Northrend Beasts

Beasts of Northrend
Race(s)	Magnataur, Jormungar, Yeti
Level	?? Boss
Location	Trial of the Crusader, Crusaders' Coliseum
Status	Defeatable
Trial of the Crusader Northrend Beasts Lord Jaraxxus Faction Champions Val'kyr Twins Anub'arak (lore) (lore) (lore) (lore) (lore) Other Crusaders' Coliseum instances Trial of the Champion (5) Trial of the Grand Crusader (10/25)

Beasts of Northrend is the collective term used by Blizzard for the first three boss encounters of the Trial of the Crusader, added in patch 3.2. These bosses individually are Gormok the Impaler (a magnataur), Acidmaw and Dreadscale (a pair of jormungar) and Icehowl (a yeti).

10-player abilities

Phase 1: Gormok

•  Staggering Stomp 50000 yd range — Deals a staggering stomp that inflicts 7800 to 8200 (Heroic: 9263 to 9737) Physical damage to all enemies within 15 yards and interrupts spellcasting for 8 seconds. 0.5 second cast
•  Impale 10 yd range — Inflicts 100% (Heroic: 150%) of weapon damage to an enemy and causes it to bleed for 1400 to 1800 (Heroic: 2625 to 3375) damage per application every 2 seconds for 30 seconds. Cast every 10 seconds. Instant
• Snobold Vassals leap from Gormok's back, one for every 20% of Gormok's health loss (4 Snobolds total), and attack players. On 10 man, they have 134,000 health; only 4 of them spawn during the encounter. The player under attack receives the debuff Snobolled!. While they are not very dangerous on melees, they are able to lock down a caster from ever casting any spell. They have three abilities:
  • Fire Bomb: Inflicts 4813 to 6187 Fire damage to all enemies within 8 yards of the target.
  • Head Crack: Stuns an enemy for 2 sec. 30 seconds cooldown.
  • Batter: Strikes an enemy for 75% of normal melee damage, interrupting spellcasting for 5 sec.

Phase 2: Acidmaw and Dreadscale

Acidmaw abilities

•  Paralytic Bite Melee range — Inflicts 7863 to 9137 (Heroic: 12950 to 15050) Nature damage on an enemy and injects them with a paralytic toxin. Used on Acidmaw's tank while mobile. Instant
•  Acidic Spew 100 yd range — Deals 2775 to 3225 (Heroic: 3700 to 4300) Nature damage per 0.25 sec for 2.5 sec to enemies in front of the caster. Used while mobile. 1 sec cast
•  Slime Pool 0 yd range — Inflicts 5088 to 5912 Nature damage to enemy targets within the Poison Cloud. This is spawned underneath Acidmaw periodically while mobile and lasts 30 (Heroic: 45) sec. Instant
•  Paralytic Spray 100 yd range — Sprays acid at an enemy and nearby targets, dealing 6938 to 8062 (Heroic: 8325 to 9675) Nature damage and applying a debilitating paralytic toxin. Only used while rooted. 1.1 sec cast
•  Acid Spit 100 yd range — Deals 5088 to 5912 (Heroic: 6938 to 8062) Nature damage to an enemy. Only used while rooted. 1.1 sec cast
•  Sweep 15 yd range — Inflicts 6938 to 8062 (Heroic: 8325 to 9675) Physical damage to enemies within 15 yards and knocks them back. Only used while rooted. 1.5 sec cast

Dreadscale abilities

•  Burning Bite Melee range — Inflicts 7863 to 9137 (Heroic: 12950 to 15050) Fire damage to an enemy and coats them with burning bile. Used on Dreadscale's tank while mobile. Instant
•  Molten Spew 100 yd range — Deals 2775 to 3225 (Heroic: 3700 to 4300) Fire damage per 0.25 sec for 2.5 sec to enemies in front of the caster. Used while mobile. 1 sec cast
•  Slime Pool 0 yd range — Inflicts 5088 to 5912 Nature damage to enemy targets within the Poison Cloud. This is spawned underneath Dreadscale periodically while mobile and lasts 30 (Heroic: 45) sec. Instant
•  Burning Spray 100 yd range — Sprays fluid at an enemy and nearby targets, dealing 6938 to 8062 (Heroic: 8325 to 9675) Fire damage and coating them with burning bile. Only used while rooted. 1.1 sec cast
•  Fire Spit 100 yd range — Deals 5088 to 5912 (Heroic: 6938 to 8062) Fire damage to an enemy. Only used while rooted. 1.1 sec cast
•  Sweep 15 yd range — Inflicts 6938 to 8062 (Heroic: 8325 to 9675) Physical damage to enemies within 15 yards and knocks them back. Only used while rooted. 1.5 sec cast

