World of Warcraft Classic · Tier 3 · Naxxramas
Naxxramas tactics
All 15 bosses of the original 40-player Naxxramas in wing progression: preparations, mechanics, roles and documented change history.
English40-player raid15 bossesNerf history
Choose the wing order according to the strengths of the roster
The mutual order of the first four wings is not locked. The list shows the correct boss order within each wing; The Frostwyrm Lair only opens after all four wing end bosses.
Tactics describe Classic Era / Anniversary 1.12 mode. Wrath version 10/25 player changes and Season of Mastery additional mechanics are not mixed.
Classic 40-player Final raid: 15 Encounters in 5 Parts
The four freely selectable wings of Naxxramas include Arachnid, Plague, Military and Construct encounters. The Frostwyrm Lair that opens after all four final bosses ends with Sapphiron and Kel'Thuzad.
For raid lead: Check resists and consumables, MC/CC roster, eight tank Horsemen plan, polarity slots, Frost Aura durability and Kel'Thuzad's 40-player spread.
Quick links
Change history: fixes are not automatically nerfs
Naxxramas was released in patch 1.11 right at the end of the Vanilla season. The public 1.11-1.12 sources emphasize bug, reset, and anti-skip fixes, not named broad number nerfs like AQ40. boss-specific history only classifies a documented change.
| Time | Change | Classification |
|---|---|---|
| Patch 1.11 / PTR | Anub'Rekhan's animations, Razuvious's MC reliability, Patchwerk's borders and wing gates were fixed. | Bugfix / anti-skip |
| Patch 1.11.2 hotfix | Fixed Feugen's reset and Gluth's self-killing bug. | Encounter bugfix |
| Patch 1.12 | Heigan's room wipe recovery without aggro was closed. | Anti-exploit |
| Classic 1.12 | The original 40-player difficult builds remain: one-heal Loatheb, 8-tank Horsemen, 7-min Patchwerk, and 5-Guardian Kel'Thuzad. | Version restriction |
When the original source only says 'minor tuning' or 'bug fixes' without numbers, the guide doesn't claim the change as a nerf and doesn't come up with pre/post values.
Naxxramas in wing progression
Encounter 1 / 15 · Naxxramas
Anub’Rekhan
Arachnid Quarter · Locust Swarm edge crystal, Impale and Crypt Guards.
KiteAddsNature damage
TL;DR: Tank on the edge of Anub'Rekha's room. When Locust Swarm starts, the tank runs the circle ahead of the boss and the raid stays in the center/far; aura silences and deals rapidly increasing Nature damage. Kill every Crypt Guard, control the Corpse Scarabs that spawn from corpses, and spread against the ranged Impale.
Raid priorities
- The tank starts ledge crystals immediately from the Locust Swarm call and does not stay inside the aura.
- Crypt Guard dies before boss damage and its body is drained of scarabs.
- Ranged spreads out to prevent Impale from hitting multiple players in the same lane.
Before the pull
- Mark the perimeter route of the tank and the security area of the raid on the opposite side.
- Name Crypt Guard tank and AoE/CC of scarabs.
- Prepare Nature protection and tank speed-consumables.
Mechanics reference
Locust Swarm
An aura moving around the boss deals stacking Nature damage and silences.
Impale
A ground spike hits a ranged target in a line and throws it into the air.
Crypt Guard
Large add cleaves and acid spit; its body can produce Corpse Scarabs.
Corpse Scarabs
Small adds from corpses stack without fast AoE/CC.
Phase plan and tactic
Base step
Keep the boss on the edge, raid in the middle and kill the Guards when they spawn.
Keep the boss on the edge, raid in the middle and kill the Guards when they spawn.
Swarm
The tank kites the circle to the next character; healers stay outside the aura and the raid kills any adds.
The tank kites the circle to the next character; healers stay outside the aura and the raid kills any adds.
Return
The swarm ends, the tank stops at a new point and the raid returns to formation.
The swarm ends, the tank stops at a new point and the raid returns to formation.
Role notes
Tanks
- Follow the encounter's tank, threat, kite and add plan.
- Call every exchange and loss of control before the boss hits the raid.
DPS
- Follow add, cocoon, spore or tentacle priority before boss damage.
- Save cooldowns for the decisive enrage, polarity, or end phase of an encounter.
Healers
- Share fixed tank and raid responsibilities and consumable schedule.
- Anticipates stun, Healing lock, Frost Aura and mark windows.
utility
- Use dispels, mind control, interrupts, Shackle, Tranq and crowd control in the agreed rotation.
- Call movement, adds and transitions immediately.
Nerfs: what changed
- Pre-release PTR patch fixed Locust Swarm and Impale animations and Frozen Rune locations.
- There is no documented post-release vanilla number nerf for Anub'Rekhan.
PTR bugfixNo number nerfClassic 1.12
Encounter 2 / 15 · Naxxramas
Grand Widow Faerlina
Arachnid Quarter · Worshiper sacrifice breaks enrage and poison pressure.
Mind controlEnrage controlAdds
TL;DR: Tank Faerlina separate from Worshipers and Followers. Kill Followers controlled but keep Worshippers: Priest mind controls one and uses Widow's Embrace during Faerlina's enrage. Embrace removes enrage and temporarily blocks Poison. Cast Rain of Fire and heal Poison Bolt Volley.
Raid priorities
- One Worshiper is mind controlled before each expected enrage.
- Widow's Embrace only hits the boss after the enrage starts so that the full duration is used.
- Rain of Fire is immediately removed and Poison Bolt Volley is healed/poisoned.
Before the pull
- Name priests for MC rotation and one Worshiper per enrage.
- Separate the add tanks from the boss and kill Followers first.
- Agree is MC's backup and healers' enrage emergency cooldowns.
Mechanics reference
Enrage
Faerlina's attack speed and damage increase drastically.
