This guide serves as a resource for World of Warcraft’s final major content update for The War Within. It is segmented into a complete overview of all new content, a strategic preparation plan for the final weeks of Season 2, and an optimal action plan for the launch of Season 3.
You may also be interested in:
| Class Tier List | Ghost of K’aresh Overview & release date | BiS Gear Guide | Tier sets overview |
| K’aresh Zone overview | Ecological Succession guide | Ethereal Crests guide | Untethered Coin Farm Guide |
| Mythic+ guide | Season 3 PvP guide | Manaforge Omega guide | Delves guide |
| Mount guide | Reshii wraps artifact cloak guide |
Part 1: The Ghosts of K’aresh — A Complete Overview of Patch 11.2 Content
This section details every new feature and system being introduced, providing context on what they are and how they function.
A. New Zone in Patch 11.2: K’aresh or Patch 11.2 Story and K’aresh Zone Guide
- New Zone — K’aresh: Prepare to venture into the hauntingly beautiful, shattered homeworld of the ethereals. K’aresh is a visually stunning zone defined by its void-scarred landscapes and a spectacular, broken skybox filled with floating islands, which are navigated using skyriding. Amidst this cosmic ruin, the broker city of Tazavesh returns, moving from the Shadowlands to serve as your primary sanctuary and quest hub.
- Main Story K’aresh Campaign: A five-chapter campaign serves as the epic conclusion to the War Within narrative. The first three chapters will be available at launch, guiding you through the initial conflicts in K’aresh. Chapter 4 and the expansion’s epilogue will release in week two, closing the book on this saga and directly setting the stage for the events of Midnight.
- New Faction — The K’aresh Trust: This 20-level renown track is your primary progression path within the zone. Advancing your renown is crucial, as it unlocks powerful rewards including essential profession recipes for your new artifact cloak, unique mounts, ethereal-themed transmogs, and, most notably, a permanent, reusable infinite augment rune at Rank 18.
B. New Patch 11.2 Features: Artifact Cloak and Phase Diving Explained
- Artifact Cloak — The Reshii Wraps: This is one of the most important pieces of gear for the entire patch. It is a mandatory, upgradeable artifact cloak that starts at item level 694 and can be upgraded to a cap of 727. Its power is increased by spending Ethereal Strands, a new account-wide currency earned from all endgame activities. This account-wide nature is a critical feature, making it exceptionally easy to keep alternate characters geared. Its secondary stats are fully customizable via socketable “Fibers,” with superior versions craftable by Tailors, making the profession a must-have for min-maxing.
- Phase Diving: Unlocked by the Reshii Wraps, this system allows you to tear a hole in reality and step into an alternate, phased version of K’aresh. This “ethereal plane” is not just a visual filter; it contains its own unique set of world quests, dangerous rare elites, and hidden treasures. Its network of phase conduits also serves as a fast-travel system across the zone.
- Ecological Succession: In this unique, “Planet Zoo”-style side-campaign, you will assist the broker Ve’nari in cultivating a new ecosystem within one of K’aresh’s massive eco-domes. The gameplay loop involves weekly quests to collect creatures from across Azeroth, which then unlock daily quests to maintain the new environment. While optional for direct player power, it functions as a weekly “fill-the-bar” quest that rewards a Pinnacle Cache containing exclusive pets and mounts.
C. WoW Season 3: Manaforge Omega Raid and M+ Dungeons
New Raid — Manaforge Omega: The raid entrance is located in southwestern K’aresh and requires players to use Phase Diving to access it. An eight-boss raid instance set within a breathtaking ethereal facility. The raised features the following encounters in order:
- Plexus Sentinel
- Loom’ithar
- Soulbinder Naazindhri
- Forgeweaver Araz
- The Soul Hunters, Adarus Darkblaze — optional
- Fractillus
- Nexus-King Salhadaar
- Dimensius
The fifth boss, the Soul Hunters, is optional but should be considered a high-priority target, as it drops unique items that enhance your cloak’s power. The final boss, Dimensius, is said to be the largest boss ever created. He also has a chance to drop a very rare two-handed staff with a unique effect.
The raid also features its own multi-level renown track, the Manaforge Vandals. Progressing this track unlocks crucial quality-of-life improvements, including skips to later bosses at Renown 5, as well as unique mounts and profession recipes.
