Midnight Week 1 Loot Guide: World Quests, Mythic0s, Renown Tips

Prepping for Season Release with High Item Levels

Gearing up your character to reach the highest item level before the new season starts can be a daunting task. As you reach maximum level, the disparity between your current gear and the requirements of high-level dungeons can feel overwhelming. Starting your journey at 178 item level and needing to jump to 211 for heroic dungeons or even 220-225 for Mythic Zero seems challenging. However, specific strategies during this pre-season can significantly boost your gear.

Weekly Quests and Renown Rewards

For this specific week, focusing on the "midnight world tour" is crucial. This weekly quest, provided by Lord Tamar, involves completing weekly tasks such as:

• The War Within Weekly
• Awaken the Machine in the Ringing Deeps
• Spreading the Light in Hall of Fall
• Theater Troupe outside Dorogal
• Events like the Search of the Sore in Everong Wilds and the Void Storm in Zulaman

Completing these grants your crafting spark, but more importantly, if you have reached necessary renown levels with the four factions, you can earn high-level gear pieces. These include:

1. Helmet
2. Belt
3. Trinket
4. Necklace

   These items are at a 246 item level and are available as quest rewards rather than costing currency, which is highly beneficial for those managing multiple characters.

World Quests and Initial Gearing

World quests are a straightforward way to increase your item level right after reaching max level. You can earn gear up to 230 item level, covering almost all necessary pieces, including rings, trinkets, helmets, and more. This means that through world quests alone, you could be close to 220 item level without entering any dungeons.

Pre-Season Item Level Limitations

It's essential to remember that during the pre-season, item levels are temporarily lower. Here's a quick table to illustrate current item level expectations:

Though these are limited, they still serve as a solid foundation to prepare for the challenges ahead.

Crafting and Upgrading Gear

Crafting in this expansion has seen adjustments, with the cap for crafting adventurer and veteran gear raised. You can earn enough crests each week to craft and upgrade items effectively. Specifically:

• Adventurer Gear: Can reach a max quality of 233 item level.
• Veteran Gear: Can reach up to 246 item level.

While max quality crafting might be rare early on, aiming for high-level crafts and incorporating embellishments can be beneficial. Using veteran crests to upgrade Mythic Zero drops, especially biS items like trinkets or rings, is an excellent strategy during this time.

By focusing on weekly quests, world quests, and crafting, you can significantly improve your character's item level, positioning yourself well for the upcoming challenges.

Optimizing Your Gearing Strategy

To make the most of your gear progression, using past strategies like optimizing low-stat slots for embellishments remains crucial. With the absence of the artifact cloak, you now have the option to embellish your cloak as well as other typical slots like belts and wrists. For those prioritizing secondary stats, crafting a ring with your best-in-slot stats is a viable early upgrade option. As the adventurer and veteran quests become less relevant, your focus should shift to more effective means of collecting gear.

Gearing Up: Key Steps

1. Complete World Quests

   Leverage world quests that reward gear to start transitioning from leveling gear. This approach helps you get into the 220+ item level range quickly.

2. Engage in Weekly Events

   Completing weekly events offers the chance to secure four different 246 item level pieces from the renown vendor, which are crucial to elevate your character's stats.

3. Participate in Mythic Zeros

   Enter Mythic Zero dungeons once you reach a solid item level. You’ll have multiple opportunities, as there are three resets before Mythic Plus opens. This means you can potentially participate in 24 dungeons for loot.

4. Utilize Prey World Events and Delves

   These events provide additional opportunities to acquire veteran track gear. Although not as essential as Mythic Zeros, they can be beneficial if you happen to be unlucky with early loot drops.

5. Craft and Upgrade Gear

   Use adventurer and veteran crests wisely to upgrade gear or craft new pieces if necessary, providing a substantial item level boost to bridge any gaps.

Summary of Gearing Path

The table below summarizes your gear progression strategy:

By following these strategies, you should be able to efficiently increase your gear level leading into the first raid release. Remember, the emphasis is on Mythic Zeros, as heroic dungeons offer limited benefits and the need for a strategic approach to world quests and crafting cannot be overstated.

As your journey begins in this new expansion phase, focus on maximizing these opportunities to arrive well-prepared for future challenges. Without overextending into unnecessary heroics or outdated quests, your path towards becoming raid-ready will be streamlined and efficient.