Mythic+ dungeons are certainly making their return in The War Within. These challenging instanced encounters, which made their debut in Legion, offer exciting new mechanics, cunning foes, and valuable rewards for those brave enough to conquer them.
What’s New
- New Dungeons: Season 1 of The War Within, which starts on 10th of September, offers players the chance to go through all four of The War Within’s max-level dungeons, as well as four returning dungeons from previous expansions.
- The War Within
- Ara-Kara, City of Echoes
- City of Threads
- The Stonevault
- The Dawnbreaker
- Previous Expansions
- Mists of Tirna Scithe (Shadowlands)
- The Necrotic Wake (Shadowlands)
- Siege of Boralus (Battle for Azeroth)
- Grim Batol (Cataclysm)
- The War Within
- New Affixes starting at Level 2, Level 7, and Level 12
Keystone Level 2: Xal’atath’s Bargains
This new group of affixes will rotate weekly starting at Level 2.
Xal’atath’s Bargain: Ascendant
About once every minute, Xal’atath will appear and summon a total of 10 Orbs of Ascendance that cast Cosmic Ascension. The orbs will absorb all damage and have the Magic buff Unstable Power. If the casts are successful, the orbs will buff nearby mobs with +20% movement speed and Haste per orb, per cast. Letting these casts go off isn’t the best idea. If players interrupt, displace, or use a crowd control ability on them, players will receive a +1% movement speed and Haste buff per orb, per cast, for a maximum of +10% per event. The buff lasts 20 seconds.
Xal’atath’s Bargain: Voidbound
While in combat, Xal’atath summons a single Void Emissary that will empower nearby enemies. This will gradually increase their damage by 5% every 3 seconds and the effect stacks. Tanks should be careful, as the Void Emissary will follow them around. Upon the defeat of the Void Emissary, players will receive +30% Critical Strike and a Cooldown Reduction buff that lasts 20 seconds. It’s important to take care of the Void Emissary as soon as possible.
Xal’atath’s Bargain: Oblivion
Xal’atath will summon crystals from the void that can be absorbed by either players or enemies. The crystals, known as Shattered Essence, will span near enemies whilst in combat and will gradually move toward them. Players should focus on absorbing the crystals before the enemy has a chance to absorb them. If a player absorbs a crystal, they will gain Void Essence and receive increased Mastery and Leech. If an enemy absorbs a crystal, they will gain a +10% damage reduction buff that stacks up to 10 times. Players should focus on absorbing the crystals before the enemy in all cases.
Xal’atath’s Bargain: Devour
This affix is similar to how Afflicted played before it was removed in The War Within. Xal’atath will cast Void Rift on all 5 players. It acts as an absorb shield and is worth 75% of a player’s health and lasts for 15 seconds. When the shield is active, it deals 2% of a player’s max health every second. Healers should focus on healing the absorb shield, or using any dispel. If the shield is allowed to remain, it will heal mobs for 25% of their maximum health. Removing a shield will grant a stack of Lingering Void, giving players +2% Health and +4% Critical Strike. 5 stacks of Lingering Void can be earned, totaling +10% Max Health and +20% Critical Strike. Any class with a dispel should use it when this affix is active. For Priests, Mass Dispel will remove all 5 shields instantly.
Keystone Level 4: Fortified and Tyrannical
Starting at Keystone Level 4, Tyrannical and Fortified become active. These affixes alternate each week and are quite simple to overcome. Tyrannical increases the health of dungeon bosses by 30% and their damage by 15%. With Fortified, non-boss enemies have 20% more health and their damage increased by up to 20%. Given these two affixes alternate each week, you’ll never see both of them active at a time; nor will you see the same affix for two consecutive weeks in a row at Level 4.
Keystone Level 7: Challenger’s Peril
A new affix becomes active, known as Challenger’s Peril. This causes 15 seconds to be subtracted from the dungeon timer every time a player dies. In previous expansions, this was the default behaviour. However, it now only makes an appearance at Level 7.
Keystone Level 10: The Return of Fortified and Tyrannical
At Level 10, both Tyrannical and Fortified become active at the same time. Whichever affix was not active at Level 4, becomes active at Level 10. Since these two affixes rotate weekly, if Tyrannical is active at Level 4, the next week it will become active at Level 10.
Keystone Level 12: Xal’atath’s Guile
Xal’atath will remove her bargains and it will be replaced with Xal’atath’s Guile. This gives all enemies a 20% increase to their health and damage, and players will no longer receive any positive effects from the Bargain affixes. At Level 12, dungeons become exceptionally more difficult.
Wrapping it Up
Season 1 is shaping up to be quite the challenge indeed. With some removed affixes and new Xal’atath-themed affixes, players are certainly in for a good time (or possibly bad, depending on your viewpoint).
So, what do you think about the changes to Mythic+ that are coming in The War Within? Let us know down in the comments below!
Also, be sure to check out our The War Within Pre-Patch Guide for everything you can do to prepare for The War Within!
