WoW The War Within Patch 11.1: Delve Gearing Guide

Jonas Author

Created - 06.03.2025 Updated - 06.03.2025

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If you want to gear up fast in patch 11.1, we’ve got a WoW The War Within Season 2 Delves gearing guide. While Delves aren’t as hard as the raid themselves, you’ll still need a lot of help if you want to make your runs as efficient as possible. As such, we’ve made the perfect guide for this purpose.

Although Delves are bite-sized dungeons, they can still be quite difficult. The best way to go about them is to stock up on WoW gold and gear up as best as possible. Now, here’s our guide for efficient Delves gearing this season 2 of WoW The War Within.

Open World Content

When it comes to gearing in World of Warcraft: The War Within, it's important to start with the most accessible options before diving into seasonal and endgame content.

Open world content provides a strong foundation, offering valuable entry-level gear that makes it easier to transition into dungeons, raids, and other group activities.

One of the most basic ways to obtain gear in The War Within is through open world activities. These activities provide a steady supply of starter gear, helping you build up your item level and prepare for more challenging content. While world quests are an option, they aren’t necessarily the best method for gearing up, as there are far more rewarding activities in the open world.

Weekly Quests in Dagal

A strong starting point is Dagal, where weekly quests offer a great way to begin your gearing journey. These quests provide:

• Veteran track gear, which is essential for getting started.
• A variety of currencies that will be important for purchasing and upgrading items.
• Keys for Bountiful Delves, which will be crucial if you’re planning to participate in The War Within’s delve system in Season 2.

Exploring the New Zone: Undermine

Another key location for early gearing is Undermine, the brand-new zone introduced in Season 2. Here, you’ll find even more weekly bonus quests that provide gear rewards, either in the form of:

• Veteran track items
• Seasonal currencies, which can be used to upgrade your gear further

Additionally, make sure to visit the Renown vendor in Undermine. This vendor offers both:

• Season 2 Veteran track gear
• Champion track gear, which you can purchase once you've established your reputation within the Undermine cartels.

If you dedicate time to progressing through the new Renown track, you'll be able to access higher-quality items that will give you a significant advantage as you move into more difficult content.

World Bosses: A Powerful Source of Gear

One of the best sources of powerful gear in the open world is the world boss system. However, it's important to know which ones to focus on.

• Avoid the original world bosses from Season 1, as their gear remains locked to that season and won't help you progress.
• Instead, focus on the new world boss, "The Godfather," who is located in Undermine.

When it comes to rewards, The Godfather is well worth the trouble. He drops Champion track gear, which is a step above Veteran gear. He can also drop Warband Until Equip Champion track items, which can be earned on your main character and then granted to your other characters.

Lastly, he can drop some of the items, like belts, even come with a socket immediately, making them extremely valuable as early gearing options.

This means that, at least for now, all of the gear from this world boss appears to be warbound, allowing you to quickly gear up multiple characters at once. Unless something changes before the live launch of Season 2, it’s a great idea to bring all of your alts to farm this boss for loot in week one.

Open World Events Worth Doing

Beyond world bosses and weekly quests, The War Within offers a variety of open world events that are worth participating in. These events reward:

• Extra currencies, including B Stones and Crests, which can be used for gear upgrades.
• Bountiful chests, which contain additional loot and materials.

Some of the notable events include:

• The Awakening Machine
• The Theater Troupe in Dagal
• The Spreading the Light event in Hollowfall
• The Generals of Ashka event

These events rotate regularly and provide excellent supplementary rewards to help boost your progression.

Special Assignments & Bonus World Quests

Another way to maximize your gearing potential is by taking advantage of special assignments that rotate across different zones. These assignments are unlocked after completing a certain number of world quests in a given area. Once unlocked, they provide:

• Bonus quests
• Additional rewards, including more gear and upgrade materials

By participating in these assignments, you can significantly enhance your gearing process while engaging with dynamic world content. Now, you can use these to start building up your gear before doing Delves. You can also purchase WoW The War Within gold to make the journey much easier.

Delve Changes In Patch 11.1

Thanks to the changes introduced in Patch 11.1, players will find themselves gearing and upgrading their items much faster while progressing through the delve system.

These updates will likely bring more players into high-level delves, as Blizzard has implemented some significant adjustments to the system.

Key and Undercoin Reset in Season 2

Once Season 2 begins, all of your delve keys and undercoin will reset to zero. This means you’ll need to earn them again just like in Season 1.

• Keys will still be obtained through weekly activities, so keep an eye on these to quickly regain access to delve content.
• Undercoin, the primary delve currency, will continue to be acquired exclusively through delve participation.

