Mistweaver Monk Healing Mythic+ Tips — The War Within (11.0.5)

Spear Hand Strike is your "kick" and your most important bit of utility in Mythic+, used to stop enemy casts for the benefit of the group and especially the tank. It is highly recommended to use a Focus Kick macro for this.

• /stopcasting
• /stopcasting
• /cast [@focus,exists,nodead][@mouseover,exists,nodead] [] Spear Hand Strike

This macro will kick your focus target if you have one, mouseover if you have no Focus target, and your target if you have neither of those.

To quickly set a focus target in hectic scenarios, we also recommend a Focus Mouseover macro.

• /focus [@mouseover]

Make sure that your UI shows your Focus Target's casts clearly so that you are always able to kick it on cooldown or in coordination with the rest of your group.

It should be noted that for many abilities that mobs will cast, "stopping" a spell is just a stopgap to buy. If an enemy has a "kickable" cast that is stopped by anything other than an interrupt spell such as Spear Hand Strike, they will simply try to cast the same spell again.

Leg Sweep is one of your "AoE stops". It simply stuns all enemies within 6 yards for 3 seconds. Perfect for preventing multiple abilities from going off at once if your group is low on kicks or from saving your tank, allowing them to create some distance.

Ring of Peace is your second "AoE stop" and will be used the same way as Leg Sweep most of the time. However, rather than being a stun, Ring of Peace creates a zone on the ground that knocks any enemies out of it and will continue to knock enemies out that try to enter. This can be used to stop a large group of mobs from casting or placed on your tank to give them a window of safety. You can also use this ability to prevent a fixated mob from reaching their target.

Because Ring of Peace is a persistent area knock-back, in certain circumstances, you can lock enemy mobs down For longer than intended - if two Monks are in the same group, they can create a Venn diagram with their Rings in order to bounce mobs back forth between the two until one of them fades. In that same vein, if mobs are near a wall, with careful positioning, you can cause your ring to infinitely knock them against the wall. Finally, Ring of Peace also does not trigger combat with a mob, meaning it can be used to move a group of mobs out of your way so that your group can sneak by undetected.

Paralysis is an incredibly versatile spell, allowing you to instantly crowd control a single target from 20 yards away while also not engaging in combat with them. That means if a patrol is pathing towards your group, you can Paralyze the lead mob, and usually, the adds following them will stop and wait as well. You can also pair this with Ring of Peace in order to bounce Paralyzed mobs a bit further than they'd normally go while also preventing them from trying to run back to where they were.

When used in combat, it can be a simple ranged single-target stop, or if talented into Pressure Points, it can be used to remove enrage effects from the target as well.

Crashing Momentum can be used to slow a large group of packs if you find that your tank has run out of cooldowns and needs to run away from a particularly scary pull.

Transcendence is easily one of our most powerful spells, allowing us to teleport through moving barrier mechanics, quickly reposition, or, if your reactions are fast enough, negate knock-back abilities that would otherwise knock you off a ledge.

Invoke Chi-Ji, the Red Crane can be used for each Alerting Shrill, and Ring of Peace should be used to help control the spiderlings that hatch from the eggs. Before Gossamer Onslaught begins, it is a good idea to stack on the tank in order to drop your swirlies directly on theirs so you can save space. Alternatively you can also just hug a previous patch of webbing if you are not confident in your movement.

• Place your Transcendence around the center of the room so that you can quickly reposition during Eye of the Swarm. Normally this shouldn't be a problem for us, but there are instances were you will need to quickly roll out to a Webmage in order to interrupt their cast, then port back to the safe zone before damage goes out.
• Make sure to send a charge of Renewing Mist into players that get targeted by Infestation as it deals very high ticking damage. Focusing them with Enveloping Mist is also a good idea.
• Players targeted with Burrow Charge will take extremely high damage if they are unable to dodge it, so be ready to send a Life Cocoon on the squishier members of your group. Keep in mind that players with combat-drops like Greater Invisibility, Feign Death, or Shadowmeld are able to cancel this charge entirely, so wait to see the charge start before using Cocoon.

This fight feels chaotic, always forcing you out of melee range, but once you get used to the cadence, it is very manageable. Ideally your tank will keep the boss parked in the center of the room, allowing for predicable positioning on the poisons and puddles.

