Welcome to what to expect in Season of Discovery Phase 1. In Phase 1 of Season of Discovery, the player level cap is 25. Players can use new spells through Rune system, take part in Blackfathom Deeps’ 10-player raid, Ashenvale zone-wide PVP event, and more. So, let’s talk about what you can expect between the lines of it all.

Level 25 Capped Content

In WOW Classic, the protagonist is the world. The fact that in Classic you start out almost as a nobody is quite charming. Every item, stat point, buff counts.

WOW Classic team recognizes this, which is the main reason they created level banded content for Season of Discovery. It allows them to focus on a part of the world that may sometimes be overlooked and then create new content around it.

The development team stated that parts of the world will not be unlocked. Although the level 25 cap can become a challenge when venturing into higher-level areas.

One interesting thing I saw is that the highest level cloth players actually got in Phase 1 was probably Mageweave Cloth. This will also be a challenge as level 38+ mobs drop it. I can even already see hordes of level 25 players looking for level 38-40+ monsters to farm Mageweave Cloth.

Especially in the later stages, the chance of a level 30 monster dropping Mageweave Cloth is less than that of an intermediate level 40 monster. So the challenges are real.

Things like this are a classic example of developers creating level banded content. It creates new environments for players to challenge themselves, think outside the environment, and find ways to pioneer things they’ve never done before. I’m personally very excited to see how far players will expand what they can do at level 25.

Also Read: Everything You Need To Know About WOW Classic SOD Phase 1!

Mounts In Season Of Discovery

Speaking of traveling around the world, it’s important to note that players’ mounts are not available until level 40. So you won’t be able to get a mount until Phase 2, unless you get a special mount from Ashenvale PVP event in the open world. However, keep in mind that these mounts are only available in Ashenvale area.

The cool thing about these mounts is that they are original unarmored mount models that were removed early in vanilla WoW. I remember the demand for these mounts was making a comeback in Classic. So to me, this is another recognition of the community from Classic team.

The two mounts are: Trainee’s Sentinel Nightsaber for Alliance, and Trainee’s Outrider Wolf for Horde.

Beyond that, in terms of transportation, we can see that Warlocks will become very popular among guilds once they reach level 20 and have their summon abilities ready. Especially since Mage can’t open portals for other players at that level.

Rune Engraving

During Season of Discovery, developers will introduce Rune Engraving. Players can venture into the open world and discover class-specific Runes. This can enhance your current abilities and spells, and in some cases, introduce entirely new ones!

Overall, Rune Engraving allows players to apply new abilities to their equipment. At level 25, we will have 3 slots: Chest, Legs, and Hands. But over time, other slots will be unlocked.

Some of them even provide faction-specific buffs, such as Horde getting Blessing of Kings, or Alliance getting Windfury. Therefore, players must discover Rune through exploration.

Blackfathom Deeps Raid

For Phase 1, the main endgame raid for level 25 players is Blackfathom Deeps. They will remix it into a 10-player raid with seven bosses, new loot, and a 3-day lockout, similar to Zul’Gurub.

In BFD, players will have access to a new world buff, Boon of Blackfathom. This increases the critical strike chance of your spells, melee, and ranged by 2%, attack power by 20, and movement speed by 20% for 2 hours.

The method of obtaining it looks similar to Head of Rend, Onyxia, Nefarian or Heart of Hakkar. When these heads are turned in, all players in the area will receive a special buff. We also got a sneak peek at some new loot drops. But again, this is always subject to change and has yet to be finalized.

Ashenvale PVP & Battlegrounds In SoD

There are two battlefields at level 25: Warsong Gulch and Arathi Basin. There will be a new open world PVP event in Ashenvale. A PVP kill will trigger this event in the area.

A region-wide notification is sent out when the event begins, and it created a leader for each faction. Similar to Alterac Valley, battlefield leaders will set up smaller camps and outposts around the area.

To Alliance, these leaders are called Keepers of the Grove: Ceredwyn, Centrius, and Larodar. To Horde, these leaders are called Blademasters: Jubei, Moogul the Sly, and Tojara.

When the player is within 40 yards of Battlefield Lieutenant, the player will receive a buff called Battlefield Inspiration. And, when you’re within 40 yards of the faction leader, you’ll gain an even more powerful buff: Battlefield Genius.

Players who take part in the event can not only get WOW Classic SOD Gold but also gain reputation in Warsong Gulch faction: Silverwing Sentinels for Alliance and Warsong Outriders for Horde.

Each faction’s quartermaster will provide new noteworthy gear that contributes to a level 25 player’s BiS set. These are items that have been data mined so far, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they will be implemented. So again, remember, nothing is final.

Wrapping Up

To wrap things up, I would say: Ultimately, you can do as much preparation and research as you can before launching. But the spirit of Season of Discovery is to explore, interact with the world, discover new things, try different Rune combinations with your class, and have fun. So try not to stress too much about which class to play, how quickly you need to reach level 25.

If you find that you are not satisfied with the first class you do, it is not too important to upgrade to level 25. So don’t feel pressured into being tied down to something. Just take your time and enjoy it!

