World of Warcraft News and Raiding Strategies

In the coming days, the following realm connection will be made:

• The Drak’thul and Skywall realms will join the Silvermoon and Mok’Nathal realms. (NA)
• The Cairne and Perenolde realms will join the Cenarius realm. (NA)
• The Kilrogg realm will join the Hellfire realm. (EU)

We are planning more realm connections for low-population realms, and we will post further notifications like this one in the coming weeks.

Thank you!

Update 24/7: We are encountering some issues that are preventing us from performing the realm connections mentioned above for the time being. We will let you know when we have more information to share regarding their implementation.

Thank you for your patience and understanding.

We’re aware of and working on a bug with taunts in the Shadowlands Beta.

We’ll confirm again here as soon as it’s fixed.

WoW Classic

• Fixed a bug that could allow stacked periodic auras such as Ignite to persist past their final tick.

As we approach the content unlock next week that will begin the events around the Gates of Ahn’Qiraj, we’ve seen several questions from players about precisely how many aspects of the events are going to work. What follows is a rundown of some of the those details.

Spoiler alert! If you’ve been hoping to experience the AQ events for the first time in-game, turn back now!

The Calendar

First and foremost, we have the exact time of the content unlock. This will occur with the weekly raid reset in each region, because the content involves Blackwing Lair.

In the US region, the content will unlock on:

• July 28 at 9:00 a.m. PDT / 12:00 Noon EDT
• July 29 at 2:00 a.m. AEST / 4:00 a.m. NZST

In the EU region, the content will unlock on:

• 29 July at 9:00 CEST / 10:00 MSK

This is the time when the War Effort will begin and each faction can turn in immense amounts of supplies that, once completed, will require five days to be transported to Silithus. Due to the raid requirements in the quest chain leading up to the “Bang A Gong!” quest, the earliest that the gong-ringing can occur in Silithus on highly-motivated realms will be just over a week later.

Once the gong is rung on a realm, the 10 Hour War begins. Once the 10 hours has elapsed, "Bang a Gong!” can never be turned in anymore, the two Ahn’Qiraj raids will open, and the “Treasures of the Timeless One” quest will become available.

The exact times for the ringing of the gong, and therefore the raids opening 10 hours later, will differ on every realm.

Becoming the Scarab Lord

Ringing the gong can only be done by players who have completed all of the steps of the Scepter of the Sands quest chain before the end of the 10-hour window. In addition to raid requirements, players are able to use the Proxy of Nozdormu to deputize other players to help them amass Silithid Carapace Fragments, so this is likely a guild-wide effort to help a chosen individual complete the quest chain.

Only the first player on a realm to ring the gong will be announced across the zone in Silithus. On realms that have multiple layers, once the gong is rung on one layer, the 10 Hour War will begin on all layers. All players who complete the questline and turn in “Bang a Gong!” before the 10 hours are up will receive the Black Qiraji Resonating Crystal mount. Any player who completes the questline up through “The Might of Kalimdor” will be eligible for “Treasures of the Timeless One,” which rewards an Epic weapon, regardless of whether they were able to complete “Bang a Gong!” in time.

Some Restrictions Apply

In original WoW, the Scarab Lord wasn’t used as a title, and that will be the case in WoW Classic. The ability for players to manage their titles came after original WoW.

During the 10 Hour War, world bosses do not only spawn in Silithus. Resonating Crystals that spawn major enemies will appear in Tanaris, Feralas, Thousand Needles, and Barrens. This is important to know because we expect there to be an overcrowding issue in Silithus on realms whenever large groups of players all go to Silithus at the same time. While the negative effects of overcrowding can’t be eliminated, we’re taking several steps to mitigate the worst outcomes:

• Thanks to players who helped us test on the PTR in June, we can support a higher number of players in the zone than we could before.
• Those PTR tests also helped us determine the maximum number of players that can be supported before “a little laggy” became “unplayable.”
• If the maximum is reached, players will be automatically removed from the zone.
  
  • First, players will be removed if they are below level 60. Alliance players will be ported to Westfall, and Horde players will be ported to The Barrens.
  • Level 60 players who are ported out will be moved to to Un’goro Crater, Tanaris, Thousand Needles, or The Barrens.
  • If Silithus is at max population, a level 60 player can only zone in when another player leaves Silithus.
  • Players who have a Scepter will never be automatically removed from Silithus.
• Zone maximums and automatic adjustments are per-layer.

