World of Warcraft News and Raiding Strategies

I’m curious if I can unlock it today or if I have to wait for the new raid to go to raid finder, anyone know for sure?
At BlizzCon we talked about these Allied Races coming in Patch 8.1.5. It might feel like a new patch day with the season update and raid opening up today, but this is still the continuation of the Tides of Vengeance story. We will have more information on the Zandalari and Kul Tiran soon!

The wait sucks, but I’m at a point of apathy about it now. I wish more clear info would come out about to what extent raiding is related to unlocking the two races. Can the quest be done in LFR if a quest is needed?

There will be no raiding required. Some people may have seen the requirements on the PTR and we do plan to talk about them more to help spread the word.

As it currently stands, if you do the Zandalar quest arc (through the Blood Gate quest and Zul’s death), the War Campaign through the Tides of Vengeance achievement, and get Exalted with the Zandalari Empire, you will be able to do the questline to get access to the Zandalari Allied Race as soon as 8.1.5 goes live.

For ages untold, Dazar’alor has stood at the center of the great and powerful Zandalari empire. Its guards have thwarted numerous attempts on King Rastakhan’s life, and it has endured trials both ancient and new. But as war reaches the shores of Zuldazar, the Alliance embarks on a daring gambit to besiege the golden pyramid and sever the Zandalari’s bond to the Horde.

New Raid – Battle of Dazar’alor
The Battle of Dazar’alor is now open. The Alliance is set to stage an attack on the heart of the Zandalari empire in a bid to sever the ties of the Zandalari and the Horde, while Horde players will begin the raid by defending against an invasion in the northern jungle of Zuldazar.

Along the way, players will get to shift to the other faction’s perspective and take on three additional bosses. For the first time in a raid, your character will transform into the opposite faction (including their associated racial abilities).

A dozen new, formidable boss encounters, including Lady Jaina Proudmoore and King Rastakhan himself, await you!

• Mythic difficulty and Raid Finder Wing 1 will open with scheduled weekly maintenance in each region the week of January 29, 2019.
  
• Raid Finder Wing 2 will open the week of February 12, 2019, and Raid Finder Wing 3 will open the week of February 26, 2019.

Battle for Azeroth Season 2
Both the adventures and the war being waged across Azeroth are signified by seasons: times at which many factors and measurements change. Today begins Season 2 of Battle for Azeroth, and you’ll find many new challenges and new rewards are now available in Dungeons and PvP content.

Dungeons
A new season of rewards from dungeons has begun. Complete your best Mythic Keystone each week to earn higher item-level gear, and save up your Titan Residuum to purchase new, powerful Azerite items.

• Item levels of rewards from level 120 Normal, Heroic, and Mythic dungeons have been increased by 30. Baseline rewards are now item-level 340 from Normal, 355 from Heroic, and 370 from non-Keystone Mythic dungeons.
  
• The difficulty of Heroic and Mythic dungeons has been increased by 30%. Normal difficulty dungeons are unchanged.
  
• Mythic Keystones have been reduced by an additional 3 levels, to account for this difficulty increase.
  
• Mythic Keystone rewards have been increased by 30 item levels. During the first week of Season 2, rewards from end-of-run chests will be capped at item-level 385, and the reward cache contains a Season 1 reward.
  
• Beginning the second week of Season 2, the weekly cache will not be affected by the cap, and will reward Season 2 items at the higher item levels.
  
• Added a new Tier 3 Mythic Keystone affix: Reaping. This bestows the power of Bwonsamdi on all non-boss creatures in the dungeon, giving them a chance to avenge their own deaths.
  
• The Infested affix has been removed.

Player versus Player
Battle for Azeroth PvP Season 2 is now underway. Ranks and ratings have been reset, and you can now begin earning new rewards.

• Season 2 rewards from PvP sources have been increased by 30 item-levels. This includes Conquest rewards and the weekly chest.
  
• Players who earn 500 Conquest points in a given week now receive one Quartermaster’s Coin and an item from that week’s selection.
  
• Players might also earn an additional piece of gear or Quartermaster’s Coin each week by using a weekly bonus roll token in PvP.
  
