The Hatchery Raid Guide

The Hatchery Raid Guide is here. The 10-person Hatchery Trial is a straightforward but engaging encounter against the powerful fire sorceress, Haddish Azaw, Keeper of Flame. While the idea of a 10-man group might initially feel overwhelming, the mechanics are easily manageable, especially for a beginner group, provided everyone follows a few key steps. This guide will walk you through the entire encounter so you can claim your rewards.

1. Logistics and Preparation

Getting a 10-person group organized is perhaps the most difficult step of any raid, but once you’re inside the Hatchery, the focus should shift entirely to execution.

• Location of the Trial: The Hatchery entrance is located in the South Brimstone Sands area. For ease of access, simply run North of the Cavalier Shrine. If you are still not sure, take a look at the location on our Interactive New World Map: https://metaforge.app/new-world/map/
• Size and Time: This is a 10-person trial and provides a very generous 40-minute time limit. If the group manages the core mechanics, you should find yourselves finishing with plenty of time remaining.
• Gear Recommendation: Haddish Azaw is an aggressive fire-based enemy. Frankly, any degree of Fire Damage Absorption or having an Ancient Ward set equipped will make the encounter much less stressful for healers and tanks. It’s just good practice to mitigate the constant fire damage she is outputting.

2. The Keeper of Flame: Haddish Azaw Mechanics

Haddish Azaw relies almost entirely on area-of-effect (AOE) fire damage and crowd control. Success is dependent on efficient positioning and, more critically, quick reaction to two main mechanics.

Step 1: The Incubation—Hatchling Management

• What Happens: Throughout the fight, small, agile creatures, known as “Hatchlings,” will continually spawn on the battlefield.
• The Problem: If these small lizards are left alone, they will quickly transform into permanent pools of fire on the ground, dealing persistent damage to anyone standing in them. They catch people out, and they clutter the arena.
• The Solution: The group must designate a few players, ideally Melee DPS or the Tank, to immediately seek out and step on (or kill) these Hatchlings as soon as they appear. Clearing them is essential for maintaining a safe fighting space, which is especially important for Healers and Ranged DPS. This is the very first thing you need to focus on.

Step 2: The Explosive Flame Cage—Destroy the Box

• This is Haddish’s primary crowd-control ability and, frankly, the most important mechanic to deal with immediately.
• What Happens: Haddish will trap one random player in a large, explosive fire cage (or box). The trapped player is completely rooted and cannot move. An on-screen message warns that the player will die if allies do not destroy the cage.
• The Solution: All available DPS players must drop what they are doing—regardless of what else is happening—and immediately focus their attacks on the Flame Cage to destroy it and free the trapped ally. The trap has a limited lifespan before it detonates, resulting in a player death. It’s a simple damage check, and it must be prioritized above all else. If you ask me, successfully breaking this box every time is the key to winning for beginner groups.

Step 3: Dodging General Fire AOE and Attacks

Haddish is an adept fire staff user and will regularly use abilities that place heavy area-of-effect (AOE) fire damage on the ground.

• Meteor Shower: Large, visible fire circles will descend from the sky. Simply dodge-roll out of the affected areas. Standing in these hurts a lot and is easily avoidable.
• Charges: Haddish will occasionally target a player, dash at them, and then dash back. All players should be ready to dodge or side-step this linear attack, but tanks should work to maintain boss positioning and aggression.
• Positioning: Healers and Ranged DPS need to constantly monitor their positioning to avoid prolonged exposure to the ground fire she is constantly outputting. The fight involves a lot of small adjustments.

Step 4: The Final Phase—Wall of Fire

• As Haddish’s health drops into its final percentages (around 10-15%), the arena itself becomes more chaotic.
• What Happens: Walls or lines of fire will appear, significantly restricting the movement of the group and making it harder to dodge her existing AOE attacks.
• The Solution: The group must be coordinated in their movement to find the safest available space while continuing to strictly prioritize the destruction of the Flame Cage (Step 2) and clearing Hatchlings (Step 1). At this stage, it is simply a race against her escalating damage.

3. Conclusion

The Hatchery Trial, featuring Haddish Azaw, is a solid entry point into New World’s 10-person instanced content. The mechanics, once broken down into the two priorities of “clear the lizards” and “break the box,” are fairly straightforward. A prepared group with some fire resistance and a commitment to these two points will find themselves standing victorious in the Brimstone Sands very quickly. Just remember, staying out of the persistent ground fire will keep your healers sane and is always worthwhile.

If you had fun with this Raid, why not try The Hive of Gorgons Raid?