Mutant Trandoshan Squad

The Mutant Trandoshan Squad is a challenging fight that represents a sizable step up in difficulty for most groups compared to the first three encounters. The encounter revolves around having to deal with anywhere from 2-4 bosses at a time, each with unique abilities, and having to balance DPS levels with positioning to kill them via an oncoming train (one of the more satisfying ways to kill a boss in SWTOR by the way).

The fight begins with 2 Trandoshans (Greus & Hissyphus) then one minute into the fight 2 more jump down (Kronissus & Titax). Also, the very unique mechanic to this fight is the boss' regeneration abilities. If a Trandoshan is pushed to 15%, they begin to rapidly heal at a rate that makes it impossible to kill them normally. The only way to kill them is to push them to 15% on the tracks, then summon a train.

There are a wide range of successful strategies in Story Mode as to which boss order to use and how to best tank the various bosses. That said, the most efficient strategies use some combination of (1) DPSing the lower health bosses first (Greus then Kronissus); (2) having a ranged DPS "tank" Greus; and/or (3) having a DPS respec to tank solely for this encounter.

A third tank is the best and easiest way to make this fight much simpler. In that strategy, the team focuses attacks on Greus to around 25% then swaps off until about 1 minute into the fight, then pushes Greus to 15% on the tracks and summons the train as the other 2 bosses come down. That leaves 3 bosses up with 3 tanks so each tank takes 1 boss. The fight has no enrage so is fairly straightforward to handle the mechanics at that point.

Detailed Strategy

First, let's cover some key details regarding timing in this fight. The fight begins with only Greus and Hissyphus active. For 1 minute, the team will only have to deal with 2 Trandoshan bosses. After 1 minute, Titax and Kronissus jump down to engage the team. The train is not summonable until a few seconds after Titax and Kronissus jump down.

When each Trandoshan is pushed to 15% to trigger Torpor to regenerate their health, they will be immobile and vulnerable to the train for 35 seconds. In Story Mode, the train will arrive 15 seconds after it is summoned. Thus, the team should wait to summon the train until AFTER a Trandoshan is pushed to 15% on the tracks.

Timing of Fight Through Transition

0:00 - 0:50: Team should damage Greus down to ~25% and get him placed on the train tracks. Any excess DPS should be directed to Hissyphus but do not take Hissyphus below around 40% health.

0:50 - 1:00: Team should damage Greus to 15% and trigger Torpor. Ideally this should happen a few seconds before Titax and Kronissus jump down.

1:00 - 1:10: (If only 2 tanks are available and Greus is pushed on schedule) The tank who had Greus should pick up Kronissus as he jumps down and keep him near the tracks until the train kills Greus and then immediately move him onto the tracks. The tank on Hissyphus should grab Titax and kite them away from Kronissus.

(If 3 tanks are available) The tank who had Greus should pick up Titax and pull him far away from the other two Trandoshans. The third tank should pick up Kronissus and keep him near the tracks until the train kills Greus and then immediately move him onto the tracks.

At this point Trandoshans should be tanked normally following kill order.

Phase 1 - Greus & Hissyphus (0:00 - 0:50)

The first minute of the fight is very straightforward and is all about getting set up for the 3rd and 4th bosses, Titax and Kronissus, to join the fight. The train is not summonable until all 4 Trandoshans are active, so it is very important to get as much DPS on Greus and Hissyphus but not to push either before the train is ready.

The goal in Phase 1 is to be ready to push a Trandoshan to 15% just as (or slightly before) Titax and Kronissus jump down. Greus is (too) easy to push to this point and is the ideal choice to push first. Teams with exceptional DPS may be able to nearly push Hissyphus by this point but will take 18-19k+ DPS for all DPS players to make this feasible, while any DPS level should be capable of getting Greus ready.

Greus should be tanked by a ranged DPS, DWT or a tank if necessary. Greus has very little health and is very easy to push to 15% too fast if the group is not careful. Either DPS should begin on Greus until 30% and then swap to Hissyphus (letting DoTs tick him down to 20-25%) or 1-2 DPS should stay on Greus the entire time with the rest staying on Hissyphus. A HM-level DPS that can push 21k+ DPS can handle damaging Greus by themselves the first minute, otherwise a second DPS should help out.

