For an Oblivion realm, Lord Hircine’s plane of The Hunting Grounds, a vast wilderness of forest, meadow, and mountain, is almost familiar to those Tamrielic mortals who find their way there. Almost familiar, but not quite.
March of Sacrifices is a four-person dungeon in the game The Elder Scrolls Online. The dungeon consists of various rooms and corridors, each with its own challenges and enemies. March of Sacrifices can be accessed at Level 45. In this guide, I shall explain the mechanics as well as what you should and shouldn’t do while facing the dungeon’s bosses.
Table of Contents
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March of Sacrifices Location
The March of Sacrifices is located in the southwestern region of Greenshade. Travel southwest from the Serpent’s Grotto Wayshrine to reach March of Sacrifices. You can also access March of Sacrifices specifically by using the Dungeon Finder.
Inside March of Sacrifices
March of Sacrifices is a one-level dungeon with five bosses and one quest. The enemies in this dungeon include bears, dire wolves, Bloodscent assassins, an Moon Hunter archers.
The Great Hunt
The Ashlander Hanu has recruited me to join her hunting team within Hircine’s Hunting Grounds. We must hunt down an indrik and present its heart to Hircine in order for Hanu to win a boon from the Daedric Prince and save her father.
Completing The Great Hunt
You will need to defeat the Wyrd Sisters, Aghedh of the Solstice, Tarcyr’s Thralls, Tarcyr, and Balorgh. Speak to Hanu to complete this quest. Completing this quest will reward you with gold, a skill point, and an Unidentified March of Sacrifices Armament.
March of Sacrifices Boss Mechanics
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The Wyrd Sisters – Wyress Rangifer, Wyress Strigidae, Wyress Ursus
This boss is very simple in essence but can be a complete mess if people don’t pay attention. Focusing on particular targets and positioning is KEY for this fight. There are 3 different bosses, they work together and can wipe people easily if you do watch for mechanics. The tank needs to taunt all 3 bosses. Stack the sword n board boss on top of the healer and stay AWAY from the archer. The archer can be killed last and must be taunted the whole time BUT you don’t want to stand near it. Keep the enemies turned away from the group and focus.
1 – Ursus (Sword and Board Boss) – The boss is the sword and board boss and needs to be the MAIN focus. The group should put as much effort into getting THIS boss down as possible. The tank needs to grab this boss, stack it on top of the healer boss and NEVER drop taunt.
Heavy Attack – The boss will heavy attack whoever has agro (should always be the tank). This is an incredibly hard hit and MUST be blocked. HOWEVER, if you are dps or healer you MUST dodge roll it if it is aiming at you for any reason (agro dropped, tank dead, etc.). IF you try to block this as anything other than a tank, it is designed to kill you. Be careful and watch for this attack.
Charge – The boss will randomly choose a target to charge at. Usually the FURTHEST target away, so do NOT run around the room like a headless chicken, and do NOT run away. When this happens, the target must either block or pull off a well-timed dodge roll. Then carry on as normal. If not blocked this will knockdown/stun and do serious damage!
2 – Rangifer (Healer Boss) – This boss is as simple as it seems, it is a healer. This should be killed after or during the above boss. The boss will attempt to heal the others over and over so when you see the heals coming, simply interrupt her to stop it from happening.
3 – Strigdae (Archer Boss) – The boss is a pain! The sword and board are primary of course because of the one-shots, but THIS boss must be kept at range as long as possible. After everything else is dead, THEN you can focus on this one.
Teleport Strike – The boss will teleport strike from time to time so be aware of this and when you get jumped, be sure to move away from here once she lands. It is not a one-shot but the healer should be on point with this to be sure damage doesn’t overwhelm them.
Arrow Spray – The boss will cast a HUGE cone effect of damage at the group, simply step out of this!
Focus Aim – Strigidae will attempt a single channeled shot at a member of the group (usually the one with aggro). When this happens, simply interrupt her.
SILENCE!! – This is the main reason you keep this boss at arm’s length at ALL times. She is surrounded by a BLUE aura. If you stand inside of this you will be “Silenced”! No ultimates, NO magic, NO synergies will work. NONE! Stamina abilities, blocking, and bashing work but everything else will NOT. Keep her at range and finish her last when all of the rest of the mess in the room is gone. She is very simple to manage when she is on her own, but if you are fighting the tank and the healer and she ends up IN the group with her negate, it will make short work of your group. Again, focus on positioning. Tank and healer together, archer at range. Focus on the tank and healer first and THEN finish the archer last.
