What Should We Do?
Answer a few questions — get a personalized activity list for your session
This now routes into exact tabs. If the plan says Ritual Sites, Bazaar, session plans, or dungeon prep, the button should land you in the right pane instead of dumping you at the top of a giant page.
Who's playing?
How much time do you have?
What are you going for?
Is it Tuesday? (Weekly reset day)
Pre-Patch Checklist
Patch 12.0.5 drops April 21 — things to do before it lands
⏰
5 days left — April 21, 2026
Patch 12.0.5 (Lingering Shadows) releases Tuesday. The Voidforge quest is the most critical — most players have no idea it's available right now. Do it this week.
🚨 Critical — Do These Before Tuesday
MOST IMPORTANT
Start "Building the Voidforge" quest
This quest is live RIGHT NOW and gates your ability to use Nebulous Voidcores (loot targeting) on day 1 of the patch. The community is calling this the #1 thing people are sleeping on. If you don't complete it before patch day, you won't be able to use the new targeted loot system when it launches.
How to unlock: Find Domanaar Decimus at the Howling Ridge in Voidstorm. Accept the quest. Then collect 6 Elemental Voidcore Shards from any combination of:
Raid bosses
Mythic+ dungeons
Bountiful Delves
Exact coords TBD — ask a guard in Voidstorm or check minimap for the !
What current preview coverage confirms: after Voidforge is unlocked, Decimus gives the follow-up path for Ascendant Nilhammer. I could not verify a full public step-by-step route beyond that handoff, so the site now treats the questline as a Decimus follow-up rather than pretending we have the whole chain documented.
CRITICAL
Fully upgrade your weapon and trinkets before patch day
Ascendant Voidcores (the new item level upgrade system in 12.0.5) can only be used on items that are already fully upgraded (6/6). Weapons and trinkets are the only slots they target. If yours aren't maxed out, you won't be able to use Ascendant Voidcores on them when they start dropping.
Bryce: Push weapon to 6/6, then both trinkets to 6/6 with Hero crests
Lydia: Best available weapon to 6/6 first, with Aln'hara Cane as the source-backed crafted default, then Vaelgor's Final Stare + Gaze of the Alnseer to 6/6
⚡ High Priority — Get These Done This Week
1
Spend Champion crests and below before reset
New content in 12.0.5 gives you more ways to earn Field Accolades and Voidlight Marl, but Champion crests still come from the same content. Don't sit on them. Go to Cuzolth (48.6, 62 Silvermoon) and spend all Champion crests on non-tier slots before Tuesday.
2
Do your weekly Prey hunts before reset (especially Nightmare Prey)
Ritual Sites in 12.0.5 also feed the Great Vault World row — more competition for those slots. Make sure your Prey hunts are done for this week's vault, especially Nightmare (Hero vault credit).
3
Use Great Vault pick before Tuesday reset
Vault resets with the weekly reset on patch day. If you haven't picked your vault item yet, do it before Tuesday — standard practice before any patch.
4
Save Thalassian Tokens of Merit — they buy Voidcores
After the patch, 6 Thalassian Tokens = 1 Nebulous Voidcore from Vaultkeeper Elysa — and this purchase doesn't count against your weekly Voidcore cap. If you have tokens sitting unused, hold them for this. Don't spend them on other things right now.
5
Push Singularity rep to R7 if not there yet (Bryce: this week)
The Singularity QM is in Voidstorm — same zone as Domanaar Decimus. While you're there doing the Voidforge quest, knock out Voidstorm WQs + Stormarion Assault to push toward R7 for the 246 trinket. Two birds, one zone.
🚀 What's Available Day 1 — April 21
Ritual Sites (1–5 player instanced)
No prerequisites — just show up. Daggerspine (Eversong) or Broken Throne (Zul'Aman) depending on weekly rotation. 5 difficulty tiers. Earn Field Accolades + Voidlight Marl for Bazaar vendors.
Void Assaults (outdoor world event)
No prerequisites. Eversong or Zul'Aman (weekly rotation). Void Strikes chain into Void Incursion → world boss spawn. Earn Field Accolades + Voidlight Marl.
Decor Duels (Prop Hunt PvP)
Queue via Group Finder → PvP tab in Silvermoon. No prerequisites. Earn Illusionary Coins for mounts, toys, housing decor.
Abyss Anglers (Zul'Aman coast)
No prerequisites. Spearfishing team event off the coast. Upgrade gear to reach deeper zones with better cosmetics.
Nebulous Voidcores (loot targeting)
Requires Voidforge quest completed first. Buy from Decimus, use before a boss/dungeon to target a specific loot slot.
The Bazaar vendors (Silvermoon 2nd level)
4 new vendors selling Champion/Hero gear, mounts (Unbound Manawyrm 6k Marl, Void-Touched Hawkstrider 4.5k Marl), pets, and housing decor for Field Accolades + Voidlight Marl.
New M+ achievements
Keystone Myth (3,400 rating) → Timelost Saddle (pick any past season KM/KL mount via Lindormi). Umbral Champion (top 1% end of season) → exclusive mount.
Ascendant Voidcores (item level push)
Requires Voidforge + Ascendant Nilhammer questline. Drops from raids, M+, Bountiful Delves, Nightmare Prey. Upgrades fully-maxed weapons and trinkets past the normal cap.
👥 Suggested Plan for This Week (Before Tuesday)
🛡️ Bryce (solo or duo)
Go to Voidstorm → Howling Ridge → find Domanaar Decimus → accept Voidforge quest
Collect 6 Elemental Voidcore Shards (M+ keys, Bountiful Delve, raid)
Push weapon + trinkets to 6/6 with Hero crests
Do Singularity WQs + Stormarion while in Voidstorm (R7 = 246 trinket)
Spend all Champion crests before reset
Use vault pick, kill world boss, do Prey weeklies
✨ Lydia (solo or duo)
Same — find Domanaar Decimus in Voidstorm, accept Voidforge quest
Collect 6 Elemental Voidcore Shards
Push your best current weapon to 6/6 first, then both raid trinkets (if owned) to 6/6
Hold Thalassian Tokens — 6 tokens = 1 free Voidcore after patch (no cap cost)
Spend Champion crests on rings/neck/wrist before reset
Nightmare Prey, vault pick, world boss
Together this week: Do the Voidforge quest in Voidstorm together — you're both going to the same spot. Run M+ keys for your Voidcore Shards while also pushing toward the vault. Then on April 21 you're both ready to immediately use the new loot targeting system.
🚀 Do This on Patch Day — April 21, In Order
Log in, do these in sequence before touching any new content. Takes ~20 minutes. Skipping steps wastes weekly resources.
1
Open Great Vault — Last chance before it resets. Pick your item or grab a Thalassian Token if choices are bad.
2
Pick up Lady Liadrin's quest — Spark of Radiance for the week. Silvermoon City. Do before any content.
3
Pick up Weekly Dungeon Quest — From the board in Silvermoon. Before any M+ keys or those runs won't count.
4
Return to Domanaar Decimus (if Voidforge built) — Start the Ascendant Nilhammer questline. Voidstorm, Howling Ridge. Unlocks Ascendant Voidcores for upgrading maxed weapons/trinkets.
5
Kill world boss — Check if the world boss rotated. Champion gear, Warbound. Takes 10 minutes with Group Finder.
6
Head to the Bazaar (Silvermoon 2nd level) — 4 new vendors live. Check what Field Accolades and Voidlight Marl prices look like. Don't blow your Marl on cosmetics before buying gear — see Bazaar priority in the Gearing tab.
7
Try a Ritual Site (together if possible) — New 1–5 player instanced content. Start at Tier 1, work up. Earns Field Accolades, Voidlight Marl, and feeds your Great Vault World row.
8
Try Decor Duels — Group Finder → PvP tab. Prop hunt game mode. Do this together — it's going to be hilarious.
🚀
Patch 12.0.5 — Launches April 21
Ritual Sites · Void Assaults · New M+ achievements · Bazaar vendor cosmetics
Loading this week's affixes…
Do Now
Vault, Spark, Vaeli, boss
Delete weekly admin first so real play starts clean.
Spend crests before cap
Champion and below should not sit in bags all week.
Do Together
M+ vault and push keys
Best shared progression lane, still ahead of outdoor novelty.
Ritual Sites and Incursions
Best 12.0.5 duo content. Protect first clears for shared time.
Do Solo
Prey, rep cleanup, Soiree
Admin-value content. Good use of disconnected schedules.
Housing and mog farming
Keep fun filler from eating into key nights.
Skip Or Bundle
Generic world quests
Only when stacked with Prey, rep, or an active event zone.
Stormarion, Abundance, chill events
Good when nearby. Rarely worth a dedicated travel night.
🛡️ Bryce
Protection Paladin · Tank
Statsilvl first · Sim secondaries (Raidbots)
FlaskFlask of the Shattered Sun
PotionLight's Potential
FoodHarandar Celebration or Royal Roast
M+ TalentFinal Stand build
WeakAurasProt Paladin by Luxthos
✨ Lydia
Frost Mage / Arcane Mage · DPS
Stats (Frost)Mastery → Crit → Haste → Vers
FlaskShattered Sun (Frost) / Thalassian Resistance (Arcane)
PotionRecklessness (Frost) / Light's Potential (Arcane)
FoodHarandar Celebration / Silvermoon Parade or Royal Roast
Frost HeroSpellslinger (M+ default)
WeakAurasMage by Luxthos or Quazii
🔑 Best Keys for Loot
+10 → Myth Vault
End-of-run is still Hero track, but the Vault upgrades to Myth 1.
+7 to +9 → Hero Track Chest
Clean farm band for real upgrade value without needing +10s yet.
M0 to +4 → Champion Catchup
Good for fresh 90s, weak slots, and first vault coverage.
4 different dungeons/week
Unlocks all 3 Vault dungeon slots.
⚡ Quick M+ Tips
- 5 health pots each, always
- Bryce interrupts casters — free, abuse it
- Lydia saves Hand of Frost + Icy Veins for bosses
- Fortified = harder trash · Tyrannical = harder bosses
- Upgrade with Dawncrests after every run
- Target +10s in time for Myth vault slot
🕳️ Delve Quick Facts
- Tier 8+ = endgame (need "Midnight Delves: Endgame" achieve)
- Tier 8 Bountiful → Gilded Coffer = Myth track gear
- Level your Delve companion to max ASAP
- Companion on DPS lets Lydia go full nuke
- Do the weekly Bounty Board delve quest
- Tier 11 is the ultimate challenge unlock
Protection Paladin
Bryce · Tank · Midnight Season 1
Core gameplan: Keep Consecration up always. Use Shield of the Righteous to maintain your armor buff. Final Stand is your new M+ talent — read the tips below. Word of Glory is your off-GCD emergency self-heal — use free procs, save Holy Power for SotR in dangerous moments.
🔄 M+ Priority List
1
Avenger's Shield
On cooldown. Interrupts, silences, priority target filler.
2
Shield of the Righteous
Spend Holy Power here. Keeps your armor buff up. Use at 3+ HP always.
3
Judgment
On cooldown. Generates Holy Power and amplifies next SotR. Note: Hammer of Wrath automatically replaces Judgment during Avenging Wrath — it's a passive swap now, not a separate button.
4
Consecration
Keep it under you at all times. Huge aggro and healing.
5
Hammer of the Righteous
AoE filler. Hits everything near your target.
6
Blessed Hammer / Crusader Strike
HP generator when nothing else is up.
!
Word of Glory (free procs only)
Off GCD self-heal. Only spend Holy Power here in true emergencies.
🛡️ Defensive Cooldowns
CD
Avenging Wrath / Sentinel
2-min burst + mitigation. Use on bosses or dangerous pulls, not wasted on trash.
CD
Ardent Defender
2-min. Pop early when you're taking heavy spike — don't wait until nearly dead.
CD
Guardian of Ancient Kings
Major tank cooldown for predictable boss tank busters or the ugliest trash overlap in the pull. Plan it around mechanics instead of panic-pressing late.
CD
Divine Shield
Full immunity. Taunt immediately after — you drop threat during it. Use to cheese dangerous mechanics.
CD
Lay on Hands
Emergency only. Use on yourself or Lydia if she's about to die. 10-min CD.
TAL
Final Stand (if talented)
Strong Mythic+ utility button because it stabilizes threat and lets you control chaotic pulls. Take it when the dungeon route rewards the extra control.
📊 Stats & Gearing
HasteReduces Consecration downtime, more SotR casts, more interrupts
VersatilityFlat damage reduction + damage increase. Always good.
MasteryIncreases Consecration healing and SotR absorb
CritLowest priority. Still not bad, just cap the others first.
Execution Sentence — fixed in Midnight: now correctly deals 20% of Holy damage (was bugged at 10%). Much stronger now, keep it in your build.
🧱 Midnight-Specific Notes
Mastery leans harder into block / spell block now
Midnight Prot is more rewarding when you stay planted correctly and take front-facing hits on purpose instead of drifting around.
Guardian of Ancient Kings is much more usable
Current Midnight guide coverage has it at a 3-minute cooldown with 2 charges. Plan it into routes instead of treating it like a once-per-dungeon panic button.
Divine Toll windows matter more than before
Templar burst is cleaner in Midnight. If a pull or boss matters, pair Toll with wings instead of drifting one away from the other.
🔧 Key Macros
Divine Shield + Taunt (so you don't drop aggro)
#showtooltip Divine Shield
/cast Divine Shield
/cast Righteous Defense
Avenger's Shield mouseover interrupt
#showtooltip Avenger's Shield
/cast [@mouseover,harm,nodead][@target] Avenger's Shield
Lay on Hands on Lydia (or self)
#showtooltip Lay on Hands
/cast [@mouseover,help,nodead][@player] Lay on Hands
🎓 Key Rules for Bryce
- Never let Consecration drop — it's your #1 aggro tool and contributes to self-healing
- SotR before taking a big hit — cast it preemptively when the boss raises its weapon or a cast bar completes
- Pull size matters — on Fortified weeks pull smaller. On Tyrannical weeks you can chain pulls more aggressively between bosses
- Use Final Stand early — in every big pull, pop it at the start, not when you're panicking at 30% HP
- Interrupt priority targets — healers, casters doing nasty casts. Avenger's Shield is your best interrupt. Hammer of Justice is backup.
- Save Guardian of Ancient Kings — for the scariest moment in each dungeon (usually a boss mechanic or huge pack)
- Divine Shield ≠ panic button — plan it ahead, taunt the moment it fades
- Lay on Hands on Lydia — if she's about to die and her Ice Block is on CD, loh her
Lydia's Mages
Frost & Arcane · DPS · Midnight Season 1
Verified Frost baseline: Icy Veins still centers Frost around Frozen Orb, Icy Veins, and clean Flurry into Ice Lance conversions. Talent details are moving patch-to-patch, so treat the guide link above as the authority for the exact build string and optional buttons like Ray of Frost.
🔄 Single Target Priority
1
Icy Veins
Your main planned burst window. Pair it with boss damage moments and on-use trinkets.
2
Frozen Orb
Core button in both single-target and cleave. Cast aggressively for proc generation and control.
3
Flurry → Ice Lance conversions
Spend Winter's Chill cleanly. The priority is making your Ice Lances land inside the debuff window.
4
Frostbolt
Main filler and setup cast when you are not spending procs or dropping cooldowns.
5
Ray of Frost or other flex talents
Only press these if your current Icy Veins build actually takes them. Re-check after hotfixes.
💥 AoE Priority
1
Frozen Orb
Always first into a pack. Slows everything.
2
Blizzard
Keep it on the pack for cooldown reduction and reliable cleave value.
3
Ice Lance procs
Spend procs quickly so you do not waste chain-cleave pressure during big pulls.
4
Cone / utility talents if selected
Check your current M+ tree. Frost utility buttons are often talent-driven, not mandatory baseline presses.
5
Frostbolt filler
Use it between proc windows to keep the engine moving.
🔧 Frost Macros
Ice Block + cancel (for pre-planned uses)
#showtooltip Ice Block
/cancelaura Ice Block
/cast Ice Block
Icy Veins trinket sync
#showtooltip Icy Veins
/use 13
/cast Icy Veins
🎓 Key Rules for Lydia (Frost)
- Respect your proc windows — most Frost losses come from late Ice Lances or messy Flurry timing, not from missing a niche button.
- Icy Veins is still core — line it up with Orb, trinkets, and boss vulnerability instead of drifting it for no reason.
- Re-check talents after hotfixes — optional Frost buttons move around more than the core Frostbolt/Flurry/Ice Lance loop.
- Ice Block defensively — don't use it to skip mechanics that Bryce needs to handle. Save it for true emergencies or planned immunity moments
- Blink and Alter Time are real throughput tools — movement and survival losses wreck Frost more than minor rotational drift.
- Counterspell, Spellsteal, and Polymorph matter — Midnight dungeons reward utility, not just meter padding.
Verified Arcane baseline: Arcane is still about planned burn windows with Touch of the Magi, Arcane Surge, and disciplined mana recovery. Icy Veins continues to recommend simming your exact gear because secondary values and talent choices move fast.
🔄 Arcane Priority
1
Touch of the Magi
Every CD. Everything you cast during this detonates. Biggest damage window.
2
Arcane Surge
Line up with Touch of the Magi. This is your primary boss CD.
3
Arcane Barrage
Spend when you need to dump mana or at max Arcane Charges.
4
Arcane Missiles (procs)
Use all Clearcasting procs — free damage, no mana cost.
5
Arcane Blast
Main builder. Stack to 4 charges before spending.
💡 Arcane Tips
- Mana is your resource — watch the bar. If you OOM mid-fight you lose a huge chunk of damage.
- Evocation = mana battery — use it between pulls if needed, not in combat unless desperate.
- Burn phase = Touch + Surge — stack Charges to 4, pop Touch of the Magi, then Arcane Surge, dump everything.
- Conservation phase — after a burn, go to 2-3 Charges and use Missiles procs to coast until CDs return.
- Treat your burn as scripted — drifting Touch or Surge usually costs more than a small filler mistake.
- Use utility on purpose — Slow, Counterspell, Mass Barrier, and Alter Time are part of the spec's value in keys.
Mythic+
Midnight Season 1 · 8 dungeons · Keys open March 24
📅 This Week's Affixes
Loading…
Verified affix tiers: +2 to +4 use Lindormi's Guidance · +5 to +11 add one Xal'atath bargain · +7 to +10 rotate Fortified or Tyrannical · +10+ runs have both Fortified and Tyrannical active · +12+ swaps the bargain layer for Xal'atath's Guile.
🧭 Season 1 Dungeon Model
Current rotation corrected
The active Season 1 pool is Windrunner Spire, Magister's Terrace, Maisara Caverns, Nexus-Point Xenas, Algeth'ar Academy, Pit of Saron, Seat of the Triumvirate, and Skyreach.
How to read the cards
Each card gives you one must-kick, one Bryce defensive assignment, one Lydia utility note, and the easiest place to spend Lust / Icy Veins.
Default duo rule
Bryce calls the dangerous trash cast before the pull. Lydia keeps Counterspell for the backup stop, not for padding damage.
Use this as run-time notes
These are not full route guides. They are the things most likely to wipe or de-sync the two of you in a live key.
🏹 Windrunner Spire
Midnight — Eversong Woods
Verified notes from the current Icy Veins dungeon guide: the early packs punish missed caster stops, and several bosses ask Bryce to pre-plan one specific defensive instead of winging it.
🛡️ Bryce
Must-kick: Spirit Bolt
Restless Steward casts Spirit Bolt. Call it before the pull so Lydia knows whether she is backup kick or pure damage.
Defensive assignment: Searing Beak
Emberdawn's Searing Beak is the planned tank hit. Treat it as a real button check, not a “maybe heal me” moment.
Position boss in a corner during Burning Gale
That gives the group more room to dodge the Flaming Twisters instead of pinching Lydia in the middle.
✨ Lydia
Best lust / Icy Veins spend: Refueling Protocol
That phase gives 20% increased damage on Arcanotron. It is the cleanest planned burn in the run.
Move on Burning Gale, not after
If you wait to Blink late, Bryce's corner positioning gets wasted and you eat twisters for no value.
Backup stop the soul effect
The guide calls out using stops during Soul Torment; keep Counterspell ready when Bryce is on cooldown.
🏛️ Magister's Terrace
Midnight Remake — Eversong Woods
This dungeon has two easy-to-miss power boosts and one very clean scripted burn. Take the haste buff, manage the orb soak correctly, and cash burst where the guide actually tells you to.
