WoW Midnight S2 Prey Guide: Journey, Rewards & Ral'kala

WoW Midnight Season 2 Prey at a glance

Midnight Season 2 Prey is an open-world hunt loop refreshed in Patch 12.1: Curse of Ula'tek. Pick a target at the Hunt Table, build Anguish through outdoor objectives, survive the target's pressure, then defeat it for a difficulty-based cache. Season 2 adds four new serpent targets, a new ten-rank journey, Nightmare Hunts, soul items that accelerate future hunts, and the repeatable Ral'kala encounter on the Coiled Isle.

Key Takeaways

• Unlock the base Hunt Table through Astalor Bloodsworn's short Prey introduction, then complete A Slithering Threat for Season 2 access.
• Choose Normal, Hard, or Nightmare according to the reward track you need; the first two hunts on each difficulty are the important weekly gear clears.
• Season 2 expands the weekly board to fifteen hunts: twelve base hunts plus two Hard and one Nightmare hunt on the Coiled Isle.
• Preyhunter's Journey is Warband Reputation with ten ranks, while several bonus items and Ral'kala rewards reset per character.
• Afflicted Souls and Tormented Souls work during a Nightmare-mode Hunt: each instantly exposes its target and adds a weekly Champion- or Hero-track bonus on the character using it.
• Ral'kala is a separate repeatable boss fueled by a shared 100 Ossified Relic contribution, not one of the four new Season 2 targets.

The fastest plan is to separate account-wide journey progress from character-specific loot before you choose the next hunt.

How to unlock Prey Hunts in Season 2

On your first character, start with Astalor Bloodsworn in Silvermoon and complete Prey: Astalor's Initiative followed by To the Sanctum!. These quests introduce the Hunt Table and the Normal, Hard, and Nightmare structure. The base Prey unlock is account-wide, and alts inherit it.

Season 2 then sends you through A Slithering Threat, A Ghostly Nightmare, and Anguish from Beyond. The chain introduces the Coiled Isle targets and Curse of the Isle. Normal and Hard were available during the 12.1 pre-season week; Nightmare and the full Season 2 reward loop opened with the regional Season 2 reset.

The four new Season 2 targets are Janoa, Kursak, Kadani, and Batani. Ral'kala uses the same Season 2 theme but lives outside the normal board rotation. For the island campaign, travel, and unlock context, plan your Coiled Isle route.

Normal, Hard, and Nightmare Hunt rewards

Difficulty changes both the immediate cache and the Great Vault item level. The first two completed hunts on each difficulty during a weekly reset award gear chests; later clears switch to repeatable sacks containing gold, profession materials, and other secondary rewards. A post-hunt Bonus Loot roll costs one Nebulous Voidcore. Coffer Key Shards contribute toward Restored Coffer Keys.

Use the table as a weekly routing tool, not as a reason to clear every hunt. Finish the two valuable clears on the highest difficulty you can complete reliably, then decide whether repeatable materials justify more runs. For the rest of your weekly upgrades, plan Season 2 Delve upgrades and route your remaining keys.

The Preyhunter's Champion Chest is item 275726, and the Preyhunter's Hero Chest is item 279574. These IDs are useful when checking reward tooltips or logs, but the live Hunt Table remains authoritative if Blizzard adjusts item levels or track labels in a hotfix.

How Hunt progress, Anguish, and an Ambush work

After choosing a target, complete eligible World Quests, open treasures, kill rares, interact with Remnants of Anguish, trigger traps, and survive an Ambush. These activities raise Anguish until the target is revealed at its crystal. A Riposte is extra progress earned after an ambush; it is not a mandatory final chase attached to every hunt.

The June hotfix increased progress from many outdoor sources, reduced repeat-clear rewards for Custom Hunts, and removed Hunter's Momentum. Older guides that tell you to stack that removed effect or wait for a guaranteed end-of-hunt pursuit are describing an earlier version.

For the cleanest route, group nearby world quests and treasure clusters, allow ambushes to resolve before mounting away, and avoid overcommitting to low-value travel. Nightmare adds pressure, so use defensives proactively and clear surrounding enemies before interacting with an objective.

Preyhunter's Journey ranks and catch-up

Preyhunter's Journey is the Season 2 Warband Reputation track. It has ten ranks at 4,000 reputation per rank. The first four weekly hunts provide the large Warband-wide awards; later hunts give 50 reputation. Current databases disagree on the exact value of the first large award, so this guide does not freeze an unverified number. Read the live Hunt Table tooltip before spending a soul item.

Afflicted Soul is item 276547 and Tormented Soul is item 276548. During a Nightmare-mode Hunt, either soul instantly exposes the target and attaches its listed gear bonus, making it valuable for a character that still needs the corresponding weekly reward. Custom hunts at Rank 10 are repeatable, but the June hotfix reduced repeat-clear rewards.

