The War Within Fast Gearing Guide

World of Warcraft’s latest expansion, The War Within, brings plenty of new ways to gear up your characters efficiently.
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Whether you’re aiming to boost your item level (ilvl) on your main or speed up the gearing of your alts (for example to help your Mythic Plus team), this guide will help you understand the best paths for fast ilvl progress, including tips for both early and advanced stages of gearing.
Gearing Basics: Categories and ilvl Ranges
In The War Within, gear is split into categories with unique ilvl ranges based on difficulty and content type. Here’s a breakdown of these categories and the primary ways to obtain them:
- Explorer (558–580 ilvl): Found in low-tier Delves, Normal dungeons, and basic world quests.
- Adventurer (571–593 ilvl): Available through mid-level world quests, weekly events, and Heroic dungeons.
- Veteran (584–610 ilvl): Dropped from high-tier Delves, Mythic dungeons, and the Great Vault.
- Champion (597–619 ilvl): Obtainable from World Bosses, advanced Delves, and low-level Mythic+ dungeons.
- Hero (610–626 ilvl): Acquired from Heroic Raids and mid-level Mythic+ runs.
- Myth (623–639 ilvl): Found in Mythic Raids and high-level Great Vault rewards.
Your goal is to gather gear from these categories in stages, starting with Explorer and Adventurer pieces, and progressing toward Hero and Myth sets for top-end content.
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Best Methods for Early Gearing Progression
If your character just hit level 80 or needs an ilvl boost, focus on these activities to quickly raise your item level.
- World Quests and Delves:
- World quests and early Delves are a great starting point. Lower-tier Delves provide Explorer and Adventurer gear, while higher-tier Delves reward Veteran and Champion pieces. Be sure to farm these Delves regularly to keep your gear progressing.
- Heroic Dungeons:
- These dungeons now offer gear at around 580 ilvl, making them essential for early gearing. As Heroic dungeons are simpler than Mythic+ content, they’re perfect for players who want to prepare for more advanced challenges.
- Renown Rewards:
- Renown vendors provide gear as you level up with key factions:
- Council of Dornogal at Renown level 7 for shoulder gear.
- Hallowfall Arathi at Renown level 7 for chest pieces.
- Assembly of the Deep at Renown level 8 for helmets.
- Raising Renown is simple, especially if you’re also leveling alts, so be sure to unlock these rewards early on.
- Renown vendors provide gear as you level up with key factions:
- The 20th Anniversary Event:
- During this event, you can farm Timewalking dungeons and bosses for gear, making it a perfect catch-up opportunity for new characters. Rewards range from Champion-level items up to 619 ilvl.
Using Upgrade Currencies to Maximize Gear Potential
The War Within offers several upgrade paths through crests and Valorstones. Each gear track (Explorer, Veteran, etc.) has a number indicating its upgrade level (e.g., Veteran 1/8). Upgrading requires special currencies:
- Harbinger Crests and Valorstones: Main upgrade resources, earned through dungeons, Delves, world events, and raids.
- Weathered Crests: Upgrade Adventurer and Veteran gear.
- Carved Crests: For Veteran and Champion items.
- Runed Crests: Used on Champion and Hero gear.
- Gilded Crests: For Hero and Myth items.
These crests are applied at specific upgrade vendors in Dornogal:
- Cuzloth for gear upgrades and Vaskarn for crest exchanges.
Additionally, you can access discounts that reduce upgrade costs if you have high ilvl gear in each armor slot, making it easier to gear up additional characters. For instance:
- Harbinger of the Weathered: Get a 593 ilvl item in each slot for a discount.
- Harbinger of the Carved: 606 ilvl in each slot reduces costs on Veteran gear upgrades.
Advanced TWW Gearing Paths
Once you’ve established a solid baseline ilvl, you’ll be ready to tackle more challenging content that yields the best rewards. Here are the most efficient methods for advanced gearing:
- Nerub’ar Palace Raid:
- This raid drops some of the highest ilvl gear in The War Within, with a max ilvl of 639 in Mythic difficulty. Nerub’ar Palace also offers unique and powerful items, such as Void Reaper’s Warp Blade and Seal of the Poisoned Pact, making it essential for anyone aiming to maximize their ilvl.
