Guide · Raid Bosses

Icecrown Citadel 25 Heroic Boss by Boss

Icecrown Citadel 25 heroic guide: all twelve bosses with the mechanics, what tanks, healers and DPS do, and the mistakes that end attempts.

By Ilia Kozarev (RealNibba) · Updated 22 Sep 2026

12 bosses5 wings25-player heroicUp to +30% raid buff

Icecrown Citadel is the raid where most players spend the biggest part of their Wrath. It has twelve bosses in five wings, and a buff of up to 30% that grows as you progress and makes it far more forgiving than Ruby Sanctum. This page is the boss-by-boss plan for 25-player heroic: what each mechanic does, what every role has to do about it, and the small tricks (mostly Paladin buttons) that decide attempts.

Mechanics and timers change between normal and heroic, between 10 and 25 players and between servers, and this page follows how strong 25-player groups play the fight on a 3.3.5a server with the 30% buff. Your raid leader's calls always win. Hover or tap any coloured spell for its tooltip. The Lich King has its own raid plan and healer guide, and the raid after this one is Ruby Sanctum.

1.The Paladin cheat sheet

Paladins carry more of this raid than any other class. Hand of Protection in particular breaks mechanics that would otherwise need a lot of movement or a lot of healing. Here is where each button belongs, boss by boss. Every entry links to the boss below.

Lord Marrowgar: Bone Storm

Aura Mastery with the Frost Resistance Aura and Divine Sacrifice when the storm starts.

Lady Deathwhisper: the pull

Hand of Protection on the Balance Druids and the Demonology and Affliction Warlocks the moment the add packs arrive.

Deathbringer Saurfang: the Mark

Hand of Protection on the marked player stops the Mark's damage for a while. Retribution: seal dancing with Seal of Command.

Festergut: the explosion

Divine Sacrifice, then the Shadow Resistance Aura with Aura Mastery for the damage that follows.

Professor Putricide: the oozes

Hand of Protection on the target of an ooze stops the ooze from hitting, and confuses it for as long as the Hand lasts.

Blood Princes: Shock Vortex

Hand of Protection on every healer before Valanar's vortex, so nobody is thrown out of the stack.

Sindragosa: Blistering Cold

Hand of Protection on a healer before she casts it, so he is not pulled into the boss. Retribution gives Aura Mastery with the Frost aura.

The Lich King

Divine Sacrifice and Hand of Sacrifice for the Soul Reapers, and a Paladin can help with the healing inside Frostmourne.

2.The Lower Spire

Bosses 1 to 4

Lord Marrowgar

The Lower Spire

2 tanksGear checkBone Storm

The first boss is a gear check and a positioning test. Most of the damage the raid takes is avoidable: it comes from standing in Coldflame, from letting the Bone Spikes live, and from Bone Storm. Get those three right and the fight is short.

Mechanics

TankBone Slice

A heavy cleave on the tanks, hitting several targets every second. Keep both tanks stacked so the damage is shared, and rotate your cooldowns.

MoveColdflame

A line of frost fire is fired at random players and travels through the room. Stay close to the boss, and step out of the line as soon as it appears.

AddBone Spike Graveyard

Impales a player on a spike. The impaled player is stuck and takes damage until the spike dies, so it is the number one target (AoE or cleave).

Raid damageBone Storm

He charges around the room for about twenty seconds. Spread out, stay out of his path, and expect raid-wide damage while Coldflame keeps firing.

Who does what

Tanks

Two tanks stacked. Big cooldown ready for each Bone Slice, and the second tank ready to pick him up when the storm ends.

Healers

The raid takes damage during Bone Storm, so keep a raid cooldown for it (Divine Hymn is a good one) and top the impaled players.

Damage dealers

Kill the spike first, then the boss. Do not chase him during the storm.

Bone Storm: the standard call

When the storm starts, a Paladin casts Aura Mastery with the Frost Resistance Aura and Divine Sacrifice. Coldflame and the storm hit the whole raid with a lot of frost damage, so the pair takes a big part of it away. Ask your raid leader whether he wants it on every storm or only on the ones where healing is thin.

