter. Feral has enough tools in its talent tree to be able to quickly adapt to spawn times and get bleeds active. Making sure you are aware of the transition every 20% and pool resources accordingly is important to make sure you get a good start on targets in intermissions.

For more information, please refer to our The Prophet Skitra guide.

We advise you to use the following talents against Dark Inquisitor Xanesh.

• Level 15: Sabertooth
• Level 30: Tiger Dash or Wild Charge
• Level 45: Balance Affinity or Guardian Affinity
• Level 60: No specific recommendation
• Level 75: Soul of the Forest
• Level 90: Brutal Slash
• Level 100: Bloodtalons

We advise you to use the following essences against Dark Inquisitor Xanesh.

• Ideal
  • Major Slot
    • Worldvein Resonance — Rank 3: Worldvein Resonance + Lifeblood
  • Minor Slots
    • Breath of the Dying — Rank 3: Lethal Strikes
    • Memory of Lucid Dreams — Rank 3: Lucid Dreams
    • Conflict and Strife — Rank 3: Strife
• Alternatives
  • Major Slot
    • Blood of the Enemy — Rank 3: Blood of the Enemy + Blood-Soaked
  • Minor Slots
    • Blood of the Enemy — Rank 3: Blood-Soaked
    • The Formless Void — Rank 3: Symbiotic Presence
    • Worldvein Resonance — Rank 3: Lifeblood

Xanesh has some very high movement requirements at specific points throughout the encounter. Feral's increased movement speed in Cat Form plus Dash / Tiger Dash or Wild Charge should give you enough catch up to stick to the boss. Due to the base move speed you are also a solid option to deal with the Void Ritual mechanic.

For more information, please refer to our Dark Inquisitor Xanesh guide.

We advise you to use the following talents against The Hivemind.

• Level 15: Predator (or Sabertooth, situationally)
• Level 30: Tiger Dash or Wild Charge
• Level 45: Balance Affinity or Guardian Affinity
• Level 60: Mighty Bash
• Level 75: Soul of the Forest
• Level 90: Primal Wrath (or Brutal Slash, situationally)
• Level 100: Bloodtalons (or Moment of Clarity, situationally)

We advise you to use the following essences against The Hivemind.

• Ideal
  • Major Slot
    • Blood of the Enemy — Rank 3: Blood of the Enemy + Blood-Soaked
  • Minor Slots
    • Breath of the Dying — Rank 3: Lethal Strikes
    • Memory of Lucid Dreams — Rank 3: Lucid Dreams
    • Conflict and Strife — Rank 3: Strife
• Alternatives
  • Major Slot
    • Essence of the Focusing Iris — Rank 3: Focused Azerite Beam + Focused Energy
  • Minor Slots
    • Purification Protocol — Rank 3: Purification Protocol
    • The Formless Void — Rank 3: Symbiotic Presence
    • Worldvein Resonance — Rank 3: Lifeblood

Hivemind is a boss that has fixed add spawns that need to be burst down. These are frequently staggered that leans perfectly into Predator resets, allowing you to apply Bleeds across all target spawns without much issue due to the extra range provided by Balance Affinity.

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

We advise you to use the following talents against Shad'har the Insatiable.

• Level 15: Sabertooth
• Level 30: Tiger Dash or Renewal
• Level 45: No specific recommendation
• Level 60: No specific recommendation
• Level 75: Soul of the Forest
• Level 90: Brutal Slash
• Level 100: Bloodtalons

We advise you to use the following essences against Shad'har the Insatiable.

• Ideal
  • Major Slot
    • Worldvein Resonance — Rank 3: Worldvein Resonance + Lifeblood
  • Minor Slots
    • Breath of the Dying — Rank 3: Lethal Strikes
    • Memory of Lucid Dreams — Rank 3: Lucid Dreams
    • Conflict and Strife — Rank 3: Strife
• Alternatives
  • Major Slot
    • Blood of the Enemy — Rank 3: Blood of the Enemy + Blood-Soaked
  • Minor Slots
    • Essence of the Focusing Iris — Rank 3: Focused Energy
    • The Formless Void — Rank 3: Symbiotic Presence
    • Worldvein Resonance — Rank 3: Lifeblood

Shad'har is entirely a single-target burn fight that has a predictable kill timer. Surviving through most of the damage as long as you avoid telegraphed attacks should be fine due to your movement tools, so focus on dealing the most effective damage to the boss while staying healthy.

For more information, please refer to our Shad'har the Insatiable guide.