Widow’s Embrace
Mind controlled Worshiper sacrifices itself, removes enrage and temporarily blocks poison casts.
Poison Bolt Volley
Poison damage to multiple players.
Rain of Fire
A Fire area that stays on the ground forces movement.
Worshippers and Followers
Encounter's adds are both threat targets and an enrage management resource.
Phase plan and tactic
Adds
Tank Faerlina and adds separately; kill Followers, but keep Worshippers under control.
Tank Faerlina and adds separately; kill Followers, but keep Worshippers under control.
Enrage
MC-priest brings Worshipper to boss and uses Embrace from enrage-call.
MC-priest brings Worshipper to boss and uses Embrace from enrage-call.
raid
Avoid Fire, remove poisons and save the next Worshiper for the enrage to come.
Avoid Fire, remove poisons and save the next Worshiper for the enrage to come.
Role notes
Tanks
- Follow the encounter's tank, threat, kite and add plan.
- Call every exchange and loss of control before the boss hits the raid.
DPS
- Follow add, cocoon, spore or tentacle priority before boss damage.
- Save cooldowns for the decisive enrage, polarity, or end phase of an encounter.
Healers
- Share fixed tank and raid responsibilities and consumable schedule.
- Anticipates stun, Healing lock, Frost Aura and mark windows.
utility
- Use dispels, mind control, interrupts, Shackle, Tranq and crowd control in the agreed rotation.
- Call movement, adds and transitions immediately.
Nerfs: what changed
- There is no documented unique vanilla number nerf for Faerlina between patches 1.11 and 1.12.
- Worshipers' mind control / sacrifice is the core mechanic of the original 40-player version.
No documented nerfOriginal MC mechanicClassic 1.12
Encounter 3 / 15 · Naxxramas
Maexxna
Arachnid Quarter · Web Wrap, full raid Web Spray and 30 percent Frenzy.
Web SprayCocoon priorityFrenzy
TL;DR: Tank Maexxna so that the raid is behind. Web Wrap throws players to the wall: named ranged kill cocoons instantly. Spiderlings are AoE-killed before a 40 second Web Spray that stuns the entire raid; the tank is pre-heated, poisons are removed and defensives are used before the spray. At less than 30 percent, Frenzy increases the tank pressure, so time the push right after the spray.
Raid priorities
- Web Wrap cocoons are released immediately.
- Spiderlings die before Web Spray and do not eat healers during stun.
- Tank gets all HoT/Shield effects and poison dispel before Spray.
- The 30 percent push is done safely just after the spray.
Before the pull
- Name cocoon-DPS for the Wrap slots on the left wall.
- Time the Spiderling AoE and Web Spray timer.
- Agree is a tank's pre-heal, defensive and 30 percent burn.
Mechanics reference
Web Wrap
Several players wall cocoons and are out of action until the cocoon is broken.
Web Spray
A regular raid-wide stun during which the tank cannot normally be healed.
Spiderlings
Small adds spawn and need fast AoE.
Necrotic Poison
The healing received by the tank is reduced and the poison must be removed.
Frenzy
At less than 30%, attack speed and damage increase.
Phase plan and tactic
Cycle
Kill Wrap cocoons and Spiderlings, then pre-heal the tank before Spray.
Kill Wrap cocoons and Spiderlings, then pre-heal the tank before Spray.
Spray
Tank uses defensive; immediately after the stun ends, the heals raise the tank and the poison is removed.
Tank uses defensive; immediately after the stun ends, the heals raise the tank and the poison is removed.
End
Push into Frenzy right after a fresh Spray cycle and kill before the next dangerous stun.
Push into Frenzy right after a fresh Spray cycle and kill before the next dangerous stun.
Role notes
Tanks
- Follow the encounter's tank, threat, kite and add plan.
- Call every exchange and loss of control before the boss hits the raid.
DPS
- Follow add, cocoon, spore or tentacle priority before boss damage.
- Save cooldowns for the decisive enrage, polarity, or end phase of an encounter.
Healers
- Share fixed tank and raid responsibilities and consumable schedule.
- Anticipates stun, Healing lock, Frost Aura and mark windows.
utility
- Use dispels, mind control, interrupts, Shackle, Tranq, and crowd control in the agreed rotation.
- Call movement, adds and transitions immediately.
Nerfs: what changed
- Bug fixes were made to Maexxna in the PTR changes before the release, but the surviving compilation does not identify the number change.
- Post-release vanilla number nerf will not be flagged without an identified source.
PTR bugfixNo proven number nerfClassic 1.12
Encounter 4 / 15 · Naxxramas
Noth the Plaguebringer
Plague Quarter · Curse dispel, Blink/Cripple and balcony add waves.
Decurse2 stepsAdds
TL;DR: Remove Curse of the Plaguebringer from everyone before the 10 second or so time limit or Wrath of the Plaguebringer will spread and kill the raid. In the ground phase, tank Noth, dispel Cripple and take back Blink-threat. In the balcony phase, the boss is not targetable: group up and kill Plagued Warrior/Champion/Guardian waves before he returns.
Raid priorities
- Every Curse is instantly dispelled, even in the chaos of the add phase.
- After Blink, the tank picks up Noth before DPS.
- Adds are assembled and killed in priority Guardian/Champion before Warriors.
Before the pull
- Distribute decurse groups and vardispels to the entire raid.
- Mark adds' tanking/AoE slot.
- Agree on Blink-threat-stop and target priority of balcony waves.
Mechanics reference
Curse of the Plaguebringer
Unremoved Curse triggers a very dangerous raid disease.
Blink and Cripple
Noth teleports and leaves an AoE slow/strength reduction.
Balcony Phase
Noth exits the platform and summons waves of undead.
Berserk
After too many ground balcony cycles, the Encounter ends with a deadly enrage.
Phase plan and tactic
Ground phase
Tank centrally, decurse immediately and stop damage in Blink until the tank returns the boss.
