Midnight gearing guide: Fastest ways to get 260+ ilvl gear
Discover how to gear up in Midnight with our WoW gearing guide, designed specifically for Midnight expansion release!

Key takeaways:
- Gear tiers and sources: Gear is categorized to several tracks like: Champion, and Myth. It mostly depends on type of activity like World Quests, Delves, M+, and Raids.
- Upgrading gear: Use Dawncrests to enhance gear quality. Higher-tier upgrades require rarer Crests from tougher content.
- Fastest gearing path: Once you reach a higher gear level, focus on Mythic Plus pushing, higher tiers Bountiful Delves, and raids to improve item level and achieve Best-in-Slot build.
Table of Contents
Better gear means smoother runs, faster clears, and sometimes the difference between success and failure. To make the process easier, here’s a constantly updated WoW gearing guide packed with the latest information in Midnight to help you quickly improve your item level (ilvl).
Related posts:
In this guide, you’ll learn about gear categories, their item level ranges, and the best solo and group activities to upgrade your gear. Plus, we’ll cover general gearing tips and answer common player questions.
Midnight launch gearing guide

Midnight gearing aligns with the Gear Track system: the more difficult the activity, the higher the quality of gear earned. The table below provides a reference.
| Gear Track | Sources |
|---|---|
| Adventurer | World quests, Heroic dungeons, Tier 1-4 Bountiful Delves |
| Veteran | Great Vault, Tier 5-6 Bountiful Delves,Mythic dungeons, LFR |
| Champion | Raid, M+ dungeons, Bountiful Delves, Great Vault |
| Hero | M+ dungeons, Great Vault, Heroic raids |
| Myth | High M+, Great Vault, Mythic raids |
Now with the basics done, let’s proceed to the most optimal Midnight release gearing strategy. Luckily for you we’ve got a special scheme that will help you work around your Midnight gearing.

Whether you bought the Regular or Epic Edition, the first thing you need to do is level your characters to 90. Preferably, try to complete all campaign quests as possible to unlock skip and speed up leveling for your future alts.
One of the biggest advantages of Midnight’s launch is that it aligns with the Darkmoon Faire and its WHEE! buff, which increases leveling and reputation gains. Take full advantage of this to farm as much reputation as possible and secure additional Dawncrests through Renown rewards.
After Week 1, or once you feel comfortable on your character, shift your focus to gearing. With Season 1 launching on March 17, early preparation is key. Prioritize Hard and Nightmare Prey activities and Tier 8+ Bountiful Delves for Champion track gear. Lower-tier Delves are fine if needed, but early Great Vault rewards with Hero track gear will significantly speed up your progress. Delves are very forgiving, so run them frequently before Season 1 begins.
Mythic+ will not be available immediately, but Mythic 0 dungeons will open at launch, rewarding Veteran track gear. Keep in mind that Prey is limited to two rewards per difficulty and Bountiful Delves require Coffer Keys, which naturally slows progress.Continue farming these activities until you reach your weekly caps on Dawncrests, Champion, and Hero track rewards.
Midnight launch gearing checklist
Follow this Midnight gearing checlist to straightforward your gear progression:
|
Phase |
Task |
|---|---|
|
Midnight release |
Visit the Darkmoon Faire |
|
Get the WHEE! buff |
|
|
Farm reputation for extra Dawncrests via Renown rewards |
|
|
Week 1 → Pre-Season Gearing |
Start gearing once comfortable |
|
Run Hard/Nightmare Prey |
|
|
Run Tier 8+ Bountiful Delves |
|
|
Use lower-tier Delves if needed |
|
|
Prioritize Great Vault completion (Hero track gear) |
|
|
Spam Delves before Season 1 |
|
|
Run Mythic 0 (Veteran track gear only) |
|
|
Prepare for Mythic+ later |
|
|
Weekly Caps & Limits |
Claim 2 Prey rewards per difficulty |
|
Use Coffer Keys for Bountiful Delves |
|
|
Cap Dawncrests |
|
|
Cap Champion and Hero track rewards |
|
|
March 17 — Season 1 |
Be fully prepared for Season 1 start: Complete M+, raids, Bountiful Delves |
Once Season 1 begins, gearing fully transitions into the new progression structure, which we will talk later in the article.
Gear categories and item level range

