Tips for Soloing World Bosses

Llidoryc

Anyone got any tips for solo grinding wold bosses? I never have anyone reliable to play with for support.

SirAndy

You'll need:

- Decent damage mitigation
- Decent self heal
- Decent damage output

Slot at least one good AOE damage skill since some bosses spawn Ads during the fight.
Move around and stay out of red, block, dodge, interrupt.
Weave in heavy attacks for sustain. Use pots if needed.

Most world bosses can be done this way since only a few have actual mechanics that require special attention.


PS: I know this is all a bit vague but those are the basics.
Without knowing your build, level and gear, any specifics is just stabbing in the dark.

jaws343

I have found that having a sustained HOT is pretty solid, and making sure to keep it up is vital. If you are mag, make sure you have a shield. For adds, put down as much AOE as possible. But make sure you understand the mechanics and the rotation of the boss. If you know that an add stage is incoming, prepare for it. Don't be afraid to heavy attack often, running out of resources is death and depending on how mechanic heavy the fight is, resources are always going to be a challenge.

If you are mag, slot destro ult and WoE. The passive that gives you resources when you kill someone with a destro skill is OP in world boss fights with lots of adds. Make sure you know the positioning of the boss, when they stay still, when they move, and don't waste a destro ult drop if the boss is just going to move. If you have to kite the boss, run it in circles inside your destro ult.

So fights on mag can be cheesed with the meteor ult restore.For example, the Murkmire world boss Bok-Xul has so many adds that you can drop a meteor every single time he summons them and immediately have all of your ult back for another meteor.

No matter what class you are on, always focus the adds first. Often they are the things that will overwhelm you and kill you. Most boss attacks are very telegraphed and can easily be avoided or mitigated.

And be aware, there are some bosses that are nearly impossible to solo (Vardenfel Hunger boss) and others that will take a long time (Summerset Sload).

Nestor

The biggest issue with the WBs is getting one shot or two shorted. It's not like they wear me down, they kill me before I can recover.

Have you ever asked in Zone Chat if anyone wants to do a World Boss Tour? There are usually 5 or 6 people in any zone that want clear these and will spend 30 to 45 minutes doing so.

SirAndy

Nestor wrote: »

The biggest issue with the WBs is getting one shot or two shorted. It's not like they wear me down, they kill me before I can recover.

There are some things you can do to avoid this.

Add some heavy armor, Plague Doctor is the goto set for magicka to get more mitigation.
If you have access to shield skills, use them.

You'd be surprised how much more tanky you can be and still put out decent damage.

SirLeeMinion

Tip #1: Do it before update 23 drops
Tip #2: Consider a monster set like Mighty Chudan or Iceheart, the plague doctor mentioned above is another option, but I prefer just swapping out my head and shoulder pieces
Tip #3: If you are on PC, use an add-on like Bandits UI to warn when big hits are incoming so you can block or dodge
Tip #3A: If you are on console and don't have add-ons, watch the boss enough to get a feel for what the tell is that a big hit is coming. Some don't seem to have a tell but do follow a rythym (not a WB, but the final boss of vet BC1 is a good example of this).
Tip #4: Straight DPS builds from popular sites are not the best for soloing difficult content. VMA builds tend to do much better.
Tip #5: If getting it done, rather than soloing it, is the objective, go for a tankier build. Passers by will join in when they see you whittling it down and without dying..

goldenarcher1

For stamina build,use 2H/Bow setup.

Use an infused maul with damage shield enchant+the Brawler skill for even more shield.

Drop dots with bow and then swing away with the 2H.

AcadianPaladin

I'm a soloist and enjoy running a fair number of alliance zone WBs. In fact, my characters are largely built for that (and soloing a handful of normal alliance zone group dungeons). I build for (in order of priority) Survivability, Sustain, Damage. Suvivability can be a combination of mitigation and/or heals. Sustain, of course, varies greatly upon the character. Damage is not that critical; some of my chars can deliver up to 25k or so but 15k is plenty.

Drop your AoE's on the boss and keep him in your killing zone - that is where your survivability is key. As a soloist, even my bow/bow characters have to 'face tank' the boss to keep him in my killing zone.

Learn how to read the boss for basics and know how to sidestep red, block heavies and interrupt those attacks that can be interrupted. If you have to dodge roll out of a big red circle, quickly get back in the boss' face before he moves out of your killing zone. Some WBs (like the Kagouti in Deeshan) require a LOT of blocking and I find my mag chars need to pop a tristat potion as needed to avoid running out of block juice (stamina).

