WoW TWW Gearing Up Guide – Up to Ilvl 635

TL;DR

  • The upgrade system uses Valorstones and four Crest types to enhance gear across six tracks
  • Weekly events provide guaranteed 584 gear and keys for Delve treasure chests
  • Crafted gear with Sparks reaches 606 base and 636 with Enchanted Crests
  • Delves offer solo-friendly progression with 603 gear at tier 8
  • Mythic+ dungeons scale rewards up to 613 gear
  • Use the Catalyst every two weeks to convert gear into tier sets

Gearing optimization in The War Within requires mastering the comprehensive upgrade framework that governs all endgame progression. Unlike previous expansions, every piece of gear you acquire follows predetermined upgrade paths with specific resource requirements.

Gear Tracks and Overlaps

The system features six distinct gear tracks: Explorer, Adventurer, Veteran, Champion, Hero, and Myth. Each track operates with overlapping item level ranges to ensure smooth progression transitions. For instance, Explorer equipment spans from 558 to 580, while Adventurer gear begins at 571, creating intentional progression bridges between different content difficulty levels.

item level

Strategic Insight: The overlap design ensures players always maintain upgrade momentum regardless of content source. However, Hero and Myth tracks feature only six upgrade stages instead of eight, creating intentional gear ceilings that require sourcing equipment from higher-tier activities.

Valorstones Currency

Valorstones serve as the universal currency for all gear enhancements. They accumulate from virtually every endgame activity including dungeon completions, PvP participation, raid boss eliminations, Delve clears, and daily objective fulfillment. The 2,000 unit cap encourages regular upgrading rather than hoarding resources.

Crests System

Four Crest varieties dictate upgrade ceilings: Weathered, Carved, Runed, and Gilded. Higher-tier content rewards superior Crests, creating a natural progression gating mechanism.

  • Weathered Crests originate from World Quests, rare encounters, Heroic dungeons, and LFR boss defeats.
  • Carved Crests derive from Weekly Activities, lower-tier Delves, Mythic dungeons, Mythic+ levels up to +3, and Normal raid bosses.
  • Runed Crests emerge from tier 8 Bountiful Delves, Mythic+ Keystone ranges 4-8, and Heroic raid engagements.
  • Gilded Crests materialize from tier 8 Bountiful Treasure Troves using Delve maps, Mythic+ Keystones 9+, and Mythic raid encounters.
  • Alternative acquisition: Purchase Carved and Runed Crests from the Weekly Vault merchant when selecting Tokens of Merit over equipment.

Weekly caps govern Crest accumulation, with seasonal maximums increasing by 90 units weekly. The cascading reward system ensures continued progression – exceeding your Runed Crest limit converts subsequent earnings to Carved Crests.

Catch-up Mechanics

The system intelligently tracks your highest item level per equipment slot. Upgrading inferior items triggers substantial Valorstone and Crest cost reductions. This discount extends to alternate characters, significantly reducing alt-gearing time investment.

Pro Tip: Visit upgrade vendors regularly to preview enhancement requirements before committing resources. This prevents wasteful spending on soon-to-be-replaced gear.

Open-world activities provide accessible gear progression paths suitable for all playstyles and time commitments.

World Quests and Rares

Daily World Quests offer randomized rewards reaching 571 item level. While unpredictable, they serve as excellent filler pieces while pursuing targeted upgrades.

Rare encounters throughout the zones can yield 574 equipment. The relatively low time investment makes these targets worthwhile during routine gameplay sessions.

Weekly Events and Caches

Multiple weekly activities guarantee progression rewards. The Dornogal pinnacle cache quest, combined with regional events in Ringing Deeps and Hallowfall, establishes a reliable weekly gear foundation.

Critical Path: Your initial two weekly cache openings provide 584 item level gear with substantial upgrade potential. The first four caches additionally grant Restored Coffer Keys for Delve treasure chest enhancements.

weekly vault

World Bosses

New world bosses identified by skull icons on your map can drop 603 base gear, upgradeable to 619. These weekly encounters represent significant power spikes for dedicated players.

Common Mistake: Many players overlook the cumulative value of world content. While individual pieces may seem insignificant, the combined weekly yield provides substantial progression momentum.

Crafted equipment provides unparalleled customization and predictable progression timelines. The system divides into two distinct tiers with separate acquisition methods and power ceilings.

Lower Tier Crafting

Entry-level crafted gear requires Enchanted Weathered Harbinger Crests, exclusively produced by Enchanting specialists. Non-enchanters must submit crafting orders through the profession system.

Component Foundation: The Nascent Weathered Crest serves as the foundational material, purchasable for 30 Weathered Crests from enchanting suppliers.

Utilization Process: Locate blue recipes in your Professions interface or crafting order menu. Insert the Enchanted Crest into optional reagents during crafting. Rank 5 execution yields 590 item level equipment.

Higher Tier Crafting

Advanced crafted gear necessitates Spark of Omens acquisition. The exclusive method involves combining two Fractured Sparks obtained from the rotating weekly pinnacle cache quest in Dornogal.