Phase 3: Icehowl

•  Arctic Breath 100 yd range — An icy breath that freezes targets in a cone in front of the caster, inflicting 15000 (Heroic: 20000) Frost damage over 5 sec. Channeled
•  Ferocious Butt 8 yd range — Delivers a ferocious headbutt to an enemy, inflicting 41625 to 48375 (Heroic: 55500 to 64500) Physical damage and stunning for 3 sec. Instant
•  Massive Crash 50000 yd range — Leaps into the air and crashes down with massive force, dealing 7400 to 8600 (Heroic: 10175 to 11825) Physical damage to all enemies, stunning them, and knocking them back. 1 sec cast
•  Whirl 15 yd range — Whirls around, dealing 6938 to 8062 (Heroic: 9250 to 10750) Physical damage to all nearby enemies and knocking them back. 1 sec cast
•  Frothing Rage 0 yd range — Increases Physical damage and attack speed by 50%. 15 sec duration

25-player abilities

• Berserker Enrage Each of the beasts enrages 15 minutes after it entered the arena, increasing all damage done by 500%, and becoming immune to taunt.

Phase 1: Gormok the Impaler

•  Staggering Stomp 50000 yd range — Deals a staggering stomp that inflicts 7800 to 8200 (Heroic: 11700 to 12300) Physical damage to all enemies within 15 yards and interrupts spellcasting for 8 seconds. 0.5 second cast
•  Impale 10 yd range — Inflicts 100% (Heroic: 150%) of weapon damage to an enemy and causes it to bleed for 2188 to 2812 (Heroic: 3938 to 5062) damage per application every 2 seconds for 40 (Heroic: 45) seconds. Cast every 10 seconds. Instant
• Snobold Vassals appear every few seconds, and attack players. On 25 man, they have 539,000 health; only 4 of them spawn during the encounter. The player under attack receives the debuff Snobolled!. While they are not very dangerous on melees, they are able to lock down a caster from ever casting any spell. They have three abilities:
  • Fire Bomb: Inflicts 4813 to 6187 Fire damage to all enemies within 8 yards of the target.
  • Head Crack: Stuns an enemy for 2 sec. 30 seconds cooldown.
  • Batter: Strikes an enemy for 75% of normal melee damage, interrupting spellcasting for 5 sec.

Phase 2: Acidmaw and Dreadscale

Acidmaw abilities

•  Paralytic Bite Melee range — Inflicts 11100 to 12900 (Heroic: 18500 to 21500) Nature damage on an enemy and injects them with a paralytic toxin. Used on Acidmaw's tank while mobile. Instant
•  Acidic Spew 100 yd range — Deals 2775 to 3225 (Heroic: 4625 to 5675) Nature damage per 0.25 sec for 2.5 sec to enemies in front of the caster. Used while mobile. 1 sec cast
•  Slime Pool 0 yd range — Inflicts 5088 to 5912 Nature damage to enemy targets within the Poison Cloud. This is spawned underneath Acidmaw periodically while mobile and lasts 30 (Heroic: 60) sec. Instant
•  Paralytic Spray 100 yd range — Sprays acid at an enemy and nearby targets, dealing 6938 to 8062 (Heroic: 12950 to 15050) Nature damage and applying a debilitating paralytic toxin. Only used while rooted. 1.1 sec cast
•  Acid Spit 100 yd range — Deals 6475 to 7525 (Heroic: 10175 to 11825) Nature damage to an enemy. Only used while rooted. 1.1 sec cast
•  Sweep 15 yd range — Inflicts 6938 to 8062 (Heroic: 10175 to 11825) Physical damage to enemies within 15 yards and knocks them back. Only used while rooted. 1.5 sec cast

