Madness of Deathwing (2024)

For character biography, see Deathwing.

Deathwing
Gender	Male
Race	Black wyrm(Elemental)
Level	?? Boss
Reaction	Alliance Horde
Location	Maelstrom
Status	Killable
Dragon Soul Morchok Warlord Zon'ozz Yor'sahj the Unsleeping Hagara the Stormbinder Ultraxion Warmaster Blackhorn Spine of Deathwing Madness of Deathwing (lore) (lore) (lore) (lore) (lore) (lore) (lore) (lore) Loot

The Madness of Deathwing is the last of two confrontations with Deathwing, the final battle of the Dragon Soul raid, and the final major boss encounter of World of Warcraft: Cataclysm. After weakening his armor in the air and forcing him down into the Maelstrom, the final battle to determine the fate of Azeroth begins in earnest...

The fight is a long DPS race, also requiring much coordination with the raid, using the assistance of the Dragon Aspects in the manner that best suits the raid build.

World first heroic kill achieved 20.12.2011 by KIN Raiders(즐거운공격대) - KR-Kargath.

Background[]

Adventure Guide[]

A warped mass of molten hatred and unfathomable power, this formless, mindless horror cannot be stopped. Whatever was left of Neltharion the Earth-Warder is long gone, his mind and soul corrupted and devoured by his Old God masters. All this monstrous being desires is destruction, annihilation, and the end of all things.

Description[]

Before the final fight, Deathwing will crash into the Maelstrom. The final stage of the raid begins when Deathwing’s deformed body rises out of the Maelstrom to face off against the players in the final showdown with many phases. The first phase is moving around the isles around the Maelstrom. Players will have to fight his claws, wings, tail alone and the tentacles. Traveling around the isles is similar to the fight in the Throne of the Four Winds.

During the second phase, the four dragon aspects will arrive and use their specific abilities to assist players to battle Deathwing. Players need to decide which aspect will help as they will not help at random. For example, Nozdormu can create a time-warp field to slow down Deathwing's molten missile attack. Alexstrasza can annihilate the small tentacles Deathwing calls upon. Ysera and Kalecgos both have their own abilities. And, Thrall will use the artifact, the Dragon Soul, to join the battle. There is a certain amount of strategy to how you use their abilities, too, so they’re not just a backdrop — it’s actually a fairly critical mechanic in the fight.^[1]

Abilities[]

The Madness of Deathwing encounter carries a hard 15-minute enrage timer.

Stage One: The Final Assault[]

Deathwing assaults his enemies as long as he is attached to the platforms by his twisted limbs.

• Assault Aspect—Deathwing searches for his next enemy to assault. Deathwing assaults the platform with the largest number of players and an attached limb.
• Cataclysm—Deathwing attempts to finish the job he started by bringing forth a second Cataclysm, inflicting 1,500,000^{[note 1]} Fire damage to all players.
• Elementium Bolt—Deathwing creates an Elementium Bolt, sending it to the target platform.
  • Elementium Blast—If the Elementium Bolt reaches its destination, the bolt inflicts 390,000^{[note 2]} Fire damage to all players and an additional 390,000^{[note 3]} Fire damage every 5.20 sec until players destroy the Elementium Bolt. The initial damage decreases the further the player stands from the targeted location.
• Corrupting Parasite—A Corrupting Parasite inflicts increasing Shadow damage periodically. When Corrupting Parasite's duration ends, the parasite detaches from the player and causes a Parasitic Backlash. This inflicts 250,000 Fire damage to players within 10 yards of the host.
  • Corrupting Parasite—After the Corrupting Parasite's duration ends, the parasite detaches from the host.
    • Unstable Corruption—The Corrupting Parasite casts Unstable Corruption, inflicting 10% of the Corrupted Parasite's health as Fire damage to all enemies.
• Hemorrhage—Deathwing's tentacle begins to Hemorrhage, creating several Regenerative Blood at a nearby location.
  • Regenerative Blood—The Regenerative Blood of Deathwing forms. Regenerative Bloods gain ten energy every 1 sec. The melee attacks of a Regenerative Blood also cause Degenerative Bite.
    • Regenerative—A Regenerative Blood heals to full health when it reaches maximum energy.In Looking for Raid Difficulty, Regenerative Blood heals 50% of max health when it reaches maximum energy.
    • Degenerative Bite—Melee attacks cause Degenerative Bite, inflicting 1500^{[note 4]} Shadow damage every 1 sec for 10 sec. This effect stacks.
• Limb Tentacle—Deathwing grasps onto each platform with one of his limbs.
  • Burning Blood—The Burning Blood gushes from the Tentacle, inflicting Fire damage every 2 sec. The damage increases the as the Limb Tentacle's health lowers.
  • Blistering Tentacle—At 75%, 50%, and 25% remaining health the Limb Tentacle sprouts several Blistering Tentacles that are immune to Area of Effect abilities.
    • Blistering Heat—The Blistering Heat inflicts 2500^{[note 5]} Fire damage every 2 sec, and increases its damage by 5% for 3 sec. This effect stacks.
  • Agonizing Pain—The pain from severing Deathwing's limb interrupts his concentration, stunning him and inflicting 20% of his health in damage.
• Mutated Corruption—A Mutated Corruption appears shortly after assaulting a platform.
  • Crush—The crushing weight of the Mutated Corruption inflicts 100,000^{[note 6]} Physical damage to enemies in a cone in front of the Corruption.
  • Impale—The Mutated Corruption impales it's target, inflicting 400,000^{[note 7]} Physical damage to the target.

