Introduction

This guide aims to provide tips and strategies for defeating the Phoinix in Asphodelos: The Third Circle (Savage).

The Third Circle (Savage) is the third raid encounter in the Pandaemonium series, available January 4, 2022 in Patch 6.05. Players must have completed the Quest “Who Wards the Warders?” and talk to Nemjiji in Labyrinthos (X:8.4, Y:27.4). Players must be item level 580 or above to challenge this fight in a non-premade group.

Videos

Coming soon!

Drops

Chest One:

One of:

• Asphodelos Head Gear Coffer
• Asphodelos Hand Gear Coffer
• Asphodelos Foot Gear Coffer

Chest Two:

One of:

• Asphodelos Leg Gear Coffer

Both of:

• Radiant Twine
• Radiant Roborant

Token

• Asphodelos Mythos III

Eight of these tokens can be traded in for leg gear at a Pandaemonium gear vendor. Four of these tokens can be traded in for a Radiant Twine or a Radiant Roborant.

Major Mechanics

The Phoinix has a hard enrage of roughly 11:03, depending on how fast the add phase is completed, and requires roughly 42.2k raid DPS to defeat before then.

Pre-pull Preparation

Assign all players a partner of the opposite role and range - two tanks with two ranged DPS, and two healers with two melee DPS. Assign each of these groups a numbered marker from one to four. Split these groups into two light parties of one tank, one healer, and two DPS each for the adds phase and Fountain of Fire - a north/east light party and a south/west light party. For Firestorms of Asphodelos, these partners will be with the same role - tanks with ranged, and healers with melee.

Place markers on the arena as such.

Mechanic Overview

Scorched Exaltation

A heavy raidwide AoE that deals magic damage.

Heat of Condemnation

Two tethers appear on random non-tanks. These tethers must be picked up by tanks and brought far apart at the front of the boss, as they do a magical tank buster in a large AoE when the castbar resolves.

Experimental Fireplume

The boss will cast either eight small fire orbs or one large fire orb when the castbar finishes.

• Eight small orbs: AoEs will appear at opposite cardinals and rotate around the arena before hitting the center. Move out to the second AoE to dodge this.
• One large orb: A gigantic AoE will be baited on a random player. All players bait this in the middle of the arena and move to the edge of the arena.

Left Cinderwing and Right Cinderwing

The boss will cleave the left side or right side of the arena relative to where it is facing. This will inflict a damage down to any players hit.

Darkened Fire

Spawns a Darkened Fire add under tanks/healers or DPS that has a damage taken reduced buff. If they are too close to each other they will tether and explode. These start casting Darkened Blaze as they spawn, and must be killed before it is allowed to finish. Players should stand with their partner at their marker to bait these.

Brightened Fire

Marks each player with an AoE and a number from one to eight. The Phoinix will breathe fire on each player sequentially, dealing light damage and inflicting a fire resistance down debuff for a few seconds. If a Darkened Fire add is hit by four Brightened Fire AoEs, it will remove the buff that they have preventing them from taking damage.

Devouring Brand

A line of fire appears at cardinals and slowly moves towards the center, leaving intercardinal quadrants safe.

Searing Breeze

AoE markers appear under all players. Bait together and move to dodge.

Trail of Condemnation

The boss will become untargetable and jump to an edge of the arena. Either its middle head or its two side heads will glow.

• If the middle head is glowing, it will do a line AoE across the center of the arena and all players will get marked for an AoE. Spread these out to the sides.
• If the side heads are glowing, it will do a line AoE across the sides of the arena and all players of a role will get marked for a shared AoE. Stand in the center line and stack with a partner.

Sunbird

Four Sunbird adds will spawn during Phase Two. These must be picked up by tanks. These will pulse a large AoE when being revived, and if any Sunbird corpse is in it the boss will receive a damage up buff that will eventually wipe the raid.

Flames of Undeath

A massive raidwide AoE that deals magic damage. It will revive all dead Sunbirds and make them grow larger. Revived Sunbirds will retain the enmity table they had before they were killed. If large Sunbirds were revived, they will turn into Sparkfledged and attach to the boss.

Fireglide Sweep

Each revived Sunbird will tether to a tank, healer, and two DPS. Those players in turn will be tethered to a player who does not have a tether of the opposite role. When the castbar resolves, the Sunbird will dash to the tethered player and then the subsequent tethered player, dealing proximity physical damage and inflicting a Blunt Resistance Down debuff.