🛡️ Bryce
Take Arcane Empowerment in the library
The Arcane Tome grants a 30-minute 5% haste buff that persists through death. Missing it is just trolling yourselves.
Plan around Ethereal Shackles and Arcane Expulsion
If Shackles is not dispelled, use a defensive. Arcane Expulsion plus residue/knockback is the wipe pattern to avoid.
Burn in Refueling Protocol
Soak the Energy Orbs correctly so the boss does not empower, then frontload damage during the 20% vulnerability window.
✨ Lydia
Grab Energy Infusion only when you can spend it
The Energy Crystals give short 1% damage/healing stacks. Treat them like tempo pickups, not sightseeing collectibles.
Use Icy Veins in Refueling Protocol, not on the pull
That is the safest shared burst point in the dungeon and lines up with the boss damage amp.
Move hard on Astral Grasp later in the run
Gemellus punishes slow repositioning. Save Blink to beat the Cosmic Radiation aura, not for convenience.
🌿 Maisara Caverns
Midnight — Zul'Aman
This one is cleaner if you stop the right trash instead of panicking about the whole pull. The guide repeatedly points at a few specific casts; that is what matters here.
🛡️ Bryce
Must-kicks: Hooked Snare, Hex, Piercing Screech
Those are the trash casts Icy Veins keeps calling out. If you only remember three stops in the dungeon, remember those.
Defensive assignment: Flanking Spear / Rak'tul pressure
Use active mitigation for Flanking Spear early, then treat Rak'tul as the major tank check later instead of greed-pulling into him.
Do not overstack Bramblemaw Bears
Their Crunch Armor stacks are what quietly turn a normal pull into a tank emergency.
✨ Lydia
Best Icy Veins spend: Rak'tul
That is the cleanest place to convert burst into safety because the boss is the real fight check, not the filler trash.
Help stop Reanimation and dangerous trash resets
The guide calls out using crowd control when the Reanimated Warrior tries to Reanimation back up. Use Dragon's Breath / Nova equivalents if your build has them.
Respect ambient damage
Necrotic Wave, poison puddles, and incidental hit overlap are the reason this key feels worse than it looks. Pot early if you get clipped twice.
🌀 Nexus-Point Xenas
Midnight — Voidstorm
High spell-damage dungeon. The guide is very clear: one trash channel, one stack debuff, and one tank-buster define most of the danger. Play for stops and space.
🛡️ Bryce
Must-kick / must-stop: Arcing Mana
Circuit Seer's Arcing Mana is the main trash wipe cast. If it goes through repeatedly, the pull is already bad.
Watch Null Sunder and Searing Rend
Null Sunder stacks on trash and Searing Rend is the late-dungeon tank hit the guide flags before Lothraxion.
Plant bosses to protect Lydia uptime
Kasreth wants cleaner placement near the Leyline Array; Nysarra wants you ready for Umbral Lash plus follow-up Void Gash.
✨ Lydia
Best lust / Icy Veins spend: Lothraxion
That is the cleanest boss check and the dungeon's headline mechanic set. Save the real burst for it unless the key level says otherwise.
Do not overmove in Suppression Field
Flux Engineer's Suppression Field punishes movement. Blink only if the move itself saves you, not because you feel busy.
Spot the right image on Divine Guile
Current Icy Veins coverage notes the real Lothraxion is the one without glowing horns. That makes your interrupt assignment much cleaner.
📚 Algeth'ar Academy
Returning — Dragonflight
Still one of the most routing-sensitive keys in the pool. The Midnight guide keeps the same core truths: pick a useful recruiter buff, stop the right academy trash, and do not botch the Vexamus orb handling.
🛡️ Bryce
Grab a recruiter buff at the start
The updated Icy Veins guide confirms you still pick one Dragonflight recruiter buff on entry. Skipping it is just leaving stats on the floor.
Must-stop: Call of the Flock, Mystic Blast, Monotonous Lecture
Those are the trash buttons the guide keeps highlighting. If you get lazy on kicks here, the key slows down immediately.
Defensive assignment: Severing Slash / Vexamus orb soak
Severing Slash is the tank pain point on trash. On Vexamus, Bryce is the natural first orb soaker as long as you respect Oversurge.
✨ Lydia
Best lust / Icy Veins spend: Vexamus or Echo
If the run is stable, cash on Vexamus for orb control. If the key is boss-skewed, hold for Echo of Doragosa.
Help soak Arcane Orbs, but respect Oversurge
The guide explicitly says the rest of the group can help. Just do not greed a second soak when your debuff says no.
Pre-move for Arcane Fissure pushback
Losing casts to the push and then standing in corrupted mana is the classic Lydia mistake here.
❄️ Pit of Saron
Returning — Wrath
The current guide calls out one extremely important trash interrupt, one boss add phase, and one late boss brand window. This is more scripted than it feels.
🛡️ Bryce
Must-kick: Icy Blast
Icy Veins literally flags Dreadpulse Lich's Icy Blast as the important mob interrupt. Treat it that way.
Defensive assignment: Blight Smash and Scourgelord's Brand
Use a real button for Blight Smash on Ick & Krick and again for Scourgelord's Brand on Tyrannus.
Place Rime Blast on the bone piles
That makes the Tyrannus add phase easier instead of turning the room into random chaos.
✨ Lydia
Best utility moment: Shade Shift
During Shade Shift, kill the Shades first and help stop Shadowbind. That is your cleanest control contribution in the dungeon.
Best Icy Veins spend: Tyrannus
That is the highest-risk single-target check and the place where a clean burn saves the most time.
Keep mobility for barrage / puddle cleanup
Tyrannus punishes sloppy feet with Ice Barrage and puddles during the add phase. Blink for survival, not vanity.
🌌 Seat of the Triumvirate
Returning — Legion
Still a mechanics key. The guide cares about interrupt order, add control, and not getting knocked into your own bad space. That is how the two of you should think about it too.
🛡️ Bryce
Defensive assignment: Void Slash / Rending Void
Void Slash on Zuraal and Rending Void on Saprish are the scripted tank events. Respect them both.
Must-kicks: Dread Screech and Mind Blast
Those are the stops the guide keeps naming. Call which one you have before the pack starts.
Bring bosses toward adds you need cleaved
Nezhar tentacles and later boss adds both reward clean boss placement more than raw throughput.
✨ Lydia
Best lust / Icy Veins spend: whichever boss is bricking the key
If the group is stable, cash on L'ura. If Nezhar tentacles or Zuraal space management are causing deaths, spend earlier to stabilize the run.
Play space first, meter second
Decimate and Void Sludge placement matter more than finishing a Frostbolt cast. Do not die greedy here.
Help stop oozlings and bombs with control
The guide explicitly recommends crowd control on leftover oozlings and manual bomb management. Your root / stop tools are real here.
🏜️ Skyreach
Returning — WoD
Fastest dungeon in the pool does not mean free. The guide points at two trash pain points and two bosses that punish lazy positioning. That is the whole run.
🛡️ Bryce
Tank pain point: Shear
Icy Veins calls Adorned Bladetalon's Shear the hardest hitting mob in the dungeon for the tank. That is your actual trash check.
Must-stop: Mark of Death / Blinding Light / Solar Bolt
Those are the guide's named trash problems. Call which cast you are taking before the pull so nothing free-casts.
Stay in melee on Araknath and Rukhran
Both bosses punish drifting. Bryce standing correctly makes the whole group life easier.
✨ Lydia
Best lust / Icy Veins spend: Araknath or Viryx
If the group struggles soaking beams and Supernova, spend on Araknath. If bosses are fine and you want timer safety, save for Viryx.
Blink for tornado / beam management, not for padding
Skyreach constantly asks for small repositioning. Save your instant movement for mechanics that actually cost the run.
Help CC Mark of Death and pursuit spawns
The guide explicitly recommends crowd control on Mark of Death and the Sunwing pursuit set. This is one of your better utility keys.
🎁 Loot & Great Vault
End-of-Dungeon Chest
M0: Champion 1 (246)
+2 / +3: Champion 2 (250)
+4 / +5: Champion 3-4 (253-256)
+6 to +10+: Hero 1-3 (259-266)
Great Vault (Silvermoon City)
Slot 1Complete 1 dungeon
Slot 2Complete 4 different dungeons
Slot 3Complete 8 different dungeons
Vault quality rises from Hero 1 at +2/+3 up to Myth 1 (272) at +10. Always try to do 4 different dungeons to unlock 2 choices.
💎 Dawncrests — Upgrade Currency
→
Adventurer Dawncrests
Adventurer track (224-237)
→
Veteran Dawncrests
Veteran track (237-250)
→
Champion Dawncrests
Champion track (250-263)
→
Hero Dawncrests
Hero track (263-276)
→
Myth Dawncrests
Myth track (276-289)
Cost: 20 Dawncrests per upgrade level — 100 total to fully upgrade one item (6 levels)
Cap: 100 Dawncrests earned per week — that's exactly one full item upgrade per week
Priority: Upgrade your lowest ilvl slots first, especially trinkets and weapons
Thalassian Token of Merit: Alternative vault reward if gear choices are bad — trade for Dawncrests, a socket item, or a Spark of Radiance
Delves
Midnight Season 1 · 11 Tiers
Delves are a major endgame pillar in Midnight. Tier 8+ is where the real rewards are. You need the "Midnight Delves: Endgame" achievement first — get it by clearing earlier tiers. Tier 11 is the ultimate challenge.
🎯 Tier Rewards
1-3
Adventurer / Veteran Gear
Good for alts or fresh characters. Run these to unlock Endgame achieve.
4-7
Champion / Hero Gear + Coffer Key Shards
Solid progression. Also drops Coffer Key Shards → combine into Restored Coffer Keys to unlock Bountiful rewards.
8
Bountiful → Gilded Coffer (Myth)
Do this every week. The Bountiful Delve at Tier 8 rewards a Gilded Coffer = Myth track item. Non-negotiable weekly.
9-10
Myth Track + Nemesis progress
Extra Myth chances. Also counts toward Nemesis Delve unlock. Do these if you have time.
11
Ultimate Challenge
Hardest content in Delves. Exclusive cosmetic rewards. Attempt when well-geared.
🗡️ Valeera — Your Delve Companion
Valeera Sanguinar automatically joins every Delve. She joins solo or groups up to 4 players — won't join a full party.
Switch roles any time (press H)
Change between Damage, Healer, or Tank at any checkpoint or delve start. No penalty for switching mid-run.
Damage (duo default)
Best for Bryce + Lydia duo runs. Companion DPS + Lydia nuke + Bryce survivability = fastest clears.
Healer (solo survival mode)
Switch Valeera to Healer for solo runs or when learning a new tier. Makes it much more forgiving.
Tank (Lydia solo runs)
If Lydia is soloing without Bryce, Tank Valeera lets Lydia go full glass-cannon DPS safely.
Level her up — Warband-wide
Valeera XP is shared across all characters. Push her past level 45 cap raised to 60 in S1. Prioritize Bountiful Delves for XP past level 15.
Equip Curios for extra abilities
Valeera has 5 Curio slots — equip them with Curio items you find in Delves. Each adds a new ability or passive effect.
💀 Nemesis Delve — Torment's Rise
The Season 1 Nemesis Delve — a special extra-hard solo challenge dungeon in Voidstorm. Entrance in the Voidstorm zone.
Boss: Nullaeus
The Nemesis boss. Void-themed, brutal mechanics. Gets harder with each Torment tier.
Nullaeus Domaneye (cosmetic helm)
Defeat Nullaeus at Tier 7 or higher — drops a cosmetic headpiece exclusive to Nemesis Delves.
Arcanovoid Construct mount
Solo Nullaeus at Tier 10 for the "Let Me Solo Him" achievement — rewards this mount. Challenge run, completely solo, no companion.
Torment mechanic
Torment stacks every 60 seconds outside of rest areas. Hard Mode Prey: +2% damage taken per stack. Nightmare: +4% per stack.
Requires Restored Coffer Keys
Earned by combining Coffer Key Shards from Prey Hunt and Delves. Do Prey weeklies to build up keys.
Start at Tier 7
Don't push Nemesis until you're confident in regular Tier 8+. Nullaeus is significantly harder than normal Delve bosses.
📈 Delver's Journey — Full Rank Table
10 ranks · 4,200 progress each · 42,000 total. Earn progress from: weekly Primeval Arcane Remnant turn-in (1,500), Bountiful Delves (50–150 by tier), opening Bountiful Coffers (250 each). Bonus Event weeks give +25%.
| Rank | Key Unlock |
|---|---|
| 1 | Boons from Mislaid Curiosities + Blessings from Heavy Trunks · Housing: Twilight Tabernacle |
| 2 | Gilded Stash appears after Tier 11 Delves · Housing: Fungal Chest |
| 3 | Sanctified Banner chance in Bountiful Delves · Housing: Amani Strongbox |
| 4 | Gilded Stashes now drop Myth Dawncrests — Delves become a Myth crest source · Housing: Ancient Kaldorei Coffer |
| 5 ⭐ | Silvermoon's Arcane Defender mount (10 Voidlight Marl from Telemancer Astrandis) · Zah'ran vendor unlocked at Tier 6+ Delves |
| 6 ⭐ | Buy 2 Restored Coffer Keys per week from Naleidea Rivergleam (guaranteed Bountiful runs) · Housing: Sin'dorei Gravestone |
| 7 | Housing: Midnight Delver's Flare Gun + Root-Wrapped Reliquary |
| 8 | Champion Warbound equipment from Tier 9+ Delves (transferable to alts!) · Housing: Corewarden's Spoils |
| 9 | Tier 11 Bountiful Coffers offer Hero equipment or Untainted Mana-Crystals for Zah'ran vendor |
| 10 | Title: "Void Breacher" · Increased Coffer Key Shard earnings · Housing: Delver's Bountiful Coffer + Corewarden's Hearthstone |
Delver HQ vendor Naleidea Rivergleam (52.19, 77.77 Silvermoon) : Restored Coffer Key (2,000 Undercoins) · Elven Arcane Guardian mount (10,000 Undercoins) · Beacon of Hope — summons Nullaeus for bounty drops (5,000 Undercoins) · Battle pet Kreepah'zoyd (10,000 Undercoins)
📅 Weekly Delve Checklist
Tier 8 Bountiful Delve
Every character, every week. Gilded Coffer = Myth track gear. Non-negotiable.
Bounty Board Quest
Pick up in Silvermoon. Complete for bonus rewards.
Extra Tier 9-10 runs
If time allows — extra Myth chances and Delver's Journey progress.
Check for housing drops
New Midnight decor drops from Tier 4+ Bountiful Delves.
Spend Dawncrests
Don't cap — spend your earned Dawncrests before the weekly reset.
Nemesis Delve (Torment's Rise)
Once per week attempt. Good for cosmetic drops and the eventual mount goal.
Consumables
What to bring to every key and raid
🛡️ Bryce — Prot Paladin
Source: Icy Veins Prot Pally Consumables, verified April 2026
Flask of the Shattered Sun
Primary stat flask for tanking. Use before every key and raid — lasts 1 hour.
Light's Potential
Pre-pot 2s before pull. Use again on dangerous boss phases.
Harandar Celebration / Blooming Feast or Royal Roast / Champion's Bento
Use a feast if one is down. If not, either Royal Roast or Champion's Bento is a safe personal-food default until you sim something more specific.
Void-Touched Augment Rune
Only augment rune available in Midnight. Use on every boss pull — significant stat increase.
Silvermoon Health Potion
Does NOT share CD with Healthstones — carry both. Use below 40% HP when defensives are on CD.
Weapon buff: Thalassian Phoenix Oil
Prot uses this as the default weapon augment. Refresh it before keys and raid pulls.
Weapon: Acuity of the Ren'dorei
Best weapon enchant for Prot. Apply once and forget.
Rings: Silvermoon's Tenacity
Best ring enchant for survivability.
Gems: Indecipherable Eversong Diamond (1st socket) + Flawless Masterful Peridot (rest)
Epic gem in your first socket for big bonus. Fill remaining sockets with Peridot.
✨ Lydia — Frost Mage / Arcane Mage
Source: Icy Veins Frost & Arcane Mage Consumables, verified April 2026
Flask of the Shattered Sun
Same flask as Bryce. Buy in bulk — both of you use it.
Potion of Recklessness
Best Frost DPS potion. Use it for planned burst windows instead of drifting it on random trash.
Harandar Celebration / Silvermoon Parade or Royal Roast / Impossibly Royal Roast
Frost currently wants the Midnight feast/personal-food lineup from the guide, not the older generic feast names.
Void-Touched Augment Rune
Use every boss. Big DPS gain. Keep a stack always.
Silvermoon Health Potion
Doesn't share CD with Healthstones. Emergency survival when Ice Block is on CD.
Weapon buff: Thalassian Phoenix Oil
The current Frost consumables page still wants weapon oil in addition to your permanent enchant.
Weapon: Jan'alai's Precision
Current default Frost weapon enchant.
Rings: Eyes of the Eagle · Legs: Sunfire Silk Spellthread
Ring simming still matters, but Eyes of the Eagle is the guide's current generic recommendation.
Gems: Indecipherable Eversong Diamond (1st) + Flawless Masterful Garnet (rest)
Flask of Thalassian Resistance
Current Arcane default because the guide values the extra secondary stats over the generic Flask of the Shattered Sun.
Light's Potential
Pre-pot before pull. Second pot during Touch of the Magi + Arcane Surge burn window.
Quel'dorei Medley / Blooming Feast or Champion's Bento
Hearty versions are also fine for progression nights where you expect repeated deaths.
Void-Touched Augment Rune
Use every boss. Same as Frost.
Silvermoon Health Potion
Same emergency potion as Frost. Keep it unmacroed from Healthstones.
Weapon buff: Thalassian Phoenix Oil
Arcane also wants the current Phoenix Oil weapon buff.
Weapon: Acuity of the Ren'dorei · Rings: Eyes of the Eagle · Legs: Arcanoweave Spellthread
This is the current Arcane default package from the Icy Veins consumables page.
Gems: Indecipherable Eversong Diamond (1st) + Flawless Versatile Amethyst (rest)
Different filler gem from Frost — Versatility Amethyst, not Mastery Garnet.
✅ Pre-Key Checklist
Flask active
Check buff bar before entering. Lydia: make sure it's the right flask for your spec.
Food buff active
Eat outside the dungeon entrance. Bryce places feast if you have one.
Augment Rune ready
Use on first boss pull, not on trash.
Potions in bags (5 each)
Silvermoon Health Potions in bags
Gear repaired
Nothing worse than breaking mid-key.
Weekly Things To Do
Midnight Season 1 · Reset Tuesday (NA)
📅 This Week's Affixes
Loading…
Do these in priority order. The top items give the biggest rewards. Never skip #1–#3.
🔥 Must Do Every Week
1
Great Vault — Pick Your Reward
Opens every Tuesday in Silvermoon City. Pick the highest ilvl piece or a Thalassian Token of Merit. Always do 4 different dungeons to unlock 2 vault choices.
2
Tier 8 Bountiful Delve
Gilded Coffer → Myth track gear. Do this every single week on every character. Non-negotiable.
3
World Boss (rotates weekly)
Free chance at Champion-track catch-up gear. Takes 5 minutes. Find it on the atlas map.
4
Prey Hard Mode Hunts (×4) or Nightmare Prey (×2)
Weekly outdoor hunts. Prey Hard Mode gives gear, Nightmare gives Champion track. Check the weekly event calendar for which is active.
5
Lady Liadrin's World Event Quest → Spark of Radiance
This is how you get your weekly Spark of Radiance. Find Lady Liadrin in Silvermoon City and pick up her World Event quest. Complete it to earn your Spark — used for crafting Champion/Hero gear. Easy to miss since there's no in-game prompt.
6
Weekly Dungeon Quest
Pick up from the weekly board in Silvermoon. Free Hero track item for running M+ this week. Auto-completes as you run keys.
🥇 High Priority
A
Weekly World Events
Saltheril's Soiree, Abundance, Stormarion Assault, Harandar Relic — check calendar, they give gear caches.
B
Lady Liadrin World Event Weekly
World event quest in Silvermoon. Good rewards, fast to complete.
C
Vaeli — Housing Weekly
Weekly housing quest from Vaeli outside the Silvermoon bank. Current coverage confirms it now pays housing currencies and a Warbound crest reward, so it is worth doing even if you do not care about decor that week.
