ESO Black Drake Villa Dungeon Guide
Welcome to The Tank Club: ESO Black Drake Villa Dungeon Guide.
This guide will focus on the mechanics and strategies including the general mechanics for Black Drake Villa and also provide advice for Tanks.
Black Drake Villa is part of the Flames of Ambition DLC and is a dungeon located in the Gold Coast.
This dungeon has 7 bosses: 3 of these are main bosses each with their own hardmodes and 4 are secret bosses. The 4th and final secret boss also has its own hardmode. In between the bosses are a range of different adds and fights.
For more Tank advice please ask in the Tanking-Help channel on The Tank Club Discord and for Builds for dungeons, check out the Dungeon Tank Build page.
This guide was written by TC Lee13. Map images created by Odican. Thank you to Turtle, Gilly and Odican for teaming up to run this dungeon on the PTS and helping to figure out all the mechanics!
Black Drake Villa Maps
Black Drake Villa Adds
Ironeye Ravager [HP: 301,000] – Weak and common add that should be chain in and cleaved down.
Ironeye Sorcerer [HP: 220,000] – Weak and common add that should be chain in and cleaved down.
Blazing Salamander [HP: 760,000] – These are always a priority add to kill. They have a fire aura around them that will cause other adds stood in the aura to do more damage. These can be killed separately so look for them before you aggro a group of adds and kill these first.
Ironeye Marauder [HP: 760,000] – This is an Elite add that looks like a Minotaur. Often in add pulls with other adds, they are the main priority after Blazing Salamander’s. You need to make sure you block their melee attacks as they hit hard if you don’t. Try to avoid being hit by their charge attack.
Ironeye Firebrand [HP: 760,000] – This is an Elite add that looks like a Minotaur. Often in add pulls with other adds, they are the main priority after Blazing Salamander’s. The main attacks include the Fireball Light Attacks which don’t do much damage, Fire AoE which they throw around the area you need to move out of and they will also do a hit the ground attack causing a lot of Fire AoE’s to come out of the ground, you need to avoid those as they cause a lot of damage.
True-Sworn Knight [HP: 301,000] – Fairly basic add that should be pulled in and cleaved down in a stack.
True-Sworn Cauterizer[HP: 191,000] – These adds should be killed before the Knights, Scouts and Reavers as they have a number of Fire AoE abilities that do quite a lot of damage.
True-Sworn Scout [HP: 226,000] – Fairly basic add that should be pulled in and cleaved down in a stack.
True-Sworn Reaver [HP: 226,000] – Fairly basic add that should be pulled in and cleaved down in a stack.
True-Sworn Flame Hound [HP: 301,000] – These are big fire dogs that shoot fireballs at the group, kill them fast as the damage is quite high.
Burning Specter [HP: 287,000] – These are untauntable adds that move slowly towards a targeted group member.
Mudcrab [HP: 64,808] – Same mechanics as a normal Mudcrab.
Frigid Salamander [HP: 226,000] – These Salamanders are much weaker than the Blazing versions and are not a priority to kill.
River Troll [HP: 760,000] – Same mechanics as a normal River Troll.
Fire Behemoth [HP: 782,000] – Quite low hitting enemies until they do their main attack where they spin around and then slam the ground, avoid getting hit by this.
Black Drake Villa Bosses
Boss 1 – Kinras Ironeye [HP: 4,811,000] [Hardmode HP: 9,142,000]
Boss Information
This is a Minotaur type boss and will behave in a similar way to other Minotaur’s and Bosses.

Boss Mechanics
- Weapon Light Attacks – The light attacks leave behind a Fire AoE on the ground which you should move out of.
- Weapon Heavy Attacks – The boss channels the Heavy Attack with an underarm swing of it’s weapon, this doesn’t hit very hard and should be blocked. If the boss is empowered then you should roll dodge it.
- Fire AoE Attack – Looks like a back handed weapon light attack and causes 3 circle fire AoEs to travel out from the boss in the direction he is looking.
- Fire Grates – There are grates on the side walls. They will occasionally do a flame attack so you should avoid standing too close to the side walls.
- Fiery Totems – The boss with throw totems around the room. While they are active they will cause regular fire damage to your group. These need to be attacked and taken down as a priority as long as there are no Blazing Salamander’s in the room.
- Blazing Salamander – These spawn in throughout the fight coming out of the grates on the side walls. They need to be killed as a priority as they will buff the boss and cause it to do more damage. You can slow them down by throwing Caltrops or another snare under them.
- Roar – This is an interruptible where the boss does a roar and any Salamander in the area will go towards the boss if it is not interrupted. If this happens it empowers the boss. Make sure to always interrupt the boss.