Greus is easy to tank and take relatively low damage. His Trandoshan Torch (big fire AoE) is tough to avoid unless you are a ranged DPS but does relatively low damage. Ayhis & Eru attack (short wide fire conal) and Fire Blast (long narrow fire conal) are both easy to step out of without taking damage.

Hissyphus does more damage than Greus and needs a tank the entire time. Every time Hisspyhus reaches 10 stacks of Venom Synthesis, he will hit the tank with Envenomed Strike, applying a Venom of Synthesis DoT and leaving Tx-1Ch E. Gas (acid AoE) on the ground. The DoT should be cleansed and the tank (and melee DPS if applicable) should move out of the acid immediately. Hissyphus also periodically puts out a group DoT called Caustic Plume that is annoying, so healers / ranged DPS should stay at long distance. Outside of the DoTs and acid AoE, Hissyphus deals low to moderate damage.

Phase 1 Transition - Push Greus (0:50 - 1:00)

Titax and Kronissus will jump down at 1:00 into the fight and the train system will activate. If Greus is not pushed by that point, the team will have to contend with 4 Trandoshans active for a period of time. This scenario is very difficult even on Story Mode due to the nature of boss mechanics. Pretty much every combination of boss is bad if one person is handling two at once. So being able to immediately push Greus and only had three to manage is much easier.

When Greus (or any Trandoshan) is pushed to 15%, the team will have 35s seconds to kill him with the train before he becomes active again. In Story Mode, the train takes 15 seconds to arrive after it is summoned. Given this timing, the team can summon the train up to 20 seconds AFTER pushing Greus to summon the train and still kill him.

As such, I recommend watching the clock and aiming to pull Greus to the tracks immediately and push him to 15% ideally around 50-55 seconds into the fight. If a tank is on Greus, they can get set and ready to grab Kronissus or Titax (or both if desired, or pick up / resume kiting Hissyphus if applicable). A designated DPS or healer should be waiting at the panel to summon the train as soon as it lights up.

Phase 2 - Greus, Kronissus, Hisspyhus & Titax (Push Greus)

Once Titax and Kronissus jump down, the team will have to deal with 4 Trandoshans unless Greus has been pushed already. The priority is to get Greus to the tracks and push him to 15% as soon as possible and then immediately summon the train, all while surviving four active Trandoshans.

Kronissus is the most dangerous Trandoshan and should be killed next after Greus is dead. Kronissus has an Endothermic Blast conal channelled ice attack that is very dangerous. In addition to dealing heavy damage on a low 12s cooldown, it also applies stacks of Blistering Cold that severely slow the player. The tank on Kronissus will need cleanses regularly and will still take heavy damage. Even worse, if Kronissus is near enough to Titax to be buffed by his Presence of Titax effect, Kronissus' basic attack Frigid Claws will also apply the slow effect.

Titax is not that dangerous in Story Mode and only deals low to moderate damage through his basic attack. His major attacks are Titax Strike (a stun then big knockback) and Presence of Titax (a passive buff to nearby Trandoshans), neither of which are that dangerous if handled correctly. Titax will also periodically leap to the player with lowest health and deal damage before returning to the player with aggro. Ideally, Titax should be tanked alone or in combination with Hissyphus. The main priority is to keep Titax away from Kronissus. Titax should be killed at the end at the same time as Hissyphus. Since Hissyphus will have taken a fair bit of damage during Phase 1, usually Titax is the focus of DPS near the end. A DPS with a taunt can kite Titax though they will need to cycle through defensive cooldowns and need heavy healing.

This is by far the most difficult part of the encounter as it is very difficult to tank 2 Trandoshans at once. Here are all possible combinations (ranked from worst to best):

• Greus & Kronissus: This combination is the worst. A player getting hit by both Ayris & Eru from Greus (getting the Overheating debuff) and Endothermic Blast from Kronissus (getting stacks of Blistering Cold/Frozen) will pick up stacks of Thermal Shock. Each stack increases damage taken by +10% up to a maximum of 50%. Since Endothermic Blast slows its target, it is nearly a certainty to quickly get 5 stacks and take 50% extra damage as well as taking full damage from Greus's two conal attacks that are otherwise easily avoided. A tank can survive this combination only VERY briefly and should only be allowed when Greus is very close to being pushed to 15%, so will only have to tank both for 10-15 seconds at the very most.