Dreadscale abilities

•  Burning Bite Melee range — Inflicts 12950 to 15050 (Heroic: 18500 to 21500) Fire damage to an enemy and coats them with burning bile. Used on Dreadscale's tank while mobile. Instant
•  Molten Spew 100 yd range — Deals 3700 to 4300 (Heroic: 4625 to 5375) Fire damage per 0.25 sec for 2.5 sec to enemies in front of the caster. Used while mobile. 1 sec cast
•  Slime Pool 0 yd range — Inflicts 5088 to 5912 Nature damage to enemy targets within the Poison Cloud. This is spawned underneath Dreadscale periodically while mobile and lasts 30 (Heroic: 60) sec. Instant
•  Burning Spray 100 yd range — Sprays fluid at an enemy and nearby targets, dealing 6938 to 8062 (Heroic: 12950 to 15050) Fire damage and coating them with burning bile. Only used while rooted. 1.1 sec cast
•  Fire Spit 100 yd range — Deals 6475 to 7525 (Heroic: 10175 to 11825) Fire damage to an enemy. Only used while rooted. 1.1 sec cast
•  Sweep 15 yd range — Inflicts 6938 to 8062 (Heroic: 10175 to 11825) Physical damage to enemies within 15 yards and knocks them back. Only used while rooted. 1.5 sec cast

Phase 3: Icehowl

•  Arctic Breath 100 yd range — An icy breath that freezes targets in a cone in front of the caster, inflicting 20000 (Heroic: 30000) Frost damage over 5 sec. Channeled
•  Ferocious Butt 8 yd range — Delivers a ferocious headbutt to an enemy, inflicting 69375 to 80625 (Heroic: 83250 to 96750) Physical damage and stunning for 3 sec. Instant
•  Massive Crash 50000 yd range — Leaps into the air and crashes down with massive force, dealing 10175 to 11825 (Heroic: 16188 to 18812) Physical damage to all enemies, stunning them, and knocking them back. 1 sec cast
•  Whirl 15 yd range — Whirls around, dealing 9250 to 10750 (Heroic: 12950 to 15050) Physical damage to all nearby enemies and knocking them back. 1 sec cast
•  Frothing Rage 0 yd range — Increases Physical damage and attack speed by 50%. 15 sec duration

Strategy: Normal mode

The Northrend Beasts is a three phase boss fight. First comes Gormok the Impaler, then Acidmaw and Dreadscale at the same time, and finally Icehowl.

Phase 1: Gormok

Phase 1 is Tank and spank with a few refinements:

• The two tanks taunt off each other to keep the damage-over-time Impale from stacking too high
• DPS kill snobold adds that attach themselves to random players
• Ranged and healers spread out to stay out of fire patches and outrange the 15-yard Staggering Stomp interrupt

Tanks taunt the boss off each other when their Impale debuff has expired. With two tanks, this normally results in a taunt at 3 stacks, three tanks can keep themselves at 2 stacks. It's possible to heal through 8 stacks or more, but a high Impale stack makes the start of Phase 2 very difficult.

Don't stand in the fire! All ranged classes must avoid the fire patches. They are rather short range AoE, but deal substantial damage. They randomly spawn on players, and rather quickly too. This means that while moving away from one's own fire, it's possible to enter somebody else's. To avoid this, ranged should spread out in a semi-circle, and move outward when they get fire. A priest's [Levitate] buff prevents the fire pool from spawning on ranged/healers.

Kill snobolds! Gormok throws Snobold Vassals onto random players (even on tanks). Snobolds don't deal a lot of damage, but they regularly interrupt and/or stun their targets, which is particularly dangerous on healers. Ranged (if not all DPS) should kill Snobolds quick, relieving healers first. A common mistake that players new to the instance make is not killing snobolds under the assumption that a tank is supposed to pull it off of them and tank it.

Gormok's damage can be greatly reduced by disarming him in normal mode.

Phase 2: Acidmaw and Dreadscale

The key mechanic in this phase is interaction between Burning Bile and Paralytic Toxin.

• Acidmaw applies Paralytic Toxin; Dreadscale applies Burning Bile.
• Players with Paralytic Toxin can get it removed by running close to a player with Burning Bile and taking a tick of fire damage.
• Burning Bile falls off naturally and cannot be removed.
• One worm is mobile and the other stationary. Regularly they burrow themselves and switch state after resurfacing.

