Zekvir, mage towers, underpin. The gear rewards stop increasing at 5 masks, even 4 masks also awards hero track.
Everything is predictable or avoidable though. There’s no rng to it.
Zekvir, Mage Towers, Underpin all had extremely unique cosmetics that were limited time as well. This is in addition to the mounts associated with them. These are all far easier in comparison, especially with 670, (or 630 from last season), and mechanically are far more consistent and less time consuming. This is without additional mechanics that force consistent maintenance and oversight of major debuffs.
Even in regard to the “avoidable” aspects that most classes may have an opportunity at. The bug layer is a testament of hard CC or extreme kiting. As it isn’t an interrupt that will save you, it is a stacking buff from high density mobs.
I have seen multiple times with the drags boss, where his mechanic goes through the tree which is a good ol wipe. That and ignoring the potential Gamon spawn while fighting a caster mob, with his stomp.
Also this ignores the mechanics, that while you can somewhat predict them, can easily push you into one of the stated issues. Such as the fire leap, etc.
Even if you see something coming, doesn’t mean that the mechanics inherently don’t provide unforgiving or counteractive gameplay.
Drag boss: Stand in his hitbox.
Gammon: There’s a counter above your sanity telling you exactly when he’s going to spawn.
Fire: The movement is triggered by your next directional input and sends you in that direction, when the fire starts that’s your signal to either stop or plan what direction you want to jump in.
Split personality: Screen turns purple about 2-3 seconds before they spawn.
Visions are long certainly but they’re mostly nothingburger trash that just takes time but not any real execution.
I haven’t really looked so I don’t know, but aren’t there mounts and transmogs from visions? Are they not good? (I’m not a collector so I’m not particularly sensitive to these things)
Definitely farming them for gear seems lame… a repeat 8-mask clear nets you a whopping 3 gilded 
, but I did at least get a ring upgrade, so that’s something.
But for me as a solo player, any solo challenge is welcome.
There are, but it’s the unique factor. You could easily just farm 1 masks for the currency and get the same cosmetics.
If there was full set cosmetics upon completion that would actually make the runs far more appealing.
Only interest I had in the 8 mask was for the achievement that gives the mount. But the mount definitely isn’t anything unique. And it requires both of the zones 8 masked.
I would concede the argument that Zekvir and Underpin models aren’t unique in a similar aspect, but they are more or less unique effects. But the also give unique cosmetics upon completion as well.
Mage tower gives (or gave) completely unique cosmetics which are not farmable or obtainable under other circumstances.
From what I understood, Mage Tower was also easier back upon release as the scaling now is wonky, but the tank tower for the Guardian Druid could be frustrating, but that was mostly due to deaths from the ledge. Once the mechanics were learned though, it became a breeze.
Brann on Zekvir ?? was fairly not present as he died a lot, but I would take Brann in Visions over Sidormi easily.
1 Like
has anyone said what item level you’re doing 8’s at? I cant even do a 5…close many times but just cant get over the top. Guess I just try to faceroll instead of some of these boss mechanics you’ve all noted…but I tried for a straight 5hr and then gave up. I’ve tried with and without construct., Prot and Ret. My most success came from tank/tank
1 Like
I’m able to do eight masks for everything except the Drag Boss easily at 665 ilevel Prot without Soridormi. Highest I’ve been able to complete is six masks.
It does take some patience and waiting on CDs, and making sure your kill order is right, but very doable as a Tank.
1 Like
I did 8mask Org on this toon (as fury, not tank). No Soridormi - it’s definitely a hindrance. Once I got the mechanics down, 665 felt overgeared in many respects, but the process of learning would be considerably more difficult at 649 I think. HVs don’t appear to be a particularly good path for obtaining gear.
Since HVs were released, the guides on 3rd party sites have slowly gotten better. The data that came out of the PTR was pretty limited, but there’s decent advice now. These forums have been a better resource for specific encounters, TBH.
1 Like
My item level is 649…I can easily do Tier 11 delves but I’m really fighting hard for this 5mask thing…8’s must be for the real players, which I’m not 
A guide from a tank perspective…this is where I basically stopped reading. Though, I do find it interesting that Ghastly Goulash still works?
649 is more dependent on which masks you are running and how you are managing the pulls. At 665, like Fishtank said, I feel like I am overgearing the run except for specific bosses.
I found five masks easier with Nemesis, Multitude, and Vengeance (using Dark Imagination and Long Night as the other two) than trying to do the recommended five which includes Burned Bridge.
Recommend experimenting with different mask combinations and seeing how that changes your ability to progress.
I do think this is valid, but if your goal is to beat 8-mask, I suggest doing the 5mask without Daredevil, Long Night and Dark Imagination. This is because these masks have the least impact on real-time gameplay. If you leave off Burning Bridge, for example, that’s a new ever-present mechanic that you’ll have to deal with once you get to 8. Dark Imagination is debatable, as it does have a real impact on gameplay in 8-mask if you get hit by a sanity drain (spawning that jerk during a tough boss encounter is very annoying). But I can’t think of another mask that’s worth leaving off if you’re actually practicing for an 8-mask run.
Edit: but if your goal is simply to beat the 5 mask, then just use whatever 5 masks are easiest for you.
1 Like
I did my first 8 on my main a few weeks ago but my alt char of the same class (Raider things) which was around 650 at the time can do 8s now too with all the extra sanity powers fully unlocked. And that’s as priest, paladin should be a LOT better at it.
Thank you for your advice. It helped a great deal and I got that boss down.
I still haven’t completed a full 8 mask. If I can kill Rexxar, I fail on the other boss or get nuked multiple caster mobs.
And I don’t mind failing but the places I struggle take so very long to get back to them. I am exhausted. I really do appreciate all the good advice, but I’m gonna step away for a bit.
I’m just not quite good enough at this time. Most disappointing
1 Like
They are easy, didnt do it as a tank.
Just wait till gift of the titans proc is up every 80 seconds, the hardest encounters have adds, once you kill an add, gift procs and you auto win
Mind dominators, swarmleaders and the voidwalkers are the danger mobs
Dominators - stun with a channel
Swarmleaders - 50% haste to all mobs within 15 yards
Voidwalkers give a magic taken debuff.
It is why the pull leading to Rexxar is rough. But you kill Swarmleaders it is nothing.
Just manage your pulls, watch the gamon spawn counter.
Also a nice tip: the caster boss in the drag, if you stand on top of him, his void torrent never hits you
I’m very happy for you. Truly. But it sounds like alot of work. Pass.
Feels way too much like needing to be specific classes or gear levels to clear and not die to dmg, not my kind of thing to just be about gear the game doesn’t give me in some way.
My 8 Mask run on Org.
Funny enough, 0 sanity loss. Killing Thrall reset my sanity to full. No orbs used either.
I did do an Arms run earlier too, but I forgot to mute my microphone and I sneezed. Too lazy to rerecord it.
lmao.
1 Like
You definitely lost sanity during that run 
You just regained it all.
1 Like
Nice video.
Honestly though, this is what “over-gearing” content looks like Some bosses didn’t even get a single mechanic off.
1 Like