The War Within Myth Track: Extended From 4 to 6 Upgrades
The War Within Season 1 stretched the Myth upgrade track from four to six levels, so ordinary drops could match Very Rare gear at item level 639.
By:
John Langan
What the Season 1 Change Actually Did
The War Within Season 1 used a six-rank Myth upgrade track. Blizzard had extended that track from four ranks to six, creating a 623-639 item-level range for the season. The change widened the upgrade path; it did not make every top-end activity award gear at the final rank.
Key Takeaways
- The Season 1 Myth track covered six ranks from item level 623 at Myth 1/6 to 639 at Myth 6/6.
- A Mythic+ 10 end-of-run chest awarded Hero 2/6 at item level 613, while its Great Vault slot awarded Myth 1/6 at 623.
- Nerub-ar Palace's regular Mythic drops ranged from 623 to 632, while designated Very Rare items dropped at 639.
- A Tier 8 Bountiful Delve awarded Champion 3/8 gear at 603, and its weekly Great Vault row awarded Hero 3/6 at 616.
- A Tier 8 Delver's Bounty created a Hidden Trove with Hero 1/6 gear at 610 and three Gilded Harbinger Crests; that bonus was not an ordinary Delve reward.
- The War Within Season 2 Turbo Boost later extended Hero and Myth from six to eight ranks, so those later tracks must not be read back into Season 1.
The useful distinction is entry rank versus upgrade ceiling. Myth 1/6 identified where a piece entered the Myth track, while Myth 6/6 described what it could become after five upgrades.
The Six Myth Ranks
The two added ranks pushed the Season 1 Myth ceiling to item level 639. A piece did not need to drop at 639 to qualify for that ceiling; it needed to carry the Myth track and then receive the remaining upgrades.
| Myth rank | Item level | Ranks still needed for 639 |
|---|---|---|
| Myth 1/6 | 623 | Five |
| Myth 2/6 | 626 | Four |
| Myth 3/6 | 629 | Three |
| Myth 4/6 | 632 | Two |
| Myth 5/6 | 636 | One |
| Myth 6/6 | 639 | None |
A Myth 1/6 item therefore had the same eventual ceiling as a higher-entry Myth item, but it demanded more crests and Valorstones before reaching that ceiling.
📌 Myth 1/6 was the start of the track, not a low-quality version of Myth gear. Its value came from access to every later rank up to 639.
The six-rank design increased the number of meaningful upgrade decisions. Spending currency on a 623 piece made sense when its stats or effect justified five upgrades; a 639 direct drop needed no such investment.
Mythic+ Reward Entry Points
Season 1 dungeon rewards show why “up to six ranks” cannot be treated as “awarded at rank six.” End-of-run gear and weekly Vault gear entered different tracks and ranks.
| Keystone | End-of-run reward | Great Vault reward |
|---|---|---|
| +7 | 610, Hero 1/6 | 616, Hero 3/6 |
| +8 | 610, Hero 1/6 | 619, Hero 4/6 |
| +9 | 613, Hero 2/6 | 619, Hero 4/6 |
| +10 | 613, Hero 2/6 | 623, Myth 1/6 |
A completed +10 did not drop Myth gear from the dungeon chest. It qualified the dungeon row of the next weekly Vault for a Myth 1/6 option, provided the player completed enough eligible runs to unlock that choice.
🛡️ A +10 Vault option began at 623, not 639. Calling it Myth 6/6 erases the five upgrades that separated the weekly reward from the track ceiling.
This was the practical gearing loop: end-of-run Hero pieces filled immediate gaps, the weekly Vault supplied a chance at a Myth entry piece, and Gilded crests moved eligible gear toward its ceiling.
Raid Drops and Very Rare Gear
Nerub-ar Palace used four regular item-level bands on Mythic difficulty. The first two bosses dropped 623 gear, the next two dropped 626, bosses five and six dropped 629, and the final two dropped 632.
| Mythic raid source | Regular item level | Myth entry rank |
|---|---|---|
| Bosses 1-2 | 623 | Myth 1/6 |
| Bosses 3-4 | 626 | Myth 2/6 |
| Bosses 5-6 | 629 | Myth 3/6 |
| Bosses 7-8 | 632 | Myth 4/6 |
| Designated Very Rare items | 639 | Already at the ceiling |
The extension let a regular 623-632 Myth item reach the same item level as a Very Rare 639 item. It did not remove the Very Rare classification, lower those direct drops, or guarantee that a regular item had the same stats and effect.
⚔️ Very Rare gear kept a direct item-level advantage at drop time. The six-rank Myth track only gave regular Myth pieces a route to the same 639 ceiling.
For a slot decision, the right comparison was the final item level plus the item's secondary stats, special effect, and upgrade cost. The track alone did not make two different items interchangeable.
