WoW Midnight Level 90: Your Pre-Season Endgame Plan

What level 90 looks like in the Midnight pre-season

Reaching level 90 in World of Warcraft: Midnight is the start of the endgame, not the end of the climb. Patch 12.0.5, Lingering Shadows, fills the pre-season with weekly content, dungeons, Delves, and systems that all feed into Season 1. None of it is mandatory, but the time between hitting 90 and the season opening is the cheapest window to build an item level lead. This is the plan for spending that window well.

Key takeaways

• Finish the campaign first. The level 90 story unlocks Hero Talents and the endgame systems the rest of the checklist depends on.
• Void Assaults are the headline weekly event, rotating between Eversong Woods and Zul'Aman and paying renown, gear, and Field Accolade currency.
• Mythic 0 dungeons drop Champion-track gear around item level 246, the fastest single jump available before Season 1.
• Bountiful Delves run Tier 1 to 11, with the Nullaeus Nemesis encounter waiting at Tier 11.
• Gear upgrades run on Dawncrests, the Carved, Runed, Gilded, Veteran, Hero, and Myth ladder. There is no separate "Veteran Crest" item.
• Aim for roughly item level 235 to 240 by the time the season opens; world quest gear sits around 220 to 230.

With those priorities in mind, the rest of this guide walks each task in order.

Finish the campaign first

Before chasing weeklies, complete the level 90 campaign. It is the gate for Hero Talents and for most of the endgame systems, and skipping ahead to weekly content with the campaign unfinished just locks rewards behind a quest chain you will have to do anyway. Treat it as the first task at 90.

Once the campaign is done, the rest of the pre-season opens up: weekly events, the dungeon pool, Delves, and the systems that carry your character into Season 1.

Weekly content for renown and gear

The headline pre-season event is the Void Assault. Void Assaults rotate weekly between Eversong Woods and Zul'Aman, with one zone active at a time, and the weekly quest for the active zone is worth doing every reset. A Void Assault is built from Void Strikes (small objectives), Void Incursions (a wave-defense finish with a mini-boss), and Ritual Sites (instanced content for one to five players). The event pays renown, gear, and Field Accolade, the currency you spend on its rewards, and the weekly hands back a Ranger's Cache. Ranger Captain Lilatha runs the quests from The Bazaar in Silvermoon City.

Around that, world quests are steady renown and gear, the Abyss Anglers fishing event is a relaxed change of pace, and Decor Duels, the 5v5 prop-hunt brawl in Silvermoon City, is there if you want a break from progression. The Nightmare Prey Hunts in the Voidstorm are the weekly hunt content that later feeds the Voidforge.

Mythic 0 dungeons and Delves

For raw item level, Mythic 0 dungeons are the best pre-season jump. They drop Champion-track gear around item level 246, and your weekly vault from Mythic 0 sits higher still, so a single full clear meaningfully lifts a fresh 90. Line up a Mythic 0 dungeon run if you want a guaranteed clear of the pool before Season 1 keys go live.

Delves are the solo-friendly track that runs alongside dungeons. They scale from Tier 1 to Tier 11, and Tier 11 hosts the Nullaeus Nemesis encounter in Torment's Rise. Delves reward gear and feed the Voidforge, and they are the cleanest gearing path for players who prefer not to group. Browse our Delves Tier 1-11 carries if you want help pushing the higher tiers.

✏️ Pro tip: alternate a Mythic 0 clear with a Delve session rather than grinding one to exhaustion. The two tracks reward different slots, and rotating them keeps the pre-season from feeling like a chore.

Managing Dawncrests and your item level target

Gear upgrades in Midnight run on Dawncrests, and the ladder runs Carved, Runed, Gilded, Veteran, Hero, and Myth. Each rung upgrades a matching gear track, so the crest you need depends on the track of the piece you are improving. There is no standalone "Veteran Crest" or "Adventurer Crest" item; those names just describe rungs of the one Dawncrest ladder. In the pre-season, spend crests on the pieces you are confident you will keep into Season 1, and let lower-track pieces ride.

A realistic pre-season goal is roughly item level 235 to 240 by the time the season opens. World quest gear lands around 220 to 230, Mythic 0 pushes Champion-track pieces toward 246, and Delves fill the gaps. Hitting that band means Season 1 starts with a character that can step straight into early keys and the raid.

The Voidforge, housing, and crafting sparks

Two systems are worth setting up before the season. The Voidforge is the 12.0.5 bonus-loot system: it transmutes Nebulous and Ascendant Voidcores earned from raids, Mythic+, Bountiful Delves, and Nightmare Prey Hunts into targeted upgrades. Getting familiar with where Voidcores come from now pays off the moment Season 1 loot starts flowing.

Player housing is the other. Housing is a new account-wide, Warband-tied feature in Midnight, and renown progress unlocks decor for it, so the renown you earn from weeklies has a cosmetic payoff as well as a gear one. Finally, bank your crafting sparks. Sparks of Radiance accumulate from weekly sources, and saving them for Season 1 means you can craft a high-item-level piece exactly when it matters most.

Leveling alts efficiently

The pre-season is a strong window for alts. Warband-wide crest discount achievements, the "of the Dawn" line, cut upgrade costs for every alt once your main earns them, so a geared main directly speeds up every character after it. For the leveling itself, a guide addon such as RestedXP keeps an 80 to 90 route efficient, and a waypoint addon like Follow The Arrow paired with HandyNotes makes collectibles and rares easy to sweep. Alts also pool account-wide currencies, so time spent on them is rarely wasted.

Frequently asked questions

What should I do first at level 90 in Midnight?

Finish the level 90 campaign. It unlocks Hero Talents and the endgame systems the rest of the pre-season checklist depends on, so it comes before weekly events and dungeons.

What are Void Assaults?

Void Assaults are the headline 12.0.5 world event, rotating weekly between Eversong Woods and Zul'Aman. They combine Void Strikes, Void Incursions, and Ritual Sites, and pay renown, gear, and Field Accolade currency.

What item level should I target before Season 1?

Aim for roughly item level 235 to 240. World quest gear sits around 220 to 230, and Mythic 0 dungeons push Champion-track pieces toward 246 to close the gap.

How do gear upgrades work in Midnight?

Upgrades use Dawncrests, on a ladder of Carved, Runed, Gilded, Veteran, Hero, and Myth. Each rung upgrades a matching gear track. There is no separate "Veteran Crest" item.

How high do Delves go in the pre-season?

Bountiful Delves run from Tier 1 to Tier 11. Tier 11 hosts the Nullaeus Nemesis encounter in Torment's Rise. Delves reward gear and feed the Voidforge.

What is the Voidforge?

The Voidforge is the 12.0.5 bonus-loot system. It transmutes Nebulous and Ascendant Voidcores, earned from raids, Mythic+, Bountiful Delves, and Nightmare Prey Hunts, into targeted gear upgrades.

Is the pre-season a good time to level alts?

Yes. The "of the Dawn" warband achievements cut crest costs for every alt once earned, and alts pool account-wide currencies, so pre-season alt time carries into Season 1.

Making the most of the window

The pre-season at level 90 is a head start, not a holding pattern. Finish the campaign, run the Void Assault weekly, clear Mythic 0 and Delves for item level, manage Dawncrests on the gear you will keep, and set up the Voidforge and your crafting sparks for the season. A character that reaches item level 235 to 240 this way walks into Season 1 ready for early keys and the raid. Players who would rather fast-track the whole checklist can compare WoW Midnight boost packs for a bundled Season 1 setup.

Last reviewed 2026-05-20 against Patch 12.0.5 Lingering Shadows. Maintained by WowCarry's WoW team.