WoW Cataclysm Classic Throne of the Tides guide: Boss tactics, loot, Heroic & more

Throne of the Tides is a World of Warcraft: Cataclysm dungeon that marks a nice change from the fire and destruction of its immediate peers. With some interesting boss encounters and worthwhile loot, here’s everything you need to know about beating it.

As with the zone the dungeon is found in, Throne of the Tides’ distinct underwater theme includes iconic enemies like the Naga and Faceless Ones. Building on that solid foundation with some impressive rewards should make it worth farming early in Cataclysm Classic.

It is also perfectly suited to players from Level 80 onwards and will play a significant role in leveling. Alongside Blackrock Caverns, it should form the backbone of dungeon runs in the early game.

Throne of the Tides entrance location

Access to the zone containing Throne of the Tides is unlocked during the Vashj’ir questline, which starts with the quest A Personal Summons for Horde and Alliance. This requires the player to speak to Farseer Krogar or Naraat, the Earthspeaker in Orgrimmar or Stormwind, respectively.

From there, the entrance to the dungeon can be found in the North East of the Abyssal Depths, in the area labeled as the Abyssal Breach on player maps.

Boss encounters guide

Boss One: Lady Naz’jar

Lady Naz’jar gets the dungeon off to a relatively simple start, allowing the group to get into the swing of things. Fungal Spores and Summon Geyser are two of the boss’s main attacks that require players to pay attention to cues on the floor. Look out for the Spores landing zones and the spawn point of the Geysers, then move away. Both are relatively easy to avoid.

Her other attack is Shock Blast, which should be interrupted where possible. The final mechanic requires teamwork: the boss heads to the center of the room and channels Waterspout, summoning Naga. These should be controlled and damaged down as quickly as possible, as overwhelming numbers can quickly lead to a group wipe.

Boss Two: Commander Ulthok

Taking control of significant void powers and dark magic, Commander Ulthok hits hard. Thankfully, his mechanics are fairly simple. The first and biggest ability is Dark Fissure, which hits those in front of the boss. Thanks to the wind-up time, it is possible for everyone in the group to avoid it.

One factor to be aware of when avoiding Dark Fissure is Curse of Fatigue, which the boss will cast on random players. This is a significant slow that makes it easy to get caught out, so a curse dispel or careful play is useful when affected.

Ulthok will also randomly target players with Squeeze, extending out and grabbing a player before dealing damage. This cannot generally be avoided while in range, so the Healer will have to step in here to heal through it. The last element is a relatively weak enrage, that can either be removed by Hunters or largely ignored.

Boss Three: Erunak Stonespeaker & Mindbender Ghur’sha

This two-phase boss fight sees players take on each foe individually. Taking on Stonespeaker in the first phase, the major mechanic to watch out for is Earth Shards. These will be targeted at random players, and everyone should move out of the area of effect to avoid the significant damage it causes.

Otherwise, this is a fight that relies heavily on proactive action from the Healer and Tank. The latter needs to face the boss away from the group to prevent Magma Splash from causing damage to everyone. The other ability is Emberstrike, which will be cast on the Tank and needs to be removed by the Healer as quickly as possible.

Boss Four: Ozumat

With no less than three phases, Ozumat can be a tricky fight for groups who aren’t properly prepared. The first phase is defined by its adds, with three different types for players to keep up with. The general rule for doing this successfully is as follows:

• Deep Murloc Invaders – These can be very quickly burned down with most standard AoE rotations.
• Vicious Mindlashers – When these are killed, the second phase of the fight will begin. CC is key here as they do significant damage.
• Unyielding Behemoth – There are two options with the Behemoth. The first is simply to burn it down as quickly as possible. For those looking to claim the Prince of Tides achievement, the Behemoth needs to be tanked until the third phase when the group gets the Tidal Surge buff.

The second phase is marked by the arrival of three Faceless Sappers. These simply need to be killed to progress to the next phase and, thankfully, it is fairly easy to do so. Kite them around the room to take advantage of their slow speed and let your ranged DPS do the job.

The main ability to look out for here is Blight of Ozumat, where the huge Kraken pumps an inky substance into the room that does significant Shadow damage to the group. Burn it down as quickly as possible before the stacks become impossible to heal through. Aside from that, it’s a case of keeping the tank off and getting the boss’ health down to 10%, triggering the dungeon victory.

Throne of the Tides gear drops & loot

Lady Naz’jar

• Aurelian Mitre
• Entwined Nereis
• Lightning Whelk Axe
• Periwinkle Cloak
• Wrasse Handwraps

Commander Ulthok

• Caridean Epaulettes
• Cerith Spire Staff
• Chestplate of the Northern Lights
• Chromis Chestpiece
• Eagle Ray Cloak
• Harp Shell Pauldrons

Erunak Stonespeaker & Mindbender Ghur’sha

• Anomuran Helm
• Anthia’s Ring
• Decapod Slippers
• Porcelain Crab

Ozumat

• Abalone Plate Armor
• Bioluminescent Lamp
• Might of the Ocean
• Mnemiopsis Gloves
• Nautilus Ring
• Pipefish Cord
• Sea Star
• Triton Legplates
• Wentletrap Vest
• Whitefin Axe

Heroic Throne of the Tides guide

Lady Naz’jar: The main problem on Heroic comes during Lady Naz’jar’s Waterspout cast. During this, she will summon three adds that hit particularly hard on this difficulty. Focus on the Naz’jar Honor Guard and CC the other two until it is dead.

Commander Ulthok: Dark Fissure is the main problem in the Normal mode Ulthok fight and there’s no change when moving up to Heroic. After they have been cast, the Fissure will continue to grow on the floor and be much more difficult to avoid. It also hits a lot harder.

Erunak Stonespeaker & Mindbender Ghur’sha: The big change comes during the Mindbender Ghur’sha portion of the fight. They will leap onto the player and try to Enslave them, charming them until they reach 50% health. In Heroic mode, this will kill the player unless interrupted.

Ozumat: There aren’t any major mechanical differences, but everything is tougher across the board. Each level of add is much more difficult to kill, and they do severe damage. Additionally, the final phase DPS race is a lot tighter for time.

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