WBs that are a duo or trio each have less HP but they can quickly wear you down lots of attacks and it can be hard to read multiple bosses all at once. Plenty of nimble movement (within your AoE killing zone) can be helpful here.

I ignore DLC WBs as beyond the challenge I seek, and some alliance zone WBs fit in the same category (like the little Guar at Caravan Crest in Deeshan).

Everyone's objectives, skill and desire for challenge is different, but as a soloist, I find alliance WBs (and some alliance normal group dungeons) are my 'end game' and am very pleased that the game's full range of challenges offers some activities that 'fit' just right for me.

jlb1705

Look at builds and strategies for your class for playing VMA. Many of the same principles apply for skill selection and gear. Since you won' t have help you'll need decent damage, tankiness, self-buffs, and self-heals. You'll need to move constantly which shouldn't be tough if you're a stam character. If you're magicka, you may need tri-pots and/or tri-stat food.

idk

SirAndy wrote: »

You'll need:

- Decent damage mitigation
- Decent self heal
- Decent damage output

Slot at least one good AOE damage skill since some bosses spawn Ads during the fight.
Move around and stay out of red, block, dodge, interrupt.
Weave in heavy attacks for sustain. Use pots if needed.

Most world bosses can be done this way since only a few have actual mechanics that require special attention.


PS: I know this is all a bit vague but those are the basics.
Without knowing your build, level and gear, any specifics is just stabbing in the dark.

and good area awareness as just moving around but not being aware could put someone into the dead zone.

UntilValhalla13

There's quite a few beginner world bosses to start with. The troll in deshaan, the wamasu in glenumbra, to name a few. It helps to learn what the monster type is capable of, attack wise, and how to deal with it's mechanics. The wamasu, for example, is basically avoid its charge/frontal cleave, and bash his aoe blast. I killed him earlier on my level 17 character. I opt for high damage, and my survivability comes from awareness of enemy mechanics. Learn what will (and won't) kill you, and try to avoid it.

mague

Well balanced armor and patience.

Five pieces fortified brass in your weight are a good start. Dont have to be heavy if you are a mage.

Move. Many bosses stand still when using a special attack. Just move out of it.

Start with single targets. Later multi targets.

Be prepared to swap skills on some targets. There is no beat-it-all setup. Some require a more tanky setup, some a DoT setup, some a passive damage setup, some a ...

Find the right balance between tanky and dps. There is no meta, because solo means there is only you and it has to work only for you.

Some are not beatable or just your nemesis. Accept it

Idinuse

SirAndy wrote: »

Nestor wrote: »

The biggest issue with the WBs is getting one shot or two shorted. It's not like they wear me down, they kill me before I can recover.

There are some things you can do to avoid this.

Add some heavy armor, Plague Doctor is the goto set for magicka to get more mitigation.
If you have access to shield skills, use them.

You'd be surprised how much more tanky you can be and still put out decent damage.

Good tip. My go to set would be Armor Master. It's craftable and if you're using a shield, might as well use Annulment/Harness Magicka, or Evasion/Shuffle or Immovable respectively for the 5th set bonus, which stacks with minor/major Resolve and Ward.

fred4

Would help a lot, if we knew the OP's class.

Some newer players go straight to Alcast's web-site and build a DD that's geared for group play and dependent on tank and healer support. You can't do that. What you need is closer to a PvP or vMA build, which will contain a mix of healing, defense, sustain, single-target and AOE skills.

World bosses are not all the same. Most of them are relatively easy, but the original zones each have one boss that's harder than the others. For example, in the Rift it's the Hunter Camp, in Stonefalls the mag DK whip-type boss. The latter, in particular, requires you to be either much tankier than normal or to be extremely on top of the mechanics. In other words, I wouldn't use the exact same build for all bosses. If you go in with a tanky build everywhere, that would be boring, but you might need it for some of the harder bosses. The hardest of all is / was said to be the Unfinished Dolmen in Wrothgar, which I've duoed with ease, but haven't attempted to solo.

Some interesting solo armor sets:

Bahraha's Curse: Does damage, heals you and gives you a unique AOE ("trap") damage reduction that stacks with Major Evasion. It lets you stand in red to a degree. Comes in all weights. Highly recommended.

Reactive Armor: Damage reduction when CCd. Very good against that DK whip boss, who will otherwise insta-kill you with a CC and 3-whip strikes, if you don't block it.

Cyrodiil's Crest: A big heal when you block every 5 seconds. Can be back-barred. What's not to like?

Vicious Ophidian: The archetypical vMA stamina sustain and damage set.

