World of Warcraft Guides, Lore, Addons & News – Noob to Boss From Azeroth's Newbie to Champion – World of Warcraft Guides
Al’ar is the opening boss of Tempest Keep and one of the longest fights in the raid, second only to Kael’thas Sunstrider in total health. The phoenix’s two phases test very different skills — Phase 1 is about platform control and tank positioning, while Phase 2 demands tight movement and tank swaps on the ground. If you haven’t checked the raid’s level and attunement requirements yet, do that first. This guide breaks down both phases so your raid walks in knowing exactly what to expect. 🔥
📍 Encounter Overview
| Detail | Info |
|---|---|
| Boss Position | 1st (always opens the raid) |
| Health Pool | ~6.8 million (2nd highest in the raid after Kael’thas) |
| Phases | 2 (Platform phase, then Ground phase) |
| Damage Type | Fire — Al’ar is fully immune to Fire damage |
| Recommended Tanks | 3 (more than a standard encounter) |
| Key Loot | Tier 5 chest tokens |
🎯 Golden rule for this entire fight: Al’ar must always have someone in melee range. The instant nobody is close enough, he chain-casts Flame Buffet on the raid, and three casts in a row is usually enough to start killing people.
🏹 Phase 1: Platform Control
The arena is circular with multiple platforms connected by ramps. Al’ar starts on the West platform and moves clockwise to a new platform roughly every 30 seconds. Your job during this phase is simple in concept but punishing in execution: have a tank waiting on whichever platform Al’ar lands on next.
Phase 1 Abilities
- ⚡ Flame Buffet — Chain-cast on the raid if no one is in melee range; deals heavy Fire damage and stacks a debuff that increases Fire damage taken further
- ⚡ Flame Quills — Instead of moving to a new platform, Al’ar occasionally flies to the center of the room and fires quills at anyone still standing on the upper platforms or ramps. Jump down immediately if this happens
- ⚡ Ember of Al’ar (adds) — Spawns each time Al’ar changes platforms. These need to be tanked and killed; when one dies, Al’ar loses a small percentage of his max health
- ⚡ Ember Blast — Triggers when Al’ar reaches 0% health in Phase 1, dealing heavy Fire damage and a knockback to anyone nearby — this is the transition into Phase 2
Phase 1 Strategy
Assign a tank to each platform Al’ar could land on, ideally Warriors or Druids who can use Charge or Feral Charge to close the distance quickly. The moment Al’ar lands, your assigned tank needs to be in melee range within a few seconds — waiting too long means eating Flame Buffet stacks.
One tank should be dedicated to picking up the Ember of Al’ar adds as they spawn. Melee DPS can help burn these down, but make sure everyone backs off before the add dies — it explodes on death and knocks back anyone caught in range. Ranged DPS should stay focused on Al’ar himself to push the fight into Phase 2 as quickly as possible.
✅/❌ Do: jump off the platform immediately if Al’ar flies to the center for Flame Quills. Don’t: stand around waiting to see if it’s actually Flame Quills — by the time you’re sure, it’s often too late.
🔥 Phase 2: The Ground Fight
Once Al’ar hits 0% health in Phase 1, he explodes into Ember Blast and reappears in the center of the room on the ground floor. From here on, the fight becomes fully tankable but introduces a new rotation of mechanics that punish poor positioning.
Phase 2 Abilities
- 🏹 Melt Armor — Reduces the current tank’s Armor by 80% for 60 seconds. Another tank needs to taunt immediately, since the debuffed tank will take drastically more damage if left on Al’ar
- 🏹 Dive Bomb — Al’ar flies up and crashes down on a random player’s location, dealing heavy Fire damage in a radius and spawning two more Ember of Al’ar adds
- 🏹 Flame Patch — Spawns fire patches on the ground under random players; standing in one stacks a debuff that increases Fire damage taken even further
- 🏹 Charge — Al’ar charges a random raid member and applies a single stack of Flame Buffet directly to them
- 🏹 Berserk — If the fight runs roughly 10 minutes into Phase 2, Al’ar’s damage and attack speed increase massively — treat this as a hard enrage timer
Phase 2 Strategy
Keep two to three tanks rotating on Al’ar so that whoever has the Melt Armor debuff can be swapped out instantly. Communication matters more than reflexes here — call out Melt Armor the second it lands so the next tank can taunt without hesitation.
When Dive Bomb happens, the raid should already be spread out to minimize how many people take splash damage. A dedicated off-tank should grab the two new Ember of Al’ar adds the moment they spawn and pull them away from the raid so melee can burn them down safely.
🎯 Tip: Keep an eye on active Flame Patches throughout the phase. They don’t move, but they do stack up over time — try to keep the boss away from clusters of patches so your melee group isn’t forced to dance around fire while also handling tank swaps.
This phase has a soft time pressure: Berserk hits roughly 10 minutes after Phase 2 begins and will wipe an unprepared raid extremely fast. If your raid is well-geared, this shouldn’t be an issue, but undergeared groups should treat the early minutes of Phase 2 as a DPS check, not just a mechanics check. If your roster needs adjusting before this fight, check our Best Classes & Comp guide for tank and DPS recommendations.
📋 Quick Pre-Pull Checklist
- ✅ 3 tanks assigned, with platform coverage planned for Phase 1
- ✅ One tank dedicated to Ember of Al’ar adds
- ✅ Tank swap call-outs ready for Melt Armor
- ✅ Raid briefed to spread for Dive Bomb and avoid Flame Patches
- ✅ Healers aware Phase 2 raid damage ramps up compared to Phase 1
Once Al’ar is down, you’re free to move on to Void Reaver or High Astromancer Solarian in whichever order your raid prefers — both can be tackled before the Kael’thas Sunstrider finale. For a look at what drops from this fight, check our Tempest Keep Loot Table & Tier 5 Guide.