The two main mechanics you have to worry about, are the poisons that periodically go out on the group, and the Cosmic Singularity, both of which Mistweavers can handle with ease. For the poison, a second or two before it is applied to the group, simply roll out to the edge of the room, dispel yourself the moment it is applied, then dash back using Lighter Than Air. This clears it from yourself, while also putting you back in range to heal the rest of your group. You can also use Revival if things are looking really hairy, however you want to make sure that no one in your group is moving, otherwise they may run right into their own poison wave and die.

For the Cosmic Singularity, we can completely negate this mechanic using Transcendence, which alleviates the pressure on your group to find a puddle, and leaves more open for them. The timing on this feels tighter than it is, because at first glance it seems like the pull-in gets stronger and stronger, which isn't really what's going on. The pull does get slightly stronger over time, but the lethal aspect of this mechanic is that around ~1 second left on its channel, the boss will yank you into the center. As long as you teleport after that yank, it is virtually impossible for it to kill you. If you're sitting in the center of the singularity, you can tell when this yank happens because your character will do a little hop in place. Or if you prefer, you can just look at the time remaining on the cast and use Transcendence at ~0.5 seconds remaining.

Lastly, if you don't feel comfortable using that transcendence tech to avoid the Cosmic Singularity, then just be aware that Invoke Chi-Ji, the Red Crane makes you immune to roots for its duration, meaning that if you try to run over a puddle, you'll consume the puddle but remain unrooted. Be ready to either cancel the effect early or try to time a dash using Lighter Than Air.

• For the three mini-bosses before the first boss, Ixin, Nakt, and Atik, you can stand behind them near the wall or edge, and their web spray will never target you. Be careful doing that on the third mini-boss (Atik) as they will drop poison pools on the ground that can one-shot you if you are not careful.
• The second mini-boss Nakt will cast Call of the Brood within a few seconds of engaging in combat with them. This does enormous ticking party damage, so you want to have four stacks of Teachings of the Monastery ready for Invoke Chi-Ji, the Red Crane. It is a good idea to also spend all your stacks of Renewing Mist on your group members for the bonus healing from Chi Harmony. For subsequent casts, the same logic applies — a few seconds before the ability goes out, get Chi Harmony on the group and get ready to Revival or cast Sheilun's Gift.
• After the first boss, look out for Stagshells and be ready to interrupt their Alarm Shrill cast using either Paralysis, Leg Sweep, or Ring of Peace ( Spear Hand Strike does not work).
• After the second boss, if you go down either the left or right paths heading to the final boss, you will encounter mobs called Drones. These do an ability called Grasping Slash that slows your tank by 30%, stacking up to 3 times. Be ready to use Tiger's Lust on your Tank if they have high stacks and are unable to move out of dangerous ground effects (like the Erupting Webs cast by the Overseers).

• Ping one the player you intend to dispel first for Shadows of Doubt, as that will let your group know which player they have to pay attention to in order to dodge.
• A few seconds after the second Shadows of Doubt times out, the boss will cast Vociferous Indoctrination which is a channelled spell that does large party damage; just make sure you have 4 stacks of Teachings of the Monastery before the channel so you can Invoke Chi-Ji, the Red Crane right away.
• During Vociferous Indoctrination's cast, make sure you are standing with the Tank in order to quickly follow them and avoid taking damage to the puddle that will be left at the boss's location.

• Spread out for the Ice Sickles cast, and quickly Revival after the hit to not only heal the group, but dispel the debuff.
• During Synergic Step, if the bosses' charge would hit a wall, the ability will send them nowhere instead. As such, you should try to bait this ability towards a wall whenever possible so the melee will have higher uptime.
• Stack with the tank after Vx casts Rime Dagger in order to prevent them from being stunned.

• Stay in melee range and absorb a few orbs as they come to you. This will keep the puddles they spawn in a neat line following the boss instead of all over the room.
• Keep and eye on the timer for Dark Pulse as it is the main healing check of the fight. Every second it will pulse heavy shadow damage on the group. During its cast you should be applying Chi Harmony to your party, or preparing Teachings of the Monastery stacks for Invoke Chi-Ji, the Red Crane. If one member of your group has a particularly large healing absorb, be ready to use Life Cocoon and focus healing into them.

