World of Warcraft: The War Within – Stonevault Mythic+ Dungeon Guide
Key Takeaways:
- Strategic Pulls and Crowd Control Are Essential – The Stonevault dungeon has challenging trash packs and difficult bosses that demand strategic planning, optimal crowd control, and precise timing.
- Master Boss-Specific Mechanics – Each boss has unique, intense mechanics, especially Skarmorak and the final boss, Void Speaker Eirich, requiring a solid understanding of when to heal, interrupt, and use defensive cooldowns.
- Utilize Buffs and Mitigation – Maximizing your group’s effectiveness requires picking up buffs like the Imbued Iron Bar and managing active mitigation skills for tank-busting abilities.
The Stonevault, nestled within the depths of The Ringing Deeps, is one of the key dungeons in World of Warcraft: The War Within. Known for its straightforward yet demanding route, the dungeon challenges players to prevent the Void-corrupted High Speaker Eirich from reclaiming power within the ancient Stonevault complex. This guide covers everything you need to conquer The Stonevault, from optimal routes and trash packs to boss strategies and essential loot.
Understanding The Stonevault’s Layout and Route Options
The Stonevault is a mostly linear dungeon, offering limited route variations. Due to its confined pathways, most groups will navigate the same general path through trash packs and bosses. Optimal routing depends on group composition, skill level, and comfort with pulls. Players can use the Mythic Dungeon Tools (MDT) addon to import route strings and customize their pull strategies.
Notable Route Variations
Due to the linear layout, routes generally differ in pull groupings, which can be adjusted based on group needs. Bloodlust/Heroism should be used at key points, notably at the start for an efficient first pull and during challenging bosses like Skarmorak and Master Machinists Brokk and Dorlita.
Trash Pulls and Key Abilities in The Stonevault
The Stonevault’s trash packs are formidable, often requiring precise interrupts, crowd control, and careful positioning to minimize damage. Here’s an overview of each section’s notable trash mobs and mechanics.
Notable Trash Before E.D.N.A
In the initial hallway, aim to engage G1, G2, and G3 mobs with Bloodlust/Heroism to expedite the pull. Depending on the group’s DPS and healer output, G5 and G4 can be combined for efficiency.
Key Trash Mechanics:
- Earth Infused Golems: Immune to crowd control and use Seismic Wave, a frontal attack requiring tank positioning to avoid group damage.
- Ghastly Voidsoul: Casts Howling Fear, a fear effect that should be interrupted to prevent group disarray.
- Cursedheart Invader: Applies Void Infection, dispellable by classes with curse dispels. Without dispel, use defensive cooldowns to survive overlaps.
- Repurposed Loaderbot: Leaps with Pulverizing Pounce, which is lethal if not avoided.
Boss: E.D.N.A
E.D.N.A is a healing-intensive boss, especially during phases with Volatile Spikes, Refracting Beam, and Earth Shatterer. Tanks should use major defensive cooldowns for Seismic Smash, which applies the Seismic Reverberation debuff.
Boss Mechanics:
- Volatile Spikes: Summons three spikes under players. Use Refracting Beam or Earth Shatterer to destroy them.
- Earth Shatterer: Destroys any Volatile Spikes and deals AoE damage. Healers need to manage DoT effects from spikes.
- Seismic Reverberation: Provides a damage reduction; healers should time dispels carefully to ensure tanks maintain this debuff for as long as possible.
The Path to Skarmorak: Handling Trash
After E.D.N.A, head left for Skarmorak, another challenging boss. Trash packs in this area include Void Bound Despoilers and Void Bound Howlers, which require attention to interrupts and group coordination.
Key Trash Mechanics:
- Void Bound Despoiler: Immune to CC, casts Void Outburst, requiring healing cooldowns.
- Void Bound Howler: Casts Piercing Wail, an AoE attack that must be interrupted to avoid stacking damage.
Boss: Skarmorak
Skarmorak is among the dungeon’s most challenging bosses, with mechanics that demand significant coordination. Bloodlust/Heroism is highly recommended here.