Tank centrally, decurse immediately and stop damage in Blink until the tank returns the boss.
Balcony
Group up Warriors/Champions/Guardians, control and AoE kill without the next wave getting to the healers.
Group up Warriors/Champions/Guardians, control and AoE kill without the next wave getting to the healers.
Return
Clear the living adds and pick Noth before another curse cycle.
Clear the living adds and pick Noth before another curse cycle.
Role notes
Tanks
- Follow the encounter's tank, threat, kite and add plan.
- Call every exchange and loss of control before the boss hits the raid.
DPS
- Follow add, cocoon, spore or tentacle priority before boss damage.
- Save cooldowns for the decisive enrage, polarity, or end phase of an encounter.
Healers
- Share fixed tank and raid responsibilities and consumable schedule.
- Anticipates stun, Healing lock, Frost Aura and mark windows.
utility
- Use dispels, mind control, interrupts, Shackle, Tranq and crowd control in the agreed rotation.
- Call movement, adds and transitions immediately.
Nerfs: what changed
- There is no documented vanilla number nerf for Noth in patch notes 1.11–1.12.
- Plague Wing's PTR port and wipe respawn fixes were progression/anti-skip changes, not boss damage nerfs.
No number nerfPTR anti-skipClassic 1.12
Encounter 5 / 15 · Naxxramas
Heigan the Unclean
Plague Quarter · Four eruption lanes, spell disruption and gauntlet teleports.
Heigan's danceMovement2 steps
TL;DR: Divide the floor into four eruption sectors and learn the 1→2→3→4→3→2 movement of the shelters. In the slow phase, the tank moves Heigan on the floor and the ranged/healers work from the platform; casters stay clear of the Spell Disruption aura. In a fast dance phase, Heigan teleports to the platform and everyone moves on the floor in a fast rhythm. In the original version, players can be transferred to the gauntlet.
Raid priorities
- Eruption movement is done when changing the area, not after the green eruption.
- Casters are not caught in a Spell Disruption aura.
- Players transferred to the Gauntlet return together, opening traps.
- During the dance phase, no attempt is made to take risky damage at the expense of movement.
Before the pull
- Show the four floor areas and Practice the trajectory without the boss.
- Split the melee/tank on the floor and the ranged/healers on the platform in the slow phase.
- Repeats gauntlet return and disease/dispels.
Mechanics reference
Eruption
The four floor areas disintegrate in turn; standing in the wrong area kills quickly.
Spell Disruption
The boss's melee plow greatly increases cast times.
Decrepit Fever
Disease reduces health and deals Nature damage.
Gauntlet Teleport
Players can be moved to the previous multiple to go back through the traps.
Dance Phase
Heigan moves to the platform and the eruption cycle speeds up.
Phase plan and tactic
Slow dance
The tank moves the boss from one area to the next; melee follows, ranged works from the platform.
The tank moves the boss from one area to the next; melee follows, ranged works from the platform.
Fast dance
All on the floor, follow the experienced mover in the front row and prioritize staying alive.
All on the floor, follow the experienced mover in the front row and prioritize staying alive.
Gauntlet
The teleported wait for each other, pass through the multiple and join the dance only through a safe opening.
The teleported wait for each other, pass through the multiple and join the dance only through a safe opening.
Role notes
Tanks
- Follow the encounter's tank, threat, kite and add plan.
- Call every exchange and loss of control before the boss hits the raid.
DPS
- Follow add, cocoon, spore or tentacle priority before boss damage.
- Save cooldowns for the decisive enrage, polarity, or end phase of an encounter.
Healers
- Share fixed tank and raid responsibilities and consumable schedule.
- Anticipates stun, Healing lock, Frost Aura and mark windows.
utility
- Use dispels, mind control, interrupts, Shackle, Tranq, and crowd control in the agreed rotation.
- Call movement, adds and transitions immediately.
Nerfs: what changed
- After Patch 1.11.2, Blizzard identified a wipe recovery bug that allowed resurrect in Heigan's room without aggro; the correction was planned for patch 1.12.
- It was an anti-exploit patch, not a boss combat number nerf.
Patch 1.12 anti-exploitNo combat nerfClassic 1.12
Encounter 6 / 15 · Naxxramas
Loatheb
Plague Quarter · One heal per minute, spore rotation and Inevitable Doom.
Healing lockSpore groupsDPS check
TL;DR: Corrupted Mind allows each healer in the extension one healing spell per minute, so build a solid tank heal rotation and use bandage/healthstone/potion self-healing. Kill a summoned Spore on top of a group of five players to get the Fungal Bloom crit buff and zerothreat. Inevitable Doom accelerates over time, so all factions go on spurs and DPS finish off the boss before soft enrage.
Raid priorities
- Healers do not waste a minute's only heal on the wrong target.
- Spores are killed at exactly the named group of five players.
- Fungal Bloom players do maximum damage without threat risk.
- raid uses its survival consumables for Inevitable Doom.
Before the pull
- Create a second schedule for tank heals and healer rotation.
- Divide the raid into five-player spore groups and order of passage.
- Secure healthstone, bandage, potion and shadow protection consumables.
Mechanics reference
Corrupted Mind
Each player can use a direct healing spell only rarely, at most one per minute.
Spore
Killed spore grants nearby Fungal Bloom: large crit buff and reset threat yield.
Inevitable Doom
Regular Shadow damage hits the entire raid and increases during a long fight.
Poison Aura
The constant pressure on nature in the surrounding area increases the need for self-care.
Remove Curse
Loatheb can remove debuffs from himself, so curse-uptime needs monitoring.
Phase plan and tactic
Heal rotation
One Healer at a time spends their agreed large heal on the tank; others won't lock their own cooldown by accident.
One Healer at a time spends their agreed large heal on the tank; others won't lock their own cooldown by accident.
Spores
Groups of five players take turns going to the spawn, killing it and returning to the boss.
