TBC Anniversary Serpentshrine Cavern Guide: All 6 Bosses, Phase 3.5

Quick summary

• No attunement since Phase 3. Blizzard removed the SSC attunement on August 27, 2026, and lets raids skip straight to Lady Vashj (Wowhead, quoting Blizzard).
• Six bosses, five in any order. Hydross, The Lurker Below, Leotheras, Karathress, and Morogrim can go in any order. Vashj is last on a full clear.
• Bring specialists. You'll want a Frost Resistance tank and a Nature Resistance tank for Hydross, a Fire Resistance Warlock for Leotheras, someone with 300 Fishing for Lurker, and reliable interrupts for Karathress.
• Tier 5 tokens and badges. Gloves come from Leotheras, legs from Karathress and helms from Vashj, and since October 22 every boss also drops Badges of Justice.
• Anniversary uses the nerfed version. Pre-nerf guides overstate some mechanics.

This Serpentshrine Cavern guide covers the 25-player raid as it stands on Anniversary realms in Phase 3.5, after the Zul'Aman update of October 22, 2026: access, roster, boss order, step-by-step tactics for all six bosses, and the Tier 5 loot. If your raid splits the week between the two Tier 5 raids, read it with our Tempest Keep: The Eye guide.

SSC attunement, location and what changed

What	Phase 2 (May 14, 2026)	Phase 3 (since August 27, 2026)	Source
Attunement	The Cudgel of Kar'desh from Skar'this the Heretic in Heroic Slave Pens, needing the Earthen Signet (Gruul) and Blazing Signet (Nightbane)	Removed	Wowhead quoting Blizzard (Phase 3)
Reaching Lady Vashj	All five other bosses had to die first	You can skip straight to Vashj	Wowhead quoting Blizzard

Getting there. SSC is in Coilfang Reservoir in the middle of Zangarmarsh (about 50, 41). Swim down to the pipes in the central lake and take the portal at the bottom of the Reservoir; The Slave Pens, The Underbog and The Steamvault share the same area (Warcraft Tavern). The closest flight points are Telredor for Alliance and Zabra'jin for Horde.

Lockout and trash. SSC is a 25-player raid with a weekly lockout. Trash is tied to a boss and respawns every two hours until that boss dies (Warcraft Tavern).

Why people still clear it in Phase 3.5:

1. Alts and returning players catch up on Tier 5 and item level 128 epics before Black Temple, Hyjal and Zul'Aman.
2. Badges of Justice. Blizzard's Zul'Aman update notes added badges to every SSC and Tempest Keep boss. A farm clear now buys G'eras items, including Nether Vortex. Our badge gear guide lists what to buy first.
3. No Hyjal homework any more. Vashj's Vial Remnant used to be the reason for "last boss only" runs. The Hyjal attunement is gone since October 22, so the Vashj skip is now just a fast way to her helm tokens and weapons.
4. Marks of the Illidari. SSC trash drops them. Once you're Exalted with the required Shattrath factions, you can trade them for flasks and potions.

Example: your Hunter alt has finished Karazhan and Gruul. It joins a guild's full SSC clear for Tier 5 gloves and legs and the badges from all six bosses, then spends those badges at G'eras on the slots SSC didn't fill.

Build the roster and assign jobs before invites

A raid that already has SSC on farm can run lighter.

Job	Who	Bosses	Why
Frost Resistance tank	Warrior, Paladin, or Druid in a resistance set	Hydross (Frost form)	Mark of Hydross ramps Frost damage taken
Nature Resistance tank	Second tank in a resistance set	Hydross (Nature form)	Mark of Corruption ramps Nature damage taken
Fire Resistance Warlock	Warlock with Fire Resistance, high health, and spell hit	Leotheras (Demon form)	Chaos Blast stacks Fire damage taken; Searing Pain holds aggro from range
Add tanks (two)	Warrior, Druid, or Paladin	Hydross adds, Lurker Guardians, Karathress guards, Morogrim murlocs, Vashj Elites	Every boss but Leotheras has add waves
AoE tank	Protection Paladin preferred	Morogrim murlocs	Low-health murloc packs suit Consecration aggro
Fisher	Anyone with 300 Fishing	The Lurker Below	You fish him out of the Strange Pool
Interrupt team	Rogues, Warriors, Shamans, Mages	Caribdis (Karathress)	Healing Wave must be stopped every time
CC team	Mages, Warlocks, Hunters	Lurker Ambushers	They hold the outer platforms
Grounding Totem	Shaman	Vashj	Absorbs Shock Blast on the tank
Strider kiter and core chain	Shaman, Hunters, assigned ranged	Vashj Phase 2	Striders fear melee; cores must be thrown to generators

