WoW Voidforge Gearing Guide: Fast Myth-Track in 12.0.5
Patch 12.0.5 Voidforge gearing guide: per-activity Nebulous Voidcore costs, weekly cap math, Ascendant Voidcore eligibility, and the fastest Myth-track path.
By:
John Langan
Key Takeaways
- The Voidforge is Patch 12.0.5's bonus-loot-roll system. Unlock it once on your warband by completing the "Building the Voidforge" quest from Decimus at Howling Ridge in Voidstorm.
- Nebulous Voidcores are the bonus-roll currency. A fresh roll costs 1 core for Mythic+, Bountiful Delves, or Nightmare Prey Hunts, and 2 cores for a raid boss. The weekly cap starts at 2 and grows by 2 every week of Season 1.
- Ascendant Voidcores are a separate, weapons-and-trinkets-only upgrade material. Five Ascendant Voidshards craft into one Ascendant core, which infuses a fully-upgraded 6/6 Hero or Myth track item up to item level 298.
- Vaultkeeper Elysa sells extra Nebulous Voidcores for 6 Thalassian Tokens of Merit each. Tokens come from passing on the Great Vault when nothing is useful.
- Fast-myth strategy: spend rolls on Mythic+ first (1 core each), bank Ascendant Voidshards only on items already at 6/6 Hero or Myth, and treat the compounding weekly cap as the engine that decides how fast you reach the 298 ceiling.
The compounding cap is the part most guides bury. The rest of the article maps the unlock, the per-activity spend cost, and the optimal slot priority for Ascendant infusions.
Unlocking the Voidforge
Fly to Howling Ridge in Voidstorm and pick up the introductory quest from Decimus, the domanaar running the salvage project. The quest line walks you through gathering Elemental Voidcore Shards from S1 raid bosses, Bountiful Delves, and Mythic+ runs. The Shards combine into the 6 Elemental Voidcores required to finish construction.
The unlock is warband-shared. Once any character on your account finishes the line, every other character on the warband can interact with the Voidforge without re-running the questline. Front-load the unlock on your main, and alts inherit access.
The post-construction reward is the Ascendant Nilhammer, the tool you'll use for every infusion through the rest of the expansion.
With that scene set, the article continues.
Nebulous Voidcores: Bonus-Roll Math
Nebulous Voidcores are the spending side of the system. A core converts the activity you just completed into a guaranteed bonus item at the same ilvl bracket as the activity's reward chest. The cost varies by activity:
| Activity | Cost per bonus roll | Reward bracket |
|---|---|---|
| Mythic+ key (any level) | 1 core | Matches the key's vault bracket |
| Bountiful Delve | 1 core | Delve tier ilvl |
| Nightmare Prey Hunt | 1 core | Prey Hunt reward ilvl |
| Raid boss (any difficulty) | 2 cores | Raid difficulty ilvl |
The weekly cap is the engine. You earn 2 cores in week 1, then 4 in week 2, 6 in week 3, and so on through the season. Four weeks into the patch, week 5's cap is 10. That compounding curve is why early-season activity is far more valuable than late-season catch-up. A roll early counts double in expected value because the cap will grow into a bigger pool over time.
Out of cap and still short on the trinket you want? Vaultkeeper Elysa at the Voidforge sells additional Nebulous Voidcores for 6 Thalassian Tokens of Merit each. Tokens of Merit come from passing on the Great Vault. When the vault offers nothing worth taking, the pass-up converts the weekly chest into a small token reward you can re-route into extra bonus rolls.
Ascendant Voidcores: The Myth-Track Ceiling
Ascendant Voidcores are a separate currency, and they only upgrade weapons and trinkets. Five Ascendant Voidshards combine into one Ascendant core at the Nilhammer; Voidshards drop from S1 raids, Mythic+, Bountiful Delves, and Nightmare Prey Hunts.
Eligibility is tight. The item being infused must be one of:
- A fully-upgraded 6/6 Hero track weapon or trinket.
- A fully-upgraded 6/6 Myth track weapon or trinket.
- A max-rank Radiance Crafted weapon or trinket.
