Xhul'horac (Hellfire Citadel) Strategy Guide

By Wowhead Updated: 2018/05/12

Xhul'horacHellfire CitadelHellfire CitadelXhul'horacClass GuidesWarcraft LogsMelee DPSRanged DPSHealersTanksLoot and RewardsSeal of Inevitable Fate Bonus RollsXhul'horac

LFR (675)

Cloth: Felfume Slippers, Shadowfel Cord
Leather: Girdle of Volatile Duality, Ironpelt Boots
Mail: Bracers of Tainted Magic, Rancorbite Sabatons
Plate: Demonbreaker Crushers, Stoic Netherfel Legplates
Neck: none
Cape: Voidthread Spineguard
Ring: none
Trinket: none
Weapons: none

Normal, Heroic, Mythic (700, 715, 730)

Cloth: Countenance of the Revenant
Leather: Hood of Unknowable Secrets
Mail: Sinister Felborne Helmet
Plate: Breach-Scarred Wristplates
Neck: Vial of Immiscible Liquid
Cape: Void Lord's Wizened Cloak
Ring: Loop of Beckoned Shadows, Portal Key Signet
Trinket: Unstable Felshadow Emulsion
Weapons: Fiendsbreath Warmace, Hammer of Wicked Infusion, Voidcore Greatstaff
Tier: Shoulders

Tome of Chaoslegendary questlineWe Don't Need No Library CardHellfire CitadelGlory of the Hellfire RaiderInfernal DirewolfXhul'horacYou Gotta Keep 'em SeparatedReturn to Table of ContentsNotable Trash MobsFel Lord ZakuunWeaponlord MehlkhiorVoidscribe AathalosFelblood StrikeDemonic Leap

Felblood Strike is applied every 3-4 seconds and has no duration

Each stack increases the tank's damage by 10%

At 10 stacks of Felblood Strike, the debuff morphs into Felblood Corruption, removing all Felblood Strike stacks

After 10 seconds, Felblood Corruption will expire, dealing heavy damage to players within 20 yards of the player

When the current tank reaches 10 stacks of Felblood Strike, the other tank should taunt Weaponlord Mehlkhior, and the tank with Felblood Corruption should run out of the raid

Mehlkhior will use Demonic Leap on distant targets, dealing heavy damage and stunning any players nearby when he lands

Immediately thereafter, Mehlkhior casts Leeching Whirl, which deals heavy damage to players within 3 yards and heals Mehlkhior for a portion of the damage dealt

Shadow BoltVoid GlareCatastrophic Collapse

Shadow Bolt targets random players, and can be interrupted

Void Glare chooses a random ranged target and bounces to other targets within 5 yards, dealing increased damage with each bounce

Ranged DPS and healers should stay spread out to avoid chaining Void Glare

Catastrophic Collapse will suck players toward Voidscribe Aathalos, and after 10 seconds, he will erupt, dealing very heavy damage to players within 10 yards

Voidscribe Aathalos must be killed by players before the Catastrophic Collapse cast finishes

Catastrophic CollapseReturn to Table of ContentsXhul'horac Encounter Mechanics

100%-65% health: Xhul'horac wields Fel power, dealing Fire damage, and summoning a powerful Vanguard Akkelion along with Wild Pyromaniacs

65%-35% health: Xhul'horac wields Void power, dealing Shadow damage, and summoning a powerful demon Omnus along with Unstable Voidfiends; Wild Pyromaniacs also still spawn

35%-20% health: Xhul'horac phases quickly between Fel and Void powers, and continues to summon Unstable Voidfiends and Wild Pyromaniacs

<20% health: Xhul'horac is affected by Overwhelming Chaos and continues to phase quickly between Fel and Void Powers, but no longer summons any adds

Unleashed Energies

When a player takes Fire damage from any source, they gain a Feltouched debuff for 15 seconds

When a player takes Shadow damage from any source, they gain a Voidtouched debuff for 15 seconds

If a player with an active Feltouched debuff takes Shadow damage from any source, they will trigger a Shadowfel Annihilation

If a player with an active Voidtouched debuff takes Fire damage from any source, they will trigger a Shadowfel Annihilation

Shadowfel Annihilation

Players triggering a Shadowfel Annihilation gain a Shadowfel Annihilation debuff, taking 50% more damage from subsequent Shadowfel Annihilations

All other debuffs (Voidtouched, Feltouched, etc.) are removed when a player triggers Shadowfel Annihilation

Shadowfel Annihilation damage does not cause other players debuffed by Voidtouched or Feltouched to trigger additional Shadowfel Annihilations