Both worms can be tanked normally. They apply their special attack depending on their state, that is the mobile worm applies it only to its tank, while the stationary worm puts it on a random group of players (AoE). The mobile worm also spawns poison circles around itself (similar to Grobbulus), thus must be moved.

Initially, Dreadscale is mobile and Acidmaw stationary. This means that random raid members get Paralytic Toxin, and they must run towards the Dreadscale tank to get rid of it. After the first burrow, only the Acidmaw tank gets Toxin, but he must get close to the random raid member who has Burning Bile. Usually it's better if one of the players affected by Burning Bile runs to the Acidmaw tank, not vice versa.

Positioning is important. No players except the tank should ever stand in front of one of the worms. The distance between players should be as large as possible, so that fewer raid members get Paralytic Toxin at once (it's an AoE centered on one player with 10 yard radius). At the same time, players can't be more than half the room away from the Dreadscale tank, else the toxin freezes them before they reach the tank.

Normally, Acidmaw is killed first, to get rid of Paralytic Toxin, even though after one worm dies, the other enrages for at least 50% extra damage (10 and 25 player normal).

Hunters should mark both snakes when they burrow so they are easily followed underground.

Phase 3: Icehowl

Aside from Icehowl's melee range knockback and periodic tank stun, the main mechanic of this phase is the Massive Crash and Ferocious Butt charge:

• Massive Crash: Icehowl knocks the entire raid back to the walls, stunning everybody.
• Icehowl moves to the center of the room and picks a random target which he's going to charge. He turns in that raid member's direction.
• After a short pause, Icehowl takes a few steps back. At the instant he starts moving backward, everybody gets a speed buff and can move again.
• Ferocious Butt:After two seconds, he charges the spot where his target was originally standing.
• If he touches any player (not necessarily the original target) while moving to the chosen spot - they die instantly and he enrages. (This is dispellable with [Tranquilizing Shot] or  [Anesthetic Poison]).
• If he hits nobody, he crashes into the wall. He is stunned and takes increased damage for about 5 seconds.

Avoiding the charge is critical. Other than that, healers need only watch out for the Arctic Breath freezing cone attack, which can be broken altogether if the main target breaks the stun using [Blink], a PvP trinket, or immunities like [Divine Shield].

Strategy: Heroic mode

Like normal mode, this is a three-phase encounter. However, the three phases are now on a timer and do not wait for the raid to kill the previous phase's boss. These timers are quite tightly tuned (2-3 min each). This makes the fight a major DPS race and you may have bosses overlap for a short time. It helps to have enough tanks to handle two phases simultaneously, at least for a brief period.

Phase 1: Gormok the Impaler

The principles of the fight remain the same, but all his abilities hit harder. The tanks take more damage, and Impale ticks for much higher amounts. Tanks should limit themselves to 3 stacks in 10 player, and 2 stacks in 25.

The Fire Bombs thrown at the ranged now stack a 20-second DoT, 2-3 stacks of which will prove fatal. Ranged must react much faster to fires.

In normal mode, Snobold Vassals are only really dangerous when hindering a healer. In heroic mode, they are a significant hazard when they hit a damage dealer because they cut down on the victim's DPS in a very tightly tuned encounter. All DPS in the raid should prioritize snobolds and burn them down as fast as possible. Ranged players with a snobold on them must immediately run to the melee. This positioning has two main benefits: melee can help kill the snobold, and it guarantees the player is within range for everyone.

Gormok throws a total of four snobolds. After the fourth, Fire Bombs stop too. At this time, everyone should blow their pots and cooldowns to kill him quickly, because Phase Two is about to begin. Gormok should be at 10% or less when the NPC announces the arrival of Acidmaw and Dreadscale: "Steel yourselves, heroes, for the twin terrors Acidmaw and Dreadscale. Enter the arena!"

Phase 2: Acidmaw and Dreadscale

There are no changes to the mechanics of Acidmaw and Dreadscale. As at least one tank is still affected by an Impale stack, it is useful to have Acidmaw picked up by a ranged tank such as a warlock or a hunter. It's also a good idea to blow [Heroism]/ [Bloodlust] right at the start to get Acidmaw down as fast as possible.

Positioning is even more important in Heroic mode. The whole raid must be spread at least 10 yards from each other to avoid having more than one person hit by Acidmaw's Paralytic Toxin - the raid can't afford to have 3 or 4 people stop DPS and run across the room to remove it. Alternatively, two tanks can take turns on Dreadscale. As soon as the first one gets Burning Bile, the second one taunts so that Tank 1 is free to run around and clear toxin from affected players.