In World of Warcraft, gear is divided into different categories, each with its own item level range and specific sources. Here’s a breakdown of how it works:
|
Upgrade Track |
Item Level |
|---|---|
|
Unranked (Not Upgradeable) |
207 |
|
210 |
|
|
214 |
|
|
217 |
|
|
Adventurer |
220 |
|
224 |
|
|
227 |
|
|
230 |
|
|
Veteran |
233 |
|
237 |
|
|
240 |
|
|
243 |
|
|
Champion |
246 |
|
250 |
|
|
253 |
|
|
256 |
|
|
Hero |
259 |
|
263 |
|
|
266 |
|
|
269 |
|
|
Myth |
272 |
|
276 |
|
|
279 |
|
|
282 |
|
|
285 |
|
|
289 |
Midnight gearing key differences
As you may have already noticed, gearing in Midnight has received several major changes. Here’s what you need to know.
- Explorer track gear is removed: You now begin your progression with Adventurer gear, and items from previous tiers can no longer be upgraded. This streamlines gearing but makes early progression more direct.
- Crests amount required for upgrade has increased: Upgrade costs have increased due to the removal of the Valorstones currency in the Midnight expansion. Crests are now your primary upgrade resource, making them more valuable than ever..
- New activity – Prey: Prey is a new overworld activity that rewards Heroic-tier gear. It’s a solid option for gearing alts or secondary characters, though less essential for main character progression.
Note
Even though Prey is an overworld activity, it does not count toward Great Vault World activities. Plan your weekly objectives accordingly.
You may wonder how many Crests are now required for upgrades. Here’s the new cost structure:
- 1/6 -> 2/6 = 10 Crests
- 2/6 -> 3/6 = 20 Crests
- 3/6 -> 4/6 = 30 Crests
- 4/6 -> 5/6 = 40 Crests
- 5/6 -> 6/6 = 50 Crests

As expected, the Great Vault, item upgrade vendors, and the Catalyst are now located in Silvermoon.
Bountiful Delves

In Midnight, Bountiful Delves are a great way to farm decent gear, comparable to Mythic+ and even raid items in terms of ilvl. This is because your progress in Bountiful Delves upgrades the Great Vault with better rewards.
Just like Brann in TWW, Valeera is here to help you in Midnight Delves. The best part? It’s a solo-friendly activity. While Bountiful Delves don’t drop Mythic-track gear, they’re perfect for early expansion leveling.
Note
Only Bountiful Delves drop good gear. Bountiful Delves are different from normal Delves, as they reward you with Bountiful Coffers in the end. These can be unlocked with Restored Coffer Keys. Bountiful Delves scale from 1 Tier up to 11 Tier.
|
Upgrade Level |
Item Level |
Bountiful Coffers |
Trovehunter’s Bounty |
Great Vault (Delves) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Adventurer |
220 |
Tier 1 |
— |
— |
|
224 |
Tier 2 |
— |
— |
|
|
227 |
Tier 3 |
— |
— |
|
|
230 |
Tier 4 |
— |
— |
|
|
Veteran |
233 |
Tier 5 |
— |
Tier 1 |
|
237 |
Tier 6 |
Tier 4 |
Tier 2 |
|
|
240 |
— |
— |
Tier 3 |
|
|
243 |
— |
Tier 5 |
Tier 4 |
|
|
Champion |
246 |
Tier 7 |
Tier 6 |
Tier 5 |
|
250 |
Tier 8–11 |
Tier 7 |
— |
|
|
253 |
— |
— |
Tier 6 |
|
|
256 |
— |
— |
Tier 7 |
|
|
Hero |
259 |
— |
Tier 8–11 |
Tier 8–11 |
|
263 |
— |
— |
— |
|
|
266 |
— |
— |
— |
|
|
269 |
— |
— |
— |
|
|
Myth |
272 |
— |
— |
— |
|
276 |
— |
— |
— |
|
|
279 |
— |
— |
— |
|
|
282 |
— |
— |
— |
|
|
285 |
— |
— |
— |
|
|
289 |
— |
— |
— |
To find out more about Delves and their rewards, check out our other articles:
Prey gearing
Although new Prey activity is relatively bad if you compare it with M+, Delves, or raids, it does count towards Midnight Great Vault, and you can still get Hero track gear from this activity.
|
Gear Track |
Item Level |
Prey Hunt |
Prey Great Vault |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Unranked |
207 |
||
|
Unranked |
210 |
||
|
Unranked |
214 |
||
|
Unranked |
217 |
||
|
Adventurer |
220 |
Normal |
Tier 1 |
|
Adventurer |
224 |
Tier 2 |
|
|
Adventurer |
227 |
Tier 3 |
|
|
Adventurer |
230 |
Tier 4 |
|
|
Veteran |
233 |
Hard |
Normal |
|
Veteran |
237 |
Tier 6 |
|
|
Veteran |
240 |
Tier 3 |
|
|
Veteran |
243 |
Tier 5 |
|
|
Champion |
246 |
Hard |
Tier 7 |
|
Champion |
250 |
Tier 8-11 |
|
|
Champion |
253 |
Tier 6 |
|
|
Champion |
256 |
Tier 7 |
|
|
Hero |
259 |
Nightmare |
Tier 8-11 |
|
Hero |
263 |
||
|
Hero |
266 |
||
|
Hero |
269 |
||
|
Myth |
272 |
||
|
Myth |
276 |
||
|
Myth |
279 |
||
|
Myth |
282 |
||
|
Myth |
285 |
||
|
Myth |
289 |
Note
You can run Prey activity two times per difficulty each week.
Mythic plus dungeons

