Pack Leader Bloodfang: how to beat

Pack Leader Bloodfang — dungeon “Lower Spire of Cindermount”, level 50. The deck: phases, turn cycle, damage and healing by mode, cold, test strike, role tips.

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Dungeon Lower Spire of Cindermount, boss 2 of 7, level 50.

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, 48–57), Keystone +10 (Mythic+, at level 60).
2 phases, 7 cards in the deck. Schools: 🩸 Blood 2, ⚔ Physical 2, ⛰ Earth 1, 🌿 Nature 1, ❄ Cold 1.
“Empty Den” cold: every enemy turn, everyone through shields — heroic 440, keystone +10 360 to each before Hardiness. No cold in normal mode.
“Grip” test strike — on boss turns 9 and 17: heroic 7,000, keystone +10 8,000; 40% weaker with a defensive card on yourself.
The heaviest hit is “Grip”: 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. “Round-Up” — from the start of the fight

Down to 35% Health.

Cycle step	What the boss plays
1	⚔ Fangs
2	⚔ Fangs + ⛰ Heavy Stare
3	🩸 Licking His Wounds
4	⚔ Fangs + 🌿 She-Wolf
5	❄ Howl
6	⚔ Fangs

2. “The Last One” — below 35% Health

Below 35%: the she-wolf at once, howling more often.

On entering the phase the boss plays at once: 🌿 She-Wolf.

Cycle step	What the boss plays
1	⚔ Fangs + ⛰ Heavy Stare
2	🩸 Licking His Wounds
3	❄ Howl
4	⚔ Fangs

The “Grip” test strike is not part of the cycle: the boss announces it on its turns 8 and 16 and hits on turns 9 and 17.

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
🩸 Grip · Blood, 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 9th and 17th 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.
⚔ Fangs · Physical, hit	A hit on whoever holds the boss’s attention (usually the tank).	2,350	900	4,100	A plain hit.
⛰ Heavy Stare · Earth, card freeze	Freezes 1 card(s) in the hand of a damage dealer or the healer (past the tank) for a turn.	—	—	—	A card is locked for a turn.
🩸 Licking His Wounds · Blood, charge	Charges for 2 turns, then heals itself. Take 6% of the boss’s Health during the countdown and the charge breaks. Once broken, the boss plays “Distracted”.	heals 6,040	heals 1,260	heals 26,180	Heals himself for 6,040 (heroic) / 1,260 (normal) / 26,180 (keystone +10) over 2 turns. Take 6% of his Health and he gets distracted.
⚔ Distracted · 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.
🌿 She-Wolf · Nature, summon with a task	Summons “She-Wolf”. While it lives, the boss hits 12% harder.	Health 2,160 · hits 188	Health 450 · hits 72	Health 9,350 · hits 328	Hits on her own, his hits +12%. Remove her or endure.
❄ Howl · Cold, charge	A charge: in 1 turn it hits everyone, the number is for each. Shields hold half, ignores 50% of Hardiness.	881	225	1,025	One turn of warning. Half through shields at everyone.

“Empty Den” cold

The pack is gone. He lies where it was warmest.

Heroic: 440 to each per enemy turn, before Hardiness.
Keystone +10: 360 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

“Grip” — on boss turns 9 and 17, 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 “Grip” test strike lands on the boss’s 9th and 17th 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.
“Fangs” hits you. Keep Taunt on rhythm: while the boss hits the tank, the rest stay whole. The heaviest is “Fangs” (“Round-Up” 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

“Empty Den” cold hits everyone through shields every enemy turn: heroic — 440, keystone +10 — 360 to each before Hardiness. Heal everyone every turn; healer cards do it best — they heal Health only.
“Howl” hits everyone. Before that turn, get everyone above half Health; it goes half through shields: shields hold half, the rest hits Health.

Damage dealers

“She-Wolf” empowers the boss — kill it first.
“Distracted”: the boss is open and takes more damage — save your strong cards for that turn.
“Licking His Wounds” can be broken: take 6% of the boss’s Health during the countdown and there is no heal.
“Heavy Stare” 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

“Grip” — test strike, through shields.
“Fangs” — on the tank; “Round-Up” phase, cycle step 1.
“Howl” — on everyone, half through shields, ignores 50% of Hardiness; “Round-Up” phase, cycle step 5.

Loot

All of the boss’s loot with rough drop chances is in the item atlas; rules and items by boss are on the Lower Spire of Cindermount page.

Previous boss — Razortooth, Lead Beastmaster. Next boss — Bonegnawer, the Carrion Feeder.

All bosses of the place — Lower Spire of Cindermount. Rules of a fight against a boss with a deck — How to beat: every boss.