Stage Two: The Last Stand[]

At 20% remaining health, Deathwing falls forward onto Ysera's platform.

• Congealing Blood—Deathwing begins to Hemorrhage, creating several Congealing Blood at a nearby location. The Blood then moves towards Deathwing.
  • Congealing Blood—If a Congealing Blood reaches Deathwing, it heals him for 1% of his maximum health.
• Elementium Fragment—Pieces of Deathwing's armor chip off, forming three Elementium Fragments nearby.Eight Elementium Fragments form in 25-player raids.
  • Shrapnel—The Fragment fires a piece of Shrapnel at a random player, inflicting 200,000^{[note 8]} unresistable Physical damage.
• Elementium Terror—Pieces of Deathwing's armor chip off, forming two Elementium Terrors nearby.
  • Tetanus—The Elementium Terror's attacks cause Tetanus, inflicting 60,000^{[note 9]} Physical damage and an additional 20,000^{[note 10]} Physical damage every 1 sec. The effect stacks.
• Corrupted Blood—Corrupted Blood gushes from Deathwing, inflicting Fire damage every 2 sec. The damage increases as Deathwing' health lowers. At 15%, 10%, and 5% remaining health, Deathwing hemorrhages. This increases the damage dealt by Corrupted Blood.

Aspects[]

The Dragon Aspects assist in the fight against Deathwing. Each aspect channels Expose Weakness on their respective Limb Tentacles when Deathwing begins to cast Cataclysm. Expose Weakness increases the damage done to the Tentacle by 100%.

Each Aspect also channels Concentration after the players destroy their respective tentacle, preventing the Aspect from assisting the players with their presence and their special powers. The Aspects resume assisting the players when Stage Two begins.

• Alexstrasza
  • Alexstrasza's Presence—The Presence of Alexstrasza increases the player's maximum health by 20%.
  • Cauterize—Alexstrasza Cauterizes the Blistering Tentacles, inflicting lethal damage over 10 sec. Cauterize also reduces the damage inflicted by Corrupted Blood.
• Nozdormu
  • Nozdormu's Presence—The Presence of Nozdormu increases the player's haste by 20%.
  • Time Zone—Nozdormu forms a Time Zone at the target location, causing the Elementium Meteor to lapse in time and decrease its travel speed dramatically upon entering the zone. Any enemy creatures within the Time Zone have their attack speed decreased by 50%.
• Ysera
  • Ysera's Presence—The Presence of Ysera increases player healing done by 20%.
  • Enter the Dream—The Presence of Ysera allows players to enter the Dream, decreasing damage taken by 50% for 2.50 sec.
• Kalecgos
  • Kalecgos' Presence—The Presence of Kalecgos increases player damage dealt by 20%.
  • Spellweaving—The Presence of Kalecgos allows attacks and abilities to cause Spellweaving. Spellweaving inflicts 20000 Arcane damage to enemies within 6 yards, excluding the current target.
• Thrall
  • Carrying Winds—The Carrying Winds take players between adjacent platforms, and increase their movement speed by 60% for 10 sec. This effect stacks.

