Arenas are the ultimate test of skill and progression in the Elder Scrolls Online. Since launch, four instance arenas have been added to the game. Two of the arenas were created as squad-based challenges. These arenas are a lot more demanding than the solo arenas.
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Players will have to choose a role and play as a team to defeat all of the bosses. The Blackrose Prison presents challenges but is nowhere near as difficult as the Dragonstar Arena. To get through these arenas with a squad, gamers will want to incorporate the following tips.
Blackrose Prison
The Blackrose Arena features five different stages. Each stage features adds, mini-bosses, and a final boss. In every stage, there are a few important things every group needs to keep in mind to survive.
Stage 1
In stage 1, the primary threat is the meteor attack from BattlemageEnnodius. He will periodically send out huge fireballs which are denoted on the map by a pink circle. If players are too close together, the impact of the attack will multiply and wipe the entire squad. When these appear, everyone should move away from the boss in opposite directions and block the attack. Once the fireballs have landed, gamers can move back in to DPS the boss.
Stage 2
During the second boss fight, a Troll, Hoj Mota, and Wamasu will spawn. Tanks will need to save their shield sigil for when the larger adds enrage, drawing them away from the DPS and healer. These three large enemies will be the primary concern during the fight. If the tank can absorb the majority of the damage from the mob, the stage will be simple.
Stage 3
At the beginning of the fight, squads can focus on boss DPS, but they will need to shift their focus when the Infuser spawns. The Infuser will enrage if not killed within a few seconds, applying buffs to the other adds. Killing the Infuser is a must in stage 3. If cursed, gamers can cleanse themselves by entering the portals that spawn on the map. As soon as the colossus spawns, it is the main priority. The boss will be immune until the colossus is killed. In short, focus the boss unless a colossus or infuser spawns.
Stage 4
The strategy for stage 4 is the same as stages 1-3. DPS the Wamasu when it spawns and avoid the fireball AOE. These three bosses are the same bosses from the first three stages and will have reduced health during the fight. Apart from the Wamasu, the only other important strategy is to have the tank rotate to the new boss as they spawn.
Stage 5
Drakeeh The Unchained has 12,000,000 health, so it will take a team of players some time to kill him. The tips below outline the main mechanics for taking down the behemoth.
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- A DPS will need to focus the totems to limit stone damage
- The melee attack of the boss will kill DPS/healers
- Pick up the ghosts marked by the boss or he will absorb their energy
- Use the portals to cleanse when cursed
- Heal up before the large explosive AOE attack
As long as players can avoid the stagger attacks of the boss and his minions, the fight should not be that difficult for a competent team. Once the boss falls, squads can celebrate their triumphant victory by looting the final chest.
Dragonstar Arena
There are a total of 10 stages in the Dragonstar Arena. It is much more of a time commitment than the Blackrose Prison, but it can be completed if every player in the group is on the same page. Because there are so many stages, some of the minor details of each fight may be glossed over. However, these basic instructions will give squads a better chance of success.
Stage 1
Champion Marcauld is the first boss in the arena. The basic strategy in this stage is to spam AOE attacks to weaken all of the adds and stay away from his base attack. DPS and healers can be killed with just one blow. The tank will need to aggro all of the adds together for the AOE attacks to deal the most damage. Marcauld will heal, so pulling him away from the healing AOE is important too. Some of the adds drop similar healing spells, so taking them out will make the boss far more vulnerable.
Stage 2
In the middle of the stage, the fire will go out and squads can use the torch near the gate to re-light it. The fire must be lit to protect characters from freeze damage. Gamers will want to draw the two bosses toward the fire to AOE both at the same time. The mage poses the biggest threat, so eliminating that boss first is preferable. If the tank is doing a good job, the other players will be able to defeat the bosses relatively quickly.
Stage 3
Stage 3 can be slightly more of a challenge. It will take a minute or two, but gamers will get an idea of where the poison AOE spreads. Avoiding the poison and focusing on the mage is once again the best strategy. When the mage is preparing to use its AOE attack, it is a good idea to relocate because it will cause a massive amount of damage. The Wamasu needs to be kited by the tank because it will destroy DPS characters.
Stage 4
The Earthen Heart Knight has the largest health pool of any boss in the arena. Adds in this stage use a large spinning attack that will trap players in the AOE. As soon as the adds wind up the attack, gamers need to move away. These enemies are stationary while attacking and killing them is pointless. More of them will spawn if they are killed. The principal strategy in this round is to watch out for themain bossAOE attack which renders him immune for several seconds.
Stage 5
It is a recurring theme, but teams will need to focus on the mage first. The boss and other mini-boss can be taunted by the tank so that the other players can kill the mage first. If the mage is alive long enough, it will curse all of the players and force them to cleanse on the ritual stone in the dungeon.
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Later in the fight, Anal'a Tu'wha will use his special attack. When the red circle appears, tanks will need to pull the boss away and into one of the corners of the room. This will allow the DPS charactersto inflict AOE on as many adds as possible while fighting the boss. When the second mage spawns, DPS characters will need to shift their focus until it is killed.
Stage 6
Teams will need to watch out for the adds and Pishna's minion in this stage. Pishna will not deal a lot of damage, but the adds will swarm in this fight. Her bow will drain Magika, so healers will want to be aware of that while clearing out all of the adds.
Stage 7
In stage 7, players will need to eliminate the Daedric Sacrifice enemies before they transform. The slow-moving humanoids will become unstoppable if they perform the transformation. Unlike the other stages, squads will want to kill the warrior first this time. The mage is a healer, so it will be frustrating to take it down while fending off the Shadow Knight. Midway into the fight, more Sacrifice humanoids will spawn, and gamers will need to kill them as fast as possible. However, the Sacrifice enemies will disappear once the two main bosses are killed.
Stage 8
The next stage is a rehash of the mage strategies from the earlier stages. DPS and healers should be inflicting as much damage as possible while the tank taunts the boss to the center of the arena. Gamers have to block the bosses' main attack or they will be instantly incinerated. The final wave of adds is absolute mayhem. Centurions will spawn, and other adds will join in onthe fight. AOE is very crucial at this point, and the tank will need to bear the brunt of the add force for squads to have a shot.
Stage 9
During the ninth stage, at least one of the DPS characters will have to fend for themselves to eliminate one of the mobs on the edge of the arena. Meanwhile, the tank and healer will occupy the mini-bosses and additional adds. Once the fringe mobs are killed, the main DPS will need to rejoin the group to defeat the mini-bosses.
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The Vampire Lord has a strong AOE attack, but it can be avoided or interrupted. Watch out for its rush attack, which will be indicated by the red cone on the ground. For the rest of the fight, gamers will want to focus on the adds, then the boss.
Stage 10
Hiath The Battlemaster loves to spam a high damage attack with a large AOE. For this reason, the tank should engage the boss first, and lure him to the DPS and Healers. This will spare the other members of the squad from an early demise. Once the boss is done using the fire attack, the other players can join the fight. As soon as the Flame Atronach spawns in, it will need to be the main DPS target until it is killed. With one tank, it is beneficial for the healer to have a taunt so that the tank can aggro the adds, which spawn in groups of two.
One way to prevent adds from spawning is to stack ultimates when the boss is around half health. This will trigger the later stage in the fight without having to worry about additional adds. With enough squad DPS, Hiath can be killed in just about a minute after everyone uses their ultimate. If more adds spawn, use the healer taunt strategy to keep the boss occupied.
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