Players can also acquire new Tier Set pieces, with tokens dropping from specific bosses:
- Dreadful Token: Death Knight, Demon Hunter, Warlock
- Mystic Token: Druid, Hunter, Mage
- Venerated Token: Paladin, Priest, Shaman
- Zenith Token: Evoker, Monk, Rogue, Warrior
New Dungeon — Eco-Dome Al’Dani: A standard three-boss dungeon set in a lush, vibrant corner of K’aresh. It will be fully integrated into the Mythic+ rotation.
- New Dungeon Pool: Eco-Dome Al’Dani, Halls of Atonement, Tazavesh: Streets of Wonder, Tazavesh: So’leah’s Gambit, Ara-Kara, City of Echoes, The Dawnbreaker, Priory of the Sacred Flame, and Operation: Floodgate.
- New Features: The highly-requested Vote to Abandon system will allow groups to unanimously end a failed key without penalty. To counter toxic behavior, a Leaver Penalty will visually flag players in the group finder who frequently abandon keys without a vote. The new Waystone System will place clear visual markers at resurrection checkpoints, removing confusion after a wipe.
D. Delve System Evolution
- New Delve — The Archival Assault: A new Delve instance set in the Azure Vaults environment, conveniently accessed from K’aresh.
- New Nemesis — Nexus-Princess Ky’veza: The Season 3 Delve nemesis, a familiar face from the Nerub’ar Palace raid.
- New Systems: Ethereal Portals, unlocked via your Reshii Wraps, can now randomly appear in Delves. Entering them transports you to a “Ethereal Routing Station,” a mini-Delve with a single objective that provides a shortcut to a full Delve’s completion and rewards.
E. Patch 11.2 Class Changes and Tuning TL;DR (Mage Nerfs, Monk Buffs)
Patch 11.2 introduces a wave of targeted class changes designed to shake up the established meta. With hero talents updated in 11.2, some specializations are seeing focused adjustments to either their defensive capabilities or damage output. Understanding where the developers’ attention is focused is key to anticipating the shifting landscape of Season 3.
Brewmaster Monk: This tank specialization is getting major buffs to make their damage intake smoother and improving its core defensive cooldown.
- Talent Adjustments: New talents have been added to improve healing from Celestial Brew and smooth out damage spikes.
- Cooldown Improvement: The effectiveness of Invoke Niuzao, the Black Ox is being improved, making their major defensive cooldown more reliable.
Mage: In contrast to the guide’s claim of universal buffs, Mages are seeing a more complex set of changes, including significant nerfs and reworks. Development notes indicate that Ignite scaling has been nerfed, and abilities like Meteorite and Glacial Spike have been weakened. This is a significant change from buffs and repositions the class differently for Season 3.
Death Knight: While specific baseline damage numbers are still under review, targeted adjustments are being made to certain Hero Talents.
- Hero Talent Tuning: Changes are being implemented for abilities like Exterminate (Deathbringer) and The Blood is Life (San’layn) to make their damage more consistent and less random.
Universal Power Update: The Soul Hunter Boots
There’s a huge gearing change that affects everyone. The special boots dropped by the optional Soul Hunters boss in Manaforge Omega, officially named the Interloper’s Boots, enhance your Reshii Wraps’ proc rate. The unique effect on these boots provides a flat 50% increase to the proc rate, regardless of the raid difficulty they are obtained from. While the item level and raw stats of the boots will increase with higher difficulties, the powerful 50% proc chance remains constant.
Crafted Gear: A new reagent, the Spark of Starlight, will be required to craft gear up to a maximum item level of 691, making it a highly competitive option for filling specific gear slots.
F. Major Quality of Life Changes
Bank Overhaul: The archaic personal bank, reagent bank, and Void Storage systems are being unified into a single, modern, Warband-style interface with six customizable tabs and a massive increase in total storage space.
New Emote: A /lean emote is being added for all your stylish idling needs.
| Feature | Details |
| New Zone | K’aresh – shattered ethereal world + Tazavesh hub |
| Artifact Cloak | Reshii Wraps with Phase Diving & customizable stat system |
| New Raid | Manaforge Omega – Dimensius battle & renown track |
| New Dungeon | Eco‑Dome Al’dani – mythic+ eligible |
| New Delve | The Archival Assault (Azure Vault) w/ Nexus-Princess Ky’veza |
| Hero Talent Tier Sets | Bonuses based on spec/talent choice |
| M+ Changes & PvP zone | New dungeon pool, vote-to-abandon, Waystones, Vanquisher’s Wake |
| QoL | Unified bank tabs, /lean emote |
Part 2: The Final Countdown — Your Pre-Patch Preparation Guide (Before August 5th)
Here’s your to-do list to get a head start for the final weeks of the Patch 11.1.7. Maximize your advantage in the new season!