• Quartermaster’s Coins can be exchanged for a Warlord’s Trophy, which can be used to upgrade a piece of Sinister Gladiator gear to a higher item level.
  
• During weeks when the Conquest reward is a head, shoulder, or chest item, players can choose from one of four different pieces of Azerite gear. For the weeks when the Conquest reward is not an Azerite piece, trinket, or weapon, players will be able to choose gear from one of two different slots such as legs and wrists, hands and back, or finger and feet.
  
• The PvP reward UI now shows the criteria needed to receive your weekly chest. Elite sets (available to earn for a limited time only) can also be viewed in the Appearances interface on the Sets tab.
  
• Players can now work toward earning the Vicious Black Bonesteed or Vicious Black Warsaber. Once earned, fill the bar again to receive a Vicious Saddle, which can be used to purchase a mount from previous seasons.
  
• The Gladiator title and achievement are can now be earned by winning 50 games in 3v3 Arenas above a 2400 rating. Players in the top 0.1% at the end of Season 2 in this bracket will earn the Sinister Gladiator title.
  
• End-of-match rewards will be capped at item-level 385 during the first week of the season, to maintain parity with other endgame systems until Mythic Battle of Dazar’alor becomes available.

Items and Rewards Updates
New epic Azerite gear is now available from Season 2 PvP, the Battle of Dazar’alor raid, World Quest Emissaries, and from the Mythic Keystone vendor Thaumaturge Vashreen in Zuldazar and Boralus. These new items will have a fifth ring with additional new trait options, starting at Heart of Azeroth level 15.

The new ring of traits provides two choices of traits per specialization, allowing players the opportunity to find items that have traits they particularly want and the freedom to create new and interesting combinations that may not have been possible before.

Further changes to items and rewards include:

• Azerite Knowledge will increase weekly from January 22 through March 26.
  
• The maximum possible item level is now 425 (was 395).
  
• Seals of Wartorn Fate have not been changed or reset, and will be used for Battle of Dazar’alor and other Season 2 bonus rolls.
  
• Emissary weapon and armor rewards will scale up to item-level 385 (was 370).
  
• Loot from Kul Tiras and Zandalar world bosses will remain at item-level 355.
  
• Rewards for in-progress emissary quests may reroll or update when Season 2 begins; the quests themselves won’t reset or change.
  
• The Titan Residuum vendor now offers item-level 385, 400, and 415 gear.
  
• Titan Residuum is not reset or capped between seasons.

Warfronts

• Darkshore Warfront rewards have been increased by 15 item levels, and the outdoor world boss and the once-per-cycle quest now award item-level 400 gear.
  
• The power of all enemies in the Darkshore Warfront have been increased by 15%, and the item level required to queue for Darkshore is now 335 (was 320).
  
  • Developers’ notes: These Darkshore changes will take effect after the current Warfront cycle has ended. If an attack is already underway in your region, the Warfront will give Season 1 rewards until the attack phase ends. This is being done to avoid any unfairness to people who had already completed the Warfront or killed the world boss before the start of the new season.
    
• Rewards from Arathi Basin and Stromgarde Warfront have not changed.
  

The new Mythic Keystone dungeon season has begun, and there are new rewards to earn—along with a new challenge to face within the hallowed halls of Battle for Azeroth’s dungeons.

New Seasonal Affix
Season 2 features a new seasonal affix—Reaping—which will appear on level 10 or higher Keystones. High-level Keystones will now summon Bwonsamdi, the Loa of Death, to wreak some spectral havoc upon players’ dungeon run. As heroes kill enemies, the vanquished spirits will continue to linger in the mortal realm. At certain points throughout the dungeon, Bwonsamdi will resurrect these twisted souls, who will swarm the unfortunate adventurers in a final act of vengeance.

Updated Mythic Difficulty and Rewards
With the start of Season 2, the rewards from dungeons have increased by up to 30 item levels, and the difficulty of Heroic and Mythic dungeons has likewise been increased. To align with the current available reward cap, during the first week of Season 2, rewards from end-of-run chests will be capped at Mythic 6 quality (item level 385).

