The power that never drops from a boss: enchants, gems, embellishments, and consumables. These are the upgrades people forget — and the gap between a geared character and a finished one.
Defaults that fit most specs, and where to look when they don't. Weapon is the most spec-dependent slot — sim it.
| Slot | Default pick | Effect & alternatives |
|---|---|---|
| Weapon | Enchant Weapon - Rite of the Hash'eyNew in 12.1 | Chance to gain random secondaries, favoring your highest while above 80% health. Recipe from Jan'sari the Watchful on the Coiled Isle (Renown 5, Zul'jarra's Forces). Alternatives by spec: Berserker's Rage (Haste — e.g. Arms), Jan'alai's Precision (Crit — e.g. Marksmanship), Arcane Mastery (Mastery — e.g. Augmentation), Acuity of the Ren'dorei (Strength — e.g. Brewmaster). |
| Helm | Enchant Helm - Empowered Hex of Leeching | Leech, plus healing when defeating enemies outdoors in a Midnight zone. Empowered Rune of Avoidance (Avoidance + speed burst on kills) and Empowered Blessing of Speed (Speed + Vigor charge on kills) are the alternatives; the choice is largely personal preference. |
| Shoulders | Enchant Shoulders - Amirdrassil's Grace or Silvermoon's Mending | Tertiary stats: Avoidance (Amirdrassil's Grace, Nature's Grace), Leech (Silvermoon's Mending, Thalassian Recovery), or Speed (Akil'zon's Swiftness, Flight of the Eagle). |
| Chest | Enchant Chest - Mark of the Worldsoul | Primary stat — the default for nearly every spec. (Mark of Nalorakk, Mark of the Magister, Mark of the Rootwarden cover niche cases.) |
| Legs | Blood Knight's Armor Kit / Sunfire Silk Spellthread | Leatherworking kits for Strength/Agility (Blood Knight's, Forest Hunter's, Thalassian Scout Armor Kit); Tailoring spellthreads for Intellect (Sunfire Silk, Arcanoweave, Bright Linen Spellthread). |
| Boots | Enchant Boots - Lynx's Dexterity | Avoidance + Stamina. Alternatives: Shaladrassil's Roots (Leech + Stamina), Farstrider's Hunt (Speed + Stamina). |
| Rings | Enchant Ring - Eyes of the Eagle | Critical Strike effectiveness — distinct from plain Crit, and the most common default. Swap to Zul'jin's Mastery, Silvermoon's Alacrity, Silvermoon's Tenacity, or Nature's Fury to match your stat priority. |
Standard enchants come from Enchanting; armor kits from Leatherworking; spellthreads from Tailoring. Profession-tool enchants (Amani Perception, Haranir Finesse, etc.) only boost profession stats — they are not combat upgrades.
Flawless cuts are the top tier. One unique Eversong Diamond plus color-matched secondary gems is the standard setup.
| Gemstone | First stat | Cut adjective = second stat |
|---|---|---|
| Garnet | Critical Strike | Deadly = Crit · Quick = Haste · Masterful = Mastery · Versatile = Versatility Always buy the Flawless version — e.g. Flawless Deadly Garnet, Flawless Quick Amethyst, Flawless Masterful Peridot, Flawless Versatile Lapis. Non-Flawless cuts are weaker. |
| Amethyst | Mastery | |
| Peridot | Haste | |
| Lapis | Versatility |
Socket your two best secondary stats — the exact cuts are spec-dependent (tanks often mix in Versatile cuts). Heliotrope gems are PvP-only; ignore them for raid and Mythic+.
The most primary stat. The safe default most Season 2 guides recommend.
Primary stat plus Crit effect per unique gem color — can beat Indecipherable with balanced colors, but it is gear-dependent.
Primary stat plus mana per unique gem color — popular with mana-hungry casters.
Primary stat plus movement speed per unique gem color.
Crafted gear with built-in or added bonus effects — the biggest "free" power most players leave on the table.
