I. Level & Gear Requirements
1. Level
The Water Dragon dungeon requires level 45. Reach level 45 to enter the raid.
2. Gear
The dungeon requires a gear score (GS) of 700 or higher to participate. However, due to its high difficulty, we recommend reaching at least 1400 GS before entering. Before moving on to the Water Dragon dungeon, make sure to claim all pity rewards from the Krau Conquest dungeon, including the necklace, ring, and earrings. If you need additional resources to prepare your character and improve your equipment, buy Aion 2 Kina to help support your progression.
II. Dungeon Features & Preparation
1. Dungeon Features
The Expedition Water Dragon differs significantly from the normal Water Dragon. After the boss enrages, it gains an instant-kill mechanic. You must use a stun skill to zero out the boss's stagger gauge before it casts its enrage skill, to interrupt it.
2. Preparation
Before entering, check your skill descriptions and find crowd-control skills with the "stagger gauge damage" trait, prioritizing the ones with higher values. These skills reduce the boss's stagger gauge. When it reaches 0, the boss enters a stunned state and stops its enrage skill (if it goes off, the whole party gets instantly killed).
III. Mechanics Breakdown
Before engaging the boss, make sure everyone in the party has arrived. Once the fight starts, players who didn't enter can no longer join.
1) Basic Mechanics
1. Basic Attacks: The boss's normal small skills are not lethal. After taking damage, use a regular health potion or a self-healing/lifesteal skill to recover.
2. Red Circle Dodge: When the red circle warning appears, just dodge it. The damage is low.
3. Burrow Mechanic: The boss burrows frequently, which is unfriendly to melee classes without mobility. Mind your positioning.
4. Conal Skill: When the boss casts a conal skill, dodge as follows:
- Assassin: use Shadow Strike to get behind it.
- Other classes: roll behind the boss, or stand between the skill lines.
- The skill deals about 2,000-3,000 damage, not lethal at full HP.
2) Core Difficulty: Water Ring Jump
1. Trigger: When the boss curls up and charges, it triggers the water ring mechanic and the screen goes black.
2. Black Screen Phase: You can still move during the black screen. Holding W or rolling forward lets you advance 2-3 extra steps after the screen recovers — this is key.
3. Break Requirement: When the screen recovers, quickly run to the boss and use a stagger-value skill (brand skills; e.g., Assassin skill 5 = 50 stagger, 6 = 20, 7 = 20) to break the boss's stagger gauge. Otherwise the party wipes.
4. Jump Tips:
- Long distance: jump when you see the water ring ripple for a perfect dodge.
- Mid/short distance: jump right after the red circle disappears — don't wait for the wave, or it'll be too late.
- Error tolerance: this skill applies a slow effect. DPS can survive 2 hits and die on the 3rd. Even if you mess up, there's a chance to recover.
3) Other Special Mechanics
1. Erupting Wave: After the boss dives into the water, it releases an erupting wave. The floor you stepped on locks and erupts. 4 players should spread to four directions to avoid overlapping.
2. Shockwave Jump: After the boss's big leap, it releases a shockwave. Jump immediately when you see it.
3. Second Water Ring: When the boss's HP drops to 1/3, it triggers the water ring mechanic again, and water tornadoes appear in the arena. Don't move randomly during the black screen — wait for it to recover before advancing, to avoid getting blown by a tornado and being unable to jumpIV. Clear Rewards
- After clearing, you can open a chest for a chance at orange (legendary) gear and other rewards. After 14 total clears, you can pick any one gold gear piece or one change coupon (used to swap weapons).
- After the 14-clear pity, you can choose a gold gear piece to raise your gear score, preparing for future Hard Conquest or dungeon updates.
- Clearing 10 times grants a Divine Statue for the Pantheon. It doesn't add combat power directly, but provides big stat bonuses — very noticeable for DPS classes.
- Profit tip: if repeatedly farming the same dungeon lowers your rewards, alternate between Water Dragon and Krau to keep your income stable.
- The dungeon has 1-boss and 3-boss clear modes. The only difference is the amount of Kina you get. Efficiency players can pick the 1-boss mode (i.e., go straight for the final boss, the Water Dragon); normal players should use the 3-boss mode, otherwise your pity Kina reward drops to about 1/3.
V. Summary
1. Master the jump timing — jump when the red circle disappears, don't greed for DPS.
2. Save your stagger skills in advance and be ready to break the boss's gauge when its HP drops, to avoid a wipe.
3. Spread out to avoid getting hit by multiple erupting waves at once.
4. Overall difficulty is not high, and there are fewer mechanics than Krau. Once you get familiar, clear speed and profit are solid.
Good luck clearing, adventurers! Hope this helps! (If you're new and don't know how to raise your gear score, join our Discord: https://discord.gg/vu8xHMJZ6 and ask me.)
