Dragons of Nightmare

Dragons of Nightmare (Classic)

For the Nightmare dragons in general, see Nightmare dragonflight.

For information on how to defeat the Dragons of Nightmare in the Emerald Nightmare raid, see Dragons of Nightmare.

The Dragons of Nightmare from Left to Right: Emeriss, Lethon, Ysondre, and Taerar. Eranikus is in the middle.

The Dragons of Nightmare (a.k.a. Nightmare Dragons) were four green dragons corrupted by the Emerald Nightmare. Formerly Ysera's lieutenants, the four caused havoc across Azeroth for years until being stopped. Three were slain and one was redeemed.

They were Lethon, Emeriss, Ysondre and Taerar. These dragons were world spawns located in Duskwood (Twilight Grove), the Hinterlands (Seradane), Feralas (Dream Bough), and Ashenvale (Bough Shadow). The dragons were removed following Cataclysm. It was later revealed that Lethon and Emeriss were killed during the War Against the Nightmare, Ysondre freed herself from the Nightmare's corruption, and Taerar is killed during the Feralas storyline in [40] Taerar's Fall, ending the Dragons of Nightmare's corrupt influence. They would return, however, when Xavius and the Nightmare resurfaced as bosses within the Emerald Nightmare raid.

Since the [WoW's 13th Anniversary], the Dragons of Nightmare have returned for the anniversary event along with daily quest [60W] The Originals.

Background

Emerald Portal

Prior to the start of the invasion of Outland, Ysera's most trusted lieutenants were warped by a dark new power within the Emerald Dream. These wayward sentinels passed through the Great Trees into Azeroth, intending to spread madness and terror throughout the mortal kingdoms.

Lethon

Lethon's exposure to the aberration within the Emerald Dream not only darkened the hue of the mighty dragon's scales, but also empowered him with the ability to extract malevolent shades from his enemies. Once joined with their master, the shades imbue the dragon with healing energies. It should come as no surprise, then, that Lethon is considered to be among the most formidable of Ysera's wayward lieutenants.

Lethon was killed by the redeemed Eranikus during the War Against the Nightmare.

Emeriss

The mysterious dark power within the Emerald Dream has transformed the once-majestic Emeriss into a rotting, diseased monstrosity. Reports from the few who have survived encounters with the dragon have told horrifying tales of putrid mushrooms erupting from the corpses of their dead companions. Emeriss is truly the most gruesome and appalling of Ysera's estranged green dragons.

Emeriss was accidentally killed when Tyrande Whisperwind attempted to remove her corruption during the War Against the Nightmare, as it was all that was left of her.

Taerar

Taerar was perhaps the most affected of Ysera's rogue lieutenants. His interaction with the dark force within the Emerald Dream shattered Taerar's sanity as well as his corporeal form. The dragon now exists as a specter with the ability to split into multiple entities, each of which possesses destructive magical powers. Taerar was a cunning and relentless foe who was intent on turning the madness of his existence into reality for the inhabitants of Azeroth.

In Cataclysm, he is killed by Ysondre with the help of adventurers during [40] Taerar's Fall.

Ysondre

Once one of Ysera's most trusted lieutenants, Ysondre had gone rogue, sowing terror and chaos across the land of Azeroth. Her formerly beneficial healing powers had given way to dark magics, enabling her to cast smoldering lightning and summon the aid of fiendish druids. Ysondre and her kin also possessed the ability to induce sleep, sending her unfortunate mortal foes to the realm of their most terrifying nightmares.

In Cataclysm, Ysondre was later freed of her insanity and, after aiding adventurers in killing Taerar, set about living a peaceful life among mortals for the rest of her days after [40] Ysondre's Farewell.

Ysondre and the Dragons in the Emerald Dream.

In Legion, Ysondre has been drawn back into the Nightmare and the corrupted spirits of her former comrades have joined her, completely consuming the Emerald Dreamway in shadows. She is ultimately slain, but her spirit and the spirits of her comrades are seen in the restored Emerald Dream after Xavius is defeated.

Strategy

They are raid-level difficulty, though some dragons are more challenging than others.

All four dragons share the Sleep (summoning "Dream Fog"), Noxious Breath, Tail Sweep, Mark of Nature and Aura of Nature abilities. Each dragon also has a few unique abilities. One of these is considered the dragon's ace move, and will be performed when the dragon loses 25 ± 5% of its max life. In other words, the ace move will only be performed three times; when the dragon is at 25%, 50%, and 75% life. When it is performed, the dragon will also yell something. See the individual dragons' page for abilities and specific strategies.

Loot

Lethon	Emeriss	Ysondre	Taerar
[Belt of the Dark Bog] [Black Bark Wristbands] [Dark Heart Pants] [Deviate Growth Cap] [Gauntlets of the Shining Light] [Malignant Footguards]	[Ring of the Unliving] [Polished Ironwood Crossbow] [Dragonheart Necklace] [Boots of the Endless Moor] [Circlet of Restless Dreams]	[Acid Inscribed Pauldrons] [Emerald Dragonfang] [Hibernation Crystal] [Jade Inlaid Vestments] [Leggings of the Demented Mind] [Strangely Glyphed Legplates]	[Mindtear Band] [Mendicant's Slippers] [Nightmare Blade] [Unnatural Leather Spaulders] [Boots of Fright]
Shared
[Nightmare Engulfed Object] [Acid Inscribed Greaves] [Ancient Corroded Leggings] [Dragonbone Wristguards] [Dragonspur Wraps] [Gloves of Delusional Power] [Green Dragonskin Cloak] [Hammer of Bestial Fury] [Staff of Rampant Growth] [Trance Stone]

Patches and hotfixes

Retail

Patch 7.2.5 (2017-06-13): Re-added as part of the WoW Anniversary event.

