For World of Warcraft (WoW) fans, new game content will always be exciting news. Surely, you were over the moon when patch 10.2’s (Guardians of the Dream) arrival was announced. Well, the wait is almost over after Blizzard revealed that the new major features will be available on the 7th of November this year.
Once Patch 10.2 goes into full swing, players will get to enjoy dragon-riding updates, as well as the new Renown track (The Dream Wardens) and a public event (The Superbloom), in addition to the much-awaited entry to the new full zone: The Emerald Dream.
Obviously, it’ll be a heck of a ride ahead for WoW players, with the Guardians of the Dream just around the corner. The big question now is, how can you prepare for WoW 10.2? Worry not, as that’s exactly what this blog post is all about. So, buckle up; it’s time to learn everything you need to know about the newest (and maybe final) Dragonflight update.
What Are the Changes in WoW Patch 10.2?
The Guardians of the Dream won’t be your ordinary update to WoW Dragonflight. It’s actually going to bring some of the most significant changes to the expansion yet as it approaches its first anniversary.
In addition to the new elements previously mentioned, expect the following from the update:
- A new legendary weapon called Fyr’alath, The Dream Render
- A new raid called Amirdrassil: The Dream’s Hope
- Immense class changes
- A new world boss called Aurostor the Hibernating
That’s a lot of changes, don’t you think? But that’s not all of it. There are more exciting things for players to explore in the Guardians of the Dream! Also, until the patch is finally released, it’s safe to expect more updates to come in.
What is the Gear Max ilvl in Patch 10.2?
Once WoW gear update 10.2 kicks in, gearing up will become more challenging for players since the ilvl increase going to season 3 from the previous one is expected to be much larger than normal. It’ll be a staggering +39 ilvls between tiers from the standard +26 if what was seen in the public test realm (PTR) is final. It only means that those playing catch-up might need some WoW boost to quickly complete raids and Mythic+ dungeons for rewards.
To better prepare for Wow 10.2 gear-up challenges, it would be wise to look back at the gearing mechanics of the previous update (10.1.7).
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Obtaining and Upgrading Gear Prior to 10.2
Every new season of WoW means new challenges and opportunities to gear up. Season 3 in the Guardians of the Dream patch is no different. What better way to prepare for the grinding ahead than to master gearing up in the current update (10.1)?
The good news is that upgrading any gear pieces prior to 10.2 is fairly straightforward once you have the required materials and the newly implemented currencies—Flightstones and crests. Also, by completing the Patch 10.1 campaign’s first chapter, you’ll receive some materials for free, making the process a lot easier for starters. Note, however, that entering season 2 requires a player to reach level 70 first. Fortunately, there are many ways to level up and obtain gear, but you have to be prepared to exert significant time and effort.
Okay, onto the main discussion. So, Patch 10.1 implemented a new gear upgrade system, but again, it works pretty simply. All you have to do is point to an item for a small text tip that will show the upgrade level of the gear and its progression step. For example, you might see upgrade level information indicating that the item’s gear type is Champion (the second to the highest, just below Hero) and 4/8 for the upgrade limit, which means that the gear has undergone four out of the possible eight steps already.
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Item Upgrade NPC Locations
You need to interact with item upgrade NPCs to gear up. Now, where to find them? You’d be glad to know that all four item upgrade NPCs can be found in the game’s most popular spots. You can talk to Culzoth in Zaralek Cavern, while Corxian should be somewhere in Valdrakken. The other two are Erza and Researcher Beneflare, with the former also located in Valdrakken and the latter in The Forbidden Reach.
Don’t forget that you need to farm as many Flightstones and crests as possible to be able to upgrade as many gears and as many times as possible with the help of the item upgrade NPCs.
The Gear Upgrade System
As previously mentioned, the gear upgrade system in the update prior to the Guardians of the Dream requires new currencies (Flightstones and Shadowflame Crests) that players can unlock by participating in in-game activities.
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Shadowflame Crests
The Shadowflame Crests come in four varieties: Whelping, Drake, Wyrm, and Aspect, depending on what content you’re doing and its difficulty level. One can farm them by doing dungeons, raids, and any other in-game activity. Aspect is the highest variety out of the four, while Whelping is the lowest. Each variety level has a corresponding item level tier (Adventurer, Veteran, Champion, and Hero being the highest).
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Flightstones
Like the other currency, Flightstones can be farmed by doing any in-game activity, such as quests, dungeons, and raids.
