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Icecrown Citadel

The Lich King

Boss #12
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Strategy Guide

FIGHT OVERVIEW
  • This fight consists of 3 phases and 2 intermissions. There is also a final phase, but this one cannot be failed.

  • You fight the boss on a circular platform with an inner and outer circle. Depending on the phase, the outer circle is destroyed or present, while the inner one is always present

  • After 15 minutes, the boss enters in Berserk, increasing his damage and attack speed.

Heroic Changes
  • P1: Traps are thrown at a random players. Walking in knockbacks and inflicts damage.

  • P1: Adds now enrage under 20% HP.

  • P2: Val'kyr won't die after you rescue the player. They gain a new ability that heals them over time.

  • P3: The boss now teleports the whole raid to Menethil's room. Players must dodge AoEs and range should kill monsters attempting to reach the raid.

Phase 1

The phase ends when the boss reaches 70% HP.


The main mechanic of the phase is a plague you should transfer to the adds while DPS'ing the boss.

EVERYONE

STAY AWAY FROM THE

TRAPS ON THE GROUND

Play Button
HEROIC ONLY
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Summon Shadow Trap
Exploding Mines

Summons a Shadow Trap with a 5-yard radius at a random player's location.


After 7 seconds, if any player triggers the trap, it explodes, dealing substantial damage to players within a 10-yard radius and knocking them back a significant distance.

EVERYONE

GO TO AN ADD WHEN

YOU HAVE THE PLAGUE

AND WAIT FOR DISPEL

Play Button
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Necrotic Plague
Transmissible DoT

Casts a dispellable disease on a random player, causing significant damage every 5 seconds for 15 seconds.


If the target dies from this damage or the effect expires, it adds an additional stack and transfers to nearby (10yds max) targets, including mobs.


If the effect is dispelled, it reduces one stack and immediately transfers to a nearby (10yds max) unit (including mobs). Each time this effect transfers, the Lich King gains a stack of Plague Siphon.


You'll want to give the plague to the Shambling Horror to kill them without losing DPS on the boss. Have the affected players run near the Horrors before dispelling them.

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Infest
Ramping Damage

Deals shadow damage to all players, with damage increasing every second. This effect dissipates when a player's health exceeds 90%.

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Summon Drudge Ghouls
Minions Summon

Summons Drudge Ghouls minons. They don't have special abilities and only melee the raid.

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Plague Siphon
Stacking Boss Buff

The boss becomes more powerful through the transfer of Necrotic Plague, increasing physical damage by 2% for 30 seconds, stackable.


Each time Plague transfers, it adds one stack.

Shambling Horror
HEROIC ONLY
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Frenzy
Berzerker

When Horror's HP drops below 20%, they increase attack speed by 50% and physical damage to players by 100% for 10 minutes.

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Enrage
Enrage

Enrage: Increases physical damage dealt by 200%. Lasts for 5 seconds and can be dispelled

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Shockwave
Frontal Attack

Deals 150% weapon damage to players within a frontal radius of 20 yards.

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Infest
Ramping Damage

Deals shadow damage to all players, with damage increasing every second. This effect dissipates when a player's health exceeds 90%.

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Plague Siphon
Stacking Boss Buff

The boss becomes more powerful through the transfer of Necrotic Plague, increasing physical damage by 2% for 30 seconds, stackable.


Each time Plague transfers, it adds one stack.

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Summon Drudge Ghouls
Minions Summon

Summons Drudge Ghouls minons. They don't have special abilities and only melee the raid.

Shambling Horror
HEROIC ONLY
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Frenzy
Berzerker

When Horror's HP drops below 20%, they increase attack speed by 50% and physical damage to players by 100% for 10 minutes.

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Enrage
Enrage

Enrage: Increases physical damage dealt by 200%. Lasts for 5 seconds and can be dispelled

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Shockwave
Frontal Attack

Deals 150% weapon damage to players within a frontal radius of 20 yards.

Intermission 1

The intermission lasts for 60 seconds.


You play it on the outer circle of the room to outrange the boss' aura.


When the intermission ends, quickly get back to the inner circle before the destruction of the outer circle

EVERYONE

MOVE AWAY FROM THE

CENTER OF THE PLATFORM

WHEN THE TRANSITION STARTS

Play Button
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Remorseless Winter
Damaging Aura

When the boss reaches 70% HP, it moves to the center of the area and deals lethal AoE damage on the inner platform circle for a minute.


The raid must quickly move away from the center of the platform when the boss transitions.

RANGED

QUICKLY KILL THE SPHERES

BEFORE THEY CAN REACH

AND KILL ANY PLAYER.

