The Venomous Abyss

Strategy

1. Sszorak alternates Apex Predator combos (Ravage and Mutilate on the tank) with Venomous Surge, a raid hit that is weaker the farther you stand from the affected player.
2. The Altar of the Six Winds adds Raging Crosswinds: damage over time, then a knockback in the shown direction, then Turbulent Gusts.
3. The winds build to Howling Maelstrom, a run of gales that push players the way each one points.
4. During Howling Maelstrom he uses Dig In and takes 30% more damage for 25 seconds. That is the burst window.
5. Ula'tek's Presence ticks Nature damage on the raid all fight, and Corroding Venom stacks Physical damage taken on the tank.

Editorial summary by TheWoWDB, based on Adventure Guide mechanics as of build 12.1.5.70448.

By role

Changes by difficulty

Mythic adds 5 abilities found nowhere else in the journal: Serpent's Fury, Unbound Ferocity, To the Slaughter, Virulence, Caustic Residue.

Loot. 13 drops in the Adventure Guide. Every drop binds when picked up, so none of it reaches the Auction House.

Strategy

1. Two Sentinels share the fight: the Breath of Ula'tek (Toxic Droplets, Venom Coagulation, Empowering Slam) and the Blood of Ula'tek (Blighted Blood, Unstable Miasma, Bloodvenom Injection).
2. Toxic Droplets explode into a raid-wide Noxious Blast after 16 seconds. Stepping on a droplet destroys it for a small Nature hit on that player.
3. Venom Coagulation becomes a slime that pulses Contaminate on everyone until it dies.
4. At 100 energy both Sentinels channel Vitriolic Stasis for 30 seconds: 99% less damage taken, and the weaker one heals until it matches the other.
5. Stasis also gives everyone Helical Toxins for 28 seconds. Two infected players touching merge their venom, so stay apart.

Editorial summary by TheWoWDB, based on Adventure Guide mechanics as of build 12.1.5.70448.

By role

Changes by difficulty

Mythic adds 3 abilities found nowhere else in the journal: Vashnik the Malignant, Shifting Protovenom, Protovenom Eruption.

Loot. 13 drops in the Adventure Guide. Every drop binds when picked up, so none of it reaches the Auction House.

Strategy

1. At 100 energy Vashnik Imbibes from the two nearest fountains (Blood, Shadow or Flame). Each one releases living venoms that crawl to the Malignant Cavity in the middle.
2. A venom that reaches the cavity causes Malignant Burst: raid damage plus a stacking 30-second Nature damage over time. Kill them on the way.
3. The first Clotting Venom from the Fountain of Blood has Sanguineous Fortitude and cannot be crowd controlled until it dies.
4. Every Imbibe adds a stack of Toxic Vapor, so room damage rises for the whole fight.
5. Adaptive Infection spreads infections: Siphoning Infection absorbs healing, and Stygian Infection absorbs healing and makes its carrier cast Stygian Burst.

Editorial summary by TheWoWDB, based on Adventure Guide mechanics as of build 12.1.5.70448.

By role

Changes by difficulty

Mythic adds 3 abilities found nowhere else in the journal: Malignant Totem, Malignance, Thinned Blood.

Loot. 13 drops in the Adventure Guide. Every drop binds when picked up, so none of it reaches the Auction House.

Strategy

1. Stage One is Zul'jan. Toxic Deluge scatters Coalesced Venom around the arena, and Sever, his heavy tank hit, destroys any venom it strikes.
2. Destroying a Coalesced Venom triggers Venom Rupture on the raid. Stepping on one attaches Volatile Venom to you.
3. Stage Two is Hex Lord Malacrass. Dreadmarch possesses players who walk to the edge and jump; freeing them spawns Manifestations of Dread that fixate on a random player.
4. Eternal Nightfall is Deadly unless his Veil of Twilight shield is broken, which also makes the cast interruptible.
5. Soul Sever leaves players Gravebound: walk over your Soul Fragments before it expires or you die. Stage Three puts Zul'jan and Malacrass on the field together.

Editorial summary by TheWoWDB, based on Adventure Guide mechanics as of build 12.1.5.70448.

Phases: Stage One: Serpent's Bargain; Stage Two: Usurper's Reprisal; Intermission: The Claimed Vessel; Stage Three: Coiled Union.

By role

Changes by difficulty

Mythic adds 8 abilities found nowhere else in the journal: Virulent Cyst, Caustic Secretion, Virulent Mutation, Mutagenic Venom, Tainted Blood, Guillotined, Malevolent Resonance, Spirit Shield.

Loot. 17 drops in the Adventure Guide. Mythic only: Hex Lord's Gaze. Every drop binds when picked up, so none of it reaches the Auction House.