Lady Deathwhisper

The Lower Spire

2 tanks + add tanksTwo phasesHeroic: Dominate Mind

Two phases. In the first phase a mana barrier soaks the damage (her mana is her health) while cultists arrive from both sides in two packs. When the barrier is gone she starts casting and calls spirits. The fight is decided in the first thirty seconds and in the second phase by one rule: stay away from the spirits.

Mechanics

Phase 1Mana barrier and add waves

Adherents and Fanatics arrive from the left and right in two packs. Melee and AoE cleave them under the boss while the casters keep hitting the barrier.

HeroicDominate Mind

Mind-controls a raid member for a while. Control or root him instead of killing him, and do not let him hit the tank.

Phase 2Spirits

Each spirit chases one player and explodes on him, hitting everyone within about twenty yards. In phase 2 this is what kills raids. Do everything you can to avoid them: move away, keep the group flexible, and never let a spirit reach the stack.

InterruptFrostbolt

Her big cast in phase 2. Have interrupts lined up in order so it never finishes.

TankTouch of Insignificance

A tank debuff that reduces the threat you generate and stacks. Swap tanks when the stacks get high.

MoveDeath and Decay

A patch on the ground that hurts. Step out of it when it is cast on you.

DeadlyThe curse

A curse she puts on random players in phase 2. If you press an ability while cursed, that ability is put on a twenty-second cooldown. The moment you see it on you, stop casting and stop attacking, and wait for a dispel before you press anything else.

Who does what

Tanks

One tank on the boss, one on each add pack. Pick the adds up and drag them under the boss so they are cleaved together.

Healers

Phase 1 is easy on mana. Phase 2 is not, so keep mana for it.

Damage dealers

Stack under the boss at the start. Melee focus the Adherents, magic damage takes the Fanatics, ranged stays on the barrier. In phase 2 interrupt Frostbolt.

The pull: who gets Hand of Protection

Everyone stacks under the boss at the start. The moment the raid arrives, give Hand of Protection to the Balance Druids and to the Demonology and Affliction Warlocks. The adds come in two packs and would destroy the casters in the first seconds, so the Hand keeps them alive while the packs are dragged under the boss and cleaved.

Phase 2

The spirits are the number one killer. Everything else can be healed, but a spirit that reaches the raid cannot.

Icecrown Gunship Battle

The Lower Spire

1 to 2 tanksTwo ships

A fight between two flying ships. You defend your own ship with a few people and send a boarding party to the enemy ship. It is a coordination fight more than a damage fight, and the raid leader assigns who does what before the pull.

Mechanics

DPS jobCannons and heat

The cannon crews shoot the enemy ship, and each shot heats the cannon. Do not let it overheat, and use the cool-down pauses.

BoardingThe assault team

Jump across with the rocket packs, kill the enemy sergeants and mages, and get back when the call comes.

DeadlyThe enemy mage

One mage on the enemy deck can freeze your cannons. The boarding party kills him first.

DefenceDefending your ship

Adds are teleported onto your ship and must not reach the cannons or the healers.

Who does what

Tanks

One tank goes with the boarding party, and one stays on the ship to pick up the adds.

Healers

You are split between the two ships, so agree beforehand who goes where.

Damage dealers

Cannons shoot, the boarding party kills the mage and then the sergeants, the rest defends. Watch the heat.

Deathbringer Saurfang

The Lower Spire

2 tanksBlood PowerHeroism at 30%

A short and intense fight built on one number: his Blood Power. Every point of damage he or his adds deal fills it, and when it is full he casts a Mark. So the fight is really about giving him as little damage to feed on as possible.

The Blood Power loop (what you must break)

1. DamageAny damage dealt by the boss or the adds he spawns raises his Blood Power.
2. Blood NovaStaying stacked for Blood Nova makes more people take damage.
3. More powerMore people damaged means more Blood Power.
4. More MarksMore Blood Power means more Marks of the Fallen Champion.

Mechanics

DeadlyMark of the Fallen Champion

Cast on a random player every time his Blood Power fills. The damage from a Mark can be stopped for a while by a Paladin's Hand of Protection.

Raid damageBlood Nova

Hits the area around a random player. Do not stay stacked: spread so few people take damage, because every player hit feeds his Blood Power.

AddBlood Beasts

Spawn regularly and also raise his Blood Power when they hit. Kill them the moment they appear.