D
Spend Dawncrests Before Cap
Cap is 100/week — spend on your lowest ilvl slot before Tuesday reset.
📈 Nice To Do
E
Extra Delves (Tier 9-10)
After Tier 8 Bountiful, extra runs give more Myth track chances.
F
Faction / Warband Renown
Renown unlocks cosmetics, housing items, currency for gear upgrades.
G
Void Assaults + Ritual Sites (12.0.5)
New April 21 content. Ritual Sites = 1–5 player instanced activity with 8 Renown ranks. Void Assaults → Void Incursion triggers world boss spawn. Both give Field Accolades + Voidlight Marl for Bazaar gear/cosmetics.
H
MoP Timewalking (starts April 21)
Begins same day as Patch 12.0.5. Grab the Timewalking quest — rewards extra gear and currencies. Check calendar and do it while it's up.
I
Spend Champion crests and below before cap
Spend all Champion, Veteran, and Adventurer crests on upgrades before Tuesday. Only hoard Hero/Myth crests if saving for a specific item.
✅ Tuesday Reset Checklist
Open Great Vault in Silvermoon City
Kill World Boss
Tier 8 Bountiful Delve
Accept weekly M+ dungeon quest
Pick up Bounty Board delve quest
Check world events calendar
Vaeli housing weekly quest
Outside the Silvermoon bank. Good weekly value even for pure PvE players because the reward can be sent where you want it.
Spend Dawncrests before cap
Run 4 different dungeons for full Vault
Repair gear
Transmog Guide
Cool looks for Bryce & Lydia · Midnight
Midnight overhaul: Outfit Slots expanded to 50 (2 free, rest cost escalating gold). New Situations feature — outfits auto-switch based on activity (dungeons, specs, town, time of day, weather). Your look stays consistent until you manually change it. This is huge.
⚔️ Bryce — Plate Looks to Farm
The Voidspire Raid Sets
Midnight Season 1 tier — Normal/Heroic/Mythic each have unique color tints. LFR counts for appearance unlock.
March on Quel'Danas Sets
New raid — gorgeous Quel'thalas plate armor. Story Mode also unlocks appearances.
PvP Honor Sets
No PvP rating needed for appearances. Buy the set, unlock the look, ignore the stats.
Timewalking Events
Old plate sets from past expansions come back during Timewalking. Check the event schedule.
Trading Post (monthly)
Plate cosmetics rotate in. Check the first of every month.
✨ Lydia — Cloth Looks to Farm
The Voidspire Raid Sets
Midnight cloth tier set — void-themed, stunning. All difficulties. Story Mode unlocks appearances too.
March on Quel'Danas Sets
Quel'thalas-themed cloth — beautiful sin'dorei aesthetic. Perfect for Lydia's vibe.
Tailoring Crafted Sets
Tailoring lets you craft cosmetic cloth appearances for Midnight sets. Check the crafting UI.
Trading Post (monthly)
Cloth cosmetics rotate in frequently. First of the month, always check.
Decor Duels (12.0.5)
New Silvermoon event dropping cosmetics including mount, toy, housing decor rewards.
🎨 Midnight Transmog System — Situations
How Situations Work
- Create outfits and bind them to situations — like "Mythic+ dungeons", "In town", "Raiding", "Nighttime", etc.
- The game automatically switches your transmog to the right outfit for each situation
- Your appearance stays consistent — new gear drops don't break your transmog anymore
- 50 outfit slots total — first 2 are free, extra slots cost escalating gold (starts at 100g)
Suggested Situations
Mythic+ look
Your "sweaty try-hard" set
Town / housing
Cute casual fit, show off your Fashion for the houses
Raiding
Full tier set, proper color
Nighttime / hanging out
Vibe outfit, whatever looks coolest
🔗 Transmog Resources
Browse all sets, filter by armor type, expansion
All plate sets filterable by source
All cloth sets filterable by source
See your collected appearances on housing.ilikecats.dev — live from Blizzard
How It Works
Simple answers to "wait, how do I…" questions
🗺️ Gearing — The Simple Path
START
Delves Tier 1–4
Adventurer gear
→
NEXT
M+ +2 to +6
Veteran / Champion
→
GETTING THERE
M+ +7 to +9
Hero track
→
ENDGAME
M+ +10 & Delves T8
Myth track
Most gear can be upgraded within its own track with Dawncrests. Lower-key drops are still useful, but Champion pieces do not magically become Myth gear later. Keep strong statted pieces and spend crests where they bridge you into the next content band.
💎 What Are Dawncrests?
Dawncrests are the upgrade currency in Midnight Season 1. You earn them by doing content, then spend them to push gear up tracks. There are 5 types — one per gear track. You can only upgrade a piece into the track that matches the crest you're using.
Cost: 20 crests per upgrade level. Each item has 6 levels = 100 crests to fully upgrade one piece.
Weekly cap: 100 crests earned per week — which is exactly enough to fully upgrade one item.
Don't cap out: Spend your crests before Tuesday reset or you lose the overflow.
⬆️ What Should I Upgrade First?
Not all gear slots are equal. Upgrade these first for the biggest power gain:
1
Weapon
Biggest single ilvl impact. Always upgrade your weapon first, every time you get a new one. For Bryce this is your one-hand sword/mace and shield. For Lydia it's her staff or wand.
2
Trinkets
Trinkets have the highest stat budget relative to ilvl. A good trinket upgraded is often better than a higher-ilvl bad trinket. Upgrade the ones with active effects or strong procs.
3
Chest, Legs, Helm
Highest primary stat slots. Prioritize these after weapon/trinkets, especially if you're wearing anything more than 15 ilvl below your average.
4
Tier Set Pieces
Your 4-piece set bonus is a huge DPS/survivability increase. If you have 3 pieces of tier, upgrade them all and start hunting your 4th. The bonus is worth more than raw ilvl in many cases.
5
Everything Else
Rings, neck, cloak, bracers — upgrade these last. They have smaller stat budgets and the ilvl jump matters less than your primary slots.
Quick rule: Always upgrade your lowest ilvl slot that isn't a ring/neck/cloak first — that gives the biggest average ilvl jump per crest spent.
📦 What Are Coffers and How Do I Get Them?
Coffers are loot boxes that give you a piece of gear. In Midnight Season 1 there are a few types:
⭐
Gilded Coffer — Myth Track (276–289)
How to get: Complete a Tier 8 Bountiful Delve once per week per character. This is your most important weekly. The Bountiful version has a golden icon in the Delve UI.
📦
World Event Caches — Hero / Champion Track
How to get: Complete weekly world events like Saltheril's Soiree, Abundance, Stormarion Assault, and Harandar Relic. Check the in-game calendar (hotkey: M → Events or the clock icon).
📦
Bounty Board Coffer — Various Tracks
How to get: Pick up the Delver's Bounty Board weekly quest in Silvermoon City and complete the required number of Delves. Scales with your Delve tier.
🏛️
Great Vault — All Tracks
How to get: Opens every Tuesday in Silvermoon City (northeast quarter, near the portal building). One free pick per week. Quality matches the best content you completed.
🗺️ World Events — Where Are They?
World events rotate weekly. The easiest ways to find them:
How to Find Active Events
In-game Calendar
Click the clock icon near your minimap. Shows all active events and their locations this week.
World Map (M key)
Active events show as glowing icons on the zone map. Hover to see rewards and objectives.
Adventure Guide (Shift+J)
Lists all current week's activities with rewards. Easiest one-stop reference in game.
Always up to date. Lists exactly what's active this week and where.
Current Known Events (Midnight S1)
Saltheril's Soiree
Social event in the Eversong area. Fast, gives a gear cache.
Abundance
Outdoor gathering/combat event. Check world map for active zone.
Stormarion Assault
Combat assault event. Group up with other players for fastest clear.
Harandar Relic
Relic hunt event. Explore and collect for reward cache.
Void Assaults (12.0.5)
New zone-wide events with Voidforge gear rewards, launching April 21.
🔧 How To Actually Upgrade Gear — Step by Step
1
Earn Dawncrests by doing content
Run M+ keys, Delves, world events. Each gives you a specific crest type. Higher content = higher tier crests.
2
Open your character sheet (C key)
Find the piece of gear you want to upgrade. Right-click it and look for the "Upgrade" option, or visit the Gear Upgrade NPC in Silvermoon City.
3
Check what crests it needs
The upgrade UI shows which Dawncrest type is needed and how many. A Veteran item needs Veteran Dawncrests to upgrade to Champion, etc.
4
Spend 20 crests per upgrade level
Each item has 6 upgrade levels. Level 1 = 20 crests, fully maxed = 100 crests total. You can stop at any level.
5
To push to the next track, you need the next crest
A Veteran item can be upgraded to Champion track, but only with Champion Dawncrests (from +4/+5/+6 keys or Tier 7 Delves). The gear becomes Champion track once you do this.
Important: There's a weekly cap of 100 crests earned. Don't sit on them — spend before Tuesday or you lose the overflow. Prioritize weapon → trinkets → tier pieces → big slots.
🏛️ Great Vault — Explained Simply
What It Is
Every Tuesday, you get to pick one free piece of gear from a selection of up to 9 choices. The quality of the choices matches the best content you did that week.
Location: Silvermoon City — northeast area near the portal building. Open it the moment weekly reset hits on Tuesday.
Unlock More Choices
Dungeon 1Complete 1 M+ dungeon this week
Dungeon 2Complete 4 different M+ dungeons
Dungeon 3Complete 8 different M+ dungeons
Raid 1–3Kill 2 / 4 / 6 raid bosses
World 1–3Complete 2 / 4 / 8 world activities
Minimum goal: 4 different dungeons every week for 2 dungeon choices in the vault.
📝 Quick Glossary
Dawncrests — upgrade currency, 5 tiers, 100/week cap
Gilded Coffer — Myth track loot box from Tier 8 Bountiful Delve
Bountiful Delve — special weekly Delve with golden icon, gives the Coffer
Great Vault — weekly free gear pick in Silvermoon City, opens Tuesday
Thalassian Token of Merit — vault alternative if gear choices are bad, trade for crests, a socket item, or a Spark
Myth track — highest gear quality (276–289 ilvl) from +10 keys / Tier 8+ Delves
Tier Set — 4 matching pieces that give a big class bonus, drops from raid
Tyrannical — affix week where bosses are 30% harder
Fortified — affix week where trash mobs are 30% harder
In Time — completing M+ before the timer expires (needed for vault quality)
Situations — new transmog feature that auto-switches your outfit by activity
Decor Duel — new hide-and-seek event in Silvermoon City with cosmetic rewards
Addons
What to actually use in Midnight · WeakAuras is mostly dead now
WeakAuras is effectively dead for combat in Midnight. Blizzard added a "black box" security model — addons can't track live combat events or react in real-time inside dungeons, raids, or delves. WeakAuras still loads but most rotation helpers and proc trackers no longer work. Don't use it as a combat crutch. Use BigWigs for boss timers and your own awareness for everything else.
🔴 Must Have — Non-Negotiable
Platynator
Nameplate addon. Essential now that WeakAuras is limited. Shows enemy cast bars, debuffs, and target info cleanly on nameplates. Non-negotiable.
BigWigs (preferred) or DBM
Boss timers and mechanic callouts. Still works in Midnight. BigWigs is more accurate, DBM is more visual. Pick one — both are fine.
Details! Damage Meter
Still works. See who's doing damage, who's dying to what, interrupt tracking. Bryce uses this to confirm he's getting enough aggro on everything.
🟡 Highly Recommended
MidnightTracker
Shows M+, Delves, Raids, and weekly quest progress across all your characters in one window. Great for weekly checklist management.
Vaultloom
Great Vault progress tracker — shows exactly how many dungeons/raids/world activities you've done toward each vault slot this week.
Baganator + Syndicator
Best bag addon right now. Clean grid layout, cross-character item search, currency tracking in one place.
ElvUI
Full UI replacement — cleaner action bars, unit frames, minimap. Personal preference, but if the default UI bothers you this is the gold standard.
🟢 Nice to Have
Better Wardrobe and Transmog
Enhances the transmog UI. Import sets from Wowhead, search by set name, see missing pieces highlighted. Great for Lydia's cloth hunting.
ALL THE THINGS (ATT)
Tracks every collectible in the game — mounts, pets, transmogs, toys. Shows you your % completion and what's missing. Lydia will love this.
HousingCompanion
In-game housing tools — shopping lists, vendor search, quick bar hotkeys, copy/paste furniture. Works with the housing catalog API.
MythicPlusCount (MPI)
Shows M+ run history, key levels per dungeon, depleted keys. Useful for vault planning and figuring out what keys to run next.
🐱 Our Custom Addons
WoWHousingSync
Our addon — scans your housing catalog and exports owned decor IDs to housing.ilikecats.dev via the watcher. Run
/whsync scan then log out to sync.ilikecats HUD
Custom dashboard we built — minimap cat button, shows Great Vault progress, Dawncrest balances, M+ rating, and housing sync status. Slash command:
/catsilikecats HUD Features
- Great Vault slot progress (M+, Raid, World) updated live
- All 5 Dawncrest balances with colour-coded cap warnings
- Current M+ rating with colour bracket
- Housing decor count pulled from WoWHousingSync data
- Last export time — warns if sync is stale
- Party member list with class colours
- One-click "Scan Decor" button that triggers WoWHousingSync
- Minimap cat icon — draggable around the rim
📦 Installing Our Custom Addons
1
Copy the addon folders to your WoW AddOns directory
Both WoWHousingSync and ilikecatsHUD folders go in:
World of Warcraft\_retail_\Interface\AddOns\2
Enable both addons in the AddOns list
At character select screen, click "AddOns" button → make sure WoWHousingSync and ilikecatsHUD are both checked.
3
Set your sync token in WoWHousingSync
Log in, get your token from housing.ilikecats.dev/sync-setup, then type:
/whsync token YOUR_TOKEN_HERE4
Scan your decor and check the HUD
Type
/whsync scan to scan housing catalog, then click the 🐱 cat icon on your minimap to open the HUD.Secrets & Hidden Content
Cool stuff in Midnight you'd miss if nobody told you
Midnight has intentional undiscovered secrets — players are still finding things. These are the confirmed ones worth knowing about right now.
🐟 Amani Abyss — Spear Fishing (Zul'Aman)
A cooperative diving event off the coast of Zul'Aman. Completely different from normal fishing — no rod needed.
Find the dive point on Zul'Aman's coast
Look for the dive platform — gives you gear to breathe underwater and a spear.
Spear exotic fish to build score
The deeper you go, the rarer the fish and the better the rewards. Upgrade your dive gear to reach deeper zones.
Don't get greedy
Stay near your exit line until confident. Getting lost deep underwater costs you your entire run's score. Bryce should go first to test depth.
Rewards scale with depth
Deep dives can reward unique cosmetics and gear. Do this together — it's more fun co-op than solo.
🎯 The Prey System
A tiered hunting system for powerful open-world targets. Three difficulties, each rewarding better gear.
Normal Prey
Solo-able open world elites. Good for quick daily content and Champion track gear.
Hard Mode Prey (×4 = weekly)
Harder elites. Do 4 per week for the weekly quest reward. Good gear cache.
Nightmare Prey (×2 = weekly)
Hardest tier. Do 2 per week for best non-M+ open world gear. Do these together — two players makes it much faster.
Housing Trophies
Completing Nightmare Prey drops housing trophies you can display in your house. Show off your kills!
🐴 Secret Mounts Worth Farming
1
Ancestral War Bear
Where: Zul'Aman zone. Find the Honored Warrior's Cache inside a tree trunk at coords (46.83, 81.86) . Just walk up and loot it — no puzzle, no kill required.
2
Cerulean Hawkstrider / Cobalt Dragonhawk
Where: Eversong Woods rare mob kills. Unlike old content, rare mobs in each zone share a loot pool — kill any rare in the zone for a chance.
3
Amani Sharptalon / Escaped Witherbark Pango
Where: Zul'Aman rare mob kills. Same shared pool system — farm rares in Zul'Aman for a shot at both.
4
Reins of the Insatiable Shredclaw
Where: Voidstorm region. Find the Final Clutch of Predaxas cave and solve the environmental puzzle inside. Multi-step — look up the exact steps on Wowhead.
5
Untainted Grove Crawler
Where: Fungara Village, Harandar region. Find the amber wall → pick up the Fungal Mallet → cross the pond to the nearby hut → strike the gong. Spawns the Sporespawned Cache with the mount inside.
🌊 Void Assaults (Patch 12.0.5 — April 21)
Large-scale outdoor world events rotating weekly between Eversong Woods and Zul'Aman. Two tiers: small Void Strikes and big Void Incursions (escalation-gated).
Weekly zone rotation
One zone active at a time — either Eversong Woods or Zul'Aman. Swaps weekly with the Tuesday reset.
Void Strikes (small)
Frequent smaller events across the zone. Quick to complete, good for casual world content and rep grinding.
Void Incursions (large)
Escalation-gated major events. Require completing enough Void Strikes first to trigger. Best rewards — do these as a duo.
Eversong: 5 Activities + 3 Major Attacks
Weekly quest when the event is in Eversong Woods. Complete both parts for full reward.
Zul'Aman: 5 Strikes + 3 Major Attacks
Same structure when the event is in Zul'Aman. Troll zone — easier to find groups there.
New mounts from Incursion rewards
Void Incursion caches can contain new mounts. Worth grinding the weekly quest every week for the RNG chance.
🌀 Decor Duels (Patch 12.0.5 — April 21)
5v5 hide-and-seek PvP in Silvermoon City. One team transforms into housing decor items and hides. The other team hunts them down.
Join via Group Finder (PvP tab)
Transform into furniture and hide among real decor
Rewards: mount, toy, housing decor items
Lydia will be a natural — she decorates houses for fun
⚗️ Voidforge (Patch 12.0.5 — April 21)
Transmutation system — use Nebulous Voidcores to target gear from raid bosses, Mythic+, Bountiful Delves, and Nightmare Prey. Builder NPC: Decimus. Great catch-up mechanic for bad-luck slots.
Unlock: build the Voidforge with Decimus
Current preview coverage confirms the path starts with Domanaar Decimus in Howling Ridge, Voidstorm and becomes warband-wide once completed. The site avoids listing older speculative prerequisite quest names that are not consistently source-backed.
Collect Nebulous Voidcores
Starts at 2 available per character and increases by 2 each week for the rest of the season. Raid bosses cost 2 cores to target; Mythic+, Bountiful Delves, and Nightmare Prey cost 1.
Use them for targeted loot
Spend the core after the activity to receive a loot-spec item from that activity. Once you get an item with a Voidcore, it is removed from that difficulty's loot pool until you complete the pool.
Warband-wide progression
Both Bryce and Lydia contribute cores to the same Warband pool on the same account.
🏠 Housing — New in Midnight You Might Have Missed
Pets as Decor
Place a "pet bed" or thematic item in your house, then select any collected pet from the customization menu. Choose if it wanders or stays still.
Layout Import / Export
Save and load full house configs, individual rooms, or just the exterior. Keep them private or share with other players via a code.
Neighborhood System
Join a public neighborhood or create a private guild one (needs 10+ active members). Monthly Endeavors give shared goals with collective rewards.
Warband Collection Sharing
Every character in your Warband can use furniture unlocked by any character. No per-character cost.
50% More Storage
Decor placement budget and room budget both increased. Level your house to unlock more space.
Housing Weekly from Vaeli
Pick up Vaeli's weekly housing quest just outside the Silvermoon bank. Current coverage confirms it now drops a Warbound crest chest and also pays out housing currencies, so it is worth doing even if you are not in a decor mood.
⚔️ Raid Hidden Mechanics
March on Quel'Danas — 2 boss raid, very tight mechanics
1
Belo'ren, Child of Al'ar
Core mechanic: Light vs Void polarity system. Your colour determines where you must stand for soaks. Pay attention to which polarity you have and don't stand in the wrong zone.
2
L'ura, Midnight Falls (final boss)
Harshest execution check in Season 1. Same polarity mechanic but faster and less forgiving. Bryce: keep the boss positioned so void orbs don't clip Lydia's position.
Tips
- Story Mode is available on March on Quel'Danas — still unlocks appearances. Good way to see the story before attempting Normal/Heroic.
- The polarity mechanic is the hardest part. Look up the boss on Wowhead or watch a quick YouTube video before your first attempt.
