WoW Midnight 12.1.5 Catch-Up Guide: Fastest Season 2 Gear Plan

Quick summary

• 12.1.5 is live from today's maintenance (week of October 13). Grab Orin Straylight's "Ancient Depths, Ancient Venom" in Silvermoon now. It starts the research that unlocks Ascendant Venomstones the week of October 20, when the crest cap also lifts.
• Fastest catch-up order: renown milestone quests and Prey catch-up for Champion gear, then Labyrinth of Kindo'jan for Hero gear (308) and a chosen-slot Myth piece (318), then Heroic Kith'ix and +7 or higher keys for Hero gear. Push weapons, trinkets, and your necklace to full upgrade before October 20.
• Ten Ascendant Venomstones upgrade one fully upgraded Season 2 Hero, Myth, or max-quality Tidal crafted weapon, trinket, or necklace, once per item.
• Venomstones only drop from Heroic and Mythic raid bosses, +10 or higher keys, Tier 11 Bountiful Delves, and Nightmare Prey champion chests. The Labyrinth and Aqir Invasions don't drop them.

The unlock timeline

Blizzard staggers the mid-season refresh through Orin Straylight beside the Catalyst in Silvermoon City:

When	What unlocks	What to do
Week of October 6	One extra Nebulous Voidcore per week (a bonus roll), bought from Orin with gold, Voidlight Marl, or Veteran Mistcrests	If you missed it, do "In the Catalyst's Shadow" (Decimus, Voidstorm), then "Prismatic Potential" (Orin), then "Umbral Blessings of the Catalyst"
Week of October 13 (now)	12.1.5: Labyrinth of Kindo'jan, The Unbinding of Kith'ix raid, Aqir Invasions, Prey catch-up, and the quest "Ancient Depths, Ancient Venom"	Accept and complete it so Orin's research timer starts
Week of October 20	"Ascending with Venomstones", and the crest cap is lifted	Complete the quest to start earning Venomstones. Spend crests freely

Each step depends on the one before. If you return late, do Orin's quests in order the moment you log in. Ancient Depths, Ancient Venom has to be done before the October 20 quest appears.

Know the tracks before you farm

Track	Item level (1/6 → 6/6)	Crest
Adventurer	266 → 282	Adventurer Mistcrest
Veteran	279 → 295	Veteran Mistcrest
Champion	292 → 308	Champion Mistcrest
Hero	305 → 321	Hero Mistcrest
Myth	318 → 334	Myth Mistcrest

Worst Guides Ever (WGE) says each upgrade rank costs 20 crests of that track, so taking one piece from 1/6 to 6/6 costs 100, which equals the weekly cap until October 20. Warband discounts and slot-matching make later pieces cheaper. Our Season 2 gearing guide covers the vendors and discounts.

The game's own recommendations, as reported by WGE, are about item level 290 before Tier 8 Delves and 309 before Tier 11.

Every catch-up source, by track

Source	Best track (approx.)	Solo?	Venomstones?	Notes
Renown milestone quests	Champion	Yes	No	Renown is Warband-shared, and each milestone quest pays Champion gear once per character (WGE)
Prey catch-up	Champion → Hero (Journey)	Yes	Nightmare champion chests only	Below rank 4, each hunt gives a full rank (4,000 Journey progress). At ranks 4–9, your first four hunts a week give 2,000 each (Blizzard)
Field Accolades	Adventurer to Hero tokens	Yes	No	Trade them to Maren Silverwing in Silvermoon
Mythic dungeons (Mythic 0)	Champion	Group	No	Daily lockout per boss
Aqir Invasions	Catch-up gear (check the preview)	Public	No	10 minutes each hour in Eversong or Zul'Aman. Six scenarios, eight affixes
Labyrinth of Kindo'jan	Hero 2/6 (308), chosen-slot Hero 1/5, chosen-slot Myth 1/6 (318)	Yes (with Valeera)	No	See below
Bountiful Delves Tier 8+	Hero (vault)	Yes	Tier 11 Bountiful only	The Delve vault caps at Hero 1/6
Kith'ix Raid Finder / Normal	Veteran 3/6 (285) / Champion 3/6 (298)	Group	No	—
Kith'ix Heroic	Hero 3/6 (311)	Group	Yes
Kith'ix Mythic	324 (Myth 3/6)	15–25 players	Yes	PTR showed 344; live is 324
Mythic+ +7 to +9	Hero	Group	No	+9 and higher feeds Myth Mistcrests
Mythic+ +10 and higher	Myth (vault)	Group	Yes
Crafted gear (Spark of Tides)	Hero or Myth by crests	Order from a crafter	n/a	Max-quality Tidal crafts qualify for Venomstones

The Labyrinth of Kindo'jan

The Labyrinth is a nine-chamber, Delve-style "megadelve" with Valeera Sanguinar as your companion.

Reward	How	Item level (Wowhead)
Heroic Soul Fragments	Found in Bountiful Coffers. Combine 3	Random Hero 2/6 (308) item
Blessed Loa Armament (2 hidden in Ancient Chests)	Find them in the Labyrinth	Hero 1/5 armor in the slot you choose
Mythical Soul Fragments	Wah'du's weekly request in the Chamber of Rites: clear a named chamber on Tier 8+. Combine 3 into a Venerated Loa Armament	Myth 1/6 (318) armor in the slot you choose
Checkpoints	Every 3 chambers: 2 Heavy Trunks (double crests) and 1 Bountiful Coffer, plus Great Vault progress	n/a
Kindo'jan (nemesis)	Clear all 9 chambers in one Tier 8+ run to open the Speaker's Chamber in Akil'zon's Roost	Extra weekly vault credit. A Tier 11 solo kill gives the Loa-Blessed Wayfarer mount

Wowhead says that if you miss a Wah'du week, you can still catch up to the total number of requests he has made. A late start doesn't lock you out. Armaments can't make weapons or trinkets, so use the Labyrinth for armor and other sources for Venomstone slots. For Delve tiers and companion setup, see our Midnight Delves guide.