Aghaedh of the Solstice
This fight is actually pretty straight forward. it can go one of 3 ways…VERY fast (if you have high dps), very smooth if you follow mechanics….or really badly if you don’t know what to do. The tank should taunt the boss and turn her away from the group and grab ANY adds that come into the fight as fast as possible! The rest of the group should semi-circle around the boss behind her and stand still while healing/damaging, etc. Pretty much a stack and burn fight but there are some mechanics you MUST pay attention to.
Stranglers – There are Stranglers around the room firing projectiles. You can kill these if you want but they don’t really hit too hard. As long as your healer is alive and HEALING. you can fight through this. Also, you can choose for the tank to range taunt them just to take the edge off.
Lurchers and Big Boom!! – These are essential! The tank MUST grab these as fast as possible! They will spawn throughout the fight and will run in with a heavy attack. A tank can block the heavy attack with no problem but a dps/healer will die. So if you are a dps/healer and one of these tries to heavy attack you, you MUST dodge roll or die….do NOT run away! That will just make a mess of the fight and the tank will struggle to take aggro. Relax, dodge roll the heavy attack, and carry on.
These will come into the fight at health checkpoints of the boss – 70%, 55%, and 25%. There are colored circles surrounding the room coming from the small spriggans and as per the trash you dealt with earlier in the dungeon, Lurchers who stand in opposite (different) colors will have a health debuff, so you CAN use this to your advantage.
NOTE: When lurchers die, they drop a synergy on the ground. These MUST be picked up by the group. The boss at low health (depending on how long you fight her for) will channel up an explosion and if the synergies have NOT been picked up, the players without them will die. Be sure to pick up the synergies when the lurchers dies. This is also why it is important to focus THEM and not the boss unless you have a group with HUGE damage.
Dagrund the Bulky
This boss can be a bit of a pug killer, especially with people that like to solo and show off their dps. There are some rather punishing mechanics in this fight so people need to pay attention. If you break them up it is straightforward forward but if you push for overlapping mechanics it can be a wipe fest! The tank should position the boss in the center of the room and the group should semi-circle around him NOT standing in his face and be ready for incoming craziness!
Elemental Attack – The boss will take a LARGE swing with his sword and it will be on fire (same as the boss before last in Fang Lair). Once this connects, fire aoes will fly out from the center and go off in 3 random directions (note these can bounce off walls and come back). As the tank, you should block this. As the rest of the group when you see this happening, you should simply walk backward, wait for the AOEs to fire, and then stand between them. Don’t get hit by them because these can almost one-shot players AND carry a short duration of damage over time with them.
At 70% and under these will change to ICE instead with high damage and snare attached to them, BUT instead of flying out from the middle will simply move around the room like winds! At 55% he will introduce lightning damage splashing on each player hit after hit until it fades, the healer must focus here and the group must NOT stack. At 20% he will use lightning, ice, and fire on rotation when he heavy attacks/strikes with his sword.
Heavy Attack – This is the most simple mechanic. If it hits you as a tank, BLOCK IT, if it hits you as a dps/healer, you are dead unless you dodge it.
JUMP! – This is the most important mechanic in the fight and most have no idea how to deal with it. When the boss jumps up in the air, he will vanish and come back down in a LARGE aoe slam. The tank should be ready for this and either block it and/or avoid it. When he lands however he will release 4x fast-moving aoes and each one is LOCKED onto a player. You all get 1x each! When you see this, dodge roll straight THROUGH it to let it explode and you will be unharmed. If it hits you however and you don’t dodge through it, you will die!.
So in short. Wait for him to jump, and when he does, get out of the way…when he lands look for the aoe coming YOUR way and dodge through it. This will happen at the beginning of the fight then every 30second and each time he lands will deal damage with whichever element state he is currently affected by (lightning, ice, fire).