We advise you to use the following talents against Drest'agath.

• Level 15: Sabertooth
• Level 30: Tiger Dash or Wild Charge
• Level 45: Balance Affinity or Guardian Affinity
• Level 60: No specific recommendation
• Level 75: Soul of the Forest
• Level 90: Brutal Slash
• Level 100: Bloodtalons

We advise you to use the following essences against Drest'agath.

• Ideal
  • Major Slot
    • Worldvein Resonance — Rank 3: Worldvein Resonance + Lifeblood
  • Minor Slots
    • Breath of the Dying — Rank 3: Lethal Strikes
    • Memory of Lucid Dreams — Rank 3: Lucid Dreams
    • Conflict and Strife — Rank 3: Strife
• Alternatives
  • Major Slot
    • Blood of the Enemy — Rank 3: Blood of the Enemy + Blood-Soaked
  • Minor Slots
    • The Formless Void — Rank 3: Symbiotic Presence
    • Purification Protocol — Rank 3: Purification Protocol
    • Vision of Perfection — Rank 3: Strive for Perfection

Drest'agath comes with a lot of downtime and very high movement checks due to the frequent target swaps. It also requires you to condense your damage into short bursts to line up with the Void Infused Ichor effect, meaning you should make sure to have some cooldowns ready after you intend to pick this up when tentacles die.

For more information, please refer to our Drest'agath guide.

We advise you to use the following talents against Vexiona.

• Level 15: Predator (or Sabertooth, situationally)
• Level 30: Tiger Dash or Wild Charge
• Level 45: Balance Affinity or Guardian Affinity (or Restoration Affinity, situationally)
• Level 60: No specific recommendation
• Level 75: Soul of the Forest
• Level 90: Primal Wrath (or Brutal Slash, situationally)
• Level 100: Bloodtalons

We advise you to use the following essences against Vexiona.

• Ideal
  • Major Slot
    • Blood of the Enemy — Rank 3: Blood of the Enemy + Blood-Soaked
  • Minor Slots
    • Breath of the Dying — Rank 3: Lethal Strikes
    • Memory of Lucid Dreams — Rank 3: Lucid Dreams
    • Conflict and Strife — Rank 3: Strife
• Alternatives
  • Major Slot
    • Essence of the Focusing Iris — Rank 3: Focused Azerite Beam + Focused Energy
  • Minor Slots
    • The Formless Void — Rank 3: Symbiotic Presence
    • Purification Protocol — Rank 3: Purification Protocol
    • Worldvein Resonance — Rank 3: Lifeblood

Vexiona requires you to temper your damage profiles between boss damage, priority targets and AoE. Feral can opt into good options that gain from the frequent target deaths, and deal strong AoE damage via Primal Wrath. Your movement also works very well for the intermission phases and dealing with Encroaching Shadows.

For more information, please refer to our Vexiona guide.

We advise you to use the following talents against Ra-den the Despoiled.

• Level 15: Sabertooth
• Level 30: Tiger Dash (or Wild Charge, situationally)
• Level 45: Guardian Affinity (or Balance Affinity, situationally)
• Level 60: No specific recommendation
• Level 75: Soul of the Forest
• Level 90: Brutal Slash
• Level 100: Bloodtalons

We advise you to use the following essences against Ra-den the Despoiled.

• Ideal
  • Major Slot
    • Worldvein Resonance — Rank 3: Worldvein Resonance + Lifeblood
  • Minor Slots
    • Breath of the Dying — Rank 3: Lethal Strikes
    • Conflict and Strife — Rank 3: Strife
    • Memory of Lucid Dreams — Rank 3: Lucid Dreams
• Alternatives
  • Major Slot
    • Blood of the Enemy — Rank 3: Blood of the Enemy + Blood-Soaked
  • Minor Slots
    • The Formless Void — Rank 3: Symbiotic Presence
    • Blood of the Enemy — Rank 3: Blood-Soaked
    • Essence of the Focusing Iris — Rank 3: Focused Energy

Ra-den has a large amount of focus on high burst phases, especially in Phase 2. Feral provides a solid toolkit for splitting damage between the boss and adds, while being mobile enough to contribute to extra targets as they spawn.

For more information, please refer to our Ra-den the Despoiled guide.

We advise you to use the following talents against Il'gynoth, Corruption Reborn.

• Level 15: Sabertooth
• Level 30: Tiger Dash or Wild Charge
• Level 45: Balance Affinity
• Level 60: Mighty Bash (or Typhoon, situationally)
• Level 75: Soul of the Forest
• Level 90: Brutal Slash
• Level 100: Bloodtalons

We advise you to use the following essences against Il'gynoth, Corruption Reborn.