Play Button
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Summon Ice Sphere
Fixated Bomb

The boss summons an ice sphere near itself, which fixates a random player and moves slowly towards them.


If it touches a player, it casts Ice Burst, which inflicts massive AoE damage and knocks players away, often off the platform.


Ranged players should kill this ASAP.

EVERYONE

QUICKLY RUN TO THE

INNER PLATFORM WHEN

THE INTERMISSION ENDS.

Play Button
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Quake
Platform Explosion

At the end of the intermission, the boss shatters the platform's edges.


Players who remain on the platform's edge will fall into the Void. Once the Quake ends, Phase 2 begins.

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Pain and Suffering
DoT in a Cone

The boss faces a random player and casts a cone inflicting a stacking DoT to all players hit.


Make sure your raid is slightly spread to avoid stacking this DoT too much.

Ice Sphere
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Ice Pulse
Pulsing Damage

Deals damage to linked players every three seconds.


Inflicts some frost damage on all players within 5 yards of the sphere.

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Ice Burst
Melee Explosion

If the adds reaches a player, it deals a substantial amount of frost damage to all players within a 10-yard radius and knocks them all out of the platform.

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Raging Spirit
Minion Summon

The boss summons a Raging Spirit next to a random player that must be killed.

Raging Spirit
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Soul Shriek
Frontal silence

Deals massive shadow damage to frontal targets within 15 yards of the players and silences them for 5 seconds. Dispellable.


Tank these adds away from the raid to avoid silencing players. Any player not damaging the Ice Sphere should focus on these adds.

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Pain and Suffering
DoT in a Cone

The boss faces a random player and casts a cone inflicting a stacking DoT to all players hit.


Make sure your raid is slightly spread to avoid stacking this DoT too much.

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Raging Spirit
Minion Summon

The boss summons a Raging Spirit next to a random player that must be killed.

Ice Sphere
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Ice Pulse
Pulsing Damage

Deals damage to linked players every three seconds.


Inflicts some frost damage on all players within 5 yards of the sphere.

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Ice Burst
Melee Explosion

If the adds reaches a player, it deals a substantial amount of frost damage to all players within a 10-yard radius and knocks them all out of the platform.

Raging Spirit
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Soul Shriek
Frontal silence

Deals massive shadow damage to frontal targets within 15 yards of the players and silences them for 5 seconds. Dispellable.


Tank these adds away from the raid to avoid silencing players. Any player not damaging the Ice Sphere should focus on these adds.

Phase 2

The phase ends when the boss reaches 40% HP.


In this phase, you DPS down the boss and switch onto adds to rescue a player from being thrown away.


You raid should play in the center of the room to counter the Val'kyr and Defile mechanics.

EVERYONE

WHEN AFFECTED BY DEFILE

DROP THE AOE AWAY. NEVER

EVER WALK INTO A DEFILE.

Play Button
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Defile
Expending AoE

Casts Defile at a random player. After 2 seconds, they drop an AoE on the ground. Each time a player takes a damage tick from standing in the AoE, it expends very quickly, leading to a wipe. The AoE lasts for 45 seconds.


Players targeted should very quickly move away from the raid and drop the AoE as far as possible.

EVERYONE

KILL THE VAL'KYR

Play Button
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Summon Valkyr
Kidnapping Players

The boss summons a Val'kyr (3 in 25m) from above. They charge towards and pick up a random player, then seeks the shortest path to the platform's edge and flies slowly in that direction.


Once it flies off the platform, it throws the picked-up player off the platform.


Players can rescue the captured player by killing the Val'kyr before it reaches the edge.


Warlocks and Hunters should be able to come back on the platform by themselves, and thus play on the outer part of the platform.

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Infest
Ramping Damage

Deals shadow damage to all players, with damage increasing every second. This effect dissipates when a player's health exceeds 90%.

Val'kyr Shadowguard
HEROIC ONLY
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Life Siphon
Passive Healing

Deals shadow damage to a player and heals for 10 times the amount of damage dealt.

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Wings of the Damned
Snare Limitation

Val'kyrs cannot be slowed below 50% speed but they can still be stunned and snared.

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Soul Reaper
Tank CD

Tank uses defensive CD. A boss heavy hitting attack debuffing the tank after 5 seconds.


During the following 5 seconds, the boss increases melee haste by 100%.

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Infest
Ramping Damage

Deals shadow damage to all players, with damage increasing every second. This effect dissipates when a player's health exceeds 90%.

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Soul Reaper
Tank CD

Tank uses defensive CD. A boss heavy hitting attack debuffing the tank after 5 seconds.


During the following 5 seconds, the boss increases melee haste by 100%.