Archers! – During the fight, based on health (every 10% starting from around 90%) the boss will spawn archers in the room. As soon as you see them (as dps) you MUST focus these down and then go back to the boss again. Archers first, boss second. If you do NOT kill the archers there will be far too many to deal with, they WILL target the dps and you WILL die. It is VERY hard for a tank to keep up taunting all of these if you get overwhelmed and push the boss’s health too fast. So Kill the archers at all costs, very much like the Matriach in Scalecaller Peak.
NOTE: These archers are different elements. Depending on what element they take the form of (ice/fire) depends on what aoes will spawn under players. Once you kill them the aoes will go away. SO watch your feet, don’t stand still, and kill all adds!
Tarcyr
This boss is another pug killer! This is where a completely new mechanic to the game comes into play. You finally, in a PVE dungeon, have to SNEAK!! That’s right, vampires, legerdemain and all that stuff can actually HELP here! Apart from that part of it, as far as the actual fight goes, the tank should taunt the boss of course at all times and keep it facing AWAY from the group. It is crucial that Tarcyr never faces the group!
ADDS! – These are your MAIN priority for the dps to keep an eye on! There are adds throughout the fight and they will channel an ability. If not interrupted they will PIN their chosen target to the ground. If that player isn’t freed via a synergy(shown by a very obvious green circle) they will take a heavy attack one shot and die. It is essential that these enemies are interrupted and/or your friend is broken free fast enough. The tank needs not to worry too much about taunting these because they can get out of hand, but the dps MUST focus these down as soon as possible!
Fire Trail – The boss will occasionally run wild into a fast sprint leaving a huge fire trail behind him. This is usually in the form of a circle or straight line, simply stay out of this. It can be a little tricky with the adds occasionally but relax and stay out of the fire and you will be fine. The tank should maintain a taunt at all times and once Tarcyr has stopped running, turn him away from the group and try to keep away from the fire so the group can reposition in a safe place. Do NOT run around the room like a headless chicken, it won’t help. This is a dramatic yet simple mechanic so shouldn’t cause too much of a problem.
Stampede! – This mechanic is simple but annoying. The boss will cause multiple ghost stags (aka Bambi) across the room at each member of the group. You can block or dodge roll this. If not you will be knocked down. These cause moderate damage so should not be too negative if they hit you, BUT during other mechanics, this can occasionally prove fatal if too much is going on at once. Again simply BLOCK or DODGE this and then carry on focusing on the rest of the mechanics.
Lighting/Dancing! – This is a simple yet deadly mechanic. Tarcyr will rear up and repeatedly stamp the ground. The group will get hit with multiple shock hits and stampedes the longer this goes on. This is a VERY important and simple mechanic to avoid, all you need to do while Tarcyr is channeling is INTERRUPT! If you don’t interrupt fast enough, the group will be wiped. Pay attention. This normally happens upon spawning in each phase and sometimes after a teleport(the boss will teleport occasionally to get to a new location).
Mind Blash! – This is a kind of mind blast attack and will be aimed at anyone IN FRONT of the boss. The tank can take this but a dps or healer will die in a couple of hits so be sure as the tank to turn the boss away from the group at all times!
Heavy Attack – This is a charged-up attack and should always be on the tank (so long as a taunt maintains). This will cause a spreading aoe under the feet of the target and then hit with a VERY hard attack once it hits its peak. As the tank, you need to BLOCK this, but as a dps or healer(or even the tank if you feel like it) if this IS on you, be sure to time it well and dodge roll it before it connects or you will die in one shot.
The HUNT! – This is one of the most unique mechanics in the game to date. When you enter the room and also at 3 health checkpoints this will happen. You must work together here and try not to chase each other around. A wisp will appear and you need to STAY hidden (stealth/sneak) the entire time. When the wisp lands you must activate a synergy and the wisp will move again. Do this 3x and then Tarcyr will appear.
WARNING: If you use ANY abilities that affect other people, whether it is a damage ability OR a buff to your group, you will break stealth and be thrown into the air and dropped from a height dealing damage when you land. If stealth breaks 3 times, your last drop will be too high and you will die to a one-shot upon landing. So remember, do NOT break stealth! Find your OWN space and do NOT hug up to your friends, they will break your stealth if they overlap negative effects. Keep moving and spinning your camera and stay OFF the walls.