Patch 4.0.3a (2010-11-23): Removed.

Classic

Hotfix (2020-04-28): "Fixed a bug that could sometimes cause fewer than all four Dragons of Nightmare to spawn as intended."

See also

Green dragonflight

Eranikus

Dragons of Nightmare tactics

For the biography and information about the original incarnation of the encounter, see Dragons of Nightmare (Classic).

Dragons of Nightmare

Gender: Various

Race: Nightmare dragon (Dragonkin)

Level: ?? Boss

Reaction: Alliance Horde

Affiliation(s): Emerald Nightmare

Location: Emerald Dreamway, Emerald Nightmare

Status: Killable

The Dragons of Nightmare is the fifth boss encounter in the Emerald Nightmare.

Background

Adventure Guide

The Emerald Dream was entrusted to Ysera for safekeeping, and the mightiest of her green dragon brood were assigned to stand watch over four portals that connected directly to Azeroth. But even before the Cataclysm, these dragons began to show signs of corruption. Now, the path to the Nightmare's core runs through the dragons' lair.

Overview

Ysondre shares health with Emeriss, Lethon, and Taerar. She begins the fight alongside the nightmare of one of her former cohorts. When Ysondre reaches 70% health remaining, the nightmare takes to the skies and a new one emerges from a nearby portal. Upon reaching 40% health remaining, the nightmare dragon in the air lands and the one on the ground takes to the air. In Mythic difficulty, Ysondre is accompanied by Emeriss, Lethon, and Taerar at all times.

Damage Dealers

Be sure to switch targets to prevent Slumbering Nightmare from triggering.

Try not to stand directly behind the dragons so as to not be struck by Tail Lash.

Stand within the Nightmare Bloom to prevent Dread Horrors from spawning.

Healers

Be sure to switch targets to prevent Slumbering Nightmare from triggering.

Quickly dispel Defiled Vines from allies so that they can escape the resulting Defiled Eruption.

Stand within the Nightmare Bloom to prevent Dread Horrors from spawning.

Tanks

Be sure to switch targets to prevent Slumbering Nightmare from triggering.

Face the dragons away allies so they don't get hit by Corrupted Breath.

Abilities

Shared Abilities — Ysondre and the nightmare of each of her cohorts share the following abilities on the ground.

Mark of the Nightmare

Mark of Ysondre — Ysondre periodically marks all players within 45 yds, inflicting 6804 Shadow damage every 1 sec for 35 sec. Upon reaching 10 stacks, the target is afflicted with Slumbering Nightmare and stunned for 30 sec.

Mark of Emeriss — Emeriss periodically marks all players within 45 yds, inflicting 6804 Shadow damage every 1 sec for 35 sec. Upon reaching 10 stacks, the target is afflicted with Slumbering Nightmare and stunned for 30 sec.

Mark of Lethon — Lethon periodically marks all players within 45 yds, inflicting 6804 Shadow damage every 1 sec for 35 sec. Upon reaching 10 stacks, the target is afflicted with Slumbering Nightmare and stunned for 30 sec.

Mark of Taerar — Taerar periodically marks all players within 45 yds, inflicting 6804 Shadow damage every 1 sec for 35 sec. Upon reaching 10 stacks, the target is afflicted with Slumbering Nightmare and stunned for 30 sec.

Slumbering Nightmare — Traps a player in a deep nightmare, stunning the target for 30 sec. This effect only occurs on players reaching 10 stacks of a particular mark of nightmare.

Corrupted Breath — Breathes out corruption in a frontal spray, inflicting 941842 to 1040984 Plague damage to players within 45 yds.

Tail Lash — Inflicts 696150 to 731850 Physical damage to players behind the caster, knocking them back.

Ysondre — Ysondre shares health with Emeriss, Lethon, and Taerar.

Nightmare Blast — Launches a ball of nightmare essence, inflicting 427500 to 472500 Shadow damage to players struck and knocking them back. This creates a Nightmare Bloom for 1 min.

Nightmare Bloom — Every 3 sec, inflicts 185799 to 205358 Shadow damage to players standing within the Nightmare Bloom. If no players stand upon the bloom, instead it periodically releases a Dread Horror.

Dread Horror — An amalgam of nightmare fuel, this horror seeks out life to devour.

Wasting Dread — Players within 5 yds of the Dread Horror have their damage done reduced by 50%.

Unrelenting — Periodically increases movement speed by 20% and damage done by 10%.

Call Defiled Spirit — Calls forth a defiled druid spirit from the nightmare, which roots players and then detonates.

Defiled Vines — Defiled roots snake out of the ground, immobilizing all players within 10 yds.

Defiled Eruption — The defiled spirit explodes, inflicting 1406015 to 1554017 Shadow damage to players within 10 yds.

Emeriss

Volatile Infection — An infection burns within the target, inflicting 146187 to 161576 Nature damage to the target and all players within 10 yds every 3 sec for 1.5 min. Emeriss uses this ability while grounded.

Essence of Corruption — Essences of corruption periodically spawn around Emeriss. Emeriss uses this ability while grounded.