Several of the Fel abilities leave Chaotic Felblaze patches

Several of the Void abilities leave Creeping Void patches

Players entering a Chaotic Felblaze patch will take damage from Felsinged, and gain Feltouched

Players entering a Creeping Void patch will take damage from Wasting Void, and gain Voidtouched

Chaotic Felblaze and Creeping Void spread over time to cover a larger area

If Chaotic Felblaze and Creeping Void touch, a Shadowfel Annihilation will occur at their location

Shadowfel AnnihilationChaotic FelblazeCreeping VoidShadowfel AnnihilationShadowfel AnnihilationReturn to Table of ContentsPhase 1: The Legion's FlameFel StrikeFeltouchedFel Surge

Xhul'horac targets several random, non-tank players with Fel Surge every 30 seconds

Fel Surge deals light Fire damage to the affected players every second for 5 seconds

When Fel Surge expires, a patch of Chaotic Felblaze is created at the player's position

Players affected by Fel Surge should run out of the raid to drop the Chaotic Felblaze near the edge of the encounter area

Wild Pyromaniacs repeatedly cast Fel Orb at random players

The Fel Orb travels in a straight line, and disappears when its path is intercepted by any player

Intercepting a Fel Orb debuffs the player with Ablaze, a very strong, stacking Fire DoT effect

Fel Orb is interruptible, and Wild Pyromaniacs are stunnable

Players should aim to stun or interrupt every Wild Pyromaniac cast, and kill the imps quickly while they are incapable of casting

Vanguard Akkelion must be tanked, and will periodically attack the tank with Felblaze Flurry, dealing increasing Fire damage

The Vanguard will also cast Chains of Fel approximately every 35 seconds

Chains of Fel targets a random player and chains them to their two nearest allies

Chains of Fel deals periodic damage, increased by the number of other players you are chained to

To break the Chains of Fel effect, affected players must run far apart from one another

Return to Table of ContentsPhase 2: Grasp of the VoidVoid StrikeVoidtouchedVoid Surge

Xhul'horac will target the furthest away player not currently affected by Feltouched for Void Surge, approximately every 30 seconds

Void Surge deals moderate Shadow damage to the affected player every second for 5 seconds

When Void Surge expires, a patch of Creeping Void is created at the player's position

The player targeted by Void Surge should run out of the raid to drop the Creeping Void near the edge of the encounter area

Unstable Voidfiends spawn in random locations, but usually nearby a player

The Voidfiend targets the nearest player and begins to cast Volatile Voidstep, forming a purple swirl at the targeted player's feet

At the end of the Volatile Voidstep cast, the Voidfiend will teleport to the indicated location

If any players remain within the purple swirl as the Voidfiend teleports there, they will take moderate Shadow damage from Volatile Voidstep

Players should move just outside of the purple swirls each time they appear

Unstable Voidfiends cannot be stunned or interrupted, and should be killed quickly to reduce player movement

Omnus must be tanked, and will periodically channel Withering Gaze at the tank, dealing increasing Shadow damage

Omnus will also summon a Black Hole approximately every 30 seconds

The Black Hole will deal moderate Physical damage to the entire raid every second it exists, and will draw players toward its position

The Black Hole will collapse in a Singularity whenever any player(s) enter its boundary

Singularity deals heavy Shadow damage, split between all players within 11 yards of the triggering player

Players with strong personal cooldowns should be assigned to collapsing the Black Holes, and other players should stay more than 11 yards away when this occurs

Healers should use raid cooldowns to heal through Black Hole/Singularity damage

Fel OrbVoidtouchedChaotic FelblazeShadowfel AnnihilationShadowfel AnnihilationReturn to Table of ContentsPhase 3: The Shadowfel Amalgamation

Xhul'horac will flicker from green to purple to indicate which of these schools he is currently empowered by

He will attack tanks with alternating casts of Fel Strike and Void Strike, approximately 7 seconds apart

One tank must take every Fel Strike, while the other tank takes every Void Strike, to avoid triggering Shadowfel Annihilation

Xhul'horac will also alternate between casting Fel Surge debuffs and the Void Surge debuff

Players affected by these debuffs must continue to run out of the raid to form their Chaotic Felblaze or Creeping Void patches

Note that players can strategically place these patches to create Shadowfel Annihilations and clear additional space for the raid to move into

Return to Table of ContentsPhase 4: Tearing ApartFel StrikeVoid StrikeFel SurgeVoid SurgeOverwhelming Chaos

Xhul'horac will erupt with heavy Chaos damage every 10 seconds for the remainder of the fight

Each time he does so, he will gain a stack of Overwhelming Chaos, increasing the damage he deals by 10% per stack

