Dragonflight is by far the most alt-friendly expansion in WoW since it allows alts to skip through the main campaign and level up by completing world quests, quickly gear up, and then take over Mythic+ dungeons and raids in the hunt for better gear. Currently, there are four main methods of gearing up your alts, and here I will explain all four ways of gearing up and advise you on which one you should choose.
When World of Warcraft was first released in 2004, no one thought in their wildest dreams that players would regularly play on multiple characters, let alone have an army of alts that would all see action on a daily basis. But, today, alts are far from a rare occurrence, as almost every player has at least a couple of them.
So, here’s how you can quickly gear your alts in Dragonflight’s most recent patch, Patch 10.1.7.
How to gear alts quickly in WoW Dragonflight
How to gear alts on the Forbidden Reach in WoW Dragonflight
The place for alts to be is the Forbidden Reach, as they have all that an alt might wish for—385 account-wide upgradeable gear tokens, the Onyx Annulet that’s a nice boost to both your DPS and healing numbers, and events like Forbidden Hoards and Trial of Storms that speed up this entire process.
Although you explicitly can’t buy Primalist gear tokens in the Forbidden Reach, you can buy Raging Tempest gear from Mythressa, the Apprentice Primal Researcher located in Valdrakken and the Forbidden Reach. At first, the gear will be 359 item level, but it can be with Storm Sigils and Untapped Forbidden Knowledge to eventually reach 395 item level.
But, it’s not all about that Forbidden Reach this patch as you’ll still have to mail yourself Primal Chaos from your main, complete the Tyr’s challenges to obtain Sparks of Ingenuity and craft your Elemental Lariat and other best-in-slot gear.
Essentially, your alt-gearing process will boil down to this:
- Craft Elemental Lariat and any other item you might need
- Go to the Forbidden Reach and farm 4000 Elemental Overflow
- Buy Raging Tempest gear
- Farm rare bosses in the Forbidden Reach for Untapped Forbidden Knowledge and Storm Sigils and upgrade your gear to 395 item level
- Complete the Zskera Vault questline and obtain Onyx Annulet
- Complete weekly quests from Valdrakken offered by Therezal and Kazra
- Complete world events like Siege on Dragonbane and Storm’s Fury (not mandatory)
- Defeat world bosses on the Dragon Isles and in Zaralek Cavern
- Complete Mythic+ dungeons to obtain Shadowflame Crests to upgrade your gear
Once you complete everything on the list, your item level should be at around 400, and from then on, the only way to get upgrades is by completing Mythic+ dungeons, defeating raid bosses, and getting loot from the Great Vault.
How to gear up alts on the Dragon Isles and in Zaralek Cavern in WoW Dragonflight
Although gear from the Forbidden Reach is highly effective and it should bring your alt up to speed, Explorer gear you can get from world quests is a better option for gearing up. While the Forbidden Reach gear, when upgraded, will be 395 item level, the Explorer gear can be upgraded up to 398 item level.
Explorer gear can drop from almost all world quests across the Dragon Isles, and it can even be purchased from auction house for somewhere between 500 to 1000 gold per piece. Besides, you can get Adventurer and Veteran gear from rare activities and events in Zaralek Cavern and the Dragon Isles. While Adventurer gear ranges from 389 to 411 item levels, Veteran gear is from 402 to 424 item levels.
You also shouldn’t forget about Onyx Annulet when you’re choosing this gearing route because a fully-upgraded Epic ring will be 424 item level.