- Raid difficulty options and corresponding gear:
- LFR: 584–600 ilvl
- Normal: 597–613 ilvl
- Heroic: 610–626 ilvl
- Mythic: 623–639 ilvl
- For players who prefer solo content, LFR is accessible at 567 ilvl, while organized groups can conquer higher levels.
- Mythic+ Dungeons:
- Offering gear that scales with the Keystone level, Mythic+ dungeons provide Hero and Champion-level items. High-level dungeons from M+10 yield gear up to 613 ilvl.
- Try to run dungeons that suit your ilvl, starting with M0, and working your way up as your gear improves.
- The Great Vault:
- Completing weekly goals in raids, Mythic+ dungeons, or Delves grants access to high-quality items from the Great Vault. Each completed category opens a reward slot with gear based on your highest activity level.
- Gear from the Vault often surpasses dungeon drops, giving players incentive to complete multiple weekly tasks.
Crafting High ilvl Gear with Sparks of Omens
Crafting can be costly but offers flexibility in filling specific gear slots with high ilvl items. With Sparks of Omens, you can significantly boost crafted items’ ilvl. Here’s what you need to know:
- Crafting Basics:
- Players can craft gear up to 606 ilvl by using Sparks of Omens and Valorstones to enhance crafted items, turning Epic gear into powerful pieces suitable for endgame.
- You may commission crafted items from guildmates or purchase them from others if you’re not a crafter.
- Using Sparks of Omens:
- These sparks are obtainable through weekly activities and boost crafted items. They increase the base ilvl of purple (Epic) gear, which can even reach BiS status for certain classes.
- Upgrading Crafted Gear:
- Crafted items can be further improved with crests to match higher ilvl benchmarks, making them suitable for challenging content like Heroic Raids or Mythic+ dungeons.
Tier Set Conversions with Catalysts
The War Within introduces a Catalyst system that allows players to convert PvP and PvE Veteran or higher gear into Tier Set items. Tier Sets give powerful passive bonuses and are critical for maximizing performance in raids and Mythic+.
- Harmonized Silk is required to charge the Catalyst, with new charges available every two weeks, maxing out at eight. Tier Set bonuses provide essential boosts, so prioritize using your Catalyst charges on main gear pieces.
Entry-Level Gearing Checklist
If you’ve just hit 80, use this checklist to gear up efficiently:
- Complete World Quests and Delves for fast Explorer and Adventurer gear upgrades.
- Farm Heroic Dungeons for steady ilvl increases to reach the Veteran level.
- Purchase Renown gear from factions at level 7 and 8 for extra armor pieces.
- Join the 20th Anniversary Event for extra Timewalking rewards to fill gear gaps.
- Upgrade gear using Weathered Crests from basic content like Heroic dungeons.
Advanced Gearing Checklist
Once you’ve geared past entry-level, target these sources for powerful items:
- Run Mythic+ and High-Level Delves to maintain a steady ilvl climb with each key level.
- Complete Weekly Great Vault Tasks to maximize gear rewards and access tier-set items.
- Participate in Nerub’ar Palace Raid for access to some of the expansion’s best weapons and gear.
- Upgrade all crafted gear with Sparks of Omens and Valorstones to create endgame-ready pieces.
Final Tips for Maximizing Gearing Efficiency
- Focus on the Great Vault: This weekly system provides some of the best gear in the game, so make it a priority.
- Use Upgrading Discounts: Take advantage of discounts on crests and Valorstones as you hit higher ilvl benchmarks.
- Complete World Events Regularly: These activities drop valuable gear, keys, and currency for future upgrades.
- Build Toward BiS Gear: Once your ilvl is solid, identify Best-in-Slot (BiS) items to maximize your character’s performance. Checking class-specific guides is a good idea to see which items are most effective.
Conclusion
With these strategies, you’ll have the foundation to gear up quickly and tackle all the exciting challenges that The War Within has to offer. Remember, gearing efficiently takes planning, so make use of each activity’s rewards and pace yourself as you aim for top-tier gear. Happy hunting, and may your loot rolls be in your favor!