With phase two of World of Warcraft‘s Season of Discovery dropping on Feb. 8 next week, Blizzard Entertainment has shared a full rundown of everything coming with the update.
First is how, much like the Black Fathom Deeps, Gnomeregan is being converted into a raid dungeon, complete with updated and redesigned boss fights so old WoW players have something new to expect. The raid is designed for 10 players and will consist of six bosses in total, with Blizzard teasing a new world buff and new rewards (including even greater ones you can find beyond the dungeon’s last two bosses) as well as “new class sets to acquire and quests and rewards adjusted for level 40 players.”
This dungeon will be available once phase two launches and there will be two raid resets—the first on Feb. 13 and the second on Feb. 20. According to Blizzard, this is to offer a better compromise for leading-edge players who level up quickly and more casual players: “This will allow for leading edge players to get to level 40 and start their hunt in the raid dungeon right away, but also minimizes the number of lockouts missed for those who level more slowly.”
Five-player dungeons will see changes as well. New skill books will drop from various monsters and are described as quality-of-life updates since they don’t take up a Rune slot. On a related note, a variety of new Runes will be available as you reach level 40. For example, one of the new Shaman Runes buffs your attack speed for 10 seconds if you hit an enemy with a two-handed weapon.
For PvP fans, a wholly new event called The Blood Moon will be introduced. During this event, killing other players will earn you currency you can trade in for rewards. It will take place in Stranglethorn Vale every three hours and lasts 30 minutes. Blizzard wanted this event to have a more predictable timetable so players can better prepare for it, though you are free to opt out by speaking with the Zandalari Emissary if PvP’s not your thing. Participation will, however, net you two new faction-agnostic mounts.
There will also be general adjustments to WoW’s matchmaking, so groups of five or fewer have a higher chance of being matched against each other. The same goes for groups of six or more to avoid unfair match-ups. However, the system will ignore these rules if queues get too long.
Professions, meanwhile, are being expanded upon for phase two. Approximately 20 new recipes will be available across all non-gather professions, including Alchemy, Leatherworking, and Tailoring. There’ll be another quest chain to unlock access, just like in phase one, and these recipes will include new materials you can trade with others. Professions will camp at 225, but profession specializations are planned for phase three.
While a lot is being added, and you should read the full detailed breakdown on Blizzard’s blog post, phase two will actually remove something: the ability to take part in GDKP runs. It may not necessarily be permanent, but Blizzard is experimenting to see how things play out without this option.
If you’ve yet to reach level 25 in Season of Discovery, Blizzard will implement a 50 percent experience buff for anyone below level 25. The Blackfathom Deeps raid dungeon will also issue more experience than usual to help players catch up.