Resistance target. 365 is the useful cap for the Hydross tanks against a level 73 boss (Warcraft Tavern). Treat it as a ceiling, not a minimum: a farm raid often kills Hydross with less, as long as the healers know.

Heroism and Bloodlust. Plan one use per boss: Leotheras's 15% split, Morogrim below 25%, and Vashj Phase 3.

SSC boss order

Five bosses can die in any order; Lady Vashj is last on a full clear. A common order is:

Order	Boss	Why here
1	Hydross the Unstable	Closest to the entrance; checks the resistance tanks early
2	The Lurker Below	Short fight once the fisher is ready
3	Morogrim Tidewalker	Warms up the healers and the add tanks
4	Fathom-Lord Karathress	Tests tank and interrupt assignments
5	Leotheras the Blind	Tests individual play and the Warlock tank
6	Lady Vashj	Needs everyone fresh and the core chain written down

If your Warlocks are undergeared, take Karathress before Leotheras, so they have more gear for the demon-tank fight. Many guilds run Tempest Keep on the first night of the week and SSC on the second.

Example: your guild has one Fire Resistance Warlock and no backup. Kill Leotheras earlier in the night, while that Warlock is fresh and the raid's focus is high, rather than last after four bosses.

Hydross the Unstable strategy

The rule: never let Hydross cross the line by accident. Each crossing changes his form, wipes aggro, and spawns four adds.

Ability	Form	What it does	Your response
Mark of Hydross	Frost	Raid debuff raising Frost damage taken. It steps up every 15 seconds: 10, 25, 50, 100, 250, 500%	Swap at the 100% stack
Water Tomb	Frost	Stuns a random player and hits anyone within 8 yards	Spread 8+ yards
Mark of Corruption	Nature	Same ramp for Nature damage	Swap at the 100% stack
Vile Sludge	Nature	Nature DoT that halves the target's damage and healing received	Heal through it
Summon Water Elemental	Both	Four adds of the new form on each swap	Off-tanks grab, raid kills

1. Pull with the Frost tank inside the blue purification beams. Hold Misdirection until Hydross is in position, so it doesn't drag him across the line.
2. Spread. Ranged and healers stay 8+ yards apart. Melee split into two groups behind him.
3. At the 100% Mark stack, stop all damage. Don't refresh DoTs, and stop pets and totems.
4. The tank walks Hydross across the line marked by the two flags once.
5. The Nature tank builds aggro first. Misdirection goes on the new tank now, after the reset. Off-tanks collect the four Tainted Spawns.
6. Kill the adds, then return to the boss. Stuns and Banish reduce add pressure.
7. Repeat in the other direction at the next 100% stack. Healers move toward the next tank's spot before each swap.

Example: a Warlock's Corruption ticks just after the swap and pulls Hydross off the tank, and he wanders back across the line. That's a second set of four adds with high Mark stacks still on the raid.

The Lurker Below strategy

1. Clear the trash on the platforms around the Strange Pool. This also clears the Coilfang Frenzy fish from the water.
2. Fish from the Strange Pool with a 300-skill fisher once the water boils.
3. Tank at the inner edge of the main platform. Keep someone in melee range at all times, or Lurker starts casting Water Bolt.
4. Spread 10 yards for Geyser. Melee stand near the inner edge so Whirl doesn't throw them far.
5. On Spout, follow its rotation behind the boss or drop into the water just before the beam reaches you. Climb out once it passes. Don't jump in and out repeatedly, because each entry adds Scalding Water damage.
6. Submerge phase (about one minute): off-tanks grab the three Coilfang Guardians on the main platform and face their cleave away. Stun them and kill them first.
7. CC the two Ambushers on each outer platform (Polymorph, Fear, traps), then kill them after the Guardians.
8. Get ready before he resurfaces. He often opens with Whirl and Spout right away.