Once Acidmaw dies, Dreadscale enrages. It's a good idea to save some cooldowns for this part of the fight. If Dreadscale burrows just as Acidmaw goes down, he does not enrage. Dreadscale should be at most at 20% when Icehowl enters.

Phase 3: Icehowl

Again, positioning is more important than in normal. Initially, Icehowl should stand in the center of the room, ranged spread evenly in a circle. (If there are any poison clouds left from Phase Two, everyone must make sure not have their back towards them, so they don't end up knocked back into one during a Whirl or Massive Crash.) Among other benefits, spreading out reduces the number of players affected by Arctic Breath. It helps a lot to have a Retribution Paldin with 2/2 [Divine Purpose] who uses the following macro:

/assist Icehowl

/cast Hand of Freedom

This breaks Arctic Breath on the initial target, and thus everyone else affected is freed too. Next, healers must quickly top everyone off before Massive Crash, as it now hits for around 18k HP and can easily kill players who are not at maximum health.

When the stun breaks, players no longer receive a speed buff to avoid Icehowl's charge. Moving sideways (strafing) is a very good method to avoid it, but keep an eye out for nearby columns. Speed enchants (Tuskarr's Vitality) or abilities like Pursuit of Justice, [Feral Swiftness] etc. can help too. The enrage after Icehowl hits a player can be removed as in normal mode, so a hit in and of itself won't cause a wipe. However, the loss of DPS due to missing a stun phase can cause you to wipe to the enrage timer.

When the enrage timer expires, the next Massive Crash one-shots everyone affected by it. However, it can be survived by [Ice Block] or Paladin Bubble. If Icehowl is nearly dead, mages and paladins should Ice Block or Bubble through the initial crash, get out of his way if targeted by a charge, and try to nuke him down before the stun wears off.

Quotes

Starting the event:

Highlord Tirion Fordring yells: Hailing from the deepest, darkest carverns of the storm peaks, Gormok the Impaler! Battle on, heroes!

On killing Gormok:

Highlord Tirion Fordring yells: Steel yourselves, heroes, for the twin terrors Acidmaw and Dreadscale. Enter the arena!

On killing Acidmaw and Dreadscale:

Highlord Tirion Fordring yells: The air freezes with the introduction of our next combatant, Icehowl! Kill or be killed, champions!

Loot

As with the other bosses in the instances, there are separate versions of each item for Alliance raids and for Horde raids.

10-man

Alliance	Horde	Description	Alliance Heroic	Horde Heroic
[Rod of Imprisoned Souls]	[Scepter of Imprisoned Souls]	Wand	Rod of Imprisoned Souls (heroic)	Scepter of Imprisoned Souls (heroic)
[Gauntlets of Rising Anger]	[Gauntlets of Mounting Anger]	Plate gloves	Gauntlets of Rising Anger (heroic)	Gauntlets of Mounting Anger (heroic)
[Girdle of the Impaler]	[Belt of the Impaler]	Plate belt	Girdle of the Impaler (heroic)	Belt of the Impaler (heroic)
[Belt of the Frozen Reach]	[Girdle of the Frozen Reach]	Plate belt	Belt of the Frozen Reach (heroic)	Girdle of the Frozen Reach (heroic)
[Dreadscale Armguards]	[Dreadscale Bracers]	Plate bracers	Dreadscale Armguards (heroic)	Dreadscale Bracers (heroic)
[Armbands of the Northern Stalker]	[Bracers of the Northern Stalker]	Mail bracers	Armbands of the Northern Stalker (heroic)	Bracers of the Northern Stalker (heroic)
[Shoulderguards of the Spirit Walker]	[Pauldrons of the Spirit Walker]	Mail shoulders	Shoulderguards of the Spirit Walker (heroic)	Pauldrons of the Spirit Walker (heroic)
[Acidmaw Boots]	[Acidmaw Treads]	Leather boots	Acidmaw Boots (heroic)	Acidmaw Treads (heroic)
[Shoulderpads of the Glacial Wilds]	[Pauldrons of the Glacial Wilds]	Leather shoulders	Shoulderpads of the Glacial Wilds (heroic)	Pauldrons of the Glacial Wilds (heroic)
[Icehowl Cinch]	[Icehowl Binding]	Cloth belt	Icehowl Cinch (heroic)	Icehowl Binding (heroic)
[Carnivorous Band]	[Gormok's Band]	Ring	Carnivorous Band (heroic)	Gormok's Band (heroic)
[Collar of Ceaseless Torment]	[Collar of Unending Torment]	Necklace	Collar of Ceaseless Torment (heroic)	Collar of Unending Torment (heroic)
[Emblem of Triumph]	[Emblem of Triumph]		[Emblem of Triumph]	[Emblem of Triumph]

