Midnight Season 2 is getting its second wind.
Blizzard has officially confirmed that World of Warcraft Patch 12.1.5 launches October 13 in North America, with the European weekly reset following on October 14. For what originally looked like a fairly ordinary mid-season update, Blizzard has assembled a surprisingly large package: a new one-boss raid, the first Labyrinth, another layer of gear progression, Keystone Myth, Aqir Invasions and the continuation of Midnight’s campaign.
The official Patch 12.1.5 announcement makes one thing particularly clear: Blizzard is not ready for Season 2 players to quietly finish their weekly Vault and wander away yet.
Kith’ix Gets His Own One-Boss Raid
The headline raid content is The Unbinding of Kith’ix.
Ula’tek’s defeat weakened the restraints beneath the Venomous Abyss, allowing the ancient C’Thraxxi general Kith’ix to escape his subterranean prison. Players will head back beneath the Coiled Isle alongside Lady Liadrin for a focused single-boss encounter available in Story Mode, Normal, Heroic and Mythic.
Mythic gets one particularly unusual twist: the encounter uses a flexible group size of 15 to 25 players.
We have already looked at how Kith’ix continues directly from the Ula’tek storyline, and the loot structure makes the raid considerably more than a narrative epilogue. Current PTR data shows Mythic Kith’ix dropping item level 344 Myth 9/6 gear, putting its best rewards at the very top of the Season 2 ladder.
The Labyrinth of Kindo’jan Is Basically a Delve That Refused to Stop
Patch 12.1.5 also introduces the first proper Labyrinth.
The Labyrinth of Kindo’jan is a sprawling Amani funeral complex with nine chambers, dedicated progression systems and Valeera Sanguinar accompanying you deeper into the structure. Blizzard describes Labyrinths as Delve-like content stretched into something much closer to a solo-friendly mega-dungeon.
You can tackle the entire thing in one large session or progress through individual wings instead.
We have already seen just how ambitious this looks. Kindo’jan’s map is dramatically larger than a normal Delve, while its longer questline can eventually reward two Myth armor pieces of your choice.
There is also a Tier 11 solo challenge and the special Fabled Vanquisher of Kindo’jan first-week title for players who enjoy adding unnecessary deadlines to their own hobbies.
Ascendant Venomstones Push Season 2 Gear Beyond Its Normal Cap
The biggest character-power change arrives one week after the patch itself.
During the week of October 13, Orin Straylight in Silvermoon City begins research into Ascendant Venomstones. That research completes with the following reset during the week of October 20, at which point players can begin collecting them.
Venomstones come from Heroic and Mythic raid bosses, Mythic+ dungeons at +10 or above, Tier 11 Bountiful Delves and Nightmare Prey Hunt Champion gear chests.
Collect 10 Ascendant Venomstones, and they can be used near the Catalyst to raise the item level of a fully upgraded Season 2 Hero or Myth weapon, trinket or necklace. Maximum-quality Tidal Crafted versions of those slots are eligible too.
We have a full breakdown of how Ascendant Venomstones extend Season 2 gearing beyond the normal upgrade cap. Blizzard will also remove the seasonal crest cap during the week of October 20, so late-season gearing is about to become considerably less restrained.
Keystone Myth Returns at 3,600 Rating
High-end Mythic+ players are getting another target as well.
Keystone Myth returns for Midnight Season 2, with the achievement requiring a Mythic+ rating of 3,600. That arrives at an interesting moment because Season 2’s playerbase has already become unusually comfortable with high keys. Our latest look at the data showed that more than 91% of recorded Season 2 Mythic+ runs were being timed, with a remarkably large share happening at +10 or above.
Patch 12.1.5 now gives that population somewhere else to climb.
Aqir Invasions Bring the Bugs Back Outdoors
The outdoor side of the patch is handled by Aqir Invasions.
These events periodically overwhelm areas around Eversong and Zul’Aman with Aqir enemies and rotating modifiers. The catch is that invasions only remain active for a brief window each hour, so this is not the sort of world event you casually remember to do after finishing everything else.
We previously covered how Aqir Invasions currently give players only ten minutes each hour, along with rewards such as the Corrupted Swarmer mount.
Patch 12.1.5 Is Much Bigger Than the Number Suggests
Normally a .5 patch sounds like the sort of update that adds some quests, several UI fixes and perhaps a pet everyone forgets exists until three expansions later.
This one is behaving differently.
Kith’ix gives raiders another top-end encounter. Kindo’jan gives solo and small-group players something substantially larger than a standard Delve. Venomstones reopen the Season 2 gearing ladder. Keystone Myth gives Mythic+ players another rating target. Aqir Invasions keep outdoor players busy, while The Promise of Tomorrow continues the Quel’Thalas and Zul’Aman storyline.
North America gets all of that on October 13.
Europe gets it with the October 14 reset.
And somewhere in Silvermoon, Orin is preparing another currency because apparently Season 2’s spreadsheets were beginning to look dangerously manageable.
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