• Kronissus & Hissyphus: Also very rough due to Kronissus being the worst Trandoshan. The Blistering Cold slow effect applied by Endothermic Blast can lead to the tank taking way more damage from Hissyphus' acid AoE puddles due to it taking far longer to get out of them. The up side to this combination is that it consolidates both cleanseable effects onto one player and consolidates the vast majority of damage as well, so it streamlines healing and allows for nearly cleanse-on-cooldown. It is doable (barely) with very prompt cleanses and much improved by a class with a self-cleanse (Guardian/Juggernaut or Shadow/Assassin), but ideally avoided if possible.

• Kronissus & Titax: The least punishing of the Kronissus pairings but still bad. Titax's Presence of Titax buff applies the most powerful buff to Kronissus by making his Frigid Claws basic attack apply stacks of Blistering Cold (instead of normally just during Endothermic Blast). This will require VERY frequent cleansing to avoid being stunned in place and taking massive damage from Endothermic Blast. It can be managed briefly through frequent cleanses and use of abilities that provide immunity to slows.

• Hissyphus & Titax: A massive step-down in damage from Kronissus pairings, the biggest downside to this combo is Titax's stun during the Titax Strike cast hurts if used while the player is standing in an acid AoE puddle. Titax's Presence of Titax buff is mildly annoying by buffing Envenomed Strike's damage and cooldown, but not a huge deal. Given that most teams should prioritize killing Greus first, this is my recommendation if the team can push Greus before Titax & Kronissus jump down. The tank on Greus picks up Kronissus alone and the tank on Hissyphus also grabs Titax. This tank will need timely cleanses and heavy burst healing if they get stunned into an acid puddle (a timely pull by a Sage/Sorcerer can be very handy as well.)

• Greus & Titax: A low probability of ever happening due to Greus being pushed first. That said, Greus is easy to avoid taking damage except for Titax Strike stun so kiting both is fairly easy to take relatively low damage. The Presence of Titax buff causes Greus Trandoshan Torch fire AoE to deal noticeably more damage but it still relatively easy to manage.

• Greus & Hissyphus: A viable alternative for teams trying to maximize DPS during the first minute. It is easy to dodge the major attacks of Greus (fire conals) and Hissyphus (acid puddles) and neither applies any stuns impeding that dodging. Depending on group composition, focusing DPS on Hissyphus and letting group splash damage and DoT spread damage Greus may enable Greus to be pushed quickly while also getting Hissyphus low enough to push shortly afterwards. That said, I do not recommend this strategy since it will mean much greater uptime on Kronissus who is by far the most dangerous of the Trandoshans.

Phase 3 - Kronissus, Titax & Hissyphus (Push Kronissus)

If Greus is pushed during the Phase 1 Transition as planned, you can skip the horrible Phase 2 and come straight here :), so congrats if so! Phase 3 is also quite difficult with only 2 tanks since someone has to tank 2 Trandoshans, which is never fun.

See the commentary in Phase 2 about combinations and make your own plans. Various strategies can work, though on balance I recommend a tank take Kronissus alone while another takes Titax & Hissyphus. If a DWT can handle "tanking" Titax that can also work. A DWT tanking Titax will lead to higher overall group damage taken but will be steadier, while a tank holding Titax and Hissyphus should take less damage most of the time but is vulnerable to heavy burst damage if stunned by the Titax Strike channel while standing in an acid puddle. I suggest coordinating with healers to see which they prefer. Most will likely prefer a DWT tanking Titax with defensive cooldowns then swapping to a tank once those are exhausted.

The key though is to keep Titax away from Kronissus so he does not buff him, as that will lead to perma-slow and way more damage on the Kronissus tank.

The overall goal of Phase 3 is to push Kronissus to 15% and then kill him with the train. Kronissus is the other "low health" Trandoshan so this should take perhaps a minute or so. The tank on Kronissus should pull him to the tracks immediately so there is no need to delay DPS.

Phase 4 - Titax & Hissyphus (Push both to 25%)

Once both Greus and Kronissus are dead, this fight will become MUCH MUCH MUCH easier. Each tank should take one Trandoshan, overall damage taken goes way down, and a successful clear is highly likely at this point.

Hissyphus will typically be somewhere in the 30-60% health range at this point, while Titax should be at nearly full health only reduced slightly for tank attacks. As such, DPS should focus on Titax until his health level is similar to Hissyphus and then balance DPS evenly.