This mechanic acts as a soft enrage; players must defeat Xhul'horac before his abilities become fatal

Shadowfel AnnihilationShadowfel AnnihilationOverwhelming ChaosBloodlustHeroismTime WarpReturn to Table of ContentsXhul'horac Strategy Summary

Wild Pyromaniacs

Unstable Voidfiends

Vanguard Akkelion

Omnus

Xhul'horac

Chaotic FelblazeCreeping VoidShadowfel AnnihilationChaotic FelblazeCreeping Void

During Phase 1, tank Xhul'horac on the left side of the room near the Fel Portal; the raid should stack closely behind the boss

Players affected by Fel Surge should run out to the edge of the platform to drop the Chaotic Felblaze, then return to the stack

This should cause Wild Pyromaniacs to spawn clumped near the raid, where they can be easily stunned and quickly killed

During Phase 2, tank Xhul'horac on the right side of the room near the Void Portal; the raid should stack loosely behind the boss

Ranged DPS should finish off the existing Wild Pyromaniacs while the raid moves

Players affected by Void Surge should run out to the edge of the platform to drop the Creeping Void, then return to the stack

Players targeted by Volatile Voidstep should move slightly out of the spell effect, and kite the Unstable Voidfiend closer to other adds for cleave damage

Players with strong damage-reduction cooldowns should trigger Singularity alone to remove the Black Hole

As Phase 3 approaches, players should clear fire out of the center of the room by triggering Shadowfel Annihilations

In Phase 3, pull Xhul'horac to the center of the room and stack loosely

Run Fel Surge right and Void Surge left

Move Xhul'horac slowly around the center circle as fire spawns nearby

Players should carefully trigger Shadowfel Annihilation to clear space before the raid moves into it

As Phase 4 begins, kill the remaining Wild Pyromaniacs and Unstable Voidfiends; no more of these adds will spawn

Continue running Fel Surge and Void Surge in opposite directions

Use Bloodlust/Heroism/Time Warp to kill the boss quickly, before Overwhelming Chaos becomes too powerful

Return to Table of ContentsTank Responsibilities

During Phases 1 and 2, one tank should take the large add while the other tank tanks Xhul'horac

The add tank should use cooldowns during Felblaze Flurry and Withering Gaze

The boss tank should use cooldowns for impending Fel Strike and Void Strike casts

During Phases 3 and 4, tanks must taunt Xhul'horac frequently, so that one tank takes every Fel Strike, and the other takes every Void Strike

Assist in stunning and interrupting Wild Pyromaniacs when possible

At all times, move Xhul'horac away from nearby Chaotic Felblaze or Creeping Void patches

Damage-Dealer Responsibilities

At all times, the DPS priority should be Wild Pyromaniac > Unstable Voidfiend > Vanguard Akkelion or Omnus > Xhul'horac

Stun or interrupt the Wild Pyromaniacs to prevent Fel Orb casts from going off

Run out of the raid with Fel Surge or Void Surge

If affected by Chains of Fel, run away from the other affected players

If targeted by Volatile Voidstep, move out of the purple indicator before the Unstable Voidfiend teleports to you

Use Voidtouched or Feltouched to trigger Shadowfel Annihilation and clear space in the center of the room when you have high health and/or a personal cooldown available

Healer Responsibilities

During Phases 1 and 2, the boss tank will require heavy healing to recover from Fel Strike or Void Strike

During Phase 1, players with Chains of Fel, Ablaze, or Felsinged will require additional single-target healing

During Phase 2, players with Void Surge or Wasting Void, or players who have taken Singularity damage, will require additional single-target healing

During Phase 3, tanks will be taunting frequently, and taking heavy damage from Fel Strike and Void Strike

During Phase 4, the raid will also take heavy damage from each Overwhelming Chaos cast

Use raid CDs to recover from mistakes with Shadowfel Annihilation, when many members of the raid are debuffed by the abilities mentioned above, during Black Hole, and during the final phase

Run out of the raid with Fel Surge or Void Surge

If affected by Chains of Fel, run away from the other affected players

If targeted by Volatile Voidstep, move out of the purple indicator before the Unstable Voidfiend teleports to you

Use Voidtouched or Feltouched to trigger Shadowfel Annihilation and clear space in the center of the room when you have high health and/or a personal cooldown available

Return to Table of ContentsWhen to use Bloodlust/Heroism/Time WarpBloodlustHeroismTime WarpWhen to use Legendary Ring EffectsBloodlustHeroismTime WarpBlack HoleShadowfel AnnihilationOverwhelming ChaosFelblaze FlurryWithering GazeLooking For Raid DifficultyShadowfel AnnihilationShadowfel AnnihilationReturn to Table of ContentsHeroic Difficulty

