Phase 4 of Season of Discovery will raise the level cap to 60, bringing players to the original endgame of Vanilla WoW. There will be no more leveling phases to follow. Talents and skills will be maxed out, with future character progression coming exclusively from gear and items.
This phase brings new 20-player overhauls of the iconic Molten Core and Onyxia’s Lair raids. The Alterac Valley battleground is also expected to make its debut. Epic mounts will make it easier to get around. No doubt there will be a few surprises in store as well.
This overview will cover everything you can expect to see at level 60 in World of Warcraft, as well as all the new content that is being added for Phase 4 of Season of Discovery.
Leveling
The Discoverer’s Delight buff seems to be here to stay. From level 1-50, it will grant 150% increased experience gains. The buff will continue at a reduced 50% increase from 50-60, so the final grind should be easier as well. It’s likely that the higher rate will be applied to 50-60 at a later date, as has happened in previous phases.
The Cozy Sleeping Bag should still provide rested experience up to 60, and any Student Fodder you haven’t used should also work.
Blackfathom Deeps, Gnomeregan, and Sunken Temple will all continue to be relevant as leveling raids. Fervor of the Temple Explorer will most likely function through level 59, just as Boon of Blackfathom works through 39 and Spark of Inspiration is available through 49. Nightmare Incursions are being updated as daily quest hubs and should continue to be useful for leveling.
Note that in Phase 3, Blizzard took steps to prevent players from hoarding items for a head start on leveling. You won’t be able to hold onto large numbers of Warsong Gulch Mark of Honor, Arathi Basin Mark of Honor, or similar items for mass turn-ins. You can still “pre-quest” by filling your quest log with completed quests, however.
Inventory & Travel
We should be able to acquire the biggest bag in Vanilla WoW now with the release of the Molten Core raid, which allows Tailors to craft the Bottomless Bag.
More significantly, epic mounts will be obtainable at level 60, increasing the speed at which you can cross zones. There’s no word yet on what the cost will be, but basic riding at level 40 had its price cut in half. Paladins and Warlocks will be able to complete their epic quests to receive new special class mounts, which will have their own costs associated but should be significantly cheaper than buying one from a vendor.
Runes & Discoveries
Phase 4 will bring new Rune Engravings for every class for the cloak slot. These Rune Engravings add new abilities and further expand on the new roles and builds we saw in Phases 1-3. These runes will be added to our class pages below as they are discovered. There are also a few runes being replaced in existing slots.
In addition to class runes, there is also a new set of utility runes for the ring slots. These runes are not class-exclusive and include weapon specializations, which provide 5 additional skill with a weapon type that does not stack with racial abilities or other bonuses, as well as damage type specializations, which increase your chance to hit with one of the elemental damage types.
These new runes are available for testing on the PTR, but will not be discoverable until after Phase 4 launches.
Class Abilities
While most classes have already acquired the bulk of their new abilities by level 50, there are still a few remaining to obtain in Phase 4. In addition, you’ll be able to access your complete talent loadout at level 60.
Priests have been promised the ability to acquire the racial abilities of other races at some point in Season of Discovery, and we expect this to happen in Phase 4, but we don’t know how it will work yet.
Class Quests
There are a few very significant class quests that are available at level 60 in Vanilla WoW. We may see some new ones and/or some major changes to these existing quests for Season of Discovery.
Included are the epic weapons for Hunters and Priests, both of which require drops from the Molten Core raid, and the two epic mount quests for Paladins and Warlocks.
Professions
Phase 3 already brought the level cap for professions to 300, which is the maximum level in Vanilla WoW. Specializations have also been available for Blacksmithing, Engineering, and Leatherworking as well as new Alchemy specializations. Players are also be able to complete the Triage quest for First Aid and Nat Pagle’s quests for Fishing, which are required to max out those skills.
We won’t be able to level any higher in Phase 4 and beyond, but we can expect to see some new crafting recipes. It’s possible there will be another new epic quest chain to complete in the Molten Core raid to unlock them. There will also be new and updated recipes from the Argent Dawn, Thorium Brotherhood, Hydraxian Waterlords, and Timbermaw Hold factions.
Zones
Phase 4 will bring us to level 60, making the entire Vanilla world accessible for questing, exploration, and farming.
The Eastern Plaguelands and Winterspring offer some valuable high-level quest rewards, reputation, and farming opportunities. Silithus won’t be as important until a later phase.
