Ascendant, Fortified

By RaiderIO — Feb 11 12:00 EST

Welcome to WEEK 22 of The War Within Season 1!

With the launch of Mythic+ Heatmaps, we bring you NEW ROUTES backed by data aggregated from millions of Mythic+ runs. Find the route you’re looking for below based on what others are doing at the same keystone level!

Bookmark The Weekly Route for our updates to top routes every Tuesday!

ARAK: Ara-Kara, City of Echoes

COT: City of Threads

DAWN: The Dawnbreaker

GB: Grim Batol

MISTS: Mists of Tirna Scithe

NW: The Necrotic Wake

SIEGE: Siege of Boralus

SV: The Stonevault

Ara-Kara, City of Echoes

Bloodlust Timings

Ixin, on cooldown, and Ki'katal

Notes

Choose this route if:

You’re looking for a safe and simple route for a PUG run with no voice comms
You want to do what people are accustomed to in the +2 to +11 range (see Mythic+ Heatmap)

Bloodlust Timings

Ixin, on cooldown, and Ki'katal

Notes

Choose this route if:

Good for keystone levels +12 and up or in any coordinated group (voice comms, friends, etc.)
You want to get get used to doing the route used in most +14 to +17 keystones
You have the right class(es) to skip towards Anub’zekt.

Bloodlust Timings

Ixin, on cooldown, and Ki'katal

Notes

Choose this route if:

You want to practice what is being performed in +18s (see Mythic+ Heatmap) so that you’re ready for the top route 1 keystone level early
You have a coordinated team and voice comms

DISPELS TO BRING	ELIGIBLE CLASSES
Poison Dispel	Druids Evoker Monk Paladin Shaman

Aiming to skip the final pack of trash towards Anub’zekt? Watch the video below to learn how and what class(es) you need to bring to your group to pull it off:

City of Threads

Bloodlust Timings

Orator Krix’vizk, Fangs of the Queen, and Izo, The Grand Splicer

Notes

Choose this route if:

You just want to do a quickly weekly keystone for your Great Vault rewards
You do not have a Priest, Rogue, or Engineer to make use of the Eyes of the Queen buffs
You do not have a Priest (Mind Soothe) or non-combat CC from a Rogue (Sap), Evoker (Sleepwalk), Demon Hunter (Imprison) to walk around the left side towards first boss
You are not in voice comms / prefer to do something simple and safe (see Mythic+ Heatmap)

Bloodlust Timings

Orator Krix’vizk, Fangs of the Queen, and Izo, The Grand Splicer

Notes

Choose this route if:

You’re looking to save time and maximize the Eyes of the Queen buffs
Good for keystone levels +12 and up or in any coordinated group (voice comms, friends, etc.)
You have a Priest (Mind Soothe) or non-combat CC from a Rogue (Sap), Evoker (Sleepwalk), Demon Hunter (Imprison) to walk around the left side towards the first boss
You want a route that players start using in +14s and up so that you’re ready for higher key routes later on (see Mythic+ Heatmap)

Bloodlust Timings

Orator Krix’vizk, Fangs of the Queen, and Izo, The Grand Splicer

Notes

Choose this route if:

You want to replicate what some of the highest key pushing groups are doing in +16s and up (see Mythic+ Heatmap)

Requirements:

Priest, Augmentation Evoker, and/or Rogue for skips, Eyes of the Queen buffs, and to survive the scaling of enemies in higher keys

DISPELS TO BRING	ELIGIBLE CLASSES
Poison Dispel	Druids Evoker Monk Paladin Shaman

Want to know how to weave around packs and grab the Shadecaster buffs in the routes +12 and up shown above? Here’s a quick tutorial:

The Dawnbreaker

Bloodlust Timings

Second pull, Deathscreamer Iken’tak, Rasha’nan on the 2nd set of 2-min DPS Cooldowns when you’ve flown to the final area on the ground

Notes

How to use this route:

Use this route verbatim if you have a coordinated group comfortable with large pulls. If you are in a PUG or a lower key, simply pull the same mobs as shown but split up the pulls in whatever way is best for you and use Bloodlust on packs that are most dangerous. Remember that you can change the order of pulls to use Bloodlust on the hardest packs for your group!
This route is what some of the highest key pushing groups are doing in +16s and up (see Mythic+ Heatmap).

