WoW Cataclysm Classic Halls of Origination guide: Boss tactics, loot drops, Heroic & more
Blizzard EntertainmentAbove all else, Halls of Origination is a thematically enthralling World of Warcraft dungeon. Taking players through the vast expanses of an immensely complex titan facility, here’s everything you need to know to beat it.
The scale of the dungeon is underscored by the fact that there are seven bosses for players to defeat. That said, four of them are technically optional, though well worth pursuing for the loot they can drop.
Halls of Origination is an endgame dungeon that unlocks at Level 84, and it should present a fair challenge to players during their journey. The Heroic version also comes with some nasty surprises for the unprepared that can quickly wipe any run.
Halls of Origination entrance location
In Cataclysm Classic, the Halls of Origination can be found in Uldum, almost directly North of the Vortex Pinnacle. Most players will come across the entrance during the quest, particularly during the Harrison Jones questlines (which take place almost entirely in the area surrounding the dungeon).
Boss encounters guide
Boss One: Temple Guardian Anhuur
Blizzard EntertainmentThe first of a staggering seven bosses in the Halls of Origination is Temple Guardian Anhuur. Fortunately, it’s also a relatively gentle introduction to how the dungeon will play out.
Burning Light is an area-of-effect attack that players must avoid. At the same time, Anhuur will place a Divine Reckoning on a random player. This deals significant damage to the player and heals the boss for 5x that amount, so it’s vital to dispel it before the reckoning expires.
The other major abilities to be aware of are Shield of Light and Reverberating Hymn. At 66% and 33% health, Anhuur will gain a full absorb shield and begin channeling. Two players need to head to either side of the room to activate the levers, with one aggroing the Pit Vipers, who will otherwise interrupt the other player from using the levers.
From there, it should be a case of cycling through the phases before taking the boss down.
Boss Two: Earthrager Ptah
Blizzard EntertainmentThe easiest fight in the dungeon is Earthrager Ptah, thanks to the simplicity of its mechanics and the relative ease of its damage and aggro checks.
Raging Smash is the major damaging effect to look out for, as it deals hefty damage to both the Tank and two other players in melee range.
At 50% health, the boss will disappear and summon adds. The Tank should pick these adds up quickly, and the DPS should burn them down, following which Ptah should reappear. During this time, there are also tornadoes and other environmental hazards to watch out for and avoid.
From there, it’s just a case of continuing to deal as much damage as possible while avoiding the melee cleave.
Boss Three: Anraphet
Blizzard EntertainmentAnraphet’s main ability is Alpha Beams, which targets a random player and deals damage in a 5-yard radius around them. As damage-dealing abilities go, they can be a little tricky to avoid, but it shouldn’t be too much of an issue once you get an idea of cast timings.
Tanks and Healers need to watch out for Nemesis Strike, which inflicts Shadow damage every two seconds for ten seconds. Dispel it quickly to keep the Tank at healthy levels. Additionally, the whole group will get hit by Omega Stance, dealing damage and slowing the party by 50%. Heal through this and remove the slowing effect where possible.
The biggest mechanic to look out for in this fight is Crumbling Ruin. This ability decreases the group’s health by 10%, stacking up to ten times. This will eventually spell guaranteed doom, with the whole encounter resting on whether the party can output enough damage to end it before the boss does.
Boss Four: The Constructs
Isiset
Blizzard EntertainmentThe Construct of Magic is arguably the toughest of the four to beat. The whole party needs to be aware of Supernova. When the boss is casting the spell, face away before it ends to avoid being disoriented.
Astral Rain is a significant AoE spell that the Healer is going to have to stay on top of, thanks to the large area it works within. Additional Celestial Familiars must be dealt with quickly and efficiently to stay on top of boss damage.
At 66% health and 33% health, Isiset will split into several familiars, all of which are associated with a specific ability. The boss will no longer be able to cast the ability of the familiar that the party kills, but the other abilities will become empowered.
Ammunae
Blizzard EntertainmentTo defeat Ammunae, one DPS role needs to stay on top of Seedling Pods, which spawn with regularity throughout the fight. These need to be killed quickly to prevent them from unleashing a stacked heal on the boss that will make killing it very difficult.
