WoW Patch 11.1 Gearing: Hit 675+ Fast
Time: 2025-03-08 by mmojugg Game: US WoW TWW Guide Tags: Patch 11.1 Gearing
Season 2 of The War Within has arrived with patch 11.1, and Azeroth's gearing game has just been massively shaken up. Whether you're a solo digger, a raid junkie, or a PvP brawler, item level 675+ is now within reach. This guide breaks down every gear source, upgrade trick, and easy win to help you power up quickly in March 2025. Let's dive into the chaos and grab some sweet loot!
Upgrade System 101: Valorstones & Crests
Gear in Season 2 isn't static - everything is upgradeable. Here's a breakdown:
Gear Tracks: Drops come with labels like "Champion 2/8" (ilvl 639, upgradable 6 times). Tracks overlap - Veteran caps lower than Champion, Hero caps higher. Aim for 1/8 or 1/6 drops for maximum potential.
Valour Stones: Earned from everything - dives, raids, PvP, even trash piles in Undermine. Save these for upgrades.
Crests: Four tiers - Weathered (easy content), Carved (medium content), Runed (hard content), Gilded (endgame elite). Weekly cap is 90 per type, cumulative, so grind smart.
Catch-Up Bonus: Your highest level per slot (warband-wide) reduces upgrade costs. New trinket? Side-grade it cheap. Alts? They're covered too. Visit an upgrade NPC to see the exact cost - simple and clever.
Open World Gear: Quick wins for all
No group? No problem - world content has got your back:
World Quests: Random level 606 drops. Check out Dagal's spiky blue quests for a quick boost if you're low geared.
Weekly Activities: World Soul, Titan Archive, Delve quests, plus Undermine's Urge to Surge and Events (Theatre Troupe, Awaken the Machine, Spread the Light). The first two caches drop level 623 Veteran gear; the first four drop Restored Coffer Keys (Delve must-haves). Extra caches? Valourstones and Carved Crests.
World boss (undermine): First kill/week guarantees ilvl 642 Warband-bound gear. RNG loot table - might be junk for your spec, but tradeable for alts. Bonus kills on alts grab more RNG drops.
Crafted gear: DIY power spikes
Crafting is a gold mine if you've got the resources:
Lower Tier (Ilvl 629): Grab an Enchanted Weathered Crest (30 Weathered Crests) from Dornogal's vendor. Craft blue gear, wear it, done - minor level increase.
High level (ilvl 675): Need Sparks of Fortune (1 full spark = 2 Fractured Sparks + Valor Stones). You can get 1 Fractured Spark per week from pinnacle caches; the first week's quest is doubled. Craft at rank 5 for a base level of 645. Upgrade with enchanted rune crests (45 rune, ilvl 658) or gilded crests (60 gilded, ilvl 675).
Pro Move: Add adornments (max 2 equipped) and missions for stat perfection. Guild crafters or trade chat for private orders.
Dive in: Paradise for solo players
Delves went from meh to must-have in Season 2:
The Basics: Pick a tier (1-11), higher = harder + better loot. Unlock tiers across the warband by finishing with lives left.
Bountiful dives: Four glowy-icon dives per day. Tier 8 drops level 639 gear; use Restored Coffer Keys (4/week from Weeklies) to unlock chests. Tier 11 drops 7 Gilded Crests (21/week total).
Delver's Bounty cards: One/week, extra chest on next run - level 649 gear (tier 8+) or 10 Gilded Crests (tier 11).
Vault: Two level 8+ dives/week unlock level 649 Vault gear. Solo friendly and stackable!
Raids: Liberation of Undermine Loot Fest
Raid runners, this one's for you:
LFR: Ilvl 623-632. Casual entry point.
Normal: Ilvl 636-645. Solid mid-level grind.
Heroic: Ilvl 649-658. Big jumps, worth the sweat.
Mythic: Ilvl 662-672. End-game glory, plus rare high-level specials.
Level sets: Tokens drop from certain bosses; the Bedazzled Curio from the final boss can be exchanged for any tier piece. Vault requires 2/4/6 kills-up to 658 (Heroic) or 672 (Mythic).
Dungeons: Mythic+ Crest Haul
Dungeon Divers, equipment scales with effort:
Normal: Ilvl 593 (NPC-friendly).
Heroic: Ilvl 619 (random queue).
Mythic 0: Ilvl 636 (once a week).
Mythic+: +2 drops Ilvl 639, +10 hits 655. Crests explode - 18 run for +6, 20 gild for +12. Vault closes at ilvl 662 (+10 key), upgradeable to 678 with gilded crests.
Fallback: No equipment upgrade? Grab Algari Merit Tokens (6/week) for Crests or Sockets.
PvP: Gear That Punches Back
PvP item levels dwarf PvE:
Gear of honour: Ilvl 597 (PvP 665) from unrated fun - battlegrounds, brawls, skirmishes.
Conquest Gear: Ilvl 636 (PvP 678) from rated victories or first unrated victories.
War Mode: Ilvl 632 (PvP 675) from Bloody Tokens (world PvP, quests).
Catalyst: Tier set shortcut
In Dagal, the Catalyst transforms seasonal equipment into tier sets (Head, Shoulders, Chest, Hands, Legs):
Charges: One at the start of Season 2, then one every 2 weeks (7 weeks for a 4-set). "Master Blaster achievement (Heroic final boss, 1600 PvP, 2000 M+ rating) adds a bonus charge.
Vault/Raid Bonus: Tier drops speed this up - don't sleep on it.
Gearing Strategy: Your path to 675+
Fresh 80? Hit weeklies + world bosses for ilvl 623-642, then spam tier 8 dives (639).
Mid-tier? Craft ilvl 645-675, push M+ (+6 for rune crests), or raid normal/heroic (636-658).
Endgame? Mythic raids (662-672), +12 M+ (655 + 20 gilded), level 11 delves (21 gilded/week). Upgrade with Gilded Crests to 675-678.
Why it's great
Patch 11.1 makes gearing flexible - solo or squad, casual or hardcore, everyone's got a shot at 675+. Delves shine for loners, raids and M+ reward groups, and crafting bridges the gap. Pick your poison and grind!
Thanks for reading
Patch 11.1's gear overhaul puts ilvl 675+ in your hands-diving, raiding, or crafting, it's your choice. Start strong, level up smart, and dominate Season 2!
Table of Content
WoW The War Within Gold US
WoW The War Within Items