There are restrictions on realm-to-realm character transfers, which are in place to prevent players of a different realm from coming to your realm and disrupting the progress of events. The quest “Bang a Gong!” cannot be completed by characters who transferred to the realm in the past 90 days, however, those players can complete “Treasures of the Timeless One”. Before the end of the 10 Hour War on a realm, there are also other restrictions on transfers for characters who have participated in significant event activities elsewhere. For example, players cannot transfer a character that has Silithus Carapace Fragments in their bags or bank.

And Then…

The initial War Effort requires a great deal of supplies to be turned in by your faction on your realm. If this is not complete 30 days after the content is unlocked, small amounts of supplies will begin turning in automatically, as they did in the version 1.12 of original WoW. The gates still require somebody to “Bang a Gong!”, but this will help ensure that all realms have the chance to unlock Ahn’Qiraj before Naxxramas is released.

We’re very excited to follow the unfolding events on WoW Classic realms around the world over the next few weeks. We’ll see you in Silithus!

Classes

• Demon Hunter
  
  • Fixed an issue that could sometimes prevent recently boosted Alliance Demon Hunters from entering the Stormwind Portal Room.
    

Items and Rewards

• Heart of Azeroth
  
  • The chance to receive Rank 4 of the Worldvein Resonance Essence from Island Expeditions has been slightly increased.
    
  • The achievements Expedition Leader, Expert Expeditioner, and Azerite Admiral have had their increased chance to receive Rank 4 of the Worldvein Resonance Essence further increased.
    
  • The achievements Island Conqueror, Helping Hand, Tell Me A Tale, and Competent Captain now increase your chance to receive Rank 4 of the Worldvein Resonance Essence.
    

Quests

• Fixed an issue that caused some players to incorrectly be ineligible for the Shimmering Crystal quest-starter from Warlords of Draenor Timewalking.
  
• Fixed an issue that caused Forsaken Deathstalker to evade and prevent completion of the quest “Signal Boost”.

System

• Fixed an issue that caused the camera to become attached to mouse movement.
  
• Fixed an issue that sometimes caused the mouse cursor to become stuck.

When Sylvanas Windrunner shatters the veil between worlds, you’ll be leaving Azeroth behind—at least for a time. But before you journey to the Shadowlands, you may want to spend your remaining moments in the mortal realms seeking out a few rewards that will no longer be obtainable (or will be more difficult to acquire) in the next expansion.

Read on for the full list, and make sure to collect everything you’ve been eyeing before time runs out.

Going Away with Shadowlands Launch

How to Claim Your Dragon

When Azeroth’s heroes depart for the Shadowlands, the last vestiges of N’Zoth the Corruptor will fade away—and the “Lost Flight” quest, which rewards the Uncorrupted Voidwing mount, will vanish along with him.


To earn: Enter the raid Ny’alotha, the Waking City on Heroic difficulty and defeat N’Zoth the Corruptor. You’ll want to be around 445 item level and be accompanied by at least 15 others in gear of similar quality to take down the Old God.

Upon defeating N’Zoth, you’ll loot an item that grants you the “Lost Flight” quest, which can be turned in for your Uncorrupted Voidwing.

You can further prepare for the climatic final boss in Battle of Azeroth by watching the N’Zoth the Corruptor FatbossTV guide.

TIP: Ashjra’kamas, Shroud of Resolve is a must-have for all members of your raid group when fighting N’Zoth the Corruptor. Those without the legendary cloak will succumb to an instant mind-control mechanic, becoming a Servant of N’Zoth who will ravage your raid. Follow our guide to obtain your legendary cloak.

Estimated time: 2 hours

If you need aid, some fellow heroes in the community are willing to help those who want to earn their Uncorrupted Voidwing. Check out the list below, and read their guidelines to find out how to participate.

• Perky Pugs
  
  • Requirements for eligibility.
    

• DesMephisto
  
  • Requirements for eligibility.
    

Your Heart Only for Azeroth

The Heart of Azeroth, the legendary necklace you’ve kept close to your own hearts, derives its power from your connection to Azeroth. You’ll find that connection weakens when you step foot into areas or instances not introduced in Battle for Azeroth, severing features that derive power from it—Essences and Azerite Traits. The potency of these powers will reactivate whenever you return to eligible regions and instances (e.g. Horrific Visions.

Going Away with Shadowlands Pre-patch

Mind-Blowing Mount


The prestige achievement Battle for Azeroth Keystone Master: Season Four and its reward the Awakened Mindborer mount will only be available to earn prior to the release of Shadowlands. To earn the achievement and mount, you must complete all Battle for Azeroth Season Four dungeons at Mythic Level 15 or higher, within the time limit.

Unsure of your current progress? See which Keystones you need to complete by checking your progress in the Mythic Keystone section in the Group Finder (default hotkey: i).

