Ascendant Voidcores are returning under a new name: Ascendant Venomstones.
They will once again let players push selected pieces of fully upgraded gear beyond their normal limit.
This time, necklaces are joining weapons and trinkets on the upgrade list.
The catch is simple.
Every upgraded item requires ten Venomstones.
Venomstones Can Upgrade Three Gear Slots
Ascendant Venomstones can be used on weapons, trinkets and necklaces.
Necklaces are the new addition for Season 2.
Eligible items can be raised to a maximum item level equivalent to Myth 8, giving players another way to increase the power of particularly valuable pieces later in the season.
That makes necklaces more interesting than they were under the previous version of the system.
A well-itemized necklace with sockets, strong secondary stats or a useful special effect may now remain relevant for much longer.
It also creates another slot players may feel compelled to optimize once Venomstones begin dropping.
Because apparently weapons and trinkets were not enough places to experience late-season decision paralysis.
Each Upgrade Requires Ten Venomstones
Players will need ten Ascendant Venomstones for every item they want to improve.
That means upgrading one weapon costs ten.
Upgrading one trinket costs another ten.
Adding a necklace brings the total to thirty.
Dual-wielding characters may need even more if both weapons qualify and remain worth upgrading.
The system is therefore not designed to instantly raise an entire equipment set.
It asks players to choose which pieces provide the largest benefit and commit a significant amount of currency to each one.
For most characters, powerful weapons and rare trinkets will probably remain the obvious first targets.
Necklaces will compete for attention when their stats, sockets or special properties make them valuable enough to justify another ten-stone investment.
Venomstones Come From Several Endgame Activities
Blizzard is not restricting Venomstones to Mythic raiding.
Players will receive one Ascendant Venomstone from every Heroic or Mythic raid boss.
They will also drop from Mythic+ Keystone dungeons completed at level 10 or higher.
Tier 11 Bountiful Delves provide another source, while Nightmare Prey Hunt Champion gear boxes can award them as well.
That gives raiders, dungeon players, Delve players and Prey participants access to the same upgrade currency.
The system still rewards high-end content, but it does not demand that every player join a Mythic raid team simply to participate.
That broader availability is important.
Late-season upgrade systems work better when they reward several difficult activities instead of quietly becoming another raid attendance requirement.
The Eligible Item Must Already Be Fully Upgraded
Players cannot use Venomstones on any random item immediately after it drops.
The gear must already be fully upgraded on the Hero or Myth track.
Maximum-quality crafted gear at the equivalent item level can also qualify.
That requirement makes Venomstones the final stage of progression rather than a replacement for the normal upgrade system.
Players still need to earn the item, spend crests and Valorstones raising it through its ordinary track, and then collect ten Venomstones to push it further.
In practical terms, Blizzard has placed another staircase at the top of the staircase.
The destination is more power.
The admission price is finishing everything below it first.
Choosing the Correct Item Will Matter
Ten stones per item makes mistakes expensive.
Players will need to consider whether a piece is genuinely worth taking to Myth 8 equivalence before spending the currency.
A strong weapon is usually safe because weapon item level has a large effect on damage or healing.
Trinkets are less predictable.
Some scale extremely well with additional item levels. Others gain relatively little because most of their value comes from an effect that does not improve enough to justify ten stones.
Necklaces introduce another calculation.
They do not carry primary stats, so their value comes largely from stamina, secondary stats, sockets and any special properties attached to the item.
For some builds, upgrading a perfectly itemized necklace could be excellent.
For others, spending ten stones on a second trinket or off-hand weapon will provide far more power.
Simulations are about to receive another seasonal subscription fee.
Crafted Gear Remains Part of the System
Maximum-quality crafted weapons, trinkets and necklaces can also qualify when they reach the required equivalent item level.
That keeps professions relevant during the later stages of Season 2.
A crafted piece with carefully selected secondary stats may become an appealing Venomstone target because the player already controls much of its design.
This is especially attractive for necklaces.
Random drops may carry undesirable stat combinations, while crafted gear can provide a more deliberate foundation for the final upgrade.
The ability to improve crafted items also reduces the pressure to replace a carefully built piece simply because a raid drop has access to the new currency system.
The System Arrives Later in the Season
Ascendant Venomstones will not be available from the beginning of Season 2.
Blizzard says they will return at a later point, following the general structure used for Ascendant Voidcores in Season 1.
That timing makes sense for a system intended to push fully upgraded gear beyond its normal maximum.
Introducing it immediately would accelerate gearing before players had even completed the standard upgrade tracks.
By holding Venomstones back, Blizzard can use them as a late-season progression layer and a reason to continue engaging with difficult content.
It also means players should avoid planning around an exact acquisition date until Blizzard announces one.
Ten Stones Could Be Fast or Painfully Slow
The real grind will depend on how many qualifying activities each player completes per week.
A full Heroic raid clear could provide several Venomstones relatively quickly.
Dedicated Mythic+ players may farm them through repeated +10 keys, depending on any limits Blizzard applies when the system goes live.
Delves and Nightmare Prey offer alternative paths for players who prefer smaller-group or solo-friendly content.
Blizzard’s announcement confirms the sources and the ten-stone requirement, but it does not fully explain every possible weekly restriction or acquisition limit.
Those details will decide whether one upgrade feels like a manageable goal or another month-long currency project.
Necklaces Are a Welcome Addition
Adding necklaces gives the system more flexibility.
It allows players to preserve a strong crafted piece, improve a rare drop with ideal stats or squeeze more value from a slot that previously could not use the late-season upgrade currency.
The ten-stone cost ensures the choice will not be automatic.
Most players will still prioritize the items that offer the largest performance increase.
That is probably the right balance.
Venomstones should create meaningful decisions rather than simply adding eight item levels to everything a character happens to be wearing.
Still, anyone hoping to upgrade a weapon, two trinkets and a necklace should begin preparing for the inevitable arithmetic.
Four items.
Forty stones.
The venom may be ascendant, but the grind remains extremely grounded.
Source
Blizzard’s official Curse of Ula’tek Endgame Reward Changes.
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