Lords Of The Fallen contains many challenging bosses that you must overcome to progress in the game. Shortly after completing the tutorial area, you will encounter your first major boss, called Pieta, She of Blessed Renewal.

Even though Pieta is the first boss, that does not mean she’s an easy opponent. This battle sets the tone for what to expect in the game, emphasizing the need for careful pattern recognition and strategic thinking.

How To Beat Pieta?

Dealing with Pieta is a two-phase battle that requires you to learn her moves and develop a strategy to defeat her.

First Phase

Pieta uses Long Holy Sword as her chief weapon, and all of her attacks in First Phase revolve around it. Let us break it down for you.

Her first move is a two-swing combo, which gives her sword a longer reach. After she makes this attack, there’s a good chance to get a full combo on her before you back away.

When you get close to Pieta, she may launch a sweeping attack and then back away to gain some distance. This attack is usually followed by her raising her weapon in the air and unleashing a straight-line beam attack.

This may be the most dangerous moment you face. You can dodge it by dashing to the side, or, more effectively, dodging as she fires her straight-line beam.

Another ranged attack she uses is when she summons a Holy Sword towards the ground, which releases a series of falling swords that fly in your direction. But this is easy to avoid. Just stay out of the path of those falling swords.

The ultimate attack of this phase is her jumping swing, which she uses to close the gap between you and her. This, like the first attack, gives you a good start. If you still have enough LotF Vigor, you can continue to launch a full combo.

Second Phase

Second Phase of fighting Pieta ramps up the difficulty with a series of fresh attacks that you have to pay close attention to.

First, Pieta will transform into a Four-Winged Angel-Type Knight. When she executes her attack, she retreats to the back of the arena, then lunges forward, summoning a cluster of swords in the air. Once you reach the opposite side, the cluster of swords will fall down. To avoid this, position yourself to the right or left side of the boss battle arena.

During this stage, Pieta will also summon some nasty specters. These summoned spectators have four different attacks:

The first mirrors First Phase’s straight-line beam attack, but this time it’s performed by two of Specters she summons.

The second one is similar to the linear sword she used in the first phase. You just stay out of their attack path.

On the third attack, Specters will appear near you and launch a melee combo. Sometimes it’s just one spectrum, but usually it’s two spectrums.

The last attack is similar to the one she uses when entering Second Phase. However, this time, she retreated to the end of the arena and summoned two Specters, occupying both sides, and lined up to sneak in, leaving a trail of falling swords. This one is also easy to dodge. Just pay attention to which part of the path is clear and hold on until the attack is over.

Also, be careful with her grab attack, which she usually uses from a distance. She pushes herself towards you, and this attack does massive damage.

Strategy

Defeating Pieta is difficult. Therefore, you must seize the right moment to attack and use your three Sanguinarix charges wisely.

In First Phase, you’d better stay close to her. Her swing combos are relatively easy to dodge, and they also give you a significant chance to hit some hits.

Sometimes you may need to step back to replenish energy or heal, but be aware that she may unleash a beam or linear sword attack.

Pieta will usually transition to Second Phase when half of her health is depleted, but sometimes she may transition earlier, so stay alert.

When she transforms into Four-Winged Angel-Type Knight, your best bet is to avoid it and let her finish the falling sword attack. Trying to attack her during this transformation won’t hurt her, so it’s best to take a step back, regain your strength and always be ready to attack.

In Second Phase, Pieta becomes more aggressive and agile, often flying around the arena and approaching you. However, the opening that follows her swinging combo is the moment you should be waiting for. And taking risks at other times can leave you vulnerable.

This battle requires patience, so resist the urge to be greedy, as it can be your downfall. Stay alert, learn her attack patterns, and remember that we can easily dodge most attacks. You can wait for these gaps and damage her if necessary, and eventually you will defeat Pieta.

Rewards

After defeating Pieta, your rewards will include 1 Vestige Seed and 8 Umbral Scouring. However, there is more to LotF Vigor to gain.

By entering Umbral, you will interact with Umbral memory. Upon completion you will receive Remembrance of Pieta, She of Blessed Renewal.

One thing I haven’t seen a lot of discussion about after BlizzCon is over, and that’s what they’re testing in Season 3.

With BlizzCon, it gave us a kind of roadmap. It shows the new content we got in Season 2 and a bunch of upcoming content in Season 3.

Runes Are Coming To Season 3？

In addition to the actual images of Season 3, we also checked a lot of related information. If you really look at the symbols with Season 3 names edited out, you’ll see that they look very similar to Runes from previous Diablo games. In fact, if you look up all of Diablo I’s runes, many of them are very similar to these.

Now they’re not accurate copies, but if you took these symbols from Season 3’s graphics and placed them next to Diablo, none of them would be noticeable. Regardless, they do look like a bunch of new Runes.

Now you could say Rune, Rune Words and Runestone are just elements of Diablo game. Even though it’s not a direct game system, I actually think it’s a test. One reason is because I discovered this information a week before BlizzCon. This information is either true or very close to the truth.

