Rakk'zor the Hammerer: how to beat

Rakk'zor the Hammerer — dungeon “The Deadmines”, level 17. The deck: phases, turn cycle, damage and healing by mode, cold, test strike, role tips.

ReferenceBuilt from the game’s data

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Dungeon The Deadmines, boss 1 of 5, level 17.

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, 17–26), Keystone +10 (Mythic+, at level 60).
2 phases, 5 cards in the deck. Schools: ⚔ Physical 4, 🩸 Blood 1.
“Draught in the Mine Face” cold: every enemy turn, everyone through shields — heroic 1,060, keystone +10 880 to each before Hardiness. No cold in normal mode.
“Who's Slacking Here” 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 “Who's Slacking Here”: 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. “The Shift” — from the start of the fight

Down to 40%: an inspection every 3 turns.

Cycle step	What the boss plays
1	⚔ Stick
2	⚔ Stick
3	⚔ Stick + ⚔ Idle Time Is Unpaid

2. “The Quota Went Up” — below 40% Health

Below 40%: angrier, but goes to lunch.

On entering the phase the boss plays at once: 🩸 The Quota Went Up.

Cycle step	What the boss plays
1	⚔ Stick + ⚔ Idle Time Is Unpaid
2	⚔ Stick
3	⚔ Went to Lunch

The “Who's Slacking Here” 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
⚔ Who's Slacking Here · Physical, 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.
⚔ Stick · Physical, hit	A hit on whoever holds the boss’s attention (usually the tank).	2,350	200	4,100	A plain hit.
⚔ Idle Time Is Unpaid · Physical, crystal penalty	Every unspent crystal hits its owner (up to 5): the number is per crystal.	118 per crystal	10 per crystal	205 per crystal	Each unspent crystal hits its owner. Spend everything.
⚔ Went to Lunch · Physical, opening: more damage to the boss	The boss is open: damage to it ×1.3 for 2 turns.	—	—	—	He turned to his bowl: +30% damage for 1 party turn.
🩸 The Quota Went Up · Blood, boss empower	The boss’s hits ×1.15 until the fight ends.	—	—	—	Stronger by 15% until the fight ends.

“Draught in the Mine Face” cold

He had the doors to the face taken off. Easier to see who is sitting down.

Heroic: 1,060 to each per enemy turn, before Hardiness.
Keystone +10: 880 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

“Who's Slacking Here” — 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 “Who's Slacking Here” 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.
“Stick” hits you. Keep Taunt on rhythm: while the boss hits the tank, the rest stay whole. The heaviest is “Stick” (“The Shift” 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

“Draught in the Mine Face” cold hits everyone through shields every enemy turn: heroic — 1,060, keystone +10 — 880 to each before Hardiness. Heal everyone every turn; healer cards do it best — they heal Health only.
“The Quota Went Up”: the boss hits harder — keep crystals and heals in reserve for those turns.

Damage dealers

“Went to Lunch”: the boss is open and takes more damage — save your strong cards for that turn.
“Idle Time Is Unpaid”: every unspent crystal hits its owner — spend everything before that turn.
Do not drag it out: heroic — enrage from turn 40.

The heaviest hits

“Who's Slacking Here” — test strike, through shields.
“Stick” — on the tank; “The Shift” phase, cycle step 1.
“Idle Time Is Unpaid” — on everyone; “The Shift” phase, cycle step 3.

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 Deadmines page.

Next boss — Gilnid the Smelter.

All bosses of the place — The Deadmines. Rules of a fight against a boss with a deck — How to beat: every boss.