Welcome, adventurers! I’m Librarian Husky, here to guide you through the depths of AQ40 in the Season of Discovery. This ancient temple is home to some of the most challenging encounters you’ll face, and with the introduction of the new Descent into Madness difficulty, your skills and coordination will be tested like never before. In this comprehensive guide, you’ll learn essential strategies, boss mechanics, and the most effective tactics to overcome every challenge AQ40 has to offer. Whether you’re a seasoned raider or a newcomer, this guide will prepare you to claim victory, secure powerful loot, and conquer the madness that awaits within. Let’s begin!

Descent into Madness: New Raid Difficulty

The new “Descent into Madness” difficulty in AQ40 introduces a unique system based on lives. Each time a player dies, one life is subtracted from the team’s total. If a full 20-player raid wipes, 20 lives will be lost. Lives can be replenished by defeating bosses, but if your total reaches zero, the raid will no longer receive bonus loot. To activate this mode, you must interact with an obelisk before each boss encounter. Missing the obelisk means forfeiting access to hard mode for that boss. A visible raid-wide debuff confirms hard mode is active.

Ending Your Hard Mode Run

If your team decides to end the hard mode run early and collect the accumulated bonus loot, you can ring a gong. It requires five players to activate, and once done, the raid will receive all the extra loot earned up to that point. This is useful if you feel your lives are too low to complete the raid. Checkpoints ensure you still receive some bonus loot even if the gong isn’t used. Strategic use of the gong can maximize loot collection while preserving raid progress.

Scarum Boss Strategy

Scarum presents several key challenges that require strategic crowd control and threat management. At 75%, 50%, and 25% health, Scarum will summon two images of himself. These images have less health but use the same abilities as Scarum. Warlocks should cast Curse of Tongues at the start to slow down Scarum’s Arcane Explosion, making it easier to interrupt. Players must react quickly to Scarum’s mind control, as mind-controlled raid members can be accidentally killed if crowd control is not applied fast enough.

Boss Mechanics Overview

During the fight, Scarum will periodically teleport, causing a complete threat reset. Tanks must quickly re-establish aggro, and DPS should hold back to avoid pulling threat. Scarum can also cast Earth Shock, which can interrupt spellcasting, so casters should plan their rotations accordingly. Proper positioning and threat management are crucial to handling this encounter effectively.

New Mechanics and Strategies

The new mechanic in this fight introduces eye tentacles that spawn beneath player locations, causing an Arcane Explosion. To avoid this, players should remain spread out. These explosions deal significant damage and can be deadly if multiple players are struck at once. Awareness and positioning are essential to surviving this new addition to the encounter.

Bug Trio Strategy

The Bug Trio encounter changes based on the order in which the bugs are killed. The easiest kill order is Cre first, followed by Ya, and finally Vim. Killing them in a different order will increase the fight’s difficulty. Each bug has unique abilities that must be managed during the encounter, and if one bug dies, the remaining two heal to full health, so single-target focus is critical.

Specific Bug Strategies

When fighting Ya, prioritize interrupting their heals. Watch for their AOE fear, which will drop threat and disrupt positioning. Ya can also dispel debuffs from the other bugs. When Ya dies, it spawns additional adds. These should be dealt with using AOE abilities before they can overwhelm the raid.

Handling Them

Them will frequently knock back and charge random players, forcing constant repositioning. Vim stuns the tank and nearby allies, so it’s recommended to have a mobile tank assigned to him. Killing Them last will cause it to Berserk, increasing its attack speed and damage. Proper tank positioning and focus target calls are crucial to overcoming this encounter.

Battle Guard Sartura Strategy

Sartura is accompanied by several adds that must be dealt with before focusing on the boss. The adds whirl and knock back players, disrupting positioning. Players should avoid standing directly in front of Sartura, as her Sundering Cleave can hit multiple targets. Strategic crowd control and cleave management are essential to success.

Managing Sartura’s Abilities

Sartura will periodically Whirlwind, dealing high damage and dropping threat. Tanks should conserve stuns and interrupts like Kidney Shot to maintain Sartura’s positioning. Melee DPS should step back during Whirlwind to avoid unnecessary damage. Using items like Limited Invulnerability Potions (LIPs) is possible but risky due to the large amount of incoming raid damage.

Final Phase and Raid-Wide Curse

When Sartura’s health reaches 25%, she enrages, dealing significantly more damage. It’s critical to use defensive cooldowns during this phase. A new raid-wide curse mechanic also begins, impacting all bosses if hard mode is maintained. Healers must be prepared to dispel or heal through this effect as it persists for the remainder of the raid.

Viscidus Encounter Strategy

Viscidus requires preparation in the form of nature resistance gear and Greater Nature Protection Potions. The boss casts Poison Bolt Volley and creates toxic clouds that slow players. Players should avoid standing in the cloud and spread out to reduce the impact of the random nature damage pulses.

Fight Mechanics Overview

Players must remain 5 to 8 yards apart to avoid stacking nature damage pulses. The main mechanic of the fight revolves around freezing Viscidus. Players must use Cold-based weapons or spells to freeze him. Once frozen, players must shatter Viscidus by landing auto-attacks until it breaks into multiple globs, which must be quickly AOE’d down.

Shatter Strategy

After Viscidus is shattered, the raid can choose to freeze him again or burn him down. If his health is above 30%, it is recommended to freeze him again. If his health is lower than 30%, it may be more efficient to burn him. The decision depends on the raid’s DPS and available cooldowns. Proper planning ensures the fastest kill.