Patch 6.2.3 will be making its way onto the PTR soon, and we wanted to provide you with some insights on what it has in store.

We’ve made no secret of our desire to expand the role and importance of dungeons in World of Warcraft as we move full speed ahead toward Legion. We look forward to sharing more of our plans in that regard during BlizzCon 2015 next month. At the same time, we’ve heard from many players that they wanted more reasons to run dungeons in Warlords, so we’re pleased to announce this small patch, which is focused on reinforcing the reward systems around our existing dungeons as well as expanding the scope of the Timewalking feature that we introduced in patch 6.2.

Timewalk With Me: New Timewalking Dungeons

Get ready to go back in time to experience  six iconic dungeons from Cataclysm with this new Timewalking bonus event. You’ll be able to face the foes within Grim Batol, Stonecore, Lost City of Tol’vir, The Vortex Pinnacle, Throne of Tides, and End Time once more and reap the treasures within.

To round out our Timewalking journey, we’ll also be adding the Pit of Saron to the Wrath of the Lich King Timewalking bonus event and the Magister’s Terrace to the Burning Crusade Timewalking bonus event.

Lest we forget, there’s just one more bit of news that’s bound to draw you into the vortex to do a little Timewalking. Players will now have a chance to loot a rare Infinite Timereaver mount from any Timewalking boss.

Developer Insights
One of the most common requests we’ve heard ever since introducing Timewalking was for there to be some way to obtain an Infinite Dragonflight mount, since it’d fit perfectly with the theme of time manipulation, aside from being just plain cool-looking. We agree. Inspired by Murozond, the final boss of the End Time dungeon that is included in the Cataclysm Timewalking rotation, the Infinite Timereaver will be a rare drop from any dungeon boss during all of the Timewalking events.

Cross-Realm Mythic Raiding

With the patch we’ll also be introducing Cross-Realm Mythic Raiding. You’ll now be able to join with friends, fill that one last spot, or have an easier time recruiting to backfill missing raid slots, allowing you to take on some of the most difficult encounters in Warlords of Draenor. 

Valor for the Valorous

With the patch we’ll be bringing back Valor as a currency. You’ll will be able earn Valor once more by taking part in Heroic and Mythic Dungeons, from various Bonus Events, and via the first run through Raid Finder each week. To upgrade, visit your friendly neighborhood ethereal to upgrade gear up to five item levels at a time, up to two times per piece of gear.

Developer Insights
Dungeon content shines when its difficulty is appropriate to players’ power level, so Mythic dungeons will be the most lucrative source of Valor for players who have items from Tanaan or Hellfire Citadel. For those who are still gearing up to tackle Mythic dungeons, or who prefer to use queued matchmaking, Raid Finder wings and the first Heroic dungeon each day will also provide Valor, as will most of Seer Kazal’s weekly event quests. Ethereal Voidbinders have made their way through time and space to Stormshield and Warspear, as well as returning to Orgrimmar and Stormwind, to allow players to use this Valor to upgrade their gear by up to 10 item levels. We decided to go with item upgrades rather than a Valor vendor because item upgrades offer power that complements items from other sources rather than competing with them.

Gift of the Grove Warden

Soon, players who dare to face the fearsome might of Archimonde will receive an added bonus. For a limited time, defeating Archimonde on Heroic difficulty or higher will reward players with a mysterious fragment of dark power that begins a quest. When you bring this fragment to the druids of Moonglade, you’ll learn a little more about what’s in store for Azeroth, and the druids will give you a majestic Grove Warden mount in thanks for your efforts. This quest won’t be available forever—our current plan is to retire the quest in an update some time before Legion’s launch, so grab some friends and head to Hellfire Citadel while you can.

More Bigger Better: Item Rewards

We’re expanding the range of item quality for players within Mythic Dungeons and Tanaan Jungle. Players who take part in Mythic Dungeons will have a chance to gain items up to item level 725, and players who receive Baleful items will now have a chance to gain items up to item level 695. Players in Mythic Dungeons will also now have a chance to loot a new Heirloom Trinket that will scale to level 110.

 Developer Insights
Running a dungeon is a bit more exciting when there’s a chance you might get a direct item upgrade, versus simply earning a predictable amount of currency per run. Thus, we’re also expanding the power of Warforged items in Mythic dungeons—rather than a static +20 item level bonus when a Mythic dungeon item is Warforged, there will be a chance for even greater increases in power. The very luckiest players might even obtain item level 725 versions of the dungeon drops, with increasingly better odds of 720, 715, and so forth, fully spanning the range from 685 to 725 in five item-level increments. We’re also applying this system to Baleful items from Tanaan itself, which can now range in quality from item level 655 all the way to 695. Raiding, crafting, and PvP will remain the most reliable sources of the best gear available, but we’d like to create the chance for surprise when you’re adventuring out in the world or in dungeons.

[Updated October 21, 2015 10:00 a.m. PDT]

In Patch 6.2.3 --

• Upgrading an item costs 250 Valor for +5 item levels.
  • Hellfire Citadel items, Dungeon loot, Baleful items, and crafted items can each be upgraded twice, costing a total of 500 Valor for +10 item levels.
• There is no hard weekly cap on Valor, but the sources of Valor are inherently not infinitely repeatable.
• Valor can be earned in the following ways:
  • Mythic Dungeon (Valor awarded with dungeon completion, once per dungeon per week) – 300 Valor Points
  • Complete the weekly Event quest from Seer Kazal (Pet Battle Event excluded) – 500 Valor Points
  • Heroic Dungeon (complete your first random Heroic of the day) – 100 Valor Points
  • Raid Finder wing (once per week per wing) – 150 Valor Points for Hellfire Citadel wings, 75 Valor Points for Highmaul  and Blackrock Foundry wings

Arena Season 3

We’re also preparing to end Warlords Arena Season 2 and transition to Warlords Arena Season 3. We’ll have more details to share on this transition between seasons and the distribution of rewards in the near future.

Developer Insights:
With Arena Season 3 we’ll be introducing new gear, including Warmongering Aspirant gear at PvP item level 715, Warmongering Combatant gear at 730, and Warmongering Gladiator gear at 740.

Make sure you keep an eye out for the complete patch, 6.2.3 notes and we’ll look forward to seeing you on the Public Test Realm.