Ability	Response
Geyser (10-yard knockback on a random player)	Spread
Whirl (melee knockback)	Melee at the inner edge; tank recovers fast
Spout (rotating beam)	Move around it or drop into the water, once
Water Bolt (when no one is in melee range)	Never leave melee empty
Submerge adds	Guardians first, Ambushers under CC

Leotheras the Blind strategy

He resets aggro after every Whirlwind, every form change, and at the 15% split. Most wipes here are aggro wipes.

1. Clear the whole room, then kill the three Greyheart Spellbinders to start the fight. The main tank must be ready, because Leotheras activates as the last one dies.
2. Human form: when Whirlwind starts, melee run away and ranged only move as needed. Heal the bleed.
3. Stop damage in the last seconds of Whirlwind until the tank has aggro again.
4. Demon form: the Fire Resistance Warlock builds aggro with Searing Pain. Save Misdirection for this. Spread around the Warlock so Chaos Blast doesn't splash.
5. Inner Demons: if Insidious Whisper targets you, drop every other job and kill your own demon. Only you can damage it, and failing means you're mind-controlled. Healers and tanks should keep a damage tool ready.
6. At 15%, the forms split. Keep the Shadow of Leotheras (demon copy) on the Warlock, put all damage on the human form, and use Heroism and cooldowns.

Form	Main threat	Tank
Human	Whirlwind plus bleed, aggro reset after it	Physical main tank
Demon	Chaos Blast (stacking Fire damage taken), Inner Demons	Fire Resistance Warlock
Split (15%)	Both forms at once	Both tanks

Fathom-Lord Karathress kill order and strategy

This is a four-enemy council fight. Karathress gains the ability of each guard that dies.

Kill order	Target	Key abilities	Karathress inherits
1	Fathom-Guard Tidalvess	Spitfire Totem, Frost Shock, Earthbind and Poison Cleansing Totems	Spitfire Totem
2	Fathom-Guard Sharkkis	Leeching Throw (undispellable drain), Multi-Toss, a Lurker or Sporebat pet, The Beast Within	The Beast Within
3	Fathom-Guard Caribdis	Healing Wave (unlimited range), Tidal Surge (freeze), Cyclones, Water Bolt Volley	Tidal Surge
4	Fathom-Lord Karathress	Cataclysmic Bolt (half of a mana user's health plus a stun), Sear Nova, Blessing of the Tides	—

1. Assign one tank and healer group to each enemy. Drag Caribdis far away with her own tank and interrupters. Distance doesn't stop Healing Wave, but it isolates her Cyclones and Tidal Surge. Put Curse of Tongues on her if you have it.
2. Keep Karathress above 75% while any guard is alive. Blessing of the Tides gives him a large haste buff for each living guard.
3. Kill Tidalvess. When a Spitfire Totem appears, everyone switches to it immediately, mid-cast if needed.
4. Kill Sharkkis. His tank also picks up the pet.
5. Kill Caribdis. Interrupt every Healing Wave and stay spread 10+ yards for Tidal Surge.
6. Burn Karathress. Keep killing inherited Spitfire Totems and top up Cataclysmic Bolt targets. Warriors keep Thunder Clap and Demoralizing Shout up.

Morogrim Tidewalker strategy

1. Tank him at a pillar, facing away. Only the tank takes Tidal Wave.
2. The raid stacks behind him or at the opposite pillar, close enough for AoE and healing.
3. Watery Grave sends four players to the waterfalls and drops them. Assign one or two healers, ideally a Restoration Druid with HoTs.
4. Hold big raid heals and AoE until the add tanks have both packs. Frost Trap and Blizzard buy time. Don't drop Seed of Corruption early.
5. Group the murlocs behind Morogrim and AoE them, then go back to the boss.
6. At 25%, Watery Grave becomes Water Globules that drift toward their targets and explode on contact. Move the boss away from the waterfalls toward a corner, use Heroism, and finish him. Earthquake waves still come, so the murloc tanks stay on duty.