- Hammer Throw & Fire AoEs – From around 75% the boss will throw his weapon somewhere around the room and it will stay in the ground causing small circle fire AoE to spawn and constantly move around the floor. These AoEs will continue to travel around the room for the rest of the fight. At 50% the boss will run to his weapon and pick it up again. At 25% he will throw the weapon again and then run to pick it up at 20%. While his weapon is in the ground it also shoots fireballs at the group. These percentages will vary depending on if you freeze the boss with the Whiteout synergy or not.
- Fireball Light Attacks – When the bosses weapon is in the ground, he will throw fireballs at you rather than doing Light Attacks with his weapon.
- Fireball Heavy Attacks – The boss will charge up a fireball and shoot it at you. You can roll dodge this attack.
- Ground Punch – Boss punches the ground causing spiked fire rock to appear out the ground. It is targeted onto each group member so everyone needs to keep moving when this is happening.
- Large Fiery Rock AoE – The boss will occasionally raise his hand and create a large fiery Rock AoE to spawn in the room.
Boss Hardmode Mechanics
- Lava Geysers – From 75% the boss will occasionally hit the ground and spawn a Geyser/Volcano which the Tank should stand in, failure to do so causes a lot of damage to all group members.
- Chains – This is an interruptible. The boss will put a chain into the ground which will chain one of your group members. This should be interrupted as quick as possible.
Boss 2 – Captain Geminus [HP: 4,511,000] [Hardmode HP: 10,150,000]
Boss Information
This is an Human/Archer type boss.

Boss Mechanics
- Light Attacks – The light attack is the boss punching/stabbing you. If the boss is not in melee range it will shoot arrows at you.
- Heavy Attacks – This is a melee attack.
- Bow Light Attacks – If the boss is at range it will shoot arrows at the Tank until it reaches melee range again.
- Mark – The boss will turn around and mark someone in your group. This reduces that persons resistances
- Teleport AoE – The boss will teleport to someone in the group and do a large ground AoE attack.
- Lightning AoE – This boss will focus on a group member and shoot an arrow to the ground which makes 3 Lightning AoEs move along the floor towards that person.
- Traps – The boss will occasionally raise their hand in the air and create a number of traps on the ground. The Traps are quite small, if you stand in them, they turn into a bigger exploding AoE.
- Boss Shield – At 70% and 30% the boss teleports to the middle of the room and becomes shielded and does a fire AoE in 6 directions. It spawns an Air Atronach and Shades of Geminus around the room. The adds need to be killed quickly to end the shield phase. If you kill 1 Shade and then take too long to kill the others, they can respawn. More adds spawn on the 2nd add wave than the first. Flame Hounds will sometimes spawn during the shield phase or straight after it has ended if you complete it quickly.
- Fire AoE – The boss will shoot arrows at the floor which cause Fire waves to travel along the floor in 6 directions when it is in the shield phase. It happens quite often and you can side step the fire.
- Cone AoE – After the shield phase at 70% the boss will then start doing a cone AoE attack. This is a tricky AoE where it does a cone AoE and then immediately does a 2nd cone straight after. The cone moves with the direction of the Tanks movement and the second cone hits really hard.
- Ice Avatar – There is an Ice Avatar synergy in this room that turns you into an Ice Avatar where for a small duration of time you’ll obtain a number of buffs, be able to do a group heal and be able to use the Whiteout synergy which freezes all enemies including bosses for a small period of time.
Adds
- Shade of Geminus [HP: 105,000] – These adds will spawn around the edges of the room during the fight and need to be interrupted. If they are not interrupted they focus on one group members and place an AoE around their feet which builds up the longer they go uninterrupted. Once they are fully charged they release an attack that hits for a lot of damage.
- Air Atronach [HP: 815,000] – These adds spawn in during the bosses shield phases. They will do a channelled lightning attack on someone and do standard Air Atronach attacks such as light attacks and heavy attacks that should be blocked/avoided.
- True-Sworn Flame Hound [HP: 301,000] – These adds do AoE fireballs on the group. They will start to spawn in after the boss shield phases.
Boss Hardmode Mechanics
- Traps – The traps appear in regular also, but on Hardmode you get a lot more traps and the room at some points can mostly be filled by the traps.
- Teleport Heavy Attack – The boss begins to teleport at 65% and needs to be interrupted. It will channel a interruptible Heavy Attack kind of thing on 1 person that does a lot of damage if you are hit.
- Shield Phase – During the shield phase there are more Shades to kill.
Boss 3 – Pyroturge Encratis [HP: 4,781,000] [Hardmode HP: 9,563,000]
Boss Information

Boss Mechanics
- Light Attacks (Punches & Fireballs) – The light attack is a fiery punch attack or if you are at range he throws fireballs at you.