Essence of Corruption

Corruption — Corruption bursts forth, inflicting 220722 to 243957 Shadow damage to all players.

Corruption of the Dream — Emeriss corrupts the dream around herself, infecting her allies. Any time one of her allies perishes, a corrupted mushroom spawns from its corpse. Emeriss uses this ability while flying.

Corrupted Burst — When a corrupted mushroom explodes, it inflicts 762090 to 842310 Nature damage to all nearby players.

Lethon

Siphon Spirit — Lethon pulls a soul fragment out of players, drawing them in towards himself. When the spirit reaches Lethon, it heals both him and Ysondre for 17062500 health. Lethon uses this ability while grounded.

Unrelenting — Periodically increases movement speed by 20% and damage done by 10%.

Gloom — Lethon causes nightmares to periodically fall from above, inflicting 452534 to 500170 Shadow damage to players within 10 yds of the impact area. Lethon uses this ability while grounded.

Shadow Burst — Targets a player for a burst of energy. After 10 sec, shadow magic spreads to the three players nearest to that target, inflicting 81720 Shadow damage every 3 sec and reducing movement speed by 10% for 21 sec. This effect stacks. Lethon uses this ability while flying.

Taerar

Shades of Taerar — Taerar splits his essence into two images of himself. These images have less health and do less damage, but share some of his same abilities. Taerar uses this ability while grounded.

Shade of Taerar

Corrupted Breath — Breathes out corruption in a frontal spray, inflicting 522409 to 577400 Plague damage to players within 45 yds.

Seeping Fog — Nightmare fog seeps out from Taerar. If a player comes into contact with the fog, that player is put to sleep for 6 sec and suffers 160250 Nature damage every 1 sec for the duration. Taerar uses this ability while grounded.

Bellowing Roar — Taerar releases a mighty dragon roar, causing all players to run in fear for 3 sec. Taerar uses this ability while flying.

Lumbering Mindgorger — At 90%, 60%, and 30% health remaining, a Lumbering Mindgorger coalesces to devour the thoughts of all players.

Crimson Moon — Periodically inflicts 256200 to 283170 Shadow damage to all players within 60 yds.

Collapsing Nightmare — Reality comes crashing down, inflicting 432250 to 477750 Shadow damage to players within 5 yds of the explosion and reducing their damage done by 50% for 9 sec.

Devour Nightmare — Upon reaching full energy, the Lumbering Mindgorger begins to devour the minds of all players, killing them.

Loot

Item	Type
[Bioluminescent Mushroom] (LFR · H · M)	Life Artifact Relic
[Entrancing Stone] (LFR · H · M)	Arcane Artifact Relic
[Nightmare Engulfed Jewel] (LFR · H · M)	Shadow Artifact Relic
[Cowl of Fright] (LFR · H · M)	Leather helmet
[Dreamscale Inlaid Vestments] (LFR · H · M)	Cloth chest
[Horror Inscribed Chestguard] (LFR · H · M)	Plate chest
[Dragonbone Wristclamps] (LFR · H · M)	Plate bracers
[Dragonspur Wristguards] (LFR · H · M)	Leather bracers
[Gauntlets of the Demented Mind] (LFR · H · M)	Mail gloves
[Handwraps of Delusional Power] (LFR · H · M)	Cloth gloves
[Malignant Sabatons] (LFR · H · M)	Mail boots
[Mindrend Band] (LFR · H · M)	Ring
[Phantasmal Echo] (LFR · H · M)	Tank trinket
[Unstable Horrorslime] (LFR · H · M)	Ranged DPS trinket
[Vial of Nightmare Fog] (LFR · H · M)	Healer trinket
[Breath of the Undying Serpent]	Artifact appearance

Related Achievements

[Tormented Guardians]

[Imagined Dragons World Tour]

[Mythic: Dragons of Nightmare]

Quotes

Entering Zone

Malfurion Stormrage yells: This was the Emerald Dreamway. During my long slumber, it was here I communed with the Green Dragonflight.

Malfurion Stormrage yells: Now this sacred place has been made into a conduit for the Nightmare to spread its corruption. This we cannot allow!

Aggro

Ysondre yells: The strands of life have been severed! The dreamers must be avenged!

Entering Combat

Emeriss yells: Hope is a disease of the soul! This land shall wither and die!

Lethon yells: I can sense the shadow on your hearts. There can be no rest for the wicked!

Taerar yells: Peace is but a fleeting dream! Let the Nightmare reign!

Casting Corruption of the Dream

Emeriss yells: Taste the Nightmare's corruption!

Casting Shades of Taerar

Taerar yells: Children of madness! I release you upon this world!

Casting Siphon Spirit

Lethon yells: Your wicked souls shall feed my power!

Casting Call Defiled Spirit

Ysondre yells: Come forth, dreamers... and claim your vengeance!

Killed a player

Ysondre yells: Give yourself over, as I did.

Ysondre yells: No one resists the Nightmare!

Wipe

Ysondre yells: The Nightmare is inescapable.

Ysondre yells: All will succumb to the Nightmare!

Death

Ysondre yells: It fades. It all fades away...

Ysondre yells: At last... the long dream comes.

Outro

Malfurion Stormrage yells: Oh Ysondre! How cruel fate can be! Cleansed of the Nightmare once before, only to become its victim yet again. Some wounds never truly heal.

Malfurion Stormrage yells: May you find peace at last, old friend.

Patch changes

Patch 7.0.3 (2016-07-19): Added.

