Battle for Azeroth has been out for little more than a full week now, and many players are either just hitting Level 120 or have already put in the grind to get there. Chances are, you’re one of them.
But one major question that keeps popping up as players reach the level cap is, “what do I do when I hit Level 120?”. On the surface, it would seem pretty simple that your next steps would be gearing up to raid. However, BfA doesn’t exactly make it clear how to go about doing that, and there are more options for future raiders and dungeoneers than ever before when it comes to endgame content.
This guide helps demystify some of that by going over some of the best techniques for getting prepared for raiding by going over:
- War Campaigns
- Dungeons
- Reputations
- World Quests
- War Mode
- Island Expeditions
Let’s get started with one of the best ways to maximize your early efforts after hitting Level 120.
War Campaign
Dungeons are the first go-to for most players, but there’s a better, more optimal first choice. If you haven’t already started your BfA War Campaign quests, start them now. Actually, they should be the first thing that you do.
Your War Campaign unlocks so many of the other things that you need for BfA’s endgame content, including a new set of world quests, that it should be your number one priority.
The War Campaign brings the faction war theme of BfA to the forefront and allows you to work with prominent members of your faction to wage war. Eventually, you venture onto the other factions continent and establish footholds in each zone. It’s an interesting quest line, and it opens up three new zones to explore.
Dungeons
They are an obvious choice, of course, but dungeons award some of the best gear early on in an expansion. They also give you a chance to practice for your future raiding or Mythic+ goals.
Let’s take a look at what each type of dungeon provides in terms of gear.
Normal Dungeons
As soon as you hit Level 120, you’ll have all of the normal difficulty dungeons unlocked and ready to queue for. These dungeons award Item Level 310 gear, and you can run them as many times as you like. Normal dungeons are probably your best bet for early gearing.
There is a serious drawback to running normal dungeons right now, though. At this stage in the expansion, queue times for DPS classes are extremely high. While you’re queued for normal dungeons, you should probably explore one of the other BfA options, like your War Campaign or World Quests.
Heroic Dungeons
As soon as your character reaches Item Level 305, you’ll be able to start queuing for heroic-difficulty dungeons. These are a major step up from normal for a number of reasons.
First, everyone in the dungeon will have better gear, so they tend to run more smoothly. Next, those insane queue times are considerably shorter, down as low as 10 minutes. Finally, the gear that comes from heroic dungeons is Item Level 325, but it has a chance to titanforge even higher. It’s not too uncommon to see Item Level 340 pieces drop.
As soon as you’re eligible, heroic dungeons should be your main option for gearing at this stage in the game. World quests are still good, but heroics will generally award better gear.
Mythic Dungeons
You can technically queue for mythic dungeons at any point because you need to form your own groups and physically go to the dungeon in the world. That said, you should probably have a decent amount of heroic level gear before trying.
Once you feel confident and are in at least the Item Level 320 range, you should start looking for mythic dungeon groups. The best ways to team up for these dungeons are:
- Guilds
- Group Finder
Guilds are basic for WoW at this point, and you’re probably already part of one. If not, there are plenty of groups forming in the group finder for mythic dungeons all the time, and this is the perfect time to get in on the ground floor of what will evolve into the Mythic+ progression.
Mythic dungeons award Item Level 340 gear.
Reputations
Reputations are a big deal in Battle for Azeroth. The most immediate thing you need to know is that reputations will unlock world quests. Once you have a “friendly” reputation with each of the leveling factions from your faction’s continent, they’ll become available.
Next, reputations unlock some great early gear. With one reputation at honored, you’ll be able to purchase an Item Level 320 cloak from that faction’s emissary vendor. As you progress and increase those reputations to revered, you’ll have access to Item Level 335 gear.
The Champions of Azeroth faction headed by Magni Bronzebeard, the same diamond dwarf that gave you your necklace, offers an Item Level 355 piece on reaching exalted. As you progress with their reputation, Magni increases the item level of your Heart of Azeroth by 15 item levels with each reputation level you reach, up until exalted.
Reputations are also going to be key in unlocking flying later on in the expansion, so there’s no reason to delay in leveling them up.
World Quests
World quests are going to be one of your first real sources of gear. As soon as you unlock them, you’re bound to find a few that offer upgrades. Also, keep a look out for emissary quests at the bottom of your map. Many of them award better gear than completing a single world quest does.
World quest rewards scale with your item level. They range from 295 to 330. Because world quests scale with your gear, they’re usually not a great way to get all of your gear, but they offer a great way to fill in trouble pieces that you can’t seem to get any other way.
Just like in Legion, world quests and the corresponding emissary quests are an excellent source of reputation. Even when you’ve geared beyond the rewards of world quests, its worthwhile to keep doing them for the rep.
Warmode
Warmode is one of the real stand-out features of Battle for Azeroth, even if it is a somewhat controversial one. Warmode tries to revolutionize world PvP like the game has never seen. By switching on Warmode, you enter a new version of your server with only other people looking to fight out in the world. The result is a more volatile world where fights can break out at any time, and groups from to go fight the opposing faction.
Warmode doesn’t currently award gear, but it will award Conquest Points to purchase gear when the PvP season begins on September 4. Until then, Warmode is just fun.
Groups are constantly forming in the group finder to go battle the enemy faction. If you’re more of a lone wolf, you can still stalk around the world looking for enemy players. You’re bound to find some. World quests with Warmode on also spark some seriously interesting interactions, especially ones for neutral factions like the Champions of Azeroth.
Island Expeditions
Island expeditions were sort of a wildcard when BfA first launched. No one was quite sure how they would play out in practice. Early impressions are in, and the response is overwhelmingly positive. Island expeditions are fun. They’re something unlike WoW has ever done, but they feel like a very natural evolution of the game.
Island expeditions pit you an two other players against more advanced A.I. in a race to collect Azerite on a randomly-generated uncharted island loaded with enemy creatures and more than a few powerful rare ones. If you’re looking to amp up that experience, you can choose to face off with actual players in a PvP version of the Azerite race.
These are a genuinely challenging and dynamic way to play. No two are alike, and the A.I. actually does give you some real opposition. Island expeditions are like dungeons, available in normal, heroic, and mythic difficulties. That means you can press into higher difficulties for more of a challenge. Of course, the PvP version pushes everything to the max.
For collecting artifact power to level up your Heart of Azeroth necklace, island expeditions are unbeatable. There’s a weekly Azerite goal that you need to meet through the expeditions, and when you do, you’ll be awarded 2500 artifact power. There’s a small chance that you’ll get weapons from completing expeditions too, but they’re not a reliable source of gear.
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Hopefully, you have a good idea how you want to begin your endgame experience in Battle for Azeroth. A whole new set of content will drop on September 4 when the Uldir raid opens up and the PvP season begins. That also marks the beginning of Mythic+ dungeons in BfA. Even after that happens, many of these tips and strategies for gearing up will still be the best sources of early gear for your new 120 characters.
If you found this guide helpful, take a look at our other Battle for Azeroth guides from experienced WoW players here on GameSkinny.