Dead Rebirth

A catastrophic raidwide AoE that deals magic damage.

Fledgling Flight

Marks all tanks and healers or all DPS with a Sparkfledged pointing towards a cardinal direction. These will spawn on their location and emit a large conal AoE in the indicated direction.

Experimental Ashplume

The boss will cast either eight small dark orbs or one large dark orb when the castbar finishes.

• Eight small dark orbs: all players are marked with an AoE, so spread out.
• One large dark orb: One tank and one healer will be marked with a stack marker, so stack - melee with tanks, ranged with healers.

Experimental Gloryplume

The boss will do an Experimental Fireplume mechanic, then an Experimental Ashplume mechanic. Both mechanics will be shown in order, and then executed, so wait for both to show before moving.

Fountain of Fire

Spawns two sets of four fountains starting from the north/south or east/west of the arena and going clockwise. These fountains must be soaked by a player, and inflicts the player standing inside with Trickle of Fire, which massively boosts healing potency for six seconds.

Sun’s Pinion

Marks the two closest players to the boss with an AoE marker. This deals moderate magic damage and inflicts a Fire Resistance down debuff. This AoE will drop a Sunbird Pinion on the player, which will do a proximity tether to them, then dash to them after a while.

Firestorms of Asphodelos

A catastrophic raidwide AoE that deals magic damage. This will summon burning rain once more, and spawn Darkblaze Twister fire tornadoes north, southwest, and southeast on the arena.

Flames of Asphodelos

Shoots two sets of three conal AoEs in sequence. Move into one of the conal AoEs after it goes off.

Storms of Asphodelos

The boss will spawn two Heat of Condemnation tethers on random non-tanks. In addition, each Darkblaze Twister will do a targeted conal AoE on the closest player, and the boss will do a targeted conal AoE on the three closest players.

Darkblaze Twister

The boss will tether to each of the Darkblaze Twisters. One tether will be dark, and two tethers will be fire. The fire tethered tornadoes will do a donut AoE around them, and the dark tethered tornado will do a knockback.

Death’s Toll

Inflicts players with one stack, two stacks, or four stacks of Death’s Toll. This must be removed by getting hit by a fatal mechanic for each stack.

Life’s Agonies

A catastrophic raidwide AoE that deals magic damage based on the player’s missing HP.

Fight Strategy

Phase One

• The fight begins with a raidwide AoE into a tank buster.
• For Heat of Condemnation, the off-tank should stand in the center, pick up a tether, and move out immediately. The main tank is then able to find the other tether, pick it up, and run back north. All other players should be at max melee range or further.
• The first real mechanic is Experimental Fireplume. Players should all stack in the direct center square of the arena. If it is rotating AoEs, move out to the second one, and if it is one large AoE, move to the edge.
• Immediately after, the boss will start casting Left Cinderwing or Right Cinderwing from the center. Orient yourself properly and dodge this.
• Return to the center and stack with your assigned partner on your assigned number (tanks and healers with DPS, 1-2-3-4) to bait Darkened Fire. Once these have spawned, spread out.
• To remove the invincibility from Darkened Fire adds, they need to be hit by four instances of a Brightened Fire AoE. To do this, each Brightened Fire needs to hit two orbs each time.
  • This can be easily achieved by having each Brightened Fire number stand at ABCD markers, hitting two adds each. 1 and 5 should stand at A, 2 and 6 should stand at B, 3 and 7 should stand at C, 4 and 8 should stand at D.
  • While players can stand in the middle and move to the marker when it is their turn, it is simpler to have both players stack at the location and mitigate the hits, as two hits is not lethal.
  • Once an add has been hit four times, players should quickly destroy the adds.
• Do another Heat of Condemnation and Scorched Exaltation. Stack in the middle afterward to bait Experimental Fireplume.
• For this Fireplume, players should all head to 1 or 2 as a group no matter what it is. This is to bait Searing Breeze and Left/Right Cinderwing. Stack at the edge of the arena and move in.
• Another Heat of Condemnation follows this, so position properly.
• Do a final Experimental Fireplume and the boss will disappear and do Trail of Condemnation. Don’t move into the middle too early.
• For Trail of Condemnation, treat where the boss appears as relative north. Each player should position with their partner in a line down the arena from there, so the 1 marked group would be directly in front, and 4 would be all the way opposite.
  • If it is a line AoE down the center, the tanks and melee should move left out of the AoE and the healers and ranged should move right out of the AoE, satisfying the spread mechanic.
  • If it is a line AoE down the sides, simply stay stacked with your partner in the middle column.
• Heal up and get ready for adds phase.

