Zek'voz, Herald of N'Zoth Strategy/Tactics for Normal/Heroic

Table of Contents

• +Introduction
  • 1. Contents
  • 2. Lore
  • 3. Outline
  • 4. TL;DR
    • 4.1. Tanks
    • 4.2. Healers
    • 4.3. DPS
    • 4.4. Everyone
    • 4.5. Positioning
  • 5. Bloodlust/Heroism/Time Warp
  • 6. Class-specific Advice for Zek'voz, Herald of N'Zoth
  • 7. Changelog
• +Abilities
  • 1. Overview
  • 2. Base Abilities
    • 2.1. Titan Spark
    • 2.2. Surging Darkness
    • 2.3. Might of the Void
      • 2.3.1. Void Lash
    • 2.4. Shatter
  • 3. Phase One: Chaos
    • 3.1. Eye Beam
    • 3.2. Silithid Warrior
  • 4. Phase Two: Deception
    • 4.1. Roiling Deceit
      • 4.1.1. Ominous Cloud
    • 4.2. Nerubian Voidweaver
  • 5. Phase Three: Corruption
    • 5.1. Overload
    • 5.2. Orb of Corruption
      • 5.2.1. Will of the Corruptor
      • 5.2.2. Void Wail
• ×Normal/Heroic Strategy/Tactics
  • 1. Positioning and Strategy
    • 1.1. Phase One
    • 1.2. Phase Two
    • 1.3. Phase Three
  • 2. Tank Concerns
  • 3. Healing Concerns
  • 4. Bloodlust/Heroism/Time Warp
• +Mythic Strategy
  • 1. Mythic Mode Abilities
    • 1.1. Ability Changes
      • 1.1.1. Titan Discs
      • 1.1.2. Surging Darkness
      • 1.1.3. Eye Beam
  • 2. Strategy
  • 3. Bloodlust/Heroism/Time Warp
  • 4. Changelog

General Information

On this page, you will find a working strategy to defeat Zek'voz, Herald of N'Zoth in Uldir for both Normal and Heroic modes, which usually only differ by the tuning of the boss.

Here, we assume that you have read our descriptions of the abilities for this encounter.

The other pages of our Zek'voz, Herald of N'Zoth guide can be accessed from the table of contents on the right.

Tank Zek'voz where he stands, and spread the raid loosely behind him, so that the Silithid Warriors do not run all over the place. When they do spawn, have your raid crowd control them to make them easier to kill. Gorefiend's Grasp is excellent to group them up, followed up by a Capacitor Totem or Leg Sweep, or a Ring of Peace on the group if they get too close.

Make sure that you are aware of when Eye Beam is coming, and are ready to move so it does not chain onto other players. This mechanic can be incredibly unforgiving, because you might not just kill whoever was too close to you, but anyone who was too close to them, and so on and so forth.

Eye Beam can also be especially dangerous during Surging Darkness casts, as space in he room will be limited.

When Zek'voz reaches 65% Health he will transition into phase two, and will no longer cast Eye Beam or summon Silithid Warriors. Instead, he will periodically summon Nerubian Voidweavers and cast Roiling Deceit on players.

When Voidweavers spawn, the boss should be tanked on each one as they are cleaved down, and the raid should be focused on interrupting them with kicks, stuns, and anything else to prevent a cast from getting off. Tanks need to be aware of when Zek'voz is going to cast Might of the Void so they do not accidentally hit the raid with Void Lash. By that same token, DPS and healers, need to be aware of when the boss is going to be moved, and plan accordingly.

Players afflicted with Roiling Deceit need to run to the edges of the room to drop their Ominous Clouds away from the raid. These clouds slowly drift around, so it is important to just get them as far away as possible to ensure no one steps in it and spawns a Guardian of Yogg-Saron. Note that at certain points, Roiling Deceit will go out during a Surging Darkness, making it very difficult to drop the clouds in a good spot.

At 30%, Zek'voz will transition into his last phase, no longer summoning Nerubian Voidweavers, or casting Roiling Deceit. Instead, Titan Spark will happen more frequently and Orb of Corruptions will be spawned. Assign DPS who can dish out the most damage possible in 30 seconds to soak the orbs. Keep in mind that these Orbs will still need to be intercepted during Surging Darkness, so it is wise to save classes with immunities to soak the orb should it land in an unsafe zone. When their Corruptor's Pact expires, the soakers will be mind controlled and must be damaged until they either break free (on Normal difficulty) or are killed (on Heroic difficulty). On Heroic, make sure no one is near them when they die, as they will deal AoE damage and fear anyone within 8 yards.

Because the taunt swap on this fight involves a combo that deals AoE damage, movement can be tricky. Be sure to be aware of when Might of the Void is coming, so you can plan any movement that might be needed. It should be noted that Might of the Void will happen during Surging Darkness, so be very aware of your raid's position.

Equally, during Might of the Void, since the first Void Lash reduces healing taken, it is important to do whatever you can to lessen the blow of Shatter in preparation for the second Void Lash.

Healers need to be mindful of how Titan Spark is hitting the raid. It is possible for a single person to be targeted by every single tick of the spark, so it is very important to make sure that no one is lingering at low Health.

During Surging Darkness, it is a good idea to use cooldowns, not necessarily because the damage is particularly threatening, but more for the Mana efficiency.

Be aware of where players with Roiling Deceit are running, as they will likely be out of range while dropping off their debuff. The damage it deals is reasonably large, so if they are not topped off before they need to duck out of range, then the chances of them dying rises dramatically.

On the topic of keeping people topped off, it is a wise idea to track Might of the Void, so that you can make sure your Tank is healthy going into the combo.

We advise you to use Bloodlust/ Heroism/ Time Warp in the final phase to help with healing from the increased number of Titan Spark casts (due to Overload), as well as to synergize with Corruptor's Pact buff that will be spreading through the raid.