‘Tis the Season

The Countdown to Season 2 is On!

Heroes,

The wait for Season 2 is nearly over, and we’re not going to waste any time. Ascension Season 2 begins Friday, December 14th. With it, we’re breaking out some of our biggest changes ever, and we hope you’re ready for an incredible High-Risk experience. This article will get you up to speed on everything you need to know before Season 2 begins, and this is a season you don’t want to miss.

• World Event System
• Call Boards
• Wildcard Mode
• i-level Based World Drop Overhaul
• The Gurubashi Blood Bowl
• Seasonal Challenge Overhaul
• Character Transfers to BOTH Legacy Realms

Get ready to embrace your inner gladiator, heroes, because Season 2 is all about claiming glory--making a name for yourself, and decimating the competition. This season, we’ve got a ton of different ways to make yourself known: from unique titles, to the challenge system to world first accomplishments announced in chat. Additionally, it’s worth noting that Season 2 is our opportunity to try out new systems, and we plan on moving them to the Legacy Realms if they work out well.

Let’s dive in.

World Event System

We’re introducing a brand new World Event system with the release of Season 2. These events range from custom World Bosses, to monsters in an area dropping [Mystic Orb Shards] and bonus loot, to Plagued Undead bursting from the corpses of slain Scarlet Warriors when slain.

Essentially, when you’re wandering the world, you may just see a message pop up declaring that an Event is active.That’s your queue to get a move on--world events provide bonus loot and more when completed. You might find yourself rushing to the shores of Azshara to slay Naga, or find that Furbolgs have perfected a new type of Firewater and are running amok with it: we’ve got dozens of completely custom world events, and more than the bonus loot, each one offers its own fun and surprises.

World Events create a reason for players to move to the same zone: chasing treasures and bonus rewards, players will have to contend with others as they make friends, take down foes, and fight for their lives and gear to complete epic objectives.

Call Boards

The Heroes Call and Warchief’s Command boards are two new quest-boards we’re introducing in Season 2. They’re here to make your life amazing. Every single day, these Call Boards rotate quests, sending hoards of players flocking to single zones to complete dailies, dungeons, raids, and even slaying Faction Leaders. Completing these quests will shower you with [Mystic Orbs], and our goal is to make the seasonal Call Boards the best possible way for players to collect them. We’re changing the fundamentals to make sure that the best way to get [Mystic Orbs] is also the most fun and varied. So rather than running a single dungeon to death, head to the Call Boards, and pick yourself up a few quests.

But be careful, Heroes: with so many players after the same objectives, expect a treacherous time trying to complete your quests without getting slain by other players. Unless, of course, you’re the hunter.

The Hero’s Call and Warchief’s Command Boards will feature the following types of quests:

• Daily Dungeon
• Daily Battleground
• Daily World Elite
• Weekly Siege (Faction Leader Kill Quests)
• Weekly Raid
• Weekly World Boss
• Seasonal Challenge Quests
  • Each bracket [20, 30, 40, 50, 60] will have an optional challenge quest that will factor into your seasonal participation and give you some level appropriate gear.

Rewards:

• Mystic Orbs
• Spoils of War Chest (Change to Contain Raid Epics)

Wildcard Mode

Looking for a new way to level a character?

Wildcard Mode is a brand new optional way to level your character-- rather than choosing your abilities, every single ability your Hero has will be randomly assigned as you level. It’s Ascension ARAM! Wildcard Heroes will have no choice of what abilities they’re assigned, and no way to reset their spells at all. You get what you roll, and you make it work. Although talents and stat points can be chosen normally, the spells and abilities your Hero has are at the mercy of random chance. So take a deep breath, and turn in that last quest!

Wildcard Mode will provide an incredible challenge to players who seek it. We hope it will entice newcomers and veterans alike to really embrace the chaos, and see just how far they can get. Can you conquer your foes with an entirely random set of abilities? Will you make it to 60? Only you can say, and if you succeed, some epic rewards await you!

High-Risk High Reward: i-level World Drop Overhaul

Wearing better gear out in the open world now guarantees you better loot from monsters: the i-level based world drop system is here for Season 2!