Example: the Paladin add tank gets Watery Grave while a murloc pack is loose. The second add tank picks up both packs while the Watery Grave healer keeps the Paladin alive, and the raid holds AoE until the Paladin is back on the pack.

Lady Vashj strategy

Each disabled generator takes 5% of her health, and Phase 3 starts at 50%.

Before the pull, write the Phase 2 sheet: four quadrants with a ranged lookout each, a core chain of 2–3 named players per generator, Elite tanks on the inner ring, and the Strider kiter's path on the outer ring.

Phase	Trigger	What happens	Key jobs
1	Pull to 70%	Shock Blast, Static Charge, Entangle, Multi-Shot	Spread; Grounding Totem on Shock Blast; free the tank from Entangle
2	70%: shield up, Vashj in the center	Enchanted and Tainted Elementals, Coilfang Elites, Coilfang Striders, Forked Lightning	Elementals, cores, Elites, Striders
3	All four generators down (50%)	Phase 1 abilities plus Toxic Sporebats and spreading poison clouds	Burn her with every cooldown

1. Phase 1: spread loosely. If you get Static Charge, move away from everyone. Free the tank from Entangle with Blessing of Freedom, a shapeshift, Cloak of Shadows, or a PvP trinket. Use only short cooldowns and save mana.
2. Phase 2, elementals: Hunters and mobile ranged kill Enchanted Elementals before they reach Vashj, because each one that arrives buffs her damage. Whoever spots a Tainted Elemental calls it. It's stationary and despawns soon.
3. Phase 2, cores: the player who loots a Tainted Core can't move. They throw it down the chain to the player at the generator. A core-pass macro helps. If a core holder dies, the core is lost, so heal the chain.
4. Phase 2, adds: melee kill Coilfang Elites with their cleave faced away. Ranged kill Striders, which pulse fear, so melee stay away while the Shaman kites them with Frost Shock. Watch Vashj's facing for Forked Lightning.
5. Before the fourth generator, clean up the adds. Vashj wipes aggro when the shield drops, so the tank stands next to her.
6. Phase 3: use Heroism, potions, and every cooldown. Walk Vashj slowly around the middle ring so the raid leaves old clouds behind. Move as soon as a spore projectile looks like it will land near you. Static Charge still applies.

Example: the second Tainted Elemental spawns in a quadrant whose Hunter is chasing an Enchanted Elemental. The raid leader calls it by quadrant, and the closest ranged player takes it, because a despawned Tainted Elemental costs you a core and adds time to Phase 2.

SSC loot and Tier 5 tokens

Item levels are 128 for standard epics, 133 for Tier 5, 138 for Vashj's armor, and 141 for Vashj's weapons. You turn tokens in at your Shattrath faction's armor vendors on Aldor Rise or the Scryers' Tier; the vendor depends on your armor type.

Slot	Boss	Champion (Paladin, Rogue, Shaman)	Defender (Warrior, Priest, Druid)	Hero (Hunter, Mage, Warlock)
Gloves	Leotheras	Gloves of the Vanquished Champion	Gloves of the Vanquished Defender	Gloves of the Vanquished Hero
Legs	Karathress	Leggings of the Vanquished Champion	Leggings of the Vanquished Defender	Leggings of the Vanquished Hero
Helm	Lady Vashj	Helm of the Vanquished Champion	Helm of the Vanquished Defender	Helm of the Vanquished Hero

Loot that raids plan around:

Boss	Items people ask about
Leotheras the Blind	Tsunami Talisman (physical DPS trinket), Tier 5 gloves
Fathom-Lord Karathress	Sextant of Unstable Currents (caster trinket), Tier 5 legs
Lady Vashj	Tier 5 helms, Fang of Vashj, World Breaker, Lightfathom Scepter, Serpent Spine Longbow, Belt of One-Hundred Deaths, Prism of Inner Calm

This table is a short list, not a full loot table. Wowhead's boss pages list every drop.

