Cindereater, Minion of Fire: how to beat

Cindereater, Minion of Fire — dungeon “Lower Spire of Cindermount”, level 54. The deck: phases, turn cycle, damage and healing by mode, cold, test strike,…

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Dungeon Lower Spire of Cindermount, boss 5 of 7, level 54.

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: ⛰ Earth 3, ⚔ Physical 2, 🩸 Blood 1, 🌿 Nature 1.
“Coal That Isn't Theirs” cold: every enemy turn, everyone through shields — heroic 440, keystone +10 360 to each before Hardiness. No cold in normal mode.
“Sack of Coal” 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 “Sack of Coal”: 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% Health.

Cycle step	What the boss plays
1	⚔ Coal Shovel + 🌿 Crew, Over Here
2	⚔ Coal Shovel + ⛰ Dust in the Eyes
3	⛰ Heave!
4	⚔ Coal Shovel
5	⚔ Sat on a Sack

2. “Took It On Himself” — below 40% Health

Below 40%: the crew at once, angrier.

On entering the phase the boss plays at once: 🩸 Took It On Himself, 🌿 Crew, Over Here.

Cycle step	What the boss plays
1	⚔ Coal Shovel + ⛰ Dust in the Eyes
2	⛰ Heave!
3	⚔ Coal Shovel + 🌿 Crew, Over Here
4	⚔ Sat on a Sack

The “Sack of Coal” 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
⛰ Sack of Coal · Earth, 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.
⚔ Coal Shovel · Physical, hit	A hit on whoever holds the boss’s attention (usually the tank).	2,350	650	4,100	A plain hit.
🌿 Crew, Over Here · Nature, summon with a task	Summons “Loader” ×3. While it lives, the boss hits 8% harder.	Health 1,340 · hits 118	Health 250 · hits 33	Health 4,310 · hits 205	Three. Each one alive: hits +8%. Kill them first.
⛰ Dust in the Eyes · 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.
⛰ Heave! · Earth, charge	A charge: in 1 turn it hits everyone, the number is for each. Shields hold half, ignores 50% of Hardiness.	881	163	1,025	One turn of warning. Half through shields at everyone.
⚔ Sat on a Sack · Physical, opening: more damage to the boss	The boss is open: damage to it ×1.35 for 2 turns.	—	—	—	Resting: +35% damage for 1 party turn.
🩸 Took It On Himself · Blood, boss empower	The boss’s hits ×1.15 until the fight ends.	—	—	—	Stronger by 15% until the fight ends.

“Coal That Isn't Theirs” cold

They haul coal for sale. Their own stove is cold.

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

“Sack of Coal” — 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 “Sack of Coal” 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.
“Coal Shovel” hits you. Keep Taunt on rhythm: while the boss hits the tank, the rest stay whole. The heaviest is “Coal Shovel” (“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

“Coal That Isn't Theirs” 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.
“Heave!” hits everyone. Before that turn, get everyone above half Health; it goes half through shields: shields hold half, the rest hits Health.
“Took It On Himself”: the boss hits harder — keep crystals and heals in reserve for those turns.

Damage dealers

“Loader” empowers the boss — kill it first.
“Sat on a Sack”: the boss is open and takes more damage — save your strong cards for that turn.
“Dust in the Eyes” 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

“Sack of Coal” — test strike, through shields.
“Coal Shovel” — on the tank; “The Shift” phase, cycle step 1.
“Heave!” — on everyone, half through shields, ignores 50% of Hardiness; “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 Lower Spire of Cindermount page.

Previous boss — Chromatius, Dragonspawn. Next boss — Drakiry, Keeper of the Clutch.

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