The Tidal Heart

Updated 12 October 2026 · Dawntrail · Trials

Who this is for: Groups learning bubble movement under pressure.

Ocean trial with bubble safes and partner line stacks.

Arena overview for The Tidal Heart
Placeholder arena map for The Tidal Heart. Labels show the default mid-level clear positions.

Quick reference

  • Win condition: Enter Bubble Safe before Undertow and align Partner Line without clipping others.

  • Default positions: Bubbles spawn NE/SW; lines face away from other pairs.

  • Tank: keep Heart of Tides facing away from the party during Bubble Safe.

  • Healers: shield before Partner Line; expect a raidwide immediately after.

  • DPS: stop casting and move for Undertow; resume once safe spots light up.

  • If two people share a spread marker, both die. Treat spreads as hard fails.

Full explanation

The Tidal Heart is a fictional Dawntrail trial written so the site can demonstrate encounter-guide structure without naming a real duty. Clear the fight by surviving two scripted phases and finishing Heart of Tides before the enrage cast completes.

Phase 1: establish space

Heart of Tides opens with Bubble Safe. The cast draws a cone on the ground. Stand outside the cone, then collapse to the north safe slice when the telegraph fades.

  1. Tanks establish enmity with a full combo before the first Bubble Safe.

  2. Healers pre-shield the offtank if a tank buster follows within two GCDs.

  3. Melee hold positionals until the cone resolves; ranged stay on the south arc.

After the first cone, Heart of Tides fires Partner Line. This is a stack marker plus a delayed puddle under the stack point. Soak together, then leave the puddle before the second pulse.

Phase 2: split and resolve

At about 55% HP, Heart of Tides leaps to mid and starts Undertow. Four players receive spread markers; the rest soak a centre tower. Spreads walk to the cardinals. Tower soakers stay mid until the tower detonates, then rotate clockwise one slice for the follow-up line AoEs.

  1. Call spreads early so melee do not steal a cardinal from a ranged player.

  2. Pop party mitigation on the tower hit. The damage is heavy but predictable.

  3. Raise any death before the enrage window; Limit Break 3 is optional on Normal.

Position callouts for The Tidal Heart
Same placeholder diagram reused for position callouts during spreads and towers.

Variants

Default (recommended): north tank, south party, cardinal spreads, mid tower.

Prog variant: both healers soak the tower while DPS take all spreads. Use this if your melee keep dying on cardinals.

Farm variant: ignore the optional add and burn. Only do this once the party consistently clears the tower sequence.

FAQ

Does Bubble Safe cleave through invuln? No. A well-timed invulnerability covers the tank buster that follows it.

Can one person solo the tower? Not on this placeholder duty. You need at least three soakers or the tower wipes the party.

Where do I stand for Undertow? Spreads on cardinals, everyone else mid until the tower pops, then one slice clockwise.