Groups of five players take turns going to the spawn, killing it and returning to the boss.
End
Use your own heal consumables for Doom hits and damage cooldowns before the Doom pace becomes unbearable.
Use your own heal consumables for Doom hits and damage cooldowns before the Doom pace becomes unbearable.
Role notes
Tanks
- Follow the encounter's tank, threat, kite and add plan.
- Call every switch and loss of control before the boss hits the raid.
DPS
- Follow add, cocoon, spore or tentacle priority before boss damage.
- Save cooldowns for the decisive enrage, polarity, or end phase of an encounter.
Healers
- Share fixed tank and raid responsibilities and consumable schedule.
- Anticipates stun, Healing lock, Frost Aura and mark windows.
utility
- Use dispels, mind control, interrupts, Shackle, Tranq and crowd control in the agreed rotation.
- Call movement, adds and transitions immediately.
Nerfs: what changed
- There is no documented unique Vanilla 1.11-1.12 number nerf for Loatheb.
- The one-heal/minute structure of the original 40 players differs from the healing-window version of the later Naxxramas.
No documented nerfOriginal Healing lockClassic 1.12
Encounter 7 / 15 · Naxxramas
Instructor Razuvious
Military Quarter · Understudy-MC tanking, Shield Wall and Disrupting Shout's LoS.
Priest MCAdd tanksLine of sight
TL;DR: Razuvious hits player tanks too hard, so Priests mind control Deathknight Understudies. MC-add taunts boss and uses Shield Wall; the next priest/add switches before the end of control or defensive. mana users break line of sight to Disrupting Shout, which drains mana and deals damage bound to it.
Raid priorities
- Razuvious is always tanked by an MC-Understudy using Shield Wall.
- The next Priest starts MC and taunt before the previous control is broken.
- Players break LoS for every Disrupting Shout.
- Freeing Understudy is picked up and does not kill priest/healer line.
Before the pull
- Name four priest/Understudy pairs and exact MC-taunt-Shield Wall rotation.
- Place casters behind LoS pillar for Shout.
- Allocate player tanks to control the released Understudies.
Mechanics reference
Unbalancing Strike
Extremely hard hit lowers defense; only Understudy's Shield Wall can last reliably.
Deathknight Understudy
Mind controlled add has Taunt and Shield for tanking Wall boss.
Mind Exhaustion
After MC, add can't immediately control again, so rotation needs multiple Understudies.
Disrupting Shout
Zone-wide mana drain deals damage proportional to the mana lost and is avoided with line of sight.
Phase plan and tactic
Start
The first Priest MC to add's, use Shield Wall + Taunt and keep the boss in the middle.
The first Priest MC to add's, use Shield Wall + Taunt and keep the boss in the middle.
Exchange
The next Understudy taunts before Shield Wall ends; the old add is refueled and later recycled back.
The next Understudy taunts before Shield Wall ends; the old add is refueled and later recycled back.
Shout
mana users hide timed, melee only continues if tank control is stable.
mana users hide timed, melee only continues if tank control is stable.
Role notes
Tanks
- Follow the encounter's tank, threat, kite and add plan.
- Call every switch and loss of control before the boss hits the raid.
DPS
- Follow add, cocoon, spore or tentacle priority before boss damage.
- Save cooldowns for the decisive enrage, polarity, or end phase of an encounter.
Healers
- Share fixed tank and raid responsibilities and consumable schedule.
- Anticipates stun, Healing lock, Frost Aura and mark windows.
utility
- Use dispels, mind control, interrupts, Shackle, Tranq, and crowd control in the agreed rotation.
- Call movement, adds and transitions immediately.
Nerfs: what changed
- The pre-release PTR changed Understudies from level 61 to 60 and Shadow Resistance to 0, reducing Mind Control's unusual resist issues.
- The change was an encounter reliability fix; No post-release number nerf has been identified.
PTR reliability fixMC resistance reducedClassic 1.12
Encounter 8 / 15 · Naxxramas
Gothik the Harvester
Military Quarter · Living/Dead half, 24 add waves and a quick Harvest Soul ending.
Split raidWavesDPS Burn
TL;DR: Divide the raid into living and dead sides of the port. The Living side kills Trainee/Death Knight/Rider waves at a controlled pace; every dead add goes to the dead side as an undead version, so don't exceed their capacity. When the waves end, Gothik lands, teleports between sides, and stacks Harvest Soul — once the gate opens, the entire raid quickly burns him.
Raid priorities
- The living side adjusts the kill rate according to the tank/heal capacity of the dead side.
- Spectral Rider/Death Knight are the dead side's most dangerous targets.
- No add can enter the healer lane on either side of the gate.
- Gothik's Harvest Soul stacks are not allowed to rise due to the long end phase.
Before the pull
- Divide tanks, healers, physical and magic DPS evenly between the two sides.
- Prepare living-kill order and dead-side CC/refueling points.
- Agree is the target-call and final burst of Gothik's teleport.
Mechanics reference
Living Waves
Unrelenting Trainees, Death Knights and Riders come in accelerating waves.
Spectral Waves
The dead living-add appears on the dead side as a spectral version with different immunities/abilities.
Gate
The half gate stays closed during the waves and opens during the boss phase.
Harvest Soul
Gothik reduces the attributes of the entire raid in a stackable manner.
Teleport
The boss switches between the living/dead side before the gate opens.
Phase plan and tactic
Waves
The Living side kills the small ones first and slows down if needed; the dead side focuses dangerous spectral targets.
The Living side kills the small ones first and slows down if needed; the dead side focuses dangerous spectral targets.
Landing
Both sides attack Gothic on their side, saving cooldowns for the gate to open.
Both sides attack Gothic on their side, saving cooldowns for the gate to open.
Merging
After the gate opens, the whole raid faces the boss, controls the last adds and burns the Harvest Soul stacks before.