Mythic plus dungeons are more challenging than Heroic ones. Fortunately, they also reward you with much better gear. Gear from these dungeons scales from M0 to M+10 level and varies from ilvl 681 on the Veteran track up to ilvl 276 on the Hero track.
Mythic plus dungeons can be very challenging and require good skill and group in order to succeed. We recommend you start visiting M0 and continue with M+2 and M+3 after you reach at least ilvl 240. As it should be enough to complete them. Once you feel more powerful, try higher Keys.
If you are unfamiliar with this type of content, we recommend that you study our Midnight Mythic plus guide for newbies. Your Great Vault rewards improve significantly with Mythic+ progress. Here’s a table showing all the M+ reward for the end of the dungeon and Great Vault.
|
Upgrade Track |
Item Level |
Dungeons (Drops) |
Dungeons (Great Vault) |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Unranked (Not Upgradeable) |
207 |
— |
— |
|
210 |
— |
— |
|
|
214 |
Normal/Follower |
— |
|
|
217 |
— |
— |
|
|
Adventurer |
220 |
— |
— |
|
224 |
Heroic (Non-seasonal) |
— |
|
|
227 |
— |
— |
|
|
230 |
Heroic (Seasonal) |
— |
|
|
Veteran |
233 |
— |
Tier 1 |
|
237 |
— |
Tier 2 |
|
|
240 |
Mythic (Non-seasonal) |
Tier 3 |
|
|
243 |
— |
Tier 4 |
|
|
Champion |
246 |
Mythic Seasonal |
Tier 5 |
|
250 |
Mythic +2–3 |
— |
|
|
253 |
Mythic +4 |
Tier 6 |
|
|
256 |
Mythic +5 |
Tier 7 |
|
|
Hero |
259 |
Mythic +6–7 |
Mythic +2–3 |
|
263 |
Mythic +8–9 |
Mythic +4–5 |
|
|
266 |
Mythic +10 or higher |
Mythic +6 |
|
|
269 |
— |
Mythic +7–9 |
|
|
Myth |
272 |
— |
Mythic +10 or higher |
|
276 |
— |
— |
|
|
279 |
— |
— |
|
|
282 |
— |
— |
|
|
285 |
— |
— |
|
|
289 |
— |
— |
Midnight raid gearing