Ability Order

Scorched Exaltation
Heat of Condemnation
Experimental Fireplume
Left Cinderwing OR Right Cinderwing
Darkened Fire
Brightened Fire
Heat of Condemnation
Scorched Exaltation
Devouring Brand
Experimental Fireplume
Searing Breeze
Left Cinderwing OR Right Cinderwing
Heat of Condemnation
Experimental Fireplume
Trail of Condemnation

Phase Two:

• In the entirety of the adds phase, a storm will sweep through, pouring burning rain. This will pulse light raidwide damage periodically.
• Split up into light parties (ranged can generally stay in the middle, but hit your adds). The tanks should pick up the north and south adds, and the north tank should provoke the east add and the south tank should provoke the west add. Kill the north and south adds first, and then rotate clockwise to east and west and kill those adds there.
• Immediately after, return to the center to heal for Flames of Undeath. These will revive the Sunbirds.
• To perform Fireglide Sweep, each player should note if they are tethered to a player, or tethered to an add and a player. Here is a Toolbox Diagram showing how Fireglide Sweep is done.
  • The player tethered to the add and another player needs to go directly across the said Sunbird and be on the left side (clockwise) of the add.
  • The player tethered to only another player needs to directly across their tethered player once they have positioned themselves opposite of their Sunbird and be on the right side (counterclockwise) of the add.
  • Once the Sunbird does its first dash, the player that it dashed to needs to move behind it or beside it to dodge the second dash, or they will be clipped.
  • The Sunbird will dash again.
• After the dashes, heal up. Tanks should go back north and south and their adds will naturally go back to them. Kill one add again, rotate, and kill the other add. After the final Sunbird has been killed, return to the middle, heal, and mitigate the second Flames of Undeath. Heal and mitigate for Dead Rebirth, but there is plenty of time to do so.

Ability Order

4x Sunbird Spawn (NESW)
Flames of Undeath
Fireglide Sweep
Flames of Undeath
Dead Rebirth

Phase Three

• Starting from Phase Three and onwards, the player second on the enmity list will take four auto-attacks from the Sparkfledged periodically when they are not doing a mechanic. The off-tank should retain this position at all times.

• Nothing changes about Heat of Condemnation, but the off-tank will be taking more damage and likely needs to be spot healed for each one.

• Fledgling Flight will target all tanks/healers or all DPS. Simply stand on the ABCD markers, pointing the arrow towards the outside of the arena. Move to the center afterwards.

• All players should then stay in the middle to bait Experimental Gloryplume. Do not move out from the center until the dark orb ability has been confirmed, as this one is always eight fire orbs.

• The first fire orbs will show whether it is rotating AoEs or a baited AoE. The second dark orbs will show whether it is light party stack or spread.

• Tanks and melee should go north, into the space from the D marker to the 2 marker. Healers and ranged should go south, into the space from the B marker to the 4 marker.

• Immediately after, spread from each other if it is spread, or stack in the melee/ranged groups if it is stack.

• Fountain of Fire is the next mechanic in the fight. It requires precise positioning from each player to bait mechanics and perform them. Here is a Toolbox Diagram showing how Fountain of Fire is done.

  • All players except for the tanks should be outside of the boss, and the tanks should be direct center to bait Sun’s Pinions.
  • Note where the first fountains spawn. The first light party’s healer should get the north and east fountains, and the second light party’s healer should get the south and west fountains. The healer’s job is simple: they will soak each fountain in a clockwise pattern. They can use the Trickle of Fire buff to massively heal both themselves and the party between each fountain soak, which deals heavy damage.

• The rest of the party will be baiting AoEs and dashes. AoEs appear sequentially on the two closest players who have not yet received an AoE.

