Items from the Venomous Abyss raid will cost one Nebulous Voidcore instead of two when players use the targeted reward system.
That is a clean 50% price reduction.
It also arrives in the same update where Blizzard is deliberately slowing the overall supply of free Voidcores.
Season 2 gearing is therefore becoming both more generous and more restrictive at exactly the same time.
Welcome back to World of Warcraft loot design.
Raid Items Will Cost One Voidcore Instead of Two
Blizzard has confirmed that the Nebulous Voidcore cost for raid items will be reduced from two to one in Curse of Ula’tek.
As in Season 1, the power of the purchased item will match the equivalent Great Vault reward for the content used to unlock it.
The basic system remains familiar.
Players collect Voidcores, use them to target specific pieces from eligible loot pools and receive another chance at the weapon, trinket or rare item that refused to drop normally.
The major difference is that raid attempts now cost half as much.
One Voidcore means one targeted raid-item roll.
That makes every currency choice significantly more valuable for players hunting raid gear.
The Discount Is Part of Blizzard’s Attempt to Save Raid Rewards
Blizzard is not pretending this change exists in isolation.
The developer has acknowledged that Mythic+ rewards became too valuable relative to Heroic raiding during Midnight Season 1.
That created an awkward situation where players could spend several hours progressing through a raid, receive little or no usable loot and still feel obligated to farm dungeons because the weekly reward structure was simply better.
Season 2 is attempting to correct that imbalance.
Raid Great Vault rewards are being improved, with LFR, Normal and Heroic rewards jumping to the first step of the next upgrade track.
Heroic raid Vault rewards, for example, will begin at Myth 1/6.
Mythic raid Vault rewards will normally arrive at Myth 6/6, while Very Rare items and loot from the final two bosses can reach the equivalent of Myth 9.
Making raid-targeted Voidcore rolls cheaper is another part of the same rescue package.
This Is Excellent for Chase Trinkets and Weapons
The largest beneficiaries will be players targeting rare raid weapons, trinkets and other high-impact items.
Those pieces often remain desirable even when their raw item level is similar to equipment available elsewhere.
A strong trinket effect can define an entire build.
A rare weapon can remain best in slot for months.
Unfortunately, raid loot tables do not care how important an item is to your character.
You can kill the same boss every week, use bonus rolls and watch the item go to someone else until the season begins developing historical significance.
Reducing the targeted cost to one Voidcore gives unlucky players twice as many opportunities to escape that loop.
It does not guarantee the item.
It does make the system feel considerably less stingy.
The Great Vault Choice Becomes More Valuable
Nebulous Voidcores will be available as a Great Vault option from the beginning of Season 2.
Players can therefore pass on their weekly gear selection and begin targeting raid loot immediately.
That decision was already meaningful when raid attempts cost two Voidcores.
At one Voidcore per attempt, the consolation currency becomes far more attractive.
A weak Vault containing no immediate upgrades may now represent a direct roll at the exact raid item the player wants.
The downside remains unchanged.
Selecting a Voidcore still means giving up the ordinary Great Vault reward for that week.
During the opening weeks of the season, sacrificing a guaranteed upgrade for a targeted chance can still be painful.
At least the currency now buys twice as much raid frustration.
The Free Weekly Voidcore Is Still Delayed Until Week 8
The lower price comes with an important restriction.
Blizzard is delaying the additional free weekly Voidcore until the eighth week of Season 2.
Until Orin Straylight completes his research, the Great Vault will be the main regular source of the targeted currency.
That means players receive better value from each Voidcore, but fewer supplemental Voidcores during the most important progression weeks.
The two changes are clearly designed to balance each other.
Blizzard wants raid targeting to feel rewarding without allowing the overall gearing pace to accelerate as quickly as it did in Season 1.
One cheaper roll is generous.
Waiting two months for the extra weekly currency is the brake pedal sitting directly beside it.
Dungeon Items Do Not Get the Same Announced Discount
Blizzard specifically states that the reduction from two Voidcores to one applies to raid items.
The published announcement does not offer the same discount for Mythic+ dungeon items.
That distinction appears intentional.
Season 1’s reward balance pushed many players toward Mythic+ because dungeon gearing was efficient, repeatable and supported by a strong Great Vault path.
Raid loot had fewer opportunities, larger group requirements and a higher chance of producing an evening where the only reward was valuable character-building resentment.
Cheaper raid rolls give raiding an advantage that Mythic+ does not automatically share.
That may annoy players who prefer dungeons, but it fits Blizzard’s stated goal of making raid rewards more competitive.
Cheaper Targeting Does Not Fix Raid Drop Rates
The change improves bad-luck protection.
It does not necessarily solve the underlying problem of raid bosses dropping too little useful loot.
Players responding to Blizzard’s announcement have already pointed out that a full raid night can still end without a direct upgrade.
Targeted systems are helpful because ordinary loot is unreliable.
They should not become an excuse to leave the ordinary loot experience feeling empty.
If players depend on Voidcores and the Great Vault to receive meaningful raid rewards, the bosses themselves risk becoming weekly unlock requirements rather than exciting sources of gear.
A raid boss should occasionally drop something the group actually wants.
Revolutionary concept, apparently.
This Is Still a Major Win for Raiders
Despite the wider concerns, cutting the price in half is difficult to frame as anything other than a strong improvement.
Each Voidcore provides twice as many targeted raid opportunities.
Rare weapons and trinkets become more realistic goals.
Great Vault consolation choices become more valuable, and unlucky players have a better escape route from endless repeat kills.
The slower Voidcore supply prevents the system from becoming completely generous during early progression.
Blizzard is still controlling the pace.
But when the currency finally reaches a player’s inventory, one raid roll is considerably better than half of one.
Season 2 may still ask raiders to kill the same boss every week.
At least the backup plan is no longer charging double.
Source
Blizzard’s official Curse of Ula’tek Endgame Reward Changes.
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