Finally, raids are here. These are the top-tier activities and the most efficient way to score high item-level gear. Check out the loot table for Midnight raids:
|
Upgrade Track |
Item Level |
Raids |
|---|---|---|
|
Unranked (Not Upgradeable) |
207 |
— |
|
210 |
— |
|
|
214 |
— |
|
|
217 |
— |
|
|
Adventurer |
220 |
— |
|
224 |
— |
|
|
227 |
— |
|
|
230 |
— |
|
|
Veteran |
233 |
— |
|
237 |
— |
|
|
240 |
Raid Finder (LFR) |
|
|
243 |
— |
|
|
Champion |
246 |
— |
|
250 |
Normal |
|
|
253 |
— |
|
|
256 |
— |
|
|
Hero |
259 |
Heroic |
|
263 |
— |
|
|
266 |
— |
|
|
269 |
— |
|
|
Myth |
272 |
Mythic |
|
276 |
— |
|
|
279 |
— |
|
|
282 |
— |
|
|
285 |
— |
|
|
289 |
— |
Note
Great Vault gear ilvl is directly connected to the bosses you’ve defeated. For more information on how does the Great Vault work, read our Midnight weekly to-do list.
Raiding demands teamwork and a solid understanding of boss mechanics. If you’re not looking to join a guild or pre-made group, you can queue for Looking For Raid (LFR) through the Group Finder.
To learn more about Midnight raiding, check our:
Overall WoW gearing tips

The best and optimal way to gear up in Midnight requires both solo and group activities. If you’re willing to invest time and effort, here are some key recommendations to increase your item level in Midnight:
- Complete raids, Mythic plus, or Bountiful Delves with your friends, other players, or solo.
- Consider reaching Great Vault goals to get the most out of the items it offers.
- Use crests to upgrade obtained gear.
- Convert your gear pieces into Tier Set items, which empowers you hard if Tier Set passives are active.
- Continue farming renown to get more currency to upgrade your gear.
- Don’t hesitate to buy crafted slots if you can afford them.
- Always try aiming for your BiS gear.
And if you feel like the time resources needed are too much, you can always rely on WoW gearing boost!
Plan your BiS gearing
Best-in-Slot (BiS) gear is what you’ll want to aim for to maximize your performance in any activity. It offers the best stats and effects for your class and spec, making a significant difference in any activity you decide to participate.
To find out more about BiS gear and where you can look for it, check our Midnight BiS lists for all 13 playable classes in Season 1.
How to upgrade your gear
Each gear track in WoW has a specific ranking. For example, Veteran 1/6:
- The Veteran label indicates the item level range
- The number shows where that piece of gear is within that range
Two pieces of gear can have the same item level, but their upgrade potential differs. You can upgrade your gear using special currency: Dawncrests. These are rewarded for clearing various content.
Note
With Midnight expansion each gear track has it’s own crests, meaning Champion Dawncrests will upgrade Champion gear and vice-versa.
There are additional details to consider, such as discounted upgrade costs once a character reaches certain item levels, multiple sources for acquiring crests, and more. For a deeper dive, check out our comprehensive Dawncrests guide:
And that wraps up our guide! Which way do you think is the best for gearing out of all we mentioned? Do you plan to min-max your gear and get all BiS items for your character? Let us know in the comments!
Gearing in WoW can be challenging, and if you’re struggling to obtain the best gear, a WoW Gearing Boost can be a reliable way to give you the edge you need.
FAQ
What is the best way to gear up in WoW?
The most efficient and optimal way is to farm Mythic Keystone dungeons. This activity has no cap and can help you achieve maximum ilvl gear faster than during other activities.
However, spamming Mythic+ runs can be exhausting, so we recommend simply combining all gearing activities to have a pleasant and joyful experience.
How to level up gear in WoW?
You can upgrade your gear by using Valorstones and various crests. Speak to Cuzloth in the Mythic Aspiration shop in Dornogal [51.8 42.1].
If you’ve unlocked Gallagio Loyalty Rewards club Renown 3, you can upgrade your gear in Undermine. Grit Alphadrill can be found at the Incontinental Hotel [43.6, 50].
What is the maximum gear level for Midnight?
In Midnight Season 1 the maximum ilvl will be capped at 289 ilvl.
How do I get better gear in Midnight?
To get gear in WoW TWW, you can participate in the following activities:
– Quests and main campaign
– Dungeon runs
– Raiding
– Gear crafting
– World Bosses
– World quests
– Prey
– Reputation and Renown leveling
– Weekly Caches opening
– Auction House trading








Comments
Tell me you don’t play the game without telling me you don’t play the game. Also, you probably used AI and did not proof-read this, considering the stat squish and that item level is like < 150ish max.
Greetings!
Thanks for noticing, we’ve updated the gear table accordingly. The current maximum item level in the game is 170.
please have someone who actually plays the game proof-read, there are some pretty obvious mistakes