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The Dawnbreaker is a three-boss dungeon located in Hallowfall and one of the eight Mythic+ dungeons available in Season 1 ofThe War Within. Players must assist the Arathi aboard their new warship, Dawnbreaker, as they fend off an Azj-Kahet assault on Mereldar.
While The Dawnbreaker is a relatively short and straightforward dungeon in the current Mythic+ rotation, it may seem overwhelming at first due to its non-linear map layout and the inclusion of flying. As with the rest of the Season 1 dungeon pool, healing throughput is crucial in Dawnbreaker, as the bosses deal significant group-wide damage. This guide will cover the optimal approach to bosses and trash mobs, along with routing options players can use in pug groups for The Dawnbreaker inThe War Within.
The Dawnbreaker MDT Import String
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The Dawnbreaker offers flexible routing options due to the non-linear layout of Mereldar, allowing players to tailor their trash pulls based on their comfort level and team composition. Most recommended routes will focus on trash near the three mini-bosses for optimal efficiency.
For newer players, navigating the city portion of the dungeon can be quite disorienting, especially when paired with Skyriding. While Skyriding is the most efficient,new players might prefer switching to Steady Flightto get accustomed to their surroundings first.
The route listed above is just one of many variations that players can follow, even in pugs or uncoordinated groups, with straightforward and simple pulls.It is recommended for players to use the Addon, Mythic Dungeon Tools (MDT), to plan and customize their own routes or import existing ones, including the one mentioned above. This guide will reference trash pulls using groupings assigned to them by MDT.
The Dawnbreaker: Speaker Shadowcrown
Trash
The route leading to the first boss, Speaker Shadowcrown, is straightforward, with the only decision being which side-ship (G5 or G6) players choose to fly to first. The difference between G5 and G6 is negligible, so it ultimately comes down to personal preference.
Pull 1 (G1) Notable Enemies and Abilities:
Pull 2 typically involves combining G3 & G4 together with Bloodlust/Time Warp, allowing for a potential third usage on the final boss. However, newer players can choose to pull these groups separately in lower keys, as The Dawnbreaker’s timer is quite lenient. The combined pull includes threeNightfall Curseblades, oneNightfall Shadowmage, oneNightfall Ritualist, and aNightfall Commander.
Pull 3 and 4 (G5 & G6) can be done in any order. G5 consists of twoNightfall Curseblades, oneNightfall Shadowmage, and oneSureki Webmage. G6 contains oneNightfall Curseblade, oneNightfall Commander, and oneSureki Webmage.
Speaker Shadowcrown
After Pull 3 and 4, players will return to the main Dawnbreaker ship to fight against the first boss,Speaker Shadowcrown. This boss has two phases and three main abilities to watch out for:Collapsing Night,Obsidian Beam, andBurning Shadows. Speaker Shadowcrown also regularly castsShadow Boltat the tank, which should be interrupted to reduce tank damage and allow easier boss positioning.
Groups without ranged classes should be ready to instantly reposition once Collapsing Night comes out.
At 50%, Speaker Shadowcrown becomes immune to damage and starts castingDarkness Comes, creating a large bubble of darkness that kills any player within it after 15 seconds. When the cast starts, players must get on their flying mounts to avoid getting caught in it. Be wary that the hitbox of the bubble is slightly larger than the actual animation.
After the cast, the fight resumes with phase two, which is nearly identical to phase one, exceptObsidian Beamnow rotates four beams instead of three. Tanks should always ensure that the boss is positioned away from anyCollapsing Nightvoid zones to give the party enough room to dodge theObsidian Beams. At 0%, the boss castsDarkness Comesagain, but this time, players can fly directly down to the city instead of returning to the ship.
The Dawnbreaker: Anub’ikkaj
Before facing the second boss,Anub’ikkaj, players must defeat three mini-bossesaround the city of Mereldarto remove the stackingEmpowered Mightbuff they grant to the boss. Each mini-boss uses one ofAnub’ikkaj’s main abilities, giving players a preview of the upcoming fight. The routing through Mereldar is very flexible due to the abundance of enemies available for count, but it is generally recommended to stay near each mini-boss for efficiency. Players can choose to head to eitherIxkreten the UnbreakableorAscendant Vis’coxriafirst, leavingDeathscreamer Iken’takfor last due to its proximity to the boss.
Pulls 6 to 9 take place around the church area whereIxkreten the Unbreakableresides. Players can choose to tackle these in various orders or focus on different trash packs in the vicinity. While most of these pulls involve multiple trash packs, players can opt to handle them one by one or chain them together as each pack gets low. In addition to theNightfall Curseblades(which players have already encountered), the other notable enemies includeManifested Shadow,Nightfall Darkcaster,Nightfall Tactician, andNightfall Shadowalker.
Players can opt to do G13 with G14 (Pull 6) instead of G17 (part of Pull 8) for a slightly more efficient count. However, four Nightfall Tacticians can be brutal for the tank if the group does not have access to a Soothe ability. Alternatively, players can skip G14 and add in G22 & G24 to Pull 9 (G23).
