Serpentshrine Cavern walkthrough (2024)

General[]

• In an interesting twist The Lurker Below must be fished out of his pool rather than pulled.
• There is no required boss order in this zone, as there are several paths from the zone-in to Lady Vashj. The main 'cavern' is composed of a collection of large bridges and platforms above water. By using waterwalking you can start pretty much anywhere. Creative mechanics will be needed to begin waterwalking so you don't break the water when you jump down onto it (paladin bubbles, Slow Fall, etc...).

NPC Respawn Timer[]

Respawn timer for all trash groups is 2 hours. If their related boss is defeated, they will not respawn.

The water[]

• [70 Elite] Coilfang Frenzy are fish that attack anyone who enters the water, to prevent skipping areas. The longer you are in the water, the more fish spawn. They will despawn once you are out of the water or dead. Once The Lurker Below is defeated, these will no longer spawn. Any forms of waterwalk (i.e. priest's Levitation) prevent the mobs from attacking.

Scalding Water[]

As long as the 6 platform packs surrounding The Lurker Below are cleared, the water will be boiling, killing all of the Coilfang Frenzy in the water. Entering the water during this condition results in a Scalding Water debuff, which inflicts 500 damage every 3 seconds (avoidable by using any forms of waterwalk). This is considerably less damage than attacks from the Coilfang Frenzy. If the platform packs respawn, the water stops boiling and the Coilfang Frenzy return.

Defeating The Lurker Below prevents both the Scalding Water and the Coilfang Frenzy, allowing more convenient navigation of the instance.

NPCs related to Hydross the Unstable[]

Once Hydross the Unstable is killed these will no longer spawn.

Pack type 1[]

This is the first type of pack you'll encounter as you enter. There are about 3 of these packs before Hydross the Unstable. 5 tanking classes of some sort can be used, although the Serpentshrine Sporebats can be CC'd when not enraged. Tank the Coilfang Hate-Screamers away from the group to prevent silence. Burn the Coilfang Beast-Tamer while his Serpentshrine Sporebats are tanked (they randomly charge). Once the Coilfang Beast-Tamer is dead, the Serpentshrine Sporebats will lose their enrage, at which time they can be Crowd Controlled. Burn the Coilfang Hate-Screamers and then finish off the bats at your leisure.

Note: If the Serpentshrine Sporebats are sheeped far enough away from the Coilfang Beast-Tamer, occasionally they do not become enraged and break sheep.

• [71 Elite] Coilfang Beast-Tamer x 1
• [71 Elite] Coilfang Hate-Screamer x 2
• [71 Elite] Serpentshrine Sporebat x 2

Underbog Colossus[]

[72 Elite] Underbog Colossus appear as single pulls between each of the Pack type 1's. Although their abilities can require some thought, they are relatively easy. Nature resist gear helps.

Platform around Hydross the Unstable[]

These mobs move around Hydross the Unstable's platform Tainted Water Elementals come from the right and stop in front of Hydross the Unstable and become Purified Water Elemental then continue along the platform. They have relatively low hit points but a huge aggro range.

[71 Elite] Tainted Water Elemental
[71 Elite] Purified Water Elemental

Hydross the Unstable encounter[]

During the encounter when Hydross the Unstable changes form he will spawn 4 adds. Tainted Spawn of Hydross for poison form or Pure Spawn of Hydross for water from.

[71 Elite] Tainted Spawn of Hydross
[71 Elite] Pure Spawn of Hydross

NPCs related to The Lurker Below[]

Once The Lurker Below is killed these will no longer respawn. In addition, the Scalding Water and Coilfang Frenzy are removed.

Pack type 2[]

These occur on the 6 platforms encircling the The Lurker Below's pool. Each pack consists of 1 Vashj'ir Honor Guard, 2 Coilfang Shatterers, 2 Coilfang Priestess and 4 Greyheart Technician. Crowd control the Greyheart Technicians and Coilfang Priestesses, then focus damage on the Coilfang Shatterers first, Vashj'ir Honor Guard next. The Greyheart Technicians are weak and can be killed very fast when lacking CC (a single Rogue can easily take one down).

• [71 Elite] Vashj'ir Honor Guard x 1
• [71 Elite] Coilfang Shatterer x 2
• [71 Elite] Coilfang Priestess x 2
• [71 Elite] Greyheart Technician x 4

Note: On the third group it is possible to accidentally pull the patrolling Underbog Colossus from the platform to the left by standing too far to the left hand side. Everyone should stay to the right hand side of the third platform.

The Lurker Below encounter[]

When The Lurker Below dives, he spawns a total of 9 adds: 6 ranged Coilfang Ambushers (2 on each platform), and 3 melee Coilfang Guardians. All these adds can be Crowd controlled.