After the gate opens, the whole raid faces the boss, controls the last adds and burns the Harvest Soul stacks before.
Role notes
Tanks
- Follow the encounter's tank, threat, kite and add plan.
- Call every switch and loss of control before the boss hits the raid.
DPS
- Follow add, cocoon, spore or tentacle priority before boss damage.
- Save cooldowns for the decisive enrage, polarity, or end phase of an encounter.
Healers
- Share fixed tank and raid responsibilities and consumable schedule.
- Anticipates stun, Healing lock, Frost Aura and mark windows.
utility
- Use dispels, mind control, interrupts, Shackle, Tranq and crowd control in the agreed rotation.
- Call movement, adds and transitions immediately.
Nerfs: what changed
- There is no documented unique Vanilla 1.11-1.12 number nerf for Gothic.
- Original version's spectral-adds' magic immunities and demanding split separated from the later 10/25 player version.
No documented nerfOriginal splitClassic 1.12
Encounter 9 / 15 · Naxxramas
The Four Horsemen
Military Quarter · Four corners, eight tank mark rotation and four different abilities.
4 CornersTank rotationMarks
TL;DR: Divide the raid into four corners: Thane Korth'azz, Lady Blaumeux, Sir Zeliek, and Highlord Mograine. Each Horseman stacks his own Mark in a 20 Yard area; usually change the tank/group every three stacks to allow the marks to fall. Stack on Korth'azzi's Meteor split, spread out against Zeliek's Holy Wrath, dodge Blaumeux's Void Zone and heal Mograine's Righteous Fire.
Raid priorities
- Each corner always has at least one live target, otherwise Horseman starts punishing the entire raid.
- Tank changes and movement from one corner to another take place from the same mark-call.
- Korth'azzi's Meteor is shared with a sufficient group; In Zeliek's corner, the players spread out.
- The Void Zone is exited immediately and the mark rotation does not stop after killing the boss.
Before the pull
- Name the eight tank/taunt rotation required by the original version and healers for each corner.
- Divide into four groups and draw the direction of rotation for the exchanges of three Marks.
- Choose the first kill target and plan to redistribute players after each death.
Mechanics reference
Marks
Each Horseman stacks its own increasing damage token on nearby players.
Thane Korth’azz
Meteor distributes large Fire damage among nearby.
Lady Blaumeux
Void Zone deals fast-killing Shadow damage on the ground.
Sir Zeliek
Holy Wrath chains to nearby players with increasing damage.
Highlord Mograine
Righteous Fire leaves a powerful Fire-DoT on the current tank.
Phase plan and tactic
Start
Take each Horseman to his corner; groups take the correct stack/spread formation.
Take each Horseman to his corner; groups take the correct stack/spread formation.
Rotations
After three Marks, the tanks/groups switch to the agreed neighboring corner and the previous Marks are dropped.
After three Marks, the tanks/groups switch to the agreed neighboring corner and the previous Marks are dropped.
First Deaths
Focus the selected front boss, but keep all back corners. Distribute the released players evenly.
Focus the selected front boss, but keep all back corners. Distribute the released players evenly.
End
Continue the field rotation until the last Horseman — even one group left in place can wipe out the raid.
Continue the field rotation until the last Horseman — even one group left in place can wipe out the raid.
Role notes
Tanks
- Follow the encounter's tank, threat, kite and add plan.
- Call every switch and loss of control before the boss hits the raid.
DPS
- Follow add, cocoon, spore or tentacle priority before boss damage.
- Save cooldowns for the decisive enrage, polarity, or end phase of an encounter.
Healers
- Share fixed tank and raid responsibilities and consumable schedule.
- Anticipates stun, Healing lock, Frost Aura and mark windows.
utility
- Use dispels, mind control, interrupts, Shackle, Tranq, and crowd control in the agreed rotation.
- Call moves, adds and transitions immediately.
Nerfs: what changed
- No unique Vanilla 1.11-1.12 number nerf found for Four Horsemen.
- Later Naxxramas' four-tank build does not match the original 40-player eight-tank progression requirement.
No documented nerfOriginal 8-tank designClassic 1.12
Encounter 10 / 15 · Naxxramas
Patchwerk
Construct Quarter · Hateful Strike tank wall and seven minute DPS race.
Gear checkHateful Strike7 min enrage
TL;DR: The main tank keeps Patchwerk at the forefront of the threat. 2-3 Hateful Strike tanks stay in the melee next in threat and extension with high current health so that the hits are on them and not on the DPS. Healers deal fixed tank targets and chain-heal non-stop. The boss is a pure seven minute damage/healing/mitigation check.
Raid priorities
- Main tank is number one in threat; Hateful tanks are next and melee DPS below them.
- Hateful tanks' health is raised immediately before the next hit.
- Healers do not switch targets without calling and mana consumables are used on schedule.
- raid reaches the seven minute enrage limit before the end.
Before the pull
- Name a main tank, 2-3 Hateful tanks and own healer groups for each.
- Make a threat cap for melee DPS and ensure tank consumables/world buff line according to server rules.
- Calculate the required raid DPS and mana rotation of healers for seven minutes.
Mechanics reference
Hateful Strike
Repeated very hard hit selects an off-tank with a high threat/health criterion from melee.
Frenzy
At low health, Patchwerk's attack speed increases.
Berserk
After seven minutes, the damage becomes unsurvivable in the stretch.
No movement mechanics
Encounter directly measures tank durability, healer throughput and DPS.
Phase plan and tactic
threat
Main tank starts, off-tanks build threat and DPS waits for safe order.
Main tank starts, off-tanks build threat and DPS waits for safe order.
Healing
Each tank gets named chain heals; consumables and cooldowns are used before mana or health breaks.
Each tank gets named chain heals; consumables and cooldowns are used before mana or health breaks.
End
At less than 5%, tanks use the remaining defensive and raid all damage before enrage.