Vengeance Leech: A cheap alternative to the sustain aspect of VO.

Protective jewelry: Still your friend, at least this patch.

Pirate Skeleton: As Protective, but even stronger. Will be nerfed, next patch.

Troll King: Means you have to think less about healing, as long as you have a HOT running. Not for vamps, though.

Rake

equip 2h weapon
spam brawler skill

Rake

Any set that gives regen and some stamina would do

Rake

for bosses that require some kiting Id go cowards gear bloodspawn and any stamina set that has some stam regen on top

sudaki_eso

Depends on your class, i have quite a hard time soloing WB using my StamDK, i have to switch gear and skills to do this and it still can get quite stressful.
If i am on my sorcs (doesnt matter mag or stam) i dont need to switch a thing, power or crit surge is usually good enough to keep you alive + some shield and you smash most WB easily into the ground.

If you are on a stamDK i might have some tips, if you are on a sorc equip power/crit surge and a shield and you are good to go. Cant say anything about other classes...

Starlock

How you make it work depends on your character. When I design my characters, I keep who they are front and center but also make sure they are capable of doing the kinds of content I like doing, which includes soloing most (though not all) world bosses. Across all of those characters, these are the elements I've found essential:

• "No Fuss" Damage like Damage-over-time (DoTs) Abilities are Essential. You will spend a lot of time doing damage avoidance and damage mitigation. Using DoTs (whether or not they are AoEs) is very, very important for continuing to damage the boss while you are busy recovering from or avoiding damage. Another way you can get "no fuss" damage is through the sets you use, like Grothdar, Thunderbug's Carapace, and so on.
• Damage Avoidance/Mitigation is Essential. How exactly this is done will depend on the character and to some extent your play style. Most of my characters use 2-pc heavy armor in addition to their 5-light or 5-medium. They also have either some sort of damage shield or some sort of self-heal (sometimes both). Major protection/ward are very useful too.
• Using Food is (usually) Essential. I do a lot of overland questing, for which I don't always run food for, but when I solo a world boss, I am almost always popping food. What the food is depends on the weaknesses of the character, but typically I go with Health+Mag/Stam blue foods. They are cheap, easy to make, and get the job done.
• Have a decent health pool. This gives you more room to make a few mistakes and not die. If you die, that resets all of your hard work if you are soloing a world boss, so you don't ever want that! My characters typically have anywhere between 20-25k health after food when soloing world bosses. It is doable with less, but it can be a struggle.
• Minding Resource Pools will Matter. Soloing a world boss is not a race. Take it slow, strategically, and don't exhaust your resources. That can happen when you are not paying enough attention to what you are doing. I aim to never let my resource pools go below about 50% when soloing a world boss because it leaves room to use a resource for "oh crap" moments.

There are some bosses that have additional or difficult mechanics that make them solo-unfriendly. Bosses that spawn additional monsters, or bosses that have a lot of crowd control are the worst to try and take on by yourself.

Dusk_Coven

Llidoryc wrote: »

Anyone got any tips for solo grinding wold bosses? I never have anyone reliable to play with for support.

Which ones?
There is a wide range of difficulty and mechanics.

For example, solo bosses versus a duo or triad with CCs. And some solo bosses are really not funny at all compared to everything else in the zone, like Bittergreen and Thunderer.

Trueblue

I got my MagBlade for solo world boss, dungeon etc. got this from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Spd0mOIbx_U and must say "got INSANE survivality", maybe not superb DPS.

Use The Tice-Born Star (9 trait set) as main set and mother's sorrow second, don't have full monster set. World boss are easy, just run like chicken around boss and use skill. Only hate boss with range adds healing... cannot pull them all and need jump to them so kill boss take soooooooo long time.

Maybe this set will work on other char.

Narvuntien

I used to solo some world bosses as a MagDK wielding Dual swords. This allowed me to heavy attack for stamina to block.

Fusozay

Llidoryc wrote: »

Anyone got any tips for solo grinding wold bosses? I never have anyone reliable to play with for support.

this one do WB solo easy.
This one hybrid necrotank (necrotwar), based on twarden. very popular build at ru, but didn`t know about others.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qgboJSsiT4Q

Itacira

If you have a pet class, using it to tank or even off tank can be of great help I myself have a less than stellar dps and build (to say the least) but have been able to chip away at many world bosses with the help of my clannfear.

