Dungeons and raids in an MMORPG: bosses, loot and group play

Dungeons and raids are the heart of PvE in any MMORPG: closed-off locations with enemies at every turn, bosses at the end and the best loot in the game as the reward. Let’s look at what dungeons, raids and world bosses are, how they work in Zarhold — a card MMORPG in your browser — and how to prepare for them.

What dungeons, raids and world bosses are

• A dungeon is a separate location for a small group. In Zarhold you go into a dungeon as a party of three: a tank, a healer and a damage dealer.
• A raid is a large dungeon with the toughest bosses. It takes five: a tank, a healer and three damage dealers.
• A world boss is a huge foe out in the open world (one of these battles pits you against four at once); it also calls for a party of five.

In total Zarhold has 23 dungeons, 6 raids and 3 world bosses — 32 locations and 166 bosses. The first dungeon opens at level 10, the last ones are built for levels 58–60, and raids and world bosses await level 60 heroes.

How a run goes

A dungeon has anywhere from two to sixteen bosses — usually about five. Before each boss stands a wave of one to three regular enemies. Every fight is the same card duel as in the open world, just on a shared board: your party against the enemies. Raids and world bosses also have a Heroic mode: enemies there are twice as strong, and bosses’ epic items are item level 232 instead of 226. Since 22.10 all 23 dungeons have a heroic too: level 60 enemies and 226 epics from every boss rolled as on normal (Heroic dungeons).

The four longest locations — Citadel of the Black Flame, School of Dark Magic, Burnt Velgrad and the Forge of Eternal Flame raid — are split into wings: each wing is a separate run of about 30–45 minutes with its own bosses and waves, and in normal mode you can still do a “Full run” as before. Loot and lockouts are per boss, and a location counts as cleared once all its wings are cleared. More in the knowledge base.

How to form a group

• The queue. Pick a dungeon and join the queue: your group will form, and allies will fill the free slots.
• Your own group. Gather your friends and go in together. The leader picks the next fight, and in combat everyone plays their own hero: you all act at the same time, with 60 seconds per party turn.
• Solo. You can enter a dungeon alone, but the game warns you honestly that it’s almost impossible. Raids and world bosses are for groups of five only.

Group roles: who does what

• The tank takes the hits. A boss attacks whoever has dealt it the most damage, so the tank pulls it over with a taunt: it keeps the boss on the tank for two turns, after which it needs one turn to recover.
• The healer keeps the party standing: healing cards and the Class Power can be aimed at an ally.
• Damage dealers deal damage — but wisely: an overeager one risks becoming the boss’s target.

Fallen heroes aren’t resurrected mid-fight: a hero is out until the end of the fight, and the fight is lost only when everyone has fallen. Lost? No big deal: you can retry the same stage with no penalty.

Which classes can fill which role is covered in “Which class to choose”.

Boss rules: what to prepare for

Every boss has its own deck, but it is built from a handful of clear mechanics. A guide to every boss is in the knowledge base: “How to beat”.

1. Its own deck and turn cycle. Each of the 166 bosses has 5 to 12 cards of its own and a turn cycle with no randomness. The boss’s next turn shows on its portrait.
2. Phases. Two or three phases: at a Health threshold the boss switches its card cycle and may play a card at once on entering the phase.
3. Charges and marks. The boss announces a heavy hit in advance — with a countdown and a warning above your hand. Some charges can be broken by taking a share of the boss’s Health during the countdown.
4. Minions with a task. Some empower or heal the boss, others cover it or explode if they survive — kill those first.
5. Hitting the whole party. Visible in advance; before it, get everyone above half Health, and if it goes through shields, only Health helps.
6. Cold and the test strike. On heroic, mythic and in keystones cold hits everyone through shields every turn, and the test strike hits the tank once or twice per fight — a defensive card on yourself makes it 40% weaker.
7. Disruption. Discarding and freezing cards, stuns, burning crystals, the boss question — give up a card or stay silent.
8. Enrage. On mythic from turn 22, on heroic from turn 40; in normal mode — if the fight drags on.

The takeaway: a dungeon can’t be brute-forced. Keep an answer to a party-wide hit in your hand, don’t spend your heals too early and don’t drag the fight out — enrage punishes slowness.

Consumables: one of each kind per fight

In a single fight you can use one consumable of each kind: a bandage, a healing potion, a bomb and a buff — an elixir or a flask. Bandages and potions heal no more than half your health, and a meal before the run adds Health for three fights. Where to get consumables — see “MMORPG professions”.

Loot: what bosses drop

Loot in Zarhold drops on every run — even repeat ones. A dungeon boss drops two or three items for the group; raid and world bosses drop three to five. An item’s level equals the boss’s level.

Quality grows with the locations:

• bosses never drop grey items;
• from level 30, dungeon bosses drop only rare (blue) and epic (purple) items;
• from level 55, at least one epic item from every boss;
• raids and world bosses drop only epic items and better.