TankRune of Blood

A debuff on the active tank. Taunt swap when it lands.

HealersBoiling Blood

A damage-over-time on random players. Keep them topped.

HeroicFrenzy at 30%

He frenzies at 30%. Use Heroism or Bloodlust here, and burn him down.

Who does what

Tanks

Swap with Taunt or Dark Command when Rune of Blood lands, and pick up the Blood Beasts.

Healers

Spread the healing so people who are hurt by Blood Nova come back fast.

Damage dealers

Ranged: swap to the Blood Beasts as soon as they appear, and go back to the boss when they are dead. Melee: kill the beasts with cleave, and never stand in Blood Nova.

Marks and Hand of Protection

When the boss casts a Mark on a player, a Paladin puts Hand of Protection on him. It stops the Mark's damage for the length of the Hand. That is not the only answer, but it is the cheapest one.

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Retribution Paladins: seal dancing

You have a special job on this boss. Swap from Seal of Vengeance to Seal of Command, so your damage cleaves onto the Blood Beasts and helps kill the adds and the boss. But watch the timer on your Seal of Vengeance, because it is your main seal and you do not want to lose it. When it is about 3 seconds from expiring, swap back to Seal of Vengeance to refresh it, and then go back to Seal of Command until the adds are dead. This is the famous seal dancing.

★

Hunters

A Frost Trap at the point where the Blood Beasts arrive slows the whole pack, which gives your damage time to kill them.

3.The Plagueworks

Bosses 5 to 7

Festergut

The Plagueworks

1 tankGas and sporesHeroic: Malleable Goo

The fight is about gas. Festergut inhales the blight, the raid takes more damage with every stack, and after three inhales he releases everything in one big explosion. Gas Spores are how you survive it: they give players a protection debuff, so the raid splits into small groups that stack on the players carrying the spores.

Mechanics

Raid damageGaseous Blight

Raid-wide damage that grows with every inhale. Healing cooldowns belong on the last inhale.

DeadlyThe explosion

After the third inhale he releases the blight. Without the protection from the spores, this kills. See the cooldown list below.

MoveGas Spores

Spore carriers are marked. Spread to three groups, stand on them, and collect the protection stacks.

MoveVile Gas

Marks ranged players and spreads. Keep out of the group when you are marked.

TankGastric Bloat

Stacks on the tank. Swap tanks when it gets high; the raid leader calls the number.

HeroicMalleable Goo

Goo lands where a small green puddle warns you. Move on time. A hit is an insane damage loss, and when ten stacked players get hit it can cost the raid two to three million damage on the boss.

TankEvery inhale, not just the last

Every inhale also makes Festergut hit the tank about 30% harder and faster. Cover each inhale with a cooldown, not only the big explosion at the end.

SetupThree rings

A simple way to spread: the raid stands in three rings around him, one for the melee and two for the ranged and healers, with about ten yards between players because of Vile Gas and Malleable Goo. Shamans drop their totems right under the boss, so everyone gets the buffs.

Who does what

Tanks

Cooldowns for every inhale, not only the last one. Swap on Gastric Bloat.

Healers

Stand in the middle of the groups you heal, and save your raid cooldowns for the explosion.

Damage dealers

Follow the spore groups. Watch the ground for the green puddle, and step out at once.

Surviving the explosion

Mages and Shadow Priests do not need to stack for the spores: a mage uses Ice Block and a Shadow Priest uses Dispersion, and both survive the explosion. Druids always use Barkskin on the explosion. A Paladin calls Divine Sacrifice for it, and the Shadow Resistance Aura with Aura Mastery helps with the damage that follows.

Rotface

The Plagueworks

2 tanksOozesHeroic: Vile Gas

The ooze fight. Small oozes chase the raid and merge into a big ooze that grows, and the off-tank kites the big ooze around the room. The difference between normal and heroic is one ability: on heroic Rotface also has Vile Gas, the same ability Festergut uses, and it changes where the ranged stand.

Mechanics

AddLittle oozes

They chase players and merge into a big ooze. Kill them, or feed them to the merge in the way the raid leader asks.