FrancisCrawford

It depends greatly on the boss, as well as your class. I generally play magicka classes, especially pet sorcerer (before all the nerfs) and magplar, along with a bit of stamblade. Thoughts include:

• There was a time when the sorcerer's Clannfear had a reliable taunt. THAT made a lot of bosses easy. Oh well.
• The easiest cases now are ones where the on-damage heals from skills like Puncturing Sweeps (templar), Swallow Soul (nightblade) or Hungry Scythe (necro) provide all or most of the ongoing healing you need. Then it's just a question of resource sustain and, when relevant, avoiding one-shot kills.
• Most world bosses have attacks that you DON'T want to eat. Interrupt, roll out of or block those as makes sense, and don't be ashamed if you die until you figure out which of those options works. It is rarer than it used to be that you could comfortably shield up and take the hit that way.
• Best is to have an actual self-heal, to erase errors. A shield skill can fill that role to some extent
• I love the Earthgore set.
• It's sad that Mutagen is getting nerfed.
• As a general rule, base game world bosses are much easier than DLC ones. I've soloed almost all the base game ones, albeit in many cases with builds that have subsequently been nerfed. I've never come remotely close to soloing an Orsinium WB.

SirAndy

FrancisCrawford wrote: »

[*] There was a time when the sorcerer's Clannfear had a reliable taunt. THAT made a lot of bosses easy. Oh well.

@FrancisCrawford
Fun fact, the Clannfear taunt still works *if* you are not in a group.

They only disabled it while you are grouped so it wouldn't get in the way of your tank but if you run solo, it will still happily tank for you. Even in vet group dungeons.

FrancisCrawford

SirAndy wrote: »

FrancisCrawford wrote: »

[*] There was a time when the sorcerer's Clannfear had a reliable taunt. THAT made a lot of bosses easy. Oh well.

@FrancisCrawford
Fun fact, the Clannfear taunt still works *if* you are not in a group.

They only disabled it while you are grouped so it wouldn't get in the way of your tank but if you run solo, it will still happily tank for you. Even in vet group dungeons.

Really?! You mean that it still holds taunt all the way through a long fight, the way it used to??

DeepSeaDiver

Great if you've other sets to use and not to brag but ...

Farmed various WBs using a 2H/Bow Stam DK in crafted gear (Hundings etc). Did use the Undaunted Health Fountain skill for a heal. Food was basic bread you can pick up (boosts Health only). If used, pots were basic Health variety only i.e. not crafted. Nothing fancy here, move along ...

Side note. Have done various (but not all) Vet & HM Vet DLC dungs on tanks in crafted gear with the above plain bread even with PUGs.

Max CP? No.
BIS/Pro gear? No.
Got the job done? Yes.

Props to ZOS for crafted gear as it's a good starting point. Now drowning in farmed gear lol.
Have fun.

SirAndy

FrancisCrawford wrote: »

SirAndy wrote: »

FrancisCrawford wrote: »

[*] There was a time when the sorcerer's Clannfear had a reliable taunt. THAT made a lot of bosses easy. Oh well.

@FrancisCrawford
Fun fact, the Clannfear taunt still works *if* you are not in a group.
They only disabled it while you are grouped so it wouldn't get in the way of your tank but if you run solo, it will still happily tank for you. Even in vet group dungeons.

Really?! You mean that it still holds taunt all the way through a long fight, the way it used to??

@FrancisCrawford
Yepp, i've only encountered less than a handful of bosses (world, dungeon or otherwise) that seem to ignore the Clannfear taunt.

Make sure you heavy attack the target to get Clanny all taunty ...

FrancisCrawford

SirAndy wrote: »

FrancisCrawford wrote: »

SirAndy wrote: »

FrancisCrawford wrote: »

[*] There was a time when the sorcerer's Clannfear had a reliable taunt. THAT made a lot of bosses easy. Oh well.

@FrancisCrawford
Fun fact, the Clannfear taunt still works *if* you are not in a group.
They only disabled it while you are grouped so it wouldn't get in the way of your tank but if you run solo, it will still happily tank for you. Even in vet group dungeons.

Really?! You mean that it still holds taunt all the way through a long fight, the way it used to??

@FrancisCrawford
Yepp, i've only encountered less than a handful of bosses (world, dungeon or otherwise) that seem to ignore the Clannfear taunt.

Make sure you heavy attack the target to get Clanny all taunty ...

Are any of them in VMA?

Katahdin

Kite, dodge and run around like a chicken with your head cut off to avoid damage while trying to do damage in between.

Self heal
Regen food
Health pots
At least one ranged weapon
Crafted armor sets.
CP helps.

I soloed a bunch of WB leveling my new magblade. I put blue seducers and Julianos on her and spammed ranged attacks and self heals while kiting, kiting and more kiting