With the release of this new system, players who take the risk of wearing stronger gear out into the world will be rewarded with guaranteed better loot from monsters. It works like this: the better gear you wear out into the world--that is, the higher the i-level--the better Loot Templates you unlock from monsters. So, for example, if you’re wearing a full set of Blackwing Lair gear while bashing demon face at The Tainted Scar, you’ll be getting drops from a better template than someone doing the same thing in Dungeon Blues.

Whether you’re slaying monsters or hunting players, the gear you find in the open world is now better when you wear better gear. If you’re geared to the teeth, you’ll be getting much better loot while tackling challenging monsters. By the same token, if you’re out for blood, the players you’re looking to slay will have better gear on as well. We hope this system encourages players to wear their best out into the world, risking high i-level gear for a chance at incredible treasures.

The Gurubashi Blood Bowl

Calling all Gladiators: the Gurubashi Blood Bowl is here!

We’ve got a new event this season for Heroes who really want to test their mettle: the Gurubashi Blood Bowl. Every so often, an announcement will ring out across the land calling competitors to Gurubashi Arena. Once the brawl begins, step into the arena to receive the Gurubashi Gladiator buff. As long as you stay inside the Gurubashi Arena, you’ll get [Mystic Orb Shards] for slaying other players. With each player you slay, you’ll get another stack of the buff. For every stack you have, you net even more orb shards from player kills. Stack it up as high as you can, and receive massive amounts of shards!

But be warned, heroes: if you leave the arena for any reason, voluntary or forced, your stacks will be reset to 0. Stay strong, and don’t get slain!

Additionally, the Blood Bowl is a competition: the hero inside of the arena with the most stacks of the Gurubashi Gladiator buff will receive a chest that only they can open, filled with loot, gear, and other prizes. It pays to be the champ!

As a final note: we’ve outfitted the Gurubashi Arena with banks, Arena Queues, and vendors to make it a hub for players who love combat. Although the inside of the arena is a blood bath, the area around the arena is a Sanctuary, meaning players can’t attack each other as long as they’re outside the ring, so feel free to equip some really great gear before diving into the Blood Bowl!

Just be careful on the walk there--the rest of Stranglethorn is fair game!

Seasonal Challenge Overhaul

Looking for more challenge in your season? Wish you had some way to stand out in the crowd? Want some epic cosmetics and mounts to deck out your Hero? We’ve got you covered with the Seasonal Challenge Overhaul.

The Seasonal Challenge Overhaul is massive. It’s a brand new system of challenges that will allow players to claim glory, and stand out amongst their peers. The Challenge overhaul introduces aslew of brand new custom achievements and accomplishments for players to undertake as they explore Season 2. Ranging from World Firsts to PvP accomplishments, completing certain challenges throughout the season will grant you an Achievement, along with other possible rewards: for example, being the first player to max out First Aid will net you a fancy title. Similarly, slaying enough players in the Blood Bowl will get you an achievement, as will killing players in World PvP.

With each challenge you complete, you’ll fill up the Challenge Bar. Fill it up enough, and you’ll receive Seasonal Points. Seasonal Points can be spent on exclusive cosmetics, mounts, and other items in the Vanity store.

For some heroes, however, the biggest reward might be the glory, and if that’s you, we’ve got some good news: world first achievements will be actively announced to the entire server when completed. Many of the World First achievements will be accompanied by exclusive titles, which can be worn throughout the season and taken back to the main realms once the season has ended, so if fame and accolades are your game, step into the ring, and try your hand at World First achievements!

Character Transfers to Both Legacy Realms

Finally, rest assured that the adventure doesn’t end with the Season: characters from the Seasonal Realms will find new homes on our legacy ones, Andorhal and Laughing Skull. However, instead of having to choose their new home, characters from Season 2 will transfer to both Legacy Realms when the season ends. Season 2 Heroes will be able to continue their adventure wherever they wish, and even on both realms if they choose to.

We hope you’re excited for Season 2, heroes. Mark your calendars for December 14th, and start sharpening those swords: the Gladiator’s Gauntlet is just about on!