War Within Season 2 Mythic+ Changes: Crests and Affixes
A recap of the Patch 11.1 Mythic+ overhaul: the Undermine Crest thresholds, the new affix layout, and where Hero and Myth gear unlocked.
By:
John Langan
Key Takeaways
- The War Within Season 2 (Patch 11.1 "Liberation of Undermine", live March 4, 2025) reworked Mythic+ rewards, affixes, and scaling.
- Season 2 introduced the Gilded Undermine Crest line, replacing Season 1's Harbinger Crests, with Gilded reserved for the highest keys.
- Carved Undermine Crests dropped only at Mythic 0, Runed covered +2 to +6, and Gilded began at +7 and capped at 20 per run at +12.
- The named Challenger's Peril affix was retired; its death-timer penalty was folded into Xal'atath's Guile at Mythic 12, which also added 10% enemy health.
- Hero-track gear unlocked from end-of-run chests at Mythic 6 and Myth-track from Mythic 10, while per-level enemy scaling dropped to 7% from Season 1's 10%.
Season 2 ran from March to roughly August 2025 and has since been replaced by Patch 11.2 and the Midnight expansion, so read the thresholds below as a record of how Mythic+ worked that season rather than the current system.
What Changed in Season 2 Mythic+
After a Season 1 that many players found punishing at the top end, Blizzard used the Patch 11.1 Mythic+ pass to soften scaling, smooth out the affix layout, and rebuild the crest economy around a new currency. Key enemies gained longer cast windows, tank busters were eased, and several trash packs were trimmed, all aimed at making high keys feel readable rather than chaotic. Groups pushing rating that season could also compare our Mythic+ dungeon carries instead of hunting for a consistent five-stack.
Crest Rewards and Gear Tracks
The biggest structural change was the new Undermine Crest line. Where Season 1 used Harbinger Crests, Season 2 awarded Weathered, Carved, Runed, and Gilded Undermine Crests, and the key levels that granted each tier were redrawn:
| Key level | Crests per run | End-of-run gear | Great Vault |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mythic 0 | 15 Carved | Champion | Champion |
| Mythic 2-5 | 10-16 Runed | Champion / Hero | Hero |
| Mythic 6 | 18 Runed | Hero (unlocks) | Hero |
| Mythic 7-9 | 10-14 Gilded | Hero | Myth |
| Mythic 10-11 | 16-18 Gilded | Myth (unlocks) | Myth |
| Mythic 12 | 20 Gilded (cap) | Myth | Myth |
Blizzard's January 2025 preview placed Gilded Crests at +7, which is the number this season's coverage and the headline used. When the patch went live the keystone source for Gilded settled at +8 and up, a small launch adjustment worth noting for anyone reconciling the preview against in-game data. Either way, Gilded was the highest crest tier and farming it capped at 20 per run at Mythic 12.
Affix Overhaul and Challenger's Peril at +12
The affix layout was rebuilt around Xal'atath's family of seasonal affixes. Xal'atath's Bargain, the rotating weekly affix, was pushed up to first appear at Mythic 4 instead of +2. Tyrannical and Fortified returned as alternating scaling affixes at +7 and +10, taking the slot Challenger's Peril used to hold at +7 in Season 1.
Challenger's Peril itself, the Season 1 affix that added a time penalty on every death, was retired as a named affix. Its death-timer penalty did not disappear, though: it was folded into Xal'atath's Guile at Mythic 12, which simultaneously raised enemy health by 10%. That is what "Challenger's Peril effects shifted to +12" meant, the effect moved up and merged into the highest-key affix rather than the affix being renamed.
The Season 2 Dungeon Pool
Season 2 ran an eight-dungeon rotation mixing War Within dungeons with returning favorites:
- Operation: Floodgate
- Cinderbrew Meadery
- Darkflame Cleft
- Priory of the Sacred Flame
- The Rookery
- The MOTHERLODE!!
- Theater of Pain
- Operation: Mechagon - Workshop
Across that pool, the reward thresholds above applied uniformly, so the route most players took was to clear +6 keys for Hero gear, then push toward +10 and beyond once they were chasing Myth-track pieces and Gilded crests.
FAQ
What patch was The War Within Season 2?
Season 2 launched with Patch 11.1, "Liberation of Undermine", on March 4, 2025. It introduced the Undermine raid tier alongside the Mythic+ changes covered here and ran until Patch 11.2 opened Season 3 later in 2025.
What crests did Season 2 Mythic+ use?
Season 2 used the Undermine Crest line: Weathered, Carved, Runed, and Gilded Undermine Crests. They replaced Season 1's Harbinger Crests, and Gilded was the top tier used to upgrade Hero and Myth-track gear.
From what key level did Gilded Crests drop?
Blizzard's preview set Gilded Undermine Crests at Mythic 7, and the live keystone source settled around +8. Either way, Gilded began in that range and the per-run count climbed to a cap of 20 at Mythic 12.
What happened to Challenger's Peril in Season 2?
The named affix was retired. Its death-timer penalty was rolled into Xal'atath's Guile at Mythic 12, which also added 10% enemy health. Tyrannical and Fortified took over the +7 affix slot that Challenger's Peril had occupied in Season 1.
When did Hero and Myth gear unlock in Season 2?
Hero-track gear became available from end-of-run chests at Mythic 6, a notable improvement over earlier seasons. Myth-track gear unlocked from end-of-run rewards at Mythic 10, with the Great Vault offering Myth pieces from the same range.
Is the Season 2 Mythic+ system still current?
No. Season 2 was a Patch 11.1 system that ended in 2025. Mythic+ has since moved through Patch 11.2 Season 3 and into the Midnight expansion, so the Undermine Crests and the +12 Guile layout described here are historical rather than live.
Last reviewed 2026-06-26 against Patch 11.1 Liberation of Undermine. Maintained by WowCarry's WoW team.