[70 Elite] Coilfang Ambusher x 6
[70 Elite] Coilfang Guardian x 3

NPCs related to Morogrim Tidewalker[]

Once Morogrim Tidewalker is killed these will no longer respawn.

Pack type 3[]

These packs occur on the bridge to Morogrim Tidewalker's room. Crowd control as many Greyhearts as you can, and keep an eye on the Greyheart Tidecaller's totems

• [71 Elite] Greyheart Tidecaller x 1 Has a magic buff that has a chance when hit to infect random raid members with a poison which ticks for a massive amount of damage, 2 ticks will kill most people; it can be spell stolen, mass dispelled etc. A felhunter with devour magic on auto cast can also remove this as soon as it is cast. The Tidecaller also summons totems linked to water elementals, kill these ASAP. (The Elementals can be banished.)
• [71 Elite] Coilfang Serpentguard x 2 Uses a spell reflect shield and an aura that reduces armour by 25%. However, the aura is not much of a problem, do not go out of your way to avoid it.
• [71 Elite] Greyheart Skulker x 1 Can interrupt casts next to them.
• [71 Elite] Greyheart Nether-Mage x 2 Preferably sheep these. They do a large AOE, have 3 different self buffs that increase spell damage done by 300~ or so, can be fun for mages to spell steal these buffs.

Pack type 4[]

There is 1 of these packs leading to the room where Morogrim Tidewalker resides. None can be CCed, the Coilfang Fathom-Witches mind control and AoE knockback. Using the convenient wall / platform to your left it's possible to train some of the mobs while you focus on the others. It is also a good idea to have dps hit the Coilfang Fathom-Witches quickly after the pull, they mind control people 2nd on their aggro table and if another tank is 2nd then you will have a loose mob

• [71 Elite] Coilfang Serpentguard x 2
• [71 Elite] Coilfang Fathom-Witch x 2

Tidewalker murloc pack[]

These packs run around near Morogrim Tidewalker's room, generally they are packs of 5-6 random murlocs. Their damage is fairly weak, so tanks can tank 2 without much trouble, it is possible to have a Paladin tank multiple groups of these monsters at once, however it is wise to have additional tanks ready to taunt the Tidewalker Warriors if / when they drop aggro due to Righteous Defense being on a 15 second cooldown.

• [71 Elite] Tidewalker Depth-Seer
  • can't be stunned
• [71 Elite] Tidewalker Harpooner
• [71 Elite] Tidewalker Hydromancer
• [71 Elite] Tidewalker Shaman
  • can be stunned
• [71 Elite] Tidewalker Lurker
• [71 Elite] Tidewalker Warrior - Drop Aggro, Frenzy
  • can't be stunned, CAN be sheeped

Fathom-Lord Karathress encounter[]

These are the adds during the Fathom-Lord Karathress encounter.

• [71 Elite] Fathom-Guard Caribdis
• [71 Elite] Fathom-Guard Sharkkis
• [71 Elite] Fathom-Guard Tidalvess

NPCs related to Leotheras the Blind[]

This is the trash in the room with Leotheras the Blind leading from Karathress. Right and left of the room beyond Leotheras are two of these packs. This is leading from Morogrim's room.

• [71 Elite] Greyheart Spellbinder * 3 holding onto Leotheras the Blind they will aggro if you get to close. hang to the left while you clear the room.

Packs: get away from the mushrooms that Serpentshrine Lurker spawn. they explode and release toxic green goo...

• [71 Elite] Greyheart Shield-Bearer
• [71 Elite] Greyheart Nether-Mage
• [70 Elite] Serpentshrine Lurker
• [71 Elite] Greyheart Tidecaller * 2
• [71 Elite] Greyheart Spellbinder
• [71 Elite] Greyheart Skulker

in the middle of those

• [71 Elite] Greyheart Tidecaller * 2
• [71 Elite] Greyheart Skulker * 2

beyond that room there is a pack of

• [71 Elite] Greyheart Tidecaller * 2
• [71 Elite] Greyheart Nether-Mage

Note: Not sure if this changes will check next week

Leotheras the Blind encounter[]

• [70 Elite] Inner Demon (Serpentshrine Cavern)

Other trash mobs[]

• [70 Elite] Coilfang Elite
• [70 Elite] Coilfang Guardian
• [70 Elite] Coilfang Strider
• [71 Elite] Colossus Lurker
• [70 Elite] Colossus Rager
• [70 ] Enchanted Elemental
• [69 Elite] Fathom Lurker
• [69 Elite] Fathom Sporebat
• [70 Elite] Serpentshrine Lurker
• [1 ] Serpentshrine Parasite
• [68 Elite] Serpentshrine Tidecaller
• [70 ] Toxic Spore Bat
• [65 - 72 ] Underbog Mushroom
• [71 Elite] Water Walker Elemental