This reset is a standard seasonal change, ensuring that all players start fresh with the new season's progression.

New Delves in Patch 11.1

Season 2 brings two brand-new delve locations:

• Excavation Site 9 – Located in the Ringing Deeps, this delve introduces fresh challenges and lore to explore.
• Side Street Slle – Found in Undermine, offering a different environment and mechanics to engage with.

If you’ve been keeping up with the game, you may have already tried these delves, as they were available prior to the official launch of Season 2. However, their full integration into seasonal content means they will now provide key progression opportunities.

In addition to the new delves, existing delves have received updated variants which are more challenging. These are:

• New story elements, expanding the narrative content within delves.
• Minor mechanical tweaks, such as candle mechanics in Cobalt Delves and underwater breathing adjustments to make specific encounters smoother.

These updates aim to reduce frustration and enhance the overall delve experience, making them more enjoyable and accessible to a wider range of players.

Quality of Life Changes in Delves

Patch 11.1 has also introduced new powers that can be discovered while delving, giving players additional tools to overcome challenges. These powers add an extra layer of strategy and customization, making delve runs feel more dynamic and engaging.

Additionally, Brann Bronzebeard has received major updates:

• He now has a tank specialization, offering more versatility for players.
• He can now be leveled up to level 80, providing even greater benefits in delve encounters.

While Brann’s tank spec was designed with healers in mind, it can still be used effectively by DPS players. If you haven’t already, leveling up Brann is highly recommended, as it can significantly improve your delve success rate.

One major change coming with Season 2 is that delves will need to be unlocked again.

• At the beginning of the season, players will have immediate access to Tiers 1–3.
• To unlock higher tiers, players must complete a delve while keeping lives remaining.
• This progression continues up to Tier 11, requiring a Tier 10 delve completion with lives left to gain access.

A positive change this season is that once a tier is unlocked, it remains available across your entire account. This means that after completing the unlock process once, all future characters will retain access to the highest tier delves.

This system is similar to how Season 1 worked, but since delves have been re-scaled, the process must be repeated in Season 2. However, once done, all characters on your account will benefit from the progress.

Which Delves Are Worth Doing?

When it comes to gearing up in The War Within Season 2, regular delves aren’t going to be the most effective method. While they do offer some gear drops, the maximum item level you can get is 626 Veteran gear, and even then, it’s not guaranteed—making it a less reliable source for gearing compared to other activities.

The best possible drop from regular delves is 626 Veteran gear, which is warbound until equipped. However, this is a rare drop, meaning you shouldn’t rely on delves for consistent upgrades. The best way to go about delves is to bring your best damage dealers from patch 11.1.

The more common gear drop from regular delves is 610 Adventurer gear, which can be upgraded to 632.

If you’re just starting out in Season 2 and need some basic starter gear, regular delves might provide some quick upgrades. However, even for new players, there are better ways to obtain Adventurer gear.

While delves are a fun and engaging activity, they simply aren’t the most efficient way to gear up. There are better alternatives for obtaining the same level of gear, such as:

• Heroic Dungeons – These provide guaranteed loot and are much easier to complete quickly.
• Other open world activities – Weekly quests and world bosses offer higher item-level rewards with more certainty.

Since the gear drops in regular delves are random and not guaranteed, they are not a reliable gearing path. While you might get some decent drops, it’s not worth farming delves specifically for gear when other content provides faster and more consistent rewards.

If your goal is purely gearing, regular delves aren’t the best choice. However, they still have other benefits, such as:

• Providing Undercoin, which is essential for delve progression.
• Unlocking higher-tier delves, where better rewards become available.
• Offering a solo-friendly option for players who prefer avoiding group content.

In short, do regular delves if you enjoy them or need currency, but don’t rely on them as your primary gearing method. If you’re looking for efficient gearing, there are far better alternatives in The War Within Season 2.

Unlike regular delves, Bountiful Delves are one of the best ways to gear up in The War Within Season 2. These special delves offer a reliable source of high-quality gear, making them a crucial activity for players looking to upgrade their items efficiently. However, they do require Bountiful Keys to unlock, so planning your delve runs is essential.

To participate in Bountiful Delves, you’ll need to obtain Bountiful Keys, which can be acquired through:

• Weekly activities in C. Algar and Undermine.
• Daily rotations of Bountiful Delves, which offer new opportunities to farm gear each day.

You can easily identify which delves are Bountiful on any given day:

• The entrance will have a golden glow, making it stand out.
• The in-game map will also indicate which delves are currently Bountiful.
• These delves rotate daily, meaning different delves will be available each day.