A. Top Priority — The Absolute Must-Dos
Acquire and Fully Upgrade the D.I.S.C. Belt: This is your primary objective. The process begins by speaking to Dagran Thaurissan II in Dornogal to start the questline for the Overcharged Delves. From there, you must complete his weekly quests to upgrade the belt to item level 701. Its unique on-use effects make it an exceptionally powerful early-season item that will provide a significant advantage for the initial weeks of progression.
Recraft Your Embellished Cloak: The Reshii Wraps will make your current cloak obsolete. To preserve your two-piece embellishment bonus, use a Spark of Starlight now to craft your cloak’s embellishment onto a different item, such as bracers or boots. You need to do this to avoid losing power.
B. What’s Being Removed in Season 3?
- Raid Achievements: This is your final chance to earn Ahead of the Curve (Heroic Gallywix) and Cutting Edge (Mythic Gallywix).
- Mythic+ Rewards: The Crimson Shreddertank (Keystone Master at 2,000 rating) and Enterprising Shreddertank (Keystone Legend at 3,000 rating) mounts will become unobtainable.
- Delve Rewards: The golden customization schematic for the Delver’s Gob-Trotter mount (The Underpin solo on Tier ??) will most likely become unobtainable. The OC-91 Chariot mount (from the Overcharged Delve talent system) will remain obtainable after the patch, but its acquisition method will change to an Undercoin purchase from a vendor.
- PvP Rewards: The Season 2 Gladiator mount and the Vicious Electro Eel are seasonal and will be retired.
| Category | Reward | Requirement | Status After August 5th |
| Raid | Ahead of the Curve: Gallywix | Defeat Heroic Gallywix | Unobtainable |
| Cutting Edge: Gallywix | Defeat Mythic Gallywix | Unobtainable | |
| Mythic+ | Crimson Shredder Mount | Achieve 2,000 M+ Rating | Unobtainable |
| Enterprising Shredder Mount | Achieve 3,000 M+ Rating | Unobtainable | |
| Keystone Hero Dungeon Portals | Complete a +10 Key in Time | Unobtainable (for non-returning dungeons) | |
| “The Enterprising” Title | Achieve 1,500 M+ Rating | Unobtainable | |
| Delves | Golden Gob-Trotter Customization | Solo “The Underpin” (Highest Tier) | Most likely to become unobtainable |
| OC-91 Chariot Mount | Complete Overcharged Delve Talents | Removed from current method | |
| “The Real Deal” Title | Defeat “The Underpin” (Highest Tier) | Unobtainable | |
| PvP | Season 2 Gladiator Mount | Win 50 3v3 games at Elite Rank | Unobtainable |
| Vicious Electro-eel Mount | Win Rated PvP Matches | Unobtainable | |
| Elite PvP Transmog Set | Achieve 1,800 Rating | Unobtainable |
C. Do Valor and Undercoins Reset in Patch 11.2?
- Spend Your Crests: All Season 2 Ethereal Crests will be converted to grey vendor trash. There is no benefit to saving them. Use them for any final upgrades.
- Cap Your Valorstones: In a significant change, Valorstones will NOT be reset. Maximize this currency on any character you plan to play in Season 3. It will provide a substantial head start on upgrading newly acquired dungeon gear.
- Spend Your Undercoins: Official information confirms that Undercoins WILL reset to 0 with the start of Season 3. You must spend all of your Undercoins before the season begins, otherwise you will lose them entirely.
D. Housekeeping & Efficiency
- Stockpile Consumables: The economy will shift dramatically. Purchase flasks, potions, and enchants now while they are cheap, before the launch-day demand inflates prices.
- Clean Your Inventory: A new patch brings a surge of new items. Spend 30 minutes clearing out your bags, bank, and quest log to ensure a smooth, organized start.
- Leverage World Events: The Turbulent Timeways and Winds of Mysterious Fortune events offer unprecedented experience and reputation buffs. Use this time to efficiently level alts or complete long-neglected renown grinds.
