In an upcoming update, Blizzard will adjust the dungeon Sanguine Depths in World of Warcraft. It is currently considered the hardest instance in Shadowlands, especially at higher keystone levels. However, players are not quite sure if the nerfs are addressing the right issues.
What will be nerfed? The Sanguine Depths is currently the dungeon that is considered difficult every week – regardless of which affixes you are facing. Therefore, Blizzard has announced some nerfs:
- Dark Acolytes now take 2 seconds to cast Dark Bolt (previously 1.5 seconds)
- Shards of the Chamber Guardians now deal 20% less damage, are cast less often, and target fewer players
- Za’ralis’ Gleaming Beam now removes all bleed effects, including Severing Slash and Cruelty
- Unending Agony (High Overseer Beryllia) will no longer be cast multiple times in a row
- The damage of Malicious Cut (General Kaal) has been reduced by 33%
Additionally, an exploit has been fixed that allowed lanterns in the dungeon (Venthyr ability) to charge too quickly with a toy. Moreover, there is an adjustment in the heights of ascension: there is a bug fix in which a spear throw was not registered even if it appeared to have hit.
The nerf will go live with the next server restart on Wednesday, April 21, 2021.
What exactly does the nerf affect? Both some trash groups and boss fights have become easier due to the nerfs. At the same time, however, an exploit with the lantern has been removed, which previously allowed players to trivialize certain sections.
Nevertheless, all dungeon runs should now be a little easier. The dungeon itself is likely still to be the hardest instance in Shadowlands – although this is now the fourth nerf for the dungeon.
The hardest dungeon remains tough despite nerf
Why the dungeon is considered so hard: In the Sanguine Depths, the overall package is difficult. Especially the bosses pose problems for players, particularly the third and fourth.
The third boss High Overseer Beryllia chains several mechanics particularly viciously. There are regular damage effects on multiple players, heavy damage on the tank, and areas that must be avoided. For healers, it is difficult to heal both the group and the tank without dying themselves.
The fourth boss General Kaal is particularly challenging due to its preceding gauntlet. This costs a lot of time and can quickly wipe the group upon a mistake, which results in lost time and possibly the keystone.
What the players say: The changes have been well received so far, and many players consider them to be the right move. Nevertheless, some users on the subreddit Competitive WoW feel that the nerfs are happening in the wrong places (via reddit).
No one should be hit by abilities like Shards, and if they are, they will be instantly killed at higher levels anyway. Reducing its damage seems to make little sense.
Especially for the third boss, an adjustment would have been better, such as preventing areas from spawning under the healer. However, the nerfs to Kaal and the fix for the lantern exploit are unanimously welcomed.
However, those who still need a higher keystone in the Sanguine Depths will likely have better chances now. This will be particularly advantageous with regard to the upcoming Update 9.1, as there will apparently be a proper dungeon score starting then:
WoW is likely to officially introduce the most controversial community tool into the game