- Only 2 bosses — shorter than most raids. Totally doable in a single evening even while progressing.
- LFR unlocks appearances — even the worst LFR gear gives you the look. Lydia should do LFR for the cloth tier set appearance.
BiS & Loot Priority
Where to farm each slot — Midnight Season 1
Prioritize slots where you're furthest below max ilvl first. Always upgrade a low slot before a medium slot — the jump is bigger. In Season 1, the realistic PvE ceiling is Myth-vault gear from +10 keys plus Mythic raid pieces.
🛡️ Bryce — Prot Paladin Loot Priority
As the tank, prioritize chest and helm first — they contribute the most to your effective health. Weapon ilvl matters less than for DPS but still push it when you can.
| Slot | Priority | Best Source | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Helm | HIGH | Windrunner Spire / Vault | Plate helms drop in Windrunner Spire. Also lock an M+ vault slot for helm — big EHP piece. |
| Neck | MED | Crafted / Vault | Neck is an armor-agnostic slot. Craft it early if Bryce is lagging there, then let the vault replace it later. |
| Shoulders | MED | Vault / Catalyst backup | Do not tunnel a dead dungeon source here. Let weekly vault or Catalyst planning solve shoulders if they stay behind. |
| Cloak | LOW | World quests / Dawncrests | Cloaks are easy to upgrade with Dawncrests. Don't over-invest here early — hit bigger slots first. |
| Chest | HIGH | Maisara Caverns / Vault | Plate chest drops in Maisara Caverns. Huge EHP gain — push this slot hard and early. |
| Wrists | LOW | Crafted (Blacksmithing) | Crafted wrists let you hit exact stat weights. Good gold investment while waiting on other drops. |
| Gloves | MED | Magister's Terrace | Plate gloves in Magister's Terrace. Fast dungeon once you know it — efficient to farm. |
| Belt | MED | Crafted / Vault | Crafted belt is solid. Lock an M+ vault slot here if you keep getting bad RNG. |
| Legs | HIGH | Vault / Tier planning | High stat budget slot. Treat legs as a vault and Catalyst planning problem instead of forcing outdated dungeon targets. |
| Boots | MED | Skyreach / Pit of Saron | Plate boots in both legacy dungeons. Skyreach is fast — good for quick farming runs. |
| Ring ×2 | HIGH | Crafted (no armor type) | Rings are armor-agnostic — anyone can craft them. Best first craft for both characters. |
| Trinkets ×2 | HIGH | Windrunner Spire + Seat of Triumvirate | Tank trinkets in both dungeons. Run SimC to find which combo gives best EHP vs DPS balance for your kit. |
| Weapon | HIGH | Vault / high M+ | Always target a vault weapon slot. Weapon ilvl matters even for tanks — boosts Word of Glory healing. |
| Shield | HIGH | Maisara Caverns / Crafted | Shield drops in Maisara Caverns. Blacksmithed shield is also strong if RNG is awful. Don't neglect this slot. |
✨ Lydia — Frost Mage BiS
Trinkets first, always. Current Icy Veins still treats Vaelgor's Final Stare and Gaze of the Alnseer as the defining Frost targets, with the same bosses also covering your most important tier slots. Crafted weapon planning also matters more than normal here: the guide's current default is Aln'hara Cane first, then a crafted off-hand only if a strong raid or vault main-hand later replaces it. Upgrade priority remains Weapon → Trinkets → Helm/Chest/Legs → Shoulders/Gloves/Belt/Boots → Cloak/Bracers.
Source: Icy Veins Frost Mage BiS, verified April 2026. Keep simming in mind: the guide itself warns that some slots can shift depending on what your vault and raid drops already solved.
| Slot | Priority | BiS Item | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weapon | HIGH | Aln'hara Cane + Darkmoon Sigil: Hunt | Current source-backed default craft from Inscription. The guide explicitly recommends crafting the staff early because it is the biggest reliable early-season power spike. |
| Off-hand fallback | MED | Aln'hara Lantern | Only becomes the recommended craft later if a strong Myth-track Crit/Mastery main-hand replaces your crafted staff. |
| Trinket 1 ⭐ | HIGHEST | Vaelgor's Final Stare | Vaelgor & Ezzorak — The Voidspire (raid) |
| Trinket 2 ⭐ | HIGHEST | Gaze of the Alnseer | Chimaerus — The Dreamrift (raid) · also drops BiS chest + BiS boots |
| Head (tier) | HIGH | Voidbreaker's Veil | Matrix Catalyst or Lightblinded Vanguard — The Voidspire (raid) |
| Neck | MED | Amulet of the Abyssal Hymn | Midnight Falls — March on Quel'Danas (raid) |
| Shoulders | MED | Mantle of Dark Devotion | Windrunner Spire (M+) |
| Cloak | LOW | Rigid Scale Greatcloak | Skyreach (M+) |
| Chest (tier) ⭐ | HIGH | Voidbreaker's Robe | Chimaerus — The Dreamrift (raid) or Matrix Catalyst · same boss as Gaze trinket |
| Bracers | LOW | Martyr's Bindings | Tailoring (crafted) |
| Gloves (tier) | HIGH | Voidbreaker's Gloves | Vorasius — The Voidspire (raid) or Matrix Catalyst |
| Belt | MED | Voidbreaker's Sage Cord | Matrix Catalyst or any high-ilvl Vault drop |
| Legs (tier) ⭐ | HIGH | Voidbreaker's Britches | Vaelgor & Ezzorak — The Voidspire (raid) or Matrix Catalyst · same boss as Vaelgor trinket |
| Boots ⭐ | MED | Dream-Scorched Striders | Chimaerus — The Dreamrift (raid) · same boss as Gaze trinket + chest |
| Ring 1 | HIGH | Sin'dorei Band of Hope | Belo'ren — March on Quel'Danas (raid) |
| Ring 2 | HIGH | Eye of Midnight | Midnight Falls — March on Quel'Danas (raid) |
🗝️ Best Dungeons to Spam This Season
1
Maisara Caverns
Best shared gear overlap in the live pool. Bryce likes the chest and shield angle, and the dungeon teaches the stop-heavy pacing you need for harder Midnight keys.
2
Windrunner Spire
Strong duo key once routes are learned. Bryce gets a clean defensive rhythm and Lydia has obvious burst windows on dangerous pulls and bosses.
3
Skyreach
Still the fastest linear vault-credit key. Use it when you just need a timed run, a weekly box slot, or a calmer session.
4
Algeth'ar Academy
Worth spamming once your interrupts are clean. Route flexibility is good for Bryce, and Lydia can cash in big AoE value if stops are assigned before the pull.
🔮 Crafting Priority
1
Rings (both of you)
No armor type restriction. Highest stat budget relative to crafting cost. Do these first.
2
Bryce — Shield or Wrists
Blacksmithed shield is exceptional if you're unlucky on dungeon drops. Wrists are also cheap to craft.
3
Lydia — Belt or Wrists
Tailored belt/wrists are efficient crafts for cloth. Good for plugging gaps between dungeon drops.
4
Embellishments (2 max)
You can only have 2 embellished items equipped. Pick the strongest for your spec — check Wowhead for current Season 1 top picks.
Reputations
Warband-wide · 4 major renown factions + Slayer's Duellum PvP rep · early Champion gear breakpoints
Renown is Warband-wide (account-wide) for Midnight's 4 major renown factions — Silvermoon Court, Amani Tribe, Hara'ti, and The Singularity. Focus Silvermoon Court first. Their main gear breakpoints are real item rewards, not just cosmetics.
Fastest repeatable rep source: Weekly dungeon quest from Halduron Brightwing in Silvermoon City gives 1,500 rep with the faction you choose, and it should be picked up before any M+ keys. Also: "The World Awaits" Bonus Event gives 2,500 rep for 10 WQs.
⭐ Midnight Factions That Matter
Silvermoon Court
Eversong · Do First
R9: 246 ilvl Champion helm. R12: Dragonhawk Munchkin pet. R17: Crimson Silvermoon Hawkstrider. R19: Fiery Dragonhawk. QM: Caeris Fairdawn, Saltheril's Haven.
Amani Tribe
Zul'Aman
R9: 246 ilvl Champion necklace. R12: Naloki pet. R17: Amani Blessed Bear. R19: Amani Windcaller. QM: Magovu at Amani'Zar Village.
Hara'ti
Harandar
R8: 246 ilvl Champion belt. Also unlocks moth hunting, treasures, decor, and cosmetic sets through The Den. QM: Naynar on the upper level of The Den.
The Singularity
Voidstorm
R7: 246 ilvl Champion trinket. Also unlocks the Research Console and later Void-themed cosmetics and mounts. QM: Void Researcher Anomander at Howling Ridge.
Slayer's Duellum
PvP faction
Separate from the 4 major renown factions. Earn it in Slayer's Rise from PvP world quests, Master's Perch quests, and world-PvP events. Treat it as a cosmetic/PvP lane, not core PvE gearing.
🛡️ Bryce's Rep Targets
Silvermoon Court — Renown 9 first
Best first breakpoint because the R9 Champion helm is real power and Saltheril's Soiree is the richest weekly rep lane.
The Singularity — Renown 7
Fastest impactful follow-up because the R7 Champion trinket comes from the Voidstorm world-event lane.
Amani Tribe — Renown 9
Solid Champion necklace breakpoint and easy to stack with Zul'Aman Prey and Abundance.
Hara'ti — Renown 8
Useful belt breakpoint, but usually later than Silvermoon and Singularity if early gear is the priority.
✨ Lydia's Rep Targets
Silvermoon Court — Renown 9 first
Same as Bryce because Renown is Warband-wide. You both benefit from the first major helm breakpoint.
The Singularity — Renown 7
Fast early trinket breakpoint and easy to combine with Voidstorm world content you are already doing.
Hara'ti — Renown 8
Worth pushing once you care about the Champion belt and Harandar cosmetics. Good second-wave target for Lydia.
Amani Tribe — Renown 9
Champion necklace plus strong mount/cosmetic lane, but usually behind Silvermoon and Singularity if power is the first goal.
⚡ How to Get Renown — Every Source with Numbers
The math: 20 ranks per faction · 2,500 rep per rank · 50,000 total rep to max one faction.
At ~7,000–9,000 rep per week doing everything: expect 6–7 weeks to max one focused faction. Don't split focus across all 4 major factions at once — pick 1–2 and push them. Since it's Warband-wide, do it once and both of you benefit.
At ~7,000–9,000 rep per week doing everything: expect 6–7 weeks to max one focused faction. Don't split focus across all 4 major factions at once — pick 1–2 and push them. Since it's Warband-wide, do it once and both of you benefit.
Rep sources, ranked by value:
+1,500
Weekly dungeon quest — Halduron Brightwing
Find him in Silvermoon City. Pick up before running any M+ keys — runs before you accept don't count. Choose whichever faction you're focused on. Free rep for keys you'd do anyway.
+2,500
"The World Awaits" Bonus Event (when active)
Check the in-game calendar. When this event is up, completing 10 world quests gives 2,500 rep with any faction. Best rep/time in the game during bonus weeks — clear your schedule and grind.
+2,000
Saltheril's Soiree weekly completion (Silvermoon Court)
"Fortify the Runestones" → Surplus Bag of Party Favors gives 2,000 Silvermoon Court rep + 300 subfaction rep. Do this every week if you're pushing Silvermoon Court. Takes ~20 min.
+1,000
Abundance weekly quest (Amani Tribe) · Legends of the Haranir weekly (Hara'ti)
Abundance "Abundant Offerings" weekly → 1,000 Amani Tribe rep. Legends of the Haranir weekly scenario → 1,000 Hara'ti rep. One of each per week — fast, free rep for the relevant faction.
~500+
World quests in the faction's zone
Every WQ in a zone gives rep for that zone's faction. 3–5 available at a time, rolling every few days. Do the ones in your target faction's zone as part of normal Prey hunt loops — you're already there.
~250
Lore Hunter objects · Telescope placements
250 rep per Lore Hunter object found in the zone, 100 rep per telescope placement. One-time sources — do them when you first explore each zone. Small but add up.
Passive
Faction Contracts + Bountiful Delves
Buy a Faction Contract from the AH or profession vendor — adds bonus rep to every WQ you complete for that faction. Bountiful Delves award rep for the nearby zone's faction passively. Both are set-and-forget.
Fastest path per faction:
Silvermoon Court (Eversong)
Halduron quest (1,500) + Saltheril's Soiree weekly (2,000) + WQs in Eversong. Richest weekly rep pool — get this to R9 first for the 246 helm.
Amani Tribe (Zul'Aman)
Halduron quest + Abundance weekly (1,000) + WQs while doing Prey in Zul'Aman. Abundance runs also give Amani rep passively — stack with your farming.
Hara'ti (Harandar)
Halduron quest + Legends of the Haranir weekly (1,000) + Harandar WQs during Prey. The weekly scenario is the fastest 15 min of Hara'ti rep you'll get.
The Singularity (Voidstorm)
Halduron quest + Stormarion Assault weekly + Voidstorm WQs during Prey. Run the Assault every 30 min while farming — it's on the same timer as your Prey activities.
Slayer's Duellum (Slayer's Rise)
Primarily from Prey hunts and outdoor combat. Do your weekly Prey contracts and rep comes passively. Focus this last since the other factions have dedicated weekly quests.
🚫 Renown Mistakes to Avoid
✗
Don't grind all 4 major factions at the same time. You'll hit R9 on none of them for months. Pick 1–2 and push them to the real Champion-item breakpoints, then rotate. Silvermoon Court first, always.
✗
Don't run M+ keys before picking up Halduron's quest. The 1,500 rep doesn't apply retroactively. This is a 10-second pickup that gets skipped constantly. It's the #2 thing to do on Tuesday after picking up your Lady Liadrin Spark quest.
✗
Don't do Saltheril's Soiree without picking a focused subfaction. Every week you choose one subfaction and it hurts the other three. If you randomly switch each week you'll never max any of them. Pick one subfaction and stick to it for 6+ weeks, then rotate.
✓
Do Prey in the same zone as the faction you're pushing. WQs you complete during your Prey hunt give rep to that zone's faction. You're already there — might as well get the rep too.
✓
Check for Bonus Event weeks. When "The World Awaits" is up, doing 10 WQs gives 2,500 rep. That's more than Halduron's weekly quest. Prioritize WQs that week above everything else for rep.
Renown rewards are gated by rank. For raw player power, the clearest source-backed breakpoints are The Singularity R7 trinket, Silvermoon Court R9 helm, Hara'ti R8 belt, and Amani Tribe R9 necklace.
🛡️ Bryce — Spending Priority
1st
The Singularity R7 — 246 ilvl Trinket
Trinkets are highest priority. Push Voidstorm WQs + Stormarion Assault + Voidstorm Prey all in one session. Buy it the moment you hit R7.
2nd
Silvermoon Court R9 — 246 ilvl Plate Helm
Head is a big stat slot. Saltheril's Soiree weekly (2,000 rep) + Halduron quest (1,500) + Eversong WQs gets you here in a few weeks.
3rd
Amani Tribe R9 — 246 ilvl Necklace
Neck is a decent stat slot. Stack Abundance weekly (1,000 rep) + Zul'Aman WQs during Prey.
Later
Blood Knights subfaction (Silvermoon Court) — plate transmog
At the Saltheril's Soiree, pick Blood Knights as your subfaction for 6+ consecutive weeks. Unlocks plate cosmetic armor sets exclusive to the Blood Knight order — perfect for Bryce's Prot Pally fantasy.
What to skip: Don't buy cosmetics before you have the R7 trinket and R9 helm. Cosmetics are account-wide and will still be there in 3 months. Gear pieces are the priority.
✨ Lydia — Spending Priority
1st
The Singularity R7 — 246 ilvl Trinket (same as Bryce)
Since Renown is Warband-wide, if Bryce pushed Singularity to R7, Lydia is already there. Buy the trinket immediately — it's an upgrade for any class.
2nd
Silvermoon Court R9 — 246 ilvl Cloth Helm
Each armor type gets its own helm at R9. Lydia gets cloth. Same faction as Bryce — grind it together and both benefit simultaneously.
3rd
Hara'ti R8 — 246 ilvl belt + Harandar unlocks
Hara'ti has the strongest cosmetic angle for Lydia, but the source-backed early power breakpoint is the R8 Champion belt. Stack Legends of the Haranir weekly + Harandar WQs during Prey.
Later
Saltheril's Soiree — Magisters subfaction (cloth transmog)
Picking Magisters at the Soiree for 6+ weeks unlocks arcane-themed cloth transmog pieces. Great for Frost/Arcane Mage look. Long-term project but worth it.
🎉 Brimming Arcana — Saltheril's Soiree Currency
Earned from Saltheril's Soiree weekly events. Spent at subfaction quartermasters in Eversong. Different from renown — this is the Soiree-specific currency.
🛡️
Bryce — spend on Blood Knights
Blood Knights QM sells plate transmog armor sets, tabards, and cosmetic charger customizations. Spend Brimming Arcana here after buying the trinket + helm.
✨
Lydia — spend on Magisters
Magisters QM sells cloth robes, arcane-themed cosmetics, and crafting recipes. The best-looking mage cosmetics in the Soiree vendor pool.
💡
Weekly earn: ~30–60 Brimming Arcana
From Saltheril's Favor quests (30 each ×3) + Bonus Objectives (+25 each). Takes several weeks to save for big purchases.
🏆
Long-term: Umbral Dragonhawk
Max all 4 subfactions (Blood Knights, Magisters, Farstriders, Shades) for "Life of the Party" achievement → Umbral Dragonhawk mount. Multi-month goal.
🐴 Full Renown Reward Ladder
Silvermoon Court
R9: 246 Champion helm (all armor types) · R12: Dragonhawk Munchkin pet · R17: Crimson Silvermoon Hawkstrider · R19: Fiery Dragonhawk
Amani Tribe
R9: 246 Champion necklace · R12: Naloki pet · R17: Amani Blessed Bear · R19: Amani Windcaller
Hara'ti
R8: 246 Champion belt · Moth hunting, treasures, decor, and Haranir-themed cosmetics unlock through the faction track
The Singularity
R7: 246 trinket (top priority) · Research Console at R2 · Void-themed cosmetics and mounts later in the track
Slayer's Duellum
PvP-only reputation from Slayer's Rise world quests, Master's Perch quests, and world-PvP events
Umbral Dragonhawk (long-term): Max all four Saltheril's Soiree subfactions — Magisters, Blood Knights, Farstriders, Shades of the Row — for the "Life of the Party" achievement. 6 rep ranks × 500 per rank per faction = 6+ weeks each minimum. Multi-month project but one of the best-looking mounts in Midnight.
🎨 Best Cosmetics by Class
🛡️ Bryce — Plate Cosmetics Worth Chasing
Blood Knights subfaction armor (Soiree)
Crimson plate sets exclusive to the Blood Knight order. Spend Brimming Arcana here — pick Blood Knights as your subfaction for several weeks.
Singularity void plate cosmetics (R15+)
Dark, void-infused plate transmog. Incredibly good-looking on Prot Pally — voidsteel armor vibe.
Fiery Dragonhawk mount (Silvermoon R19)
Flying dragonhawk. Matches the Blood Knight / paladin colour palette perfectly.
✨ Lydia — Cloth Cosmetics Worth Chasing
Hara'ti cloth robes (R12+)
Nature-themed cloth sets. Gorgeous druid-adjacent look for a mage — green/gold flowing robes with organic detailing.
Magisters subfaction arcane cloth (Soiree)
Arcane-themed robes from the Magisters quartermaster. Perfect Frost/Arcane Mage aesthetic — deep blue with arcane runes.
Umbral Dragonhawk (long-term Soiree goal)
The best mount reward in the whole renown system. Takes months but worth planning toward.
World Boss
This week's world boss — kill it once per character per reset
World bosses reset Tuesday with everything else. They drop Champion track gear (Warbound-until-equipped) — free loot you can upgrade with Dawncrests. Kill it every week on both characters. Takes less than 10 minutes with a Group Finder raid.
🌍
Loading this week's world boss...
📋 World Boss Rotation — Midnight Season 1
One boss is active each week in rotation. Current guides list four Season 1 bosses; kills are a free Champion-track chance each reset.
🛡️ Bryce — What to Hope For
Plate helm, chest, or legs
World bosses can drop any armor type. Use them as a quick Champion-track catch-up shot if one of Bryce's big armor slots is lagging.