Unsure of where to fly and how to manage your cooldowns in a high Dawnbreaker key? Watch Katsa’s vod below of a +18:

DISPELS TO BRING	ELIGIBLE CLASSES
Curse Dispel	Druid Evoker Mage Shaman

Grim Batol

Bloodlust Timings

First pull, Forgemaster Throngus, and Erudax

Notes

Choose this route if:

You’re looking for the most straightforward route in Grim Batol and aren’t worried about maximizing your time
You are not in voice comms

Bloodlust Timings

First pull, Forgemaster Throngus, and Erudax

Notes

Choose this route if:

You’re doing a keystone level +12 and up or in any coordinated group (voice comms, friends, etc.)

DISPELS TO BRING	ELIGIBLE CLASSES
Curse Dispel	Druid Evoker Mage Shaman
De-Enrage Ability	Druid Evoker Hunter Monk Rogue

Near the beginning of the dungeon, you’ll free a Battered Red Drake and ride it through the trash up to the first boss. While on the drake, you only get two abilities: one with limited charges called Engulfing Flames, and another you can use an unlimited number of times during flight called Searing Ember. Be sure that your group has a plan to maximize each of your 5 charges of Engulfing Flames!

For those of you who are dedicated puggers, you may want to consider the Grim Batol Flight Sim weakaura we featured in a recent RIO Snapshot, as it may help you avoid overkilling trash with your drake:

Mists of Tirna Scithe

Bloodlust Timings

Ingra Maloch (once Droman Oulfarran is free), Mistcaller, and Tred'ova

Notes

Choose this route if:

You prefer not to skip the first Staghorn pack after the waterfall
You are not in voice comms / prefer to do something simple and safe (up to keystone level +13)

Bloodlust Timings

Ingra Maloch (once Droman Oulfarran is free), Mistcaller, and Tred'ova

Notes

Choose this route if:

Good for keystone levels +14 and up or in any coordinated group (voice comms, friends, etc.)
You feel comfortable and trust your group to CC or Shroud and walk around the left side of the first Staghorn pack
You feel comfortable making up count with additional pulls after Tred’ova
You want to replicate what some of the highest key pushing groups are doing

DISPELS TO BRING	ELIGIBLE CLASSES
Poison Dispel	Druids Evoker Monk Paladin Shaman

Unsure of how to do the popular skip(s) in the +14 and up route above? Check out our RIO Snapshot:

The Necrotic Wake

Bloodlust Timings

First pull, Amarth, and Surgeon Stitchflesh after hooking him down from his stage.

Notes

Choose this route if:

You do not have a Priest (Mind Soothe) or non-combat CC from a Rogue (Sap), Evoker (Sleepwalk), Demon Hunter (Imprison) to skip Pull 6.
You are unfamiliar or still learning how to utilize the Flesh Crafters’ Throw Cleaver to help burn down key mobs in dangerous pulls.
You are not in voice comms / prefer to do something simple and safe

Bloodlust Timings

First pull, Amarth, and Surgeon Stitchflesh after hooking him down from his stage.

Notes

Choose this route if:

You are more comfortable with using the Flesh Crafters’ Throw Cleaver to help burn down key mobs in larger, more dangerous pulls.
Good for keystone levels +12 and up or in any coordinated group (voice comms, friends, etc.)
You have a Priest (Mind Soothe), Rogue, or non-combat CC from an Evoker (Sleepwalk) or Demon Hunter (Imprison) to skip the Zolramus Necromancer pack up the stairs from the first room.

Bloodlust Timings

First pull, large pull right before Amarth, and Surgeon Stitchflesh after hooking him down from his stage.

Notes

Choose this route if:

You have a coordinated group comfortable with large pulls.
You are very comfortable with Throw Cleaver cheese to burn down priority targets.
You want to replicate what some of the highest key pushing groups are doing in +16s and up.

Requirements:

Priest, Augmentation Evoker, and/or Rogue for skips.

DISPELS TO BRING	ELIGIBLE CLASSES
Disease Dispel	Evoker Monk Paladin Priest
De-Enrage Ability	Druid Evoker Hunter Monk Rogue

Necrotic Wake is one of the least forgiving dungeons in the Season 1 rotation. If you’re finding yourself frequently caught by some of the trickier boss mechanics in this dungeon, take a peek at our RIO Snapshot for some handy tips to net you a clean run through the Necropolis!