Notes

Strategy[]

This fight is all about add control, raid DPS check, and planning out which platform you wish to start on, as once you kill the disformed part of Deathwing on any platform, you lose the buffs granted by the Dragon Aspect on that platform until the start of Phase Two. From left to right, the platforms are: Alexstrasza, Nozdormu, Ysera, and Kalecgos. The raid encounter is identical no matter which platform you encounter Deathwing on, thus the strategy is split into two parts: The dragon aspect strategy, and the raid strategy. Use a standard raid setup with 2 tanks, DPS, and heals appropriate for 10/25-player variations.

The Aspects[]

There are two dragon aspect orders that are the most effective:

• Order 1: Ysera, Nozdormu, Kalecgos, Alexstrasza – Use with very capable raid DPS that can defeat the Piece of Deathwing before Cataclysm is cast without the need for Kalecgos's DPS buff. This order completely nullifies one of mechanics of the fight, but which requires better focus and situational awareness for the rest of the encounter.
• Order 2: Ysera, Nozdormu, Alexstrasza, Kalecgos – Use if raid DPS cannot kill a piece of Deathwing in time to prevent the cast of Cataclysm.

Ysera is the platform Thrall is on at the start of the encounter.

To change platforms, reach the edge (just like with Throne of the Four Winds) and you will leap automatically. To avoid any bugs, do not cast any movement skills (such as Blink or Rocket Jump) during a platform leap.

The Raid[]

Phase 1

Each platform starts identically, with a disfigured limb of Deathwing. You have a short period before the first add spawns, so start DPS right away. Shortly after Deathwing assaults the platform, he spawns a Mutated Corruption, which a tank should pick up right away. All DPS should switch to it (while keeping DoTs on the Limb as well). The Mutated Corruption does an ability called Impale, which does a high amount of damage to the tank. While you have Ysera's Damage Reduction Cooldown, tanks should take turns in taking an Impale while using her Cooldown. Use the while it lasts; after defeating the limb tentacles on her platform, you lose its use until phase 2. The next add that spawns is an Elementium Bolt, which emerges from Deathwing's mouth and travels to an area on the platform that is indicated by a visual effect. All players should instantly move away from the area, as it will do an insane amount of damage should you stand right next to it when it lands.

While Nozdormu is active, he slows the travel speed of these bolts, making it easy to destroy once they move into attack range. All DPS should immediately switch to it, saving the raid from unnecessary damage.

Once the Nozdormu platform is done and you have lost the slowing effect for the bolt, it extremely unlikely that the raid will be able to destroy the bolt before it impacts the platform. For this reason, the raid should quickly group up out of the blast radius and use both personal and raid survival cooldowns. The raid takes a substantial amount of damage; healers should be ready for aggressive healing.

When the Elementium Bolt hits, the raid must destroy it as quickly as possible to avoid further damage. Afterwards, proceed in finishing off the Mutated Corruption then go back to DPSing the Limb.

Some time after the Elementium Bolt, Deathwing will spawn several Regenerative Bloods. Their attacks apply a stacking damage debuff to the tank, and they have an energy bar that starts at 0 and quickly fills. If it reaches 90, the Regenerative Blood will heal back to full health.

The Limb Tentacle will spawn Blistering Tentacles at every quarter of the limb's health. Although these adds are immune to all AoE and cleaves, they are not immune to the power of a Dragon Aspect; Alexstrasza will immediately kill these for you while active. Once her platform has been cleared, all DPS must switch to single-targeting them down.

While Kalecgos is up, these adds can all be nuked with AoE and cleaves. If you time it right, simply allow them to refresh their heal once they get close to the refresh, have everyone begin their AoE so that when they refresh, all your AoE is in place and continue to AoE them, and they should go down. If you have left Alexstrasza as the last aspect, DPS can ignore the adds and focus on the last Tentacle. Simply have one tank pick them all up, and have the tanks take turns holding the adds, This may require tank cooldowns and big heals on the tank,