DeadlyThe big ooze

Every merge gives it a stack of Unstable Ooze, which adds 20% damage, and after enough stacks it explodes in a small radius. Sticky Ooze also slows whoever it touches by half. The off-tank kites it, and it must never explode next to the raid.

TankSlime Spray

A cone in front of the boss. The tank faces him away from the raid.

HealersMutated Infection

A debuff that reduces healing and spawns an ooze. Heal through it and move out.

HeroicVile Gas

Kills anyone standing in a stack. Ranged damage cannot stack on him: stay spread, with at least ten people outside of melee range.

CooldownBloodlust

Use Bloodlust or Heroism a few seconds after the pull, while the first oozes are still far away and everyone can hit the boss without interruption.

Who does what

Tanks

The main tank holds the boss with his back to the raid. The off-tank kites the big ooze.

Healers

One or two healers can stay in melee range, where they are protected from Vile Gas. The rest heal from outside.

Damage dealers

Spread on him. You cannot stack together, because Vile Gas will kill you. Kill the small oozes before they reach the big one.

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The Vile Gas rule (heroic)

You need at least ten people outside of melee range of Rotface, so Vile Gas is not triggered inside the group. One or two healers can stay in melee range, where they are protected.

Professor Putricide

The Plagueworks

1 tankThree phasesHeroic: two oozes

Three phases and a lot of things to do at once. The rules of the first phases are the same on both difficulties: green and red oozes chase the raid, gas bombs and goo land on the ground, and a plague is passed between players. On heroic there is one big difference in the transitions.

The phases

100% to 80%Phase 1

Green and red oozes spawn one after the other. Kill them in the order the raid leader gives, avoid the goo and the gas.

At 80%Transition (heroic)

A green and a red ooze spawn at the same time. Every player gets a debuff that stops him attacking the opposite colour.

80% to 35%Phase 2

The same as phase 1 with more going on. Pass the plague, and watch the ground.

At 35%Transition (heroic)

The double ooze again, with the colour debuff on everybody.

Mechanics

DeadlyThe plague

A debuff that jumps. Melee are stacked, so it jumps between random people and disappears. If you have it, never run out alone: if it does not spread to someone within 3 to 5 seconds, it kills you. Ranged must pass it on time or the raid wipes.

AddGreen and red oozes

They chase their targets. A Hand of Protection on the target stops the ooze from hitting him and confuses it for as long as the Hand lasts.

MoveChoking Gas Bomb

He throws bombs on the ground that explode about twenty seconds after they land. The explosion hurts and lowers the hit chance of everyone caught in it by 100% for twenty seconds, so stay out of the circle, and let a melee step back in at the last moment instead of leaving early.

MoveMalleable Goo

Leave the ground where it lands. Do not stand in the puddles.

HeroicThe colour debuff

In each heroic transition you can attack the green ooze or the red ooze, not both. Decide your side and stay on it.

Who does what

Tanks

Keep the boss where the plan says, and move him along the wall in the last phase.

Healers

The plague is your main worry. Watch the players carrying it.

Damage dealers

Kill the oozes of your colour in the transitions. Melee: stay stacked. Ranged: pass the plague at once.

Hand of Protection: green first, red as backup

On the green ooze, a Paladin pre-casts Hand of Protection on its target right before it reaches him, so the explosion is cancelled before it happens. On the red ooze, Hand of Protection is a backup for when something has already gone wrong, not the first plan. Either way the ooze is confused and stops attacking for as long as the Hand lasts.

★

Other ways to survive an ooze

A Mage without a free Hand can Ice Block the moment an ooze reaches him, or Blink away to buy the raid two or three extra seconds before it explodes. A Rogue can Vanish, a Night Elf of any class can use Shadowmeld, and a Paladin can bubble with Divine Shield: none of these let the ooze land its hit.

The plague

Never run out alone with it. It is the classic way to lose a raid member for nothing.

4.The Crimson Hall

Bosses 8 and 9

Blood Prince Council

The Crimson Hall

2 tanksThree princesHand of Protection

Three princes share one health pool, but only one of them is empowered at a time, and the empowerment changes as the fight goes on. Hit the shiny one and dodge the dark orbs. Each prince has his own trick, and a strong group can stack the bosses and survive Keleseth without anything special.

Mechanics

RaidShock Vortex

Valanar's vortex throws players away from the group. A player with Hand of Protection stays in the stack and is not thrown.

