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High Mercury Guide

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The Great Waterwyrm

High Mercury’s Trial was released on April 17, 2019 as the new face of Dragalia Lost’s endgame. High Mercury has upwards of 2.1 million HP, more than the previous two High Dragons combined. This creates a clear Strength floor that must be met to avoid timing out.

Unlike previous High Dragon Trials, the minimum HP requirement is laughably low and the related Wyrmprint, Queen of the Blue Seas, is completely optional for on-element Adventurers. Additionally, all damage apart from the initial blast is avoidable, enabling the usage of non-Bog immune Adventurers as well.

The world’s first High Mercury clear team consisted of Lowen, Lin You, Maribelle, and Musashi. Mia posted a video of the clear on April 18th, and we later reached out to the clear team for a special interview!

She Lurks

Stat Requirements

HDT WP Lowen S2 HP HP (DEF +9%) HP (DEF +12%) HP (DEF +15%)
Melee (Wind) No Yes 1319 1227 1199 1172
Ranged (Wind) No Yes 1649 1533 1499 1465

This guide is written assuming Lowen has 100% Skill Prep, enabling an immediate 20% Defense boost at quest start.

With HP floors no longer being a limiting factor, all priorities shift to optimizing Strength in all ways possible. This applies to Lowen as well, who should trade traditional healer Dragons for Roc / Zephyr. 

Regarding Strength, DPS adventurers should have a healthy minimum of 2400-2500 to avoid timing out. Higher Strength values can ensure smoother runs and coverage for slightly mistimed rotations.

It's Dangerous To Go Alone!

Despite her weak opening attack, High Mercury is still a demanding High Dragon. The following are recommended:

  • 50 Mana Circles
  • Crafted 5★ Elemental Weapon
  • 100% Skill Prep (Lowen)
  • A max Unbound Strength Dragon
  • Adequate facilities
    • Wind Altars maxed (x2)
    • Wind Shrine maxed
    • Dojos at 16+ (x2). If lacking the Wind Shrine, Dojos can be higher to compensate.
    • Wind Dracolith. Dragon form also contribute to the party's DPS. 
    • Fafnir Statue (Wind). As High Midgardsormr is not a meta choice for this battle, Windwyrm's Greatspheres can go towards upgrading the Fafnir Statue instead.

Blade users rejoice at being able to upgrade their Dojos without having to hoard Insignias for Queen of the Blue Seas. 

Choose Your Character

As Bog immunity is not a strict requirement, it opens High Mercury's Trial up to virtually the entire Wind roster. 

Preferred members include Wand and Blade users for their offensive Co-Abilities. Sword users are also welcomed for faster Dragon gauge filling and rapid Overdrive depletion.

Of the featured Wind blade users, Victor and Addis bring immense damage to the table via Bleed, while Melody's S1 Strength buff greatly improves team DPS and enables normal and budget builds alike. Musashi gets the short end of the stick here, having only Poison affliction and a Strength buff that only targets himself.

Noelle offers a great Strength buff on her first skill and is a premier pick for the Wand slot.

Lowen serves as the team healer and the designated ranged baiter for this battle. For experienced parties that opt to run without Lowen, a ranged DPS Adventurer, such as Maribelle or Noelle, can play the role of the ranged baiter instead. Wedding Elisanne also further enables quad DPS parties, as she is both a great source of DPS and the healing from Sacred Union (S1) allows everyone to fulfill their conditional Strength Wyrmprint passives as well.

As mentioned earlier, a 5★ Elemental weapon is needed. With the introduction of Void Poseidon, 5★ Void weapons with High Mercury's Bane now makes it easier than ever to get started. For additional information on choosing between Core and Void weapons, refer to the Preparing for High Mercury guide below.

How To Train Your Dragon

Vayu: The leading DPS dragon for most Wind DPS Adventurers, offering a tremendous Skill Damage boost.

Zephyr: While no longer the premier choice, its high Strength boost is beneficial for Adventurers that do not rely on Skill Damage for most of their damage output, such as Noelle, Melody, and Lowen. 

Long Long: Tailor-made for Lin You, his massive Crit Damage multiplier synergizes well with her kit.