Each day, you can complete up to four Bountiful Delves, provided you have the necessary keys. At the end of a Bountiful Delve, you’ll find a Bountiful Chest, which contains the majority of your gear rewards. However, you can only unlock this chest if you have a Bountiful Key.

Each tier of Bountiful Delves provides different types of gear, so choosing the right tier is important for maximizing your gearing efficiency.

To get the best possible gear, you need to complete a Tier 8 Bountiful Delve with lives remaining.

Here’s how the rewards break down by tier:

• Tier 8 Delves (Best for Gearing)
  • Drops Champion track gear, which is one of the strongest gear types available.
  • This gear can be upgraded for even higher item levels.
  • If you have enough keys, Tier 8 is the best choice for gearing.
• Tier 7 Delves
  • Also drops Champion track gear, which can be upgraded.
  • If you’re not comfortable with Tier 8 difficulty, Tier 7 is a solid alternative.
• Tiers 9, 10, and 11
  • Do not drop better gear than Tier 8.
  • Completing these will help increase your overall progression, but they won’t offer better rewards in terms of gearing.
• Tiers 5 and 6
  • Drop Veteran gear, which can be upgraded to Item Level 645.
  • A good choice if Tier 7 and 8 feel too difficult.
• Tiers 1 to 4
  • Drop Adventurer gear, which can be upgraded to Item Level 632.
  • Best for players just starting out or those who need entry-level gear.

If your main goal is gear, focus on Tier 8 Bountiful Delves whenever possible. If Tier 8 is too challenging, Tier 7 is a good fallback option since it still provides Champion track gear.

For those who are not yet ready for higher-tier delves, running Tier 5 and 6 for Veteran gear is a great way to improve your item level before pushing further.

Crests And The Great Vault

Crests play an important role in upgrading your gear through delves. Understanding how they work and where to obtain them will help you maximize your gear progression efficiently.

Alongside crests, the Great Vault remains one of the most reliable sources of high-quality gear, offering guaranteed Hero track items each week.

Here’s how crest distribution works:

Gilded Crests are a key component in upgrading Hero Track gear from the Great Vault. These crests will drop three times a week in Tier 11 delves, making them essential if you want to maximize your character’s power.

Here’s how it works:

• Each run of a Bountiful Tier 11 delve rewards seven Gilded Crests
• You can earn a maximum of 21 Gilded Crests per week
• You don’t need a key to open the chest at the end of a Tier 11 delve, but you must have lives remaining

If you’re serious about gearing, Tier 11 delves are a must-do. The difficulty scaling this time around appears to be lighter than in Season 1, making them more accessible.

If you’re aiming for the absolute best gearing options in delves, then you’ll need to complete three Bountiful Tier 11 delves every week to get the full amount of Gilded Crests. These will then be used to upgrade your Great Vault items—which brings us to the next topic.

The Great Vault returns in The War Within Season 2, remaining a crucial part of character progression. The system is very similar to the previous season, but now it’s more intertwined with delves.

How to Unlock Great Vault Slots

Just like before, the Great Vault has three slots, and you’ll need to complete eight delves to fill them all. To maximize your Great Vault options, the best strategy is to run Tier 8 delves, as they reward a 649 item level Hero Track item.

However, if Tier 8 delves feel too difficult, you can still complete Tier 7 delves, which will count towards your Great Vault progress. The good news is that these don’t need to be Bountiful delves—both Normal and Bountiful delves contribute to your Vault rewards.

If you want a guaranteed source of high-item-level Hero Track gear, running regular Tier 8 or Tier 7 delves every week is the way to go. These items will be standard delve loot but with a higher item level, making them a solid and consistent upgrade path.

The Undercoin Vendor: Upgrades in Season 2

When it comes to gearing, the Undercoin Vendor has received a notable upgrade in Season 2 of The War Within. Previously, this vendor provided lower-tier Warband gear, but now you can purchase Veteran Track gear directly from them.

This means that:

• Warband gear from the Undercoin Vendor will now be Veteran Track gear
• This gear will start at item level 623
• It can be upgraded up to item level 645

This change makes the Undercoin Vendor a more viable option for players looking to gear up alternate characters or fill in missing slots.

Access to this upgraded Warband gear won’t be available immediately at the start of the season. Instead, it will be unlocked through the Delver’s Journey, which is also getting a new progression system in Season 2.

To progress your Delver’s Journey efficiently, the best approach is:

• Running Tier 8 Bountiful delves
• Completing the weekly delve quest

Over time, this will naturally unlock higher-tier rewards, including Veteran Track gear from the Undercoin Vendor.

