Winterfur, the Imprisoned Demon: how to beat

Winterfur, the Imprisoned Demon — dungeon “The Blighted Sanctum (East Wing — Prison of the Ancients)”, level 43. The deck: phases, turn cycle, damage and…

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Dungeon The Blighted Sanctum (East Wing — Prison of the Ancients), boss 3 of 4, level 43.

The boss plays its own deck: every turn it plays the next line of its phase’s cycle, with no randomness. Learn the cycle and you know what is coming. The numbers on this page are the same as in the card tooltip in combat: before Hardiness and Defender’s Stance. Mechanics in detail — Boss mechanics.

In short

Modes: Heroic (at level 60), Normal (at the place’s level, 36–46), Keystone +10 (Mythic+, at level 60).
2 phases, 7 cards in the deck. Schools: 🌑 Darkness 5, ⚔ Physical 2.
“Stone Pit” cold: every enemy turn, everyone through shields — heroic 380, keystone +10 320 to each before Hardiness. No cold in normal mode.
“Shackle Backhand” test strike — on boss turns 7 and 15: heroic 7,000, keystone +10 8,000; 40% weaker with a defensive card on yourself.
The heaviest hit is “Shackle Backhand”: heroic 7,000, keystone +10 8,000.

Phases and turn cycle

The phase changes with the boss’s Health. In each phase the boss goes round its own cycle: at the end it starts again. The boss’s next turn shows on its portrait.

1. “In Chains” — from the start of the fight

Down to 30% Health: every 3 turns one chain comes off.

Cycle step	What the boss plays
1	⚔ Shackles
2	⚔ Shackles + 🌑 Lunge on the Chain
3	🌑 First Chain + ⚔ Yanks the Chain
4	⚔ Shackles
5	⚔ Shackles + 🌑 Lunge on the Chain
6	🌑 Second Chain + ⚔ Yanks the Chain
7	⚔ Shackles
8	⚔ Shackles + 🌑 Lunge on the Chain
9	🌑 Last Chain + ⚔ Yanks the Chain

2. “Unchained” — below 30% Health

Below 30%: all chains at once.

On entering the phase the boss plays at once: 🌑 Second Chain, 🌑 Last Chain.

Cycle step	What the boss plays
1	⚔ Shackles + 🌑 Lunge on the Chain
2	⚔ Shackles
3	⚔ Yanks the Chain + ⚔ Shackles

The “Shackle Backhand” test strike is not part of the cycle: the boss announces it on its turns 6 and 14 and hits on turns 7 and 15.

Cards and numbers

The number is what a hit takes before Hardiness (through shields — from Health only), how much the boss heals itself, the shield it puts up, a minion’s Health. A dash means the card is not in that mode or has no number. Keystone: +10 numbers; hits are the same from +7 to +9 and weaker per level below +7.

Card	What it does	Heroic	Normal	Keystone +10	How to answer
🌑 Shackle Backhand · Darkness, test strike	A test strike on whoever holds the boss’s attention (usually the tank). The boss announces it on its own, outside the cycle, and hits on its 7th and 15th turn; one turn before, there is a countdown on the portrait and a warning above your hand. The target plays a defensive card on themselves before the hit — it is 40% weaker. Not in normal mode. Through shields.	7,000 · with a defensive card 4,200	—	8,000 · with a defensive card 4,800	Test strike, one turn of warning. The tank plays a defensive card, the healer tops him up in advance.
⚔ Shackles · Physical, hit	A hit on whoever holds the boss’s attention (usually the tank).	2,350	700	4,100	A plain hit.
🌑 Lunge on the Chain · Darkness, charge	A charge: in 1 turn it hits everyone, the number is for each. Shields hold half, ignores 50% of Hardiness.	776	154	902	One turn of warning. Half through shields at everyone.
🌑 First Chain · Darkness, boss empower	The boss’s hits ×1.1 until the fight ends.	—	—	—	Stronger by 10% until the fight ends.
🌑 Second Chain · Darkness, boss empower	The boss’s hits ×1.1 until the fight ends.	—	—	—	10% stronger again until the fight ends.
🌑 Last Chain · Darkness, boss empower	The boss’s hits ×1.15 until the fight ends.	—	—	—	15% stronger again until the fight ends.
⚔ Yanks the Chain · Physical, opening: more damage to the boss	The boss is open: damage to it ×1.3 for 2 turns.	—	—	—	Busy with the chain: +30% damage for 1 party turn.

“Stone Pit” cold

The cell was built so that he would freeze. Everyone gets it.

Heroic: 380 to each per enemy turn, before Hardiness.
Keystone +10: 320 to each per enemy turn, before Hardiness.
Hits every fighter in the party through shields; Hardiness reduces it — better gear takes less.
The answer is healing every turn: shields do not stop cold. Healer cards do it best — they heal Health only.
No cold in normal mode.

Test strike

“Shackle Backhand” — on boss turns 7 and 15, through shields, on whoever holds the boss’s attention (usually the tank). On heroic, while the party’s tank is alive, it goes to the tank. Not in normal mode.
Heroic: 7,000 before Hardiness; 4,200 if the target answered with a defensive card.
Keystone +10: 8,000 before Hardiness; 4,800 if the target answered with a defensive card.
One turn before the hit there is a countdown on the portrait and a warning above your hand. The target plays a defensive card on themselves: a self-shield, damage reduction or “cannot be killed”. A card someone else plays on the target does not count.

Enrage

Heroic: from party turn 40, every boss turn is 4% stronger, and it stacks.
Normal: as before — if the fight drags on past its expected length, the boss hits harder every turn.
Keystone +10: as before — if the fight drags on past its expected length, the boss hits harder every turn.

Roles

Tank

The “Shackle Backhand” test strike lands on the boss’s 7th and 15th turn (heroic and keystone +10). One turn before, play a defensive card on yourself — a self-shield, damage reduction or “cannot be killed”: the hit becomes 40% weaker. Keep such a card in hand for those turns.
Shields do not stop this hit: the healer tops up your Health before it.
“Shackles” hits you. Keep Taunt on rhythm: while the boss hits the tank, the rest stay whole. The heaviest is “Shackles” (“In Chains” phase, cycle step 1).
Do not fall: on heroic, mythic and in keystones, without a living tank the boss’s hits on its focus go through shields. A resident can be the tank too.

Healer

“Stone Pit” cold hits everyone through shields every enemy turn: heroic — 380, keystone +10 — 320 to each before Hardiness. Heal everyone every turn; healer cards do it best — they heal Health only.
“Lunge on the Chain” hits everyone. Before that turn, get everyone above half Health; it goes half through shields: shields hold half, the rest hits Health.
“First Chain”, “Second Chain” and “Last Chain”: the boss hits harder — keep crystals and heals in reserve for those turns.

Damage dealers

“Yanks the Chain”: the boss is open and takes more damage — save your strong cards for that turn.
Do not drag it out: heroic — enrage from turn 40.

The heaviest hits

“Shackle Backhand” — test strike, through shields.
“Shackles” — on the tank; “In Chains” phase, cycle step 1.
“Lunge on the Chain” — on everyone, half through shields, ignores 50% of Hardiness; “In Chains” phase, cycle step 2.

Loot

All of the boss’s loot with rough drop chances is in the item atlas; rules and items by boss are on the The Blighted Sanctum (East Wing — Prison of the Ancients) page.

Previous boss — Rotbloom the Sporeling, Devourer of Roots. Next boss — Great Ancient Rootmane, Keeper of the Hall.

All bosses of the place — The Blighted Sanctum (East Wing — Prison of the Ancients). Rules of a fight against a boss with a deck — How to beat: every boss.