Rings or trinkets
Armor-agnostic slots — always useful. Defensive trinkets especially welcome.
Token for Vault teleport
Some world bosses drop the weekly cache token. Always loot the body — don't skip it.
✨ Lydia — What to Hope For
Cloth chest or legs
Same deal — cloth pieces at 278 is solid. Big stat budget slots.
Rings (always take these)
No armor type. Frost loves Haste/Crit rings. Equip over your current rings if they're below 270.
On-use trinket
If a DPS on-use trinket drops, take it. Frost lines up trinkets with Icy Veins — big window.
Tanking — Bryce's Deep Dive
General tanking + Prot Pally specific · applies to all content
Prot Pally has the best external toolkit in the game. The ilikecats HUD tracks your last use of each — so you always know what's available.
🤝 Externals — What to Cast on Lydia and When
Prot Pally has the best external toolkit in the game. The ilikecats HUD now tracks your last use of each — so you know when they're available again.
Blessing of Protection
5 min CD
Makes Lydia immune to physical damage for 10 seconds. Use when she gets targeted by a heavy melee mechanic, a dangerous add fixates her, or a boss cleave is about to land and she cannot reposition in time. Warning: removes her from your taunt — she loses any aggro during BoP.
Blessing of Sacrifice
2 min CD
Transfers 30% of damage Lydia takes to you for 12 seconds. Your most frequent external — use it on Tyrannical bosses during heavy raid-wide damage or when Lydia's health is dropping fast. You can usually tank the redirected damage with your mitigation up.
Lay on Hands
10 min CD
Fills Lydia's HP to full instantly. Emergency only — you're saving her life. Use when she's sub-20% and about to take another hit and Ice Block is on cooldown. Don't waste this on moderate damage. The HUD tracks when you last used it.
Blessing of Freedom
25 sec CD
Removes and prevents movement impairing effects for 8 seconds. Use when Lydia gets rooted or heavily slowed by a dungeon mechanic, when she needs to kite something, or any time movement is the wipe condition.
Aura Mastery
3 min CD
If you run Devotion Aura, Aura Mastery makes it party-wide for 8s — major magic damage reduction. Use on boss AoE magic spikes (typically a specific cast you can see coming on BigWigs timer). Pre-plan this, don't react.
Most tanks die from one of three things: not using active mitigation, pulling before healer mana, or standing in avoidable damage. Almost never from "not enough ilvl." Fix those first.
📐 Positioning Fundamentals
1
Face bosses away from the group
Frontal cleaves hit whoever is in front of the boss. Keep Lydia behind the boss — always. If she's ever in front of where the boss is facing, reposition immediately.
2
Don't stand in the center of the room
Tanks who start in the middle give themselves nowhere to kite. Start near a wall — gives you the whole room to work with if you need to move.
3
Kite into corners to stack mobs tight
Pull packs back toward a corner or wall, then stop. Mobs path around you, Lydia's AoE hits a tight cluster. Blizzard on a 2-foot spread = maximum damage.
4
Move packs before dangerous death effects
When a pull has on-death puddles, explosions, or denial zones, reposition before the mob actually dies. Late movement is usually wipe movement.
5
Use terrain as a tool
Doorways, pillars, and slopes block line of sight — mobs path around them and clump up. Use LoS pulls to stack ranged casters into melee range.
🧠 Active Mitigation — The Core Loop
📌
Shield of the Righteous = your armor buff
SotR gives you a massive armor increase for 4.5 seconds. The goal is to always have this up when taking hits. Pre-cast it before the boss auto-attacks, not after you start taking damage.
📌
Never hit max Holy Power without SotR
If you're at 5 HP and SotR is available, cast it. Capping HP means wasted generation. The only exception: saving HP for an emergency Word of Glory when you're being chunked.
📌
Pre-cast before scary moments
Look at BigWigs timers. If a boss mechanic hits in 3 seconds, build HP and cast SotR now — not when the hit lands. Reactive tanking is always a step behind.
📌
Stack defensives on the scariest 10 seconds
Ardent Defender + Guardian of Ancient Kings + SotR at the same time is near-immortality. Don't spread them out — stack them when things get dangerous, then coast after.
🗝️ M+ Tank Communication — What to Say
"Pulling" — before every pull
Say it in party chat or out loud. Lydia needs half a second to get Ice Lance ready. Never yank a pack silently.
"Stop DPS" — when kill order matters
If one mob dying early will trigger a bad overlap, say it clearly so Lydia can swap or hold for a second.
"Kill [target]" — priority kill
Mark the caster or the dangerous mob with a skull. Lydia switches automatically. Do this at the start of every pull, not mid-fight.
"I need a second" — between packs
If you're low on HP or HP pool, say it. Much better than pulling the next pack at 40% HP and dying.
"Poly [target]" — CC request
Lydia can Sheep. Mark a target with a blue square (moon) and call it out. Don't expect her to read your mind — ask.
"I popped [CD]" — letting her know
If you just used Guardian of Ancient Kings, say so. She can go harder knowing you're mitigated. If you're dry on CDs, say that too — she should play safer.
"Skip" vs "fight" — route decisions
Always say which you're doing before you move. Nothing worse than Lydia DPSing something you were trying to walk past.
Check the timer out loud
When you're inside the dungeon, call out "we're ahead/behind" at the halfway point. Keeps both of you calibrated on pace.
❌ Most Common Tank Deaths (and how to avoid them)
1
Letting SotR fall off during boss casts
You see the boss winding up and you're watching your rotation. Pre-cast SotR on every BigWigs timer that shows incoming tank damage. This is the #1 avoidable death.
2
Pulling before checking healer mana
Glance at healer mana after every large pack. If they're under 60%, wait. A 5-second pause costs nothing. A dead healer costs 15 seconds minimum.
3
Using Divine Shield as a panic button
You lose all threat during it. If you don't taunt immediately when it fades, everything runs to Lydia. Plan DS ahead of time — use it to cheese a mechanic, not because you're scared.
4
Standing in avoidable damage
Fire, void zones, whatever — a tank who doesn't move is taking more damage than the whole pull combined. The healer can handle melee hits. They can't handle melee hits plus a void pool.
5
Over-pulling on Tyrannical
Fortified weeks you can chain pull. Tyrannical weeks the trash is weaker but the bosses are brutal — save your CDs. Don't blow Ardent Defender on trash right before a boss.
✅ Green Flags — Signs You're Tanking Well
SotR is up when the boss swings
If you're taking hits without SotR, that's the first thing to fix. Everything else is secondary.
You're using externals on Lydia proactively
BoS on cooldown on Tyrannical bosses. BoP when she gets targeted by something. You shouldn't finish a key with all CDs unused.
Lydia is always behind the boss
If she's taking frontal cleaves, that's a positioning problem — yours, not hers. Bosses should always face a wall.
You're calling out pulls before making them
Lydia isn't guessing when the next pack is coming. She knows, she's ready, she's pre-casting.
The healer isn't panicking
The best metric for good tanking is a bored healer. If they're chain casting on you constantly, something's wrong — it's usually avoidable damage or dropped SotR.
You know what the scary cast is before it happens
You've looked up the dungeon, you know Nullaeus does an execute at 30%, you know Magister's Terrace boss 2 has a frontal. Preparation is 80% of good tanking.
📊 How to Actually Improve — Review Loop
1
Run a key, upload to Warcraft Logs
Log in, go to warcraftlogs.com, search your character. If the run was logged by anyone in the group it appears automatically. You don't need to set anything up.
2
Check the Deaths tab first
Click "Deaths" in the log. It shows exactly what killed you — the last 5 hits, what your HP was, what mitigation was active. One look tells you whether you dropped SotR, stood in something, or got OS'd.
3
Check your SotR uptime
In the Buffs tab, search "Shield of the Righteous." Your uptime % is shown. Aim for 60–70%+ on bosses. Below 50% means you're taking a lot of unmitigated hits.
4
Check interrupt count
Casts tab → Interrupts. See how many you did vs how many landed uninterrupted. Should be close to zero uninterrupted on dangerous casts.
5
Check Lydia's deaths the same way
Did she die to something you could have prevented with an external? BoP, BoS, or LoH would have saved her. Identify the moment and have the CD ready next time.
6
ilikecats HUD tracks this live
The HUD now shows deaths and interrupts during the key, and your external CD last-used timers. You don't need to wait for a log — you can self-correct mid-run.
7
One thing to fix per run
Don't try to fix everything at once. Pick one thing from the log — "I dropped SotR twice before that wipe" — and specifically focus on that one thing next run. Improvement compounds fast this way.
Resources
Raidbots · Warcraft Logs · Class Discords · Gold tips
🎲 Raidbots — Sim Your Character
Raidbots runs SimulationCraft in your browser using your actual character data. Use it to answer "is this upgrade actually an upgrade?" — don't guess.
How to use it
1
Install the SimC addon in-game
Curse/WoWUp: search "SimulationCraft." Install it, then type /simc in-game. Copy the giant text block that appears.
2
Go to raidbots.com → Top Gear
Paste your SimC string. Select the pieces you want to compare. Hit Simulate. Wait ~30 seconds.
3
Read the result
It shows DPS (or tank score) for each gear combo. The highest number wins. The % difference tells you how much it matters.
4
Run Stat Weights
Raidbots → Stat Weights. Shows you exactly how much each stat is worth. Bryce: confirms Haste priority. Lydia: confirms Haste/Crit balance for current build.
What to sim when
Two trinkets dropped — which combo?
Top Gear with both trinkets checked. The sim picks the better combo including interaction effects. Don't eyeball trinkets.
Vault gave you a lower ilvl piece
Lower ilvl can win if it has better stats. Run Top Gear. Especially true for Lydia with Haste vs Crit balance.
Talent build check
Raidbots → Droptimizer or Talents. Compare talent builds for your actual dungeon content — not just a target dummy.
Embellishment choice
You can only have 2 embellished items. Sim all the combos — the meta pick on Wowhead might not be best for your specific current gear.
Don't sim obsessively
A 0.5% sim difference doesn't matter in practice. Sim when you have a real choice to make, not after every drop. Play the game.
📊 Warcraft Logs — Reading Your Logs
Warcraft Logs automatically captures combat data from anyone in your group who has combat logging enabled. Go to warcraftlogs.com and search your character name.
For Bryce (tank)
Deaths tab → what killed you exactly
Shows last 5 hits before death, your HP %, what buffs were active. One glance tells you: dropped SotR? Stood in something? Got OS'd by a mechanic you didn't know about?
Buffs tab → SotR uptime %
Search "Shield of the Righteous" in the buff list. Your uptime on boss fights. 60–70%+ is the target. Below 50% = you're getting hit unmitigated too often.
Casts tab → interrupt count
How many interrupts did you land? How many dangerous casts went through? Should be close to zero dangerous uninterrupted casts.
Healing done → externals used
BoS transfers show in the healing log. LoH appears as a massive heal. Did you use your externals or finish the run with them all unused?
For Lydia (DPS)
Damage tab → DPS and uptime
Check Frost Bolt + Ice Lance share of total damage. If Frostbolt is doing more than Ice Lance, you're not hitting the shattering combo correctly.
Buffs → Icy Veins uptime / timing
Is Icy Veins being used at the start of the fight or saved for when the boss is low? Should overlap with Hand of Frost and Frozen Orb.
Deaths → was it avoidable?
If she died to avoidable damage (stood in fire, didn't move from a circle), that's mechanical. If she died to unavoidable, could Bryce have used an external?
Cast count → how much downtime?
Frost Mage should be casting almost constantly. Long gaps in the cast log mean movement issues or hesitation. Reduce dead GCDs.
🛡️ Bryce's Links
Hammer of Wrath Discord
The official Paladin Discord. #prot-main channel for tank questions. Has a bot that can answer stat questions instantly. Best place to ask about Midnight-specific changes.
Icy Veins — Prot Pally Guide
Full rotation, talents, stat weights. Updated for every patch. The authoritative starting point — don't guess at builds.
raidbots.com
Sim gear choices. SimC addon in-game → /simc → paste to Raidbots. Use "Top Gear" for item comparisons, "Stat Weights" monthly.
warcraftlogs.com
Search your character after runs. Deaths tab + SotR uptime + interrupt count. One log review per week beats hours of guessing.
wowanalyzer.com
Paste a WCL log URL. It automatically grades your performance and tells you specifically what to improve. Very beginner friendly — just reads the log for you.
✨ Lydia's Links
Altered Time Discord
The Mage Discord. #frost-chat and #frost-help channels. Has a pinned SimC string comparison thread and frequent patch note breakdowns. Best source for Frost-specific Midnight updates.
Icy Veins — Frost Mage Guide
Full rotation, talents, trinket tier list. Essential reading after every patch. Especially check the "changes" section when Midnight drops a patch.
raidbots.com
Same deal — especially important for Lydia since Frost trinket synergy matters a lot. Run Top Gear whenever two trinkets drop in the same week.
warcraftlogs.com
Check Icy Veins alignment, Brain Freeze procs converted to Ice Lance, cast downtime. Lots of easy wins visible in Frost logs.
wowhead.com/transmog-sets
Filter cloth transmog by expansion and armor type. The best transmog hunting tool — bookmark the cloth filter specifically.
💰 Gold — Not Being Broke on Consumables
Passive income (do these anyway)
Do world quests for gold reward ones
Filter world quests by reward. Gold WQs are usually 200-400g each and take 2 minutes. Do them whenever you're passing through the zone.
Vendor everything you don't need
Don't disenchant unless you're an Enchanter. Straight vendoring grays + outdated greens adds up. Clear your bags after every session.
Sell crafting mats on AH, not raw
Herbs, ore, leather — sell the mats, not the crafted items (unless you can craft something with strong margins). Check AH prices before vendoring.
Spending smart
Buy the feast, not individual food
Grand Banquet gives both of you food buff. Split the cost — buying one feast is cheaper than two individual food items.
Buy potions in bulk on off-days
Potion prices dip on Tuesday/Wednesday (fresh supply). Buying Saturday is usually 30% more expensive. Stock up early in the week.
Use the crafting order system
Post a crafting order for consumables instead of buying AH. You supply the mats, someone crafts it for a small tip. Saves gold on the craft fee markup.
You don't need max consumables for +7s
Full flask + pot + food matters at high keys. For learning runs and lower content, just flask. Don't go broke over-consuming on farm content.
Trading Post
Monthly cosmetics — mounts, transmog, pets, toys
Never spend Tender impulsively. Items rotate out and come back. Mounts are the best value — they're account-wide and permanent. Transmog is next. Don't spend on toys you'll forget about.
🪙 How Trader's Tender Works
1
500 free Tender every month
Automatically deposited when you log in each new calendar month. Never expires — rolls over indefinitely.
2
Earn up to 500 more from Traveler's Log
Monthly activity log — complete themed tasks (kill X enemies, do Y dungeons, etc.). Every 200 Travel Points = 100 Tender. Max 500 extra per month.
3
Up to 1,000 Tender per month if you grind the log
500 free + 500 from activities. You don't need to do all activities — just enough to fill the bar.
4
Account-wide — shared between all characters
Tender pool and purchases are shared. Once bought, cosmetics are available to all your characters.
📍 Where to Find It
Silvermoon City
Trading Post vendor in the renewed capital. Easiest to access since you'll be here anyway.
Stormwind City
T&W (Tawney and Wilder) vendors outside the Mage District.
Orgrimmar
Zen'shiri Trading Post next to Grommash Hold.
Traveler's Log
Open it from the Adventure Guide (Shift+J) or the Trading Post button on your minimap. Complete monthly activities for bonus Tender.
Collector's Cache
Your mailbox will have the Cache at the start of each month — open it to collect your 500 free Tender. Don't forget to check mail!
🌸 April 2026 — "Tend to Your Garden" Theme
April's theme is garden/nature cosmetics. Bonus reward: Fill the monthly activity bar completely to unlock the Forest Dweller's Butterfly Attire for free — on top of any Tender purchases.
Flying mount variants
Color-coordinated flying mount variants with garden/nature themes. Mounts are always the best Tender value — account-wide.
Garden-themed transmog weapons
Nature-style staves, swords, offhands. Good for Lydia's cloth sets if she's going for a nature aesthetic.
Cosmetic pets
Nature/garden themed battle pets. Non-combat also available. Lydia — check the pet list before buying, some are from other sources.
Previous months are back in rotation
The Trading Post sometimes brings back older items. Check the full list each month — something you missed may be available again.
Don't buy what you can farm
Some Trading Post items are also available in-game via other means. Check Wowhead before spending Tender.
Save for the mounts
If nothing in a month excites you, save. 1,000 Tender per month builds up fast — big mounts appear every few months.
💡 Buying Priority — What's Worth It
1. Mounts
Best value. Account-wide. Permanent. You'll still be riding these in 3 expansions. Always buy unique mounts first.
2. Transmog sets
Full armor sets that match your class/spec. Lydia should grab any cloth sets that click. Bryce — plate stuff rarely shows up so grab it when it does.
3. Weapons
Weapon appearances are visible 100% of the time. Worth buying if it fits your transmog — especially staves for Lydia.
4. Pets
Only if you actively collect pets. Lydia — yes. Bryce — probably skip unless it's something really funny.
5. Toys / other
Lowest priority. You'll use them twice and forget. Save Tender for things you'll actually see every day.
📅 Traveler's Log — Getting Your 500 Bonus Tender
You don't need to do everything — just hit 1,000 Travel Points (= 500 Tender). Most months the activities align with what you're doing anyway.
Complete 5 Mythic+ dungeons
You're doing these anyway. Usually worth 200+ Travel Points alone.
Complete Bountiful Delves
Part of your weekly routine. Counts for the log automatically.
World quest completions
Easy passive points while doing your weekly rep and Dawncrest grind.
Housing activities
Decorating your house and doing housing Endeavors often count toward the log. Check if there's a housing task this month.
Check the log early in the month
Open it on the 1st and scan what the tasks are. Some require specific content — plan ahead so you don't miss easy points.
Fill the bonus bar for the free item
The bonus reward (this month: Forest Dweller's Butterfly Attire) requires filling the entire bar. Worth the extra effort if the reward is good.
Gearing Guide
Item level tracks · Crest upgrades · Vendor locations · Armor type · Gear by slot
Bryce: Should you keep that higher ilvl mail piece?
Wearing wrong armor type removes your Armor Specialization (+5% primary stat bonus for plate). There is no other penalty. Rule of thumb: if the wrong-type piece is more than ~10 ilvl higher, keep it — the raw stats outweigh the 5% Strength/Stamina loss. If it's within 5 ilvl, replace with plate. Always replace when you have a same-ilvl correct-type option.
Wearing wrong armor type removes your Armor Specialization (+5% primary stat bonus for plate). There is no other penalty. Rule of thumb: if the wrong-type piece is more than ~10 ilvl higher, keep it — the raw stats outweigh the 5% Strength/Stamina loss. If it's within 5 ilvl, replace with plate. Always replace when you have a same-ilvl correct-type option.
📊 Item Level Tracks — Midnight Season 1
| Track | 1/6 | 2/6 | 3/6 | 4/6 | 5/6 | 6/6 Max | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adventurer | 220 | 224 | 227 | 230 | 233 | 237 | Outdoor events, Normal Prey Hunts, Delves T1–4 |
| Veteran | 233 | 237 | 240 | 243 | 246 | 250 | Weekly outdoor events, LFR, Heroic dungeons, Hard Prey, Delves T5–6 |
| Champion | 246 | 250 | 253 | 256 | 259 | 263 | Normal raids, M0 dungeons, M+ +2/+3 end-of-run, Nightmare Prey, Delves T7–8, World Bosses |
| Hero | 259 | 263 | 266 | 269 | 272 | 276 | Heroic raids (259–269 on-boss), M+ up to +10 end-of-run (266), Delves T8 vault, Nightmare Prey vault, M+ weekly vault (+10 = 272) |
| Myth | 272 | 276 | 279 | 282 | 285 | 289 | Mythic raids only (272–289), M+ +9+ vault |
Source: Icy Veins gearing guide, updated March 2026
💎 Dawncrest Upgrade System
📍
Upgrade Vendor: Cuzolth
Located in Silvermoon City at coords 48.6, 62. This is your one-stop upgrade vendor — bring your gear and crests here.
💰
Cost: 20 crests per rank upgrade
Each rank (e.g. 1/6 → 2/6) costs 20 crests of that track's type. Full upgrade 1/6 → 6/6 = 100 crests total. Weekly crest cap is also 100 — so a full upgrade costs one week's cap.