TankKeleseth

His Shadow Lance hits the tank hard. Dark nuclei can protect the tank from it, but strong groups do not need them.

AddFlame Spheres

Taldaram sends flame spheres after players. Melee run with them, and kill them where they are safe.

AddKinetic Bombs

Bombs float down and must be caught. A Hunter holds them with his pet and abilities.

MoveShadow Prison

Do not move when the Shadow Prison debuff is on you. Moving hurts you.

Who does what

Tanks

Stack the princes together in a strong group. The Death Knight tank survives Keleseth with his cooldowns, the raid cooldowns and Anti-Magic Shell, even without the dark nuclei.

Healers

Healers get the Hands. Keep them in the stack and in range of the tank.

Damage dealers

A Hunter takes care of the Kinetic Bombs. Watch for the swap of the empowerment and never stop hitting the empowered prince.

Hand of Protection on the healers

At the very start, when Prince Valanar casts Shock Vortex, a player with Hand of Protection can stand in the stack and will not be thrown away. Healers get it first. A Holy Paladin casts Divine Shield on himself and gives the Hand to another healer. One Retribution Paladin gives it to the third healer, and a second Retribution Paladin to the fourth, and so on.

Keleseth in a strong group

You will not have a problem with Prince Keleseth if the tank has enough cooldowns: Divine Sacrifice, Pain Suppression from the Priests and Hand of Sacrifice from the Paladins. So you can stack the bosses together.

Blood-Queen Lana'thel

The Crimson Hall

2 tanksBites and linksHeroic: scaling only

You get bitten, you bite someone else. It is not weird, it is the mechanic. The good news for heroic: the only difference from normal is the damage scaling and the boss' health. There is nothing new to learn, so heal hard, step out for the shadows, and stack for the link.

Mechanics

RaidVampiric Bite

A bitten player deals double damage and heals from what he hits, but after about a minute the buff turns into Frenzied Bloodthirst and he must bite someone who is not infected yet. Pick your four best damage dealers before the pull: one takes the first bite (usually a Hunter) and passes it on to the other three, so the biggest damage gets the bonus.

MoveSwarming Shadows

A trail of shadow follows a player. Go out of the group, and bring the swarm to the wall.

RaidPact of the Darkfallen

Linked players hurt each other unless they stand close. Stack for the link, and spread again when it ends.

DeadlyThe air phase

She flies and shoots at players. Spread out, use your defensive cooldowns, and heal through it.

SetupHealers in the middle

Put the healers on the edge of the group, so they can reach everyone in every direction. The rest of the ranged spread left and right, already apart from each other, so nobody has to move far when the swarm or the link is called.

Who does what

Tanks

The tanks share the damage between them. Take the mirror properly and swap as called.

Healers

Heal hard, save cooldowns for the air phase, and heal the linked players together.

Damage dealers

Keep your damage up so you kill her before the enrage. Stay out of the swarm, and stack only for the link.

5.The Frostwing Halls

Bosses 10 and 11

Valithria Dreamwalker

The Frostwing Halls

No tankHealers are the damageKill order matters

The only boss where the healers are the damage. Heal the dragon from half health to full while waves of adds arrive. The waves are what ends attempts, so the kill order is the whole plan, and it is simple.

The kill priority

Suppressor: it interferes with the healers, so it dies first.
Blazing Skeleton: hits the raid hard, and is quick to kill.
Blistering Zombie: only ranged damage attacks it. A Hunter taunts it and takes it out of the group, because it explodes on death. Melee never touch it, and Death Knights can slow it with Chains of Ice.
Risen Archmage: interrupt him and kill him.
Gluttonous Abomination: it dies last, because the tank can hold it out of the group. When it dies it spawns Rot Worms, so kill it only when nothing else is left.

Mechanics

AddRot Worms

They appear when the Abomination dies and hit hard. AoE them the moment they spawn so they die fast.

HealersThe dragon

She has to be healed to full. Do not stop healing her, even when the raid is taking damage.

DeadlyBlazing Skeletons

They burn the raid. Kill them fast, and use your AoE.