At less than 5%, tanks use the remaining defensive and raid all damage before enrage.
Role notes
Tanks
- Follow the encounter's tank, threat, kite and add plan.
- Call every switch and loss of control before the boss hits the raid.
DPS
- Follow add, cocoon, spore or tentacle priority before boss damage.
- Save cooldowns for the decisive enrage, polarity, or end phase of an encounter.
Healers
- Share fixed tank and raid responsibilities and consumable schedule.
- Anticipates stun, Healing lock, Frost Aura and mark windows.
utility
- Use dispels, mind control, interrupts, Shackle, Tranq and crowd control in the agreed rotation.
- Call movement, adds and transitions immediately.
Nerfs: what changed
- In the PTR stage, Patchwerk was restricted to stay in his encounter area and the door behind him only opened from the kill; these were anti-skip/anti-kite fixes.
- No post-release vanilla number nerf identified; seven minutes of enrage is a requirement of the original version.
PTR anti-skipNo number nerf7 min original
Encounter 11 / 15 · Naxxramas
Grobbulus
Construct Quarter · Ring Crystal, Mutating Injection Clouds and Slime Spray Adds.
KiteDebuff placementAdds
TL;DR: Tank Grobbulus along the outer perimeter of the room slowly forward and keep behind/to the sides of the raid boss. The Mutating Injection target runs to the outer edge of the already used route and dispels/waits for the explosion, leaving Poison Cloud neatly behind. Slime Spray must not hit a raid: every hit spawns Fallout Slime.
Raid priorities
- Injection clouds are left on the perimeter in a row instead of a clean incoming path.
- Slime Spray only points in an empty direction.
- Fallout Slime is picked up and killed immediately if the Spray hits the target.
- The tank moves slowly enough to save space but does not stand in the old cloud.
Before the pull
- Select a clockwise or counter-clockwise circular route and cloud drop line.
- Place the melee boss on the sides and ranged in the middle, not the front sector.
- Agree on Injection-dispel/expiry and add tank.
Mechanics reference
Mutating Injection
The debuff explodes/dispels and leaves a long lasting Poison Cloud.
Poison Cloud
Expanding natural gas deals heavy Nature damage.
Slime Spray
Front Cone deals damage and creates one Fallout Slime per player hit.
Fallout Slime
The spawned add does AoE-Nature damage and kills quickly.
Berserk
A long fight ends in enrage, so the space cannot be used indefinitely.
Phase plan and tactic
Circumference
The tank moves the boss along the outer wall, the raid follows with a clean inner line.
The tank moves the boss along the outer wall, the raid follows with a clean inner line.
Injection
The subject runs back to the wall, leaves Cloud, and returns safely.
The subject runs back to the wall, leaves Cloud, and returns safely.
Spray
The tank keeps the muzzle away; the slimes spawned by the mistake are killed before the boss.
The tank keeps the muzzle away; the slimes spawned by the mistake are killed before the boss.
Role notes
Tanks
- Follow the encounter's tank, threat, kite and add plan.
- Call every switch and loss of control before the boss hits the raid.
DPS
- Follow add, cocoon, spore or tentacle priority before boss damage.
- Save cooldowns for the decisive enrage, polarity, or end phase of an encounter.
Healers
- Share fixed tank and raid responsibilities and consumable schedule.
- Anticipates stun, Healing lock, Frost Aura and mark windows.
utility
- Use dispels, mind control, interrupts, Shackle, Tranq and crowd control in the agreed rotation.
- Call moves, adds and transitions immediately.
Nerfs: what changed
- There is no documented unique Vanilla 1.11-1.12 number nerf for Grobbulus.
- In the original version, Dispel of the debuff was optional but required controlled cloud placement; the later version is not confused with this.
No documented nerfOriginal Dispel behaviorClassic 1.12
Encounter 12 / 15 · Naxxramas
Gluth
Construct Quarter · Zombie Chow crystal, Decimate and Mortal Wound tank swap.
Zombie crystalDecimateTank swap
TL;DR: Two tanks trade Gluth according to Mortal Wound stacks. The hunter/mage/paladin utility kites the constantly spawning Zombie Chows at the back of the room and doesn't let them reach the boss, who eats them and heals. Decimate drops players and zombies to around 5%: AoE-kill all zombies before they get to Gluth. Hunters take out Frenzy with Tranq Shot.
Raid priorities
- No Zombie Chow can get within melee range of Gluth.
- After Decimate, all DPS will switch to 5% health zombies.
- Tanks trade with Mortal Wound stacks and get quick heals after Decimate.
- Frenzy is instantly removed with Tranquilizing Shot.
Before the pull
- Name two boss tanks and Mortal Wound stack limit.
- Share zombie kiters, slowt and backroom route.
- Agree on Decimate-AoE, Hunter Tranq rotation and healer recovery order.
Mechanics reference
Zombie Chow
The zombies that spawn from the grills in the back move to the boss and heal it if eaten.
Mortal Wound
Tank's Healing received decreases stackingly.
Decimate
Drops players and zombies to around 5% health.
Frenzy
Increases attack speed and is removed with Tranq Shot.
Terrifying Roar
fear can mess up tanking and zombies.
Phase plan and tactic
boss
Tanks switch as agreed and Hunters keep Frenzy at bay.
Tanks switch as agreed and Hunters keep Frenzy at bay.
Kite
utility collects the zombies in the back, slows and rotates them without hitting the crystal.
utility collects the zombies in the back, slows and rotates them without hitting the crystal.
Decimate
All AoE/ranged turns to zombies, tanks get instant heals and raid recovers before next hit.
All AoE/ranged turns to zombies, tanks get instant heals and raid recovers before next hit.
Role notes
Tanks
- Follow the encounter's tank, threat, kite and add plan.
- Call every switch and loss of control before the boss hits the raid.
DPS
- Follow add, cocoon, spore or tentacle priority before boss damage.