Pazuzu: Although Poison is not as potent as Bleed, Adventurers that can reliably inflict it may utilize Pazuzu.

Roc: The budget option. Provides a usable 45% Strength boost when fully unbound.

Wyrmprint

Wyrmprints

General DPS

Resounding Rendition and a Strength-boosting Wyrmprint, such as Jewels of the Sun or Bonds Between Worlds, is a tried and true duo, complementing each other well without spilling over bonus caps. Experienced players may opt for Evening of Luxury to maximize their damage output. Levin's Champion also complements Adventurers that can fully utilize Critical Rate Up and Damage as well.

Valiant Crown can be used if 2 or more sources of Defense buffs are available to maximize Doublebuff procs (namely, Lowen and Gala Ranzal). 

King's Countenance is reserved for Lowen to ensure Shapeshift availability by the first Break state.

Weapon Specific DPS

These Wyrmprints pair well with their appropriate weapon class and offer unique secondary Abilities. 

Kung Fu Masters: Lin You

The Shining Overlord: Gala Ranzal

Forest Bonds: Louise

Miscellaneous Picks

Heralds of Hinomoto pairs well with Jewels of the Sun for players that have trouble maintaining their combo rotations. 

Plunder Pals, Astounding Trick, and Hitting the Books serve as budget alternatives for boosting Skill Damage and Strength.

Gentle Winds or Bonds Between Worlds is an option that allows Lowen to achieve 100% Skill Prep, enabling him to equip the Ancient Mage's Windcane for increased DPS. 

ROAR

Attack Rotations

Phase 1

  • Tidal Explosion

This is an unavoidable attack that hits everyone, and is the only unavoidable attack in the entire battle. As long as Lowen uses Winds, Protect Us! prior to the blast, Adventurers that are on-element will have more than enough HP to withstand this attack without the Queen of the Blue Seas Wyrmprint, provided that they are sufficiently geared otherwise. This attack also inflicts Bog; Lowen can cure this affliction with Winds, Heal Us!.

  • Stomp, Charge, Tail Swipe

High Mercury will target the Adventurer closest to her and perform a melee-range Stomp attack. She will follow up by executing a Charge in the same direction that she faced with her Stomp attack. Afterwards, High Mercury will stay in position and perform a Tail Swipe, which covers her lower half. High Mercury will curl her tail prior to executing this attack. Each of these attacks can be iframed.

To lead High Mercury to a desirable location for the latter portion of the fight, a melee Adventurer should bait her to Stomp and Charge towards the northwestern corner of the map. Players should be mindful about her Tail Swipe attack, as its hit radius is wider than it appears.

  • Cone Breath (x2)

High Mercury will target the furthest Adventurer with a projectile attack that disperses in a conic pattern. The designated ranged baiter, usually Lowen, should bait this attack away from the party. To avoid this attack, the baiter can either iframe it, or dodge roll twice perpendicular to the direction of the Cone Breath.

Aqua Spirals

Several stationary water spirals will spawn and subsequently activate within 2 seconds. Once activated, Adventurers within its range will be severely damaged. The placement of these spirals is chosen from a pool of preset placement patterns at random. This entrapment cannot be iframed.

One of the reasons for baiting High Mercury towards the northwest corner (11 o'clock position) of the map is because this spot is always safe from Aqua Spirals. Adventurers should be mindful of their positioning, however, as veering slightly towards the 10 o’clock position may still leave you vulnerable, depending on the positioning of the spirals.

Aqua Spirals

Spheres of Salvation

High Mercury will summon four bubbles along the north side of the map, and the positions of these bubbles will always be the same. If an Adventurer steps inside one of these bubbles (a “bubble inflation” animation and sound effect will play to indicate this), he/she is invulnerable to High Mercury’s attacks. However, if more than one Adventurer occupies the same bubble, it will pop and disappear.