The weekly cache that becomes available in the second week of the season will not be affected by this cap. Players who complete a Mythic 10 Keystone dungeon during the first week will receive a Mythic 10 reward (item level 410+) from their cache the following week.

Titan Residuum and Azerite Armor Updates
We’ve also added a new way for players who participate in Mythic Keystone dungeons to acquire specific Azerite armor. Players can now use Titan Residuum to purchase specific items from Mythic Keystone vendor Thaumaturge Vashreen, who is located in either Zuldazar or Boralus.

These new Azerite pieces will have a fifth ring of traits. This new outer ring provides two trait choices per specialization, giving players opportunities to find items that have traits they particularly want—and the freedom to create new and interesting combinations that may not have been possible before. This additional ring of traits also makes each item have a larger impact on your character’s overall power. Learn more about the latest Azerite armor updates in our post.

Titan Residuum will not reset or cap between seasons. Vendor Thaumaturge Vashreen will offer gear of item levels 385, 400, and 415 for purchase during Season 2.

Random Token Costs

• Item Level 385 - 165 Titan Residuum
• Item Level 400 - 675 Titan Residuum
• Item Level 415 - 1725 Titan Residuum

Specific item-level 415 armor pieces cost 7,150 Titan Residuum.

Along with the increased costs for tokens, disenchanting or scrapping Azerite armor pieces with a higher item level will likewise result in higher yields of Titan Residuum.

Disenchanting Examples:

• Item Level 400 - 165 Titan Residuum
• Item Level 415 - 365 Titan Residuum

We’ve also adjusted the amount of Titan Residuum that can be gained from your weekly cache. A Mythic 4 dungeon in Season 2 will award approximately the same amount (60) of Titan Residuum that a Mythic 10 dungeon from Season 1 did. A weekly cache from a Mythic 10 dungeon should result in approximately 625 Titan Residuum.

Keep an eye on the Mythic Keystone Dungeon Leaderboards to see how you match up.

For ages untold, Dazar’alor has stood at the center of the great and powerful Zandalari empire. Its guards have thwarted numerous attempts on King Rastakhan’s life, and it has endured trials both ancient and new. But as war reaches the shores of Zuldazar, the Alliance embarks on a daring gambit to besiege the golden pyramid and sever the Zandalari’s bond to the Horde.

Normal and Heroic difficulty modes of Battle of Dazar’alor are now open, and both provide both Horde and Alliance players with unique encounters for their faction—along with the opportunity to play through events from the opposite faction’s viewpoint.

Raid bosses: 9
Difficulties: Raid Finder, Normal, Heroic, Mythic
Level: 120
Raid Finder Minimum Item Level: 350


Raid Unlock Schedule

• January 22 – Normal and Heroic Difficulties
• January 29 – Mythic and Raid Finder Wing 1
• February 12 – Raid Finder Wing 2
• February 26 – Raid Finder Wing 3

Along with epic new gear, players will also be able to collect two new mounts and three new pets.

New Mounts


G.M.O.D. (High Tinker Mekkatorque – Raid Finder difficulty and up)

Garishly sporting extreme amounts of goblin flair, Gallywix commissioned his Mech of Death to one up Mekkatorque in combat and more importantly in style.

Glacial Tidestorm (Jaina Proudmoore – Mythic difficulty)

Though she commands a variety of magical powers, Jaina has always been most proficient at summoning powerful elementals of water and ice.

New Pets


Child of Pa'ku
Drop: Paku’s Aspect – Conclave of the Chosen – Normal difficulty and up

There is a story told to some children that all winged creatures were unable to fly until Pa’ku provided enough wind to lift them off of the ground.

Thunder Lizard Runt
Drop: Paku’s Aspect — Conclave of the Chosen – Normal difficulty and up

The large plates on the back of this lizard are made of a mysterious but highly conductive material, making it ideal to charge up and expel massive amounts of electricity.

Spawn of Krag'wa
Drop: Paku’s Aspect – Conclave of the Chosen – Mythic difficulty

A toad with Krag’wa’s bloodline has an average expectancy to leap over seven million times during its lifetime.

To learn more about Battle of Dazar’alor, read the full raid preview here.