Prepare For Patch 10.1! Ultimate Guide Of What To Do & Not Do Before Launch

Patch 10.1 is almost here! That means that now is the time for preparation to finish things left undone to ensure you are in the best place possible for launch. Today I'm going to bring together all of the different tips, tricks, and things that we have come up with:

• what things are going to be going away;
• what things will be easier in the new patch if you do a little bit of preparation;
• just all your options to have the best time with the game.

Content That's Leaving or Will Be Harder To Get

• Raid: Raszageth Dragonriding Customization

Now will be your last time to get quite a few awesome rewards before they disappear or get a lot more challenging because of reduced player counts in older content. That's stuff like the Raszageth dragonriding customization. It looks fantastic and will be around, but the number of groups running Raszageth weekly will skydive completely because she will no longer be current content. So try to do some Raszageth raids if you want that cool-looking customization. You've got quite a few chances because it drops on every difficulty.

• Raid: Ahead of the Curve: Raszageth the Storm-Eater

We also have Ahead of the Curve: Raszageth, which obviously will no longer be obtainable when the patch drops, so target that now. The excellent news is Raszageth is a lot easier because we've all got more gear, including the patch 10.0.7 catch-up stuff and the Onyx Annulet and Raszageth herself has been significantly nerfed, which does also apply to those of you in Mythic land because Mythic Raszageth also got quite a few nerfs too. For a small price, we have Raszageth Runs daily till the last day it will be available. So check it out as well.

• Mythic Plus: Keystone Conqueror, Keystone Master, and Keystone Hero

Over Mythic plus land, you've still got time to get your title and your mount for getting Keystone Conqueror, Keystone Master and Keystone Hero achievements which are obtained at rating 1500, 2000 and 2500 mythic score respectively. As Raszageth with gear, the Onyx Annulet, and dungeon nerf, this should be simpler now but still time-consuming. The mount: Hailstorm Armoredon is arguably not that impressive, but the title "the Thundering" title is adorable, especially for a protection Warrior, enhancement or elemental shaman, or even an outlaw Rogue with Thunder Fury.

• PvP: Some Cosmetics at 1800 or Higher

For PvP, a bunch of elite appearances is going away, including the customization, but realistically getting up to an 1800 rating from zero is going to be pretty damn hard unless you're a PVP veteran or somehow genetically gifted for PvP, which I am personally not. But if you've only got a few hundred ratings to obtain, now is an excellent time to try to rack all the noobs who are also trying to beat up some ratings. We also have PvP Service with Pro players who can help you get your desired rating.

Play THESE Before 10.1

But enough about looking backward, and how about we plan for the future? Let's make sure that you're entirely recovered and confident.

• The Lore

Log in and play through the patch 10.0.7 storyline. If you still need to make a Dracthyr Evoker, create one first because the 10.0.7 storyline involves them returning to their starting zone. The campaign in 10.0.7 is excellent, with a few nice, well-acted scenes, and it serves to set up the story for patch 10.1, including our first clash with the final boss of Aberrus - the new raid. 10.0.7 had a lot of lore content, too, so do think about doing the Orc character Heritage Armor Quest, the Human Heritage Armor Quest, and the Bane Quest. Each of those is exceptional, with some excellent content and awesome rewards at the end. By the way, patch 10.1 removes the reputation requirement with the home city, saving you from grinding out the reputation. You can start preparations now but don't grind that home city reputation. Now there is also a lot of lore teasing in 10.0.7. Stuff that if you have it in your mind, you'll appreciate more of the new patch because you'll notice things that other people won't, and if you want to be suitable for all of that, then dive into some lore for 10.0.7 now before 10.1 comes out.

• Try New Class / Spec / Characters

Back to some practicality. Variety is the spice of life, and now is a brilliant time to expand your horizons and play a few new specs before you decide which to lock in for your 10.1 main characters. After all, realizing you don't vibe with your class halfway through a new season kind of sucks. Here are the top specs WowCarry recommends considering for 10.1:

• Shadow Priest
• Both Evoker Specs
• Retribution and Protection Paladin

These look like pretty damn good fun heading into patch 10.1, while Mages, Hunters, and Guardian Druids are slightly left behind overall regarding changes and fun tier sets. The Priest is an overall great pick, as the tier set this season looks pretty damn God's tier. Frost DK is also a silent winner because of some recent changes, while Warlocks are being suspiciously quiet on Twitter, which may mean they will probably be a bit busted. They're trying to keep the lid on it and the attention off themselves for a while. Destro Warlock looks locked into using Channel Demonfire because of its tier set, so if you hate that ability, maybe you won't enjoy it as much. Also, any agility polearm users are a pretty good shout, and that's because there's a very rare polearm in this new raid Aberrus that looks like a hell of a lot of fun to have. Of course, that only matters if fortune shines in your favor. With the new upgrade system Blizzard is adding in the next patch, gearing alts will be even more accessible and faster than ever, so maybe pick a few specs you want to keep in your back pocket. You probably won't regret it. A bonus thing to do is decide if you want a race change or level a new character to see how the other side live because cross-faction guilds are a feature in patch 10.1. That means if you always wanted to be a Vulpera and raid with your alliance friends with your guild of Worgens, but you just don't fit in because you don't want to be a Worgen - you want to be a Vulpera instead, well, you can do it now!