Part 3: Patch 11.2 Launch Day Dominance — Your Strategy
Follow this step-by-step process for a highly efficient and powerful start to the new season.
| Gear Track | Item Level Range | Primary Source Examples |
| Explorer | 642 – 665 | Campaign Quests, World Drops |
| Adventurer | 655 – 678 | World Quests, Normal Dungeons |
| Veteran | 668 – 691 | LFR, Heroic Dungeons |
| Champion | 681 – 704 | Normal Raid, Low Mythic+ Keys, M0 Dungeons |
| Hero | 694 – 710 | Heroic Raid, High Mythic+ Keys, Delver’s Bounty |
| Mythic | 707 – 723 | Mythic Raid, The Great Vault (from +10 keys) |
A. The “Pre-Season” Week (August 5th – August 12th)
- Start the Main Campaign Immediately: Your first and only priority upon logging in should be to progress the main story until you acquire your Reshii Wraps artifact cloak. This item is the foundation of your power for the entire patch.
- Clear All Mythic 0 Dungeons: Once the cloak is obtained, your next objective is to systematically clear each available dungeon once on Mythic 0 difficulty. This process will not only reward you with a full set of Champion-track gear (ilvl 681) but, more importantly, it will fill out your Great Vault slots, guaranteeing a high-quality gear choice in week two.
- Push Delve Tiers: With M0s complete, turn your attention to Delves. Your goal is to clear the highest tier possible, with a minimum target of Tier 8, to add another high-quality option to your Great Vault.
B. The First Week of Season 3 (From August 12th)
- Open Your Great Vault: Begin your week by visiting the Great Vault. Your efforts in the pre-season week should have unlocked at least one Hero-track item. Select your best upgrade to start the season strong.
- Kill the World Boss: Immediately travel to K’aresh and defeat Reshanor, the Untethered for a guaranteed piece of Champion gear (ilvl 688).
- Enter Manaforge Omega: Form or join groups for the new raid. Your goal should be to clear both Normal and Heroic difficulties. Make a priority of defeating the optional Soul Hunters boss for its powerful cloak-enhancing loot.
- Push Mythic+ Keys: Begin your Mythic+ progression. Your strategic goal is to complete a +10 keystone as early in the week as possible. This is the threshold that unlocks the highest item level gear from end-of-dungeon chests and, more importantly, from the following week’s Great Vault.
- Engage with the New Delve Nemesis: Be on the lookout for the new Season 3 nemesis, Nexus-Princess Ky’veza, within your Delves. Defeating her can reward a Delver’s Bounty, which contains powerful gear to aid your progression.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the release date of WoW Patch 11.2?
We’re on the final countdown. The official release date for Patch 11.2 is August 5, 2025. We want to stress that this isn’t just a patch day; it’s the hard deadline for all expiring Season 2 content. Once the servers go down for maintenance, the season is effectively over. The new competitive season, Season 3, will then kick off a week later on August 12, which is when the new raid opens and Mythic+ ladders reset.
What new content is coming in The Ghosts of K’aresh update?
The Ghosts of K’aresh update is a substantial one, serving as the launchpad for Season 3. The two main pieces of content we’re tracking are the new outdoor zone, K’aresh, which will be the central hub for the expansion’s next narrative chapter, and the brand-new raid instance, Manaforge Omega. This means a whole new campaign to play through, new bosses to master, and of course, new tier sets to collect.
How do I prepare for WoW The War Within Season 3?
Our entire guide is built around a core philosophy for smart, efficient preparation. We believe the best approach focuses on four key pillars: 1) Securing essential Player Power by getting and upgrading the D.I.S.C. belt. 2) Practicing smart Currency Management by capping your non-resetting Valorstones. 3) Engaging in strategic Gear Preparation by pre-crafting your embellished gear to accommodate the new Reshii Wraps cloak. 4) And finally, completing your Collectible Checklist by claiming all the expiring achievements and mounts before they’re gone for good.
What’s the best way to gear up before WoW Patch 11.2?
We advise a “smart, not hard” approach that respects your time. The playerbase often feels pressured to grind for maximum item level, but we can confirm it’s unnecessary. Your priority should be obtaining the D.I.S.C. belt. Beyond that, a comfortable item level of around 650 is a perfect target. The reason is that Mythic 0 dungeons will drop item level 681 gear on day one of the patch, providing a massive and immediate upgrade path that makes any frantic, last-minute gear grinding obsolete.
What is the Reshii Wraps cloak in WoW 11.2 and how do I upgrade it?
The Reshii Wraps is the new artifact-quality cloak arriving in the patch, which we know will be a best-in-slot item acquired early in the K’aresh campaign. Our guide’s focus is on ensuring you are prepared for its arrival by shuffling your embellishments now. It does not, however, contain specific details on the cloak’s upgrade path, as that information will become relevant after the patch launches.