Hunt 1 (80% Health): This is the most simple version of the hunt. Spread out, Keep moving, and keep your eyes open for Bambi! (stampede ghosts). If any of the Ghosts touch you, you will be flung into the air and break stealth. Remember 3x is dead! The stampede spawns always 2 stag ghosts at a time, so watch your feet!
During this phase, you must NOT stand still. You will notice there will be ice aoes spawning under people’s feet. If you stand still inside these and they burst, you will break stealth and be thrown into the air. Keep moving!
Hunt 2 (50% Health): This is the same mechanic as above BUT with a twist. Now as well as all of the above, 2 players will have a large lightning aoe around them. DO NOT overlap this aoe onto another player because you will cause them to take damage and break stealth. Keep moving but all have your OWN space.
Hunt 3 (20% Health): Finally the last hunt phase. Here you have Bambi ghosts to deal with, ice aoe to deal with, lightning aoe to deal with, and NOW there is fire on the floor in the form of fast-moving circles. You MUST keep your feet out of these. Failure to do so will break stealth and throw you into the air. The trick to this entire hunt phase is to keep moving, keep your camera spinning to avoid the Charging Bambi ghosts and stay AWAY from each other AND the sides. If you go too close to the sides/walls there is a strong chance one of the Bambi ghosts will spawn right on top of you and throw you into the air. Keep your distance from everything.
Final Tip: Do NOT race your friends to a synergy. No one gets medals for picking it up. So work together, tell the person closest to get it, and focus. If you all start running for it, you will overlap, and die.
Balorgh (aka Juffy)
This boss is a simple fight in essence once you understand it but at the same time SO much can go wrong and for the most part, it is somewhat TERRIFYING! This fight will take a while to get your coordination down for the group and there is a LOT to think about but with a bit of work, you can do this! The tank needs to of course taunt the boss at ALL times! Keep the boss faced away from the group while the group tries to stay behind him and/or away from him. Position is KEY for the most part so pay attention to his movements and above all (this is for the whole group) put on subtitles! The boss does MOST of his attacks in order, so you can predict what is going to happen next.
Dog Breath – The boss will cast a HUGE cone-shaped aoe in the direction of the tank, this is basically what I call the “dog breath” or “death breath”. It lasts for about 3 seconds and the tank should block this and/or pop a quick mist form to take as little damage as possible. NO dps OR healer should be standing anywhere near this. So as the tank, be sure this is NEVER facing the group!
Heavy Attack – The boss does hit with a NASTY heavy attack which must be blocked by the tank. A dps or healer will not survive this so if for some reason this IS on you, dodge roll at the right time and you will be fine, else it is a one-shot.
Plants – This is directly after the charge ability. The boss will slam the ground with a large aoe circle. Do NOT stand in this circle and once he has slammed multiple aoe damaging plants will appear on ALL islands. This is where you MUST be sure that no one stands on any islands or even too close to them. If you do, you will take massive damage and die! This mechanic leads straight into the next one so the position is key. Be sure to aim the boss towards the middle of one of the islands (as the tank, have your back to an island).
CHARGE! – The boss will glow bright red/orange and charge at the tank! (or whoever has aggro) simply step to one side and avoid it and let him run past you. On hard mode he will leave a trail of fire on the ground which the group must NOT touch, it hits extremely hard!. Try to have the boss aimed towards the center of one of the islands when this happens so that he is easier to position afterward. After he has done this ability he will go straight into the next phase. Once this charge is finished, the tank should position itself in the water, towards the edge of an island so that NO ONE is standing on any land, but there is room enough to get on it after it is over.
Shock Water – As soon as all of the plants have gone the group must rush to get onto the closest island. The next mechanic happens extremely fast so focus on your positioning and do NOT stack (stacking will kill you). The boss will stomp the floor and lightning waves will spread from around him. They will hit the group and can be avoided and/or blocked else you will be knocked back. However not only do you have this effect to avoid BUT the water is not covered in lightning. Do NOT stand in the water! Also during this phase, lightning splashes will be aimed at members of the group and you should move slightly left and right to avoid them or take HIGH damage. Do not stack up as these will double up and do more damage. This goes STRAIGHT into the next phase so be ready!
