Shriekwing

Shriekwing is the first boss located in Castle Nathria. Killing this boss is required to access the rest of the raid. Shriekwing is a massive bestial and blind stoneborn who fights with claws and sonic attacks.

As this fight is the first in the instance, it exists to test the raid's situational/environmental awareness, with mechanics that can punish the group for a single player's mistakes.

Adventure Guide
''Tasked with guarding Castle Nathria's entry hall, the blind monster Shriekwing locates her victims with horrifying cries that reverberate off the chamber's walls. The last sound heard by trespassers in the Grand Walk is the monster's cry as she descends upon her prey.''

Overview
Shriekwing will unleash Earsplitting Shrieks as she gains blood over time. Upon reaching 100 blood Shriekwing becomes protected by Blood Shroud and fills the antechamber with Echoing Sonar.

Tanks

 * Coordinate with another player to manage the effects of Exsanguinating Bite.
 * Players within Shriekwing's line of sight will take heavy damage from Earsplitting Shriek.


 * Avoid being detected by Echoing Sonar while Shriekwing is under he effects of Blood Shroud.

Healers

 * Players within Shriekwing's line of sight will take heavy damage from Earsplitting Shriek.
 * Players with high applications of Exsanguinated receive reduced healing.
 * Avoid being detected by Echoing Sonar while Shriekwing is under he effects of Blood Shroud.

Damage Dealers

 * Players within Shriekwing's line of sight will take heavy damage from Earsplitting Shriek.
 * Position carefully while affected by Echolocation.


 * Avoid being detected by Echoing Sonar while Shriekwing is under he effects of Blood Shroud.

Strategy
Shriekwing requires two tanks. Bloodlust can be used immediately as the boss' abilities are used on a timer, not tied to health. The raid should position the boss close to one or more of the 4 pillars located in the room, ready to move behind them to break line-of-sight.

Phase 1: The boss hits tanks with Exsanguinating Bite, reducing their healing taken and applying a nasty Bleed. Tanks should swap immediately on being hit. For healers, the boss will use Wave of Blood, an unavoidable blast of shadow damage to everyone, which simply needs to be healed through. For DPS, Shriekwing will use Blind Swipe, facing towards a random DPS and channeling for a few seconds before cleaving in that direction. Simply move out of the way. In addition, healers and DPS can be targeted by Echolocation. When this 8-second long debuff expires, a bat will fly down to that player and create a pool of blood that hurts players that stand within it. Players affected by Echolocation must move to the edge of the room to keep the blood pools away from the raid. If someone with Echolocation fails to move from the group, the bat will create a blood pool for each player struck, forcing everyone to reposition.

The most deadly mechanic for Phase 1 is Earsplitting Shriek. After a 10 second cast, the boss will shriek and create blood pools underneath all players in line of sight, along with a huge dot. The raid must be positioned near a pillar during Phase 1 to break line of sight with the boss. If someone is too slow to react, they could potentially drop the blood right next to- or on-top of the pillar, effectively making that pillar worthless as a spot to hide as players will be standing in blood.

Phase 2: After she reaches 100% energy, Shriekwing will teleport to the center of the room and become invulnerable for a time. The goal of this phase is simply to survive until the phase ends and Phase 1 begins once more. Shriekwing will start by casting Echoing Sonar, firing sonic circles in different directions, each bouncing off walls and objects. The players must dodge these circles or be hit by a dot and have a bat create a pool of blood at their location. In addition, they will be untauntable and move around the room, casting Earsplitting Shriek a total of 3 times throughout the phase. The difficulty comes in dodging both the Echoing Sonar circles and keeping line of sight broken with the pillars. Creating too many blood pools around the pillars in this phase can potentially lead to a wipe as there will no longer be any safe place to stand. A common mistake is to hug the pillars even if the area is swarming with Sonar circles, causing that pillar to become coated in blood and far more dangerous to stand near. It is perfectly safe to move around the room and dodge the circles when the boss is not casting Earsplitting Shriek. After the third Earsplitting Shriek, the boss becomes vulnerable to damage and Phase 1 begins again.

Raids will typically cycle through two Phase 1s before killing the boss on the third, depending on the strength of the group's DPS. The fight is a matter of practicing getting behind the pillars quickly, keeping the area clear of blood, and practicing dodging the Echoing Sonar circles. Once the movement aspect is mastered, this boss should go down easily.

Trivia

 * During the beta, her adventure guide read: Tasked with guarding the great hall of Sire Denathrius, the blind Shriekwing locates her prey with sound and smell. The last sound heard by trespassers in Castle Nathria's halls is the monster's shriek as she descends on her prey.
 * This boss is one of the few mobs in World of Warcraft who explicitly uses sonic magic damage, (as listed in the dungeon journal) alongside several mantid casters.