🔄
Crest Exchange: Vaskarn (same location)
Converts higher crests → lower at 10:1 ratio (10 Hero crests → 1 bundle of Champion crests). Downward only — can't convert up.
🏆
Achievement Discount: -50% crest cost
Certain upgrade achievements reduce crest costs by 50%. Push for these early — upgrading gets twice as efficient once you hit them.
✅ Is It Worth Upgrading With Crests?
❌
Don't upgrade Adventurer/Veteran track
You'll replace these fast. Save Adventurer + Veteran crests unless you're capped and have nothing else to spend them on.
⚠️
Champion crests — upgrade slots you won't replace soon
Good value for non-tier slots (wrist, waist, neck) where upgrades are infrequent. Don't upgrade pieces that could be replaced by a raid drop this week.
✓
Hero crests — upgrade weapon and trinkets first
Weapon and trinkets give the most DPS/survivability per ilvl. When you get a Hero-track weapon, max it out before touching armor.
⭐
Myth crests — only from Mythic raid
Don't worry about these until you're actively progressing Mythic difficulty. They're irrelevant for our current content.
🎯 Bryce + Lydia — Hero/Myth Crest Playbook
Rule: Hero/Myth crests only go into pieces that should survive at least 1-2 lockouts. Never spend these before opening Great Vault.
🛡️ Bryce spend order
Hero 1: Weapon and shield (highest staying power)
Hero 2: Best two trinkets you are actually keeping
Hero 3: Real tier pieces only (head/chest/legs first)
Myth: Same order, only for true long-term pieces
✨ Lydia spend order
Hero 1: Best current weapon (Aln'hara Cane plan if unsolved)
Hero 2: Vaelgor's Final Stare + Gaze of the Alnseer
Hero 3: Tier chest/legs, then head/hands
Myth: Weapon/trinkets first, then core tier
Tuesday
Open Vault → lock which slots are solved this week → spend Hero/Myth only after that decision.
Hold
If a slot is likely to be replaced this week from raid, vault, or planned dungeon farm, do not spend Hero/Myth there yet.
Cap safety
Champion and below should be emptied before reset. Hero/Myth can be held briefly for good targets, but do not chain-cap without a plan.
🛡️ Bryce — Upgrade Priority by Slot
1st: Weapon + Shield
Biggest single-slot stat contribution. Max these first with Hero crests. Craft early if drops are slow.
2nd: Trinkets
Prioritize your best defensive or mixed-value trinkets next. This is the slot where you should sim or compare raid and dungeon options instead of trusting a frozen one-line BiS list.
3rd: Head/Chest/Legs (tier set)
Tier set bonuses are strong. Get 2pc and 4pc quickly, but do not blindly downgrade huge item-level jumps just because a piece has a set tag. Check the breakpoints with your current gear.
4th: Shoulders/Gloves (tier)
Complete the tier set. Use the Catalyst system to convert non-tier pieces into tier if needed.
5th: Neck/Ring
Good secondary-stat slots. Solve them with craft + vault pressure rather than over-farming a single item name unless your current sims point to a clear winner.
Last: Wrist/Waist/Back
Lowest stat budget slots. Don't waste Hero crests here until everything else is maxed.
📍 Where to Solve Each Slot — Prot Pally
Weapon + ShieldRaid / Vault / CraftBiggest Bryce priority. Craft early if the season opens with a dead slot and replace only when a clearly better raid or vault piece lands.
Tier slotsRaid / CatalystHead, shoulders, chest, hands, and legs should be planned around 2pc then 4pc, with Catalyst fixing the slot that refuses to drop.
Neck + RingsCraft / VaultUse these as flexible stat-fix slots. Armor-agnostic pieces are often the cleanest place to solve bad RNG without wasting time on a narrow farm target.
TrinketsRaid / Dungeons / SimThis is the slot most likely to change with tuning. Use current sim values or updated trinket rankings instead of assuming a permanent two-item list.
Wrist / Waist / BackAny highest ilvlLowest stat-budget slots. Fill with highest item level available and spend leftover crests here last.
Source-safe summary: Protection Paladin gearing guidance is strongest on slot priority, crafts, and upgrade order. Exact season-long item rankings for tank trinkets and individual off-pieces can move, so the site now avoids pretending those names are fixed forever.
💎 Crest System — How It All Works
Cuzolth — Upgrade gear with crests
Bring a piece of gear. Click it → choose a rank → spend crests. 20 crests per rank, 6 ranks = 100 crests to fully upgrade one item.
Vaskarn — Convert crests (same spot)
Downward only. 10 Hero crests → Champion bundle. You can never convert upward. Only use this if you're capping on higher crests with nothing to spend them on.
The crest ladder — each crest type upgrades its matching gear track:
Myth Crests
Mythic raid · M+9+
upgrades ▶
Myth gear · 272–289
Mythic raid only
10:1↓
Hero Crests ⭐ hold these
Heroic raid · M+4–10 · Delves T11
upgrades ▶
Hero gear · 259–276
Heroic raid drops · M+8–10 vault
10:1↓
Champion Crests — spend weekly
Normal raid · M+2–3 · Nightmare Prey · Delves T7–8
upgrades ▶
Champion gear · 246–263
Normal raid · World boss · Nightmare Prey
10:1↓
Veteran Crests — spend or ignore
LFR · Heroic dungeons · Hard Prey · Delves T5–6
upgrades ▶
Veteran gear · 233–250
LFR · Heroic dungeon drops
10:1↓
Adventurer Crests — don't bother
Outdoor events · Normal Prey · Delves T1–4
upgrades ▶
Adventurer gear · 220–237
Starter gear — replaces itself just by playing
bottom
What to hold vs spend:
Adventurer/Veteran
Never upgrade with these — the gear at those tracks replaces itself by just playing. If you're close to 100 cap, spend on literally any slot so you don't waste the weekly earn. Or convert 10:1 down at Vaskarn.
Champion
Spend every week before Tuesday. Upgrade Champion-track neck, rings, wrist, waist, cloak, boots. These are safe — non-tier slots don't get replaced by set pieces. If all those are maxed, you're done with Champion crests on this character.
Hero ⭐
Hold until you know exactly what you're spending them on — then spend. Order: weapon → trinkets → tier pieces (once you have the actual tier item). Don't panic spend. Don't hoard past 2 weeks (100 cap still applies).
Converting ↓
Only convert if you're genuinely capping on a type with nowhere to spend. 10 Hero → Champion bundle. Can never go upward. Vaskarn is at the same spot as Cuzolth (48.6, 62 Silvermoon).
Run this checklist before spending any crests:
✗
Is this slot going to drop from a boss or dungeon you're running this week?
If yes → don't upgrade with crests yet. Farm it first. The drop costs nothing. Upgrading something you'll replace in 2 days is pure waste.
If yes → don't upgrade with crests yet. Farm it first. The drop costs nothing. Upgrading something you'll replace in 2 days is pure waste.
✗
Is the piece Adventurer track (220–237) or Veteran track (233–250)?
Don't upgrade it. You'll replace this gear just by playing content. Adventurer and Veteran crests have a 100/week cap — if you're capping and have no better use, convert them down (10:1) to save some, but generally just let lower crests float.
Don't upgrade it. You'll replace this gear just by playing content. Adventurer and Veteran crests have a 100/week cap — if you're capping and have no better use, convert them down (10:1) to save some, but generally just let lower crests float.
✗
Is this a tier slot (Head, Shoulders, Chest, Hands, Legs)?
Don't upgrade a non-tier piece in a tier slot with crests. Wait for the actual tier piece to drop from raid or use the Catalyst to convert it. Upgrading the wrong item in that slot wastes crests you'll need later.
Don't upgrade a non-tier piece in a tier slot with crests. Wait for the actual tier piece to drop from raid or use the Catalyst to convert it. Upgrading the wrong item in that slot wastes crests you'll need later.
✓
Is this Champion track (246+) in a non-tier slot (wrist, waist, neck, cloak, back, ring)?
Yes, upgrade it. These slots don't have tier set bonuses — a Champion crest upgrade here is reliable progress that won't be wasted.
Yes, upgrade it. These slots don't have tier set bonuses — a Champion crest upgrade here is reliable progress that won't be wasted.
✓
Do you have Hero crests? Always spend them on weapon first, then trinkets.
Weapon and trinkets give the most gain per upgrade. Don't sit on Hero crests. If your weapon and both trinkets are maxed, then move to tier slots.
Weapon and trinkets give the most gain per upgrade. Don't sit on Hero crests. If your weapon and both trinkets are maxed, then move to tier slots.
!
Are you approaching the 100 crest weekly cap on any type?
If yes — spend now, even on a suboptimal slot, rather than capping and losing next week's crests. Any upgrade is better than zero. Spend Champion crests and below before Tuesday reset. Only hoard Hero crests if you're 1–2 upgrades away from finishing a BiS piece.
If yes — spend now, even on a suboptimal slot, rather than capping and losing next week's crests. Any upgrade is better than zero. Spend Champion crests and below before Tuesday reset. Only hoard Hero crests if you're 1–2 upgrades away from finishing a BiS piece.
Vendor: Cuzolth · Silvermoon City 48.6, 62
· Crest exchange: Vaskarn (same spot)
🛡️ Bryce — Prot Pally upgrade order
Hero crests
FIRST
Weapon → Shield (both to max)
Hero crests
2nd
Trinket 1 → Trinket 2 (both to max)
Hero crests
3rd
Tier pieces — only once you have the actual tier item (Head/Chest/Legs first)
Champion
parallel
Neck → Ring ×2 (non-tier, safe to upgrade anytime)
Champion
later
Wrist → Waist → Boots → Cloak (spend before cap)
SKIP
never
Adventurer/Veteran gear · Tier slots with a non-tier piece in them
✨ Lydia — Frost Mage upgrade order
Hero crests
FIRST
Best current weapon to max, with crafted Aln'hara Cane as the default source-backed plan if raid/vault RNG has not solved it yet
Hero crests
2nd
Vaelgor's Final Stare → Gaze of the Alnseer (S-tier trinkets trump everything)
Hero crests
3rd
Tier pieces — Chest/Legs first (same bosses as trinkets), then Head/Hands
Champion
parallel
Ring ×2 → Neck (no armor type, safe to upgrade now)
Champion
later
Bracers (Tailoring) → Waist → Cloak (spend before cap)
SKIP
never
Adventurer/Veteran gear · Tier slots without the actual tier piece
Crest type reference:
Adventurer crests
Never spend. Gear at this track replaces itself. If you're capping: convert 10:1 down to Veteran at Vaskarn (same spot as Cuzolth) or just let them sit.
Veteran crests
Rarely spend. Only if a non-tier slot is genuinely stuck. Always spend before cap — never hold these at 100/week.
Champion crests
Spend on non-tier slots at Champion track (246+): Neck, Rings, Wrist, Waist, Cloak, Boots. Always spend before Tuesday reset — 100 cap, never waste.
Hero crests
High value. Order: Weapon → Trinkets → Tier pieces (once you have the tier item) → non-tier. Don't hoard more than 2 weeks.
Myth crests
Only from Mythic raid and high M+. Not relevant for our current content — don't stress.
🚫 Don't Waste Anything — Every Capped System
Sparks of Radiance
1 per week · from Lady Liadrin's quest
1 per week · from Lady Liadrin's quest
Never waste on a slot you'll replace soon. Best slots: Weapon (season start), Rings (no armor type), Off-hand (Lydia). Think twice before using — you only get one per week. If unsure, hold it one more week and see what drops.
Catalyst Charges
+1 every 2 weeks · max 8 stored
+1 every 2 weeks · max 8 stored
Only use on Head, Shoulders, Chest, Hands, or Legs. Converting any other slot (belt, boots, cloak, wrist, ring, neck) gives transmog only — no set bonus. Rush to 4-piece before using charges on off-slots. At 4-piece, "Catalyst Unbound" activates and charges drop passively from all content.
Great Vault
Resets Tuesday · expires next Tuesday
Resets Tuesday · expires next Tuesday
Never let it expire unclaimed. Even if all 3 choices are terrible, pick one and trade it for a Thalassian Token of Merit — exchange for Dawncrests, a socket item, or a Spark of Radiance. Something is always better than nothing. Unlock all 3 slots: 8 M+ runs + 6 raid bosses + 8 world activities.
Bountiful Delves
Requires Restored Coffer Key
Requires Restored Coffer Key
If you run out of revives before the final boss — abandon the run, don't finish. Completing a Bountiful Delve with zero revives locks you out of the premium chest. The key is wasted either way if you finish, so abandon and restart with revives. Also: pick up the Bounty Board quest before starting.
Prey Journey Points
First 4 hunts = 1,000 pts · after = 50 pts
First 4 hunts = 1,000 pts · after = 50 pts
Only the first 4 Prey hunts per week give meaningful Journey progress (1,000 points each). After that, each extra hunt gives only 50 points. Do your 4 priority hunts first (across all three difficulties), then decide if extra runs are worth it for the gear chest alone.
Nebulous Voidcores
Starts at 2/char/week · +2 per week
Starts at 2/char/week · +2 per week
Buy from Decimus once your Voidforge path is active (costs gold, Voidlight Marl, or Veteran Dawncrests). Use on a boss or activity you're actively running that week — 2 cores for raid bosses, 1 core for M+/Delves/Nightmare Prey. Don't use on a slot you already have a good piece in. Targets the drop to your loot spec.
Weekly Dungeon Quest
Pick up BEFORE running any keys
Pick up BEFORE running any keys
Pick this up before doing anything else on reset day. If you run M+ keys before accepting this quest, those runs don't count toward it. It's a free Hero-track item for doing keys you'd be doing anyway. Takes 10 seconds to accept — never skip it.
Shards of Dundun
8 per week · Abundance event
8 per week · Abundance event
Use all 8 every week. They grant bonus Unalloyed Abundance when spent during a run. There is no reason to save them — they don't carry forward and are capped at 8. Drop into an Abundance cave whenever it's active in your zone and spend them all.
Chiming Void Curio
Final raid boss · 1 per inventory
Final raid boss · 1 per inventory
Drops from Midnight Falls (final boss). Works as a tier piece token for any slot, but you can only hold ONE. Decide which slot to use it on before you kill the boss. Use it on the tier slot most resistant to dropping for you — typically the one you haven't seen from any source despite weeks of farming.
Thalassian Token of Merit
From bad Great Vault choices
From bad Great Vault choices
When all your vault choices are useless, pick one and convert it to a Token of Merit. Trade the token for extra Dawncrests, a socket item, or a Spark of Radiance. Never walk away from the vault empty-handed.
📋 Tuesday Reset — Do This In Order (Before Playing)
These 5 things take less than 10 minutes and should happen before you do any content.
1
Pick up Lady Liadrin's World Event quest — your weekly Spark of Radiance. No in-game prompt. She's in Silvermoon City.
2
Pick up the Weekly Dungeon Quest — from the board in Silvermoon. If you run M+ BEFORE picking this up, those runs don't count. Do this now.
3
Open Great Vault — Silvermoon bank building. Pick best piece or Thalassian Token. Never skip even if choices are bad.
4
Kill the World Boss — atlas map. Champion track gear, Warbound. 10 minutes with Group Finder. Both characters if duo.
5
Check Dawncrests — spend Champion and below — go to Cuzolth (48.6, 62 Silvermoon) . Spend any Champion crests on non-tier slots. Never hold Champion/Veteran/Adventurer crests past reset if you can spend them.
💡 Smart Plays Most Players Miss
Lady Liadrin gives your weekly Spark of Radiance
Find her in Silvermoon, accept her World Event quest, complete it. No in-game prompt tells you this exists. Sparks unlock crafted gear at Champion/Hero ilvl.
Catalyst only gives set bonuses on 5 slots
Only converting Head, Shoulders, Chest, Hands, or Legs counts toward your 2pc/4pc set bonus. Converting a belt or boots through Catalyst changes the mog only — not the set bonus. Never waste early charges on non-set slots.
Catalyst becomes unlimited at 4-piece
Once you have 4-piece tier, "Catalyst Unbound" activates — charges start dropping from raid, M+, Delves, and PvP. Effectively unlimited. Rush to 4pc before burning charges on cosmetic slots.
8 M+ runs = all 3 Vault slots unlocked
Running 8 different M+ keys (even low +2s) is better than running 1 high key if your goal is maximizing Vault choices. Always aim for 8 runs per week.
Delver's Journey Rank 6 = free Coffer Keys
Rank 6 unlocks buying 2 Restored Coffer Keys per week from Naleidea Rivergleam. That's 2 guaranteed Bountiful Delve runs at no shard cost. Prioritize hitting Rank 6.
If you fail a Bountiful Delve — abandon it
Using all revives in a Bountiful Delve locks you out of the premium chest. If you're out of revives before the boss, abandon the run and start over. Do NOT finish without access to the chest.
Chiming Void Curio from final raid boss — plan it
The final boss drops an omni-token (works for any tier slot) but you can only hold 1 per inventory. Decide which slot you're missing before you kill the boss. Use it on the hardest slot to get from other sources.
Honor/PvP gear is viable for PvE
Honor gear is 276 ilvl (Hero track), Conquest gear is 289 ilvl (Myth track). Both are Catalyst-eligible. If you hit 10k Honor easily, PvP gearing is a legitimate fast path for slots where PvE drops are slow.
🗝️ M+ Key Level → Item Level Reference
| Key Level | End-of-Run ilvl | Weekly Vault ilvl | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| +2 – +3 | 250 | 259 | Entry M+ — good for learning dungeons |
| +4 – +5 | 253 – 256 | 263 | Lindormi's Guidance ends at +4; bargain affixes begin at +5 |
| +6 – +7 | 259 | 266 – 269 | Fortified or Tyrannical adds at +7 |
| +8 – +9 | 263 | 269 | Solid weekly vault upgrades |
| +10 | 266 | 272 (Myth!) | Vault jumps to Myth track and both Fortified + Tyrannical are active from here |
| +12+ | 266 | 272 | Xal'atath's Guile replaces the bargain layer. Push here for score, teleports, and achievements, not better chest loot. |
Rating milestones: 2,000 = Calamitous Carrion mount · 2,500 = enhanced tier set visuals · 3,000 = Convalescent Carrion mount · 3,400 = Timelost Saddle (pick any past season mount via Lindormi)
🧩 Matrix Catalyst — Tier Set Conversion
📍
Location: Silvermoon City
The console is in Silvermoon — look for it near the main hub area. Converts any eligible piece into its tier set equivalent.
🗓️
Charges: 1 at launch, +1 every 2 weeks
Max 8 stored. Bonus charge if you hit 1,600 Rated PvP, 2,000 M+ score, or kill final raid boss on Heroic/Mythic.
⚡
Catalyst Unbound — at 4-piece
After you have 4-piece set, charges drop from all content passively. Rush to 4-piece before spending early charges on cosmetic slots.
⚠️ Critical rule: only convert these 5 slots for set bonuses
Head
Shoulders
Chest
Hands
Legs
Converting any other slot (belt, boots, cloak, wrist, ring, neck) gives you the transmog appearance only — it does NOT count toward your 2-piece or 4-piece set bonus. The Catalyst preserves your item's ilvl, tertiary stats, and sockets.
🔨 Crafting Orders — How to Get Crafted Gear
📍
Crafting Order Clerk, Silvermoon City
Find the NPC in Silvermoon's main hub area. This lets you request crafted gear at specific ilvl and stats.
🎯
Why better than AH
Crafting orders let you specify: exact stat distribution, embellishments (powerful special effects), quality threshold, and Spark of Radiance usage. You can't control any of this from a pre-made AH item.
⚠️
You supply Sparks and Crests yourself
Even on personal orders, you must provide your own Sparks of Radiance and Dawncrests — crafters cannot supply these. Bring them to the order.
🌐
Guild orders bypass cross-realm limits
If your crafter is on a different server, use a Guild order (not Public) — guild orders work cross-realm. Public and Personal orders are same-realm only.
🔄
Recrafting — swap embellishments later
You can recraft an existing crafted piece to change its optional reagents (like swapping embellishments). Materials are partially consumed. Much cheaper than making a new item — recraft early items as you get better choices.
🗡️
Craft a weapon at season start
Weapon drops from bosses are scarce early in the season. Crafting a weapon with a Spark + Hero crests is the fastest way to get one early. Do this week 1 if you have the materials.