- Save cooldowns for the decisive enrage, polarity, or end phase of an encounter.
Healers
- Share fixed tank and raid responsibilities and consumable schedule.
- Anticipates stun, Healing lock, Frost Aura and mark windows.
utility
- Use dispels, mind control, interrupts, Shackle, Tranq and crowd control in the agreed rotation.
- Call movement, adds and transitions immediately.
Nerfs: what changed
- Patch 1.11.2 introduced a bug where Gluth could kill himself under certain conditions; Blizzard hotfixed it soon.
- This was a fix for an encounter-breaking bug, not an intentional nerf.
Patch 1.11.2 hotfixSelf-kill bugNo number nerf
Encounter 13 / 15 · Naxxramas
Thaddius
Construct Quarter · Stalagg/Feugen sync, jump and polarity groups.
PolaritySimultaneous killDPS check
TL;DR: Split raid on Stalaggi and Feugen, tank on platforms and kill them within about five seconds. Tanks are periodically thrown between platforms and take new add's. Jump off the platform to Thaddius together. Polarity Shift gives a positive or negative charge: the same sign piles up on its own side, opposites never meet. Wrong placement triggers deadly chain-damage.
Raid priorities
- Stalagg and Feugen die almost simultaneously or one rises.
- Everyone manages to jump onto the platform before Thaddius activates.
- After Polarity, the player moves to the side of his own mark of the agreed shortest route.
- Players of the same booking stack on the damage buff; a clear distance is kept between opposites.
Before the pull
- Distribute equal groups to Stalaggi and Feugen and a synchronized execute-call.
- Mark the positive and negative sides and the direction of movement for polarity changes.
- Practice jumping and secure Nature protection/DPS for enrage.
Mechanics reference
Stalagg and Feugen
Two wights must be killed at almost the same time; tanks are thrown from platform to platform.
Polarity Shift
The player gets a positive or negative charge that can change with each cast.
Magnetic Pull
Too close encounter of different charges causes chain-Nature damage.
Polarity Power
Nearby players of the same charge increase each other's damage.
Chain Lightning and Berserk
raid takes Nature damage and faces a tight enrage timer.
Phase plan and tactic
Adds
Balance health and kill call; tanks pick up new add's that arrive on the platform immediately.
Balance health and kill call; tanks pick up new add's that arrive on the platform immediately.
Jump
The entire raid jumps together and takes the ready polarity slots around the boss.
The entire raid jumps together and takes the ready polarity slots around the boss.
Polarity
Read the debuff with every cast, switch sides only if necessary in the agreed direction and stack on the same character.
Read the debuff with every cast, switch sides only if necessary in the agreed direction and stack on the same character.
End
Keep movement flawless and use same-charge buff for full DPS before berserk.
Keep movement flawless and use same-charge buff for full DPS before berserk.
Role notes
Tanks
- Follow the encounter's tank, threat, kite and add plan.
- Call every switch and loss of control before the boss hits the raid.
DPS
- Follow add, cocoon, spore or tentacle priority before boss damage.
- Save cooldowns for the decisive enrage, polarity, or end phase of an encounter.
Healers
- Share fixed tank and raid responsibilities and consumable schedule.
- Anticipates stun, Healing lock, Frost Aura and mark windows.
utility
- Use dispels, mind control, interrupts, Shackle, Tranq and crowd control in the agreed rotation.
- Call movement, adds and transitions immediately.
Nerfs: what changed
- After patch 1.11.2, Feugen could leave the encounter not resetting properly; Blizzard hotfixed the bug.
- The fix restored the normal reset of the encounter and was not a combat number nerf.
Patch 1.11.2 hotfixFeugen reset fixNo number nerf
Encounter 14 / 15 · Naxxramas
Sapphiron
Frostwyrm Lair · Frost Aura resistance, Life Drain dispel, and Icebolt shields.
Frost resistAir phaseIce blocks
TL;DR: Use the appropriate Frost resistance for the raid composition against the constant Frost Aura. Tank Sapphiron in place, raid flanks and quickly dispel Life Drain. Dodge the moving Blizzard. In air phase, spread out for Icebolts; when players freeze into blocks, the rest of the raid moves behind the block in line of sight before Frost Breath.
Raid priorities
- Life Drain is immediately dispelled so that the boss does not heal.
- Blizzard is immediately exited and the tank/healers path is not blocked.
- Icebolt targets spread to prevent blocks from chaining incorrectly.
- Everyone is behind an intact ice block before Frost Breath.
Before the pull
- Measure Frost resistance for each role and reserve Greater Frost Protection Potions.
- Distribute curse dispels to Life Drain.
- Mark the ground and air phase spread and the rule for moving behind the block.
Mechanics reference
Frost Aura
Continuous raid-wide Frost damage requires resist and durable healing.
Life Drain
Curse damages players and heals Sapphiron; quickly dispersed.
Blizzard
A moving Frost area deals damage and slows.
Icebolt
In the air phase, the player freezes into an ice block and nearby people can take damage.
Frost Breath
Deadly room-wide blow is avoided with line of sight behind the ice block.
Enrage
At low health, Sapphiron's pressure increases.
Phase plan and tactic
Ground phase
Tank boss, raid on sides; heal Frost Aura, Dispel Drain and move from Blizzard.
Tank boss, raid on sides; heal Frost Aura, Dispel Drain and move from Blizzard.
Air phase
Spread out to Icebolts, identify the nearest intact block and move behind it to breath.
Spread out to Icebolts, identify the nearest intact block and move behind it to breath.
Return
Wait for the tank's new position before DPS and repeat the cycle with the consumable schedule.
Wait for the tank's new position before DPS and repeat the cycle with the consumable schedule.
Role notes
Tanks
- Follow the encounter's tank, threat, kite and add plan.
- Call every switch and loss of control before the boss hits the raid.