You may equip a maximum of two embellished items at once — a third grants nothing. Embellishments come two ways: gear with a built-in effect, and optional crafting reagents added at craft time. Place crafting work orders with Mar'nah in Silvermoon City.
| Reagent | Effect |
|---|---|
| Hunter's Ritual Stone12.1 | Blacksmithing. Random secondary stat — 50% stronger during outdoor Prey Hunts. |
| Adorned Fang12.1 | Leatherworking. Haste proc with an increased chance as the target's health falls. |
| Snakeskin Lining12.1 | Tailoring. Applies Corrosive Acid that can detonate for splash damage. |
| Polished Ammolite12.1 | Jewelcrafting. Critical strikes stack a Crit blessing; at max stacks, crits trigger burst damage. |
| Coiled Snake-Eye12.1 | Engineering (gun embellishment). Random secondary proc; grants your highest secondary instead when triggered by a critical strike. |
| Reagent | Effect |
|---|---|
| Darkmoon Sigil: Hunt | Creature-type-dependent secondary-stat proc — weapon only. A common Season 2 weapon pick (e.g. Fury Warrior). |
| Darkmoon Sigil: Void / Rot / Blood | Void: stacking Versatility. Rot: stacking Nature damage-over-time. Blood: boosts your lowest secondaries; an ally's death triggers a highest-secondary effect. |
| Arcanoweave Lining | Tailoring (armor pieces). Mana wyrm proc grants primary stat to you and an ally. A staple second embellishment (e.g. Fury bracers, Affliction cloak/bracers, Guardian 2×). |
| Sunfire Silk Lining | Tailoring (armor pieces). Periodic healing/damage can stack primary stat. |
| Devouring Banding | Devouring Bolts damage enemies and boost your highest secondary stat. |
| Primal Spore Binding | Explosive Spores heal allies or damage enemies. |
| Blessed Pango Charm | Your helpful spells can grant Versatility to the target — a healer-oriented option. |
| Stabilizing Gemstone Bandolier | Jewelcrafting. Doubles Jewelcrafting embellishment effects. |
| Prismatic Focusing Iris | Jewelcrafting. Damage proc scaling with unique gem colors. |
Inscription-crafted optional reagents that set the secondary stats on a crafted piece:
| Missive | Stats |
|---|---|
| Thalassian Missive of the Aurora | Versatility + Haste |
| Thalassian Missive of the Fireflash | Critical Strike + Haste |
| Thalassian Missive of the Feverflare | Mastery + Haste |
| Thalassian Missive of the Harmonious | Versatility + Mastery |
| Thalassian Missive of the Peerless | Critical Strike + Mastery |
High-track Season 2 crafts use a Spark of Tides plus Mistcrests for Hero/Myth track (Champion-track crafts use Sparks without Mistcrests). Spend order: a weak weapon or critically low item-level slot first, then your proven embellishment combo, then stat-profile gaps.
What to have running before every pull: flask, combat potion, weapon buff, food, and an augment rune.
Pick by stat — treat flasks as swappable gear and sim which secondary wins for your spec:
| Flask | Stat |
|---|---|
| Flask of the Blood Knights | Haste |
| Flask of the Magisters | Mastery |
| Flask of the Shattered Sun | Critical Strike |
| Flask of Thalassian Resistance | Versatility |
Vicious Thalassian Flask of Honor is PvP-only. Note that in Midnight, phials are profession/crafting consumables — not combat.