Strategic Timeline: The two-week Spark accumulation creates predictable gear acquisition cycles. Each Spark-enabled craft at rank 5 produces 606 base equipment.

Crafting Execution: Profession-equipped players can directly craft using epic recipes, materials, and their Spark. Alternative characters utilize crafting order clerks with all components including the Spark.

Power Amplification: Enchanted Runed Crests elevate this gear to 619, while Enchanted Gilded Crests push to the 636 maximum – the pinnacle of crafted equipment power.

Warning: Public crafting orders provide zero quality control. Securing trade chat crafters with rank-five guarantees is strongly recommended.

Embellishment Integration: Most crafted pieces accept special effect embellishments, though you’re limited to two active embellishment items simultaneously.

Optimization Advantage: Crafted gear always permits stat selection via missives in optional reagent slots, ensuring optimal attribute distribution for your specialization.

Delves System

Delves represent the premier solo progression path, functioning as scalable mini-dungeons with personalized difficulty settings.

Progression Mechanics: Select difficulty tiers at Delve entrances. Higher difficulties demand superior execution but yield exponentially better rewards. Tier unlocks persist across all Delves upon initial completion.

Reward Structure: Primary gear acquisitions originate from Bountiful Delves. Daily, four zone-specific Delves receive bountiful status with distinctive map icons.

Key Strategy: Bountiful Delves feature locked treasure chests requiring Restored Coffer Keys from weekly cache completions.

Power Ceiling: Delve rewards maximize at tier 8, providing 603 item level equipment – exceptional for solo-focused content.

Raid Progression

Nerub-ar Palace introduces the season’s pinnacle group content with progressively scaling loot quality.

  • LFR difficulty: Equipment initiates at 584, concluding with 593 from final encounters.
  • Normal mode: Rewards commence at 597, culminating in 606 gear from end bosses.
  • Heroic difficulty: Loot ranges from 610 to 619 from concluding engagements.
  • Mythic difficulty: Initial encounters yield 623 equipment, scaling to 632 from final confrontations.

Exclusive Access: Raids remain the sole reliable source for tier-set gear tokens, providing raiders with accelerated set completion advantages.

Completion Bonus: The final boss drops web-wrapped curios exchangeable for any missing tier set pieces.

Mythic+ Dungeons

Mythic+ Keystone system delivers the most substantial repeatable dungeon rewards.

mythic+ dungeon

Scaling Rewards: +2 keystone completions yield 597 equipment, progressively scaling to 613 at +9 levels.

Resource Generation: Mythic+ represents the optimal repeatable Crest farming method for consistent gear upgrades.

PvP Gearing

PvP equipment operates with dual item levels – standard PvE values and enhanced PvP-specific levels that activate in combat situations.

Acquisition Methods: Honor vendors provide 558 gear (626 PvP item level). Conquest equipment initiates at 597 (639 PvP item level). War Mode merchants offer 593 equipment (636 PvP item level) purchasable with Bloody Tokens from Warmode-exclusive world quests or player eliminations.

weekly vault rewards

Advanced Tactic: Focus on obtaining your Weapons Unlock through consistent weekly participation in your preferred PvP format.

The Catalyst

The Catalyst system enables seasonal gear conversion into tier-set equipment, unlocking powerful 2-set and 4-set bonuses. Located centrally in Dornogal, this system requires both eligible gear and Catalyst Charges for operation.

Charge Accumulation: Initial charge allocation followed by bi-weekly additional charges creates predictable tier acquisition scheduling.

Guaranteed Tier Tokens

Spelunker Supreme Achievement rewards include exchangeable tokens for Heroic item level tier set gear.

Qualification Requirements: Achieve 1600 rating in rated PvP, 2000 Mythic+ score, or Heroic raid clearance.

Weekly Vault Strategies

All major activities contribute to your weekly vault progression. Strategic planning across multiple content types maximizes vault reward quality and quantity.

Progression Insight: For comprehensive Complete Guide integration ensures you understand how each system interconnects for optimal progression efficiency.

Expert Recommendation: Coordinate your weekly activities to ensure you complete threshold requirements for maximum vault unlocks across all categories.

Final Optimization: Remember that proper Class Guide alignment ensures your gear selections complement your specialization’s stat priorities and rotational requirements.

Action Checklist

  • Complete two weekly caches for guaranteed 584 gear and gather four for Delve keys
  • Defeat the weekly world boss for chance at 603 gear
  • Run four Bountiful Delves with your Restored Coffer Keys
  • Complete your weekly Spark quest for crafted gear progression
  • Use the Catalyst to convert one piece of gear to tier set
  • Check upgrade vendors for cost-reduced enhancements on lagging gear slots

No reproduction without permission:OnLineGames Guides » WoW TWW Gearing Up Guide – Up to Ilvl 635 Master The War Within gearing with expert strategies for efficient item level progression and gear optimization