Those pods can also be turned into Bloodpetal Blossoms which deal impressive damage in their own right. Kill these quickly if the boss manages to spawn some.
Setesh
Setesh has several tough abilities that can quickly wipe parties if not managed properly. Chaos Bolt is targeted at random players in lieu of a melee attack. There is little that can be done to mitigate this damage, so Healers will need to remain aware of who has been hit.
The main thing to do in this fight is to pay attention to where Setesh has summoned portals. These portals will start to summon adds very quickly, and it can become a major issue, so it’s the job of the DPS to destroy the portals as promptly as possible.
Also, be aware of the Seeds of Chaos on the floor. Stand near these and wait for them to explode. Though you will take some damage, it grants a major 15-second boost to outgoing damage and is well worth picking up.
Rajh
Blizzard EntertainmentIn one of the more interesting fights in the dungeon, Rajh starts the fight with 100 energy that he uses to cast his abilities. When this is fully depleted, he will head to the center of the room to recharge and begin casting a very large AoE that can be tough to heal through.
To avoid this, try to keep his energy meter up by interrupting as many of his abilities as possible. Both Inferno Leap and Summon Sun Orb can be interrupted and should be at every available opportunity.
Halls of Origination gear drops & loot
Though there aren’t any really incredible unique drops like mounts, Halls of Origination has some excellent gearing choices for all classes. In particular, there are some solid options in slots that can be tricky to fill in other Cataclysm dungeons.
Temple Guardian Anhuur
- Anhuur’s Hymnal
- Awakening Footfalls
- Belt of Petrified Tears
- Darkhowl Amulet
- Poison Fang Bracers
Earthrager Ptah
- Breastplate of the Risen Land
- Bulwark of the Primordial Mound
- Mouth of the Earth
- Soul Releaser
- Underworld Cord
Anraphet
- Alpha Bracers
- Anraphet’s Regalia
- Boots of Crumbling Ruin
- Mantle of Soft Shadows
- Omega Breastplate
Setesh
- Chaotic Wrappings
- Helm of Setesh
- Helm of the Typhonic Beast
- Hieroglyphic Vest
- Scepter of Power
Ammunae
- Band of Life Energy
- Bloodpetal Mantle
- Robes of Rampant Growth
- Seedling Pod
Isiset
- Armguards of Unearthly Light
- Blood of Isiset
- Legwraps of Astral Rain
- Nova Band
- Ring of Blinding Stars
Rajh
- Band of Rays
- Blade of the Burning Sun
- Fingers of Light
- Hekatic Slippers
- Left Eye of Rajh
- Legguards of Noon
- Red Beam Cord
- Right Eye of Rajh
- Solar Wind Cloak
- Sun Strike
Heroic Halls of Origination guide
Temple Guardian Anhuur: The main difference in Heroic difficulty for Anhuur comes when players go to deactivate his shields using the levers. This now takes ten seconds, rather than eight, and more vipers for potential interrupts will spawn around their location.
Earthrager Ptah: Earthrager Ptah has two major differences here. The first is that Flame Bolt inflicts damage every second to three players, rather than the usual two on Normal difficulty. The other change is that a sand tornado forms when Ptah hits 50% health, moving across the battlefield for the remainder of the fight, dealing damage and knocking players back.
Anraphet: Anraphet’s Alpha Beams now deal more damage on hit and leave behind a scorched area. This area will remain for the rest of the fight and continue to deal damage to players who stand in it.
Setesh: On Heroic difficulty, the most notable change for Setesh centers on his Chaos Portal ability. Players will have to manually close these by destroying them, as they will no longer close themselves. After the portal opens, a Void Sentinel appears, followed by two Void Wurms six seconds later. This cycle continues and can quickly get out of hand if not addressed.
Ammunae: On Heroic mode, the Seedling Pods will spawn more frequently. These also heal the boss on this difficulty, so destroying them as quickly as possible is essential.
Isiset: Isiset remains largely unchanged in Heroic. Instead, all of the existing abilities hit a lot harder and need to be mitigated.
Rajh: Rajh’s ability Solar Winds is the big change here. The tornado will leave marks on the ground for the remainder of the fight that damage players. In addition, it follows a random player around at different intervals. Keep the boss at the edge of the room where possible, to make fighting him at the center easier when he goes to recharge.
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