SoD Phase 6: Temple of Ahn'Qiraj (AQ40) Guide

As part of the ongoing updates in World of Warcraft Classic: Season of Discovery (SoD), Phase 6 is bringing a series of changes and reworks to the classic content, including the Temple of Ahn'Qiraj (AQ40) raid. In this new phase, AQ40 is no longer the 40-player raid it once was, but has been reimagined as a 20-player flex raid, bringing new challenges, loot opportunities, and adjustments to the raid's difficulty. Introducing the Descent into Madness difficulty system allows players to choose how difficult they want their raid experience to be, with corresponding rewards that reflect the level of challenge.

AQ40 has always been a defining raid in World of Warcraft, and the changes introduced in Phase 6 of Season of Discovery are sure to offer both a familiar and entirely new experience for players. The raid will be available on the Public Test Realm

(PTR) starting November 6

, with the official

release slated for November 21

, 2024.

If you are looking to conquer the horrors of the Temple of Ahn'Qiraj, here's everything you need to know about the updated mechanics, loot, and encounter strategies in AQ40 for Season of Discovery Phase 6.

One of the most significant changes in Season of Discovery Phase 6 is the switch from the traditional 40-player raid format to a 20-player flex format. This change provides more flexibility for groups, allowing them to scale the raid size within a certain range. While some may mourn the loss of the traditional 40-player experience, this flex system ensures fewer players are required to organize a raid, making it easier for players to join up and experience AQ40 without needing large-scale guilds.

The new format also means that the mechanics of each encounter and trash mobs have been adjusted to accommodate fewer players. While the fights retain the core elements that make AQ40 iconic, they now require more careful coordination between raid members, as each individual will have a greater impact on the success of the encounter.

Loot in AQ40 will still be familiar to those who've played it in Classic WoW, but with some adjustments to fit the new flex raid format and difficulty system. The raid continues to feature a variety of item drops, including tier sets and weapons, but now there's a catch: the loot is tied to the Descent into Madness system, a difficulty modifier that allows your raid to adjust how challenging the bosses are, and by extension, how good the rewards will be.

The Descent into Madness mechanic allows raid groups to increase the difficulty of each AQ40 boss in exchange for bonus rewards. This system adds an extra layer of strategy to the raid, letting teams tailor the challenge to their desired level of difficulty.

Opting into the Challenge: Before engaging the first boss, raid groups must choose to activate the Descent into Madness system. This locks the raid into a harder mode for every subsequent boss encounter.

Challenge and Coordination: Once activated, the difficulty of the bosses is increased, requiring even more coordination, skill, and precise execution from the raid team. The bosses gain new abilities, become more resistant to damage, and have additional mechanics to deal with.

Bonus Loot: Each boss kill with the Descent into Madness mode activated unlocks a special bonus chest. This chest contains additional loot, typically cosmetic items, though it can also feature useful gear that complements the normal drops from the bosses.

Checkpoint System: To ease the risk of going for higher rewards, AQ40 has a checkpoint system. If a raid fails after defeating a boss but before reaching another checkpoint, they will still receive the loot from the bonus chests they unlocked up to their last checkpoint.

Cosmetic Focus: While the rewards from the bonus chests are an enticing incentive, Blizzard has clarified that these items are cosmetic and will not affect the balance of gameplay.

Prophet Skaram, the first major boss in AQ40, serves as a test of coordination and awareness. His core mechanic revolves around mind control, but with Descent into Madness mode, Skaram has been adjusted to provide an additional layer of challenge.

Mind Control: Skaram can mind control players, and in Phase 6, this mechanic is now more frequent and can occur in quick succession on higher difficulties. The Descent into Madness system makes this mechanic more devastating on Nightmare difficulty, where players may have to deal with multiple controlled players at once.

Add Spawn: Small mobs (known as Prophet's Remains) will spawn throughout the fight. These adds deal significant damage if not handled quickly.

Skaram's Empowerment: On higher difficulties, Skaram's Empowerment ability will buff nearby adds, causing them to deal increased damage or heal Skaram, adding pressure on the raid to burst down enemies quickly.

- Assign specific players to interrupt or break free mind-controlled characters. Expect more frequent mind control and extra adds on higher difficulties, so assign secondary healers or crowd control specialists to handle the adds.

- DPS should be ready to take down Prophet's Remains quickly adds as they spawn. Assign off-tanks if needed to prevent them from overwhelming the raid.

- Be mindful of your positioning to avoid clustering too many players together. Skaram's Empowerment can be devastating if adds buff him, so spread out when possible.

Sartura's fight has a few additional mechanics with the flex format, but her core abilities revolve around her whirlwind, poison attacks, and adds. The Descent into Madness difficulty increases her damage output and the frequency of her adds.

Whirlwind: Sartura will frequently use her whirlwind ability, dealing massive physical damage to players in her path. This ability becomes more frequent on higher difficulties.

Poison Clouds: Sartura will summon poison clouds that linger in areas of the room. These clouds can significantly reduce healing output and deal damage over time.

Summon Adds: Adds called Royal Wasps will spawn during the fight. These adds deal significant damage to non-tank players and must be quickly controlled or killed.

- The tank should be positioned so that Sartura's whirlwind does not hit too many players at once. Make sure to rotate tanks and spread the aggro to avoid tank deaths.

- Use poison resistance potions or gear. Players should also spread out enough to prevent the poison clouds from hitting too many members at once.

