Naxxramas, the floating necropolis of Kel'Thuzad, looms over the Eastern Plaguelands in Season of Discovery Phase 7, which drops on 6 February 2025. This 20-person raid (scalable to 40) is the ultimate test of WoW Classic - five wings packed with revamped bosses, new mechanics, and Tier 3 loot that'll make your guild drool. But it's not all nostalgia; the Empower system ramps up the challenge and rewards. Whether you're a hardcore raider chasing parses or just here for the epic loot, this guide breaks down each boss fight into bite-sized, actionable steps. Let's dive into the chaos and come out on top.
The Empower System: Difficulty done right
Before you even start collecting garbage, Naxxramas throws you a curveball: the Empower System. At the centre of the raid, four orbs - one per wing - allow you to increase the difficulty level. Here's how it works:
Activate orbs:
Each orb boosts the health and damage of all bosses - think 1 orb for a warm-up, 4 for a nightmare.
Lock them in:
Talk to the central NPC, spawn the Burning Conduit and interact. You'll get a debuff (less dodge, more hit) that scales with orbs.
Wing specific mechanics:
Arachnid: Exploding eggs will knock you back - watch your footing.
Plague: Mushrooms grant speed but boost natural damage - stack wisely.
Military: Emote prompts (such as /dance) buff damage/healing or scare you - pay attention.
Construction: Overcharge debuffs blast AOE but speed you up - spread out.
Rewards:
More orbs, more loot. Crank it up when your squad is geared.
You can tweak orbs mid-run (15-minute cooldown), so test your limits without committing to a wipe-fest. Now on to the bosses - starting with the creepy crawlies.
Arachnid Quarter: Spiders and Scarabs
1.Anub'Rekhan:
Tactics: Two tanks on adds (face them away - rip hurts). Focus adds first - they stack poison and root melee (free action potion clutch). AOE corpse scarabs when adds drop.
Key Moves: Spread for Impale (air knockdown + drop damage). Max range locust swarm kite with speed pots or Aspect of the Pack.
Pro Tip: Save CDs for Scarab Waves - don't let them swarm.
2.Grand Widow Faerlina:
Tactics: Kill followers first (they will shut down/charge). Mind control worshippers with a priest to use Widow's Embrace when she gets angry (every 60s).
Key Moves: Dispel Poison Bolt Volley. Dodge Rain of Fire.
Pro Tip: Time MC Swap - Enrage is a DPS check.
3.Maexxna:
Tactics: Face her away (Poison Shock is frontal). Break web wrapped players quickly. AOE spiderlings (every 40s).
Key Moves: Web Spray stuns all for 8s - use Petrification or Rogue Vanish to dodge. Enrage at 30% - maintain DPS when spray is near, then burn.
Pro Tip: Druid Abolish Poison on tank counters Necrotic Poison's healing debuff.
Plague Quarter: Disease and Dance Floors
4.Noth the Plaguebringer:
Tactic: Decurse Plaguebringer's Curse as soon as possible. Watch Threat after Blink (hits nearby players - dispel tank first).
Key Moves: Face Warrior cleaves away. Stun/Focus Guardian (Arcane Explosion). Champions hit with Mortal Strike/Shadow Shock - burn them.
Pro Tip: Spread out - Blink is a wipe magnet when clumped.
5.Heigan the Unclean:
Tactics: Chase boss in melee, casters/healers on platform (avoid mana burn). Quickly heal Decrepit Fever.
Key Moves: Eruption dance move 1 > 2 > 3 > 4 > 3 > 2 > 1 after each burst. After teleporting, return the gauntlet (hug right, kick mind flays).
Pro tip: End on 3, sprint to 1 after dance-lag kills here.
6.Loatheb:
Tactic: Necrotic Aura blocks healing for 17 - use Shield (Powerword: Shield) on tank. Poison Aura ticks - Judgement of Light or totems help.