Dragons of Nightmare Raid Strategy Guide

The Dragons of Nightmare encounter takes place in the Emerald Nightmare, a corrupted version of the Emerald Dreamway. This area can be accessed once players have defeated Nythendra and fought to the Core of the Nightmare within The Emerald Nightmare. In this fight, players will encounter the Emerald Dragons, who used to be world bosses until the Cataclysm revamp of Azeroth zones. Ysondre, the only remaining living Emerald Dragon, is joined by the Nightmare versions of her fallen allies Emeriss, Lethon, and Taerar.The Nightmare versions of the Emerald Dragons will use abilities reminiscent of their original world boss version's attacks.

Nightmare Emeriss will target players with Volatile Infection and will form Corrupted Mushrooms from enemy corpses; the original Emeriss also cast Volatile Infection and summoned Putrid Mushrooms from players' corpses

Nightmare Lethon will Siphon Spirit from players, summoning shadow copies of players that slowly walk toward him and heal him; the original Lethon also cast Draw Spirit

Nightmare Taerar summons Shades of Taerar; the original Taerar also cast Summon Shade of Taerar and Bellowing Roar

Ysondre's Call Defiled Spirit is similar to the original Ysondre's Summon Demented Druid Spirit

On LFR, Normal, and Heroic difficulties, only three of these dragons are active each week.

Ysondre will always be present

Two of the remaining three dragons are selected at random each raid lockout

This means that each week, the fight will change slightly as new dragons are active, but all players will experience the same fight in a given raid lockout period

One of the two dragons will start on the ground next to Ysondre, while the other will fly overhead

On Mythic difficulty, all four dragons are active - two on the ground, and two flying overhead.The Dragons of Nightmare may be encountered as the second, third, fourth, or fifth boss of the raid, depending upon the raid's desired progression order. They are found in the Tormented Guardians wing in the Emerald Nightmare Raid Finder.All Raid Strategy Guides: Nythendra, Elerethe Renferal, Ursoc, Il'gynoth, Dragons of Nightmare, Cenarius, Xavius

Loot and Rewards

The boss loot table is the same between all difficulties. LFR 835, Normal 850, Heroic 865, Mythic 880. All loot has a chance to proc a higher ilvl, up to a max of ilvl 895. For more information on how ilvls and gearing work in Legion, please check the Early Legion Gearing Guide.Armor:

Cloth Armor: Dreamscale Inlaid Vestments, Handwraps of Delusional Power

Leather Armor: Cowl of Fright, Dragonspur Wristguards

Mail Armor: Gauntlets of the Demented Mind, Malignant Sabatons

Plate Armor: Dragonbone Wristclamps, Horror Inscribed Chestguard

Ring: Mindrend Band

Trinket: Phantasmal Echo, Unstable Horrorslime, Vial of Nightmare Fog

Relics:

Arcane: Entrancing Stone

Life: Bioluminescent Mushroom

Shadow: Nightmare Engulfed Jewel

Learn if this relic is desirable for your spec on the Gear and Artifact Recommendation Guides.In addition the Dragons of Nightmare also have some special items:

Ranks 1 and 2 for Vantus Rune: Dragons of Nightmare drop for Scribes

Breath of the Undying Serpent has a low chance to drop; unlocks special artifact appearance for Mistweaver Monks

Nightmare Whelpling is an adorable whelpling battle pet. There is also a Nightmare Whelpling Plush

Defeating any boss on a specific difficulty can drop an Artifact Power item which scales up with Artifact Knowledge:

Accolade of Achievement: 250 LFR

Accolade of Victory: 400 Normal

Accolade of Heroism: 500 Heroic

Accolade of Myth: 600 Mythic

Quick Tips

Ysondre shares health with Emeriss, Lethon, and Taerar. She begins the fight alongside the nightmare of one of her former cohorts.When Ysondre reaches 70% health remaining, the nightmare takes to the skies and a new one emerges from a nearby portal.Upon reaching 40% health remaining, the nightmare dragon in the air lands and the one on the ground takes to the air.

In Mythic difficulty, Ysondre is accompanied by Emeriss, Lethon, and Taerar at all times.

Damage Dealers:Be sure to switch targets to prevent [Slumbering Nightmare] from triggering.Try not to stand directly behind the dragons so as to not be struck by [Tail Lash].Stand within the [Nightmare Bloom] to prevent Dread Horrors from spawning.

Healers:Be sure to switch targets to prevent [Slumbering Nightmare] from triggering.Quickly dispel [Defiled Vines] from allies so that they can escape the resulting [Defiled Eruption].Stand within the [Nightmare Bloom] to prevent Dread Horrors from spawning.

Tanks:Be sure to switch targets to prevent [Slumbering Nightmare] from triggering.Face the dragons away allies so they don't get hit by [Corrupted Breath].

Notable Trash Mobs

Trash in the Core of the Nightmare

To access the Dragons of Nightmare, players should take the Emerald Dreamway portal at the end of the northeastern path from the Core of Nightmares.

Raining Filth (red plume)

Just inside the portal, players will face a large pack of trash containing 8 Swarming Dreads, 3 Corrupted Gatewardens, and 2 Defiled Keepers.