Val'kyr Shadowguard
HEROIC ONLY
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Life Siphon
Passive Healing

Deals shadow damage to a player and heals for 10 times the amount of damage dealt.

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Wings of the Damned
Snare Limitation

Val'kyrs cannot be slowed below 50% speed but they can still be stunned and snared.

Intermission 2

The intermission lasts for 60 seconds and is exactly the same as the Intermission 1.

Phase 3

The phase ends when the boss reaches 10% HP.


The boss uses all the abilities from P2 except the Val'kyrs and Infest.


Players are frequently sent to an extra room and must quickly kill or heal an add to exit. On Heroic, the whole raid is sent and the mechanic changes.

EVERYONE

WHEN AFFECTED BY DEFILE

DROP THE AOE AWAY. NEVER

EVER WALK INTO A DEFILE.

Play Button
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Defile
Expending AoE

Same as P2.


Casts Defile at a random player. After 2 seconds, they drop an AoE on the ground. Each time a player takes a damage tick from standing in the AoE, it expends very quickly, leading to a wipe. The AoE lasts for 45 seconds.


Players targeted should very quickly move away from the raid and drop the AoE as far as possible.

ASSIGNED PLAYER

SOAK THE EXPLOSION

WITH DEFENSIVE OR IMMUNITY

Play Button
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Vile Spirit
Exploding Adds

The boss summons 10 Vile Spirits above him. They remain in the air for 30 seconds, and if they are still alive when the time expires, they will fixate random players and explode in melee.


The off tank or a player with defensive or immunity should soak most of them to avoid damage on the whole raid.


When the spirits spawn, the boss and the raid should be moved away to enable later kiting.

EVERYONE

REGROUP AND DODGE

THE AOE WHILE KILLING

ALL THE ADDS PRESENT

Play Button
HEROIC ONLY
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Harvest Soul
Mini Phase

The boss channels for 6s on the whole raid, stunning and inflicting moderate damage. If the player survives it, they are sent in the Frostmourne room for 40s.


All players in the room take AoE damage and should dodge for Spirit Bomb, while killing all the Wicked Spirits approaching the raid.


Once Menethil completes his 40s cast, the players are sent back to the Throne's Room.

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Harvested Soul
Boss Damage Buff

When a harvested player dies in the Frostmourne room, the boss's size increases, and it deals 200% increased damage for 15 seconds.

Vile Spirit
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Spirit Burst
AoE Explosion

When the Spirit touches any player, it will self-explode, dealing massive damage to all players within 5 yards.

HEROIC ONLY
Wicked Spirit
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Spirit Burst
AoE Explosion

These adds are present in the Frostmourne rooom.


When the Spirit touches any player, it will self-explode, dealing massive damage to all players within 5 yards.

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Soul Reaper
Tank CD

Same as P2.


Tank uses defensive CD. A boss heavy hitting attack debuffing the tank after 5 seconds.


During the following 5 seconds, the boss increases melee haste by 100%.

Terenas Menethil
HEROIC ONLY
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Restore Soul
Teleportation

In Heroic, this is a 40-second cast, and once the casting is complete, the raid is teleported back to the Throne's room.

HEROIC ONLY
Spirit Bomb
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Explosion
AoE

These adds are present in the Frostmourne room.


Many Spirit bombs continuously falls slowly from the sky. After touching the ground, they explode, dealing significant damage to all players within a 10-yard radius.

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Harvested Soul
Boss Damage Buff

When a harvested player dies in the Frostmourne room, the boss's size increases, and it deals 200% increased damage for 15 seconds.

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Soul Reaper
Tank CD

Same as P2.


Tank uses defensive CD. A boss heavy hitting attack debuffing the tank after 5 seconds.


During the following 5 seconds, the boss increases melee haste by 100%.

Vile Spirit
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Spirit Burst
AoE Explosion

When the Spirit touches any player, it will self-explode, dealing massive damage to all players within 5 yards.

Terenas Menethil
HEROIC ONLY
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Restore Soul
Teleportation

In Heroic, this is a 40-second cast, and once the casting is complete, the raid is teleported back to the Throne's room.

HEROIC ONLY
Wicked Spirit
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Spirit Burst
AoE Explosion

These adds are present in the Frostmourne rooom.


When the Spirit touches any player, it will self-explode, dealing massive damage to all players within 5 yards.

HEROIC ONLY
Spirit Bomb
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Explosion
AoE

These adds are present in the Frostmourne room.


Many Spirit bombs continuously falls slowly from the sky. After touching the ground, they explode, dealing significant damage to all players within a 10-yard radius.

Phase 4

When the boss reaches 10% HP, a role-play phase starts, where you'll eventually get to defeat the Lich King.

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