The Final Steps of Faith

See also: The Minstrel's Ballad: Nidhogg's Rage

Unlock

• Quest: An End to the Song
• Quest-giver Location: Aymeric - The Churning Mists (x7.4,y26.7)
• Prerequisites: Main Scenario Quest Winning Over the Wyrm

Strategy

Unlike the previous encounter in The Aery, this fight has four phases that combine healer checks, DPS checks, and raid mechanics (such as stacking to share damage). Positioning of all players is crucial to your success in this fight. Those without experience in Alexander or Containment Bay S1T7 will need to pay especially close attention to positioning cues that may be unfamiliar during the final phase. This encounter can be especially tricky for those who have only done Main Scenario Quests, as coordination and positioning are critical, especially during the second and final phases.

Phase 1 - Normal Dragon
- Avoid the flyover AoE and "Hot Wings" AoE. This will be a huge AoE blast of fire, followed by a room-wide AOE with a safe line along the length of Nidhogg's body
- Nidhogg will do a Deafening Bellow every so often throughout the fight. It does approx 4k dmg each time to the entire party, and in later portions of phase 1, will be cast twice in a row. It's recommended for casters to stay within AOE heal distance of their healers at all times.
- Run out of the holes that spawn under the players, as these will do massive damage to any player caught inside of one.
- Run out of Nidhogg's fire trail. The holes will spawn first, Nidhogg will disappear and you will be able to see from where he flies to where the trail will go. Since the room is massive, it's recommended to stack in the center of the room every time Nidhogg flies away to ensure you can get positioned in time.

Phase 2 - Adds
- This is a DPS check. If adds are killed too slowly, or not killed at all before Nidhogg blasts players back, it's a wipe.
- Middle add can't be tanked and will attack players randomly with an unmarked, short range frontal AoE. Kill this first or avoid it when it rears back to swipe at a player. Don't stand directly in front of it.
- Tank the two remaining adds to the sides. Assign one healer to each tank to heal and add additional DPS if possible.
- If you find yourself wiping on the transition phase where the 8 circles appear then it is because you didn't kill the adds on time. Whether you stand in the circles or not makes no difference. The DPS requirement is fairly strict, and may require a limit break and healers to contribute to DPS if the four group DPS cannot burn the adds fast enough.

Phase 3 - Humanoid Form
- Nidhogg will cast the hard-hitting "Ala Morn" on the tank. This is a tank buster that should be healed and shielded through when possible.
- Run out of "Geirskogul" line AOE that goes from Nidhogg towards a random player
- Spread out the meteor circles about the sides of the room. Once hit, run out of the circle placed on the floor to avoid a bleed debuff effect. - After the first meteor circles spawn, an area target, room-wide AoE will spawn. Run as far away from this as possible, avoiding any additional AoEs that spawn, to reduce damage. Healers should cast AoE heals when possible to help mitigate this damage.

Phase 4 - Fire Dragon
- When "Akh Morn" is cast, stack and STAY STACKED on the targeted player until all lightning bolts have been cast (it may be helpful to set a waypoint for everyone to stack onto). Doing so will spread the damage to all players, which ideally will prevent anyone from dying. The number of bolts that will strike increases as the fight progresses. Everyone should stack, including the main tank if possible. Even doing so, this will deal heavy damage that SHOULD be healed and shielded through. Should players not stack, each bolt will kill a random player after the targeted one is dead, which will most likely cause a wipe.
- 3 Fireballs will spawn on the ground occasionally. These are bombs that will explode in a plus shape, very similar to mechanics seen in Alexander Savage. Stand in a row and column unoccupied by these bombs to avoid the damage, and be prepared to immediately sprint back to the center for another cast of "Hot Wings".
- Run out of "Hot Wings" AOE. It is a room-wide AOE with a safe line along the length of Nidhoggs body
- Run out of "Hot Tail" AOE. It will appear straight after Hot Wings and cover the area that was safe during Hot Wings
- Run out of the holes that spawn under the players.
- Run out of Nidhogg's fire trail. The holes will spawn first, Nidhogg will disappear and from where he flies to you will be able to see where the trail will go. - As this is the final phase, these mechanics will repeat until the boss is dead.

Loot

• Nidhogg Card

Lore

The great steps which marked a journey's beginning shall now mark its end as the Warrior of Light enters into a final confrontation with the great wyrm Nidhogg. Steel will clash against fang and furious flames. But when the dust settles, only the victor will decide the fate of man, dragon, and the broken bonds that once united them.

Images

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