The Swarming Dread adds deal only melee damage, but debuff nearby players with Wasting Dread

Melee DPS should stay at max range when possible, and the raid should kill the Swarming Dread adds first

Corrupted Gatewardens each cast Corrupting Poison every 5 seconds, targeting random non-tank players

This leaves a 12-second Poison DoT effect on the targets and also slows their movement speed by 70%

Classes that can remove poisons (Druid, Monk, Paladin) should dispel Corrupting Poison from players affected with multiple stacks

Defiled Keepers will target random players with Despoiling Roots, which roots the target in place and deals moderate DoT damage

Despoiling Roots will spread to players within 5 yards of its primary target

This is a Magic debuff and can be dispelled by healers

In addition, Defiled Keepers cast Raining Filth, a channeled spell that deals periodic damage to the entire raid

The Raining Filth damage stacks, so the 8th tick deals 8 times as much damage as the first tick

Both Despoiling Roots and Raining Filth can be interrupted, but Raining Filth is the most important

AoE CCs and stuns will help the raid defeat this trash pack. Healers should be prepared to use strong cooldowns to keep players alive through the Raining Filth and randomly-targeted DoT damage.

When empowered by Gift of Taerar and Gift of Lethon, Rothos uses Gloom (purple) and Seeping Fog (green)

Rothos guards the end of the path to the Emerald Nightmare. He will have different abilities based on which non-Ysondre dragons are active for the Dragons of Nightmare fight each week.

If Emeriss is one of the two active dragons, Rothos will be buffed with the Gift of Emeriss

Rothos will target two random players with Volatile Infection every 10 seconds

Targeted players should move away from the rest of the raid to avoid splashing damage on other players

The Volatile Infection damage is very light if the targeted player does not splash onto nearby allies

If Lethon is one of the two active dragons, Rothos will be buffed with the Gift of Lethon

Rothos will cast Gloom every 5 seconds

Gloom calls down nightmare bolts that deal moderate Shadow damage to players within 10 yards of the impact area

Players should move away from the purple swirl effect to avoid this damage

If Taerar is one of the two active dragons, Rothos will be buffed with the Gift of Taerar

Rothos will form Seeping Fog patches near random players

If players stand in these Seeping Fog patches they will be put to sleep for 6 seconds

This also deals light periodic damage while the player is affected

Seeping Fog should be dispelled by the healers, especially if it affects another healer or a tank

Once the sleeping player has been dispelled, they must quickly move away from the Seeping Fog cloud, or risk being put to sleep again

Rothos will have two of these buffs on LFR, Normal, and Heroic difficulty, since there are two active non-Ysondre dragons on this difficulty. On Mythic he may have access to all three Gift buffs. Players must simply react to the mechanics presented by each buff.

Dragons of Nightmare Abilities & Strategy

This guide provides tips and strategies for defeating the Dragons of Nightmare encounter on Normal difficulty. Changes to the fight for Looking for Raid, Heroic, and Mythic difficulties are listed below in their respective sections, including suggestions for dealing with the new mechanics introduced in these difficulties.

At 70% and 40% health, one Dragon flies away, and another lands

The Dragons of Nightmare encounter is complicated primarily because the identity of the Emerald Dragons in the fight will be different each week. This guide will describe all four bosses, but players on LFR, Normal, and Heroic difficulty will only fight three of the dragons each week.Ysondre is always present, and stays grounded for the entire fight. At the start of an encounter, one of the other three Emerald Dragons will be grounded beside her. A third dragon will be flying overhead, untargetable.The Dragons of Nightmare share health. When players bring the Dragons to 70% health, the non-Ysondre dragon on the ground will take off, and the dragon flying overhead will land. When the Dragons reach 40% health, the two non-Ysondre dragons will switch positions again.When a dragon is in the air, it is effectively inactive - it cannot be targeted and it uses no abilities. Players must only contend with the two "active" dragons on the ground and master their mechanics.Players standing within 45 yards of an active dragon will receive a debuff named Mark of <Dragon>.

So for example, Ysondre applies the Mark of Ysondre debuff, while Taerar applies the Mark of Taerar debuff

Additional stacks are granted every 10 seconds, as long as the player is still within 45 yards of the dragon

If a player reaches 10 stacks of any one dragon's Mark debuff, they enter a Slumbering Nightmare and are stunned for 30 seconds

To avoid this, the raid must split into two equal groups, and tank the two active dragons on opposite sides of the encounter area.

Ensure that groups are evenly composed; 2 healers per side is desirable to handle certain dispel mechanics

Each group will stay on their side of the encounter area for the entire fight

The tank in each group should pick up the dragon nearest them and pull it so it is more than 45 yards from the other dragon

When a group has 6-8 stacks of its dragon's Mark debuff, the tanks should swap dragons

Tanks should move toward the center of the encounter area until they are in taunt range of their co-tank's target, and taunt swap

Then drag the new dragon back to their assigned position

If players ever receive the wrong dragon's debuff, they should move a few yards further toward the edge of the room. As long as tank swaps happen on 6-8 stacks, one accidental stack should never cause a Slumbering Nightmare.A tank swap will also be necessary each time the airborne dragon lands.

Face Corrupted Breath away from raid

All of the dragons will use the Corrupted Breath mechanic every 33 seconds.

The dragon attacks their target with a Corrupted Breath cone

The cone is 45 yards long, so players cannot outrange it without outranging the dragon

Tanks should keep the dragon faced away from other players

Do not swap dragons unless both of them have recently cast Corrupted Breath

Most groups will use Bloodlust/Heroism/Time Warp at the start of the encounter. This shortens the first phase, and tanks may not need to swap the dragons before the 70% health threshold, depending on the raid's DPS.