Strategy

1. Eternal Venom stacks on anyone hit by the serpents' venom abilities and does not fall off on its own. High stacks kill.
2. Ithraz's Ravenous Feast consumes Eternal Venom stacks. That is how high stacks get cleared.
3. Vexhul's Caustic Deluge on her target forms Caustic Globules nearby. One player touching a globule takes it alone; left alone it bursts on the whole raid after 10 seconds.
4. Venomous Emergence hits everyone, adds Eternal Venom and calls Spawns of Vexhul that keep casting Corrosive Spit.
5. Stone Breaker must hit someone: if it strikes nobody, the whole raid takes the damage and a knockback. At 100 energy both serpents submerge and return attacking together.

Editorial summary by TheWoWDB, based on Adventure Guide mechanics as of build 12.1.5.70448.

By role

Changes by difficulty

Mythic adds 7 abilities found nowhere else in the journal: Blood Torrent, Barbed Bulwark, Rouse the Brood, Broodling of Ithraz, Visceral Burst, Tainted Blood, Tainted Burst.

Loot. 14 drops in the Adventure Guide. Tradeable: Pattern: Adorned Fang (no live US Auction House listing when this page was built).

Strategy

1. Restless Amani rise from the outer sarcophagi and walk to the Soulcoil Well. Each soul that reaches the well triggers Soulcoil Rite on the raid, and too many is lethal.
2. Essence Rend pulls several players in for 5 seconds, then knocks them away. A Latent Cultist spawns where each one ends.
3. At 50% health she retreats for the Ritual of Awakening and is immune while Echoes of Jawae tether her. Killing an Echo severs its tether.
4. Full energy brings Uncoiling and Uncoiled Rage: 150% more attack and movement speed, 500% more damage and taunt immunity.
5. Tanks take Hollowing Strikes, a stacking Shadow damage over time that also cuts healing received, and Possession Barrage, whose raid damage drops the farther each echo flies.

Editorial summary by TheWoWDB, based on Adventure Guide mechanics as of build 12.1.5.70448.

Phases: Stage One: Soulcoiler Initiation; Intermission: Ritual of Awakening; Stage Two: Uncoiling.

By role

Changes by difficulty

Mythic adds 6 abilities found nowhere else in the journal: Grasping Depths, Immortal Coil, Drowned Echo, Soulcoiler's Curse, Swirling Spirit, Soul Exhaustion.

Loot. 16 drops in the Adventure Guide. Every drop binds when picked up, so none of it reaches the Auction House.

Strategy

1. Mor'zahi uses Dark Whispers to control three tortollan explorers: Trader Gebbo, Scrollsage Iku and First Mate Nama.
2. Breaking his control makes Mor'zahi spend all his energy on Mor'zahi's Command, which repossesses the target with extra abilities. A Disgusting Fish from Gebbo's crates, thrown at a possessed tortollan, does exactly that.
3. Final Ascension is a slow cast that deals Deadly damage if Mor'zahi finishes it.
4. Nama gives the explorers United Defense when Iku and Gebbo both stand near him, so keep them apart.
5. When one explorer dies the others escalate: Gebbo swings Smashing Shovel with knockbacks and Iku casts Cataclysmic Invocation, a raid-wide Fire blast that grows every cast.

Editorial summary by TheWoWDB, based on Adventure Guide mechanics as of build 12.1.5.70448.

By role

Changes by difficulty

Loot. 14 drops in the Adventure Guide. Every drop binds when picked up, so none of it reaches the Auction House.

Strategy

1. Caustic Waves sweep the platform: Nature damage on impact plus a stacking 10-second damage over time in the path, and any egg a wave touches hatches at once.
2. Blightscale Spawn hatch into Blightscale Vipers when they touch venom, and every Viper that hatches hits all players with Putrid Membrane.
3. Ula'tek must always have someone in melee: Unchecked Rage hits the raid when she cannot melee, Gore Rattle does the same with Rattler Slam, and Mother's Wrath goes raid-wide if her target is out of reach.
4. Stage Two adds Doomscale Wardens. Their Writhing Gestation turns nearby Spawn into a Blightscale Clutch that grows stronger until it is broken.
5. Spectral Coils deal raid damage that drops with every player standing at the impact point. Stage Three adds Circling Prey and Serpent's Bite.

Editorial summary by TheWoWDB, based on Adventure Guide mechanics as of build 12.1.5.70448.

Phases: Stage One: Fury of the Serpent Mother; Stage Two: Children of the Doomscale; Intermission: The Shattering; Stage Three: Ula'tek's Ascension.

By role

Changes by difficulty

Mythic adds 13 abilities found nowhere else in the journal: Hardened, Noxious Shell, Noxious Splash, Rancid Yolk, Boiling Venom, Toxic Womb, Blightscale Wretch, Fester Burst, Toxic Incubation, Mother's Boon, Toxic Burn, Revenge, Slithering Clutch.

Loot. 18 drops in the Adventure Guide. Mythic only: Primeval Skyfriend, The Venomous Abyss Argent Trophy. Heroic and Mythic only: The Venomous Abyss Aureate Trophy. Every drop binds when picked up, so none of it reaches the Auction House.