In Heroic Mode ,shortly after the Mutated Corruption spawns and 1 minute after that in each platform during phase 1, Deathwing places in a random Non-tank Player a Corrupting Parasite,which will deal high amount of fire damage(roughly 300000) over 10 sec and once the debuff runs out,the parasite detach from its host.The infected player must move inside Nozdormu's Time Zone as quick as possible and no raid member must be close to him as the parasite deals massive amount of damage to players within 10 yards of the host once it detach.Shortly after that,the parasite will start to cast Unstable corruption,which deals after 10 sec of cast(15 sec if the parasite is inside the Time Zone) 10% of the remaining HP of the parasite as AoE damage to the Whole raid,thus players must DPS the parasite once it spawns and kill him(or bring it low enough in HP so his remaining 10% at the end of the cast isn't deadly, also, if the raid still have Alexstrasza's Buff,she will be able to damage a small amount of the total hp of the Parasite). The Parasite has roughly 3M hp in 10 man raids and 9M in 25 man.

It must be noted than once Nozdormu's Platform is clear,infect players will have to instead move next to the Mutated Corruption(while making sure no one is within 10 yards of them) so melee DPS with Cleaves can damage both the parasite and the Mutated Corruption to bring it low on hp(without Nozdormu's Time Zone,the cast time of Unstable Corruption will be shorter and the raid will have less time to damage him before the cast ends).

Phase 2

When Phase 2 begins, Deathwing's head will slump onto Ysera's platform where you can attack it directly. Any remaining adds should be taken there and killed as quickly as possible.

Phase 2 has three new adds to deal with — Elementium Fragments, Elementium Terrors and Congealing Bloods — all of which must be killed as soon as possible. Elementium Fragments are tentacles that target random party members with a debuff, then attack them for an absurd amount of damage. Should a fragment target you, use Ysera's Damage Reduction Cooldown. Use a personal cooldown if you become targeted a second time.

Tanks must pick up the Elementium Terrors and tank them in Nozdormu's Time Zone. They apply a stacking DoT to the tanks, so must be killed quickly.

The last add is the Congealing Bloods, which spawn only on Heroic difficulty and will heal Deathwing if they reach him. For this reason, killing these adds should be the raid's highest priority.

If you can manage the adds well, you should burn through the last 20% with raid cooldowns past 10%, as his AoE gets deadlier every 5% he loses.

Solo strategy[]

Save cooldowns until the last phase. Talk to Thrall to start the encounter, then jump to another platform (either Nozdormu's on the far right, or Alexstrasza's on the far left). Just walking off the edge of the island is enough to get launched toward the next island.

On that platform, the main damage target is the Wing Tentacle until the Mutated Corruption tentacle starts attacking the Aspect. The Mutated Tentacle must die, or it will cause problems for the rest of the encounter. If an Elementium Bolt spawns, focus on it. Don't worry about the Blistering Tentacles - they're immune to AoE, barely do any damage, and will despawn when the wing tentacle dies.

Once the Wing Tentacle is dead, jump to the next platform and repeat. Once all four Wing Tentacles are dead, get to Ysera's platform (second from the right). There, Deathwing himself falls forward onto the platform. Pop cooldowns and focus him down. If any Congealing Bloods spawn, kill them before they reach Deathwing, as he heals each time one gets to him.

Loot[]

Main article: Elementium Fragment

Like many final bosses of raid instances, the item levels of the gear from Deathwing are higher than gear from the rest of the instance - in this case, six item levels higher.

Item	Type
[Gurthalak, Voice of the Deeps] (LFR· H)	Strength two-hand sword
[Kiril, Fury of Beasts] (LFR· H)	Agility polearm
[Ti'tahk, the Steps of Time] (LFR· H)	Caster staff
[Maw of the Dragonlord] (LFR· H)	Healer mace
[Rathrak, the Poisonous Mind] (LFR· H)	Caster DPS dagger
[Blade of the Unmaker] (LFR· H)	Agility dagger
[No'Kaled, the Elements of Death] (LFR· H)	Agility one-hand axe
[Souldrinker] (LFR· H)	Strength one-hand sword
[Vishanka, Jaws of the Earth] (LFR· H)	Bow
[Reins of the Blazing Drake]	Mount (Normal & Heroic only)
[Life-Binder's Handmaiden]	Mount (Heroic only)
[Fragment of Deathwing's Jaw]	Quest item (Normal and Heroic only)
[Music Roll: The Shattering]	Garrison Jukebox roll

Related Achievements[]

• [Fall of Deathwing]
• [Dragon Soul Guild Run]
• [Heroic: Madness of Deathwing]
• [Heroic: Deathwing Guild Run]
• [Destroyer's End]
• [Realm First! Deathwing]
• [Chromatic Champion]

Quotes[]

Intro

Thrallyells: It is done. At last the Destroyer has met his end. Now I can begin to heal our world.

