I just did the two box to island 8, here are my notes:
Mangler - HoT unlocked
Mage 90 raid geared - 59khp dps & healer mercs
Bard 88 group geared - 35k hp dps & healer mercs
I used mage to test the waters, I have the perk I don't loose exp, Bard however is leveling and exp is annoying so saved it's deaths for main fights.
I kept one healer merc out and one dps merc
Island 1-3 are straight forward and nothing death touches.
On island four I found a named djinn up - I should of left it alone, it spawns a meanie on island 8.
The strat: Fights were straight forward, Boastful Bellows on bard and take the DT, nuke nuke nuke on mage.
Island 4: KoS - the strat, as planned.
Island 5: Spiroc Lord, didn't read up on it, took the strat straight to the spiroc lord and found that when lord dies, it immediately respawns and DT's you, had to regroup, went to other side of island, pulled a bird got all but lord, killed them down, invised past lord to next island.
Island 6: BZZZ's: sent pet into middle of island and let it just beat on things, no heals no extra agro, took a few minutes but name spawned eventually and DT'ed mage. Rezed, and followed the strat.
Island 7: Pulled all the drakes and killed them on the outer bank of the island, invised and moved into building, used the strat, no sphinx agro from inside.
On my way to island 8 - BOOM - you've been slain by hand of veeshan. That's the meanie I spawned on island 4 - doh!
Rezzed, invised, and made my way to island 8.
Went to the back of island and waited for djinn to path, if you watch him, he goes to a point, then goes vertical, I engaged around there with the strat, no issue.
I had concerns on this fight, it was light green con, afterwards, according to gamparse, I was in combat with the eye of veeshan for 44 seconds, 1 more second and my mage would have been DT'ed. The strat proved out and I finally have this knocked off my bucket list on this progression server.