Introduction
Hey everyone, and welcome to the Neltharus M+ guide for season 4 of Dragonflight! In this guide I’ll be covering the abilities of all the trash mobs and bosses throughout the dungeon, as well as how I recommend you deal with them. I will also be including a recommended, PUG friendly route via the Mythic Dungeon Tools addon for anyone interested.
A bit about me, my name is Tactyks and I am an avid M+ player, achieving every 0.1% M+ title that has existed as well as competing in The Great Push in season 4 of Shadowlands. I also create M+ and Raid guide content on my YouTube and Twitch channels, so be sure to stop by and say hi!
If you are using the Mythic Dungeon Tools addon, you can import the recommended route using the following link: https://wago.io/cWi1-pJKk
Cooking and Blacksmithing Profession Bonuses
Within this dungeon there are a couple of items players with Cooking or Blacksmithing can interact with, one giving their party a bonus and one giving a single player a single-use burst damage effect. Note that in both cases you will need to have at least 25 skill points in the Dragon Isles version of that profession in order to use it.
For Cooking, there is a pot in the hallway after Chargath, which will give you and any nearby allies 3 charges of the Qalashi Goulash buff, allowing you to use an extra action button to gain a 65% movespeed increase for up to 50s. This speed increase is removed upon entering combat, but the charges are not, so it can be quite useful when running between some of the packs in the later part of the dungeon.
For Blacksmithing, after defeating Forgemaster Gorek there will be a shield on his anvil which you can take, giving you an extra action button that will deal damage to a target and erupt in 4 directions, also applying a DoT to mobs hit. You can use this on some of the dangerous pulls between the 3rd and 4th boss.
Both of these buffs are nice bonuses, but not mandatory to your success in the dungeon. I have indicated their positions in the MDT route linked above.
Video Guide
Magmatusk Trash
Qalashi Warden
- This mob is immune to CC
- Tanks point the Volcanic Guard frontal away from the group and sidestep out of the effect
- Blazing Slash targets the tank, use a defensive here if needed
Qalashi Spinecrusher
- Brutal Strike targets the tank, use a defensive if needed but Blazing Slash is more dangerous
Ore Elemental
- Purge the Granite Shell shield off these mobs if possible, but this is not a high priority
Qalashi Thaumaturge
- Molten Core will buff a nearby Ore Elemental into a Molten Elemental, causing them to deal heavy pulsing AoE damage. Interrupt or CC this cast, and if it does go off immediately focus the Molten Elemental before it overwhelms your healer
- Magma Conflagration channels into a random player, use a CC to stop the cast
Qalashi Plunderer
- Avoid the random target swirly from Explosive Concoction
Magmatusk Boss Fight
Lava Spray shoots a frontal towards a random player. This follows the target, so use a defensive if this is on you, and stand still so other players can avoid the cone.
Avoid the Magma Lob swirlies and the puddles of Liquid Hot Magma they leave behind. Tanks make sure the boss also stays away from these puddles to avoid giving it Lava Empowerment.
Blazing Charge targets a random player and charges after a short delay. Make sure everyone avoids this attack as well as the Lava Waves that spawn from the boss at the same time.
At 100 energy the boss will use Volatile Mutation, applying the Magma Eruption DoT to all players and giving the boss an additional stack of Magma Tentacle, up to a cap of 5. This means as the fight goes on, both Lava Spray and this DoT become more dangerous, so plan defensives and healing CDs accordingly.
Burning Chains
Both before and after the Chargath boss fight, you’ll find several Burning Chains you can interact with to help you against the trash. These did receive a significant nerf going into Season 4, now applying a 5s stun and 50% damage taken increase to all enemies hit. All chains are now also one-time use, so you can’t use the same one back-to-back. The user of a chain still receives a 3min debuff, preventing them from using chains again for that time period, so you’ll need to rotate who is using chains in this area.
In terms of how they actually work, the player who interacts with a chain will begin to pull it away from the initial location, while being slowed and taking ticking damage at the same time. Upon crossing over an eligible mob this chain will detonate, applying the 5s debuff to any nearby mobs. Because this is an AoE effect, you’ll want to make sure the pack is relatively grouped before detonating it for maximum value.
Note that because these chains received significant nerfs, using them is not mandatory to your success in the dungeon.
Chargath, Bane of Scales Trash
Qalashi Hunter
- Bold Ambush targets a random player, use a defensive and focus heal players with the bleed
- Avoid the random target swirly from Binding Spear
Overseer Lahar
- This mob is immune to CC
- Healers make sure to dispel the Imbued Magma magic debuff on the tank
- Use an interrupt on or avoid the 10yd AoE created by Burning Roar
- Avoid the Eruptive Crush swirly spawned in front of the mob
Qalashi Trainee
- Tanks point the Magma Fist frontal channel away from the group and sidestep out of the effect
- Fired Up enrages the mob, use a CC on the cast or soothe to remove the effect
Qalashi Bonetender
- Mending Clay channels a heal into a random enemy, use an interrupt or CC to stop it
- Bone Toss targets a random player, use any spare CCs to stop this cast
Chargath, Bane of Scales Boss Fight
Magma Wave shoots out in a line towards a random player, make sure everyone avoids this effect.
Dragon Strike targets the furthest player, so make sure this always hits someone who has a defensive or bleed cleanse available.
Grounding Spear targets the DPS players, tethering them to a spear placed on their position. You break these tethers just like the Burning Chains in this wing of the dungeon, by crossing through the boss, however this will apply a stack of Slag Eruption onto your group, so you’ll want to stagger breaking your tethers. After all 3 DPS break their chains the boss will be stunned by Fetter, so save damage for this debuff if possible.
