The WoW Shadowlands experience has seen high-tier loot dry up for dungeon-oriented players in recent weeks. With the Great Vault the only real source of top level gear for many players at this point, Blizzard is now tweaking the system to allow players to upgrade their Mythic+ rewards for a smoother item level curve.
WoW community manager Randy ‘Kaivax’ Jordan opened up about the changes coming to WoW Shadowlands patch 9.0.5 on the game’s official forum, revealing that the maximum level gear can be upgraded to will initially have “a cap of item level 200, which players can raise to item level 207 by completing all eight Shadowlands dungeons at Mythic +5 or higher.” For completing each of Shadowlands’ dungeons at Mythic +10, this cap is raised to item level 213, and then finally to 220 for a full house of Mythic +15s.
However, like WoW’s other gear upgrade systems, there is a cost. “The currency used to upgrade Mythic Keystone gear is Valor,” Kaivax writes, “which is earned from completing Mythic Keystone dungeons, or by doing covenant Callings, with a weekly cap. Upgrade costs will vary by item slot and will be consistent across all item levels.”
Patch 9.0.5 will also see balance changes to both Covenant abilities and Legendary items “that have seen comparatively less use by players.” Back in December, we noted that the majority of players opted to join Night Fae or Kyrian, due largely to certain classes having limited options across the Shadowlands’ four houses. These changes, Kaivax notes, seek to “make sure that more players feel that the Covenant that suits their aesthetic, narrative, or other preferences for their character also feels more viable for their preferred playstyle.”
As per Wowhead, the list of initial changes can be accessed via the tweet below.
The Warrior Necrolord ability Conqueror's Banner has been reworked on the 9.0.5 PTR!#Warcraft #Shadowlandshttps://t.co/ta9nsN8Vee pic.twitter.com/FXksdkshpD
— Wowhead (@Wowhead) February 10, 2021
With Blizzcon only a week away, players are eager to know what Blizzard has in store for the next stage of the Shadowlands expansion. Kaivax says that “we’ll have a lot more information on that in the very near future,” indicating that players may be about to get their answers on February 19.