Extinction Event


Just like the real dinosaurs that once walked our own earth, the Mighty Caravan Brutosaur’s days in Azeroth are numbered. Once the Shadowlands pre-patch goes live, the shady vendors Talutu and Tricky Nick will cease selling it. The Mighty Caravan Brutosaur will then trek from its Battle for Azeroth vendors to the Black Market Auction House where it can show up occasionally as a purchasable mount for players to bid on. The accompanying Feat of Strength Conspicuous Consumption will be earned upon purchase.

To earn: Purchase for 5,000,000 gold from Talutu in Grand Bazaar, Dazar’alor (Horde) or Tricky Nick in Hook Point, Boralus (Alliance).

Corruption Cleansed

With the Black Empire turned to ash, the Old Gods’ power of Corruption will wither away once the Shadowlands pre-patch goes live. Your Corruption-tainted items will shed away their dark power, leaving your gear in its pure form. With Corruption no longer a threat, the Corruption Resistance found on certain Essences and your legendary cloak will also dissipate.

Utter Madness

One of the more challenging achievements to arise in Visions of N’Zoth—Mad World—will no longer be acquirable once the pre-patch goes live. If you successfully earn the Feat of Strength, you’ll be granted a fitting title, “the Faceless One.”

To earn: Complete all objectives in the Horrific Visions of Stormwind and Orgrimmar in a single visit while not in a party and with all 5 Faceless Masks active.

Changing of the Seasons

The current PvP Season will end with the pre-patch, taking with it all of the usual earnable rewards for eligible players who end the season in the top 0.1% of the 3v3 arena ladder. To commemorate this feat, these elite players will earn the Corrupted Gladiator title, Corrupted Gladiator’s Tabard, and the Corrupted Gladiator mount.

Top of the Class

Just as with previous raids at the end of an expansion, the Ahead of the Curve and Cutting Edge achievements for defeating N’Zoth the Corruptor on Heroic and Mythic difficulties will go away at the beginning of pre-patch. In addition to earning limited-time achievements, you’ll also get your Uncorrupted Voidwing and—for those seeking to get Cutting Edge—have a chance to get the Ny’alotha Allseer mount for defeating N’Zoth on Mythic difficulty.

Your Essences Preferences

If you’re trying to collect the prestigious title Azeroth’s Champion, be sure to add earning the achievement Phenomenal Cosmic Power to your list of things to do, as all Rank 4 Essences can no longer be earned once Shadowlands strikes.

To earn: Infuse the Heart of Azeroth with all available Essences from the Rise of Azshara update for any role at Rank 4. Refer to Wowhead’s comprehensive Essence collection guide to get started!

The Truth Hertz

In the same vein as Rank 4, the achievement Hertz Locker which grants the Rank 4 Essence Vision of Perfection will become unobtainable, but earlier during pre-patch.

To earn: Within a single lockout, defeat all bosses in Operation: Mechagon and prevent the destruction of all non-robotic life on Azeroth without any player dying on Mythic difficulty.

Some mounts and achievements will become more difficult to acquire due to drop rates changing or requirements going away with Shadowlands.

Difficulty Increasing When Shadowlands Launches

Mythic Mounts

When you sail away from Battle for Azeroth, the current guaranteed drop rate for the Glacial Tidestorm and Ny’alotha Allseer mounts will significantly decrease, and the amount of dropped mounts will decrease to one (currently two).


Glacial Tidestorm: Defeat Mythic Lady Jaina Proudmoore in Battle of Dazar’alor on Mythic difficulty. You’ll need 20 players total to enter the raid, and it’s recommended that all players are 415 item level or higher. You can further prepare for Mythic Lady Jaina Proudmoore by watching the Mythic Lady Jaina Proudmoore FatbossTV guide.


Ny’alotha Allseer: Defeat Mythic N’Zoth the Corruptor in Ny’alotha, the Waking City on Mythic difficulty. You’ll need 20 players total to enter the raid, and it’s recommended that all players are 470 item level or higher. You can further prepare for Mythic N’Zoth the Corruptor by watching the Mythic N’Zoth Complexity Limit guide.

Please note that the corresponding Cutting Edge: N’Zoth the Corruptor achievement will no longer be available to earn once Shadowlands goes live.

As these instances are both Mythic difficulty, we expect defeating Mythic Jaina Proudmoore and Mythic N’Zoth will still require a fair amount of coordination to defeat in Shadowlands—so if you want either of these mounts, you may want to consider taking advantage of the guaranteed drop rate.

There are also some heroes in the community who are willing to help those who want to earn their Glacial Tidestorm or Ny’alotha Allseer mounts—check out their information below!

• DesMephisto
  
  • More information here.
    

Which mount or achievement is on your list to collect?