The Ultimate Guide To Patch 10.1: Comprehensive Insights On Everything You Need To Know

May 03, 2023 20 minutes

It's new patch day for many of us, but don't be overwhelmed! Today, I'm going to teach you all the things to consider doing in week one, and all the content you can do with a few things tossed in if you're a performance-oriented player. If you're reading after week one, don't worry; this guide is going to have basically everything that you need to know for this patch. With that said, let's just get straight into it with some of the core dates and content unlocks.

Important Dates and Content Unlocks

Season 2 begins on May 9th. Some content will only start then, as per usual. That means Mythic plus raid and PvP, but also what's a bit different is that Fyrakk Assaults actually unlock in week one, rather than when the season starts. This is great as it gives you more to do, including a very nice transmog to hunt down and some more power to earn. Also, unlike what we're used to, LFR Wing one actually opens up the same week as the other difficulty modes, which is potentially relevant to you. That's because gear from the LFR bosses can be upgraded to mid-normal mode item levels using Whelpling's Crests, which drop from LFR amongst a few other things. This means that the likes of LFR Tier gear could be more useful, but of course, the tier bosses are not included in the first wing of LFR, so that's perhaps not particularly relevant.

Gear Upgrade System

Now, let's talk about upgrades. If you already know about the upgrade system, you can skip this chapter of the guide, and if you want an in-depth guide, we'll be publishing ours in a few days. You earn things called Flight Stones by doing just about anything in the game. These are uncapped, but you can only hold 2,000 at once. You then earn Crests, which are a little bit more useful and powerful, by doing higher activities like dungeon raid and some weekly activities. Just look at the gear that you get in the patch, look at its tooltip, and the upgrade vendor will tell you what you need to upgrade it. It's very simple. The only exception to this is PvP gear, which stays with the new system as of Season One of Dragonflight.

10.1 Campaign and Rewards

Let's talk about the campaign. Unlike the last campaigns, this one is not tied to Renown, though we're still not 100% sure on its release schedule. It's likely it won't all come out at once, of course. This campaign does have some fairly good rewards. Most steps contain plenty of Niffen, which is the new Renown bar, and also Whelpling's Crests. The fourth leg of the campaign is what gets you the new Slitherdrake Dragonriding mount, and then week 5 gets you a transmog plus a Drake’s Crest. The final none-epilogue campaign, which involves killing Sarkareth, actually gets you a Wyrm's Crest.

Catch-up for ALTs

Now that you've got all the core knowledge, let's talk about useful catch-up mechanics. Now is the perfect time to get your alt characters up to speed with the new gearing system. The Explorer and Adventurer labeled gear that you'll be getting from world content this week can be upgraded all the way to item level 398 by only using Flight Stones. This means you can just go and grind it out. There's a really nice element to this as well. Your highest item level in each slot is essentially tracked game-wide, account-wide. If your alt's item level in that slot is below your main's, then the cost of the upgrade in Flight Stones is actually halved, which is just amazing. What a great system! Beyond that, you will need Whelpling's and Drake’s Crests, which you can earn later in the campaign. Another thing to consider is crafted gear. This patch adds the new Titan Training Matrix V, which, unlike the version 4 we had in the last patch, is not an RNG drop. Instead, they're made by enchanters at the cost of 150 Flight Stones. This means that perhaps, using a work order, everyone can get this gear because it brings it up to item level 398. This is another nice little bit of catch-up for your alt characters.

Zaralek Cavern Content & Niffen Reputation

Now that we've covered the catch-up mechanics, it's time to dive into the brand new zone of Zaralek Cavern. WoW's big new zone is accessible to all players, even alts, without any prerequisite questlines. In this post, we'll break down the content surrounding the new Niffen reputation. First, let's talk about the big weekly quest called A Worthy Ally. This quest is similar to Aiding the Accord, where you fill up a progress bar. Upon completion, you'll receive reputation, about 1500 gold, 200 Flight Stones (with a chance of more), some gear, and a Dig Map. This Dig Map will lead you to more rewards, including gear and other goodies. The weekly quest unlocks after completing the first campaign chapter for the zone. Zaralek Cavern also offers the usual mix of rares and treasures. Interestingly, the rares appear on your world map and have similar HP to those found in the Forbidden Reach. You'll want to defeat these rares for their unique rewards and Flight Stones.

  • Public Events

Additionally, Zaralec Cavern features a new range of public events. These events spawn regularly, and their icons appear on your map 60 seconds before they start. Participating in these events will reward you with either a blue or purple bag of loot, containing Flight Stones, Niffen rep, and Unearthed Fragrant Coins. These Unearthed Fragrant Coins are highly valuable as they can be used to purchase up to two Whelpling's and Drake’s Crests per week. The vendor for these items unlocks at Renown level 4. The Drake’s Crests, in particular, are crucial because they can upgrade your gear to a maximum item level of 424, which is the best you can get from world content. Another way to obtain Unearthed Fragrant Coins, along with other rewards, is by participating in the new big weekly event called Researchers Under Fire. You can view the event's timing on your world map. The more you participate in this event, the more loot and reputation you'll earn, including gear, Niffen rep, and additional Unearthed Fragrant Coins. If you have an excess of coins, you can even purchase cool items like mounts. So, get ready to explore the rich content of Zaralec Cavern and make the most of the new Niffen reputation, weekly quests, public events, and more. In addition to the rich content of Zaralec Caverns, players can also enjoy new activities such as Sniffnseeking and Fyrakk Assaults. In this part, we will delve deeper into these exciting features and how to get the most out of them.