Ysondre

Ysondre applies the Mark of Ysondre debuff to all players within 45 yards of her. She remains grounded for the entire fight, so players will always have to be mindful of her mechanics.

Every 16 seconds throughout the entire encounter, Ysondre will use the Nightmare Blast ability.

Nightmare Blast fires a projectile at a random player's location

She typically prefers ranged targets within her Mark of Ysondre range, but can target players as far as 200 yards away

When the projectile lands, players within 5 yards of the impact take moderate to heavy damage and are knocked back

A Nightmare Bloom will form at this location

Nightmare Blooms summon Dread Horror adds every 3 seconds, until they expire after 20 seconds.

Dread Horrors are trivial adds that only attack players with melee attacks

However, if Nightmare Blooms are left unchecked, the Dread Horrors they summon may overwhelm the raid

To prevent the summons, a player must stand on the Nightmare Bloom

This player will take moderate to heavy periodic damage from the Nightmare Bloom DoT

Players soaking the Nightmare Blooms should use defensive cooldowns if also taking damage from other sources

Healers should keep these players topped up so they can continue to soak the Nightmare Bloom

Unsoaked Nightmare Blooms are highlighted by a red beam of light and stand straight and tall, spewing filth into the air. Soaked Nightmare Blooms lose the highlight and shrivel. Players should keep an eye out for the red beams and move to soak them whenever possible.

Dispel Defiled Vines

When Ysondre reaches 100 Energy, approximately every 34 seconds, she will Call Defiled Spirits.

This summons a Defiled Druid Spirit near each of two randomly-chosen players

When the Defiled Druid Spirit spawns, it roots all players within 10 yards with Defiled Vines

The Defiled Druid Spirit will then begin to cast Defiled Eruption, dealing heavy damage to players within 10 yards

Defiled Eruption has a 6-second cast and cannot be interrupted

Defiled Vines lasts for 8 seconds, so players rooted by the Defiled Druid Spirit must be dispelled so they can escape the Defiled Eruption

Other players should avoid entering the Defiled Eruption area of effect

Ysondre prefers to target players near her for Call Defiled Spirit. Players fighting Ysondre should stay spread out to avoid splashing the Defiled Vines root effect. Healers can only dispel once every 8 seconds, so if a Defiled Druid Spirit roots multiple players, some of them will be unable to avoid the Defiled Eruption.

Emeriss

Interrupt Corruption

Emeriss applies the Mark of Emeriss debuff to all players within 45 yards of her.Every 30 seconds, Emeriss will cast Essence of Corruption, summoning two small slime-like Essence of Corruption adds at her feet.

Essence of Corruption adds will cast Corruption every 15 seconds

If the Corruption cast is allowed to complete, it deals moderate damage to all players in the raid

This damage can be fatal in conjunction with other mechanics in the encounter

Players near Emeriss should interrupt the Essence of Corruption's casts as often as possible

Essence of Corruption adds should be killed quickly so fewer interrupts are necessary

Run away with Volatile Infection

When Emeriss reaches 100 Energy, approximately every 45 seconds, she will cast Volatile Infection on two random non-tank players.

Volatile Infection persists for 90 seconds, and is a significant healing drain

The targeted players erupt every 3 seconds, dealing moderate damage to themselves and nearby allies

Players targeted with Volatile Infection should move out of the raid to avoid splashing damage onto the party

They should also avoid soaking Nightmare Blooms while affected by this debuff, as the combined damage may be fatal

Healers may need to use external cooldowns to keep the Volatile Infection targets alive, and while several sets of Volatile Infection debuffs overlap, may require minor raid cooldowns to assist with the healing.

Lethon

Lethon applies the Mark of Lethon debuff to all players within 45 yards of him.While Lethon is active, Gloom projectiles will fall from the sky approximately every 3.5 seconds.

Gloom targets random players' locations, but only for players who are within Mark of Lethon range

The projectiles deal moderate to heavy damage to all players within 10 yards of their impact

Players should move away from the faint purple swirls to avoid taking this damage

If Spirit Shades reach Lethon, they heal the bosses

When Lethon reaches 100 Energy, approximately every 50 seconds, he will cast Siphon Spirit.

Lethon will rip the souls out of 3 players who are within range of Ysondre's Mark of Ysondre debuff, across the room from him

These players will spawn a Spirit Shade which will begin to walk toward Lethon

If the Spirit Shade reaches Lethon, it will heal both Lethon and Ysondre for a large amount through Dark Offering

Players on Ysondre's side of the room must switch quickly to these Spirit Shades

Spirit Shades can be stunned, knocked back, slowed, and rooted

The Spirit Shades have moderate health, so killing them is not trivial. The Lethon party should watch for incoming Spirit Shades and use CC to prevent them from reaching Lethon.Tanks should try to avoid swapping Ysondre and Lethon when Spirit Shades are active, as the boss's movement may inadvertently trigger Dark Offering.

Taerar

Taerar applies the Mark of Taerar debuff to all players within 45 yards of him.

Avoid Seeping Fog clouds

While Taerar is active, he will spawn two clouds of Seeping Fog approximately every 15 seconds.

