Hello, everyone, It’s Librarian Husky! The War Within launch is finally here. You’ve booked your time off work, or perhaps you’ve decided to schedule an illness for the time of launch. You’ve stocked up on adult diapers, got McDonald’s on speed dial, and sent your family off for a week of luxury by locking them in the shed at the bottom of the garden. Now it’s time to enjoy the week of the launch. This guide is filled with tips and information to get you set up to make the most out of launch day and the first week of The War Within.

Where It All Begins

So, where does it all begin? As we learned from the recent beta event where we tested the launch scenario, you want to head to Dalaran and the room where we’ve been going off to the Radiant Echoes in the pre-patch event. This is where Khadgar will be waiting for you. When the expansion goes live, he will have a quest ready that will start off the story of The War Within.

Starting the Quest

In the beta, you had to pick up this quest from Khadgar; it did not automatically appear in your log. So, make sure you are nearby and can see Khadgar. Good luck, because this room is going to be crowded. And just remember, this is Legion Dalaran, not Northrend Dalaran, so don’t be that one person who goes to the wrong location looking for a quest because you won’t find it.

Expectations on Launch Day

When the expansion goes live, the quest will pop up above Khadgar‘s head, so expect this room to be absolutely packed and lagging harder than that one guy who still uses dial-up. After this, there’ll be a few quests to complete around Dalaran, with some juicy cutscenes to enjoy. We’ll finally see exactly how Dalaran falls from the sky.

Questing in the New Continent

Once you complete these initial quests, you’ll begin questing in Kaz Algar, the new continent, starting with the first of the four new zones: the Isle of Dawn.

Leveling Tips for The War Within

Remember, there’s no need to rush, especially if you’re in Early Access. I recommend focusing on the campaign during your leveling journey because completing it will get you to Level 80. If you’re not keen on just questing, try some dungeons, explore the new Delve System, pick up treasures, or kill rares—do whatever you enjoy as you level up.

Campaign and Side Quests Strategy

A tip for leveling: the campaign will only get you to around level 77. When you reach the fourth zone, Ajet, I suggest doing all the Side Quests in that zone along with the campaign quests. Reputation works differently in that area, which I’ll explain later regarding the Severed Threads faction. Focusing heavily on the campaign in the first couple of zones should keep you on pace, and you might even be ahead of others, making the third and fourth zones quieter for you.

Delve System and Season 1 Start Date

As far as delves are concerned while leveling, feel free to try them, but don’t focus too heavily on them since the XP from delves isn’t particularly efficient for leveling. However, it’s new content, so if you fancy trying something different, go for it. Remember, Season 1 only starts on September 10th, so there’s no need to rush.

Enjoying the Leveling Experience

There is no need to rush—enjoy your leveling experience in whatever way you wish. I have some specific leveling tips available, so if you’re interested, you can check those out. One essential thing to do on your initial visit to Dagle, the new capital, is to stand on a particular platform for 10 seconds to obtain a super rare treasure. Trust me, it works every time. You’ll also get an achievement for doing so, and you can even trick some of your friends into doing it as well.

Reaching Level 80

Once you reach Level 80, continue with the Level 80 campaign. There is a point in the campaign where you must be Level 80 to proceed. After reaching this point, you’ll begin the max level campaign, starting with Chapter One. Focus on the campaign as much as possible, as progressing will unlock reputations with various factions for you.

Unlocking New Factions and Races

When you reach the third chapter of the campaign, you’ll need to achieve level four Renown with all the War Within factions to continue. Focusing on the campaign will help unlock the new Earth and Allied race. Additionally, there are three new side quest chains to complete if you want to unlock these races. This journey will also include a new scenario that will culminate in unlocking the new Allied race.

Exploring the Fourth Zone

A short way into your questing in Ashah Hat, the fourth zone, which is the furthest from Dagal and the deepest one in the Isle of Dor, you’ll encounter new challenges and content. This zone is integral to the later parts of your campaign and offers unique experiences for players at this stage.

Unlocking the Portal from Azet to Dagle

You will unlock a portal from the faction hub in Azet all the way back to Dagle, which is a massive time saver. Make sure you unlock this and familiarize yourself with its location. If you plan to level alts in The War Within, ensure you get a character to Level 80 first. For every Level 80 character on your account, you get a 5% bonus XP, which stacks across all alts, up to 25% bonus XP.

Preparing Your Alts

Because of this bonus, it makes sense to level up characters one by one. However, make sure to log into each character you plan to level at launch, as this will reopen their XP bar and allow them to start earning rested experience. Don’t forget to do this for your alts, so you can maximize their leveling efficiency.

Focusing on Reputations

After leveling up your main and alts in the first week, you can focus heavily on gaining reputations if you wish. There’s a lot to unlock from reputations, including mounts, pets, transmog items, and gear. Notably, you can acquire decent gear at certain renown levels, which is especially useful early on before the season starts.