Alexstraszayells: You have accomplished the impossible, succeeded where all Azeroth feared you would fail

Alexstraszayells: Before you is the Cache of the Aspects. Take from it what you will, for you have more than earned the right.

Nozdormuyells: ...although, you may want to hurry.

Deathwing[]

Aggro

You have done NOTHING. I will tear your world APART.

Elementium Bolt

• There's no shelter from my fury.
• Your armor means nothing, your faith even less.
• The sea will swallow your smoldering remains.

Alexstrasza[]

Assaulted

Alexstraszayells: I will cleanse whatever corruption I can; my fire will not harm you.

Cataclysm

Alexstraszayells: No! Such power! Deathwing's summoning of the final Cataclysm will destroy all life on Azeroth. Quickly, we must interrupt him!

Kalecgos[]

Assaulted

Kalecgosyells: I will charge you with arcane energy to blast your foes.

Cataclysm

Kalecgosyells: The Destroyer is gathering all his might for a blow that will split the world. Attack him, now! We must stop the final Cataclysm!

Nozdormu[]

Assaulted

Nozdormuyells: I will slow the Destroyer's attacks when I can.

Cataclysm

Nozdormuyells: Hurry, heroes. In mere moments Deathwing's Cataclysm will complete what he begun and end the world. Join me in the attack, now!

Ysera[]

Assaulted

Yserayells: I will bring you closer to the Emerald Dream. Seek safety there when the fight becomes too intense.

Cataclysm

Yserayells: Deathwing is conjuring the final Cataclysm; even the Emerald Dream trembles. If we are to stop the spell, we must attack him together.

Phase Two[]

Deathwingyells: I AM DEATHWING, THE DESTROYER, THE END OF ALL THINGS, INEVITABLE, INDOMITABLE; I AM THE CATACLYSM!

• Alexstraszayells: He's completely mad!
• Kalecgosyells: Is he... coming apart?
• Nozdormuyells: Press the attack, heroes!
• Yserayells: Such rage I have never seen...
• Thrallyells: Aspects! Aid the heroes as best you can!
• Thrallyells: These champions are our only hope for exposing Deathwing's weakness. Together, we can prevail.
• Thrallyells: Don't give up! We're counting on you to push Deathwing back.
• Thrallyells: Strike now, Heroes! Only you can give us our opening!

Outro[]

The Aspects are channeling their essence into the Dragon Soul held by Thrall.

• Alexstraszayells: Excellent work. The fire of my heart glows with a brilliant purity unmatched; every spark of it I will channel into the Dragon Soul.
• Kalecgosyells: Well done! I will realign the flow of mana and fill the Dragon Soul with all my arcane might.
• Nozdormuyells: It is time. I will expend everything to bind every thread here, now, around the Dragon Soul. What comes to pass will NEVER be undone.
• Yserayells: We are one step closer. The unknowable, transcendent power of the Emerald Dream I now give unto the Dragon Soul.

Thrall uses the Dragon Soul, empowered by the Aspects, to unleash one last massive burst of power. Unable to withstand it, Deathwing's corrupted body is obliterated, his armor shattered; a portion of his jaw lands on the platform, all that remains of the Destroyer.

Unused quotes[]

• Deathwing: I shall tear this world apart!
• Deathwing: I shall show you a true cataclysm!
• Deathwing: Watch as your world comes to an end!
• Deathwing: There is no hope, no future, all life is doomed!
• Deathwing: Like you, all Azeroth shall burn!
• Deathwing: Know that your world will soon follow!
• Thrall: Avenge the fallen! Continue the fight!
• Thrall: Begone...
• Ysera: Another soul lost... to the Destroyer.

Closing Cinematic[]

The weakened Aspects bring themselves to their feet as Thrall and Aggra stand near the edge, looking down into the Maelstrom.

Thrall: I can feel the elements awakening; rejoicing... the Cataclysm is over.

