Gear in Season 2 in World of Warcraft: The War Within

Season 2 of World of Warcraft: The War Within brings a whole new gearing system that changes the endgame progression. Whether you’re a solo player, a delver or a groupie, Season 2 has got you covered. With so many new ways to upgrade your gear and so many activities to do, it’s hard to know where to focus. This guide will break down everything you need to know to climb the item level ladder and get to 675 and beyond.

Understanding the New Upgrade System

If you’re coming back to World of Warcraft for Season 2 the new upgrade system can be a bit overwhelming. Don’t worry – let’s break it down. In the new system the item level of gear is no longer fixed. Each piece of gear that drops in endgame content has an upgrade track. These tracks allow you to upgrade your gear using two resources: Valor Stones and Crests. The higher the tier the more powerful the gear becomes but upgrading your gear takes time and effort. The catch? The gear upgrade system has multiple tracks and scaling tiers, so as you progress you unlock the ability to make your gear more powerful. Here’s a quick breakdown of the gear upgrade tracks:

• Champion Gear (639) – Up to Item Level 648
• Veteran Gear (623) – Up to Item Level 639
• Hero Gear (645) – Up to Item Level 658
• Crafted Gear (629 – 675) – This is where things get serious, you can hit Item Level 675 after full upgrades.

To make sense of this new system you need to know where to get Valor Stones and how to use the various tiers of Crests for your gear upgrades. Let’s dive in.

Valor Stones: Currency of Upgrades

Valor Stones are the foundation of the new gearing system. As long as you’re doing high level content you’ll collect them. Whether you’re doing Delves, Dungeons, Raids or even PvP, Valor Stones are rewarded. They’re the key to upgrading your gear to its full potential.

Ways to Earn Valor Stones:

• Delves – Daily runs through various delve tiers.
• Dungeons – Heroic, Mythic or Mythic+ dungeons.
• Raids – Raid bosses on different difficulty levels.
• PvP – Battlegrounds, Arenas and War Mode.
• Weekly Quests – Quests around the world.

Valor Stones are rewarded from almost everything, so make sure to do as much content as possible. As you complete content you can trade these stones for better upgrades at the NPCs designed for this purpose. There’s no shortage of ways to get these, so get out there and do as much as you can.

The Four Types of Crests and Their Importance

The next part of the upgrade system involves Crests which are required to upgrade your gear to higher tiers. There are four types of Crests and they scale with the difficulty of the content you’re doing. Here’s how they break down:

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Each Crest has a weekly cap of 90 per type but if you hit the cap you will receive a lower tier Crest (so if you hit the cap on Runed Crests for instance you’ll get Carved Crests instead). This system encourages you to diversify your gameplay and do various activities.

Crafted Gear: A Vital Source of Power

Crafted gear in World of Warcraft: The War Within has also gotten a big update in Season 2. There are now two tiers of crafted gear that are essential for players to reach the max item level. The lower tier crafted gear can go up to Item Level 629 while the higher tier can reach Item Level 675 after several upgrades.

How to Craft Higher Item Level Gear:

• To craft the best gear you need Sparks of Fortune, a crafting material that can be earned in various ways. One Fractured Spark of Fortune can be obtained per week by completing Pinnacle Caches which are rewarded from important weekly quests like the World Soul and Titan Archive quests.
• After two weeks you can combine two Fractured Sparks to create a full Spark of Fortune which is required to craft the highest tier gear.

Steps to Crafting High-Level Gear:

• Collect Fractured Sparks from Pinnacle Caches.
• Combine Fractured Sparks to create a Spark of Fortune.
• Use the Spark of Fortune to craft gear at Item Level 645 at Rank 5.
• Upgrade crafted gear using Enchanted Crests (Runed and Gilded) to hit Item Level 675.

Crafted gear gives you a solid progression path especially for solo players who don’t want to rely too much on random drops. By using Crests, Valor Stones and Sparks of Fortune you can ensure your gear reaches its full potential.

Delves: The Solo Player’s Goldmine

Delves are back and better than ever. These mini dungeons provide a great solo experience and reward you with tons of gear and currency including Valor Stones and Crests. What’s new in Season 2 is the introduction of Bountiful Delves which have much higher rewards including top tier Runed and Gilded Crests.

How Delves Work:

• BBountiful Delves: Have special treasure chests at the end that require Restored Coffer Keys to open. You earn these keys by completing weekly quests and activities.
• Tier 8 Delves: Drop Item Level 639 gear and higher tier crests, making these runs essential for players who want to progress their gear without having to do raids or dungeons.

Best Practices:

• Focus on Tier 8+ Delves for the best gear drops.
• Use Delver’s Bounty Maps to unlock even more loot including Item Level 649 gear.
• Complete weekly Vault Runs for even more opportunities to get Item Level 649 rewards.

Delves are a major source of gear for solo players. Whether you’re running the most basic delves or pushing through Bountiful Delves at higher tiers you’ll find valuable rewards that help boost your item level quickly.

Raids and Dungeons: The Traditional Powerhouses

While Delves offer a solo experience, Raids and Dungeons are the traditional powerhouses. From Mythic Raids to Mythic Dungeons these group based activities provide top tier loot that’s essential for anyone looking to reach the highest item levels.

Raid Progression in Season 2:

• LFR Mode: Drops Item Level 623 gear.
• Normal Mode: Drops Item Level 636-645 gear.
• Heroic Mode: Drops Item Level 649-658 gear.
• Mythic Mode: Drops Item Level 662-672 gear.

If you’re after Tier Set Gear Raids are also the only source for this. You’ll need to defeat bosses and collect Tier Set Tokens which can be traded for specific pieces of set gear.

PvP Gear: A Competitive Edge

PvP in Season 2 also has a new gear progression. Honor, Conquest, and War Mode gear now scale with a specific PvP item level. Your gear will be adjusted to perform at its best in PvP environments. PvP gear has a PvP Item Level that is always higher than its PvE counterpart.

• Honor Gear: Item level 665
• Conquest Gear: Item level 678
• War Mode Gear: Item level 675

PvP gear ensures your character stays competitive in any PvP situation, offering a different path to gear progression than PvE content.

Wrapping Up the Season 2 Gear Progression

Season 2 of World of Warcraft: The War Within has plenty of ways to gear up, whether you’re a solo player, a dungeon runner or a PvP enthusiast. Explore all the options: Delves, Raids, Crafting, PvP and maximize your gear upgrades and item level. With Valor Stones, Crests, and Sparks of Fortune your gear will evolve fast as you play the many endgame content available.

So whether you’re after Item Level 639 gear from Delves or Item Level 675 crafted gear, there’s no shortage of ways to gear up in The War Within. Grind and with each upgrade you’ll get closer to the endgame and the top tier rewards.