| Zone | Level Range | Faction |
|---|---|---|
| Dun Morogh | 1-10 | Alliance |
| Durotar | 1-10 | Horde |
| Elwynn Forest | 1-10 | Alliance |
| Mulgore | 1-10 | Horde |
| Teldrassil | 1-10 | Alliance |
| Tirisfal Glades | 1-10 | Horde |
| Darkshore | 10-20 | Alliance |
| Loch Modan | 10-20 | Alliance |
| Silverpine Forest | 10-20 | Horde |
| Westfall | 10-20 | Alliance |
| The Barrens | 15-25 | Horde |
| Redridge Mountains | 15-25 | Contested |
| Stonetalon Mountains | 15-27 | Contested |
| Ashenvale | 18-30 | Contested |
| Duskwood | 18-30 | Contested |
| Hillsbrad Foothills | 20-30 | Contested |
| Wetlands | 20-30 | Contested |
| Thousand Needles | 25-35 | Contested |
| Alterac Mountains | 30-40 | Contested |
| Arathi Highlands | 30-40 | Contested |
| Desolace | 30-40 | Contested |
| Stranglethorn Vale | 30-45 | Contested |
| Dustwallow Marsh | 35-45 | Contested |
| Badlands | 35-45 | Contested |
| Swamp of Sorrows | 35-45 | Contested |
| Feralas | 40-50 | Contested |
| The Hinterlands | 40-50 | Contested |
| Tanaris | 40-50 | Contested |
| Searing Gorge | 43-50 | Contested |
| Azshara | 45-55 | Contested |
| Blasted Lands | 45-55 | Contested |
| Un’Goro Crater | 48-55 | Contested |
| Felwood | 48-55 | Contested |
| Burning Steppes | 50-58 | Contested |
| Western Plaguelands | 51-58 | Contested |
| Eastern Plaguelands | 53-60 | Contested |
| Winterspring | 53-60 | Contested |
| Deadwind Pass | 55-60 | Contested |
| Moonglade | 55-60 | Contested |
| Silithus | 55-60 | Contested |
Dungeons
Several new dungeons should become available in Phase 4 with the level 60 cap. This includes all three of the dungeons found in Blackrock Mountain, all three wings of Dire Maul, and both dungeons in the Plaguelands. Rewards for these dungeons have been overhauled, so there should be plenty of useful gear to collect in them.
Blackfathom Deeps, Gnomeregan, and The Temple of Atal’Hakkar have all been converted into raids, and their original 5-player dungeon versions are not available in Season of Discovery.
| Dungeon | Level Range | Min Level | Entrance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ragefire Chasm | 13-18 | 8 | Orgrimmar |
| Wailing Caverns | 17-24 | 10 | The Barrens |
| The Deadmines | 17-26 | 10 | Westfall |
| Shadowfang Keep | 22-30 | 14 | Silverpine Forest |
| The Stockade | 24-32 | 15 | Stormwind City |
| Razorfen Kraul | 30-40 | 25 | The Barrens |
| The Scarlet Monastery: Graveyard | 26-35 | 21 | Tirisfal Glades |
| The Scarlet Monastery: Library | 30-40 | 21 | Tirisfal Glades |
| The Scarlet Monastery: Armory | 32-42 | 21 | Tirisfal Glades |
| The Scarlet Monastery: Cathedral | 35-45 | 21 | Tirisfal Glades |
| Uldaman | 35-45 | 30 | Badlands |
| Zul’Farrak | 44-54 | 35 | Tanaris |
| Maraudon | 46-55 | 30 | Desolace |
| Blackrock Depths | 52-60 | 40 | Blackrock Mountain |
| Lower Blackrock Spire | 55-60 | 48 | Blackrock Mountain |
| Upper Blackrock Spire | 55-60 | 48 | Blackrock Mountain |
| Dire Maul East | 55-60 | 48 | Feralas |
| Dire Maul West | 55-60 | 48 | Feralas |
| Dire Maul North | 55-60 | 48 | Feralas |
| Stratholme – Living | 58-60 | 48 | Eastern Plaguelands |
| Stratholme Undead | 58-60 | 48 | Eastern Plaguelands |
| Scholomance | 58-60 | 48 | Western Plaguelands |
Raids & World Bosses
Phase 4 will bring an overhauled 20-player version of Molten Core and Onyxia’s Lair, the first two raids of Vanilla WoW, along with redesigned Tier 1 sets for every class and build. For the first time in Vanilla WoW, Molten Core will have variable difficulty.
Two world bosses, Lord Kazzak and Azuregos, are also being overhauled and instanced. They’ve been retuned to be killable with a 20-player raid, but can be taken on with up to 40 players.
Epic & Legendary Weapons
The Molten Core raid brings access to some highly sought-after weapons, including two epic class weapons and two legendary items.
The quest to get Benediction/Anathema puts all of a Priest’s abilities to the test for an iconic reward: a two-in-one staff that can be used for healing or damage. The quest for Rhok’delar, Longbow of the Ancient Keepers is similarly challenging and offers an equally valuable reward.
Thunderfury, Blessed Blade of the Windseeker is the most renowned legendary weapon in World of Warcraft. Its collection was notoriously challenging due to its random drop rate. We’ll see if Blizzard alters this in Season of Discovery.
Sulfuras, Hand of Ragnaros is another legendary weapon from Molten Core, often overshadowed by Thunderfury. This weapon might become more valuable in Season of Discovery.
Player Versus Player
Alterac Valley will finally join the Battleground roster in Phase 4, offering epic 40 vs. 40 PvP matches for characters level 51 and up. Warsong Gulch and Arathi Basin will continue to be relevant as well.
The Blood Moon event is once again receiving some new rewards and currency as it did in Phase 3. Battle for Ashenvale will presumably continue but is not expected to receive any further updates.
New PvP class sets are being added for Rank 10 in Phase 4.