🌟 Spark Timing — Use It On Purpose
1
Spark cadence
You effectively get one full Spark of Radiance per week from the Silvermoon weekly flow. Most crafted pieces take 2 Sparks, while two-handers take 4.
2
Default craft level
Spark crafts start at 259, then scale to 272 or 285 if you add the correct Hero or Myth crests as optional reagents.
3
Bryce first craft
Weapon first if raid/M+ weapon RNG is bad. If weapon is already solved, craft for a hard-to-fill slot with strong stats or embellishment value.
4
Lydia first craft
Weapon or a long-lived DPS slot. Do not burn a Spark on a tier slot you expect to solve via raid or Catalyst soon.
🧩 Catalyst / PvP Fallbacks
Catalyst takes Veteran+ PvE pieces and PvP gear
That means Honor, Conquest, and War Mode pieces are legitimate backup bases when raid or dungeon tier slots refuse to drop.
Honor and War Mode gear are real bridge gear
Current Midnight PvP guide coverage puts Honor and War Mode gear at 276 PvP item level, with Conquest at 289. Use PvP as a deterministic fallback lane for bad slot RNG, not as your first plan if you dislike it.
Vaeli weekly quietly gained more value
Current hotfix coverage says the Housing Weekly now drops a Warbound crest reward, and weekly-quest coverage also lists Voidlight Marl and housing currencies on the same quest. That makes it worth doing even when you do not care about decor that week.
Recraft before replacing
If the slot is already crafted and the problem is wrong optional reagents or embellishment choice, fix the item with a recraft instead of starting over from zero.
🧭 Fresh 90 — First Week Path
1
Unlock systems first
Pick up the weekly hub quests in Silvermoon, unlock World Quests, and make sure Delves, Prey, and the Great Vault are actually available before you grind gear.
2
Run Delves and outdoor weeklies
Use lower Delves, world events, and weekly caches to replace the weakest leveling slots before you spend time in harder content.
3
Graduate to low Mythic+
Once the obvious dead slots are gone, use low keys for deterministic upgrade tracks and start building your weekly Vault.
4
Spend first Spark on a slot you can keep
Weapon, strong embellishment slot, or a build-defining craft. Do not burn the first Spark on a placeholder you'll replace immediately.
Cross-reference: use the Mythic+ page for the dungeon pool and the Reps page for renown breakpoints before you spend your first serious crests.
⚔️ PvP / Warband / Profession Gap Fillers
PvP gearing is a real catch-up lane
If a slot refuses to drop in PvE, Honor gear gets you out of leveling trash fast and Conquest lets you target specific upgrades. Treat PvP as a deterministic backup path, not a separate game mode you have to ignore.
Crafting orders beat waiting on RNG
Professions matter most when they solve a slot problem. Use orders for weapon, embellishment, or secondary-stat fixes instead of passively hoping the right boss finally drops it.
Warband progress reduces duplicate grind
Renown, companion progress, and any Warbound gear you can funnel should shape who does the weekly first. If Bryce unlocks a Warband system or reward, Lydia should cash that in instead of re-solving it from zero.
Use Warbound drops aggressively on alts
Do not let transferrable pieces rot in bags. Early-season alts gain more from a hand-me-down Champion piece than your main gains from hoarding it.
Verified against current Icy Veins Midnight guides: gearing guide, crafting orders/recrafting guide, and Warbands guide. PvP section kept high-level because the fetchable sources did not expose a stable Midnight-specific vendor/ilvl table.
💰 All Currencies in Midnight Season 1
Dawncrests ×5100/week capAll content — used to upgrade gear (20 per rank, 100 per full upgrade)
Sparks of Radiance1 full/weekWeekly activities — used for crafted gear (2–4 per crafted item)
Field AccoladesNo capRitual Sites + Void Assaults — gear from Bazaar (75 Champion, 500 Heroic)
Voidlight MarlNo capRitual Sites + Void Assaults — mounts, pets, housing decor at Bazaar & Renown vendors
Unalloyed Abundance8 Shards/weekAbundance event — mounts (6,400 each), transmog, profession knowledge at Chel the Chip
Brimming ArcanaWeeklySaltheril's Soiree — cosmetics, housing, recipes at subfaction quartermasters
Remnant of AnguishWeeklyPrey hunts — Prey-related rewards
Nebulous Voidcores2/char/week +2/weekBuy from Decimus (gold/Voidlight Marl/Veteran Dawncrests) — loot targeting via Voidforge
Ascendant VoidcoresDropsRaids, M+, Bountiful Delves, Nightmare Prey — upgrades fully-upgraded weapons & trinkets
Thalassian Token of MeritGreat VaultPick instead of an item in the Great Vault — trade for Dawncrests, a socket item, Spark of Radiance, or gold
📍 Key TomTom Waypoints — Click to Copy
Click any button to copy the
/way command to your clipboard, then paste it in-game with TomTom installed./way Silvermoon City 48.6 62 Cuzolth — Gear Upgrade Vendor
/way Silvermoon City 48.6 62 Vaskarn — Crest Exchange (10:1)
/way Silvermoon City 52.19 77.77 Naleidea Rivergleam — Delver Vendor
/way Silvermoon City 52.19 77.77 Telemancer Astrandis — Delver Cosmetics
/way Eversong Woods 45 60 Lu'ashal — World Boss
/way Zul'Aman 45.5 48 Cragpine — World Boss
/way Harandar 54.2 53 Reliquary of the Zur'ashar — Legends of the Haranir
/way Voidstorm 26.4 67.6 Singularity Citadel — Stormarion Assault
/way Zul'Aman 46.83 81.86 Honored Warrior's Cache — War Bear Mount
Lady Liadrin — weekly world-event quest giver in the Silvermoon weekly quest tent
Halduron Brightwing — weekly dungeon quest giver in the same Silvermoon weekly quest tent
Magister Astalor Bloodsworn — Prey system intro in Murder Row, Silvermoon City
Exact coordinates are only listed where I could verify them. For the Silvermoon weekly NPCs, current source coverage confirms the district and landmark, but not precise map coords.
🚀 Patch 12.0.5 — Lingering Shadows (April 21, 2026)
Ritual Sites — New Delve-Like Activity
📍
2 Sites, rotating weekly
Daggerspine (Eversong Woods) and Broken Throne (Zul'Aman). 1–5 players. Disrupt naga and cultist rituals.
⚖️
5 difficulty tiers
Tier 3 requires 1 challenge modifier, Tier 4 needs 2, Tier 5 needs 4. Each modifier adds spoils bonus (+10–25%). First 2 deaths = no penalty; each after = –5% spoils (max –50%).
🏆
8 Renown ranks
Rank 1: healing orbs. Rank 4: rare encounters. Rank 6: adoptable corrupted pets. Rank 8: corrupted mounts.
📦
Rewards
Field Accolades + Voidlight Marl. Feeds Great Vault World content row. Maren Silverwing vendor at the Bazaar sells Champion gear (75 Accolades) and Heroic gear (500 Accolades).
🛒
The Bazaar vendors (Silvermoon 2nd level)
4 vendors: Maren Silverwing (gear), Sergeant Vornin (Unbound Manawyrm flying mount 6k Marl, Void-Touched Hawkstrider 4.5k Marl, pets), Tiram Dawnsetter (cosmetics), Rae'ana (housing decor).
🧪
Dark Particles are a conversion valve
If you stack Dark Particles from Ritual Sites, Maren trades 100 Dark Particles for a pouch with 10 Field Accolades. Failed side rewards still feed gear progress.
Voidforge — Loot Targeting System
🎯
Nebulous Voidcores — loot targeting
Buy from Decimus NPC with gold/Voidlight Marl/Veteran Dawncrests. Use before a boss or dungeon to target a slot. Weekly cap starts at 2, increases by 2 each week. Cost: 2 cores for raid, 1 core for M+/Bountiful Delves/Nightmare Prey.
⬆️
Ascendant Voidcores — item upgrade
Drop from raids, M+, Bountiful Delves, Nightmare Prey. Used to push weapons and trinkets beyond the normal upgrade cap. Unlocked after completing the Ascendant Nilhammer questline.
Other 12.0.5 Content
🎭 Decor Duels
Team hide-and-seek PvP in Silvermoon City. Disguise yourself as housing decor. Queue via Group Finder → PvP tab. Rewards mounts, toys, housing decor.
🐟 Abyss Anglers
Spearfishing event off Zul'Aman coast. Harpoon exotic fish in teams for points. Upgrade equipment to reach deeper zones with better rewards and cosmetics.
🗝️ M+ Milestones
Keystone Master 2k: Calamitous Carrion mount. Keystone Legend 3k: Convalescent Carrion mount. Keystone Myth 3.4k: Timelost Saddle (pick any past KM/KL mount via Lindormi).
The Bazaar — Spend Priority
Field Accolades → buy gear (Maren Silverwing). Voidlight Marl → buy cosmetics + mounts. Rule: gear before cosmetics until all slots are Champion track or better. Most Rae'ana decor needs Ritual Sites Renown 3; the Dark Obelisk waits until Renown 7.
🛡️ Bryce
1. Champion gear (75 Accolades) — wrist, cloak, back first. Skip tier slots.
2. Heroic gear (500 Accolades) — once all slots Champion+.
3. Void-Touched Hawkstrider (4,500 Marl) → Unbound Manawyrm flying (6,000 Marl).
4. Housing decor (Rae'ana) — lowest priority, spend spare Marl.
✨ Lydia
1. Champion gear (75 Accolades) — wrist, cloak, back. Cloth drops from Bazaar fill gaps cheaply.
2. Heroic cloth gear (500 Accolades) — good source since cloth Heroic raid drops can be slow.
3. Void-Touched Dragonhawk Egg pet (1,800 Marl) → Unbound Manawyrm flying (6,000 Marl).
4. Cosmetic caches (Tiram Dawnsetter, 5–10 Accolades + 150–200 Marl each) — good value late.
Patch-Day Order For You Two
1
Open vault, then pick up Vaeli + Lady Liadrin
Do admin first so 12.0.5 spectacle content does not push Spark / crest chores off the table.
2
Do one first-look Ritual Site together
This is the cleanest new Bryce + Lydia content lane and immediately starts your Field Accolade economy.
3
Catch a Void Incursion / world-boss cycle if active
Protect the spectacle content for duo time; do not burn your first experience of it while the other person is offline.
4
Then go back to keys / delves / prey
Patch day still loses to vault progression if you are already behind on real weekly power.
Prey System
Weekly outdoor hunting contracts · Normal / Hard / Nightmare difficulties
Nightmare Prey is solo-only and gives Champion-track gear + Great Vault progress up to Hero track. This is one of the best non-M+ gear sources in the game for you two — don't skip it.
Do World Quests in the same zone as your Prey contract.
World Quest completions in the contracted zone directly advance your Prey hunt progress — you don't need to only do Prey-specific activities. This means you can knock out rep, Special Assignment progress, and Prey all at the same time. Best zones for stacking activities: Eversong Woods (Soiree + Void Strikes + WQs), Zul'Aman (Abundance + Void Strikes + Abyss Anglers + WQs), Voidstorm (Stormarion Assault + WQs every 30 min).
World Quest completions in the contracted zone directly advance your Prey hunt progress — you don't need to only do Prey-specific activities. This means you can knock out rep, Special Assignment progress, and Prey all at the same time. Best zones for stacking activities: Eversong Woods (Soiree + Void Strikes + WQs), Zul'Aman (Abundance + Void Strikes + Abyss Anglers + WQs), Voidstorm (Stormarion Assault + WQs every 30 min).
First 4 hunts per week = 1,000 Journey points each. After that, additional hunts give only 50. Do your 4 priority hunts first (1 Normal, 1 Hard, 2 Nightmare zones) before farming extra. Journey progress unlocks mounts and cosmetic armor sets across 10 ranks.
🔓 How to Unlock
1
Reach level 90
Available at max level only.
2
Find Magister Astalor Bloodsworn
Located in Murder Row, Silvermoon City. Accept the introductory quest chain from him to unlock the Prey system.
3
Accept your first weekly contracts
After the intro quest, you'll see weekly contracts for each zone. The system is now open — pick difficulty and go hunt.
🟢 Normal Prey
📦
Rewards
Veteran-track gear, Adventurer Dawncrests, Great Vault progress
🔁
Weekly limit
One hunt per zone, per week
👥
Group play
Other players can help you — if you're struggling, ask in chat
Mechanics
Basic hunts with no special affixes. Defeat the target prey, optionally disarm traps and kill Coalesced Anguish enemies for bonus rewards. Good introduction to the system.
🟡 Hard Prey
📦
Rewards
Veteran Dawncrests, better gear caches than Normal
🔁
Weekly limit
One hunt per zone, per week
⚠️
Affix: Torment
Stacking debuff — +2% damage taken per stack. Stacks increase over time. Kill fast.
Mechanics
Introduces the Torment debuff (+2% damage taken per stack). Rotating secondary affixes including Seeping Gore — avoidable puddles on the ground. Move out of them or Torment stacks faster.
Bryce: Your defensive CDs (GoAK, Ardent Defender) help a lot at high Torment stacks. Don't let them stack past ~8 before popping something.
Bryce: Your defensive CDs (GoAK, Ardent Defender) help a lot at high Torment stacks. Don't let them stack past ~8 before popping something.
🔴 Nightmare Prey — The Good One
📦
Rewards
Champion-track gear, Champion Dawncrests, Great Vault progress (up to Hero track), exclusive cosmetics
🔁
Weekly limit
One hunt per zone, per week
🚫
SOLO ONLY
No group assistance allowed. Just you vs the prey.
Nightmare-Only Affixes
Torment: Upgraded to +4% damage per stack every 60 seconds outside rested areas. Kill the prey fast or pop defensives.
Echo of Predation: A bloody spirit copy of your character spawns and chases you. If it reaches you, massive damage. Kite it — lead it around obstacles while burning the prey target.
Bloody Command: Astalor demands a kill within 20 seconds or a nasty DoT applies. Kill something in the area when this triggers.
🏆 Cosmetic Rewards
Preyseeker's Nightmare mount (kill all zones)
Blood-red armor transmog recolors
Player housing decor
Restored Coffer Key shards (Bountiful Delves)
🛡️ Bryce — Nightmare Prey Tips
Burst the prey down fast
Torment stacks kill you at 15+ stacks. Your window is roughly 45–60 seconds before things get dangerous. Use Avenging Wrath on pull.
Kite the Echo of Predation
The shadow copy chases you — use Blessing of Freedom to clear movement slows, stay mobile. Don't get cornered.
Save Guardian of Ancient Kings for the danger point
Use it when Torment and incoming boss/prey damage overlap instead of waiting until you are already dead on screen.
Bring healing potions
No healer. Word of Glory + your potions are all you have. Pre-pot on pull, have a second pot ready.
✨ Lydia — Nightmare Prey Tips
Burst window immediately
Use Icy Veins + Ray of Frost + Frozen Orb on pull. Your goal is a dead prey within 40 seconds before Torment stacks get scary.
Ice Block is your emergency button
Without Bryce to LoH you, Ice Block drops all Torment stacks and resets. Use it when you hit 8+ stacks and the prey isn't dead yet.
Blink away from the Echo
The shadow copy moves fast. Blink on cooldown to stay ahead of it while casting. Don't stop moving.
Polymorph Bloody Command adds
When Bloody Command triggers, Poly the nearest enemy to "kill" it instantly — Poly breaks the kill requirement. Fast and clean.
World Events
Repeatable outdoor content, split by evergreen events, post-patch content, and reward priority
Stack by zone. If you are in Eversong, do Eversong things together. If you are in Voidstorm, fold Prey, world quests, and Stormarion into the same loop. The site is strongest when it tells you what to bundle, not just what exists.
💎 Abundance
1
Best use
Fast solo or duo currency farm for mounts, profession knowledge, and Amani rep. Great “log in for 10 minutes” content.
2
Weekly anchor
Do the weekly quest, then burn your 8 shard cap over the week instead of forgetting on Monday night.
3
Why it matters
This is one of the cleanest side lanes for cosmetics and profession value without needing a fixed group.
4
Tidbit worth knowing
You can get the 8 weekly Shards of Dundun from general outdoor play, gathering, and Patron Orders. This is a good “Lydia solo admin” event because it overlaps with profession value well.
🎉 Saltheril's Soiree
1
Best use
Weekly renown/cosmetic anchor. Do it whenever you care about Silvermoon Court, Brimming Arcana, or long-term subfaction progression.
2
When to do it
Fine solo. Save duo time for keys unless one of you specifically wants to see the event for the first time together.
3
Important rule
Pick a subfaction on purpose. Randomly swapping week to week slows the whole long-term reward track.
4
Unlock rule
This is not truly “show up and do it.” The unlock chain starts with Saltheril's Haven, and your faction choice can immediately lower standing with the other three subfactions.
📜 Legends of the Haranir
At the Reliquary of the Zur'ashar (~54.2, 53.0)
Weekly cache
Easy weekly value. Do it on whichever character is convenient because the choice is Warband-wide anyway.
Rep and decor
Good Hara'ti rep per minute plus housing rewards. Better as “solo admin” than as protected duo time.
Relic choice matters
The weekly cache gives 1,000 Hara'ti rep and a decor reward tied to the relic you pick that week, so choose with collection goals in mind.
⚡ Stormarion Assault
Singularity Citadel (~26.4, 67.6)
Best as duo filler
Good when you are already in Voidstorm waiting on a key or doing a Voidstorm Prey loop.
Bundle it
Never travel to Voidstorm only for this if you can instead stack it with WQs, Prey, or post-patch Marl/Accolade activity.
30-minute rhythm
This fires every 30 minutes. If you are already in Voidstorm, it is worth waiting a few minutes; if you are 20 minutes away in another zone, it usually is not.
🗺️ World Quests & Special Assignments
1
Do them in your Prey zone
That is the entire optimization trick. Rep, cache progression, and hunt progress all move together.
2
Unlock Special Assignments on purpose
If you are already at 2/3 WQs in a zone, finish the third instead of wandering off. Leaving value half-finished is how weeklies get missed.
Best zone combos: Eversong = Soiree + WQs + Prey. Zul'Aman = Abundance + WQs + Prey. Voidstorm = Stormarion + WQs + Prey. Harandar = Legends + WQs + Prey.
🌀 Void Assaults
1
Do the warm-up events
Void Strikes are the reliable solo/small-group part. They feed the larger zone event.
2
Show up together for the Incursion
The escalation step is the piece worth protecting as duo time because it is the new spectacle content and ends in the world-boss-style payoff.
3
Why it matters
Field Accolades, Voidlight Marl, and World-row Great Vault credit. This is the biggest outdoor post-patch gear lane.
4
Rotation tidbit
These rotate between Eversong Woods and Zul'Aman. If you are already in the active zone for Prey or a world event, stay there and stack the whole loop.
🏛️ Ritual Sites
Ideal duo content
Tank + DPS is a clean 12.0.5 pairing here. If you only save one new patch activity for shared time, save this.
Feeds Bazaar spending
This is where your post-patch outdoor gear economy starts. Pair this tab mentally with the Gear page’s `Post-12.0.5` tab.
Deaths are expensive after the first two
The first 2 deaths are free. After that, every death cuts spoils by 5% up to 50%. Clean execution matters more than just brute-forcing a tier too early.
🎭 Decor Duels
Best treated as scheduled fun content, not progression content. Great together. Bad as “I only have 20 minutes and need upgrades.”
🐟 Abyss Anglers
Good duo chill content. Slot it in after key blocks or on non-push nights, not instead of your core weekly gear loop.
🔥 If You Care About Power First
1
Void Assaults / Ritual Sites (post-patch)
New currencies, Bazaar gear, and World-row credit. Highest patch-specific outdoor value.
2
World Quests only when bundled
Do them in the same zone as Prey or renown targets. Never treat generic WQs as a standalone gameplay loop.
3
Stormarion / Legends / Soiree
Still worth doing, but these are support weeklies around your main gear plan.
👥 Best Duo Events
Ritual Sites
Best new shared activity.
Void Incursions
Best open-world spectacle.
Stormarion when already in Voidstorm
Good bundle value, not a destination by itself.
🧹 Best Solo Cleanup Events
Soiree
Efficient solo weekly.
Legends of the Haranir
Warband-wide, easy admin content.
Abundance windows
Perfect “I have 10 minutes” content.