One thing mentioned in a bunch of leaks is Runestone, and not just Runestone. We’re not sure if this is an expansion pack or Season 3 feature. But this likely indicates that it will reintroduce Rune system in Season 3.

Rune System Explanation

This isn’t actually the first time we’ve mentioned Rune in Diablo I. If you really go back to when Diablo I debuted, those first season update runes were actually systems designed for Diablo I. They’ve now actually shown how different it is from other Rune systems.

Rune was also the first system they had demonstrated. You have two different slots on your gear where you would place a Condition Rune and an Effect Rune. 

Condition Rune is when you freeze an enemy, you activate the next slot rune. And Effect Rune that can be combined with it is that when activated, you can reduce the skill cooldown by 15%. The effects it brings become more powerful as you invest in Diablo 4 Gold to re-roll Rune.

Of course, this was the early days of Diablo 4’s release, and they ended up scrapping the system entirely. But in fact, they still hope to add Rune to Diablo I, whether in future seasons or future expansion packs. Because they want to make sure their system is correct.

But with Rune, I’m very aware that this is a seasonal system or a new seasonal progression system. So in my opinion, I do think we have a good chance of getting Rune in Season 3.

Why Won’t Runes Be Added To The Expansion?

But I think there’s some additional information that points to that as well. So first, when we look back at Runes shown in Diablo 4, they scrapped it.

Because the developers feel that their Rune system or Rune concept is not good enough. They want to make sure those players enjoy whatever Rune system they add. And they may not want to completely change the system and just give it a name to make it something completely different.

I think it would be perfect to add Runes during a season so they can add them as a test. If players like it, they can say this system is now permanent. If they get it wrong, they’ll get a lot of negative feedback.

Just because of what Runes mean to the history of Diablo. So they want to add it right into future seasons, but there’s no guarantee it will be an evergreen system. This is one reason I think it would actually add a system like this to seasons rather than expansions.

Because with expansion, any new systems that come with the expansion are now more permanent. But if not, they can always change those systems in the future. It’s just a free testing ground as the season goes on.

I do think this might be a good way to help with itemizing without having to completely overhaul the system. This might just be one more step toward making itemizing more fun. This will change your build or give you a bunch of new powers that can make you make more interesting decisions when choosing a piece of gear than just these stats.

So I’m curious to know what exactly Season 3’s new system is, and whether it will ultimately be Rune. That’s all I want to discuss. Good luck!

Today, I’m going to show you how to earn a decent amount of gold per hour by farming Thick Hide and Pristine Bear Claw.

Location

Currently, my location is actually here in Brightwood, and I’m next to this cave called Greyvale Grotto. I usually start from Settlements.

Now all you have to do is Skinning. Your target is the bear in this area. When you Skinning, they actually give you Thick Hide and Red Meat. Then you also have a chance to get Pristine Bear Claw. It sells for since you can use them to craft Beast Trophies.

On my server, they sell for about 70 New World Coins each. Then you also can get Pristine Bear Pelt, which also sells very well.

Thick Hide is worth approximately 20 coins each. That’s not actually that much, but when you skin these guys, they actually give you a lot of Thick Hide yield.

So I was making about 3K-5K an hour, which is actually a decent amount. Because the economy is really low right now, it’s actually not too bad in terms of the weight of the economy right now.

Route

Next, let’s talk about the route for farming these bears, which will be the route I usually follow when doing so here.

We usually start with Brightwood. Then climb up the cliff and go around this cliff, where you will see your first bear. I’ll kill him and then move on to the rest of this cave. Just a note of caution: skin them all before you leave the cave.

You can also mine ore in caves, which yields a rare ore, Starmetal. You can also farm Starmetal Veins along this route if you wish.

But after killing those bears, I’ll exit the cave on this side. When we come out, you’ll realize there’s actually a group of bears here. I surrounded them, that’s why I suggested using a ranged weapon. It won’t attack these guys in one direction, so you can just round them all up and then skin them when you’re done.

Also Read: Discussion Of Future New World Plans - Artifact Drop Rate & Perk Adjustments

We can catch two more bears here. You’ll find one next to Wyrdwood Tree nearby. To find another one, you need to go down this hill and to the roadside to the left of the pond, where there is another Wyrdwood Tree and the bear is here. We can just round up the bears and skin them.

That’s the route where we’re going to loop all the way back to where we started and do the same thing again. We just ran along the edge of the cliff to the top.

Buffs

We can walk this route again. To take advantage of maximum profit and yield, the buff I use is actually a food buff I use called Savory Fish Cake, for good luck.

I’m also using Powerful Proficiency Boost and Music Buffs, where you gain luck or production by playing music. Either one will give you the same amount of profit.

I also recommend using Skinning Luck Trophies around your house. I own all three main Skinning Luck Trophies. Then you’ll have more luck when you’re marked for PVP.

Like I said, this route makes me 3K-5K an hour on my server's Castle of Steel. But it depends on how much Pristine Bear Claw we get. That concludes this guide. Hurry up and give it a try!