The Unbinding of Kith'ix

It's a single-boss raid fought alongside Lady Liadrin, in Story, Raid Finder, Normal, Heroic, and Mythic (flexible 15–25 players). Kith'ix also drops four Cantrip armor pieces in tier-set slots, one per armor type, which can be Catalyst-converted while keeping their effect. It also drops two weapons, a Cantrip ring, and three role trinkets. Each Heroic and Mythic kill gives a Venomstone. For a catch-up raider, Heroic Kith'ix is one quick, weekly Hero 3/6 chance plus a stone.

Ascendant Venomstones: what to upgrade

Blizzard's rule: 10 Venomstones raise the item level of a fully upgraded Season 2 Hero, Myth, or max-quality Tidal crafted weapon, trinket, or necklace. Necklaces are new this season. Season 1's Voidcores only worked on weapons and trinkets.

These do NOT drop Venomstones (Blizzard's list, as WGE spells out): Raid Finder, Normal, and Story raids; keys below +10; the Labyrinth; Aqir Invasions; Delves below Tier 11; and Tier 11 Delves that aren't Bountiful.

Example: you have a Hero 4/6 trinket you'll keep all season and a Champion necklace you'll replace. Get the trinket to 6/6 the week of October 20, when crests are uncapped, and point your first ten stones at it. Leave the necklace alone.

Pick your catch-up path

You mostly play...	Path
Solo	Renown quests → Prey catch-up → Labyrinth weekly (Wah'du on Tier 8+) → Tier 8–11 Bountiful Delves. Venomstones come from Tier 11 Bountiful Delves and Nightmare Prey champion chests. See our Prey guide
Mythic+	Mythic 0 daily → +2 to +6 for Champion and Hero crests → +7 to +9 for Hero → +10 for vault Myth and Venomstones. Start with our Mythic+ beginner checklist and the interrupt guide. The new Keystone Myth: Season 2 achievement asks for a 3,600 rating
Raid	Kith'ix on Raid Finder and Normal for quick pieces, Heroic for Hero 3/6 and stones. Venomous Abyss Heroic or Mythic for every boss's stone. Fill the raid vault row
Alt	Renown milestone quests on day one, Field Accolade tokens, Mythic 0 daily, and crafted pieces from your main. Legion and BfA reputations are now Warband-shared too. Not sure which alt to gear? See the Midnight class tier list

Use the crest cap lift deliberately

1. Before October 20: spend capped crests on pieces you'll keep, especially weapons, trinkets, and necklaces that will take Venomstones.
2. Don't fully upgrade Champion pieces you'll replace from the Labyrinth or Kith'ix.
3. Bank progress, not crests: unlock the Labyrinth, finish Orin's chain, fill your Great Vault, and buy the extra Nebulous Voidcore each week.
4. From October 20: take your chosen Venomstone targets to 6/6 first, then everything else.

Week-by-week checklist

Week of October 13 (now)

• Complete Orin's "Ancient Depths, Ancient Venom".
• Claim renown milestone gear and start Prey hunts for the catch-up Journey progress.
• Unlock the Labyrinth and do Wah'du's first request on Tier 8+ if your item level allows (about 290).
• Try Kith'ix on the highest difficulty your group can clear.
• Buy your weekly extra Nebulous Voidcore.

Week of October 20

• Complete "Ascending with Venomstones".
• Use uncapped crests to fully upgrade your chosen weapon, trinket, or necklace.
• Commit to one Venomstone source (Heroic raid, +10 keys, Tier 11 Bountiful Delves, or Nightmare Prey) and run it every week.

After that

• Each reset, note your lowest slot, the source most likely to replace it, and your next Venomstone target. If two weeks pass without progress, change the source, not the plan.

Want a hand with this?

If you would rather not grind this part yourself, World of Warcraft gearing services are listed on FullBoosts. Read Blizzard's End User License Agreement before you buy any service from anyone, FullBoosts included — a marketplace listing isn't publisher permission.

Frequently asked questions

When can I get Ascendant Venomstones in 12.1.5?

After maintenance the week of October 20, once you complete "Ascending with Venomstones." You must first complete "Ancient Depths, Ancient Venom," which Orin offers from the week of October 13.

Which items can Ascendant Venomstones upgrade?

Fully upgraded Season 2 Hero, Myth, or maximum-quality Tidal crafted weapons, trinkets, and necklaces. Each upgrade costs ten Venomstones at the Catalyst in Silvermoon City, and an item can only be upgraded once.

Does the Labyrinth of Kindo'jan drop Venomstones?

No. It gives Hero gear (308 from three Heroic Soul Fragments), chosen-slot Hero armor from Blessed Loa Armaments, and chosen-slot Myth 1/6 armor (318) from Wah'du's weekly Tier 8+ requests.

What item level does Kith'ix drop?

Heroic and Mythic kills also give a Venomstone.

When is the crest cap removed in Midnight Season 2?

Blizzard says the crest cap lifts the week of October 20, alongside Venomstones. Until then, spend crests only on items you'll keep.

What is the fastest catch-up for a returning player?

Claim renown milestone gear and use Prey's catch-up Journey progress first. Then run the Labyrinth weekly for Hero and Myth armor, and Heroic Kith'ix or +7 and higher keys for Hero weapons and trinkets.

Do I need Mythic+ to catch up in Season 2?

No. Tier 11 Bountiful Delves, Nightmare Prey, and Heroic or Mythic raid bosses also drop Venomstones, and the Labyrinth offers Myth armor solo.