High Mercury will perform a Waterfall attack a few steps later that covers the entire map and inflicts lethal damage. In order for the party to survive, each Adventurer will need to occupy their own bubble. A screenshot of the bubble placement is referenced below. For players organizing dedicated runs on Discord or other media, each player should decide on the bubble that they will occupy beforehand. Otherwise, melee Adventurers usually occupy A and B, while ranged Adventurers usually occupy C and D (with Lowen occupying D in most cases); this is provided that High Mercury was previously baited towards the northwest corner of the arena. Additionally, occupying the bubble that corresponds with your player number is also an alternative, although this is seldomly used.

Spheres of Salvation

Source: Dragalia Lost Underground High Dragons Discord

  • Stomp, Charge, Tail Swipe

If possible, baiting High Mercury towards the northwest corner is still the best option.

  • Cone Breath (x2)

Waterfall

High Mercury will exclaim “Waters, heed my command!” and launch a lethal Waterfall attack that hits multiple times and cannot be iframed by normal means. To survive this attack, each Adventurers will need to stay inside their own Spheres of Salvation bubble. As mentioned previously, a “bubble inflation” animation and sound effect will play to indicate that an Adventurer is safely inside. It’s recommended to walk/run towards a bubble rather than dodge rolling into it, as rolling may not always place you inside a bubble properly.

hmc wf

Aqueous Prison

The Adventurer furthest from High Mercury will be targeted and trapped inside a prison. This attack cannot be iframed. The prison is similar in nature to Zodiark’s Chaos Cage, except that the trapped Adventurer cannot damage the prison. The rest of the party will need to work together to break it. If the prison is not broken in time, the trapped Adventurer will die instantly.

There are two approaches to baiting this attack:

  1. The designated ranged baiter of the party can bait this attack. After being targeted, the baiter should move towards High Mercury and hug her so that DPS Adventurers can use their Skills to hit both High Mercury and the prison simultaneously. If the baiter is rolling towards High Mercury to close the gap, he/she should make sure to walk and hug High Mercury in the end to avoid positional desync for the other Adventurers, as they are reliant on the baiter to be in close proximity to High Mercury. Breaking the prison in time is of utmost importance, because the baiter will need to be in range for the follow-up Homing Bubble attack as soon as possible.
  2. Alternatively, since the timing of Aqueous Prison and the next attack, Homing Bubble, is fairly tight, if the designated baiter of the party has trouble baiting both attacks, another Adventurer can opt to take the Aqueous Prison so that it’s easier for the designated baiter to bait Homing Bubble. While this approach yields slightly less DPS, it is easier to execute and is often the default approach in public rooms.

Make sure that everyone in the party is on the same page in regards to the approach for dealing with the first Aqueous Prison.

hmc ap

Homing Bubble

The Adventurer furthest from High Mercury will be targeted by a big, slow moving bubble. This attack cannot be iframed.  The bubble is initially summoned in front of High Mercury, and it will slowly follow the targeted Adventurer’s path. If the bubble hits any Adventurer, it will explode and deliver lethal damage.

The designated ranged baiter should lead the bubble away from the party and run alongside the edge of the arena in a circle. Other Adventurers should stay within close proximity to High Mercury so that they do not become targeted by Homing Bubble, and they should also stay away from the front of High Mercury so that they do not immediately die to a freshly spawned Homing Bubble.

hmc hb
  • Stomp, Charge, Tail Swipe

The DPS Adventurers are free to dish out damage while the baiter leads the Homing Bubble away from the party. With sufficient DPS, High Mercury usually enters Overdrive around this time.

  • Cone Breath (x2)
  • Aqua Spirals

Bursting Bubbles:

High Mercury will walk towards the center of the map and spawn a ring of harmful bubbles around her. When these bubbles pop, they will divide into multiple bubbles and spread out in the direction they were hit from. This attack can be iframed.

In addition to using iframes to avoid this attack, Adventurers can also run up to High Mercury and perform attacks to pop the Bursting Bubbles from the inside, which will spread the bubbles outward and away from harm.

hmc bb
  • Cone Breath (x3)

If High Mercury does not reach her first break state by this point, the party’s DPS is most likely insufficient for this fight. Individual party members may Shapeshift during the break state at their discretion, as holding onto their available Dragon is a valid move for the first Break state as well. Some Adventurers will need to refrain from Shapeshifting in order to perform their jobs; for example, Melody will need to upkeep her Strength buff for the duration of the battle.

