Sszorak
The Venomous Abyss · boss 5 of 8
A horrifying creature, warped by Ula'tek's toxic venom, Sszorak is a brutal instrument of vengeance. Calling upon the winds that howl deep within Atal'Utek, it tears apart any living creature it encounters.
A venomous serpent with heavy frontal combos, in an arena where the Six Winds shove you around. Stay out of his front and manage his rage.
A movement and rage fight. Keep out of his frontal cones during Apex Predator, use the Howling Maelstrom window when Dig In makes him take extra damage, and control Serpent's Fury so his rage gets dumped by To the Slaughter before it caps into Unbound Ferocity.
The spells that matter
The handful you actually react to. Hover for Blizzard's own text; click through for the full tooltip.
Apex Predator
Ravage
Mutilate
Venomous Surge
Raging Crosswinds
Howling Maelstrom
Serpent's Fury
Corroding Venom
What actually kills you
Everything else is noise until these three are handled.
- Standing in front of him. Ravage and Mutilate are both frontal cones, and Ravage stacks a vulnerability to itself.
- Letting Serpent's Fury reach maximum rage. At the cap he gains Unbound Ferocity and frenzies — you avoid that by triggering To the Slaughter to consume his rage.
- Being close to a Venomous Surge target, or getting shoved somewhere lethal when the Howling Maelstrom builds.
Your job
If you tank
- Face him away from everyone. During Apex Predator he chains Ravage and Mutilate, both frontal, and taunts can pull his target mid-cast.
- Corroding Venom stacks Physical damage taken from his melee — that's your swap timer.
- Set up for the wind before Howling Maelstrom starts pushing, not once you're already sliding.
If you heal
- Venomous Surge is raid damage scaled by distance — stacked players make it unhealable, spread players make it trivial. It also leaves a Viscous Cyst on expiry.
- Raging Crosswinds ticks damage, then knocks people in the marked direction and leaves them adrift on Turbulent Gusts. Pre-heal and expect them to land elsewhere.
- During Howling Maelstrom everyone gets pushed. Keep yourself in range of the group as it slides.
If you DPS
- Burst during Howling Maelstrom — Dig In raises his damage taken while he hunkers down. Use it every time.
- Mutilate splits its damage among everyone struck; being clipped in a group is survivable, being alone in it is not.
- For Serpent's Fury, group near the marked player on the raid's call to force To the Slaughter and bleed his rage — but the charge spreads Virulence, so soak it deliberately, don't wander into it.
How the fight goes
| Part | What to do |
|---|---|
| Apex Predator | Rapid frontal combos of Ravage and Mutilate. Stay behind him; tank eats the cones facing away. |
| Howling Maelstrom | The Altar of the Six Winds pushes everyone in gale directions. Sszorak Digs In and takes extra damage — burn him while surviving the shoves. |
| Serpent's Fury | He marks a player and builds rage. Stacking enough players near the mark casts To the Slaughter, consuming his rage; let it cap and he gains Unbound Ferocity and slaughters. Manage the rage dump before the frenzy. |
Heroic vs Mythic
Heroic and Mythic
No Heroic- or Mythic-specific text is published for this encounter. We would rather say that than invent a difference.
Loot
Everything Sszorak can drop, from the Midnight Season 2 item database.
| Slot | Item |
|---|---|
| Waist | Caustic Chain-Wrapped Sash |
| Feet | Ferocious Scaleboots |
| Hands | Ruthless Slaughtergrips |
| Ring | Apex Brute's Claw Ring |
| Trinket | Idol of the Howling Nexus |
| Trinket | Sszorak's Ferocity |
| One-hand | Slithering Savage's Gavel |
| One-hand | Venomous Boneglaive |
Nothing matches that.
This boss drops 2 trinkets. Trinket value varies enormously by spec — see the simulated trinket rankings.
Worth a bonus roll?
That depends on how many items on this table you still want. A boss owing two or more is worth returning to; one owing a single piece is a vault pick, not a roll — the bonus roll guide explains why, and the planner works it out per spec.