Patch Day and the New Season Were Different Dates
Embers of Neltharion arrived the week of May 2, 2023; Season 2 and Aberrus opened the week of May 9. This is a historical reference to that transition. Its rating goals, item levels and deadlines do not describe current progression.
Blizzard’s 10.1 update notes place the new raid season one week after the content update. That separation mattered: the end of competitive rankings, the last chance for ordinary Mythic+ rewards, and the Catalyst’s return did not all happen together.
The 2023 Transition Calendar
Linxy’s official Season 1 closing notice gives the competitive cutoff and explicitly leaves other Mythic+ achievements available until Season 2. The dates below are week labels; scheduled maintenance differed by region.
| Point in the transition | What happened | Preparation implication at the time |
|---|---|---|
| Night before maintenance, week of May 2 | Season 1 PvP closed and Mythic+ top-0.1% ratings were recorded. | Finish competitive ranking goals before the regional cutoff. |
| Week of May 2 | Patch 10.1 launched, including early Zaralek content. | Begin the new campaign; this was not Aberrus opening day. |
| Week of May 9 | Season 2 and Aberrus began. | Ordinary Season 1 Mythic+ reward availability ended with the new season. |
| Week of June 13 | Season 2 Revival Catalyst became available. | Do not plan on immediate new-season Catalyst conversions at patch launch. |
The closing notice specified 10 p.m. on the night before maintenance: 10 p.m. PDT for North America and 22:00 CEST for Europe. Those were regional wall-clock times, not a single simultaneous worldwide deadline. The notice’s later Mythic+ reward window did not extend the PvP season.
Which Season 1 Reward Belonged to Which Goal?
Blizzard’s Season 1 reward announcement distinguishes the ordinary rating title, mount and competitive title. These names are easy to confuse because two contain “Thundering.”
| Goal | Requirement | Reward / distinction |
|---|---|---|
| Keystone Conqueror | 1,500 Mythic+ rating | The Thundering title |
| Keystone Master | 2,000 Mythic+ rating | Hailstorm Armoredon mount |
| Keystone Hero | 2,500 Mythic+ rating | A separate rating achievement; not the 1,500-rating title |
| Thundering Hero | Top 0.1% of regional Mythic+ ratings | Competitive Thundering Hero achievement/title |
For raiding, Ahead of the Curve: Raszageth required a Heroic-or-higher kill before the next raid tier. Cutting Edge was the Mythic counterpart. A Normal clear did not satisfy Ahead of the Curve, and a current legacy kill cannot recreate either original seasonal feat.
Raszageth’s dragon appearance was a different reward. The original confirmed Normal-difficulty drops show that the manuscript was not an automatic Ahead of the Curve reward or a Mythic-only achievement prize. Treat a collectible’s drop conditions separately from a feat’s deadline.
Alt Preparation: Gear and Catalyst Charges Were Separate
The Forbidden Reach supplied account-bound Primalist gear tokens. The original catch-up gear reference records item level 385 tokens and upgrades to 395 using Untapped Forbidden Knowledge. Sending a suitable token to an alt addressed a particular equipment gap; it did not guarantee a complete set or a fixed gearing time.
Season 1 Catalyst charges were earned account-wide but spent separately by each character. Sanq’s January 2023 Catalyst explanation specifies a separate charge for every character, including future characters, with a six-charge storage limit per character.
For example, if two characters each had three charges, using two on the main left the alt’s three intact. Nothing was mailed or transferred. Eligible head, shoulder, chest, hand and leg conversions supplied tier bonuses; other eligible armor slots supplied appearances. The conversion preview and eligible base item still mattered.
The April Season 2 transition announcement warned of a temporary Catalyst shutdown and announced its return in the week of June 13. It also planned free Season 1 transmog conversions after the return. Banking old charges was therefore not a way to enter Season 2 with an immediate new-tier set.
The Forbidden Reach Offered More Than an Item-Level Shortcut
Morqut Village on Morqut Islet was the practical hub for the zone’s vendors and quests. Blizzard’s Forbidden Reach overview explains the Zskera Vault keys, Primordial Stones and Onyx Annulet. Keys were account-bound, and stones could be removed rather than destroyed when changing a combination.
The ring’s power came from its three Primordial Stone sockets and their interactions. Fragments supported stone acquisition and Jewelcrafter upgrades. Whether a particular combination beat another ring depended on the character, role and dated tuning; an item level alone did not establish that it would remain best throughout Season 2.
Story preparation also had a direct connection to 10.1. The update notes identify A Creche Divided as the Forbidden Reach prologue, starting with The Best We Have. Other side stories and heritage quests could be worthwhile for their own rewards without being mandatory steps for every player entering Zaralek.
What Made Sense to Carry Into the New Season
Useful preparation meant a playable character, understood class changes, usable consumables and enough currency for the chosen next step. A PTR tier-set preview did not prove the final raid meta, and a patch date did not prove that material prices were at their lowest or that one profession guaranteed profit.
The new gearing system also needed its own explanation: crafted items used appropriate reagents and recrafting, while dropped gear followed upgrade tracks. Our Season 2 upgrade reference separates those routes. For today’s collectors returning to the same area, the Loamm Niffen guide covers current shared reputation and reward acquisition rather than reopening these expired 2023 goals.