- Fire Beam/Salamanders – The boss will do a Fire Beam on the Tank and it will cause a small AoE at the feet of all group members. Salamanders will spawn in and run at group members. They need to be baited and the Salamanders will explode.
- Spinning Kick/Fire AoE – The boss will do a spinning heel kick and create a big Fire AoE that explodes.
- Boss Ground Fire AoE – The boss will place a Fire AoE under himself on the ground and it will also summon 4 Burning Specter’s
- Whole Room AoE – At 75% The boss will fill the whole room with fire and the only safe place is in melee range of the boss. During this he will spawn a Fire Behemoth.
- Dragon Bust Fire Breath – During and after the whole room Fire AoE, the walls to the sides become unsafe as there will be Dragon Busts doing Fire breath. In phase 2 of this fight there are also dragon bust on the ledges that will occasionally do fire breath during and after the full room AoE.
- Wall Smash – At 70% the boss becomes immune and smashes a hole in the wall toward the exit side of the room. He then teleports through and you need to follow him. The boss will heal during this phase.
- Meteors – If you don’t follow the boss you’ll be targeted by Fire Meteors.
- Teleport & Fire AoE – In the 2nd room the boss will occasionally teleport and turn the whole ledge into flames, you need to jump down into the Salamander pit and then use the geysers to jump back up onto the ledge. The only safe spot is next to the boss so in his new location. When he teleports he also spawns a Fire Behemoth at the new location.
- Ice Avatar – There is an Ice Avatar synergy in this room that turns you into an Ice Avatar where for a small duration of time you’ll obtain a number of buffs, and be able to use the Whiteout synergy which freezes all enemies including bosses for a small period of time, also kills Burning Specter’s in 2 hit, heals your group and resurrects people who are dead.
- Fire Meteors – The boss will drop fire meteors on the group occasionally.
- Fire Sword – The boss will conjure a fire sword and attack with it, after a few light attack he throws the sword at someone. When he light attacks with this it leaves a small Fire AoE on the ground.
- Fire Sword Cone – The boss heavy attacks with the fire sword making a cone AoE, if you move it will follow your movement direction. The sword gets thrown at the end of this mechanic.
Adds
- Exploding Salamander – Cannot be killed.
- Burning Specter – These behave the same way as all previous Specter’s in this dungeon.
- Fire Behemoth – These behave the same way as all previous Fire Behemoth’s in this dungeon.
- Grotto Salamander [HP: 226,000] – These don’t need to be killed as they respawn, just run past them.
Hardmode
- The mechanics are virtually the same on regular and Hardmode. The boss just has more health and things hit a little harder.
- Grotto Salamanders – There are a lot more Grotto Salamanders on Hardmode.
Black Drake Villa Secret Bosses
Throughout this dungeon you will see wisp like objects floating around, these are Avatar Fragments. When you use them they will give you a burst heal and protect you for a small amount of time. These fragments need to be collected to unlock the secret last boss. The fragments also increase the buffs you get from killing the 3 secret Avatar bosses, so the more fragments you have, the stronger the buffs you obtain from the secret bosses. To unlock the secret last boss you need all 4 group members to collect 30 Fragments each.
As you progress through Black Drake Villa, you will begin to find octagon shapes on the ground with a usable Ice Avatar synergy when you are near them. To make the Ice Avatar become available to need to have killed a secret boss and have 150 Ultimate available, this is consumed when you turn into the Ice Avatar by using the synergy.
When using the synergy it turns you into an Ice Avatar where for a small duration of time you’ll obtain a number of buffs and be able to use the Whiteout synergy which freezes all enemies, including bosses for a short time. The Whiteout synergy also kills Burning Specters in 1 hit so it can be useful on fights where those appear since they cannot be taunted by the tank. It will also heal you and allies as well as resurrecting group members who are dead, so when used at the right time it can be very powerful.



Secret Boss 1 – Avatar of Zeal [HP: 2,493,000]
Boss Information
See Courtyard #1 Map for assistance with finding this boss.
To get to this secret boss you need to find the 4 pressure plates in the first courtyard before the first boss. Once you have 4 group members stood on them it will unlock the hatch to the secret boss cave.
Once you have dropped down follow this underground cave until the end and you will reach a pool of water and at the far end of the room will be a thing on the wall, this is an Avatar Artefact. When you use the artefact it will make the secret boss spawn.
When you kill the boss, 2 Avatar Fragments will come out of the boss and this will also make more fragments appear around the courtyard area both before and after the first boss.
Upon killing the boss you receive a buff which increases your Weapon and Spell Damage by 50 while you are inside Black Drake Villa. This will increase further upon collecting Avatar Fragments up to a maximum of 350 extra Weapon and Spell Damage.