At 100 energy the boss will use Fiery Focus, dealing heavy tank damage and shooting out Lava Splash swirlies for 25s. If this channel completes, the boss will apply Fiery Demise to the group, so try and make sure all 3 chains are broken before this happens.
Forgemaster Gorek Trash
Qalashi Lavabearer
- This mob is immune to CC
- Avoid the lava pools spawned by Lava Drip and Throw Lava
Lava Flare
- Melt targets random players, interrupt as many of these casts as possible
Qalashi Irontorch
- Mote of Combustion debuffs a random player, use a magic dispel to remove it, or if you prefer any spare interrupts or CCs to stop the cast entirely
- Scorching Breath channels a frontal towards a random player, sidestep out of the effect or use a spare CC to stop it
Qalashi Bonesplitter
- Pierce Marrow targets a random ranged player, use a CC to stop this cast
- Dragonbone Axe targets a random player, use CCs to stop as many of these casts as possible and if one goes through use a defensive for the bleed
Irontorch Commander
- This mob is immune to CC
- Scorching Fusillade deals 6yd splash damage to every player, healers make sure everyone is topped for this hit and players use defensives if needed
- Avoid the swirlies spawned by Conflagrant Battery
Qalashi Blacksmith
- This mob is immune to CC
- Reverberating Slam targets the tank, use a defensive for this hit and the DoT it applies
- Forgestomp deals moderate damage to all players, healers make sure everyone is topped for this hit and players use defensives if needed
On top of these mobs, there is also a Lieutenant mob in this area that I recommend avoiding.
Forgewrought Monstrosity
- This mob is immune to CC
- Forgewrought Fury deals pulsing damage every 2s while this mob is alive, so use defensives and healing CDs as needed
Forgemaster Gorek Boss Fight
At the start of the fight and after each Forgestorm cast, the boss will jump to his anvil dealing a large physical hit from Might of the Forge, as well as 3 moderate fire hits from Blazing Hammer. Use defensives here and healers make sure you are ready to keep players up when this happens.
Blazing Aegis targets 3 players shortly after this combo, dealing splash damage around them and shooting swirlies out diagonally in all 4 directions.Note that this ability will cancel if the first player targeted uses a combat drop like vanish or shadowmeld, so you can use these to help reduce damage intake.
For tanks you’ll have the Heated Swings hit combo, knocking you up into the air and then away, followed by the boss leaping at you and leaving behind a large Forgefire puddle. Use a defensive for the initial 2 hits and position yourself so you get knocked into a wall. Once the Forgefire circle appears, step out of it before the boss connects to avoid the damage. Note that to conserve space, you can continue to aim yourself at the same spot, as the puddle does not deal very high damage to tank players.
After each Heated Swings combo the boss will use Forgestorm, spawning waves of swirlies that alternate between being player targeted and randomly thrown throughout the room, regardless be sure to avoid them.
Warlord Sargha Trash
Apex Blazewing
- This mob is immune to CC
- Candescent Tempest deals heavy party damage and pushes back for 2.5s, use defensives and healing CDs here
Qalashi Lavamancer
- This mob is immune to CC
- Focus this mob when Molten Barrier is cast so that you can interrupt Molten Army
- Lava Bolt targets the tank, use any spare interrupts to prevent this cast
Warlord Sargha Boss Fight
The Dragon’s Kiln targets a cone at a random player, make sure everyone avoids this effect.
Molten Gold applies a nasty DoT to a random player, use a defensive if this targets you and healers be sure to focus this player.
Avoid the random target swirly from Burning Ember and cleave down the add it spawns. Use slows, stuns, and other CCs to stop this mob from reaching its fixate target.
During the boss phase you’ll see piles of gold spawn throughout the room. Interacting with them applies Curse of the Dragon Hoard for 30s, but also gives you one of three possible weapons:
- Wand of Negation, a targeted range attack
- Anti-Magic Bomb, an 8yd AoE range attack
- Rose of the Vale, a 12yd AoE melee attack
You’ll need these abilities for when the boss gets to 100 energy, as she’ll apply a massive Magma Shield and deal ramping damage from Flame Eruption as long as the shield persists, while also spawning swirlies you need to avoid in The Dragon’s Eruption. You’ll want to already have these weapons when the ticking damage starts so that you can end it as quickly as possible, so make sure players spread out and pick them up during the boss phase. On top of this, all 3 of these abilities can be cast while moving, so make sure you still avoid swirlies when using them!
After breaking the shield, the boss takes extra damage and is stunned thanks to Backdraft, so try and save damage for this if possible.
Neltharus Mythic+ Dungeon Route
To start I recommend heading towards Magmatusk’s wing, dragging the 2 Qalashi Warden mobs at the entrance over to create a nice first pull for Bloodlust. Work your way through this wing and defeat the boss, then head across to Chargath’s wing. I’ve marked the Burning Chain positions in the MDT string above, so use them as you see fit. I recommend pulling Overseer Lahar as soon as you can, and just dragging him from pull to pull, using nearby chains whenever possible.
After defeating Chargath you can make your way upstairs, passing by the Cooking cauldron I mentioned earlier, so grab this speed buff if you can. Otherwise make your way upstairs, hugging the wall to avoid pulling the Irontorch Commander on your way past. When leaving Forgemaster boss area make sure to watch the patrol of G45 so you don’t accidentally pull it, and if you have a blacksmith be sure to pick up the shield from the anvil.
From here make your way back to the centre of the dungeon which will now be open, allowing you to fight the final boss. Note that you can skip the pack guarding the boss arena by running through the middle of the gold pile on one side, which is denoted in the MDT route.