That eligibility rule is the load-bearing strategy point. Do not bank Voidshards on Champion-track items you'll replace, and do not infuse a 5/6 weapon waiting for the last upgrade. The system only accepts the final upgrade tier. The endpoint for fully-upgraded Myth weapons and trinkets after infusion is item level 298.
The Fast-Myth-Gear Strategy
Here's the priority order most pushers settled on over the first month of Season 1:
- Spend rolls on Mythic+ first. A bonus roll on an M+ run costs 1 core. A bonus roll on a raid boss costs 2. Two M+ rolls equal one raid roll in spend, so M+ players get double bonus rolls per cap. Push a Mythic+ key for Voidcores if you're capped out on weekly key opportunities.
- Save raid rolls for trinkets and weapons. The 2-core raid cost is worth it only when the raid drop pool contains something M+ can't give you. Trinkets are usually the cleanest target; a raid-only proc or use-effect trinket beats an M+ stat-stick in most class sims. Clear Mythic raid for Myth-track loot for the native Myth-track drops the bonus rolls then convert.
- Front-load Ascendant Voidshards on your strongest weapon slot. Main-hand weapon first, highest-sim trinket second, off-hand third. Trinket priority depends on your spec, so sim before you commit.
- Pass on a weak Great Vault. The 6 Thalassian Tokens of Merit you earn for passing convert directly into an extra Nebulous core at Vaultkeeper Elysa. A weak vault is a free safety valve.
- Build alts on warband-shared Voidforge access. The unlock is one-time per warband. Once your main finishes "Building the Voidforge," alts can spend cores from week one without re-running the chain.
For players short on time who want the whole gearing arc handled, you can Bundle the Voidforge progression pack across raid clears, key pushing, and Voidshard farming.
FAQ
Where do I unlock the Voidforge?
Fly to Howling Ridge in Voidstorm and pick up "Building the Voidforge" from Decimus. The questline guides you through collecting 6 Elemental Voidcores from S1 raid bosses, Bountiful Delves, and Mythic+. The unlock is warband-shared, so front-load it on your main and alts inherit access.
How much does a bonus roll cost in Nebulous Voidcores?
Mythic+, Bountiful Delves, and Nightmare Prey Hunts each cost 1 core per bonus roll. Raid bosses cost 2 cores. The cost is the same regardless of difficulty within an activity. A +5 key costs the same as a +15 key, and LFR raid costs the same as Mythic raid.
What's the weekly Nebulous Voidcore cap?
The cap starts at 2 cores in week 1 and grows by 2 each week through Season 1. Week 2's cap is 4, week 3 is 6, week 5 is 10. Early-season activity is the highest-value time to spend because the compounding cap multiplies expected rewards over the season.
Which items can Ascendant Voidcores upgrade?
Ascendant cores only upgrade weapons and trinkets. The item must already be either fully-upgraded 6/6 Hero track, fully-upgraded 6/6 Myth track, or max-rank Radiance Crafted. Champion-track items and partially-upgraded gear are not eligible. The system only accepts the final upgrade tier.
How do I get more Nebulous Voidcores past the cap?
Vaultkeeper Elysa at the Voidforge sells additional Nebulous cores for 6 Thalassian Tokens of Merit each. Tokens come from passing on the weekly Great Vault when nothing is useful. The token-to-core trade is the only way to gain Voidcores beyond the standard weekly cap.
What item level do upgraded Myth weapons reach?
A fully-upgraded 6/6 Myth track weapon or trinket reaches item level 298 after Ascendant Voidcore infusion. Hero track items follow a similar bump from their 6/6 base. Per-core ilvl steps inside that range aren't fully detailed by Blizzard yet, so plan around the endpoint rather than intermediate breakpoints.
What should I infuse first?
Main-hand weapon first because weapon damage scales every ability. Highest-sim trinket second, because raid trinkets usually beat M+ stat-stick trinkets. Off-hand third if dual-wielding or sword-and-board, and the second trinket last. Sim your character before committing. Trinket value swings wildly by spec and content type.
Is the Voidforge unlock pre-patch only?
No. Patch 12.0.5 is live (since April 21, 2026), and the unlock is available throughout Season 1. New characters and returning players can complete "Building the Voidforge" at any point during the season. The compounding weekly cap, however, rewards earlier participation. Every week the cap grows by 2 even if you missed prior weeks.