What Tier 8 Delves Awarded
Delves supported Season 1 gearing, but their normal reward path did not award Myth-track gear. Tier 8 is the clearest point of comparison because its Bountiful chest, weekly Vault row, and bounty-map bonus all had different outcomes.
| Tier 8 reward path | Gear reward | Important boundary |
|---|---|---|
| Bountiful Delve chest | 603, Champion 3/8 | Ordinary keyed Bountiful reward |
| Weekly Great Vault row | 616, Hero 3/6 | Weekly choice after eligible completions |
| Delver's Bounty Hidden Trove | 610, Hero 1/6, plus three Gilded crests | Random map bonus used on a qualifying Delve |
Finding a Delver's Bounty did not turn every later chest into a Hero reward. Consuming the map guaranteed one additional Hidden Trove after the next qualifying completion, and the map's reward tier capped at Tier 8.
🧭 Ordinary Tier 8 Bountiful loot was Champion 3/8. The 610 Hero piece and Gilded crests belonged to the separate Hidden Trove created by a Delver's Bounty.
This distinction keeps the activity ladder honest: Delves could contribute Hero gear and crests through specific weekly or bounty routes, but they were not a direct source of Season 1 Myth-track items.
How the Extra Ranks Changed Planning
The extended ladder rewarded source selection. A 623 Myth item from a +10 Vault or an early Mythic raid boss had five upgrades available; later raid drops entered higher on the same ladder; a Very Rare 639 item arrived finished. Players could reserve upgrade currency for pieces with the strongest slot value instead of assuming every Myth item demanded immediate investment.
The system also preserved track boundaries. A Hero 2/6 item from a +10 end-of-run chest could climb only within the Hero track, while the weekly 623 item could climb through Myth. The shared 639 endpoint among Myth pieces did not let a Hero item cross into Myth.
Players comparing this historical ladder with live rewards can explore current WoW dungeon options without relying on Season 1 item levels.
Where the Six-Rank Archive Ends
Blizzard's Dragonflight upgrade-system history traces the named-track model through its introduction, the addition of a Myth track, and its expansion to four ranks. The War Within launch notes then made the explicit four-to-six change covered here.
That six-rank Season 1 state did not remain fixed across every later season. Turbo Boost extended Hero and Myth to eight ranks for the remainder of The War Within Season 2. Those extra ranks belonged to that later event, not to Nerub-ar Palace Season 1.
Patch 12.1 Curse of Ula'tek is the current content boundary. Its reward tables and upgrade currencies supersede the 623-639 Harbinger-era values; those item levels apply only to the 2024-2025 Season 1 archive.
Frequently Asked Questions
What item levels did the Season 1 Myth track cover?
The War Within Season 1 Myth track covered item levels 623 through 639. Its six ranks were 623, 626, 629, 632, 636, and 639. A Myth 1/6 piece started at 623 and needed five upgrades to reach Myth 6/6, while a direct 639 Very Rare drop was already at the ceiling.
Did a Mythic+ 10 Great Vault reward arrive at Myth 6/6?
No. A completed +10 qualified the dungeon row of the weekly Great Vault for item level 623 Myth 1/6 gear. The end-of-run chest awarded item level 613 Hero 2/6. Myth 6/6 at 639 was the upgrade ceiling, not the starting rank of the +10 weekly reward.
Could a regular Mythic raid drop match Very Rare item level?
Yes, after upgrades. Regular Mythic Nerub-ar Palace gear dropped from item level 623 to 632 depending on boss position and could be upgraded to 639. Designated Very Rare pieces dropped directly at 639, retaining an immediate item-level advantage and their own stat or effect profile even though regular Myth gear shared the final ceiling.
Did Tier 8 Delves award Myth-track gear in Season 1?
No. A Tier 8 Bountiful chest awarded 603 Champion 3/8 gear, and the weekly Delve row awarded 616 Hero 3/6. A Tier 8 Delver's Bounty created a separate Hidden Trove with 610 Hero 1/6 gear and three Gilded crests, but none of those rewards entered the Myth track.
Why did extending the track matter if Very Rare items dropped at 639?
The extra ranks gave every eligible Myth piece a route to the 639 ceiling. That widened slot choices because a player could upgrade a preferred regular Myth item instead of treating a designated Very Rare drop as the only path to maximum item level. It still took currency and did not copy a Very Rare item's stats or effect.
Are the 623-639 values current in Patch 12.1?
No. They belong to The War Within Season 1, which ended before Season 2 began in March 2025. Later seasons changed item levels, crest names, and sometimes track lengths. Patch 12.1 Curse of Ula'tek uses a different reward environment, so current gearing decisions need current tables rather than this historical ladder.
Last reviewed 2026-08-21 against Patch 11.0.2 The War Within — Maintained by WowCarry's WoW team.