Siege of Boralus

Bloodlust Timings

Chopper Redhook, Dread Captain Lockwood, and Viq’Goth’s first Demolishing Terror

Notes

Choose this route if:

You do not wish to use an Invisibility Potion/do not have a Rogue.
You do not have a Demon Hunter (Glide), Evoker (Rescue, Glide), Shaman (Gust of Wind), or Warrior to jump from the boat to the top of the bridge and skip Pull 14.
You are not in voice comms / prefer to do something simple and safe (up to keystone level +11)

Bloodlust Timings

Second pull, Dread Captain Lockwood, and Viq’Goth’s first Demolishing Terror

Notes

Choose this route if:

You’re looking to save time and start practicing some larger pulls at the beginning of the dungeon.
Good for keystone levels +12 and up or in any coordinated group (voice comms, friends, etc.)
You have Invis Potions, a Priest (Mind Soothe), Rogue (Sap), Evoker (Sleepwalk), Demon Hunter (Imprison), or a knockback to skip the large Spotter/Sniper pack before Hadal.

Bloodlust Timings

First pull, Dread Captain Lockwood (with trash if comfortable), and trash pull before Hadal Darkfathom.

Notes

Choose this route if:

You want to replicate what some of the highest key pushing groups are doing in +16s and up.

Requirements:

Invisibility Potions, Priest, Augmentation Evoker, and/or Rogue for skips.

DISPELS TO BRING	ELIGIBLE CLASSES
Curse Dispel	Druid Evoker Mage Shaman
Poison Dispel	Druids Evoker Monk Paladin Shaman

For a TL;DR on the first boss watch our short RIO Snapshot on this big oaf:

The Stonevault

Bloodlust Timings

First pull, Skarmorak, The Master Machinists, and Void Speaker Eirich

Notes

Choose this route if:

You are not in voice comms / prefer to do something simple and safe (up to keystone level +11)

Bloodlust Timings

First pull, Skarmorak, The Master Machinists, and Void Speaker Eirich

Notes

Choose this route if:

You’re looking to push keystone levels +12 and up or in any coordinated group (voice comms, friends, etc.)
You’re comfortable with some larger trash pulls and coordinated kicks/CCs.

Bloodlust Timings

First pull, Skarmorak, The Master Machinists, and Void Speaker Eirich

Notes

Choose this route if:

You want to replicate what some of the highest key pushing groups are doing in +16s and up.

Requirements:

Someone to do the skip towards the final boss, such as any Night Elf or a class with an invisibility threat drop like a Rogue Vanish, a Hunter Feign Death, a Priest Fade, or a Mage Invisibility.

DISPELS TO BRING	ELIGIBLE CLASSES
Curse Dispel	Druid Evoker Mage Shaman

Want to stop losing your tanks to the Seismic Smash? Watch the video below and have your Healer grab this handy Dispel Tank NOW! WeakAura!

Links

Explore Mythic+ Heatmaps and Raider.IO Stats
Learn about the Auto Route Creator
Race against completed runs with Mythic+ Replays
Download the Raider.IO Client

Go Premium on Raider.IO

About the Authors

VitaminP (VP) is the Content Manager of Raider.IO. VP holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration and has worked for Raider.IO since the formation of its News Section in November 2018. VP specializes in tanking classes and has loved doing competitive Mythic+ on and off since early Legion.

Gogogadgetkat has been playing WoW since late BC, and has been the GM of her guild Propaganda since its creation in 2014. As a career healer, Kat has a number of CEs and old-school heroic kills under her belt, all on a variety of healing classes and specs—she’s a serial altoholic! In addition to Mythic raiding and a little Mythic+, creating safe, inclusive spaces in gaming is her longtime passion; Kat has been an admin for the Perky Pugs community since late BfA, and is also a founding council member and the Executive Director for the DEIBAJ initiative VISAGE. She is excited to bring her wealth of experience and love of writing to the Raider.IO team.

Ascendant, Fortified

Table of Contents

First pull, Forgemaster Throngus, and Erudax

First pull, Forgemaster Throngus, and Erudax

Links

About the Authors