Hand over a suitable piece of seasonal equipment, spend a charge, and receive the corresponding tier-set item.
The awkward part was that the machine did not merely change the item’s appearance and set bonus.
It also replaced the original secondary stats with Blizzard’s predetermined tier-piece stats.
A perfectly good Haste and Mastery item could enter the Catalyst and emerge wearing Critical Strike and Versatility, apparently having made several personal decisions during the conversion process.
Midnight Season 2 changes that.
Catalysed equipment will retain its original secondary stats. Items carrying special cantrip effects will keep those effects as well.
Your Original Secondary Stats Will Survive
In previous seasons, every tier slot had a fixed secondary-stat combination.
Converting an item therefore replaced whatever stats were already on it with the stats attached to the tier version.
Sometimes that was useful.
A poorly itemised drop could be pushed through the Catalyst and emerge with a much better combination.
Sometimes it was considerably less useful.
A strong item with ideal stats could become mathematically worse simply because the player needed it to complete a two-piece or four-piece bonus.
Season 2 removes that particular gamble.
The converted item inherits the secondary stats of the original equipment rather than automatically receiving the tier template’s fixed stats.
If the original chest piece has Haste and Mastery, the tier chest will also have Haste and Mastery.
The Catalyst is finally being asked to change the item without redecorating its entire personality.
Cantrip Effects Will Also Be Preserved
The more important addition may be cantrip preservation.
Cantrip items carry additional effects beyond their ordinary primary and secondary stats.
Depending on the item, that could mean extra damage, healing, defensive value or another specialised effect.
Under the Season 2 system, a suitable item can be converted into tier gear without losing that cantrip.
This creates much more interesting gearing possibilities.
A player may be able to combine a class tier bonus with an effect that previously would have disappeared during conversion.
Instead of choosing between the special item and the tier piece, the Catalyst can potentially produce both benefits on the same slot.
That makes cantrip-bearing items worth examining before anyone automatically equips, vendors or disenchants them.
The strange-looking drop with slightly unusual text may become one of the best Catalyst candidates in the character’s bags.
The Change Is Not a Universal Upgrade
Keeping the original stats sounds entirely positive, but it removes one of the Catalyst’s unofficial secondary uses.
Players could previously use the system to reroll an unwanted stat combination into the fixed stats found on the tier version.
That will no longer happen.
A badly itemised item will remain badly itemised after conversion.
It will simply become badly itemised tier gear.
This means players should inspect the base item before spending a charge.
Item level is important, but so are the stats being preserved.
Converting the first eligible helmet that drops may complete a set bonus quickly, yet leave the character carrying a stat combination it would not otherwise choose.
The new system gives players more control over the final result.
It also gives them more opportunities to blame themselves.
Tier Gear Can Become More Flexible
Fixed tier stats have traditionally forced players to accept certain secondary-stat combinations in order to maintain their set bonuses.
Season 2 loosens that restriction.
Because the converted piece inherits its source item’s stats, players can search for more suitable versions of the relevant armor slots before using the Catalyst.
Two characters of the same specialization could therefore complete the same tier set with different secondary-stat layouts.
One may prioritise Haste.
Another may need Mastery or Critical Strike because the rest of their equipment already contains enough of something else.
The class bonus remains the same.
The route used to reach it becomes more flexible.
Do Not Spend the First Charge Blindly
The obvious temptation at the start of Season 2 will be to convert the first high-item-level piece available.
That may be correct if it immediately completes a powerful set bonus.
It may also be a waste if a better-stat item or valuable cantrip piece is likely to replace it shortly afterwards.
Before converting anything, players should check:
- Whether the item completes a two-piece or four-piece bonus.
- Whether its secondary stats are suitable for the specialization.
- Whether it carries a cantrip worth preserving.
- Whether the same slot is likely to be replaced by raid or Great Vault gear.
- Whether another eligible slot offers a larger immediate upgrade.
The best Catalyst target is no longer necessarily the highest item-level piece.
It may be the item with the best combination of level, stats, cantrip effect and tier-slot value.
Season 2 Uses Venomblight Manaflux
The Season 2 Catalyst is powered through Venomblight Manaflux.
Its current tooltip states that five Venomblight Manaflux charge the Catalyst for one armor conversion, with the resource accumulating gradually every two weeks.
The listed acquisition sources include Mythic Keystone dungeons, the Temple of Ula’tek and Bountiful Delves.
Additional opportunities become available after unlocking the character-specific Midnight Season 2: Catalyst Unbound achievement. Those sources include Season 2 raid bosses, Mythic+, Bountiful Delves and rated PvP.
Catalyst Unbound is tied to completing the character’s class tier-set bonuses, after which additional charge acquisition opens for that character.
The character-specific requirement matters for alts.
Unlocking the achievement on one main does not automatically turn every neglected alt into a tier-production facility.
Cantrip Gear May Become the Real Prize
The stat-retention change is convenient.
The cantrip-retention change could reshape which items players chase.
A cantrip item in a tier-eligible slot now carries potential beyond its original form.
Players should therefore be careful when comparing dungeon, raid and Great Vault rewards.
An item that appears slightly weaker on a basic item-level comparison may become much stronger once converted without losing its special effect.
This also makes the Great Vault more complicated.
A tier item may provide an immediate set bonus.
A non-tier item with excellent stats and a useful cantrip might become the better long-term choice because the Catalyst can later add the tier status without destroying what made the item desirable.
The Vault was already a weekly exercise in staring at three objects while feeling personally judged.
Season 2 is adding another column to the spreadsheet.
The Catalyst Is Becoming a Conversion Tool, Not a Reroll Machine
The Season 2 redesign gives the Catalyst a clearer purpose.
It converts eligible equipment into tier gear while preserving the qualities of the original item.
It no longer silently substitutes Blizzard’s preferred stat combination.
That is good news for players who obtain items with ideal secondary stats.
It is excellent news for anyone holding a powerful cantrip item.
It is less exciting for players who previously used the Catalyst to repair a terrible stat roll.
The machine is becoming more predictable, but prediction now begins before the item enters it.
Choose a strong base item and the Catalyst can produce exceptional tier gear.
Choose a poor one and it will faithfully preserve every regrettable detail.
At least this time, it cannot be accused of ruining the item by itself.
Sources
Wowhead’s overview of the updated Season 2 Catalyst tooltips and Venomblight Manaflux system.
Icy Veins’ report on secondary-stat and cantrip preservation in Midnight Season 2.
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