Seeping Fog forms near random players' locations

Taerar prefers to cast it on players within his Mark of Taerar range, but may occasionally cast it at the players near Ysondre

Seeping Fog clouds float slowly around the area

Players caught in a Seeping Fog take moderate periodic damage and are put to sleep

Healers can dispel the Seeping Fog DoT and sleep effect, but only if their dispel will not be needed soon for Defiled Vines

Players should watch for nearby Seeping Fog clouds and move away

Tanks in particular should be aware of the Seeping Fog's location before moving to taunt-swap the bosses. If the raid stays on the outer edge of the room, the Seeping Fog clouds should all spawn there, and be out of the way of tank movement.When Taerar reaches 100 Energy, approximately every 50 seconds, he will summon Shades of Taerar.

This spawns two shadowy clones of Taerar, named Shade of Taerar

Shade of Taerar adds must be picked up by the Taerar tank

Every 18 seconds, the Shades of Taerar will cast Corrupted Breath, which is identical to the boss ability of the same name

Tanks should keep the Shades facing away from the party, and should use cooldowns when their Corrupted Breath casts line up with Taerar's

Players should focus on quickly killing the Shades to reduce tank damage

If tanks must swap the bosses while Taerar's Shades are active, it is not necessary to pull the Shades alongside Taerar. The Shades do not become empowered or take less damage or gain any additional abilities if they are separated from the boss. It is simply easier to let them stay where they are so the nearby players have targets to attack during the boss swap.

Strategy Summary

In this strategy section, "Dragon A" refers to whichever of the variable Emerald Dragons is on the ground beside Ysondre at the start of the encounter, and "Dragon B" refers to the Emerald Dragon that is flying overhead.

Divide the raid into two groups, each containing a tank, half the healers, and a balanced DPS split

Assign one group to each side of the room (left vs right/north vs south)

These groups will stay on their assigned side of the room for the entire fight

Each tank picks up the nearest dragon and drags them more than 45 yards apart

Tanks will trade dragons when the raid's Mark stacks reach 7-8

When Dragon A takes off and Dragon B lands, tanks should make sure to swap

When Dragon B takes off and Dragon A lands again, tanks should make sure to swap

Use Bloodlust/Heroism/Time Warp at the start of the encounter

Move out of Nightmare Blast, but stand in the resulting Nightmare Bloom to halt Dread Horror spawns

Healers should dispel Defiled Vines, and players should move out of Defiled Eruption

Prioritize killing adds over the bosses at all times

Use CC and stuns to make killing the adds easier, and interrupt any casts

Move out of other ground effects like Gloom or Seeping Fog

Tank Responsibilities

If Taerar is active, pick up the two Shades of Taerar & face them away

Always stay on your assigned side of the room

Face dragons away from the party

When it is time to swap dragons, run towards the middle of the room and taunt the other dragon off your co-tank

Then drag the new dragon back to your assigned side

If you ever gain a stack of the wrong dragon's Mark debuff, step a few yards further away

Use a cooldown for Corrupted Breath, particularly if tanking Shades of Taerar

Move out of ground effects

You can stand in Nightmare Bloom if it spawns near the boss's head, as the damage to tanks is negligible

Taunt any adds that spawn near your party

Damage-Dealer Responsibilities

Soak Nightmare Blooms to avoid Dread Horrors

Always stay on your assigned side of the room

Prioritize adds over the bosses at all times

Interrupt Corruption casts from Emeriss's Essence of Corruption adds

Use stuns, knockbacks, and other CC effects on adds when they spawn

Ranged DPS can multi-DoT the two dragons if they are careful about Mark stacks

Move out of ground effects

Stand on Nightmare Blooms to prevent Dread Horrors from spawning

Use defensive cooldowns if standing in a Nightmare Bloom and targeted by other sources of damage

Healer Responsibilities

Always stay on your assigned side of the room

Tanks will need additional healing for Corrupted Breath casts or when they are tanking adds

Players soaking Nightmare Blooms, or debuffed with Volatile Infection, will require additional healing

Dispel Defiled Vines quickly so players can escape the Defiled Eruption

Dispel Seeping Fog only if your dispel is not needed for Defiled Vines soon

Use raid CDs when the raid is on low health from high Mark stacks or from mismanaged mechanics

Move out of ground effects

Stand on Nightmare Blooms to prevent Dread Horrors from spawning

Use defensive cooldowns if standing in a Nightmare Bloom and targeted by other sources of damage

Looking For Raid Difficulty

On Looking for Raid difficulty, several mechanics have been adjusted to make them easier to carry out with less coordination.

The Dragons of Nightmare apply their Mark debuffs every 12 seconds, rather than every 10

Slumbering Nightmare will stun players for only 10 seconds, not 30 seconds

Ysondre's Call Defiled Spirit summons only one Defiled Druid Spirit, rather than two

It was not possible to test some of the bosses on LFR difficulty, so this section will be updated with more information when it becomes available.

Heroic Difficulty

On Heroic difficulty, the Dragons of Nightmare apply their Mark debuffs every 8 seconds, instead of every 10 seconds. This means the raid must be more precise with their tank swapping rotation.The Dread Horrors summoned by Ysondre's Nightmare Bloom ability will debuff nearby players with Wasting Dread, causing them to deal 50% reduced damage. The tank should pick up any Dread Horrors and keep them away from melee DPS; ranged DPS should nuke the Dread Horrors from a distance. This should minimize the Wasting Dread's detrimental effect on raid DPS. In addition, the three non-Ysondre dragons gain a new ability which they will only use when flying overhead.

Move away from Corrupted Burst

Emeriss gains the Corruption of the Dream mechanic, a passive ability that is in effect for the entire time Emeriss is in the air.

