Spellslinger Ghost Ka'Driss: how to beat

Spellslinger Ghost Ka'Driss — dungeon “The Dire Sanctum (West Wing — Corrupted Library)”, level 46. The deck: phases, turn cycle, damage and healing by…

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Dungeon The Dire Sanctum (West Wing — Corrupted Library), boss 3 of 4, level 46.

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, 39–49), Keystone +10 (Mythic+, at level 60).
2 phases, 7 cards in the deck. Schools: 🌑 Darkness 4, 🩸 Blood 1, ⚔ Physical 1, ❄ Cold 1.
“The Wind Goes Through Him” cold: every enemy turn, everyone through shields — heroic 880, keystone +10 740 to each before Hardiness. No cold in normal mode.
“Book off the Shelf” test strike — on boss turns 8 and 16: heroic 7,000, keystone +10 8,000; 40% weaker with a defensive card on yourself.
The heaviest hit is “Book off the Shelf”: 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. “By the Shelf” — from the start of the fight

Down to 35% Health.

Cycle step	What the boss plays
1	❄ See-Through Hand + 🌑 Pulls a Crystal
2	🌑 Faded Away + 🌑 Rustle of Pages
3	❄ See-Through Hand + 🌑 Pulls a Crystal
4	⚔ Reappeared

2. “Didn't Return the Book” — below 35% Health

Below 35%: angrier, pulls every turn.

On entering the phase the boss plays at once: 🩸 Didn't Return the Book.

Cycle step	What the boss plays
1	❄ See-Through Hand + 🌑 Pulls a Crystal
2	🌑 Faded Away + 🌑 Rustle of Pages + 🌑 Pulls a Crystal
3	⚔ Reappeared + 🌑 Pulls a Crystal
4	❄ See-Through Hand + 🌑 Rustle of Pages

The “Book off the Shelf” test strike is not part of the cycle: the boss announces it on its turns 7 and 15 and hits on turns 8 and 16.

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
🌑 Book off the Shelf · 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 8th and 16th 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.
❄ See-Through Hand · Cold, hit	A hit on whoever holds the boss’s attention (usually the tank).	2,350	700	4,100	A plain hit.
🌑 Pulls a Crystal · Darkness, crystal burn	Burns 1 crystal(s) of a damage dealer or the healer (past the tank).	—	—	—	The target loses a crystal. Spend them at once.
🌑 Faded Away · Darkness, guard: less damage to the boss	The boss guards: damage to it ×0.4 for 2 turns.	—	—	—	For 1 party turn damage to him is cut by more than half. Use this turn for healing and defence.
⚔ Reappeared · Physical, opening: more damage to the boss	The boss is open: damage to it ×1.35 for 2 turns.	—	—	—	+35% damage for 1 party turn. Everything big here.
🌑 Rustle of Pages · Darkness, hit on everyone	A hit on everyone: the number is for each. Shields hold half.	282	56	328	Half through shields at everyone.
🩸 Didn't Return the Book · Blood, boss empower	The boss’s hits ×1.15 until the fight ends.	—	—	—	Stronger by 15% until the fight ends.

“The Wind Goes Through Him” cold

He is see-through. The cold goes right through him and on to you.

Heroic: 880 to each per enemy turn, before Hardiness.
Keystone +10: 740 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

“Book off the Shelf” — on boss turns 8 and 16, 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 “Book off the Shelf” test strike lands on the boss’s 8th and 16th 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.
“See-Through Hand” hits you. Keep Taunt on rhythm: while the boss hits the tank, the rest stay whole. The heaviest is “See-Through Hand” (“By the Shelf” 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

“The Wind Goes Through Him” cold hits everyone through shields every enemy turn: heroic — 880, keystone +10 — 740 to each before Hardiness. Heal everyone every turn; healer cards do it best — they heal Health only.
“Rustle of Pages” hits everyone. Before that turn, get everyone above half Health; it goes half through shields: shields hold half, the rest hits Health.
“Didn't Return the Book”: the boss hits harder — keep crystals and heals in reserve for those turns.

Damage dealers

“Reappeared”: the boss is open and takes more damage — save your strong cards for that turn.
“Faded Away”: less damage to the boss — hit the adds or hold your cards on those turns.
“Pulls a Crystal” hits your cards and crystals: do not hoard everything for one turn.
Do not drag it out: heroic — enrage from turn 40.

The heaviest hits

“Book off the Shelf” — test strike, through shields.
“See-Through Hand” — on the tank; “By the Shelf” phase, cycle step 1.
“Rustle of Pages” — on everyone, half through shields; “By the Shelf” 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 Dire Sanctum (West Wing — Corrupted Library) page.

Previous boss — Stone Gatekeeper Illyrium. Next boss — Alzzin Fel-Face, Demon Keeper.

All bosses of the place — The Dire Sanctum (West Wing — Corrupted Library). Rules of a fight against a boss with a deck — How to beat: every boss.