FIRE! – This is the EASIEST way to wipe! If you do not pay attention to this mechanic you WILL die! The boss will glow orange/red just like when he does his charge, BUT this time he will be slamming the floor in a circular aoe effect. Do not stand in this circle. When the circle reaches its peak there will be a fireball locked onto each member of the group. When this happens you MUST dodge roll. If you do not dodge roll you will be hit with the fireball, it will add damage over time effect to you with a short duration but MASSIVE damage. Most dps players wont be able to take 2 seconds of it. Your healer must be REALLY on point if someone gets caught out but above all, get used to this mechanic and dodge roll it every single time you see it.
This is extremely important for the hunt phases (coming up). The reason I mentioned above that you need to have subtitles on is because he talks when he fires this. He will say “burn you like a crisp” and other flame-related one-liners. Basically whenever he talks trash about burning or fire, dodge roll the attack! As demonstrated in the video (note on hard mode this mechanic is a stomp with NO fire).
THE HUNT! – Unlike the Tarcyr fight…YOU are the hunted! Juffy will split into 4x shadows! And start to chase the group in the dark! This phase is terrifying! The boss/s will be immune and the only way to get rid of them is to catch them in a trap! One player at a time will be the target and a trap will be placed. If you have the circle under your feet you need to be running towards the light. Once you FIND the trap, stand behind it and the boss will be trapped.
Each trap can catch ONE boss so you will have to do this FOUR times! before the fight goes back to normal. The trick to this however is you must STAY together!!! Where ever the trap is, be aware of the surrounding mechanics. Each trap however has a delay on it while the helping NPC places a new one. The boss will make the water turn to lightning, in which case stay ON the islands and OUT of the water.
The boss will make plants appear in which case run laps around in the water and stay OFF the islands. The boss will stomp and shout about fire/burning in which case DODGE roll the incoming flame projectile.
While this is going on be sure to NOT sprint too much because you will run out of stamina fast, and just try to relax. If you have to do laps around the room and take your time so be it, but be careful not to lag behind. A really good trick for this as demonstrated in the video is to actually utilize the “mist form” ability if you are a vampire. This will help you a LOT if you accidentally end up in the water or have to run across it while it is trying to kill you. It is a GREAT mitigation ability if things go wrong, and believe me from time to time they WILL
The boss will still do charge attacks, heavy attacks, and breath attacks if people get too close so stay AWAY from them at all costs. Kite them as far away as you can and one by one trap them until the boss becomes attackable again and then rinse and repeat.
The hunt phases will start at:
80% health
60% health
40% health
And 20% health
Mechanics can overlap a little however if you have HIGH damage.
NOTE: on NON-hard mode, there are no strangers, and only ONE shadow.
Stranglers – During the hunt phase there will be stranglers spawning around the room, if you encounter these kill them fast else they will pin and chain people in and be REALLY annoying! They have low health so they are not particularly difficult to take down. However, they will stay in the room after the hunt phase so don’t get too complacent with these. If they are in your way, kill them!
Wolves – As soon as each hunt phase starts there will be a wave of wolves that must be killed (ultimates are best saved for this) and at LOW health after the last hunt phase, the boss will spawn wolves to fight with him while you try to finish him off. The tank should try to control these WITHOUT spinning the boss and the group should focus these down at all times. Be careful of their heavy attacks and do NOT run around the room. Control them, kill them, and then focus on the boss.
This is all about teamwork, coordination, and of course mechanical awareness. While staying away from the boss during the hunt phases, remember the THREE major mechanics, water, islands, and fire. So long as you can keep an eye on those, you will be fine. Pace it, relax, don’t panic and you WILL get this done. If you can kill ONE hunt phase, you can kill this boss. It is literally “rinse and repeat” every phase.
GOOD LUCK!
March of Sacrifices Dungeon Loot
Below is a list of all the loot you can expect to find in March of Sacrifices.
On normal the loot is blue and the boss does NOT drop a monster helmet, but on veteran difficulty all of the loot is purple and the main boss DOES drop a special monster helmet.
Note: in dungeons some individual bosses can drop a unique item but generally, the weapons and jewelry (non-named items) come from the last boss. HOWEVER the entire loot table can also drop from trash and chests, so loot everything! Got the gear in the wrong traits? Don’t worry! You can alter the traits by either transmuting or reconstruct the piece with a trait of your choice. For more information see the Introduction to Transmuting and Reconstructing article.