Alt Gearing

Let's have a few words about gearing. Now that you've picked up your characters, let's prepare them, and you're in luck! The only real thing to do besides practice UI setup and that kind of thing is to gear your alt, which is super easy right now. You won't get BiS in a week, but you will be around item level 400 and maybe even in the full-tier set. Farming rares, treasures, and events on the recently opened Forbidden Reach Zone will get you many things. Let's do the following:

• Elemental Overflow

This currency lets you buy item level 359 Primal gear for all non-accessory slots from the quartermaster. Now, 359 is low, but it will be important later.

• 385 BAO Rare Drops

Then we have these 385 BAO (Blizzard Account Bound) gear tokens. These come from the rare mob kills in the Forbidden Reach. The only downside is that they are in random armor types and slots when you pick them up, so it's different from where you'll fully gear a character up, but they'll undoubtedly make you pretty happy for a few slots.

• Storm Sigils

These are common drops from Rares on the isle, and you can use these to upgrade those 359 bits of gear I mentioned earlier to item level 385. However, try only to spend these once you're done farming those rare mobs because it would be a real shame if you use your limited storm sigils and then get 385 items of the same slot from one of the tokens.

• Untapped Forbidden Knowledge

Untapped Forbidden Knowledge is a slightly less common drop, but these are Storm Sigils too. These turn the 385 bits of Primal gear up to item level 395.

• Onyx Annulet

Then remember the shiny new ring - the Onyx Annulet. This ring can go up to item level 424, which means that unless you're doing high Mythic plus and Heroic raiding, this will likely last you through season two. You can pick this item up from the Zskera Vaults in the Forbidden Reach. The vaults themselves are fun to do anyway. The Onyx Annulet gets up to item level 424 by upgrading the gems that go into it. You get these dormant fragments from using your vault keys and exploring the vaults, and you'll have plenty of those keys because they also drop from the rares as you'll be farming for the gear. Now you give these to a Jewelcrafter via a work order to get Unstable Elementium which you then use on the stones. It's a bit more complicated than upgrading it but undoubtedly worth it. If you need to know what gems to put in your ring, hit up your class guides to see what gems are recommended.

• Revival Catalyst & EASY Tier Transmog

As for tier, if you've completed the weekly Revival Catalyst quest for at least four weeks during season one on your main character, then you'll be able to use the chargers you have accrued on your alts to freely turn that item level 385 and beyond Primal gear into Tier gear which means you'll get your tier set bonus. You'll also unlock the appearance of Tier gear at the same time. And here's what's fantastic - if you catalyze it, so turn it into tier gear at item level 385, doing that will unlock the Normal raid appearance, and then when you upgrade it using Forbidden Knowledge, which you still can, up to 395 it'll become Heroic raid gear looking. This means you unlock two colorations of the tier set for the price of one.

Consumable and Materials

If you've nothing else better to do, then now is the time to stock up on some early materials. You can check out your realm's heat maps and price history for various items at oribos.exchange website. If the prices look super low, you can buy up. We'll primarily use the same consumables, so others must learn that now is the time to pick up things at a lower price. Looking at files on my server, the price is almost the lowest it has ever been, which is sure to change right when time passes when this new raid is out. So, potions, food, and enchants are almost identical in the new 10.1 patch. Although, a few new things are coming, as the Shadowflame Wreath weapon enchant from the Aberrus Raid and the Lambent Armor Kit. However, the kit is weaker than the existing leg armor. Another thing is the Hissing Rune which gives Mastery instead of the usual buzzing runes Crit. So overall, stockpiling is an excellent way to save money or sell it later and make some cash. This method only matters if you have got the gold. I'm sure many people will buy up stock now and flip it for a profit later. If you can't do that well, it is time to go.

Professions Catch Up

Catching up on professions is generally a good idea. I suggest taking a look at Enchanting and Alchemy. Blizzard's goal in this expansion has been to integrate professions more deeply into the game. In 10.0.7, this happened to Jewelcrafters, who were vital to the Onyx Annulets upgrade process I mentioned above. The new 10.1 gear upgrade system is incredible and applies to crafted gear. To upgrade your crafted gear, you will need an equivalent of Primal Focuses, which you use to upgrade your crafting gear. The difference here is that enchanters make them now in 10.1. Sort of a similar way to how Jewelcrafters were making the upgrade item in patch 10.0.7. So there's a decent enough money-making opportunity there. Another thing that I recommend experimenting with now is Alchemy because of the new Dracothyst transmute. Dracothyst is a widely used material in patch 10.1 crafting. I like the idea of near passive income, so I will probably get myself an Alchemy and move it towards transmutes for that reason in this patch.

Renown / Reputation, Campaign, Side Quests, Dragonriding

I recommend working on your Renown level, Campaign quests, and finishing all the side quests, as you might have no time for when 10.1 comes out, and you will be raiding longer and doing mythic keys a lot more for gear. Also, patch 10.0.7 quite handily lets you select a reputation to boost daily by 10%. Another thing is the Dragonriding races. The 10.1 patch adds a new Dragonriding transmog set, and we are still determining where it comes from, but it may come from completing all the advanced races, as that seems like a likely candidate. Getting all the advanced races in a gold time is fun.

Closing Tip

Finally, take a break before 10.1! Getting some rest from the game is a way to prepare as well. Just spend the next while doing anything other than World of Warcraft. You got Diablo 4, leading straight into 10.1.5. There's a lot of excellent stuff out right now. Take some rest and gain energy for the 10.1 release. Feel free to check the video for this guide if the video format suits you better and see you in the game!