| Potion | Effect |
|---|---|
| Potion of Recklessness | Large amount of your highest secondary, lose a small amount of your lowest, for 30s — strong, but demands secondary-stat management. |
| Light's Potential | Primary stat for 30s. The easy-to-use option. |
| Draught of Rampant Abandon | Primary stat for 30s, but occasionally summons a silenced void zone. |
| Liquid Luster12.1 | Stacking Versatility buff. |
| Alluring Nostrum12.1 | Shadow damage to your current target and nearby enemies. |
| Potion of Zealotry | Stacking Holy damage to a single target; resets on target change. |
| Light's Preservation | Damage absorb shield. |
| Concentrated Silvermoon Health Potion12.1 | The current health potion. Lightfused Mana Potion and Potion of Devoured Dreams cover mana. |
| Item | Effect |
|---|---|
| Thalassian Phoenix Oil | Enchanting. +Crit and Haste for 2 hours, lasts through death — the default for most specs. Dual-wielders apply it to both weapons. |
| Smuggler's Enchanted Edge / Oil of Dawn | Chance for extra Arcane damage / chance to grant an absorb shield. |
| Refulgent Whetstone / Refulgent Weightstone | Blacksmithing. +Attack Power for 1 hour — whetstone for bladed weapons (swords, daggers, axes, polearms, fist), weightstone for blunt (maces, staves). |
| Smuggler's Lynxeye / Farstrider's Hawkeye | Engineering. Hunter-only ammo replacing oils (+Mastery / +Critical Strike). Hunters also use scopes — Laced Zoomshots (Nature DoT), Weighted Boomshots (AoE Fire) — instead of weapon enchants. |
Enhancement Shamans use no oil (Windfury and Flametongue Weapon instead).
| Food | Buff |
|---|---|
| Amani Cornucopia, Loa's Gathering12.1, Feast of Knowledge12.1, Blooming Feast, Quel'dorei Medley | Feasts: highest secondary + Stamina. |
| Silvermoon Parade, Harandar Celebration | Feasts: main stat + Stamina. |
| Royal Roast / Impossibly Royal Roast | Primary stat. The Hearty version persists through death and is the best non-feast option. |
| Flora Frenzy, Champion's Bento, Puffer Plate12.1, Sweet-And-Sour Skewers, Venom-Spiced Cutlets | Highest secondary stat. |
Hearty foods are crafted from 5 base foods and aren't straightforward to buy on the Auction House — Cooking is worth having. Dual-stat foods (e.g. Hearthflame Supper, Bloodthistle-Wrapped Cutlets, Wise Tails) exist for fine-tuning.
Void-Touched Augment Rune — primary stat for 1 hour, the only augment rune in Midnight. It does not persist through death, so use it sparingly unless rich.
Raid convenience: Cauldron of Sin'dorei Flasks and Voidlight Potion Cauldron let the party take the flask or potion of their choice.
Upgrade tracks, Vault thresholds, tier acquisition, and the drops worth prioritizing.
Five track-locked tiers — Adventurer, Veteran, Champion, Hero, Myth — each only upgrades its own track, at 20 crests per upgrade level plus a small gold fee. There are no Valorstones in Season 2.
Raid slots unlock at 2, 4, and 6 eligible Venomous Abyss boss kills; Mythic+ slots unlock at 1, 4, and 8 dungeons. Check the Vault before spending crests on anything it might replace.
Tier tokens drop from five bosses: Entombed Sentinels (Hands), The Lost Explorers (Shoulders), Vashnik the Malignant (Chest), Sszorak (Legs), The Twin Fangs (Helm) — plus the flexible Slumbering Coil Curio from Ula'tek. See every Season 2 drop in the loot browser, and the raid boss guides, before you spend. A Revival Catalyst exists in Silvermoon City for converting eligible gear into tier pieces; its exact Season 2 charge cadence is unconfirmed, so check in-game.
Remember: Thalassian Token of Merit can be taken from the weekly Great Vault instead of an item — six of them buy a Radiant Jewelbinder socket.
Sources. Method's Midnight consumables/enchants/gems and embellishment guides; Wowhead's Fury Warrior 12.1 enchants & gems guide; Icy Veins profession and class guides for 12.1; Overgear's Midnight guides; wow-professions.com's 12.1 profession changes; Blizzard's Coiled Isle article. Exact stat values on enchants and gems, Season 2 Vantus Runes, the Revival Catalyst's Season 2 cadence, a Season 2–specific socket item, and the Quickblade missive's stat pair could not be confirmed from available sources — check in-game where flagged.