- Assign specific players to handle the adds, ideally hunters or warlocks who can CC or kite them. If the Royal Wasps are left unchecked, they will overwhelm your raid.

Fankriss' fight is a long and challenging encounter due to his many add phases and damage mechanics. The Descent into Madness difficulty increases the number of adds and introduces a new mechanic where Fankriss can reduce healing effectiveness.

Devourer's Call: Fankriss will summon additional devourer adds, which deal significant damage and need to be quickly killed. On higher difficulties, the adds will become stronger and more numerous.

Venomous Spit: Fankriss will spit venom at random players, applying a poison debuff that deals damage over time. At higher difficulties, this poison can spread, affecting multiple players.

Enrage Mechanic: Fankriss will increase his damage output as the fight progresses. If not killed quickly, he will enter an enrage phase that drastically increases his damage.

- Fankriss spawns multiple Devourer adds during the fight. Keep one or two players focused on managing the adds through crowd control or by quickly killing them.

- Healers should be prepared for a heavy amount of poison healing. Use poison cleanses or focus on keeping players who are hit by the venom alive. At higher difficulties, make sure to spread out to prevent the poison from chaining.

- Keeping up the pressure and killing Fankriss before his enrage phase is essential. Use all cooldowns during his enrage phase to push through it quickly.

Viscidus is one of the most iconic bosses in AQ40. His fight revolves around freezing him with frost attacks, but his mechanics are altered in Season of Discovery to be more challenging due to the increased number of adds and more frequent Corrosive Slime spawns.

Slime Adds: Viscidus will spawn slime adds during the fight. These adds can overwhelm the raid if not properly handled. On higher difficulties, the adds spawn faster and in greater numbers.

Freeze Mechanic: To damage Viscidus, players must freeze him by using frost-based attacks. Viscidus needs more frequent and powerful frost attacks at higher difficulties to freeze him. If not frozen, he cannot be damaged.

Corrosive Slime: Viscidus occasionally summons Corrosive Slime, which deals damage over time and reduces healing received by affected players.

- Ensure that your raid has significant frost damage, especially on higher difficulties where you need to freeze Viscidus more quickly.

- Assign one or two players specifically to managing the slime adds. These adds should be quickly killed before they can overwhelm the raid.

- Spread out during Viscidus' Corrosive Slime phase to avoid multiple players being affected by the same slime pool.

Princess Huhuran's encounter revolves around poison mechanics and her ability to summon powerful insect adds. With the new Descent into Madness difficulty, Huhuran's poison debuffs and adds become more dangerous.

Poison Breath: Huhuran periodically casts a poison breath that applies a heavy debuff to players in its path. On higher difficulties, this debuff will be harder to cleanse and will deal more damage.

Summon Adds: Huhuran will summon powerful insect adds, which deal high damage and need to be controlled or killed quickly.

Enrage Phase: At 30% health, Huhuran will enter an enrage phase, increasing her attack speed and damage output.

- Make sure your healers are ready to handle the poison debuff. Use poison resistance gear or potions to mitigate the damage.

- Huhuran's insect adds can overwhelm the raid if not handled quickly. Assign a tank to each add and have ranged DPS take down the adds before they can do significant damage.

- Use cooldowns as soon as Huhuran enters her enrage phase to finish her off before the damage output becomes unmanageable quickly.

The Twin Emperors fight is one of the most challenging in AQ40, requiring perfect coordination between your raid members. The Descent into Madness difficulty amplifies their abilities, making the encounter even more complex.

- The hardest part of the Twin Emperors fight is managing both bosses at once. Ensure that each tank is assigned to a specific emperor and that all DPS focus on the correct target at the right time.

- Like most other bosses in AQ40, adds must be dealt with immediately. Assign off-tanks to take care of the adds while the DPS focus on the emperors.

- After the teleportation phase, be ready to reposition quickly. The raid needs to move quickly to avoid overlap and confusion.

C'Thun is the final boss of AQ40, and his fight is one of the most iconic in World of Warcraft. The mechanics have been made even more challenging in Season of Discovery with Descent into Madness, where players face even more devastating abilities.

Eye Tentacles: C'Thun will summon Eye Tentacles that need to be destroyed to prevent them from casting powerful spells. The Eye Tentacles spawn faster on higher difficulties, and their health pools are higher.

Claw Tentacles: These tentacles deal massive damage and must be tanked away from the raid. If left unchecked, they will destroy players in seconds.

Phase Transition: C'Thun will enter an additional phase at 30% health, where he spawns a C'Thun's Gaze ability that deals massive damage. This damage is lethal at Nightmare difficulty unless players destroy the Eye Tentacles quickly.

- Assign ranged DPS to focus entirely on destroying the Eye Tentacles as soon as they spawn.

- The raid should always be prepared for multiple Claw Tentacles to spawn during the fight. Tanks need to have strong positioning to manage multiple targets at once.

- Players need to move quickly and destroy the Eye Tentacles as soon as they spawn to prevent the raid from being wiped by C'Thun's gaze. Use cooldowns as necessary.

World of Warcraft: Season of Discovery Phase 6's Temple of Ahn'Qiraj raid is a challenging and dynamic experience, featuring reworked bosses, new mechanics, and a whole new difficulty system. By adjusting your strategies to the new Descent into Madness mechanics and using the 20-player flex raid format, you'll be able to tackle some of the most iconic encounters in WoW with a fresh and thrilling perspective.

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