  • These will be baited tanks > melee > ranged. Once the previous set of players receive an AoE marker, the next set of players should move slightly closer to bait the next set. They need to then place their pinion directly in front of the fountain about to explode, then move across the arena behind the opposing pinion.
  • The tanks, once they receive the AoE, should move directly in front of their light party healer’s fountain - directly on top of the marker is fine. Once the pinion appears, go directly across the arena and behind the opposing tank’s pinion.
  • The melee should then move closer to bait the second set of AoEs. After they receive the marker, place it directly in front of the second fountain. Wait for the tank’s pinion to dash across the arena, then go directly across the arena and behind the opposing melee’s pinion (max melee is fine).
  • The ranged should then bait the third set of AoEs. Again, place it in front of the third fountain, wait for the melee pinion, then go directly across and behind.
  • Alternatively, these AoEs can be placed north > south > north, still at max melee range. The execution is still the same.

• All players converge in the center. Both healers should still have a few seconds left of the massive healing buff. Use this healing buff to heal everyone up for double Scorched Exaltation. The shield healer is able to generate massive shields, and this should require zero mitigation, as it needs to be saved for the next mechanic sequence.

• Firestorms of Asphodelos is the major mechanic in this phase, and is a dance sequence from beginning to end. Here is a Toolbox Diagram showing how the entire phase is done.

• Mitigate the initial hit and fan out into light party groups separating the tanks and healers. For Firestorms of Asphodelos, melee should be with healers and ranged should be with tanks to ensure maximum uptime.

• Dodge the conal AoE, then either stack with your group if Experimental Ashplume was stack, or spread if it was spread.

• Get back into the middle to heal up, then dodge another set of Flames of Asphodelos. Pre-position for Storms of Asphodelos.

  • Tanks need to take both tethers and go directly in front of the boss as normal. This will be south of the boss, and it is facing south. The tanks should be outside of the boss’s hitbox at max melee range.
  • The two ranged DPS need to bait the two south Darkblaze Twister conal AoEs towards the south of the arena. They should be standing directly beside it to the south.
  • One healer needs to bait the north Darkblaze Twister conal AoE towards the left or right of the arena. They need to stand in the corner hugging the tornado.
  • The two melee DPS and healer need to bait the boss’s conal AoEs. Each melee DPS needs be inside the boss’s hitbox to the east and west. The healer needs to be inside the boss’s hitbox as well to the northeast or northwest. Wait until the tanks pick up tethers to go inside.
  • Alternatively, both tanks are able to pick up the tethers, stack together directly in front of the boss, and invuln together. This will bait the southwest and southeast conals, two boss conals, and take care of the tethers. The rest of the party should stand northeast max melee range, with one ranged baiting the north tornado’s conal.

• Afterwards, converge in the middle for heals again.

• The entire party needs to stack in front of the dark tethered tornado once it is confirmed via Darkblaze Twister. This is to bait the Searing Breeze AoEs. Players should move clockwise, baiting the AoEs in a circle. There will be four AoEs, and after the fourth AoE all players should be back in front of the dark tethered tornado.

• Players should then separate into their light parties separating tanks and healers, as Experimental Ashplume is cast. Check what pattern it is. The tank and ranged DPS group will stand left of the tornado facing it, and the healer and melee DPS group will stand right of the tornado facing it. There is a mark on the arena showing exactly where to stand.

• After getting knocked back near the tornado, spread or stack for Ashplume.

• Heal up for Scorched Exaltation. The tornadoes will disappear after it is cast.

Ability Order

Heat of Condemnation
Fledgling Flight
Experimental Gloryplume (eight small fire orbs)
Fountain of Fire
Sun's Pinion
Sun's Pinion
Scorched Exaltation
Scorched Exaltation
Heat of Condemnation
Firestorms of Asphodelos
Flames of Asphodelos
Experimental Ashplume
Flames of Asphodelos
Storms of Asphodelos
Darkblaze Twister
Searing Breeze (four AoEs)
Experimental Ashplume
Scorched Exaltation

