The eight major expansion of World of Warcraft will soon hit a new big release when the next patch rolls around. Bringing new content and gameplay elements, the 9.2 patch titled Eternity’s End is finally going to arrive on February 22nd in North America and on the 23rd in Europe.
The long awaited continuation of the story cannot get hear fast enough, especially considering all of the troubles that WoW has experienced since the last patch came out.
The players are eagerly awaiting to play the live version of the game again and experience a new zone, new enemies and allies, complete a range of new quests and dailies, and collect the brand new player power resource.
Table of Contents
The Ultimate Instance of the Expansion
However, just like with most other patches, particularly the ones that are the final big update of a whole expansion, the most anticipated new addition is the culmination of our fight against the Jailor.
Finally fighting the big bad of an expansion is usually reserved for the last raid instance, and things are exactly like this once more. The very last boss of the third and final raid in Shadowlands is going to be Zovaal, who was revealed to be the terrifying puppet master behind numerous events that shaped Azeroth and many other planets from the WoW lore.
Ending his schemes once and for all and restoring the balance to the Shadowlands and beyond await those who manage to defeat him.
A Real Challenge Awaits Everyone
Before that can happen though, the players have to battle numerous other horrors, as well as some familiar faces, in the Sepulcher of the First ones. The raid instance pits you against 11 bosses, which is one boss more than both Castle Nathira and Sanctum of Domination.
Fitting for the ultimate encounter of a whole expansion. If you are worried that this is too much, it would be wise to start preparing as soon as the patch drops. Even now you can do a lot in order to get a head start over others once the raid becomes available.
In this article we will help you do this by revealing to you the best beginner tips for the Sepulcher of the First Ones raid.
Know Who You Will Face
We already mentioned that there are ten other bosses other than Zovaal. They stand in your way and they need to be downed if you want to begin your encounter with the Jailor in his full might.
Well, let us talk about who you face. On March 1st, the first 8 bosses are going to be available on Normal and Heroic difficulties. The 8th boss here is the leader of the Alliance, Anduin, the Boy King as he is often called.
Zovall dominated him and is now using him as a puppet. The players have to free him before they proceed further. The final three bosses open in week 2, which is on March 8th. The last one of the three is Zovaal. This is when Mythic difficulty unlocks for the first 8 bosses, but also when the other three bosses become available on all three difficulties at once, Normal, Heroic, and Mythic.
This is when the real fun and challenge begin and when guilds start racing for the world first kill. It is also the earliest when beginners and low gear players can get their first chance at the Sepulcher raid.
It would be wise for you to first play all of the bosses on normal and heroic during week 1, and then do it again in week 2 with the remaining three bosses. Only by practicing and preparing yourself on time can you learn what needs doing at every stage.
How to Enter the Instance
This is not really an obstacle, but it is important to know how to enter the raid and where to find it even. WoW is no stranger to places difficult to get into, nor areas which are locked until you do certain quests or scenarios.
Basically, you cannot miss it as the Sepulcher is overlooking the entire new zone of Zereth Mortis. It is a secluded island located to the east of the main zone. At first, it will require the use of an Ancient Translocator that can be found east of Pilgrim’s Grace.
The raid unlocks after you complete Chapter 4 of the new questline Patch 9.2 brings along, appropriately titled Forging a New Patch. Eventually, flying will become available in Zereth Mortis which will of course allow you to simply fly over to the secluded island from the mainland of the zone.
Understand the Different Gear Quality
It is all about the loot pool and getting your hands (claws, paws…?) on the good stuff. As is the case with previous installments, there are many different item levels depending both on the raid difficulty and the bosses you down.
The last three bosses award higher level gear than the rest on all four difficulties. On Raid Finder difficulty, bosses 1-8 award item level 239 and bosses 9-11 award 246. Moving through Normal, Heroic, and Mythic, these numbers jump to 252 and 259, 265 and 272, and 278 and 285, respectively.
Of course, the Mythic item level are the most sought after but also the most difficult to obtain. You will need some great teammates in order to pull it off, and you will have to know exactly what to do every step of the way. If you require help with this, make sure to check out WoW Boost.
Tiers Make a Grand Comeback
The last big thing you need to know about is the tier set bonus you will want to get your hands on. Tier armor sets were missing from the last few expansions despite being the fan-favorite gear.
Now, Blizzard is finally bringing them back. This means that getting a certain amount of items from the set that consists of the helm, the shoulders, the chest, the gloves, and the legs will give you special class spec bonuses. A 2-piece set and a 4-piece set give you the bonuses that will make some of your abilities better.
Each spec has its own bonuses, meaning it is spec specific and not just a broad, class specific bonus. Tiers are often capable of elevating gameplay and changing your spell rotation a bit, all in favor of better tanking, damage, or healing potential.
You can get tier set pieces from raiding when a boss drops one, from the Great Vault if you are lucky enough, and from a new type of crafting, the Creation Catalyst.