Hey folks, this is Librarian Husky. As more and more players reach max level in The War Within, it’s time to switch gears and focus on improving our gear and item level. The higher your item level, the easier everything becomes. We currently have limited access to gear and upgrades in these first two weeks before Season 1 begins. Getting the highest item level possible now will ensure a smooth start, regardless of the content you plan to dive into. Here’s our early gearing guide on how to reach item level 590 and beyond.

Max Level and Initial Focus

First and foremost, achieving the game’s maximum level, which is set at 80 in The War Within, is your initial goal. Prioritizing your item level prematurely is unproductive. Focus first on reaching level 80, then shift your attention to equipment upgrades.

Understanding Gear Upgrades

A key point to grasp is the ability to enhance nearly every piece of equipment you acquire. Items marked with “1 of 8 Adventurer” indicate their eligibility for significant item level improvements. To assess what’s required for these upgrades, consult with an upgrade NPC, commonly found in Dagal and other strategic locations. Inserting the gear into the NPC interface will display its upgrade potential and the attainable item level.

Upgrading Gear and Collecting Valor Stones

Gear enhancements are contingent upon the accumulation of Valor Stones and specific types of crests. Valor Stones, a frequent reward in most endgame pursuits, are critical for these upgrades. Engaging in dungeon runs is an effective method to amass a large quantity of these stones, particularly if you can spare additional time.

Types of Crests and Where to Find Them

Obtaining various crests is essential for gear enhancement. Outdoor activities and heroic dungeons yield Weathered Crests, while Carved Crests can be collected from weekly caches and special events. Conversely, Runed and Gilded Crests are predominantly sourced from seasonal challenges, including high-level raid encounters and Mythic+ dungeons.

Using the Auction House for Gearing

To bypass initial gearing hurdles and if you are inclined to invest financially, the auction house offers a viable solution. It frequently stocks BoE (Bind on Equip) items starting around item level 560, available at reasonable prices. Explorer gear is a popular option here and can be upgraded to as high as item level 580 with the help of Valor Stones at designated upgrade vendors.

Dark Moon Card Decks for Temporary Gear

For those struggling to replace particular pieces of low-level gear, Dark Moon card decks present an affordable interim solution. Priced competitively, these trinkets, which start at item level 577, provide beneficial effects and can later be enhanced or embellished further. They serve as an excellent stopgap to complete your gear set as you progress.

Using BoE Gear and Warband Bank for Cross-Server Trading

A handy strategy involves utilizing your Warband Bank to store any BoE (Bind on Equip) gear for cross-server or cross-faction transfers. If your local server market is overpriced due to a smaller player base, you can inject gold into your Warband Bank, establish a character on a busier server such as Illidan or Area 52, acquire the desired gear at more competitive prices, and then transfer it back to your main server. This method facilitates effective cross-server trading, circumventing costly market rates.

Dungeon Gearing and Upgrades

A straightforward approach to enhance your gear is through dungeon runs. Normal mode dungeons reward you with item level 554 gear, while heroics drop item level 571 gear. Upon the commencement of the season, gear from heroic dungeons will scale up to item level 580. Anticipate access to superior gear sources once the season progresses. To boost a piece of 571 gear up to item level 593, accumulation of Valor Stones and Weathered Crests is necessary.

Farming Heroic Dungeons for Gear and Crests

Heroic dungeons are a reliable source for amassing Valor Stones and Weathered Crests, essential for upgrading your equipment effectively. Consistent farming of these dungeons can propel your gear to reach an item level of 593. Moreover, a productive use of Weathered Crests involves exchanging 30 of them for an Enchanted Weathered Harbinger Crest at an enchanting supplies vendor, which is instrumental in advancing your gear significantly.

Crafting with Enchanted Weathered Crests

For enchanters, personally crafting Enchanted Crests is feasible, or alternatively, placing a crafting order may suffice. Integrating an Enchanted Crest into the optional reagent slot during the creation of blue-quality gear allows you to forge items potentially reaching up to item level 590, depending on the crafting outcome. Achieving a rank five in crafting could easily yield gear of item level 590 using merely 30 Weathered Crests alongside standard enchanting materials.

Comparing Gearing Methods

Elevating a piece of gear from item level 571 to 593 typically requires about 600 Valor Stones and 60 Weathered Crests. In contrast, harnessing Enchanted Weathered Crests combined with your crafting skills can produce item level 590 gear using just 30 crests, often proving to be a more resource-efficient strategy, particularly if you are adept with crafting professions or the crafting order system.

Recrafting Items and Saving Gold

Immediate acquisition of a rank five item isn’t necessary; opting for a lower-rank crafted item initially and upgrading it as your crafting skills or market conditions improve can be cost-effective. Recrafting utilizes less expensive materials, thus avoiding the exorbitant expenditure associated with purchasing top-rank items prematurely.

