This guide provides a comprehensive overview of Awakened Crests and Enchanted Aspects in Dragonflight Season 4, empowering you to optimize your gear and conquer the Dragon Isles. We’ll cover everything from acquisition and crafting to upgrade strategies and economic impacts.
Understanding Awakened Crests and Enchanted Aspects
Awakened Crests and Enchanted Aspects are integral to crafting and upgrading high-item-level gear in Dragonflight Season 4, replacing the older Spark of Shadowflame system. They offer a path to powerful equipment whether you’re a seasoned raider, a dedicated Mythic+ dungeon runner, or a skilled crafter.
What are Awakened Crests?
Awakened Crests are a new currency system used to upgrade Season 4 gear. They come in four tiers, each tied to specific content difficulty:
Aspect’s Awakened Crests: Obtained from Mythic raids and Mythic+ dungeons (keystone level 6 and above).
Wyrm’s Awakened Crests: Acquired from Heroic raids, Mythic+ dungeons (keystone level 2-5), and Conquest earned through PvP activities.
Drake’s Awakened Crests: Earned from Normal raids, regular dungeons, and Honor earned through PvP.
Whelp’s Awakened Crests: Found in Looking for Raid (LFR) wings.
What are Enchanted Aspects?
Enchanted Aspects are crafting reagents, not dropped loot, obtained through Enchanted Awakened Crests. They determine the item level of crafted gear. You add them during the crafting process.
Acquiring Awakened Crests
Acquiring Awakened Crests requires engaging in various challenging activities. Here’s a breakdown of the acquisition methods:
Mythic+ Dungeons: Successfully completing Mythic+ dungeons at keystone level 6 or higher grants Aspect’s Awakened Crests, with higher keystones potentially offering better crests (though further research is needed to fully understand the drop rates and mechanics). Keystones levels 2-5 reward Wyrm’s Awakened Crests.
PvP Activities: Earning Conquest and Honor through rated PvP activities grants Wyrm’s and Drake’s Awakened Crests respectively.
Normal Raids and Dungeons: Completing Normal raids and regular dungeons awards Drake’s Awakened Crests.
Looking for Raid (LFR): Participating in LFR wings grants Whelp’s Awakened Crests.
Crest Conversion
Need more lower-tier crests? You can trade down 15 of a higher-tier crest for 15 of the next tier down at Vaskarn in Valdrakken. For example, you could convert 15 Aspect’s Awakened Crests into 15 Wyrm’s Awakened Crests. This flexibility allows you to adjust to your specific upgrade needs.
Obtaining Enchanted Aspects: The “Last Hurrah” Quest
Enchanted Aspects are earned through the weekly “Last Hurrah” quest from Therazaland in Valdrakken, which replaced the “Aiding the Accord” quest in patch 10.2.6. This quest rewards you with recipes to create Enchanted Awakened Crests, which contain the specific Enchanted Aspects needed for crafting.
Upgrading Gear with Awakened Crests
Awakened Crests, combined with Flightstones, are used to upgrade Season 4 gear, allowing you to push item levels beyond 500 and potentially surpass even Heroic raid item levels. Specifically, upgrades raise PvE gear from item level 519 to 528. They boost Hero rank 5/6 to 6/6 and Mythic rank 1/4 to 4/4. You need 15 of a particular Awakened Crest to perform an upgrade. There’s an initial cap of 90 Crests at the start of the season, which doubles weekly. (Patch 10.2.6, 2024-03-19)
These crests are used by Enchanters as an optional reagent during crafting to set the item level of a crafted piece. Crafted gear using Enchanted Aspect’s Awakened Crests ranges from 512 to 525 item level depending on the crafting quality. The Crest itself is item level 62, Binds when picked up, and adds +50 Recipe Difficulty. Materials like Sparks of Awakening (ilvl 486-499), are required for crafting these crests.
These are the highest tier of Crest in patch 10.2, used to craft the best-in-slot gear.
Acquiring Aspect’s Dreaming Crests: Found in Mythic Amirdrassil and Mythic+16 dungeons and above.
Direct Crafting: Give Aspect’s Dreaming Crests and materials directly to an enchanter for a crafting work order. This is the fastest method.
Indirect Crafting: Convert 60 Aspect’s Dreaming Crests into 1 Nascent Aspect’s Dreaming Crest at Andoris (Valdrakken Enchanting Supplies vendor). Then, commission an enchanter with the Nascent Crest and other materials.
Item Level: Dreaming Crests scale crafted gear’s item level from 473-486 based on crafting quality.
Economic Impact of Awakened Crests and Enchanted Aspects
The introduction of Awakened Crests and Enchanted Aspects has the potential to significantly impact the in-game economy. The demand for crafted gear and related materials, like Sparks of Awakening, might fluctuate, creating opportunities for players to make gold. Some believe prices could initially rise, while others suggest increased supply might lead to lower prices.
Looking Ahead
While we currently understand the core mechanics of Awakened Crests and Enchanted Aspects, ongoing research and community discussions may uncover new strategies and optimizations. The evolving nature of World of Warcraft means that further changes and additions are always possible. Stay informed and adapt your strategies to maximize your power in Dragonflight Season 4!
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