Completing Side Quests for XP

All the side quest chains in each zone reward you with a nice chunk of experience when completed. I highly recommend going around and completing all these Side Quests in each zone, as they provide substantial XP and additional rewards. This approach will help you progress smoothly as you prepare for the upcoming season.

Chill Start to the Expansion

I know to some of you, this may seem like a slow pace, but week one and week two of this expansion are really going to be very chill. It makes sense to focus on these activities during this time. Once you’re Level 80 and exploring the zones, make sure to kill all the rares you come across at least once. They drop reputation tokens when killed, which are valuable for progressing in the expansion.

Collecting Lore Objects

In each zone, you’ll find lore objects scattered around for the various factions. These are a one-time loot per account and give 250 reputation per item. They are definitely worth going around and picking up. Check out the guides for these achievements on Wowhead to make sure you don’t miss any.

Collecting Lore Objects and Focusing on Reputation

You will find the coordinates for where you can see these lore objects, so definitely go ahead and collect them as you progress. Once you’ve reached Level 80 and are focusing on your reputation, what else should you do? There are Weekly Quests in the Kazalar zone, including a dungeon weekly quest, so make sure to get that and complete it if available. Additionally, there are World Events that you should definitely complete at least once.

World Events in The War Within

The War Within has placed significant emphasis on World Events. In Dragonflight, we had events like The Siege on Dragonbane Keep and the Iskaara Soup event. Similarly, The War Within offers four different World Events, each located in one of the new zones. Completing these events provides valuable rewards and adds variety to your gameplay.

The Earth and Theater Event

In the top zone, the Isle of Dawn, you’ll find the Earth and Theater event. This event takes place in the Isle of Dawn itself and is very similar to the Time Rifts seen in Dragonflight. It’s an outdoor event with various mini-tasks assigned during the event, culminating in a final theater show. Your rewards are based on your contribution and the efforts of others participating. It’s a straightforward event, and you can see on the map where it’s happening and when it’s set to start, so make sure to participate at least once per week.

The Awakening the Machine Event

The second event is called Awakening the Machine, which takes place in the Ringing Deeps. In this event, you’ll be tasked with fighting off waves of enemies. This event, like the others, offers unique challenges and rewards, making it worth your time to engage with and complete.

Defending the Speaker in the Awakening Event

In this event, you assist a character called the Speaker, and your task is to keep him alive while he conducts the Rites of Awakening. The event occurs in waves, and after every fifth wave, you get to choose a new power that will help you defend the Speaker. Think of these powers as similar to those in Torghast. The event can go up to 50 waves, with the final wave featuring a boss called the Awakened Fang. Defeating this boss rewards you with an achievement and a mount, making it well worth the effort.

The Hall of Fall Event

There is a third event that takes place in the Hall of Fall, specifically in the Light’s Rout area, where the towers are unlit. This event is all about keeping the towers lit and fighting off enemies such as the Naruba, who are trying to rise from Ashet. Increasing your renown with the Hall of Fall faction will make you more efficient in completing this event. Buffs and consumables earned from the faction can aid you in your fight, allowing for a more successful and efficient event completion.

Learning the Spread in the Light Event

I couldn’t test this event on the beta, so I don’t have much detailed information. However, it’s likely that when you level up initially and complete quests in the Hall of Fall area, you’ll receive a quest that introduces you to this event. Be mindful of this quest, and when you can participate in the event, make sure to complete it.

The Final Event

The final event is another significant world event in the expansion. Though details may be scarce, it’s crucial to stay aware of these events as they offer valuable rewards and enhance your overall progression within the game. Be sure to check your map regularly to locate and participate in these events as you explore the new zones.

Understanding the Seven Threads Reputation System

If you are focusing on the Ashka head packs, it’s important to understand that the Seven Threads reputation works differently. Essentially, there are three leaders of the Seven Threads, and each has their own Renown bar. It’s similar to how reputation worked with Sori from the past, where different levels of renown with her unlocked specific rewards. Activities within Ashah will earn you reputation with one of these three leaders.

How Renown Progression Works

To gain a level of renown with the Seven Threads, you need to increase your reputation with one of the leaders by a full level. Currently, you cannot directly earn Seven Threads reputation. If you find that your activities in Ashah are not increasing the Seven Threads reputation bar, it’s likely because you’ve spread your XP and reputation across multiple leaders without fully leveling up with any single one.

Weekly Pact System

Each week, you can choose to devote yourself to one of the leaders and form a pact with them. This pact is warband-bound, meaning you can’t choose a different pact on any of your alts for that week. Once you choose your pact on one character, it is bound to your account for the entire week, so make this decision carefully. After forming a pact, world quests will spawn in Ashah, and you’ll receive a weekly quest to complete various activities for your chosen leader.