Regular enemies drop things too — usually green items, occasionally blue ones.

How a group splits the loot

Every item is rolled for. You can say you need an item only if it suits your class (accessories suit everyone) — and that claim wins. After that, a roll from 1 to 100 decides. On a run with allies you get 30 seconds to choose; in a group of live players, 45 seconds (or less once everyone has chosen). Experience and gold, on the other hand, aren’t split at all: everyone gets their full share.

Recipes and legendary items

Dungeon bosses (from level 10), raid bosses and world bosses drop recipe scrolls: lower dungeons give crafting recipes of skill 100–210, the finals of high dungeons and raids give epic and legendary ones. The scroll is rolled the moment the boss falls: if you die or leave, whatever already dropped stays yours. Raid final bosses also guard special named legendary items, and some legendary rewards come from achievements — for example, a legendary card for clearing all 32 locations.

How often you can run them

You can run dungeons as often as you like, but experience and gold work like this:

• first run — the full reward;
• second run — half;
• third run and beyond — no experience or gold until some time has passed.

Your first clear opens the window, and it resets for everyone at 03:00 Moscow time — the daily reset; it is counted separately for each hero and each location. Raids and world bosses have their own rule: loot comes from each boss once a day. Kill a boss and its items are yours again after the daily reset at 03:00 Moscow time, while the other bosses and the waves keep their loot; a run’s experience and gold are a share for the bosses that gave you loot. On a boss you’ve killed since the last 03:00 reset you’re helping friends, with no loot. In dungeons items still drop every time, while recipe scrolls and rare boss materials drop on the first two runs of their window (their own window: it opens with the first roll, and a run counts once the first such boss falls). And one more thing: if your hero has outgrown a dungeon, it gives less experience, and once it turns grey for them, none at all (money and items as usual). The game warns you in advance — with a “no XP” tag in the list and a notice on the Dungeon screen; the level up to which each dungeon gives experience is in the knowledge base.

Mythic+: keystones for three live players

At level 60 dungeons also have Mythic+ — runs with a keystone. The keystone is personal: a place (a dungeon or a wing) and a level from +0 to +10. Your first +0 keystone comes from a full clear of any level 60 dungeon.

• Live players only: exactly three — a tank, a healer and a damage dealer. No residents in keystones.
• The route is three bosses of the place with a wave of guards before each, all enemies level 60. Every keystone level adds +8% enemy Health and damage; from +5 wave guards get the heroic hit caps; bosses play their own decks.
• Weekly affixes: one from +1, two from +5, three at +10; they change on Monday at 03:00 Moscow time, and the schedule is visible in advance on the Mythic+ page.
• A turn budget instead of a timer: within 60% — keystone +3, within 80% — +2, within 100% — +1; over the budget — keystone −1.
• Loot: keystone bosses drop nothing — everything is in the end chest (epics from 200 at +0 to 245 at +10) and in the Weekly Vault: slots for 1, 4 and 8 keystones, one item of your choice — one step above your best timed keystone of the week, 250 for a +10.

You can abandon a keystone with a 2-of-3 vote (keystone −1), and whoever leaves without a vote gets the Deserter mark. All the rules are in the knowledge base.

Clear records

The best clear time is recorded — from entry to the last boss, together with the party, their roles and the loot. The best runs are on the Records board, where you can see who cleared each dungeon the fastest.

How to prepare for your first dungeon

1. Reach level 10 — that’s when the first dungeon opens.
2. Pick a talent tree for the role you’ll play.
3. Repair your gear at the Shop — broken items don’t work.
4. Bring consumables: a bandage, a potion and a meal.
5. Join the queue or call your friends — a dungeon is almost impossible solo.
6. Watch the enrage: a drawn-out fight gets more dangerous every turn.

How to get to level 10 is covered in our “Beginner’s guide”.

Dungeon and raid FAQ

What level do I need for dungeons?

Level 10 — that’s when the first dungeon opens. Raids and world bosses come at level 60.

Can I clear a dungeon solo?

You can go in, but the game warns you that it’s almost impossible alone. Better to join the queue: allies will fill the free slots in your party.

What happens if the party loses?

Nothing terrible: you can retry the same stage with no penalty.

Does loot drop on repeat runs?

Yes, items drop on every run. Experience and gold: the full reward on the first run and half on the second; recipe scrolls and rare boss materials: on the first two runs per day. In raids and at world bosses loot comes from each boss once a day, and from waves always.

The bottom line

Dungeons and raids are why people team up in an MMORPG: every boss has its own rules, and only coordinated play beats them. Zarhold adds card tactics on top — the order of your plays matters more than the numbers on your gear. Jump into the game, reach level 10 — your first dungeon is waiting.

More on this: normal, heroic, mythic and Mythic+, Mythic+ in your browser, the Underhall, a solo role trial, how to get a legendary.