Gear the players your progression depends on first: resistance tanks, the Leotheras Warlock, and progression healers. Publish weapon priorities before the first pull.

In Phase 3.5, Tier 5 is a stepping stone, and Black Temple, Hyjal and Zul'Aman all sit above it. Check the Tier 6 sets guide before spending DKP on a T5 piece you'll replace in a week.

Run the pre-raid checklist

• Confirm the lockout plan: a full clear for badges and tokens, or a Vashj-only run.
• Inspect Frost, Nature, and Fire Resistance sets before you travel.
• Bring one 300-skill fisher.
• Post assignments: Hydross swaps, Lurker platforms, Karathress tanks and interrupts, the Morogrim murloc pickup, and the Vashj core chain and quadrants.
• Restock flasks, food, weapon oils or stones, and mana and health potions. Exalted players can buy flasks with Marks of the Illidari.
• Gem and enchant first. See the Phase 3 gems and enchants guide.
• Publish Heroism timings and the token priority list.

Avoid these mistakes

• Refreshing DoTs before a Hydross swap, or dragging him back across the line after an aggro loss.
• Spam-jumping in and out of the water on Lurker.
• Starting AoE or big heals before the murloc tanks have both packs on Morogrim.
• Missing a Caribdis Healing Wave or leaving a Spitfire Totem alive.
• Attacking right after a Leotheras Whirlwind or form change.
• Sending melee to a Strider, or letting a core carrier die.
• Following a pre-nerf Vashj guide's Persuasion plan.
• Taking an old Phase 2 guide's word on access. The attunement chain is gone.

Return, boost, or gear an alt

• Returning in Phase 3.5 with a Karazhan-geared main. You don't need any attunement. Join a guild's SSC and TK farm night for Tier 5, 128s and badges, then move to Black Temple, Hyjal and Zul'Aman. Our Zul'Aman loot guide shows which 10-player items beat SSC drops.
• Fresh or boosted 70. Run heroics and spend Badges of Justice first (see the heroic dungeons and keys guide, now Honored only). SSC pugs expect a working pre-raid set, and resistance tanks expect their own resistance gear. The Gruul and Magtheridon guide covers the 25-player step before SSC.
• Class prep. The Warrior guide covers tank gear, and the Warlock guide covers the spell hit a Leotheras tank needs.

Serpentshrine Cavern and other raid runs from independent sellers appear on the TBC Anniversary raids page, next to the other categories on the TBC Anniversary hub. Blizzard's End User License Agreement limits account sharing and paid in-game services. A marketplace listing doesn't make either one allowed.

FAQ

Do you still need the SSC attunement in TBC Anniversary? No. Blizzard removed it when Phase 3 went live on August 27, 2026 (Wowhead, quoting Blizzard).

Can you skip straight to Lady Vashj? Yes. Since Phase 3 you no longer have to kill the other five bosses first. Since October 22 the Hyjal attunement is gone too, so a Vashj-only run is for her loot, not for the Vials of Eternity.

What is the SSC boss order? Any order for the first five, with Lady Vashj last on a full clear. Most raids go Hydross, Lurker, Morogrim, Karathress, Leotheras, then Vashj.

Which bosses drop Tier 5 tokens? Leotheras drops gloves, Karathress drops legs, and Lady Vashj drops helms.

How do you summon The Lurker Below? Clear the platforms around the Strange Pool, then fish in it with 300 Fishing once the water boils.

Do SSC bosses drop Badges of Justice? Yes, since October 22, 2026. Blizzard added badges to every boss in SSC and Tempest Keep in the Zul'Aman update.

Related guides

• TBC Anniversary Tempest Keep: The Eye guide
• TBC Anniversary Gruul and Magtheridon guide
• TBC Anniversary new badge gear at G'eras
• TBC Anniversary Tier 6 sets, tokens, and bonuses
• TBC Anniversary gems and enchants for Phase 3
• TBC Anniversary heroic dungeons and keys