If you prefer to rush the process, you can grind out delves and quickly gain access to easy Warband Veteran gear.

Another major improvement is that delve gear, including Warband gear from the Undercoin Vendor, will work with the Catalyst system.

This means:

• You can convert this gear into tier set pieces
• This applies to pretty much any delve gear, making it a reliable way to acquire tier bonuses

This is a great change for players who want to maximize their gear progression through delves and not rely solely on raid or Mythic+ content.

Delver’s Bounty Maps

One of the biggest changes coming in Season 2 of The War Within is the revamp of Delver’s Bounties. If you played Season 1, you might have noticed how incredibly rare these were. In Season 2, Blizzard has made two major adjustments:

• The drop rate for Delver’s Bounties has been massively increased
• They are now limited to one per week per character

While the weekly cap means you won’t be able to farm them endlessly, the much higher drop rate ensures that everyone has a consistent way to get them, rather than relying on sheer luck.

Previously, when you obtained a Delver’s Bounty, it could only be used in the tier of delve where it dropped. This restriction made them less flexible and sometimes not as useful.

In Season 2, however, this system has been completely changed. Now:

• Delver’s Bounties can drop from any delve tier 4 and above
• You are no longer forced to use them in the same tier they dropped from
• You can activate a Delver’s Bounty in a higher-tier delve

This means that if you obtain a bounty from a Tier 5 delve, you can activate it in a Tier 8 delve or higher. This is a huge buff, as it allows players to strategically use their bounty for the best possible rewards.

Using a Delver’s Bounty in a higher-tier delve now provides some fantastic rewards, including:

• A guaranteed 649 Hero Track gear piece
• Gilded Crests, which are used to upgrade gear from the Great Vault

What makes these Gilded Crests particularly valuable is that they are separate from your weekly cap. Normally, you can only earn 21 Gilded Crests per week from Tier 11 delves. However, any extra Gilded Crests from Delver’s Bounties are bonus crests on top of your weekly cap.

To maximize your rewards each week, your goal should be:

1. Chase a Delver’s Bounty from your regular delve runs
2. Hold onto it until you can use it in a Tier 8 delve or higher
3. Activate it in a higher-tier delve to get the best gear and bonus crests

With this new system, Delver’s Bounties have become a must-have, providing an extra gearing source that can accelerate your progression significantly.

Best Gearing Strategy for Delves in Season 2

With all the new changes in The War Within Season 2, having a clear gearing strategy is essential if you want to maximize your character’s power and efficiency in delves.

The system may seem overwhelming at first, but by following a consistent weekly plan, you’ll ensure that you’re getting the best possible gear upgrades every single week.

Each week, your main focus should be on completing the right delves in the most efficient way possible. Here’s the best gearing method you should follow:

1. Complete Three Tier 11 Bountiful Delves for Gilded Crests

• Why? Gilded Crests are crucial for upgrading Hero Track gear from the Great Vault.
• You can earn up to 21 Gilded Crests per week by completing three Bountiful Tier 11 delves.
• Even if you don’t have immediate use for them, you’ll need them later for upgrades.

2. Farm Tier 8 Bountiful Delves for Champion Track Gear

• These will provide a steady supply of Champion Track gear, ensuring continuous upgrades.
• Fill your Great Vault by running eight Tier 8 delves every week.
• Important: These delves do not need to be Bountiful—regular Tier 8 delves work just fine.

3. Keep Running Delves Until You Obtain a Delver’s Bounty

• Delver’s Bounties now have a higher drop rate but are limited to one per week per character.
• Activate it in a Tier 8 delve or higher for:
  • A guaranteed 649 Hero Track item.
  • Bonus Gilded Crests outside of your weekly cap.

By consistently following this cycle, you can guarantee two Hero Track pieces per week—one from your Delver’s Bounty and one from your Great Vault.

If you stay on top of your weekly Runed and Gilded Crests, you’ll be able to upgrade all of your gear efficiently. The absolute peak of gearing through delves will allow you to reach Item Level 665—which is equivalent to the maximum Heroic Raid gear.

This is huge because it means that if you focus entirely on delves, you can fully gear yourself to the highest possible level without stepping into a raid or Mythic+ dungeon.

In Season 1, it was technically possible to hit Item Level 665, but it was much harder. With the Crest changes in Season 2, gearing through delves is now significantly easier and faster.

Gear Up For Undermined

There are a lot of opportunities to max out your character in this season of WoW The War Within. Once you’ve maxed out your gear, it’s time to take on the Liberation of Undermine raid.