This fight is all about cycling your cooldowns to deal with Splice. Splice will always be cast first, then roughly 6 seconds later the boss will cast either Umbral Weave or Tremor Slam, both of which are huge bursts of damage. Your goal is just to top up the group from Splice so that they are able to survive the damage from Umbral Weave or Tremor Slam.

As frantic as this fight feels, it is broken down into simple, repeating 1 minute chunks that look like this:

1. Splice
2. Umbral Weave
3. Splice
4. Tremor Slam
5. Process of Elimination

Note: the boss always alternates between Tremor Slam and Umbral Weave, but it is random which they start the fight with.

This pattern repeats exactly every minute, so you can use Invoke Chi-Ji, the Red Crane at the start of every cycle. Within each one minute cycle, each of the big AoE hits are separated by about 25 seconds, so each cycle is front loaded with heavy healing, followed by a little break to drink Mana Tea while your tank handles Process of Elimination

• The Swarmguards in the trash packs prior to the first boss frequently apply Ravenous Swarm to the whole group, which can tick fairly hard. Liberally use Invoke Chi-Ji, the Red Crane to mitigate its damage.
• The Heralds of Ansurek will apply Shadows of Doubt to individual players from time to time; just make sure they are safely away from the group before dispelling it.
• Prior to the first boss, the mobs on the left side of the large statue can be skipped by using Paralysis and Ring of Peace to knock them out of your group's path as you hug the left wall to get by.
• The Eyes of the Queen mobs that your group has to kill during the event before the second boss will periodically cast Void Rush which applies a dot to 3 members of your group. Just be sure to send out a few Renewing Mist during the cast time so that you are ready to heal your group. Chi-Ji is also a good option.
• After the second boss, the only mob you need to worry about is the Venomshell. It applies a powerful poison to the group while also dropping poison circles under your feet that you have to dodge. Revival should be used on the first application in order to clear them, and then rotate cooldowns and dispels on subsequent casts if your group gets them.
• The 2 mini-bosses prior to the last boss each do half of the bosses mechanics; the Shadoweaver will root you and deal large burst damage, while the Warshell will apply a heavy DoT to the group and also cast Tremor Slam which does large AoE damage. The Warshell will require liberal use of cooldowns in order to make sure your group is healthy prior to a Tremor Slam.

• Obsidian Beam is a sizeable tank-buster, so be ready to use Life Cocoon if you see your tank is light on defensives.
• Collapsing Night will always prefer to target ranged characters, however if your group has fewer than 2 ranged, then this ability can target you. If that's the case, be sure to roll out of melee range before it goes off to bait the pool it drops in a good location. You can use Lighter Than Air to quickly dash back into melee.
• Your group is very likely to still have Shadow Shroud on them when the boss pushes to the 50% intermission. Revival can be a handy way to remove the healing absorbs before everyone flies away. Alternatively, if your group is level headed, you can stick around on the boat for quite a while before needing to fly away, giving you plenty of time to heal off the debuff with Vivify.

The main threat on this fight is Shadowy Decay, which happens every ~30-45 seconds depending on spell queueing. You will want a cooldown rolling for each use of this ability. Between Revival, Invoke Chi-Ji, the Red Crane, Celestial Conduit, and Sheilun's Gift, you should have pretty good coverage.

The third Shadowy Decay always happens immediately after a Dark Orb explodes, so that is a good place for your group to use a health potion, or if you are in a pug, consider doubling up on some cooldowns.

The majority of the damage on this fight comes from Erosive Spray and the DoT it leaves on your party afterwards. On its own, it is not terribly threatening, however when paired with other mechanics, such as the ticking damage your party receives from holding an Arathi Bomb for example, it can be fairly lethal. The boss casts this ability every 30 seconds, so you can use Invoke Chi-Ji, the Red Crane for every other cast.

• Prior to the first boss, the Ritualists will cast Tormenting Ray which does very large ticking damage to two targets at a time. It is a good idea to liberally use cooldowns while these adds are alive.
• On the two boats on either side of the Dawnbreaker, the Webmages will put a debuff on one member of your group called Bursting Cocoon. It ticks for moderate damage, then explodes at the end of the duration. Make sure you are keeping that member of your party topped up before it detonates.
• Of the trash packs down in the city, the main threats to the party are Abyssal Blast and Abyssal Rot, the former being cast by the mini-bosses, and the latter being cast by mobs called Manifested Shadows. Both these abilities are essentially the same, and will tick for heavy damage on your group, so be sure to Chi Harmony afflicted targets, and use cooldowns if damage gets too high.