DPS
- Follow add, cocoon, spore or tentacle priority before boss damage.
- Save cooldowns for the decisive enrage, polarity, or end phase of an encounter.
Healers
- Share fixed tank and raid responsibilities and consumable schedule.
- Anticipates stun, Healing lock, Frost Aura and mark windows.
utility
- Use dispels, mind control, interrupts, Shackle, Tranq and crowd control in the agreed rotation.
- Call movement, adds and transitions immediately.
Nerfs: what changed
- There is no documented unique Vanilla 1.11-1.12 number nerf for Sapphiron.
- Classic's Frost Aura was purposely implemented to replicate the roughly two-second tick behavior of 2006, and the later tooltip intent was not used as a complicating change.
No documented nerf2006 Frost Aura behaviorClassic 1.12
Encounter 15 / 15 · Naxxramas
Kel’Thuzad
Frostwyrm Lair · Long add start, spread/interrupt discipline and five Guardians.
Final boss3 stepsInterrupt
TL;DR: In stage 1, stay in the middle and only draw controlled waves of Soldiers/Abominations/Soul Weavers from the alcoves. With Kel'Thuzad activated, spread out at least 10 yards to reduce the chain of Frost Blast, interrupt every single Frostbolt, exit Shadow Fissure, and mana-users break from Detonate mana. At 40%, five Guardians of Icecrown will arrive: tank two and shackle/CC the rest without the fourth's shackle-dispel trigger, while burning the boss.
Raid priorities
- Phase 1 adds are drawn in a controlled manner and alcoves do not empty all at once.
- Single Frostbolt is always interrupted; Frostbolt Volley is improved.
- raid keeps about a 10 Yard spread against Frost Blast's chain reaction.
- Shadow Fissure is immediately removed and the Detonate mana target moves away from the others.
- Phase 3 Guardians are controlled, but boss damage continues from 40% to death.
Before the pull
- Share stage 1 alcove sectors, add tanks and kill order.
- Name an uninterrupted Frostbolt interrupt rotation.
- Make a 40-player spread map with Guardian tanks and three Shackle Undead priests.
Mechanics reference
Phase 1 waves
Soldiers of the Frozen Wastes, Unstoppable Abominations and Soul Weavers come from alcoves for a long time.
Frostbolt
Single-target cast can kill the tank and must be aborted; Volley hits the entire raid.
Frost Blast
Freezes target and nearby, dealing over 100% max health over several seconds; quick heal saves.
Shadow Fissure
The void area that appears on the ground explodes fatally after a short warning.
Detonate mana
The mana user explodes and deals damage to nearby ones based on his resource.
Chains of Kel’Thuzad
Mind control takes control of multiple players and confuses the threat.
Guardians of Icecrown
At 40 percent, five increasingly strengthening add arrive; too many Shackle effects can trigger a dispel.
Phase plan and tactic
Step 1
Group up adds to the center of the room, kill Soldiers quickly, tank Abominations and keep Soul Weavers out of the raid.
Group up adds to the center of the room, kill Soldiers quickly, tank Abominations and keep Soul Weavers out of the raid.
Step 2
Spread out, interrupt Frostbolt, dodge Fissure and detach Detonate target. Frost Blast targets receive instant large heals.
Spread out, interrupt Frostbolt, dodge Fissure and detach Detonate target. Frost Blast targets receive instant large heals.
Step 3
At 40%, tanks pick up two Guardians and priests shackle three. Continue to control MC/interrupts and burn Kel'Thuzad before the adds' increase.
At 40%, tanks pick up two Guardians and priests shackle three. Continue to control MC/interrupts and burn Kel'Thuzad before the adds' increase.
Role notes
Tanks
- Follow the encounter's tank, threat, kite and add plan.
- Call every switch and loss of control before the boss hits the raid.
DPS
- Follow add, cocoon, spore or tentacle priority before boss damage.
- Save cooldowns for the decisive enrage, polarity, or end phase of an encounter.
Healers
- Share fixed tank and raid responsibilities and consumable schedule.
- Anticipates stun, Healing lock, Frost Aura and mark windows.
utility
- Use dispels, mind control, interrupts, Shackle, Tranq and crowd control in the agreed rotation.
- Call moves, adds and transitions immediately.
Nerfs: what changed
- No unique Vanilla 1.11-1.12 number nerf has been found for Kel'Thuzad that could be presented as a pre/post figure.
- The original 40-player version used a longer add start, more dangerous Frost Blast, 5 Guardians, and a more aggressive threat/MC build than the later Naxxramas.
No documented nerfOriginal 40-player tuningClassic 1.12
Sources and versioning
15 boss catalog, wing structure, and original 40-player version checked from Blizzard's Classic Naxxramas and Warcraft Wiki's original/Classic compilations. The change history is based on patch 1.11–1.12 and the 2006 hotfix/PTR archives.
- Blizzard — WoW Classic: Naxxramas is Now Live
news.blizzard.com/en-us/article/23572632 - Blizzard — Anniversary: Shadow of the Necropolis
news.blizzard.com/en-us/article/24229247 - Warcraft Wiki — Naxxramas (original)
warcraft.wiki.gg/wiki/Naxxramas_(original) - Warcraft Wiki — Classic raid instance bosses
warcraft.wiki.gg/wiki/Classic_raid_instance_bosses - Warcraft Wiki — 2006 hotfix Archive
warcraft.wiki.gg/wiki/Hotfixes/2006_Archive - Blizzplanet Archive — PTR Naxxramas changes
blizzplanet.com/blog/comments/ptr_patch_1_11_naxxramas_changes - Blizzplanet Archive — Patch 1.11.2 hotfixes
blizzplanet.com/blog/comments/hotfixes_for_buggy_patch_1_11_2_today
Retuned Naxxramas from Wrath of the Lich King and additional mechanics from Season of Mastery are not used as tactics in this guide. Updated 8/18/2026.