World of Warcraft: Classic’s Season of Discovery experiment has helped revitalize the MMORPG’s original formula, and its Phase 2 release date sees Blizzard placing additional building blocks that further expand on the possibilities available to those adventuring through Azeroth as it once was.
The second phase of WoW: Classic’s experimental season is part of a fairly ambitious roadmap that promises a host of updates for the game’s various incarnations throughout 2024.
World of Warcraft: Classic's Season of Discovery Phase 2 Release Date
World of Warcraft: Classic’s Season of Discovery Phase 2 release date is slated to occur on February 8, 2024, less than three months after the mode’s debut.
- World of Warcraft: Classic's Season of Discovery Phase 2 release date: February 8, 2024
World of Warcraft: Classic's Season of Discovery Phase 2 Level Cap and Runes
Once it goes live, it raises the level cap from 25 to 40, having us seek out quests and foes across new zones. It also introduces a set of new gameplay-altering runes, SoD’s most notable change.
Druids get Eclipse, which makes Starfire increase the critical strike chance of their next two Wrath abilities by 30% while Wrath increases the critical strike chance of their next Starfire by 30%, with each effect stacking up to 4 times.
Rallying Cry gives Warriors a defensive ability that can be activated to increase the health of all party and raid members within 40 yards, while Pain Suppression enables Priests to significantly reduce the damage taken by a friendly target while also increasing their resistance to Dispel mechanics for a short time.
You can find more rune examples by following the link below.
World of Warcraft: Classic's Season of Discovery Phase 2 The Blood Moon PvP Event
A new PvP event called The Blood Moon is also on the way, coating Stranglethorn Vale in an ominous red fog. It occurs every 3 hours and lasts for 30 minutes, during which time killing players earns us currency to trade for different rewards.
Teaming up is allowed, but attempting to bring a raid group into the event is discouraged and will result in punishment.
Opting out of the event can also be done by speaking with the Zandalari Emissary, although that does render us unable to earn event-related rewards, which include two faction-agnostic mounts.
The Blood Moon doesn’t feature any PvP objectives while the Chosen of the Blood Loa acts as a threat for anyone involved.
In terms of PvP balance, notable matchmaking changes are on the way, making it more likely that players are matched against groups of similar size. These additional filters can be removed if queue times end up taking too long.
World of Warcraft: Classic's Season of Discovery Phase 2 Gnomeregan Raid Dungeon And Other Additions
Class playstyles new and old will inevitably be tested in the update’s 10-player Gnomeregan raid dungeon.
Six bosses await within, one entirely new with the remaining five redesigned to challenge us in new ways. Grubbis arena has received new radiation vents while Mekgineer Thermaplugg has added new mechanical suits to his arsenal.
Aside from introducing a new world buff, it also features new items and rewards alongside “even more epic rewards from additional sources beyond the last two bosses of the dungeon.”
This includes new class sets quests alongside rewards adjusted for the new level cap. On top of that, a new profession quest chain unlocks new materials used to craft stronger items.
WoW: Classic’s Season of Discovery Gnomeregan raid dungeon will be available when Phase 2 launches, but Blizzard has confirmed that it will come with two lockouts.
“This means the first of these raid resets will occur on February 13 and the second will occur on February 20 with the regularly scheduled maintenance. 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,” the developer noted.
WoW: Classic’s Season of Discovery Phase 2 also adds new skill books as drops from 5-player dungeon, promising quality of life improvements.
They do not take up a rune slot while addressing the short Aura durations of Paladin Blessings, totem control for Shaman, and other similar aspects.
Around twenty new recipes will be introduced across all non-gathering professions. All professions cap at 225 this phase, with specializations set to become available during Phase 3.
Lastly, and perhaps most interestingly, Blizzard is “experimenting with a new policy which will no longer allow GDKP runs in Season of Discovery.
“While we understand that there are some benefits for those who find this a convenient way to gain gear, we also recognize that there are concerns surrounding the erosion of traditional guild and social structures that are a part of the spirit of Season of Discovery.
“Given the experimental nature of Season of Discovery, we want to try things without this type of transaction taking place in this game mode. With the launch on February 8, we will be restricting this activity. We will have more information to share on our official channels and will be monitoring feedback closely.”
That is what we know so far about World of Warcraft: Classic’s Season of Discovery Phase 2, its release date, and planned content.
For more on the MMORPG, learn when we can expect Cataclysm Classic to launch.
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