With so many changes made to Mythic+ in The War Within, getting Keystone Master might seem like more of a challenge. Here are the easiest ways to quickly get geared and run higher keys in World of Warcraft: The War Within Season 1!
Season 1 of Mythic+ started Tuesday, September 17th, giving players the option to run difficult dungeons in World of Warcraft: The War Within. Players can increase their chances of getting the Keystone Master achievement by:
Choosing a class that's high on the tier list
Prioritizing running high keys in the more forgiving dungeons
Using delves and weekly quests to gear characters
Reading dungeon guides and learning mechanics
Every season, players can earn several titles and an exclusive mount. Here are the titles players can attain by doing Mythic+ in Season 1:
The War Within Keystone Explorer - Complete a Mythic keystone dungeon within the time limit
The War Within Keystone Conqueror - Attain a Mythic+ rating of at least 1500
The War Within Keystone Master - Attain a Mythic+ rating of at least 2000
The War Within Keystone Hero - Attain a Mythic+ rating of at least 2500
Tempered Hero - End Season 1 of Mythic+ in the top 0.1% in your region
Players also receive a special mount, the Diamond Mechsuit, for getting the Keystone Master achievement. Finally, players also receive a permanent dungeon teleport for any dungeons timed on a Level 10 Mythic keystone.
Historically, about 25% of max-level characters get the Keystone Master achievement each season. With the new level scaling introduced in Season 4 of Dragonflight, and even more changes and new affixes introduced in The War Within, the percentage might even decrease. Keys aren't free anymore. Even in +2 and +3 keys, groups can wipe if the mechanics aren't followed correctly.
To get Keystone Master, players will have to time all 8 Season 1 dungeons on a +7. While some dungeons are easier than other, it's possible to also get KSM with a +8 on an easier key and a +5 on a more difficult key. Each increase in key level adds a modifier to enemy health and damage. For example, a +7 Mythic key will give all enemies a +77% damage and health buff.
To get the Keystone Master achievement, players might want to prioritize the easier dungeons in this rotation. The 8 dungeons in Season 1 are Ara-Kara, City of Echoes, The Stonevault, The Dawnbreaker, City of Threads, Mists of Tirna Scithe, The Necrotic Wake, Siege of Boralus, and Grim Batol.
If players want to get Keystone Master within the first few weeks of the season, they should prioritize easier dungeons like Ara-Kara, The Dawnbreaker, and Mists of Tirna Scithe. These dungeons have more forgiving timers and will be easier to do earlier in the season with less Great Vault and raid gear.
Eventually, players will have to learn the mechanics for every dungeon to get Keystone Master and Keystone Hero. Even in low keys, mechanic-heavy keys like the Necrotic Wake will keep players from getting achievements.
There are a lot of dungeons in Season 1's rotation with individual player mechanics that make or break a key, like running Chopper Redhook through bombs in Siege of Boralus and lining up the Meat Hook with Surgeon Stichflesh in the Necrotic Wake. If you don't remember the mechanics for these legacy dungeons or didn't play the game during those expansions, read the dungeon guides to get caught up on mechanics.
To get Keystone Master, players should also consider choosing a class that's meta. With only 25% of players on average getting the achievement, sometimes it's not possible to play any class that you want.
Blizzard is constantly tuning classes and changing what classes are considered "meta." The list below is subject to change. Here are the DPS, tank, and healer tier lists as of September 2024:
Current A-tier DPS classes for Mythic+
Augmentation Evoker
Frost Death Knight
Arcane Mage
Assassination Rogue
Enhancement Shaman
Elemental Shaman
Current B+-tier DPS classes for Mythic+
Affliction Warlock
Frost Mage
Subtlety Rogue
Havoc Demon Hunter
Fury Warrior
Unholy Death Knight
Survival Hunter
Balance Druid
Current Tank Tier List of Season 1:
Guardian Druid (excellent)
Protection Warrior (excellent)
Vengeance Demon Hunter (excellent)
Blood Death Knight (excellent)
Brewmaster Monk (good)
Protection Paladin (good)
Healer Tier List for Season 1:
Restoration Shaman (best choice)
Preservation Evoker (excellent)
Restoration Druid (excellent)
Holy Paladin (great)
Mistweaver Monk (great)
Holy Priest (good)
Discipline Priest (good)
Although it's always easier to get Mythic+ achievements like KSM if you have a set group, it is easier to pug into keys if you're playing a high-performing class.
If you've picked a class to play, read dungeon guides, and started running low keys, it's also beneficial to use the delves and weekly quests to gear your character. Running Bountiful Delves and fishing for Delver's Bounty maps will help gear your character in Champion and Heroic-level gear. Crafting gear and utilizing the catalyst can help your character benefit from tier-set buffs.
If you want to be in the 25% of players that get the Keystone Master achievement, or the 9% of players that get the Keystone Hero achievement in the War Within, it's important to pick the right class, read up on mechanics, and use all the tools available in The War Within to gear you character!
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