Whenever an enemy unit dies, a Corrupted Mushroom spawns at the corpse's location

This will occur for all adds in the encounter, even unattackable ones such as the Defiled Druid Spirits

The Corrupted Mushroom will first grow to full size, and then begin to cast Corrupted Burst

At the end of the 3-second Corrupted Burst cast, the Corrupted Mushroom detonates, dealing heavy damage to players within 4 yards

Players should move away from Corrupted Mushrooms as they spawn

Players can use knockbacks or other CC abilities to prevent adds from dying on top of their party, and tanks should drag living mobs away from the corpses of recently-killed enemies.Lethon gains the Shadow Burst mechanic, which he will cast every 15 seconds while airborne.

Lethon chooses two random targets for the Shadow Burst debuff

Both targets will be on the same side of the room

The Shadow Burst debuff deals no damage directly, but serves as a "warning" debuff

When it expires (after 10 seconds), the targeted players release 3 Shadow Burst projectiles that target the three nearest players

These projectiles afflict the new targets with Shadow Burst, applying a light DoT and reducing movement speed for 21 seconds

The Shadow Burst debuff can stack, but it is also a Magic debuff and can be dispelled

Healers should dispel players with multiple stacks, as long as dispels are not needed for Defiled Vines soon

Bellowing Roar is an unavoidable fear

There is no real need to rotate players in and out of soak duty since the damage and movement speed debuff is just a nuisance and can be dispelled.Taerar gains Bellowing Roar, which he will cast approximately every 45 seconds while airborne.

Bellowing Roar fears all players for 3 seconds, and reduces their movement speed

While the Bellowing Roar fear is dispellable, it affects the entire raid, so there is very little counterplay

There will be a raid warning when Taerar begins the 6-second Bellowing Roar cast

Healers should be sure to top up tanks and players with harmful debuffs during this time

It is possible to use Immunity mechanics to dodge the Bellowing Roar fear, but Immunities are probably more useful against the fight's more dangerous damaging mechanics.Note that during the Bellowing Roar fear, players are likely to step into Seeping Fog clouds, or will be feared out of position for soaking Nightmare Blooms. The raid will have to deal with these additional obstacles after each fear.

Mythic Difficulty

All of the above Heroic mechanics also apply to the Mythic Dragons of Nightmare encounter.On Mythic difficulty, the active dragons apply their Mark debuffs every 7 seconds, and the range on the Mark mechanic is now 60 yards rather than 45. The raid must be separated as far as possible, and tanks must execute the taunt-swapping rotation very well. Swaps should occur at 7 stacks since tanks are very likely to gain an extra stack of each debuff while making the dragon trade.Active dragons also gain a new ability, Tail Lash. They will use this ability whenever a player steps directly behind them. Tail Lash deals heavy damage to the players caught in its area of effect and knocks them back. Being knocked back can cause the player to enter another dragon's Mark radius, so this should be avoided.

Players face all four dragons together on Mythic difficulty

Additionally, all four dragons are present on Mythic difficulty.

As usual, Ysondre is grounded for the entire fight, and one of the three Emerald Dragons ("Dragon A") is grounded alongside her

Both of the remaining Emerald Dragons ("Dragon B" and "Dragon C") are flying overhead

As in Heroic difficulty, the flying Emerald Dragons will attack the party with their airborne attacks

When the Dragons of Nightmare reach 70% health, Dragon B will land as Dragon A takes off

When the Dragons of Nightmare reach 40% health, Dragon C will land as Dragon B takes off

The presence of an additional dragon primarily causes additional raid damage and mechanics from their airborne attacks. It does not meaningfully change the strategy of the encounter.

Raid warnings direct the raid to the Lumbering Mindgorger

Crimson Moon deals constant, heavy damage

Mythic difficulty introduces an entirely new mechanic that requires players to make use of the Dream Portals around the edges of the encounter area.

When the Dragons of Nightmare reach 90%, 60%, and 30% health, a Lumbering Mindgorger will spawn on the other side of one of the Dream Portals

Raid warnings will indicate when this occurs and which portal the Lumbering Mindgorger has spawned behind

The Lumbering Mindgorger will slowly gain Energy over a period of 80 seconds

Upon reaching full energy, they will cast Devour Nightmare, instantly killing all players in the Emerald Nightmare

To prevent this instant wipe mechanic, the raid must designate a small team of players to enter the portal and defeat the Lumbering Mindgorger.

A group of 5 is sufficient; the Mindgorgers have fairly low health

It is not necessary to tank the Mindgorger, as its melee damage is weak

Send 1 healer and 4 DPS (many groups send 4 melee DPS, but any composition can work; strong single-target burst is desirable)

The Mindgorger will damage all players in the portal with Crimson Moon every 5 seconds

The portal party should stay grouped up so healers can use efficient AoE healing

The Mindgorger will summon Collapsing Nightmares that damage players within 5 yards of their impact

Players struck by Collapsing Nightmares will deal 50% less damage for 9 seconds

The party should move out of the Collapsing Nightmares so they can defeat the Mindgorger in a timely fashion

The raid should also assign a few back-up portal team members, who can substitute if one of the assigned portal team players is debuffed with Volatile Infection or Shadow Burst at the time the portal duty is required. Sending a player with these debuffs into the portal phase is likely to strain the portal healer's mana too heavily.Healers should quickly dispel any portal team member who is afflicted by Lethon's Shadow Burst ability or Ysondre's Defiled Vines.