Players can upgrade nearly all items using Flightstones and Shadowflame Crests except for gear obtained from crafting, player vs player (PVP), and Mythic raid activities.
Catch-up Gear
Players willing to grind would be happy to know that getting WoW 10.2 catch-up gear will be much easier. That’s because open world events and world quests are going to drop higher ilvl items, as confirmed by Blizzard Entertainment.
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Open World Events
For players planning their WoW 10.2 catch-up strategies, here are the notable events to keep an eye on:
- Time Rifts: These events will take place in Thaldraszus at the Tyrhold Reservoir, where you can find Soridimi and the vendors. Time Rifts happen every hour, so it won’t be difficult to join. Just head to the designated area once the event opens and then talk to Soridimi. Basically, that’s it, and you’re in!
- Dreamsurges: These are another way to obtain catch-up gear in the Guardians of the Dream update. A Dreamsurge will affect one of the four Dragon Isles’ original zones. To participate in the event, players only have to go to the Dreamsurge icon directly in the affected zone.
- Fyrakk Assault: Players can also obtain gear for alts by participating in Fyrakk Assaults. The world event gives out Drake’s Shadowflame Crest for item upgrades. What will happen is that the Primal Incarnate will attack a zone in the Dragon Isles, and there will be many activities that will come with it, such as a world quest. The goal here is to kill as many enemies as you can so Fyrak himself shows up, and then you just have to kill more of the disciples Fyrakk will send for more assault rewards.
- Elite zone bosses: Defeating elite zone bosses also results in looting that includes gear and many other items. Boss hunting, however, can be quite challenging, so most players usually do it with friends or guildmates, and you should, too!
In addition to open world events and world quests, another way to obtain catch-up gear is by completing dungeons and participating in raids.
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Dungeon Catch-up Gear
If there’s one main reason for the success of WoW Dragonflight and all the previous expansions, it’s the fact that the game doesn’t run out of something to explore. One of the things you can do in-game is complete dungeons. So, there are several reasons why you want to play this particular content, and one of them is to get gear. Especially when playing at higher difficulty levels, such as Mythic or Mythic+, end-of-dungeon loot can be lucrative for players.
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Raid Catch-up Gear from Aberrus
One can find Aberrus, the Shadowed Crucible, beneath the Obsidian Citadel. Once you enter the raid, you’ll have to fight a total of nine bosses. Like the open world events and dungeons, raids in WoW Dragonflight involve heart-pounding challenges and combats. But the great rewards really are why you want to try your strength at Aberrus. It comes with a tiered loot, so defeating the final boss gives out the highest-level item, perfect for players wanting to obtain catch-up gear in the Guardians of the Dream.
The journey towards obtaining high-level loot isn’t easy, especially for players who are catching up. This basic WoW 10.2 gear guide should help you get started on the right track.
Tips and Tricks for Fast Gearing Before Patch 10.2
Fast gearing before the Guardians of the Dream can be achieved basically by following the WoW 10.2 gear guide presented in the section preceding this. Again, here are the things that you can do:
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Participate in Open-world Events
As already mentioned, open-world events offer gear as rewards. There are many activities you can participate in, including Time Rifts, Dreamsurges, and Fyrakk Assaults. Playing these solo pieces of content is also a great way to experience the Dragon Isles and progress through the game while waiting for Patch 10.2 to arrive.
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Complete Dungeons
Of course, completing dungeons is also one great way to gear up before the 10.2 update. There are various difficulty modes available for dungeon challenges. However, if you want higher-level gear drops, always go for the Mythic+ mode if possible.
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Enter Raids
Finally, if you really want to gear up before 10.2, enter as many raids as possible. Note, however, that it’s the most challenging group content type, so be sure to prepare for the multiple bosses you’ll encounter along the way. Some of the finest gear is waiting at the end of every raid, so do your best!
Moreover, be sure to farm as many in-game currencies as possible that you can use to upgrade your gear through the item upgrade NPCs.
Conclusion
WoW, Dragonflight Patch 10.2 will change or remove a lot of content in the game. Of course, it will also introduce new things. So, if you’re one of those asking how to best prepare for the upcoming update, the best answer would be to focus on what you can still achieve or obtain within the remaining time before the announced release date comes. Fortunately, you won’t have a shortage of activities for progressing through the game and gearing up going into what may be the final patch of one of the most popular massively multiplayer online (MMO) games in recent years.