Phase 2

  • Bursting Bubbles

For this instance of Bursting Bubbles, the designated ranged baiter should be prepared to be at range for High Mercury’s Homing Bubble. The baiter should start moving away from High Mercury immediately if he/she chose to hug High Mercury for this attack.

  • Homing Bubble

For this instance of Homing Bubbles, if the designated ranged baiter did not Shapeshift during the first Break, they may opt to do so at this point to tank the Homing Bubble and skip to the next step. This will accelerate the pace of the fight and is usually recommended for parties with higher overall Strength. As this shortens the time needed to reach the next Waterfall, players should be mindful of having their Shapeshift ready.

  • Cone Breath (x2)
  • Stomp, Charge, Tail Swipe
  • Cone Breath (x2)
  • Aqua Spirals
  • Spheres of Salvation, Summon Help

In addition to the Salvation bubbles, High Mercury will also call for help by summoning Water Rats. If left ignored, these minions can destroy the Salvation bubbles. The designated ranged baiter should move away from High Mercury at this point to prepare for the subsequent Aqueous Prison attack.

Besides focusing on eliminating the Water Rats, a popular alternative strategy exists where the Water Rats are ignored completely and every Adventurer in the party Shapeshifts and iframe High Mercury’s Waterfall attack with their Dragon’s Skill to eliminate their reliance on the Salvation bubbles for survival.

  • Aqueous Prison
  • Stomp, Charge, Tail Swipe

If the party opts for the Dragon iframe strategy against Waterfall, your Dragon gauge should be ready by this point. For Adventurers looking to maximize their Dragon form uptime before Waterfall lands, they may Shapeshift as High Mercury performs her Charge attack.

High Mercury’s Tail Swipe is particularly lethal against Dragon form. If an Adventurer loses Dragon form due to this, he/she should seek shelter in a Salvation bubble as soon as possible. To avoid being hit by Tail Swipe, always be mindful to stay in front of High Mercury after she finishes her Charge attack.

High Mercury should also enter Overdrive around this point.

  • Waterfall

To execute the Dragon iframe strategy, tap your Dragon Skill when the “Waters, heed my command!” text bubble shows up. Note that the Waterfall attack is a multihit attack; mistiming the Dragon Skill will result in death.

  • Bursting Bubbles

Adventurers need to remember to run to the center of the map if no Skills are available for iframe use. As High Mercury is still in Overdrive at this point, work on depleting her Overdrive gauge for the next break.

  • Aqua Spirals 

The center of the map will either become a danger spot or a safe spot. Be prepared to move if necessary. If the spirals are placed so that the center is safe, note that the hitboxes of the spirals can be very unforgiving, and being slightly off-center can result in death.

  • Aqueous Prison

The DPS Adventurers should be in close proximity to High Mercury so that the ranged baiter is in position to bait this attack.

  • Bursting Bubbles

High Mercury should enter her next Break state by this point, and Dragon form should be available as well. This will be one of the last opportunities to squeeze in Dragon form DPS, as both High Mercury’s HP and the battle timer will be drawing to a close.

Phase 3

After the second break, High Mercury’s moveset will repeat starting from Phase 2's Spheres of Salvation. Sacrifices may be needed to squeeze out the last bit of DPS necessary to finish the battle without timing out.

RAGE

Rewards

  • Conqueror of Water epithet
  • High Mercury: 5★ Dragon purchased with Waterwyrm’s Greatspheres
  • Water Fafnir Statue, purchased with Waterwyrm’s Greatspheres
  • Ripe / Succulent Dragonfruit, Talonstones, Waterwyrm’s Greatspheres, Waterwyrm’s Glistscales
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About the Author(s)

Bay Area native and Gamepress Contributor. Simultaneously an adventurer and a shut-in at heart. 

GamePress Lead for Dragalia Lost. He likes exploring endgame content, helping people out with co-op missions, and goofing off in Discord.
Content editor and graphic designer for GamePress. Native to Austin, loves cacti and drawing.