Alexstrasza: The champions who fought at our side assured the survival of our world... but now, we must see it, with mortal eyes

As Alexstrasza speaks, the glow in her eyes fades; one by one, the same happens with Ysera and Kalecgos. The sands of time from his broken spaulder pour into Nozdormu's hand.

Alexstrasza: We dragon aspects have fulfilled our great purpose and our ancient power... is expended. But though our day draws to an end, life endures... and new generations will be born.

Alexstrasza places a hand on Aggra's abdomen, indicating she is pregnant.

Alexstrasza: Today's victory belongs to all who stood against the shadow.

The scene cuts to fireworks displays in Orgrimmar, Stormwind, and Dalaran.

Alexstrasza: You are Azeroth's true Guardians... And the future of this world is in your hands... For the dawning of the age of mortals has begun.

Aftermath[]

Alexstrasza

• Now you must usher in a new age... the Age of Mortals.

Kalecgos

• Together we achieved the impossible.

Nozdormu

• With my powers gone, the Dragon Soul has returned to its place in time.

Thrall

• I can feel the elements awakening...Rejoicing...The Cataclysm...is over.

Ysera

• This cannot be, is it finally over? I must be dreaming again.

Videos[]

10-man Heroic[]

• Madness of Deathwing 10 (1080p) - Elemental Shaman
• Madness of Deathwing 10 (1080p) - Fire Mage

10-man Normal[]

• Madness of Deathwing 10 (1080p) - Elemental Shaman
• Madness of Deathwing Strategy Guide - Love2playwow

25-man Heroic[]

• Dread - 1080p - Holy Paladin PoV - Voice chat included (sub-20%)
• Paragon

Patch changes[]

• Patch 5.0.5 (2012-09-11): Congealing Bloods now move at slower base speed.
  
• Patch 4.3.2 (2012-01-31): The Priest spell [Leap of Faith] is no longer usable while under the effect of Carrying Winds.
  
• Hotfix (2011-12-20): Deathwing should no longer fire two Elementium Meteors when a limb tentacle is destroyed at the same time that Deathwing is casting Elementium Meteor.
  
• Hotfix (2011-12-02):
  • Deathwing now properly slouches down and becomes attackable for phase two.
  • Corrupted Deathwing should now cast his spells appropriately when switching between platforms.
  • The Madness of Deathwing encounter should will appropriately die, play the end cinematic, spawn his appropriate loot chest, award Valor Points, and despawn when players defeat him.
    
• Patch 4.3.0 (2011-11-29): Added.
  

References[]

External links[]

• Wowhead
• WoWDB

Guides

Icy VeinsComprehensive Madness of Deathwing strategy guide (includes Heroic mode and perspective guides for tanks, healers, and DPS)

v e Raid final bosses
	General Drakkisath Onyxia (lore) Ragnaros (lore) Nefarian (lore) Hakkar (lore) Ossirian the Unscarred C'Thun (lore) Kel'Thuzad (lore)
	Prince Malchezaar Gruul the Dragonkiller (lore) Magtheridon (lore) Lady Vashj (lore) Kael'thas Sunstrider (lore) Archimonde (lore) Illidan Stormrage (lore) Zul'jin (lore) Kil'jaeden (lore)
	Malygos (lore) Kel'Thuzad (lore) Sartharion Yogg-Saron (lore) / Algalon the Observer (lore) Anub'arak (lore) Onyxia (lore) Toravon the Ice Watcher The Lich King (lore) Halion
	Nefarian (lore) Cho'gall (lore) / Sinestra (lore) Al'Akir (lore) Ragnaros (lore) Alizabal Madness of Deathwing (lore)
	Will of the Emperor Grand Empress Shek'zeer Sha of Fear Lei Shen (lore) / Ra-den (lore) Garrosh Hellscream (lore)
	Imperator Mar'gok (lore) Blackhand (lore) Archimonde (lore)
	Xavius (lore) Helya (lore) Gul'dan (lore) Kil'jaeden (lore) Argus the Unmaker (lore)
	G'huun (lore) Lady Jaina Proudmoore (lore) Uu'nat Queen Azshara (lore) N'Zoth (lore)
	Sire Denathrius (lore) Sylvanas Windrunner (lore) The Jailer (lore)
	Raszageth (lore) Scalecommander Sarkareth (lore)
Bosses in grey were redesigned in a later expansion or removed from the game.