Trial · 12 players · Craglorn · Base game (Craglorn update, 2014)
Aetherian Archive
VetEasyHMEasy
Floating Ayleid archive of the Celestial Mage in Craglorn. Four bosses, linked by teleport-pad sections that split the group into three teams of four.
- Power creep: vet AA is now mostly stack-and-burn, and players have reported pugging all three Craglorn HMs since 2021. Non-HM even works with 1 tank, 2 healers, 9 DPS. Cards show the burn strat first; the safe circle, boulders, clone blast and chain lightning still kill.
- Hard mode (veteran only): smash the three Aetherial Orbs on the portal platform below the Mage's room (after Varlariel). It can't be undone without resetting.
- Teleport pads: each set needs one player per pad. Send a tank and healer to each side group; the middle group's adds respawn until the sides finish.
- Pad jumps: don't do running jumps between platforms unless organized. Players often fall to their deaths.
Archive trash
Trash☠ Wipe mechanic
- Overchargers: kill first. They put a large red AoE on a random player that moves with them. That player stays away from the group.
- Frost room: frost whirlwinds stun you if you cast while running through. Just move.
Tank
- Turn Frost Atronachs away (frontal cleave).
DPS
- Priority: Overchargers > Chainspinners > Nullifiers. Interrupt Nullifier Healing Links.
Healer
👁 Watch for
- Overcharger: lightning caster. Its target gets a big red circle that follows them; standing still also spawns small red circles.
Lightning Storm Atronach
Boss☠ Wipe mechanic
- Lightning Storm: when he raises his hands, one of five faint circles lights up yellow. All 12 get into it and stay until the storm ends, or die.
- Impending Storm: a spreading AoE under him that explodes at full size. Block it (magicka: shield). Unblocked players usually die to the small follow-up strikes.
Block Impending Storm, run into the lit circle for Lightning Storm, and stay stacked on him otherwise.
Tank
- Hold him in the middle, facing away. His punches can one-shot DPS, so keep taunt.
DPS
Healer
- Shields and HoTs ready for the run to the safe circle.
👁 Watch for
- Safe zone: a large yellow beam of light on one of five floor circles.
More detail
Name the 5 circles before the pull (e.g. front, back, left, right, top-right) and have someone call the lit one.
Not fully confirmed:
- High DPS likely kills him after only one or two Lightning Storms. No source gives a number.
Foundation Stone Atronach
Boss☠ Wipe mechanic
- Boulder Storm (75% and below): when he crouches, rocks launch at players. Spread out a bit and hold block; don't move. Restack when he stands.
OT parks each Chainspinner/Nullifier pair on the boss so they die in the cleave. Spread and block only while he crouches.
Tank
- Turn him away from the group. His hitbox is awkward; keep him targeted.
- OT: park the adds where the MT's cleave hits them.
DPS
- Adds come in pairs: Chainspinner (stuns, AoE circles) and Nullifier (heals; interrupt it).
Healer
- Big Quake: 5 ground pounds in a row hit everyone. Keep the group stacked and heal through.
👁 Watch for
- Crouching stone atronach = rock phase. Floating boulders fly at players.
More detail
Not fully confirmed:
- Add priority: Xynode says Chainspinner first; eso-mechanics says Nullifier first. Either works if you interrupt the heal.
Varlariel
Boss☠ Wipe mechanic
- Clones: she splits into ghosts that run to the pillars (3 at first, +1 each split, max 6). Live ones explode after a delay; more alive = bigger blast. Kill them all, or at most leave one and block.
- Rain of Wisps: red circles under random players that grow and explode. One hit is survivable, two kills. Don't stack.
- Frozen Breath: frontal cone. Only the tank stands in front.
» Burn strat
DPS check 36k Vet per DPS · Kill before 6 clones
- Skip the later clone waves: kill her before she reaches six clones.
Kill every clone but the agreed one and block its blast.
Tank
- Keep taunt: her magic bolts on a DPS can kill. OT taunts and debuffs clones.
DPS
- Two DPS per pillar, preassigned. The clone headed to the lit or mushroom pillar is the one usually left alive.
Healer
- Burst heals and shields for the clone explosion.
👁 Watch for
- Clone phase: ghostly copies drift to the pillars; light beams signal the explosion.
More detail
Not fully confirmed:
- High DPS may kill her before the later clone waves (5–6 clones). Likely, but no current source says how often.
- Which clone to skip: Xynode says the reddish-orange mushroom pillar; Fextralife says the green-light pillar; eso-mechanics names both. Agree before the pull.
The Mage
Final boss☠ Wipe mechanic
- Chain Lightning: hits players in her front 180° and jumps to anyone within ~8m, growing stronger. Nobody but tanks crosses the center line; keep a gap between tank and group.
- Black Holes grow at the platform edges. Stay out; they're near-instant death.
- Conjured Reflections: a fast-spreading AoE, then a reflection appears. Kill it fast (room-wide damage). Don't cross the line to reach it.
- Execute (15%): three knockdowns, then a nova creeps toward the group, hitting harder over time. Kill leftover Reflections before pushing her under 15%.
Hold positions. Clear leftover Reflections, then nuke through the 15% execute.
Tank
- MT: taunt from max melee range, facing the entrance. Group stacks behind her.
- OT: grab the Conjured Axes right away (block their heavy) and park them by the entrance. Don't kill them.
DPS
- Kill Reflections from range on the tank's side.
Healer
- Execute: stagger group buffs and big heals. Shield to walk into a problem mine.
👁 Watch for
- Axes: large purple floating axes, cued by her line 'I cannot control my armory'.
- Mines: small glowing traps that stay until someone triggers them.
↯ Alternatives
- High DPS: mostly ignore the Mines: shield up and walk into one if it's in the way.
Hard mode · veteran only
Activate: Smash the three Aetherial Orbs on the portal platform before her room (vet only).
- More health and harder hits; she regains some health during the execute knockdowns.
- Storm Atronachs spawn periodically. MT pulls them to the boss and the group kills them before they get low: their Unstable Explosion / meltdown spams lightning on everyone.
- Meteors on random players: block to avoid the knockdown.
More detail
Not fully confirmed:
- HM Storm Atronachs: high-DPS groups probably just cleave them down on the boss. Likely, but unconfirmed.
- Fextralife says the orbs are 'near the front transport pads' after Varlariel; UESP and eso-mechanics say beyond the last set of pads before the Mage. Same spot, phrased differently.