25-man

Alliance	Horde	Description	Alliance Heroic	Horde Heroic
[Steel Bladebreaker]	[Stygian Bladebreaker]	Dagger	Steel Bladebreaker (heroic)	Stygian Bladebreaker (heroic)
[Blade of Tarasque]	[Barb of Tarasque]	Dagger	Blade of Tarasque (heroic)	Barb of Tarasque (heroic)
[Crystal Plated Vanguard]	[Forlorn Barrier]	Shield	Crystal Plated Vanguard (heroic)	Forlorn Barrier (heroic)
[Boneshatter Armplates]	[Boneshatter Vambraces]	Plate bracers	Boneshatter Armplates (heroic)	Boneshatter Vambraces (heroic)
[Boots of the Courageous]	[Sabatons of the Courageous]	Plate boots	Boots of the Courageous (heroic)	Sabatons of the Courageous (heroic)
[Chestplate of the Towering Monstrosity]	[Hauberk of the Towering Monstrosity]	Plate chest	Chestplate of the Towering Monstrosity (heroic)	Hauberk of the Towering Monstrosity (heroic)
[Breastplate of Cruel Intent]	[Cuirass of Cruel Intent]	Mail chest	Breastplate of Cruel Intent (heroic)	Cuirass of Cruel Intent (heroic)
[Belt of the Ice Burrower]	[Binding of the Ice Burrower]	Mail belt	Belt of the Ice Burrower (heroic)	Binding of the Ice Burrower (heroic)
[Leggings of the Broken Beast]	[Legwraps of the Broken Beast]	Leather legs	Leggings of the Broken Beast (heroic)	Legwraps of the Broken Beast (heroic)
[Boots of the Unrelenting Storm]	[Boots of the Harsh Winter]	Leather boots	Boots of the Unrelenting Storm (heroic)	Boots of the Harsh Winter (heroic)
[Flowing Vestments of Ascent]	[Flowing Robes of Ascent]	Cloth chest	Flowing Vestments of Ascent (heroic)	Flowing Robes of Ascent (heroic)
[Cord of the Tenebrous Mist]	[Belt of the Tenebrous Mist]	Cloth belt	Cord of the Tenebrous Mist (heroic)	Belt of the Tenebrous Mist (heroic)
[Drape of the Untamed Predator]	[Cloak of the Untamed Predator]	Cloak	Drape of the Untamed Predator (heroic)	Cloak of the Untamed Predator (heroic)
[Shawl of the Refreshing Winds]	[Drape of the Refreshing Winds]	Cloak	Shawl of the Refreshing Winds (heroic)	Drape of the Refreshing Winds (heroic)
[Band of the Violent Temperment]	[Ring of the Violent Temperament]	Ring	Band of the Violent Temperment (heroic)	Ring of the Violent Temperament (heroic)
[Trophy of the Crusade]	[Trophy of the Crusade]		[Trophy of the Crusade]	[Trophy of the Crusade]
[Crusader Orb]	[Crusader Orb]		[Crusader Orb]	[Crusader Orb]
[Emblem of Triumph]	[Emblem of Triumph]		[Emblem of Triumph]	[Emblem of Triumph]

Related achievements

•  Call of the Crusade (10 player) /  (25 player)
•  Call of the Grand Crusade (10 player) /  (25 player)
•  Not One, But Two Jormungars (10 player) /  (25 player)
•  Upper Back Pain (10 player) /  (25 player)

Patch changes

• Template:Patched
• Template:Patched
• Patch 3.2.0 (2009-08-04): Added.
  

External links

WoWraid Complete Northrend Beasts strategy guide based on live boss kills.

TodoWOW Guía completa del fansite Español.