• His Rock Spike can be removed with combat drops like Shadowmeld.
• To quickly reposition when Rock Spike goes out, simply roll backwards away from the boss, then after the debuff knocks you in the air, use Lighter Than Air to dash back.
• Invoke Chi-Ji, the Red Crane should be used prior to a Commanding Roar to block some of the damage with a Chi Cocoon.

• Cycle a cooldown for each time he switches weapons, as there will be heavy party damage. It happens every ~20 seconds so you won't be able to cover every single swap, but the important ones to cover are the swaps from his swords to his mace, because the party will have just been taking damage from Molten Spark.
• At the start of the fight, and for each time he switches off of his mace, make sure you are standing with your back to a wall, or to the edge, in order to bait the Fiery Cleave into a good position.

• Use Ring of Peace to prevent a Shadowflame spirit from reaching their fixated target. if you pay attention to where the mobs are heading, you can place your ring where they will intersect in order to block both of them.
• Twilight Buffet is the only notable source of party damage, so be sure to top your group off before it hits.
• The knockback from Twilight Buffet can be negated using either Lighter Than Air or Transcendence.

This whole fight is a cycle of 3 abilities that will repeat every 50 seconds. First he will Void Surge dealing moderate party damage, followed by a Shadow Gale to force your group to move, and finally he will apply Abyssal Corruption to two players dealing heavy ticking damage.

Invoke Chi-Ji, the Red Crane should be used on the first Void Surge, and then every other one after that, because subsequent Void Surges will be accompanied by adds which increase the healing power of Chi-Ji. Celestial Conduit can be used to handle the Void Surges in which Chi-Ji is not available.

For the Abyssal Corruption, it can be a good idea to pre-apply Enveloping Mist and/or Chi Harmony to your DPS in order to be able to quickly focus healing on them if they are targeted. If it goes on you instead, between Fortifying Brew, Diffuse Magic, Bounce Back, and Expel Harm, you should be more than safe.

• The Twilight Destroyer's knockback Umbral Wind can and should be dodged by running out of line of sight.
• In Throngus' room, the Twilight Beguiler's Sear Mind cast needs to be interrupted, as it will stun one player for the duration of the channel. Other forms of crown control such as Leg Sweep will also put this ability on cooldown so long as they start their channel before you stun them.
• After Throngus' room you will find Twilight Enforcers; if you notice them reach max stacks of Ramping Rage you can either sooth that effect using Pressure Points, or use Ring of Peace to knock them away from your tank.
• Lava Benders will do enormous party damage from 50%-0% HP, so have Invoke Chi-Ji, the Red Crane prepared with a 4 stack of Teachings of the Monastery.
• Before the final boss, the Faceless Corruptors will channel Corrupt on a target which deals heavy ticking shadow damage. This can be negated using combat drops like Shadowmeld and Feign Death, but otherwise, you should use Enveloping Mist, Chi Harmony, and spam single target heals into them.

• Heaving Retch can be dodged, meaning that if you are running Dance of the Wind, you can completely negate the damage from this ability if it is targeted on you.
• Leg Sweep and Ring of Peace should be used to control the Carrion Worms so they die in a good spot.

• Spear Hand Strike to interrupt as many Necrotic Bolts as you can, as they will quickly get out of hand if too many in a row are allowed to go through.
• Any mobs that are crowd controlled do not explode when the boss casts Final Harvest, so you can use Paralysis on a Skeletal Mage, then ignore it entirely. However if you are worried about stray AoE breaking your crowd control, you can use Ring of Peace instead to knock them closer to the boss to be AoE'd.
• Invoke Chi-Ji, the Red Crane should be used just after the boss casts Land of the Dead, since there will be many targets to cleave into. Equally, this is the most likely time for something to go wrong, like someone missing a kick, so it's a good idea to have cooldown coverage.

• Stitchflesh's Creations will do more and more AoE damage the longer they are alive, so it is a good idea to use Invoke Chi-Ji, the Red Crane once Stitchflesh has been pulled into the arena. That way you will have an extra target to cleave on to for when the damage has started to ramp up.
• Once Stitchflesh is on the ground, he will remain there long enough for his Creation to throw two hooks. The first should be used to pull him out of Morbid Fixation, and the second one should be aimed at the stage, because Stitchflesh will jump back up there midway through the hook's cast time.