Phase Four

• This is the final phase and there is one final new mechanic.
• Death’s Toll will inflict all players with stacks of the Death’s Toll debuff - either one, two, or four stacks.
• Fledgling Flight occurs again, but players need to point the Sparkfledged conal AoE towards the center of the arena this time instead of outside the arena. Stand on the marker that points the conal towards the center if you are marked.
• Players will then have to remove their debuff stacks by getting hit by the corresponding number of Fledgling Flight conal AoEs.
  • Players with one stack need to stand at a cardinal, behind one of the Sparkfledged. This will ensure they are only hit by one AoE - the one directly opposite.
  • Players with two stacks need to stand at an intercardinal, close to the boss. This will ensure they are only hit by two AoEs - the ones directly opposite.
  • Players with four stacks simply stand in the middle of the arena and get hit by all four AoEs.
• When all stacks are removed, players will be inflicted with an HP recovery down debuff. This will greatly decrease their healing output. Life’s Agonies deals catastrophic damage if players are at low HP, so all players need to use all their mitigation and healing tools in order to live through the mechanic. It is recommended to tank LB3 if healing throughput is not up to par.
• Experimental Gloryplume is done the same as in the beginning of Phase Three. This one will always be one large fire orb, so melee need to run north and ranged need to run south as soon as it goes off, then do the subsequent mechanic.
• The rest of the fight is a repeat of mechanics at the end of Phase One. Perform these mechanics correctly and pump damage before the enrage!

Ability Order

Death's Toll
Fledgling Flight
Life's Agonies
Experimental Gloryplume (one large fire orb)
Trail of Condemnation
Devouring Brand
Experimental Fireplume
Searing Breeze
Left Cinderwing OR Right Cinderwing
Scorched Exaltation
Scorched Exaltation
Final Exaltation

Enrage is a hardcasted Final Exaltation that occurs after the final Scorched Exaltation, wiping the raid after a 10 seconds cast.

Party Finder Strategies

As the fights have just released, there are no strategies set in stone. I would highly recommend the strategies listed in this guide, as they are simple and effective. This guide will be updated with strategies once they are commonplace.

Role Specific Tips

Tank

• One tank should stand in front of the party to easily pick up a tether for Heat of Condemnation, and the other should then move to pick up the other one. Mitigate these, and ensure that you are not close to the other tank.
• No tank swaps are required during this fight.
• The boss should be centered for mechanics such as Fountain of Fire and after Experimental Gloryplume and Experimental Fireplume.
• Make sure to snap aggro Sunbirds immediately, as healers will need to heal the party periodically before and after they spawn. Once one Sunbird dies, immediately move to the next location to ensure that they die far apart from each other.
• Use party mitigation tools such as Reprisal for Scorched Exaltation, and save heavy shields and mitigation for heavy damage such as Flames of Undeath and the entire Firestorms of Asphodelos phase.
• The off-tank will take autos from Phase Three onwards, so they will need to mitigate these when necessary.

Healer

• There is a lot of healing required in this fight, and much heavier incoming damage compared to the first two Savage fights.
• Keep healing over time effects active during Firestorms during the adds phase and Firestorms of Asphodelos.
• Stay in the middle during the adds phase when dealing with Sunbirds (not during Fireglide!) to ensure heals reach all party members. Top party members off before Flames of Undeath when the adds die.
• The off-tank may require extra single-target attention from Phase Three onwards, as they are taking four autos periodically.
• Soaking a Fountain of Fire gives the Trickle of Fire buff, which massively increases healing potency for six seconds. This will give the healer 24 seconds of increased healing, which they can use to heal themselves and the party during the mechanic, as well as afterward for the double Scorched Exaltation.
• Heal and mitigate between each mechanic set during the Firestorms of Asphodelos. Stagger mitigation, as there are several instances of heavy AoE damage.
• An Astrologian can press Macrocosmos before the Fledgling Flight conal AoEs go off, and it will instantly heal the entire party to full ignoring the healing potency debuff. With any other healer combination, they will need to heavily heal and mitigate Life’s Agonies.

DPS

• There are several periods of downtime in this fight, so coordinate cooldowns.
• Stand at max melee range or further to ensure tanks can pick up tethers.
• The rotating AoEs from Experimental Fireplume have a medium sized radius, so melee can duck out and in. The large AoE requires them to go to the edge, but it is slow acting and they can run out and use a gap closer to move back in.
• Target the north and south Sunbirds first to ensure that the tank has ample time to move to the second location before the second one dies. DPS with good cleave can use it for both Sunbird sets.
• Save two-minute cooldowns for when the boss comes back, unless you need the DPS on adds.
• By splitting groups into melee and ranged, melee can always move with the tank and have 100% uptime.
• Make sure you bait Sun’s Pinions in the correct order. If AoEs are baited wrong, players can still adjust.
• Use mitigation such as Addle, Feint, and Magick Barrier on raidwides and tank busters.
• Use personal mitigation on heavy raidwides as well, especially Life’s Agonies if you do not have an Astrologian.