If you are looking for a matching shoulder monster piece, visit the Undaunted Pledge Master Urgarlag Chief-Bane at the nearest Undaunted enclave. She sells a 50/50 chance at the shoulder piece as part of the Wolfhunter Coffer or it could be in her mystery coffer. You can learn more about the Undaunted in the Undaunted Guide.
- Blood Moon
- Hanu’s Compassion
- Haven of Ursus
- Balorgh (monster helm from vet only)
Builds That Use March of Sacrifices Gear
March of Sacrifices Achievements
Apex Predator
Defeat all encounters in addition to the Wyrd Sisters, Aghaedh of the Solstice, Dagrund the Bulky, Tarcyr, and Balorgh after desecrating the Moon Hunter Pack’s Banner in Veteran March of Sacrifices within 30 minutes without suffering a group member death.
Element of Surprise
Defeat Balorgh while avoiding both Lightning Water and Poison Plants in Veteran March of Sacrifices.
Hircine’s Champion
Defeat Balorgh after desecrating the Moon Hunter Pack’s banner and driving him into a murderous rage in Veteran March of Sacrifices.
Huntsman Style Master
Learn every chapter in the Huntsman style book, occasionally found as rewards for completing the March of Sacrifices dungeon.
Light On Your Feet
Defeat Dagrund the Bulky while always dodging his Upheaval ability in Veteran March of Sacrifices.
March of Sacrifices Challenger
Complete the listed achievements for Veteran March of Sacrifices.
March of Sacrifices Conqueror
Defeat the Wyrd Sisters, Aghaedh of the Solstice, Dagrund the Bulky, Tarcyr, and Balorgh in Veteran March of Sacrifices.
March of Sacrifices Vanquisher
Defeat the Wyrd Sisters, Aghaedh of the Solstice, Dagrund the Bulky, Tarcyr, and Balorgh in March of Sacrifices.
Mist Walker
Defeat Tarcyr without the indrik teleporting any group members during its Shrouding Mist ability in Veteran March of Sacrifices.
Perfect Hunt
Defeat Balorgh after desecrating the Moon Hunter Pack’s banner and without being hit by his Fire Remnant ability for the duration of the encounter in Veteran March of Sacrifices.
Pure Instinct
Defeat all encounters in addition to the Wyrd Sisters, Aghaedh of the Solstice, Dagrund the Bulky, Tarcyr, and Balorgh in Veteran March of Sacrifices in under 30 minutes. Timer starts when players jump or teleport into Bloodscent Pass.
Seasonal Slaying
Defeat Aghaedh of the Solstice while making sure to defeat all of her Lurchers within their primary season in Veteran March of Sacrifices.
Stalwart Sisterhood
Defeat the Wyrd Sisters while preventing them from ever using their auras to augment each other in Veteran March of Sacrifices.
Survival of the Fittest
Defeat all encounters in addition to the Wyrd Sisters, Aghaedh of the Solstice, Dagrund the Bulky, Tarcyr, and Balorgh in Veteran March of Sacrifices without suffering a group member death.
The Great Indrik Hunt
Complete all three Golden Indrik Hunts and gain their boons within March of Sacrifices.
Trick and Trap
Lead Balorgh into Tharas’ Trap 10 times in March of Sacrifices.
Veteran Bloodscent Slayer
Defeat 300 Bloodscent Guardians, Bloodscent Archers, Bloodscent Assassins, and Bloodscent Thundermauls in Veteran March of Sacrifices.
Veteran Wispmother Slayer
Defeat 50 Wispmothers in Veteran March of Sacrifices.
Wolfhunter Delver
Complete Veteran Moon Hunter Keep and Veteran March of Sacrifices.
Wolfhunter Explorer
Enter either Moon Hunter Keep or March of Sacrifices for the first time.
March of Sacrifices Leads
There are currently no leads located in March of Sacrifices.
Final Note
Thank you for taking the time to watch the content and read this guide. Be sure on your travels to remember, although once you get very experienced you may make these dungeons much easier and faster… it starts from the ground up and it’s…