• Any time you notice Rimebinder target you with Frozen Binds, you can roll backwards out of melee in order to dispel yourself, then Lighter Than Air to dash back in. If someone accidentally gets caught in the dispel, you can use Tiger's Lust to remove the root from them.
• During Comet Storm you can run in a circle around the boss in order to keep DPSing. It can be good to stack up on your DPS or Tank so that you all group your swirlies together. Alternatively, you can move out of melee and run in a small circle instead to be safe.

• There are 3 Discharged Anima orbs between the first and second boss - they are around the edges of the rooms, next to broken down Kyrian golems. You can pick them up and use them to deal ticking AoE damage, and interrupting any spells cast each time it deals damage. These can be used to control heavy caster trash packs, or the waves of adds on Amarth, or even just as a bit of extra damage on Stitchflesh.
• The Zolramus Sorcerers will cast Shadow Well on the tank, and it does extremely high ticking damage to anyone standing within it. Make sure that if your tank is repositioning the mobs, that you are paying very close attention to the ground so you do not wander into these puddles by mistake. Even a second or two can be enough to kill you.

• Coordinate kicks with the tank, as a Spirit Bolt going off at the wrong time can kill someone.
• Place a Transcendence as he is casting Repulsive Visage in order to quickly get back into melee.
• Use Invoke Chi-Ji, the Red Crane when the boss applies Death Shroud to your party.

• Paralysis can be used to negate every other Illusionary Vulpin
• Make sure to always position yourself so that Dodge Ball is aimed at an enemy, as it can damage them too. Lining up a few of these on an Illusionary Clone during the intermission can be enough to kill them outright.
• The only healing checks for the fight happen at 70%, 40%, and 10% during the intermission, during which Mistcaller will summon 4 clones and deal pulsing party damage. Quickly identify which clone has a symbol that it unique to them (be it flower/leaf, filled-in/empty, or if it is inside a circle) and then use Invoke Chi-Ji, the Red Crane to DPS that target down.

• If fixated by the Gormling Larva, stack up on the Tank, and use Leg Sweep once they all reach you. Tred'ova will cast Mind Link shortly after all the Larva are able to get into melee.
• Be ready to roll away from the Tank before Mind Link goes out so you can preemptively break the link. You can use Lighter Than Air to dash back in after the roll, just be careful to get out of the Coalescing Poison around the boss before the cast completes.
• At 70% and 40% the boss will cast Consumption which will do pulsing party damage, and put big white swirlies on the ground to dodge. This is the only real healing check of the fight, so use whichever cooldowns you want to get through it cleanly. It can be a good idea to preemptively put Chi Harmony on a few of the ranged as they might need to run out of your range during the channel.

• The Spiteclaws in the first trash pack will jump to random targets and put a nasty bleed on them. However this jump has a minimum range, so if your whole group stacks on top of them, they won't be able to put a bleed on anyone, significantly reducing the healing requirement for that pull.
• Soulcleavers will use Soul Split on your Tank which deals heavy damage and increases the amount of damage they take by 20% per stack. You must dispel this quickly.
• Boughbreakers will use Bramble Burst which spawns roots under everyone's feet, slowing and dealing somewhat high ticking damage. You can avoid this ability entirely by moving during the cast. Equally when these mobs hit 50%, they will cast Furious Thrashing which deals very high party damage over 5 seconds. Either have a cooldown like Invoke Chi-Ji, the Red Crane ready to go, or have your Tank pull these mobs to the mushroom grove on the side so your party can click the mushrooms and full heal.
• During the maze, Mistcaller will always travel through the correct doors, so if you mark her, you can watch her fly through the first two doors in order to skip figuring out which door is correct.
• Again in the maze, when pulling packs that have Mistveil Shapers, make absolutely sure that you are interrupting Bramblethorn Coat, as it will put a shield on an enemy that will root your entire party if it gets broken. If this happens, quickly Revival to dispel the root.
• The Gorm packs after Mistcaller will apply heavy dots to several members of your party, so make sure to apply Chi Harmony to them, and use Invoke Chi-Ji, the Red Crane if your Tank pulls a few groups together.

Note that it is early days and that this section will be far more fleshed out as the Season progresses and cool tricks and tips are found.