• default
  • Major Slot
    • Worldvein Resonance — Rank 3: Worldvein Resonance + Lifeblood
  • Minor Slots
    • Breath of the Dying — Rank 3: Lethal Strikes
    • Conflict and Strife — Rank 3: Strife
    • Memory of Lucid Dreams — Rank 3: Lucid Dreams
• Alternatives
  • Major Slot
    • Blood of the Enemy — Rank 3: Blood of the Enemy + Blood-Soaked
  • Minor Slots
    • The Formless Void — Rank 3: Symbiotic Presence
    • Blood of the Enemy — Rank 3: Blood-Soaked
    • Purification Protocol — Rank 3: Purification Protocol

Il'gynoth is the most complex end wing boss when it comes to how you approach your damage profile. There is a lot you can do to tweak your delivery, and sometimes it comes down to the pace your group is dealing with each phase as to what works best. Making sure to plan your uses of Tiger's Fury and Berserk between each intermission, and making sure you have movement tools available to transition quickly is vital. Time spent without Bleeds active will be punishing.

For more information, please refer to our Il'gynoth, Corruption Reborn guide.

We advise you to use the following talents against Carapace of N'Zoth.

• Level 15: Predator (or Sabertooth, situationally)
• Level 30: Tiger Dash or Wild Charge
• Level 45: Balance Affinity (or Guardian Affinity, situationally)
• Level 60: Typhoon
• Level 75: Soul of the Forest
• Level 90: Primal Wrath (or Brutal Slash, situationally)
• Level 100: Bloodtalons

We advise you to use the following essences against Carapace of N'Zoth.

• Ideal
  • Major Slot
    • Blood of the Enemy — Rank 3: Blood of the Enemy + Blood-Soaked
  • Minor Slots
    • Breath of the Dying — Rank 3: Lethal Strikes
    • Memory of Lucid Dreams — Rank 3: Lucid Dreams
    • Purification Protocol — Rank 3: Purification Protocol
• Alternatives
  • Major Slot
    • Essence of the Focusing Iris — Rank 3: Focused Azerite Beam + Focused Energy
  • Minor Slots
    • Conflict and Strife — Rank 3: Strife
    • The Formless Void — Rank 3: Symbiotic Presence
    • Blood of the Enemy — Rank 3: Blood-Soaked

Carapace of N'zoth has a lot of room to focus on either add damage or boss damage depending on the phase you are struggling with. Due to how frequently enemies will be dying, Predator plays perfectly. Due to the overwhelmingly high importance of dealing with low health targets, making sure you focus on being more versatile throughout the encounter makes or breaks Feral here. For this reason, Primal Wrath is a strong front runner, alongside pooling to unload on add spawns.

For more information, please refer to our Carapace of N'Zoth guide.

We advise you to use the following talents against N'Zoth the Corruptor.

• Level 15: Predator or Sabertooth
• Level 30: Tiger Dash or Wild Charge
• Level 45: Balance Affinity or Guardian Affinity
• Level 60: No specific recommendation
• Level 75: Soul of the Forest
• Level 90: Brutal Slash or Primal Wrath
• Level 100: Bloodtalons

We advise you to use the following essences against N'Zoth the Corruptor.

• Ideal
  • Major Slot
    • Blood of the Enemy — Rank 3: Blood of the Enemy + Blood-Soaked
  • Minor Slots
    • Breath of the Dying — Rank 3: Lethal Strikes
    • Memory of Lucid Dreams — Rank 3: Lucid Dreams
    • Conflict and Strife — Rank 3: Strife
• Alternatives
  • Major Slot
    • Worldvein Resonance — Rank 3: Worldvein Resonance + Lifeblood
  • Minor Slots
    • Purification Protocol — Rank 3: Purification Protocol
    • The Formless Void — Rank 3: Symbiotic Presence
    • Blood of the Enemy — Rank 3: Blood-Soaked

Feral's cooldowns naturally line up quite well between each Mindgate phase, and are flexible enough to let you contribute well to Tentacle spawns. Making sure that you keep the cycle of using Blood of the Enemy and Tiger's Fury is however very important, as any delay will offset everything thereafter. Balance Affinity is extremely useful here, as is the high Feral movement allowing you to adjust around the large arena, especially during Paranoia, and positioning Evoke Anguish.

For more information, please refer to our N'Zoth the Corruptor guide.