If a Wild Pyromaniac's Fel Orb is not prevented or intercepted, it will eventually fall to the ground, leaving a patch of Chaotic Felblaze

If any players remain within the Volatile Voidstep as the Unstable Voidfiend teleports there, a Creeping Void patch will be created

Chaotic FelblazeCreeping VoidShadowfel AnnihilationReturn to Table of ContentsMythic DifficultyFel StrikeVoid StrikeFel SurgeVoid SurgePhase 3 mechanics

One tank must become dedicated to Fel mechanics, tanking Vanguard Akkelion and taunting Xhul'horac for each Fel Strike

The other tank must become dedicated to Void mechanics, taunting Xhul'horac for each Void Strike, and picking up Omnus when he spawns

If either tank accidentally takes damage from a mechanic of the opposing school, a Shadowfel Annihilation will trigger and probably wipe the raid

Xhul'horac will alternate casts of Fel Surge and Void Surge, and players affected by these debuffs must run to opposite sides of the room to drop their fire and avoid triggering Shadowfel Annihilation

Both Wild Pyromaniacs and Unstable Voidfiends will spawn, and players must do everything possible to avoid taking damage from either of these adds' mechanics

Fel SurgeVoid Surge

Each time the Voidfiend casts Volatile Voidstep, the Volatile Voidstep cast becomes 10% faster

Players must kill the Voidfiends before it becomes impossible to dodge the Volatile Voidstep

The Wild Pyromaniacs must be stunned and interrupted to prevent casts of Fel Orb

Vanguard Akkelion's Chains of Fel will now bind five targets together instead of three, and the Chains of Fel deal much heavier damage

Chains of FelVoidtouchedChaotic FelblazeShadowfel AnnihilationChains of Fel

Like Chains of Fel, Empowered Chains of Fel will target five players

When Empowered Chains of Fel are broken, players will cause a Fel Snapback

This deals heavy damage to the affected player and any players within 5 yards

Players affected by Empowered Chains of Fel must run away from the rest of the raid as well as running away from one another

Empowered Black HoleBlack HoleEmpowered Black HoleEmpowered SingularityEmpowered SingularityEmpowered SingularityEmpowered Black HoleFel SurgeFeltouchedVoid SurgeVoidtouchedChains of FelOverwhelming ChaosChains of FelEmpowered Black HoleBloodlustHeroismTime WarpBloodlustHeroismTime WarpMethod's Mythic Xhul'horac GuideReturn to Table of ContentsAbout the Author:Restoration Shaman@healiocentrichealiocentric ... a blog that revolves around healing

Comments

Comment by mysticalos

Please define "Fanged dps" :)

Comment by 1491332

Excellent guide here! One detail, when you talk about phase three, you mention Omnus, but I think you wanted to mention Xhul'horac.
Really insightful for a really complicated fight.

Comment by 1258747

FYI: Hunter Deterrence does NOT work when triggering Black Hole. You'll still take the full dmg if no other players are in it.

Comment by antico

a TL;DR version of this boss mechanics should be the Ghostbusters - "the streams, you can't cross them" :p

Comment by 1194084

There is a bug that allows you to do it in easy mode.
See my screenshot:
http://wow.zamimg.com/uploads/screenshots/normal/475076.jpg

Edit:
You need to have a warlock summon infernal on top of that pillar and a rogue to shadowstep it, then have every non-tanks suicide and mass rez on the top.

Don't use anything that can summon a pet, else adds will spawn. And that is easy mode. During the last 30% you need to use some healing cds to counter the aoe.

Edit: Seems to be fixed.

Comment by 1194084

Someone found another bug point. Hope this be fixed soon.

Comment by sunfirehawk2010

I want to report, as of the opening of the Destructor's Rise Wing in LFR, Wild Pyromancers and Unstable Voidfiends do, in fact, spawn in LFR mode.
Maybe it is a bug... because we ended up wiping 5 times and barely made it on the 6th try... in LFR... sad day...

Comment by stormeh

For newer groups, it's a godsend to have a rogue with burst of speed talent, can just zoom around the room spamming feint and clear all the patches while others just focus on dps.

Comment by RocketFan

I struggled to find Xhul'horac after killing Fel Lord Zakuun. It's not obvious looking at the map. Hint: It's on the far right edge of the map that shows Fel Lord Zakuun. Climb up the debris in the SE corner of the room and keep heading east.

Xhul'horac (Hellfire Citadel) Strategy Guide

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