Benefits of Leveling Up Reputation with Leaders

As you level up your reputation with the individual leaders you’ve chosen, you’ll gain access to various perks and benefits, such as World Buffs. This system is somewhat similar to how the Klaxxi worked in Pandaria, where choosing a champion provided you with various combat benefits. The Seven Threads leaders and their pacts function in a similar way, offering specific advantages as you progress.

Special Assignments and World Quests

Once you reach Level 80, you’ll notice special assignments on your world map in each zone. To progress a special assignment, you need to complete three World Quests. After doing so, you’ll unlock an elite quest. Completing this elite quest will finish the assignment and reward you with gear, gold, P Stones, crests for upgrading gear, and potentially other cosmetic rewards.

World Soul Weekly Quest

There is also a World Soul weekly quest available from Dagle. This quest allows you to choose a specific type of content you wish to focus on for the week. Select whichever option suits you best, and make sure to complete it within the week to maximize your rewards and progression.

Gearing Up Strategy

When it comes to gearing up, normal dungeons don’t seem to be particularly efficient. Instead, focus on world content like quests, treasures, and rares, as this approach also helps you gain reputation. Aim to reach item level 571, as this is the requirement to queue for random heroics. Remember, heroics reset daily, offering a fresh opportunity to progress.

Focusing on Heroic World Tour for Best Gear

If you’re interested in getting the best gear available, you should prioritize doing your heroic World Tour pretty much every day. You can also get around item level 571 gear from doing World Quests, which is why focusing on normal dungeons may not be the best use of your time unless you have no other source of gear available. Remember, you can also kill rares daily to gain reputation and possibly obtain gear of a comparable item level.

Delves and Seasonal Progression

As far as delves are concerned, remember that delves will have their own seasonal progression, which won’t be available until the season starts. Initially, you can only do Tier 1 to Tier 3 delves at the start of the expansion, which is fine because Tier 3 delves offer decent gear as well. Be sure to pick up the weekly quest for completing delves and, if possible, have a restored Cofer key before attempting any Bountiful delves so you can loot the chest at the end.

Creating a Restored Cofer Key

You’ll need 100 Cofer key fragments to create one restored Cofer key. Once you have the fragments, simply right-click them to make the key. Keep in mind that Bountiful delves won’t unlock until you reach Level 80, so if you prefer to wait until then to start doing delves, you won’t be missing out on anything.

Delves During Leveling and Post-Level 80

If you don’t do the delves while leveling up, you’ll typically receive a quest to complete the delve from somewhere within the zone it’s located in. The quest is usually titled something like “Delve into Such and Such.” Completing the delve for the first time will reward you with some nice rewards. You can choose to do these delves while leveling since they offer decent XP, but don’t worry if you wait until you’re Level 80.

Maximizing Delve Rewards

While you’re in the delves, try to find all the sturdy chests—there are usually four in each delve. These chests provide a decent amount of crystals, which can be used to buy various items, and may also contain other valuable items such as curios that Brann uses to level up his abilities. It’s recommended to complete each delve on Tier 3 at least once per week before Season 1 begins.

Preparing for Season 1 and the Weekly Vault

When Season 1 starts on September 10th, delves and other types of world content will contribute to your weekly vault progression. However, the weekly vault will likely not be available until Season 1 begins, so there’s no need to rush. Take your time and enjoy the pre-season period by leveling up, completing world activities, polishing off Side Quests, gaining reputation, and working on expansion achievements.

Enjoying the Expansion at Your Own Pace

In summary, take your time and enjoy the expansion launch. You don’t have to go too hard; there’s plenty of time in the pre-season to level up, engage in world activities, and complete Side Quests. Focus on what you enjoy, and have fun in a way that works best for you. Remember, these tips are just suggestions—play the game however you wish.

Focusing on Professions

If you wish to maximize your gameplay, don’t neglect your Professions. I recommend grabbing your Professions as soon as you enter Dagle for the first time. Unlock the War Within version of your chosen Professions and start working on them immediately. Gather profession knowledge as you progress in your adventures. Professions in The War Within seem to be a bit more streamlined than they were in Dragonflight, so it shouldn’t take as long to fully max them out. However, it will still require some time and commitment, so it’s important not to fall behind.

Keeping Your Add-Ons Updated

Make sure to keep your add-ons updated, as there tend to be many changes and updates around launch times. This will help you avoid any issues with your add-ons. Assuming the servers are live, the launch of The War Within should be relatively smooth. You can explore the story, familiarize yourself with the new zones, and get a feel for the new dungeons before tackling them on Mythic difficulty.

Preparing for Week Two and Beyond

I’ll be creating a guide for week two of the expansion once we have a better understanding of how everything works and if there are any new tips to share. Additionally, stay tuned for the Season 1 gearing guide that I’m preparing. It will be ready before the season begins, so you can plan accordingly.

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