Using Spark of Omens for Epic Gear

Enhance your crafting capabilities by employing a Spark of Omens, which is pivotal for producing epic crafting recipes. Crafting with these at rank five can generate gear of item level 606, marking a considerable upgrade. Securing a Spark of Omens is crucial for assembling such formidable gear.

Collecting Sparks of Omens

To assemble high-level gear, you’re required to gather two Fragmented Sparks of Omens and meld them with Valor Stones. A single Fragmented Spark of Omens can be secured by completing the weekly “Call of the World Soul” quest located in Dagal. This quest provides a selection of four different activities, allowing you to opt for the one that best suits your preferences. Submitting this quest rewards you with your initial Fragmented Spark.

Weekly Spark Acquisition

This task recurs on a weekly basis, enabling you to obtain one fragment per week. Consequently, accumulating two fragments to form a complete Spark will take a fortnight. Nonetheless, Dagal hosts a unique quest near the Catalyst which offers a pair of fragments upon completion. This particular quest is a one-time opportunity and effectively provides you with an immediate Spark, facilitating an early start in crafting formidable gear for the season.

Upgrading Crafted Gear

Throughout the season,

the opportunity to enhance this crafted gear to an impressive item level of 636 arises by procuring Runed and Gilded Crests from various high-level endgame activities. Such enhancements significantly bolster the gear’s efficacy and ensure its relevance over a prolonged duration.

Additional Rewards from the Weekly Quest

Engaging in the “Call of the World Soul” weekly quest is crucial for continuous Spark acquisition. This quest not only progresses your ability to obtain Sparks but also rewards you with a cache potentially filled with crucial gear upgrades. Participating in other weekly events that offer similar caches and ensuring the completion of at least the first two each week is essential to capitalize on these rewards.

Gear Rewards from Caches

When you open the initial two caches each week, they will typically contain gear at item level 574, akin to what is found in heroic dungeons. This gear offers considerable potential for enhancement up to item level 593. Following the onset of Season 1, these caches will begin to include veteran gear, which is projected to be around item level 584, thereby increasing their worth substantially.

Weekly Events and Additional Caches

By participating in weekly events located across the new zones, such as the Theater Troop in Dagal, The Awakening event, the Machine event in the Ringing Deeps, and the Spreading the Light event in Hall of Fall, you can secure additional caches. Furthermore, the Packed feature in Ashcat also provides a cache, and completing two designated World Quests each week yields similar rewards.

Restored Cofer Keys and Delve System

The initial four caches opened each week yield Restored Cofer Keys, which are crucial for accessing the most rewarding contents in the delve system. While these keys are primarily sought after for gear acquisition, they are invaluable for players focusing on solo content, making it highly advisable to collect them for the substantial rewards they unlock.

Solo and Open World Content: Delves

Delves offer mini-dungeon experiences that are suitable for solo adventurers or small groups. Each delve culminates in treasure chests that dispense a variety of rewards, including Valor Stones and Weathered Crests, making them particularly appealing to those who favor solo or open-world activities.

Alternative Sources for Weathered Crests

For those who prefer not to grind heroic dungeons repeatedly for Weathered Crests, delves present an alternative source. However, standard delves typically do not offer substantial gear rewards; instead, the more lucrative Bountiful Delves provide superior loot and include a locked chest that can only be accessed with Restored Coffer Keys.

Tiered Rewards in Delves

The quality of rewards from delves depends on the tier completed. The highest tier available pre-season is tier three, which grants item level 571 rewards, equivalent to those from heroic dungeons. Unlike dungeons, these are not constrained by keys, suggesting that it’s more beneficial to engage in dungeon runs for now and reserve your Coffer Keys for future, higher-tier delves.

Higher Tier Delves in Season 1

With the launch of Season 1 in The War Within, completing a tier-eight Bountiful Delve will result in item level 603 gear from the treasure chests, which represents the highest gear tier obtainable from delves. In addition, participating in these high-tier delves will enhance your weekly Vault rewards, starting at item level 616, thereby greatly enhancing your overall gearing strategy.

World Quests as Gear Alternatives

For players less inclined to participate in dungeons, World Quests serve as a viable alternative for gear acquisition. These quests generally offer rewards around item level 560, with occasional quests providing item level 571 gear. Keeping an eye on these opportunities can be beneficial for those seeking to improve their gear outside of dungeon contexts.

Daily Map Checks and World Quests

Regularly checking your map for World Quests that provide high item-level rewards is a prudent strategy. Assessing the active quests daily enables you to identify and complete those offering the most significant gear enhancements.

Renown Rewards for Gear

Achieving specific Renown levels with factions such as the Seven Threads, Dagal, the Arati, or the Assembly of the Deeps enables the purchase of gear ranging from item level 571 to 584. As you advance in Renown, the potential to unlock gear up to item level 597 increases, making it a rewarding endeavor for long-term gear progression.

Maximizing Pre-Season Gearing

Utilizing these strategies allows for rapid gearing before the official start of Season 1 of The War Within. By capitalizing on these methods, you can reach or surpass item level 590, setting you up effectively for the forthcoming content phase.

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