So, gear progression with alts should look like this:
- Craft Elemental Lariat and any other item you might need
- Complete as many world quests as you can to get Explorer gear and upgrade it using Flightstones
- Complete weekly quest A Worthy Ally: Loamm Niffen to get Splintered Spark of Shadowflame (two of those can be combined and used to powerful gear)
- Complete elite world quests in Zaralek Cavern for Adventurer gear
- Complete world events like Fyrakk Assaults and Researchers Under Fire for Veteran gear
- Complete the Zskera Vault questline and obtain Onyx Annulet
- Complete weekly quests from Valdrakken offered by Therezal and Kazra
- Defeat world bosses on the Dragon Isles and in Zaralek Cavern
- Complete Mythic+ dungeons to obtain Shadowflame Crests to upgrade your gear
How to gear up alts with Time Rift events in WoW Dragonflight
Although the first two gearing methods are a viable option, you can always choose to spam the Time Rift events in Tyrhold Reservoir in Thaldraszus and get your hands on Dilated Time Capsule currency. The currency drops from Time Rift event bosses and weekly chest for completing the When Time Needs Mending quest and it’s bound to your character, not your account. Shi Everbreeze in Tyrhold Reservoir at the 51.0 56.6 coordinates will exchange all Dilated Time Capsule you have in your bags for 402 item level gear. That very same gear can be upgraded to item level 424 and even turned into tier pieces at Revival Catalyst.
So, your gear progression looks like this:
- Craft Elemental Lariat and any other item you might need
- Get When Time Needs Mending quest
- Spam Time Rift events for Dilated Time Capsule
- Exchange Dilated Time Capsule for 402 item level gear
- Complete weekly quest A Worthy Ally: Loamm Niffen to get Splintered Spark of Shadowflame (two of those can be combined and used to powerful gear)
- Complete elite world quests in Zaralek Cavern for Adventurer gear
- Complete world events like Fyrakk Assaults and Researchers Under Fire for Veteran gear
- Complete the Zskera Vault questline and obtain Onyx Annulet
- Complete weekly quests from Valdrakken offered by Therezal and Kazra
- Defeat world bosses on the Dragon Isles and in Zaralek Cavern
- Complete Mythic+ dungeons to obtain Shadowflame Crests to upgrade your gear
How to gear up alts with Dreamsurged events in WoW Dragonflight
Added in Patch 10.1.7, Dreamsurge events are Blizzard’s way of preparing players for the next big patch, Patch 10.2 that will be set in the Emerald Dream. Completing these events is quite straightforward, and the rewards are incredible. Not only do you get 402 item level gear for Dreamsurge Coalescence, but you can also purchase 415 item level gear with Dreamsurge Chrysalis. The only downside is that this events happens once every 30 minutes, but you can always kill rares while you’re waiting.
So, in Patch 10.1.7, gearing an alt should look like this:
- Craft Elemental Lariat and any other item you might need
- Get When Time Needs Mending quest
- Spam Dreamsurge events to get 402 and 415 item level gear
- Complete elite world quests in Zaralek Cavern for Adventurer gear
- Complete world events like Fyrakk Assaults and Researchers Under Fire for Veteran gear
- Complete the Zskera Vault questline and obtain Onyx Annulet
- Complete weekly quests from Valdrakken offered by Therezal and Kazra
- Defeat world bosses on the Dragon Isles and in Zaralek Cavern
- Complete Mythic+ dungeons to obtain Shadowflame Crests to upgrade your gear
What is the fastest and the best way to gear alts?
In Dragonflight Patch 10.0.7, the Forbidden Reach would be a place to be if you want to gear your alt army. In Patch 10.1, the fastest and the best way to bring your alts up to speed was by completing world quests across the Dragon Isles. Patch 10.1.5 is will all be about getting those Dilated Time Capsule and exchanging it for gear in Tyrhold Reservoir, and the final smaller patch is focused on Dreamsurge. Although you can mix and match these methods, I’d say that Dreamsurge events have the best gear by far.
So, I advise you to complete Dreamsurge events and world quests in both Zaralek Cavern and Dragon Isles and then upgrade that gear. Also, don’t forget to get your Onyx Annulet and Elemental Lariat for easy item level upgrades. Once you do so, you should have roughly 425 item level gear, and pretty much all Mythic+ doors will be open.