The Preyhunter's Fury mount is item 275660, and Preferential Killing is quest 91277. The achievement Big Prey Hunter (Season 2) is achievement 63611.

How to summon and farm Ral'kala

Complete the first chapter of the Coiled Isle campaign and the Season 2 Prey chain. At the Image of Astalor near 58.2, 48.5 on the island, enable the Curse before beginning a hunt. You cannot toggle the Curse while a hunt is active.

Collect Ossified Relics from island pickups, a world quest, relevant enemies, and the daily source, then contribute them at the Haunted Brazier. The brazier uses a shared total of 100 relics. Contribute at least one relic to receive Whispers from De Other Side. At Journey Rank 1, that contribution gives +50% Ral'kala drop chances and repeatable currency; no verified source shows that donating more than one scales the personal benefit.

Ral'kala is repeatable, but Rank 3 and Rank 6 bonus payouts are daily per character. Notable drops include the Pale Hexscale, Hexflame Reaver, and housing decor. The August 25 hotfix corrected a shield and timed-despawn problem, fixed Noxious Spitfall threat, and stopped Pack Hunters and Pack Ambushers from summoning Venom-Bloated Pythons.

For a coordinated route through connected endgame activities, Compare Delve completion options after you have planned your own weekly Prey clears.

Season 2 weekly route

1. Open the Hunt Table and confirm which character still needs weekly gear rewards.
2. Complete the four large Warband reputation awards without duplicating low-value travel.
3. Clear the first two hunts on the highest reliable difficulty for that character.
4. Use an Afflicted or Tormented Soul only on a character eligible for its weekly bonus.
5. Enable the Curse before starting the relevant Coiled Isle hunt, collect relics, and contribute at least one to the brazier.
6. Kill Ral'kala for character-specific daily bonuses, then stop unless repeatable currency or collectibles are your goal.

This order separates Warband progress from character loot and prevents a common waste: using a soul item after its bonus has already been claimed. It also keeps the fifteen weekly board options from turning into a requirement to clear all fifteen.

WoW Midnight Season 2 Prey FAQ

Is Prey a real system in WoW Midnight?

Yes. Blizzard's Patch 12.1 notes explicitly call the feature Season 2 Prey and describe Nightmare Mode, four serpent targets, Ossified Relics, Haunted Braziers, Ral'kala, and a new Prey Journey. “Prey system” is understandable shorthand, although the in-game labels you will see most often are Prey, Hunts, and Preyhunter's Journey.

How many Prey Hunts are available each week?

The Season 2 board has fifteen weekly hunts: twelve base hunts plus three Coiled Isle hunts, split into two Hard and one Nightmare. You do not need to clear all fifteen for the main weekly value. Prioritize four large journey awards and the first two gear chests on each difficulty you actually plan to run.

Is Preyhunter's Journey account-wide?

It is Warband Reputation, so rank progress and permanent unlocks are shared. That does not make every reward account-wide. Rank 3 and Rank 6 Ral'kala bonuses reset daily per character, while the Rank 4 Afflicted Soul and Rank 9 Tormented Soul gear bonuses are limited weekly per character.

What difficulty should I farm?

Farm the highest difficulty you can finish consistently. Nightmare gives a Champion-track cache and Hero-track Great Vault reward, but a failed run gives nothing. Secure the first two weekly gear clears, then use repeat runs only for materials, currency, achievements, or collectibles you still need.

How much reputation does the first weekly Hunt give?

Current community databases disagree on the exact first-award number. They agree that the first four weekly hunts carry the large Warband-wide awards and later clears give 50 reputation. Check the Hunt Table tooltip for the live amount; this avoids locking your route to a number Blizzard may have changed.

Does every Hunt end with a chase or Riposte?

No. A Riposte is bonus progress after an ambush. Build Anguish through eligible open-world activity until the target is revealed, then fight it at the marked crystal. Guides that describe a mandatory final chase for every target are using an older or oversimplified version of the hunt flow.

Can I summon Ral'kala repeatedly?

Yes, the boss is repeatable when the shared Haunted Brazier reaches 100 Ossified Relics. However, the extra Rank 3 and Rank 6 journey payouts are daily per character. Contribute at least one relic for eligibility; there is no verified evidence that a larger personal contribution improves your drop chance further.

When should I use Afflicted and Tormented Souls?

Use them during a Nightmare-mode Hunt on a character that has not claimed the associated weekly bonus. Afflicted Soul comes from Tier 6+ Bountiful Delves at Journey Rank 4 and adds a Champion reward. Tormented Soul also comes from Tier 6+ Bountiful Delves, at Rank 9, and adds a Hero reward. Both instantly expose the hunt target.

Last reviewed 2026-08-26 against Patch 12.1 Curse of Ula'tek — Maintained by WowCarry's WoW team.