HealersThe portal buff

Healing inside the dream portals gives a stacking buff: more healing and damage, and mana back, at the cost of a little damage every few seconds. Collect it in groups, and when only one stack is left in the portal, wait a moment before you leave so the buff does not run out. On heroic the buff hurts you as it stacks, so keep somebody healing the healers who are inside.

Who does what

Tanks

Hold the Abomination away from the group, and pick up what comes to your side.

Healers

Your job is the dragon. Some healers enter the portals, and the raid leader chooses who.

Damage dealers

Follow the priority. Never cleave the dragon. Melee: do not touch the Blistering Zombie. Ranged: kill it when the Hunter has taken it out.

⚑

Always kill the Abomination last

When there is nothing else to kill, kill the Abomination. Its Rot Worms hit hard, so have your AoE ready.

Sindragosa

The Frostwing Halls

1 tankTwo ways to kill herHeroic: Unchained Magic explodes

The interesting boss. There are two ways to kill her, and which one your raid uses depends on how strong the group is. The mechanics are the same: Frost Breath and Tail Smash on the ground, debuffs that punish greed, and in the air phase Ice Tombs that trap players.

Two ways to kill her

Way 1Two air phases

The usual plan on a server with the 30% buff. Survive two air phases, then burst her with Heroism after the second one, and hope you kill her before you die.

Way 2One air phase

For an extremely strong group. She lands from the first air phase at around 43 to 45%, and you burst her at once instead of waiting. Use Heroism only after she is under 35%.

Mechanics

RaidBlistering Cold

She casts it and pulls the raid toward her, then blasts everything close to her. A player with Hand of Protection is not pulled.

DeadlyIce Tombs

Every time she takes off she marks several players and traps them in Ice Tombs in the air phase. Everyone notes who is marked, and all damage dealers switch to the tombs to free them before doing anything else. Give the main tank Hand of Freedom if he is not a Paladin, so he can reposition before the air phase instead of being stuck in place.

HeroicUnchained Magic

Casters and healers get the stacks. On heroic the stacks explode: do not go over 5 to 6 stacks, and always step out of the group before they go off, because the damage is an AoE.

TankFrost Breath and Tail Smash

The tank has cooldowns for every Frost Breath, and the raid stays out of the tail.

Who does what

Tanks

Cooldowns for each Frost Breath. Stay away from the tail.

Healers

Watch the Mystic Buffet stacks, and keep your Unchained Magic stacks low. Get out of the group before they explode.

Damage dealers

Be careful with the tomb positions in the air phase. Casters: keep the stacks under 5 to 6 and go out to explode them.

Blistering Cold: Hand of Protection on a healer

When she is casting Blistering Cold, pre-cast Hand of Protection on a healer. He will not be grabbed into the boss.

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Way 2: what changes on the first Blistering Cold

Retribution Paladins give Aura Mastery with the Frost Resistance Aura, and give Hands of Protection to different targets, mostly the Mages and the Restoration Shaman, so they are not pulled in by the Blistering Cold. A second Blistering Cold will not come, because with enough damage you push the boss into phase 2 before she can cast it.

Mages, at the start of the fight

If you get Unchained Magic on you at the very beginning, instantly cast Ice Block to remove it, so you do not lose damage: you are pushing hard at the start. After that, if you get it again, just continue the fight normally.

6.The Frozen Throne

Boss 12

The Lich King

The Frozen Throne

2 tanksThree phases + FrostmourneHeroic changes a lot

On heroic the Lich King changes more than any other boss in the raid. The raid splits into groups in phase 1, the transitions are about spreading out and killing spheres, and the last phase harvests the whole raid into Frostmourne instead of one player. The full plan is on its own page.

The phases

100% to 70%Phase 1

Three groups (ranged, melee, and the tank with the horrors) and shadow traps that push everyone toward the edge.

70% to 40%Phase 2

Use Heroism when the raid gets back to the center. Defile, Val'kyr, and spread out in the transitions.

40% to 10%Phase 3

Harvest Soul takes the whole raid into Frostmourne. Nobody may die in there.

Read the plan before you enter

Everyone in the raid should read the Lich King 25 Heroic raid plan. Standing in front of a Shambling Horror or dying inside Frostmourne can end the attempt.

Lich King raid plan Ruby Sanctum & Halion More raid boss guides