The reason for pushing Titax & Hissyphus together is the Thrill of the Hunt buff. Each surviving Trandoshan gets a 20% stacking damage buff each time an ally is killed. So when Greus is killed, the 3 Trandoshans get a 20% buff, and after Kronissus is killed the two survivors get a 40% buff. It is inefficient to wait and push one and deal with a 60% buff, so it is suggested to kill the last two together. Also, this tactic is MANDATORY for Hard Mode as the 3-stack buff is 300% and is almost impossible to survive.

The only tricky parts to this phase are (1) not pushing either remaining Trandoshan to 15% until the other is below 25%; and (2) getting them both onto the tracks. I suggest having the entire team move to the tracks, with a ranged DPS or healer using a phasewalk or equivalent ability placed near the train terminal. Push them both to around 20%, burn them together or in sequence, then hit the train terminal AFTER both are pushed to 15%. The train only takes 15s to come and you have 35s from the first Trandoshan being pushed, so you have a 20s window to push both Trandoshans.

Alternative Strategy - Kill Order Hissyphus -> Kronissus -> Greus + Titax

An alternative strategy to the one discussed above is to kill Hissyphus first. This strategy requires either a third tank or a DPS capable of kiting Greus.

It's upside is that it eliminates Hissyphus much faster, who generally does more damage than Greus. In contrast to the above strategy, it is also beneficial because it requires a tank to hold both Hissyphus and Titax for a much shorter time period, or alternatively reducing the time that a DWT has to tank a Trandoshan. That is desirable because it reduces the chance of a tank getting repeatedly stunned by Titax Strike while standing in an acid puddle.

The downside to this strategy is it essentially mandates that the team handle 4 Trandoshans active at once for a period of time, as nearly all teams will be unable to push Hissyphus to 15% before Kronissus and Titax join the fight. This strategy requires a DPS player to "tank" a Trandoshan. Also, Greus' very low health makes it potentially much more problematic to avoid pushing him to 15% early as compared to the above strategy.

The ideal strategy to handle this scenario is to begin with a DPS player (ideally ranged DPS) pulling aggro and kiting Greus until two Trandoshans are killed. A ranged DPS is preferable, as they can continue dealing damage to Greus while out ranging him and taking very low damage from the Trandoshan Torch big AoE and completely avoiding any conal attacks.

As the fight begins, a tank picks up Hissyphus and all DPS (including the DPS kiting Greus if possible) attacking Hissyphus constantly until he is pushed to 15%. The DPS kiting Greus should damage him to around 30-35% but if a ranged DPS should try to shift DPS to Hissyphus as much as possible to help push him quickly. The tank on Hissyphus should pull him to the tracks before the other Trandoshans jump down.

When Kronissus and Titax jump down, the Hissyphus tank should grab Titax while the second tank grabs Kronissus. (If a third tank is available, they should grab Titax independently, leaving each tank and a DPS with one Trandoshan each.) The team needs to push Hissyphus immediately, and the corresponding tank should use cooldowns aggressively to limit damage from acid puddles when/if they get stunned by Titax Strike.

Once Hissyphus is killed, the same strategy is employed to kill Kronissus, and afterwards both Greus and Titax are killed together.

The super quick version is that it sucks to be a tank in this fight.

The vast majority of mechanics in this fight relate to boss attacks, and knowing them well makes a huge difference to successfully surviving their attacks. So, the key to success is to read up on what to do then watch your feet and move when needed! Here is a quick run-down of the above mechanics from a tank perspective:

• Greus: Watch for a short/wide red conal (Ayris & Eru) and a narrow but really long red conal (Fire Blast) and immediately get out of both. It usually isn't possible to avoid damage from his big red AoE (Trandoshan Torch) but it does not do a lot of damage to a tank.

• Hissyphus: Check out the graphics in the Hissyphus section above and watch his stacks of Venom Synthesis (the green dagger buff). When Hissyphus hits 9, be ready to dodge out of an acid puddle that will get dropped at 10 (causing Hissyphus to reset stacks). Also watch your bar for the Venom of Hissyphus DoT (same graphic as Venom Synthesis but a DoT/debuff on you instead of buff on the boss) and call out for a cleanse or use a self-cleanse ability. If you get quickly cleansed and dodge acid quickly, you will not take very high damage.

• Titax: Titax does not do a lot of damage at all. The two keys to tanking are (1) avoid putting your back to the electrical generator in the back corner (if he knocks you into it, you will probably die) and (2) keep him away from other bosses that you are not tanking (especially Kronissus!!!) His Presence of Titax buff provides a moderate damage buff to Greus and Hissyphus and makes Kronissus far more dangerous.