Ixkreten the Unbreakable
Ixkreten is the mini-boss that resides in the church and possesses the Terrifying Slam ability of Anub’ikkaj. All three mini-bosses also have the Abyssal Blast ability, which deals Shadow damage and DoT to a random player.
Ascendant Vis’coxria
Vis’coxria is the mini-boss directly east of the church, just outside a house, standing alongside two Nightfall Tacticians. In addition toAbyssal Blast, Vis’coxria has theShadowy Decayability of Anub’ikkaj.
Since this is quite a tight area, players should be mindful of their long-range abilities that can accidentally pull unwanted enemies in the vicinity. Tanks should face the two Nightfall Tacticians away from the group and sidestep theirBlack Edge.
Players can also opt to pull slightly less trash in the church area and instead pull G8 and G49 together with Vis’coxria and her two Nightfall Tacticians. However, this pull can be quite difficult to pull off, so it should only be reserved for players comfortable enough with the dungeon.
Deathscreamer Iken’tak
After defeating Vis’coxria, players can head south to where the third mini-boss,Iken’tak, is located. It’s generally recommended to pullG42along with Iken’tak for efficiency, but newer players may opt to handle them separately. On higher keys,players can useBloodlust/Time Warpon this mini-boss (Pull 11). Alternatively, saving Bloodlust/Time Warp forAnub’ikkajis an option, though depending on key level and group composition, this could mean missing out on a third use during the second phase ofRasha’nan.
Tanks should face the Nightfall Tactician’s Night Edge away from the group so they have room to aim the sphere.
Anub’ikkaj
TheAnub’ikkajboss fight centers around three key abilities from the mini-bosses:Terrifying Slam,Shadowy Decay, andDark Orb, all dealing more damage than their previous versions, withShadowy Decayalso lasting 2 seconds longer.
Likewise, players should aim the orb down the road towards the west and be mindful of not pulling the Sureki Militant behind them. Healers should focus on topping the players off after Dark Orb and during Shadowy Decay.
Tanks should position carefully forTerrifying Slamto avoid being knocked into trash mobs or use abilities likeDeath Knight’s Death’s Advanceor Demon Hunter’s double jump to counter the knockback.
Additionally, Anub’ikkaj periodically summons several small mobs withAnimate Shadows. These enemies will castCongealed Shadowat random players, inflicting Shadow damage. Tanks should quickly gather these adds and allow the team to CC and cleave them down alongside the boss.
Spacing out group and personal defensive cooldowns for each Shadowy Decay is the best way to help out healers during this intensive fight.
The Dawnbreaker: Rasha’nan
After defeating Anub’ikkaj, players must fly back to the Dawnbreaker ship to face a mini-boss and the last boss, Rasha’nan. Regardless of the route players choose, they should ensure that they have at least a 93.48% count before flying up.
The last mini-boss is Nightfall Dark Architect who deals all his damage as Shadow due toDark Fervor. Tanks that are relatively weak against magic, such as Guardian Druid andProtection Warriorshould be wary of their damage intake here.
Rasha’nan
Rasha’nan, Queen Ansurek’s secret weapon, is the final boss ofThe Dawnbreakerand shares several abilities with itsraid version in the Nerub-ar Palace. Rasha’nan spawns on the side of Dawnbreaker shortly after Dark Architect is defeated. Players should ensure that their healer has enough mana before starting the fight, especially if any leftover mobs remain from Dark Architect.
InPhase 1, sets of 3Arathi Bombsare routinely thrown onto the ship. These bombs will explode after 20 seconds, dealing damage to all players. Players must interact with the bombs, move them near Rasha’nan, and toss them at him to deplete 5.8% of his health per bomb.It is highly recommended that DPS playersdeal with these bombs as healers must handle the group-wide damage intake. To transition intoPhase 2, 6 bombs and additional player damage are needed to bring Rasha’nan below 64% health.
Tanks need to remain in melee range of Rasha’nan so that he does not cast Tacky Burst, which deals continuous damage to the party.
Rasha’nan has several key abilities during Phase 1:
Once Rasha’nan drops below 64%, he flies away, and players must chase him on their flying mounts. While Rasha’nan takes a roundabout route to reach theVeneration Grounds, located directly west of Mereldar city, players can fly straight there without following him. Depending on the distance between the Dawnbreaker and the Veneration Grounds, players may need to grab a golden orb mid-flight to avoid being killed byEncroaching Shadows.
When Rasha’nan lands, he knocks back players nearby and begins casting Acidic Eruption for group-wide damage until he is interrupted. In Phase 2, there are no Arathi Bomb interactions, but Rasha’nan continues usingExpel Web,Erosive Spray, andRolling Acidand gains the new abilitySpinneret’s Strands.
The encounter ends once players push Rasha’nan to around 59.5% health.