Boss Mechanics:
- Crystalline Smash: A tank buster that drops Crystal Shards in the area, requiring active mitigation and healing support.
- Fortified Shell: Creates a damage-absorbing shield that requires players to break Crystal Shards and collect Unstable Fragments to interrupt Void Discharge.
- Void Discharge: A devastating AoE shadow attack. Breaking Skarmorak’s shield is essential to avoid overwhelming group damage.
The Master Machinists Brokk and Dorlita
After Skarmorak, take the mine cart back to the central area, proceeding to the opposite hallway. The Master Machinists, Brokk and Dorlita, pose significant threats if not handled correctly.
Key Trash Mechanics:
- Forgebound Mender: Interrupt Restoring Metal, which heals allies by 40%.
- Engine Speaker: Uses Concussive Smash, which slows tanks, and should be dispelled by classes like Paladins.
- Forge Loader: Immune to CC, it deals high fire damage with Lava Cannon and Molten Mortar, making group defensives necessary.
Boss Mechanics for Brokk and Dorlita
Brokk and Dorlita must be defeated together, or else they trigger Silenced Speaker, an enrage effect that can wipe the group. Bloodlust/Heroism is recommended here.
Key Abilities:
- Scrap Song: Brokk sends a massive damaging cube across the room, which kills on contact.
- Exhaust Vents: Three vents ignite, forcing players to relocate. Use defensives to manage continuous fire damage.
- Blazing Crescendo: Dorlita casts this to deal fire damage across the room, with deadly lava waves.
Final Challenge: Void Speaker Eirich
After dispatching the Master Machinists, use the mine cart to reach Void Speaker Eirich. The trash packs before this final encounter can be challenging, requiring optimal CC and coordination.
Key Trash Mechanics:
- Cursedforge Honor Guard: Shield Stampede charges players, dealing high damage and stunning them.
- Rocksmasher: Immune to CC, it deals heavy Nature damage and applies a stacking debuff.
Boss: Void Speaker Eirich
Void Speaker Eirich is less mechanically complex than earlier bosses but can overwhelm groups due to stacking DoTs and area-denial mechanics. Proper timing of defensive cooldowns and positioning is crucial.
Boss Mechanics:
- Void Corruption: A stacking DoT that increases damage over time. Players need to absorb the DoT by moving close to Void Rifts, which then reset their positions around the room.
- Entropic Reckoning: Each player drops a puddle of shadow damage, requiring careful placement to avoid blocking access to Void Rifts.
- Unbridled Void: A massive frontal cone attack that deals high Shadow damage, which players must avoid by staying out of Eirich’s line of sight.
Rewards and Achievements
Completing The Stonevault grants powerful loot, including trinkets, weapons, and armor with high-value stats like Crit, Versatility, Mastery, and Haste.
Achievements include:
- Heroic: The Stonevault: Defeat High Speaker Eirich on Heroic difficulty.
- Mythic: The Stonevault: Complete the dungeon on Mythic or Mythic Keystone difficulty.
- Keystone Hero: The Stonevault: Finish The Stonevault on Mythic+ Level 10 or higher within the time limit.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What are the most important tips for success in The Stonevault?
- Use Bloodlust/Heroism strategically on challenging bosses like Skarmorak and the Master Machinists. Prioritize interrupts, especially on dangerous abilities like Void Outburst and Piercing Wail, and ensure that key defensives are available for tank-busting abilities.
2. How do I manage Volatile Spikes with E.D.N.A?
- Use Refracting Beam to destroy Volatile Spikes when possible, and allow Earth Shatterer to finish off any remaining ones. Be mindful of the healer’s output, as multiple explosions can lead to high group damage.
3. What is the best strategy for handling Skarmorak’s Fortified Shell?
- Destroy the Crystal Shards before Fortified Shell and quickly collect Unstable Fragments to break the shield. Avoid triggering Crystalline Eruption by staggering shard destruction.