• Tiger's Lust people who get fixated if the boss starts to reach them.
• It can be good to Invoke Chi-Ji, the Red Crane before the boss casts Iron Hook in order to block some of the damage from that ability.

• Cycle cooldowns for Fiery Ricochet as it is the only real instance of party damage on this fight.
• Prior to Mass Bombardment either leave melee, or stack on the tank to overlap the circles that will be placed on the ground, otherwise the Tank might be forced to leave melee which will cause the boss to cast Gut Shot on a random player.

• The only damage on this fight is Break Water, so make sure your group is at 100% HP before it goes out. It is a good idea to use Invoke Chi-Ji, the Red Crane prior to the Chi Cocoons.
• You can jump up and run over the statue in the middle of the arena to quickly dodge a bad wave from Tidal Surge.

• This fight is all about dispelling Putrid Waters quickly. You should prioritize your squishiest members first, then focus heal the other while you wait for your dispel to come back off cooldown.
• Putrid Waters is a projectile, so you can watch their trajectory to get an idea of who they are going to hit before they land.
• Diffuse Magic can be used to dispel yourself and Revival should be used to quickly dispel them all if you fall behind, or if a bad Slam timing occurs.

• Both the Shattering Bellow and Iron Hook cast by the Enforcers and Raiders respectively can be dodged using line of sight.
• The Azerite Charge that the Commanders cast can be negated by combat drops such as Shadowmeld.
• The Crushing Slam cast by the Demolishers can be avoided using line of sight.
• The Snipers before Darkfathom choose their target for "shoot" based on whoever is in a cone in front of them. If your whole group waits until they are shooting the tank, then stack directly behind them, they will never target anyone else.

Note that it is early days and that this section will be far more fleshed out as the Season progresses and cool tricks and tips are found.

• Dispel Seismic Reverberation from the Tank as the boss is casting Seismic Smash — this will apply a short 50% damage reduction to help them survive the damage.
• Cycle cooldown when she casts Refracting Beam as it will cause the group to take moderately high damage from breaking the Spikes.

• Remember to pick up an Unstable Fragment (the little black void orbs) after each time the boss casts Unstable Crash as it increases your healing by 50% per stack, for the duration of the DoT.
• Use Invoke Chi-Ji, the Red Crane during each Fortified Shell phase, so that you can both help break the shield, and keep your group healthy at the same time.

• Cycle cooldowns during the Exhaust Vents casts, as the whole party will be taking heavy damage.
• Use Touch of Death on whichever boss dies second in order to quickly finish them off before the ticking damage overwhelms your group.

• When the boss is casting Void Corruption, go stand next to a Void Rift so the DoT is instantly removed the moment it is applied to you. Just be sure not to get pulled in, or it will instantly kill you.
• Use roll to drop Entropic Reckoning on the edge of the room, then use Lighter Than Air to dash back.

• In the first hallway of the dungeon, be sure to always interrupt the Void Souls when they cast Howling Fear. It is also a good idea to use Invoke Chi-Ji, the Red Crane for that first hallway, as it is quite common for groups to pull the whole thing, and bloodlust to AoE it all down.
• On the way to Skarmorak, mobs called Despoilers will cast Void Outburst which ticks party wide damage very quickly, so be ready to pop Invoke Chi-Ji, the Red Crane to counter it.
• If you get hit with Censoring Gear, you can keep healing by via your DPS, as all your attacks aren't classified as spells, and as such, cannot be silenced.
• On the trash healing to the Forge Speakers, keep an eye out for Forgehands, as they apply a stacking debuff to your Tank that will increase the amount of damage they take. Make sure to use Ring of Peace to help your tank create some distance when they need to buy time to let the debuff fall off.

Our myriad of crowd control is excellent for this Affix. Between Ring of Peace, Leg Sweep, Spear Hand Strike, and Paralysis, we have got more then enough tools to assist the group.

This affix is fairly straightforward for Mistweavers as we can simply rotate around the mob to help soak the incoming crystals.

Revival can clear this in a pinch; otherwise, use Detox on priority targets and just heal the rest of it off normally. Diffuse Magic can be used to remove it from yourself if you think you aren't going to need the damage reduction soon.

Touch of Death can be used the moment these mobs spawn, as they have 1hp, but a large shield. If talented into Fatal Touch, you can use Touch of Death on every other spawn.