How does Phase Diving work in Patch 11.2?
Our guide is hyper-focused on the essential pre-patch checklist—the tasks and rewards that are relevant before August 5th. As such, it does not contain information on the mechanics of new systems like Phase Diving, which you will discover once you begin your adventures in K’aresh.
What’s the K’aresh Trust renown system and how do you level it?
While we’re excited about new reputation systems like the K’aresh Trust, this guide is deliberately focused on the pre-patch period. Our priority is making sure you have the best possible foundation of gear, currency, and expiring items so you can hit the ground running and engage with those new systems efficiently when they become available.
Which bosses are in the Manaforge Omega raid in Patch 11.2?
We’ve identified Manaforge Omega as the new raid instance, but this pre-patch guide does not contain a list of the bosses within. Our focus is on getting you geared and ready for the raid’s launch, not on providing encounter spoilers.
What gear does Dimensius drop in the new raid?
Our guide does not contain specific loot tables for raid bosses, including any boss named Dimensius. This level of detail is outside the scope of a pre-patch preparation guide.
What are the Mythic+ dungeons for Season 3 of WoW TWW?
This guide’s dungeon preparation focuses on securing the expiring teleports from the Season 2 dungeon pool, as this is a time-sensitive task. It does not include the list of dungeons that will be in the Season 3 rotation.
What is the Archival Assault delve in WoW 11.2?
Our information on delves is centered on the pre-patch tasks required to obtain the D.I.S.C. belt and the Golden Gob-Trotter mount. We have not included details on specific new delves like Archival Assault, as that is content you will experience after the patch launch.
Should I spend or save my Valorstones before the new season?
Save them. We want to be crystal clear on this: Valorstones will not reset. We believe capping your Valor now is one of the most powerful things you can do. Starting the season with a full bank of Valor gives you a massive head start on upgrading any new gear you get from week-one dungeons.
Do Undercoins reset in WoW 11.2?
Our guide focuses on the confirmed non-reset of Valorstones, as this is a major strategic consideration for players. We have not included information regarding the fate of other, more minor currencies like Undercoins at the start of the new season.
What are the class changes in Patch 11.2 (especially Monk, Mage, DK)?
We focus on universal preparation tasks that apply to all players, regardless of what they play. Class tuning is a highly specialized and often volatile topic. We recommend consulting resources dedicated to your specific class for detailed information on class changes to ensure you get the most accurate and up-to-date analysis.
What is the best class or spec for WoW 11.2 Season 3?
Our recommendations are centered on strategic preparation rather than ranking classes or specs. The only specific character advice we offer is a quirky recommendation to consider leveling a Dwarf, as the playerbase believes its racial ability will be uniquely powerful against the mechanics in the coming season.
How do you get the Interloper’s Boots and what do they do?
This guide does not contain information on specific new gear pieces like the Interloper’s Boots. Our focus is on managing the gear you have now in preparation for the new patch.
What rewards are being removed before Season 3 starts?
The primary rewards being removed are all tied to Season 2’s conclusion. This includes the prestigious “Ahead of the Curve” and “Cutting Edge” raid achievements, the Crimson and Enterprising Shreddertank mounts from Mythic+, the elite PvP set and Gladiator rewards, and the highly coveted Golden Gob-Trotter delve mount appearance. These are being locked in the vault forever.
How do I get ready for the Manaforge Omega raid launch?
Our recommended three-step strategy focuses on smart preparation, not endless grinding. 1) Acquire and fully upgrade the D.I.S.C. Belt to ilvl 701, as this will be your power foundation. 2) Pre-craft your embellishments onto a non-essential gear slot (like bracers) for gearing efficiency. 3) Ensure your character is at a reasonable item level (around 650) to smoothly transition into week-one content.
Can I still get the Season 2 Gladiator mount in Patch 11.2?
No. We must be firm on this: the Season 2 Gladiator mount, along with all other seasonal PvP rewards, will become permanently unobtainable once the servers go down for maintenance on August 5th. There is no grace period.
What is the best pre-patch checklist for WoW The War Within 11.2?
We believe the best checklist is the one that respects your time and focuses on high-impact actions. We’ve built our entire guide around this concept, prioritizing tasks like securing the D.I.S.C. belt, managing your Valor, prepping your crafted gear, claiming expiring FOMO rewards, and leveraging the Winds of Mysterious Fortune event for maximum efficiency.