Key Moves: Reapply Curses every 30s (Loatheb erases them). Inevitable Doom (3-5k Shadow damage every 30s after 2 min) - DPS race. Spore Buff - Rotate 5-player groups, stay close to grab Haste.
Pro tip: Coordinate spore pops - maximise uptime, minimise wipes.
Construct Quarter: Big Bois and Slime
7.Patchwerk:
Tactics: Main tank + 1-2 off-tanks soak Hateful Strike (hits highest HP, second on threat in melee). Soak in slime to lower HP as a DPS - don't eat strikes.
Key Moves: Enrage at 5% - Pop CDs and Burst.
Pro Tip: Off-tanks are safety nets - keep them on top.
8.Grobbulus:
Tactics: Move the boss as poison clouds grow beneath him. Run out of Mutating Injection - Dispel drops a cloud.
Key Moves: Slime Spray (Frontal) - Tank only, spawns slime per hit.
Pro Tip: Kite Clean - clouds stack quickly.
9.Gluth:
Tactic: Tank by the door. Hunters Tranq Frenzy (every 10s). Swap tanks at 4-5 Mortal Wound stacks (healing reduction).
Key Moves: Fear every 20s - casters out of range (20 yards). Kite Zombie Chows with Frost Traps. Decimate all down to 5% HP AOE chows, pop tank CDs.
Pro tip: Chow Kiter's key - don't let them heal Gluth.
10.Thaddius:
Tactic: Split raid tank/healer per side. Kill Feugen (mana burn, 30 yards) and Stalagg (cast on him). Magnetic Pull switches tanks every 20s - watch for Warstomp knockback.
Key Moves: Polarity Shift - stack positive (right) or negative (left). Wrong side = one-shot. Chain Lightning - keeps the raid on top.
Pro Tip: Portal right = positive. Check debuff often.
Military Quarter: Mind Games and Horsemen
11.Instructor Razuvious:
Tactics: Two priests mind control underlings. MC one, taunt Razuvious into the cubby, stay in range of the healer. Change MC before he drops (second Priest taunt early).
Key Moves: LOS disrupting shout (mana user). Tanks keep open substitutes safe.
Pro Tip: One button macro for MC/taunt positioning is everything.
12.Gothik the Harvester:
Tactics: Split raid range on the living side (Horsemen > Death Knights > Apprentices), melee on the undead (Apprentices > Horsemen > Death Knights > Horses).
Key Moves: Gothik spawns after trash. Shadow bolt increases. Harvest Soul (every 15s) is a DPS race - gates open at 30%.
Pro tip: CC adds - don't let them pile up.
13.Four Horsemen:
Tactics:2-3 tanks, 3-4 healers. Shadow priests (or caster DPS + healer) soak Blaumeux/Zeliek Marks in the back (self-heal with Vampiric Embrace). Burn Thane (stack for Meteor). Swap at 3-4 Marks - centre safe zone resets stacks.
Key Moves: Mograine's Righteous Fire (fire autos), Zeliek's Holy Fury (jumps, doubles damage), Blaumeux's Void Zones - dodge pucks.
Pro tip: Melee on Blaumeux - safe swap at 3 marks, burn fast.
Frostwyrm Lair: The Big Two (TBD)
14.Sapphiron & Kel'Thuzad:
Note: Hardest difficulty unclear - mechanics to be announced. Expect frost resist for Sapphiron, multi-phase chaos for KT. Full Guidepost clear - stay tuned!
Pro tip: Stack consumes, frost gear - don't sleep on preparation.
Quick hooks to keep you sharp
One missed dance step or late decurse can wipe you out - but nail these fights and Tier 3 is yours. Get in, get good, and get geared!
Thanks for reading
Naxxramas in SoD Phase 7 is a beast - spiders, plagues, ogres, and a lich lord await. Master these strategies, synchronise with your raid, and turn chaos into victory. Time to claim your legend!