• Kronissus: The worst and most annoying boss. The key to him is moving out of Endothermic Blast immediately. The ice conal applies a slow effect that makes it far harder to move out of the conal. I find the best tanking practice is to stay as close to him as possible, thereby making the conal very narrow and leaving a much shorter distance to move with the slow. Getting a quick cleanse is key as well to eliminate stacks of Blistering Cold (the debuff that causes the ridiculous slow). Running around him in circles can also be helpful to ensure you are already on the move when the conal happens.

Having good DPS and sufficient coordination to get rid of Greus by / before the second pair comes down makes the fight far easier. One tank can then handle Titax & Hissyphus while another grabs Kronissus without too much trouble. Having each tank grab both is exceptionally difficult, especially for whomever ends up with Kronissus and any other Trandoshan.

The Trandoshan encounter begins and ends in a very low-stress fashion for healers with an enormous difficulty spike as Titax & Kronissus jump down.

The early phase with just Greus and Hissyphus is very straightforward to heal. The main key is to keep an eye on the ops frame and recognize the Venom of Hissyphus DoT (see graphic above) and cleanse promptly. Otherwise, damage should be very low as long as players are avoiding standing in acid AoEs and minimizing standing in Greus' red AoE.

If the DPS and tanks can successfully coordinate getting Greus to the tracks and pushing him to 15% just before Titax & Kronissus come down, that will be an enormous help to managing the transition without losing anyone.

With a good split of tanking responsibilities between 2 (or 3 in 16m) tanks and possibly a DWT or Ranged DPS, people will take very high sustained damage while all 4 Trandoshans are active. With a bad split, the team will take ridiculous levels of damage.

The additional healer-specific mechanic once the second pair jumps down regards Kronissus. Anyone affected by Endothermic Blast will gain stacks of Blistering Cold, a debuff that causes a heavy slow and leads to a 6s stun once it reaches 3 stacks. See above for the graphic. I highly suggest a healer focus targeting Kronissus so you can see the channel bar for Endothermic Blast and look to cleanse the tank immediately. Yell at any DPS who stupidly stand in the conal and also call out for additional cleanses if necessary on the tank and DPS.

During any phase where Kronissus and Hissyphus are both active, healers should divide up responsibility for cleansing the Kronissus tank and Hissyphus tank to ensure each gets a cleanse regularly. The Kronissus tank will likely need cleanses nearly on cooldown (and maybe extras) while the Hissyphus tank will need cleanses far less often.

Once Greus (or whichever Trandoshan is pushed first) is dead, the healing burst phase should end and return to a manageable level provided the team is executing a good strategy. See above for the comments on really bad boss pairings (TLDR - Kronissus + [any other Trandoshan] = VERY BAD) but otherwise the "3 Trandoshan" phase will be somewhat stressful but should be manageable. If the team pushes Kronissus next as recommended, his low health should make that phase relatively short.

Once Greus and Kronissus are both dead, healing should become very easy. Titax does low damage to a tank on Story Mode and Hissyphus remains easy so long as the tank is cleansed regularly and no one stands in acid puddles.

This fight is very easy for DPS, which is perhaps why the most important mechanic is primarily for them. RULE #1 IS DO NOT PUSH A TRANDOSHAN TO 15% UNTIL IT IS ON THE TRACKS AND THE TEAM IS READY TO SUMMON THE TRAIN. Apologies for overkill but it really is almost that simple.

DPS should also make sure they avoid standing in fire AoEs, fire conals, acid AoEs and ice conals, but this should be straightforward as nearly all are conals applied forward so maintaining position behind the boss negates these as worrisome mechanics for DPS.

DPS are primarily responsible for making sure the team can push Greus to 15% just before Titax & Kronissus come down, which makes a HUGE difference in the difficult of the fight.

A DWT or ranged DPS may be asked to kite Greus. If so, see the tanking mechanics above and make sure to step out of fire conals. Otherwise, just follow Rule #1 and all will be well.

If a DWT is available with good defensive cooldowns, it may be viable to have a DWT "tank" Titax until Kronissus is pushed. A DWT will take more damage from Titax but the steady damage profile may be preferable to the spike damage from a tank holding Hissyphus and Titax when the tank gets stunned in acid puddles.