  • Sniffnseeking

Think of this as the patch's version of the Zskera Vaults from 10.0.7. The big weekly quest will provide you with a map, which you can take to Myrrit to start seeking. You can obtain three maps per week: one for free, one from bartering, and one from the weekly quest mentioned earlier. This engaging event involves solving puzzles and opening chests that contain loot such as crafting reagents, reputation, Dragon Isle supplies, Zaralek Glowspores, and a chance at gear. The glowspores can be used in new 10.1 crafts or sold on the auction house.

  • Bartering Mechanic

This feature unlocks at Renown 3 and expands at Renown 12. Bartering allows you to purchase various profession and cosmetic items, as well as one dig map per week. The required currencies can be obtained from different activities within Zaralec Caverns. As you fly around the caverns completing world quests and public events, you will accumulate resources that will enable you to obtain maps for Sniffingseeking and earn even more fantastic loot.

  • Fyrakk Assaults

These are the new version of Primal Storms, which still spawn in the game world. Fyrakk Assaults are available from day one and rotate through different zones each day. The rewards are important for two reasons: the gear looks incredible, and the power rewards are valuable. The main world quest offers 411 gear and Drake’s Crest fragments, while mini-bosses drop additional Drake’s fragments. These fragments can be turned into a full Drake‘s Crest. Unlike Primal Storms, Fyrakk Assaults are available all day, so you don't have to worry about missing out on any action. As you complete the Fyrakk Assault objective, you will work towards opening a Suffusion Crucible. By collecting five Wards of Angara, you can create a Ward of Fyrakk, which can also drop from elite mobs. When you have five Wards of Fyrakk, you can summon a Forgemaster at a crucible. Defeating the Forgemaster completes the overarching world quest and rewards you with ever-burning keys. Collect three keys to open a big loot chest for even more rewards. Watch for the Fyrakk Fury bar, as Fyrakk will make a strafing run when it reaches 100. After the strafing run, a boss will spawn. Defeating this boss will grant you a quest that rewards a Drake’s Crest. Overall, Zaralec Caverns offer engaging activities such as Sniffingseeking and Fyrakk Assaults, providing players with ample opportunities for loot, gear, and fun.

The Onyx Annulet: A Controversial, Yet Powerful, Item

The Onyx Annulet remains a relevant and powerful item, despite some players considering it fortunate, while others view it as unfortunate. The Annuletcan be upgraded to item level 424 by participating in the Aravault content and upgrading the gemstones within it using professions. This makes it an excellent choice for some specs, and Blizzard has no plans to nerf it at the moment. They have, however, mentioned a possible nerf in patch 10.1.5. The importance of the Onyx Annulet will vary depending on your spec, but if you have a new alt character, it's a significant source of power that you'll likely want. For those who haven't acquired the Annulet due to not participating in the patch 10.0.7 content, there's no need to worry. The Scara Vaults are not only fun but also feature a cool system that rewards gear tokens, which will still be useful for your alts. If you're working on powering up your Annulet with an alt character, you'll come across Forgotten Tomes, which upgrade the gear obtained in the Forbidden Reach to item level 395. This provides a considerable leg-up in the new patch. While it's true that the Onyx Annulet is from the previous patch, keep in mind that it was only released eight to ten weeks ago, making it still very relevant in the current game landscape.

Planning Your Mythic Plus Strategy for Optimal Rewards

Another crucial aspect to consider is your Mythic Plus plan. This is important because Mythic Plus dungeons drop different types of Crest fragments depending on the dungeon's difficulty level. In the new season of Mythic Plus, Keystone levels will actually be a bit easier than they were in the previous patch, making it a great source of flight stones and crests. For my personal strategy, I'll be focusing on how many Drake’s and Wyrm’s Crests. What's important to note is that Mythic Plus levels 11 to 15 reward Wyrm’s Crests. As someone who plans on initially running normal and then heroic mode for raiding, Wyrm’s Crests are the rewards I'll be caring about the most. Thus, targeting Mythic Plus levels 11 to 15 will be my primary goal for optimal rewards.

Your Weekly “Checklist” for 10.1

Now that you have a solid understanding of the release dates, the new campaign content, Zaralec Caverns, and Fyrakk Assaults, let's bring it all together with some end-of-week goals and things to consider before the new season starts. Fyrakk Assault Weekly Goals: Complete the Fyrakk Assault world quest, open the chest by defeating three Forgemasters, and defeat the boss that spawns after Fyrakk arrives. This will provide you with top-quality world content gear, flight stones, and Drake’s Crests. Zaralec Cavern Weekly Goals: Complete the weekly meta quest, the Researchers Under Fire event, and collect enough coins to purchase crests from the crest vendor in the Niffen village. Aim to finish the week with 2,000 crests on your character, ready for season one. Prepare for Crafting: Complete the weekly quest to obtain the spark for crafting, similar to the Trials of Tier quests in season one. Plan out which crafted gear you want to acquire and consider having a good offhand ready, especially if you're a healer or caster class. Onyx Annulet: The Onyx Annulet is still relevant, going up to item level 424 through Aravault content and profession-based gemstone upgrades. The importance of this item will vary depending on your spec and whether you have a new alt. If you didn't participate in patch 10.0.7, don't worry – the Zskera Vaults are enjoyable and the gear tokens will still be useful for your alts. Mythic Plus Plan: Consider your Mythic Plus strategy, as different dungeons drop various types of Crest fragments depending on their difficulty. With the new season, Keystone levels will be easier than in the previous patch, and Mythic Plus dungeons are an excellent source of flight stones and crests. In conclusion, this patch offers a wealth of world content, from snail racing for pets and mounts to the exciting activities in Zaralec Caverns and Fyrakk Assaults. Now that you're armed with this information, you can confidently dive into the new content and make the most of it. Be sure to check out our channel for more guides on classes and the new upgrade system. Happy adventuring!


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