Solo & Duo Guide
Exact solo cleanup, protected duo content, shared lockouts, and session plans
The real rule: solo time should delete admin, not consume the fun. If content is Warband-wide, easy solo, or mostly checklist value, clear it alone. If it is new, coordination-heavy, or your best tank+DPS pairing content, protect it for duo time.
🛡️ Bryce — Safe Solo Checklist
Tuesday admin first
Vault pick, world boss, Bountiful Delve, weekly pickups, and crest spending. Do these before Lydia logs in so shared time starts at “play” instead of “errands.”
Normal / Hard Prey
Great solo value and does not cost duo fun. Nightmare is solo-only anyway.
Renown and WQ cleanup
Silvermoon Court, Singularity, and general WQ catch-up are exactly the kind of chores to do without waiting.
Low-stakes crest farming
If you only need filler crests or a practice key, do it solo. Save meaningful push keys for together.
Plate mog / old lockouts
Good background gameplay. Never let this displace key nights.
🚫 Bryce — Don’t Burn These Alone
Meaningful M+ pushes
If the key matters for vault, rating, or practice as a duo, wait.
First-look post-patch content
Do not pre-clear Ritual Sites and Void Incursions just because you can. Those are shared-experience content.
Raid progression that matters
Tier and trinket bosses are better together unless schedules force a split.
✨ Lydia — Safe Solo Checklist
Nightmare Prey
Solo-only. This is the cleanest “progress without waiting” lane she has.
Soiree / cosmetic weeklies
Efficient solo content. Good to clear if Bryce is doing his own admin in parallel.
Housing / Trading Post
Pure solo value. Never schedule-protect this unless you both explicitly want a chill house night.
Cloth mog farming
Strong filler content when she wants progress but not group coordination.
Tuesday basics
Same rule as Bryce: delete admin before shared time starts.
🚫 Lydia — Don’t Burn These Alone
Good tank+DPS keys
If Bryce is the tank you actually want to play around, don’t spend your best push window in a random pug unless you deliberately need solo practice.
First 12.0.5 spectacle content
Void Incursions, Ritual Sites, and other “see it for the first time” moments are better together.
Shared mount lockouts if you care about the run together
If the point is “two weekly attempts together,” wait. If the point is only odds, soloing is fine.
👥 Protect These For Duo Time
M+ vault and push keys
This is your core shared progression loop. Protect it first.
Ritual Sites Tier 3+
Best new patch duo content.
Void Incursions
Best outdoor spectacle content to do together.
Raid bosses that matter for tier/trinkets
If a boss drops a real target for one of you, that kill should be shared when possible.
🙂 Good Together, But Not Mandatory
Stormarion Assault
Great if you are already in Voidstorm; not sacred if schedules don’t line up.
Abundance
More fun together, but still perfectly good solo cleanup content.
Decor Duels / Abyss Anglers
Save for fun nights, not progression nights.
✅ Exact “We’re Both Online” Order
1
Check if a key block is the priority
If you still need vault or rating, keys win over almost everything else.
2
If no key block: do the biggest shared weekly
Ritual Site, Void Incursion, or raid target boss.
3
Then bundle zone content
If you are already in that zone, add Stormarion, WQs, or Prey support content before hearthstoning out.
🗺️ Best Duo Zone Loops
E
Eversong
Soiree if needed -> Void Strike / Incursion if active -> Daggerspine Ritual Site -> Eversong WQs / Prey support. Best “patch + rep” bundle.
Z
Zul'Aman
Abundance -> Void Strike / Incursion if active -> Broken Throne Ritual Site -> Abyss Anglers if you still want chill content after progression.
V
Voidstorm
Stormarion Assault -> Voidstorm WQs -> keys / travel. Good filler night, but not where your best new duo 12.0.5 value lives.
H
Harandar
Legends weekly -> Harandar WQs -> leave. This is efficient admin, not protected date-night content.
🔒 One-And-Done / Warband-Wide
Legends of the Haranir
Do it on whichever character is convenient. Don’t duplicate effort expecting extra weekly value.
Renown progress and many Warband unlocks
If one character can unlock the important breakpoints, let that character carry the unlock.
Warbound gear funneling
If one of you finds transferable gear, treat that as account value, not “main character clutter.”
Neighborhood / housing progress
Endeavor progress and most decor collecting are better treated as shared account / neighborhood value, not “both characters must duplicate this tonight.”
⚠️ Per-Character / Don’t Assume Shared
Bountiful Delve rewards
Each character still needs its own meaningful clear for its own loot outcome.
Vault progress
One character’s key completions do not fill the other character’s vault.
World boss loot rolls
Doing it together is great, but each character still needs its own tag and kill.
Nightmare Prey
Solo-only and per character. Plan for both of you to do your own if both need the value.
Exact scripts for each session type. Follow the order — admin first, then real play, then fun. Never start a session with zone-hopping.
📅 Tuesday Reset — Both Characters (~30 min each, do solo)
Bryce — before she logs on
1. Pick up Lady Liadrin quest (Spark)
2. Pick up Vaeli housing weekly
3. Pick up Weekly Dungeon Quest from board
4. Open Great Vault — pick item or Token
5. Kill world boss (Group Finder)
6. Tier 8 Bountiful Delve
7. Spend Champion crests at Cuzolth
8. Do Normal + Hard Prey for the week
Lydia — before or after Bryce
1–6. Same as Bryce (Warband-wide things auto-share)
7. Nightmare Prey (solo-only — do alone, Bryce can't help)
8. Saltheril's Soiree if Eversong is the Prey zone
✓ When both of you finish this, duo time starts with zero admin left.
⚡ Short Duo Session (30–45 min)
Option A — Key + zone event
1 key in a dungeon you need for vault (15 min)
1 Void Strike or Stormarion Assault in the same zone
Done — don't travel to a second zone
Option B — Ritual Site run
One Ritual Site (Daggerspine or Broken Throne)
Clear Tier 2–3 for Field Accolades
Check Bazaar for gear buys if you have Accolades
Save first-time Ritual Site clears and Void Incursions for this kind of session if the goal is “see the new stuff together.” Burn solo admin before you log in together.
🕐 Standard Duo Session (1–2 hours)
1 2–3 keys — aim for dungeons you each still need for loot or vault credit
2 One outdoor zone pass — pick the zone where both of you have active Prey contracts. Do WQs, an event, and collect shards simultaneously.
3 Spend crests before logging if near cap
Exit rule: leave with vault progress made + at least one outdoor activity done. Don't end a session with crests sitting at 90/100.
🌙 Full Night (3+ hours)
1 Admin first (5 min) — vault, pickups, crests if not done
2 Key push block — run keys until 8 different dungeons hit for max vault slots. Don't stop at 4.
3 Raid or Ritual Sites — progression content goes here while you're both focused and warmed up
4 Fun cooldown lap — Decor Duels, Abyss Anglers, mount farm, or Abundance. End on something enjoyable.
This is also the right window for exploring new patch content for the first time. Don't rush through new stuff on a short session.
🔒 Shared vs Per-Character — What Resets Where
| Activity | Per character | Warband-wide | Resets |
|---|---|---|---|
| World Boss loot | ✓ | — | Tuesday |
| Great Vault | ✓ | — | Tuesday |
| Raid lockout (N/H) | ✓ | — | Tuesday |
| Renown / faction rep | — | ✓ | Permanent |
| Delver's Journey progress | — | ✓ | Permanent |
| Legends of the Haranir | — | ✓ | Tuesday |
| Nightmare Prey hunts | ✓ | — | Tuesday (each zone) |
| Bountiful Delve chest | ✓ | — | Daily |
| Transmog appearances | — | ✓ | Permanent once learned |
| Old raid lockouts | ✓ | — | Tuesday (per difficulty) |
Old Raid Farming
Weekly transmog runs · Mount drops · Glory achievements · BMAH
Difficulty matters for mog. Normal, Heroic, and Mythic versions of the same tier set are different color tints and unlock separately. Run every difficulty once per week for maximum coverage. Anything from Cata and earlier has no lockout for runs below your level — you can reset and re-clear as many times as you want.
🛡️ Bryce — Plate Runs (Priority Order)
1
Icecrown Citadel (WotLK) — Tier 10
Best-looking pally set in the game. Lightsworn Armor. Run 10N, 10H, 25N, 25H for 4 different color tints. Invincible mount from Heroic Lich King (~1%).
2
Ulduar (WotLK) — Tier 8
Valorous Aegis plate — beautiful dark blue/gold. Run 10N and 25N for two tints. Mimiron's Head mount from Heroic Yogg (0 keepers) on 25 man (~1%). Ironbound Proto-Drake from Glory run.
3
Black Temple + Hyjal (TBC) — Tier 6
Lightbringer Armor — iconic pally set. Mostly from Black Temple. Hyjal has the gloves/boots tokens. Two quick clears per week.
4
Firelands (Cata) — Tier 12
Battleplate of the Fiery Conqueror — molten, badass. Run Normal + Heroic for two looks. Flametalon of Alysrazor and Smoldering Egg of Millagazor (~1% each) are both farmable here.
5
Throne of Thunder (MoP) — Tier 15
Helmet of the Shattered Vale and friends — dark, angular plate. 4 difficulties × unique looks. Clutch of Ji-Kun drops from Ji-Kun (~1%).
6
Karazhan (TBC)
Great early plate pieces + Fiery Warhorse's Reins from Attumen the Huntsman (~1%). Quick 15-min solo clear. Do this every week — it's fast and the mount is gorgeous.
✨ Lydia — Cloth Runs (Priority Order)
1
Black Temple + Hyjal (TBC) — Tier 6
Absolution Regalia (Resto) / Tempest Regalia (Mage-look cloth) — among the best-looking cloth in the game. Run both raids back to back, takes ~25 minutes total.
2
Throne of Thunder (MoP) — Tier 15
Vestments of the Shattered Vale — stunning purple/black cloth. 4 difficulty color variants. Clutch of Ji-Kun drops here too. Great mog for a mage.
3
Nighthold (Legion) — Tier 19
Regalia of the Arcane Stars — deep blue, arcane-themed, perfect for a Frost/Arcane mage. LFR, Normal, Heroic, and Mythic all look different. Midnight the horse drops from Xavius (EN) nearby.
4
Firelands (Cata) — Tier 12
Firehawk Robes of Conflagration — orange/gold fire cloth. Looks incredible. Pureblood Fire Hawk is the Glory mount here. Normal + Heroic for two tints.
5
Vault of the Incarnates (Dragonflight) — Tier 29
Cloth set has gorgeous ice/stone recolors. 4 difficulties × different looks. Very recent so many pieces probably still missing. Quick clear, great value.
6
Karazhan (TBC)
Great variety of cloth drops from trash and bosses — not a tier set but lots of unique pieces. Plus Fiery Warhorse from Attumen. 15 min clear.
🐎 Best Mount Farms (Weekly One-Kill Bosses)
Invincible
Heroic Lich King — ICC 25H
~1% drop. Takes ~20 min to clear. Most coveted mount in the game. Do this every single week without fail.
Ashes of Al'ar
Kael'thas — The Eye (TBC)
~2% drop. 10 min clear solo. Gorgeous fiery phoenix. One of the most recognizable mounts. Weekly farm.
Mimiron's Head
Heroic Yogg (0 Keepers) — Ulduar 25H
~1% drop. Requires defeating Yogg-Saron with 0 keepers active — a specific Heroic achievement. Giant mechanical head mount. Weekly farm.
Fiery Warhorse
Attumen — Karazhan (TBC)
~1% drop. First boss in Karazhan — 2-minute kill, 15-min clear total. Do this every week, it's the fastest farm on the list.
Flametalon of Alysrazor
Alysrazor — Firelands (Cata)
~1% drop. Blazing hawk mount. Firelands is a quick clear and you also get mog from the same run.
Smoldering Egg of Millagazor
Ragnaros HC — Firelands (Cata)
~1% drop from Heroic Ragnaros only. Pureblood Fire Hawk. Same run as Flametalon — two mounts, one clear.
Clutch of Ji-Kun
Ji-Kun — Throne of Thunder (MoP)
~1% drop. Bright yellow bird mount. ToT is a longer raid so do this as part of a full mog run through there.
Onyxian Drake
Onyxia — Onyxia's Lair
~1% drop. 5-minute solo clear. Old-school dragon, looks mean. The fastest mount farm in the game — always worth doing.
🏆 Glory Runs — Meta Achievement Mounts
Glory of the Icecrown Raider (25)
→ Bloodbathed Frostbrood Vanquisher. Most achievements doable solo now. ~2hr first time, 45 min once you know them.
Glory of the Ulduar Raider (25)
→ Ironbound Proto-Drake. The Yogg +0 kill counts for this. Some fights have specific kill requirements — check Wowhead before going.
Glory of the Firelands Raider
→ Corrupted Egg of Millagazor (Pureblood Fire Hawk). Several achievements are tricky mechanics even at overgeared level. Fun duo content.
Glory of the Pandaria Raider
→ Reins of the Thundering Cobalt Cloud Serpent. Throne of Thunder achievements. Great-looking mount, manageable duo/solo.
Glory of the Draenor Raider
→ Infernal Direwolf. Highmaul + BRF + HFC achievements. Some are genuinely funny (like "I Love the Smell of Saronite" equivalents). Good co-op content.
Glory of the Legion Raider
→ Ahead of the Curve dragon variants. EN through Antorus. Legion raids have gorgeous architecture — fun to revisit.
🏛️ Black Market Auction House
The BMAH sells rare mounts, pets, and transmog that are otherwise unobtainable or extremely rare. Check it every day — items rotate and auctions last 24h.
📍
Location in Midnight
The BMAH vendor is Madam Goya — check the Underbelly equivalent in Silvermoon City or the new hub zone. She moves between expansions.
🐎
What she sells
Old raid mounts (including Ashes, Invincible occasionally), CM gear sets, old PvP sets, rare pets. Items are realm-specific — your server determines what's available.
💰
Bidding strategy
Starting bids are typically 10,000–50,000g. Final prices on desirable mounts regularly hit 500k–1M+ gold. Only bid in the last few minutes to avoid driving up the price.
📱
Track it remotely
The Undermine Journal (theunderminejournal.com) shows BMAH listings for your realm. Check it daily without logging in. Set up alerts for specific items.
🐉 Skyriding Drake Customizations
Dragonflight zone drops
Waking Shores, Ohn'ahran Plains, Azure Span, Thaldraszus — all have hidden drake customization items in chests and from rares. Many are account-wide.
Dragonriding racing achievements
Bronze/Silver/Gold racing achievements in DF zones unlock customization options for your drakes. These carry forward — check your achievement tab.
Whelp day-one drake
If you played Dragonflight launch, you should have the Whelpling's Dreaming Crest from the initial questline. A lot of people forgot to claim this.
Valdrakken vendors
Several drake customization vendors in Valdrakken sell options for gold or DF currencies. Revisit these — you probably have leftover DF currencies sitting unused.
✅ Suggested Weekly Old Content Checklist
Karazhan — Attumen (5 min)
Fiery Warhorse. Fastest farm. Never skip this.
Onyxia's Lair (5 min)
Onyxian Drake. Walk in, one-shot her, walk out.
The Eye — Kael'thas (15 min)
Ashes of Al'ar. Run through the trash, kill Kael. Do it.
ICC 25H — Lich King (25 min)
Invincible. Make sure you're on Heroic mode before pulling.
Ulduar 25H — Yogg 0 Keepers (30 min)
Mimiron's Head. Longest on the list but worth it weekly.
Firelands — Full clear for mog + mounts (45 min)
Two potential mount drops + great transmog for both of you. Good weekly value.
Karazhan full clear for mog (20 min)
Cloth and plate pieces from trash and bosses. Worth it alongside the Attumen kill.
Check the BMAH daily
1 minute. Open Undermine Journal on your phone while eating breakfast.
Holiday Events
Seasonal events with exclusive mounts, pets & cosmetics — most rewards are account-wide
Don't miss these. Most holiday mount drops are once-per-day attempts with ~1% rates. Missing a week of Hallow's End is losing 7 attempts on the Horseman mount. Put calendar reminders on your phone for event starts.
👧
Children's Week
~ May 1–8
Escort orphans around the world for cookies, candy, and exclusive pets. Do all the quests on both characters.
🐻 Bear Cubs & Panda Cubs
Exclusive pets from the quest chain — you can only get them during this week each year.
🏆 For the Children!
Achievement requires PvP objectives — doable but annoying. Part of What a Long, Strange Trip It's Been for the Violet Proto-Drake.
🍭 School of Hard Knocks
The hard achievement — requires capturing flags/objectives in PvP while having your orphan out. Worth doing for the meta-achievement.
🔥
Midsummer Fire Festival
~ June 21 – July 4
Honor/desecrate bonfires across the world for XP, gold, and festival currency. Fastest gold-per-hour event in the game.
🌸 Frostscythe of Lord Ahune
Weapon transmog from the Ahune boss fight inside Slave Pens. Run it daily — appearances are account-wide so one unlock covers both of you.
🐾 Frigid Frostling
Pet from Lord Ahune's satchel. One chance per day per character.
💰 Bonfires = free gold
Honoring every bonfire across all zones gives substantial gold. Do a bonfire circuit on both characters on week 1.
🍺
Brewfest
~ Sep 20 – Oct 6
The best holiday for mounts. Two possible mounts from the daily boss — do it every day on every character.
🐂 Great Brewfest Kodo
Rare drop from Coren Direbrew (Blackrock Depths). ~2% from the reward satchel. One attempt per character per day.
🐏 Swift Brewfest Ram
Same drop pool as the Kodo. ~2% from the daily satchel. Both mounts are account-wide — one unlock, all characters benefit.
🤖 Direbrew's Remote
Toy that teleports you to BRD. Also in the satchel pool. Useful for transmog runs since BRD has loads of gear.
🎃
Hallow's End
~ Oct 18 – Nov 1
The most mount attempts in any holiday. Headless Horseman drops a mount every day per character — run it on every alt you have.
🐴 The Horseman's Reins
Flying horse — arguably the best-looking Halloween mount. ~0.5% from the Horseman's satchel. Run on EVERY character you can queue on.
🤠 Wicked Witch Hat
Transmog hat in the loot pool. Different color variants — collect them all. Great for Lydia's cloth looks.
📦 Creepy Crate
Pet from the satchel. The crate walks around and eats nearby critters. Deeply unsettling. Worth having.
💕
Love is in the Air
~ Feb 1–28
Pink rocket mount with one of the lowest drop rates in the game. Run on every character every day — the math is brutal.
🚀 Big Love Rocket
~0.03% drop from the Crown Chemical Co. daily box. The rarest holiday mount in the game. Bryce: keep trying, it's the funniest mount to have as a tank.
🐾 Peddlefeet
Cute cupid pet. Bought with Love Tokens from the event vendor. Easy to get, just do the daily quests.
💝 Heartbreaker mount
Also in the daily box loot pool. Heart-shaped dragon — actually a beautiful mount if you get it.
🎡
Darkmoon Faire
First week of every month
Arrives the first Sunday of every month, runs for a week. Always worth visiting — tokens, pets, mounts, and a profession boost.
🐻 Darkmoon Dancing Bear
Mount bought with Darkmoon Prize Tickets. Grind the dailies and carousel/minigames all week. Takes a few months of consistent visiting.
🐠 Sea Pony
Fishing pet from the Darkmoon Faire pond. Cast repeatedly in the special fishing zone during the event week. Rare-ish but fishable.
📚 +5 profession skill
Use a profession in your bag at the faire for a free +5 skill point on each profession, once per faire. Don't skip this if you're leveling a craft.
🎄
Feast of Winter Veil
~ Dec 16 – Jan 2
Holiday gifts under the tree in Ironforge/Orgrimmar. Great toys and pets. Requires daily presents from Greatfather Winter.
🍬 Winter Reindeer
Pet available from the holiday vendor with gold. Inexpensive and festive. Great companion to have around.
🎁 Gifts under the tree
Open presents from the tree in the capital city daily. Contain toys, cosmetic items, and pets on a rotating basis. Don't skip days.
❄️ BB King achievement
Hit enemy faction leaders with a BB gun. Part of the meta-achievement chain. Pair with world PvP or do it during off-hours.
What a Long, Strange Trip It's Been — completing meta achievements across all major holidays earns the Violet Proto-Drake, one of the best-looking original WoW mounts. It takes a full calendar year of consistent participation. Start tracking which ones you're missing in the Achievement panel (Y key).