Shadowlands Season 4 Breakdown - Fated Raids, Mythic+ Affix, PvP Item Level Breakdown

Live Posted 2022/07/28 at 3:27 PM by Anshlun

Shadowlands Season 4 includes eight returning dungeons from earlier expansions, new seasonal rewards, all-new affixes, and fabulous rewards. Read on for more details!
Fated RaidsIn the aftermath of our climatic battle in Zereth Mortis, the power of the First Ones is echoing across the Shadowlands, empowering some familiar raid settings and the rewards within. Each week, one of the three Shadowlands raids (Castle Nathria, Sanctum of Domination or Sepulcher of the First Ones) will become Fated, along with any World Bosses associated with those raids. The World Bosses in Shadowlands and their associated raids are:Castle Nathria

Valinor, the Light of Eons
Mortanis
Oranomonos the Everbranching
Nurgash Muckformed

Note that only one of these bosses will be available at a time during a Castle Nathria Fated week.Sanctum of Domination

Mor'geth, Tormentor of the Damned

Sepulcher of the First Ones

Antros

Sire Denathrius awaits you in Castle Nathria
Face Sylvanas Windrunner in the Sanctum of Domination
End the Jailer in the Sepulcher of the First Ones
How Do Fated Raids Work?Each week, one raid will be marked as Fated. You may enter a Fated raid in any difficulty (Raid Finder, Normal, Heroic or Mythic). Note that while a raid is marked as Fated, you cannot enter its non-Fated version until the following week when another raid becomes Fated—so plan your transmogrification and achievement runs accordingly! You can find our Fated raid schedule here.Once you enter a Fated raid, you’ll notice that all enemies and bosses will have adjusted stats—the goal here isn’t to make your raid group go through progression again; we’re aiming to provide a proper but not insurmountable challenge for those already experienced with the encounters.Each boss encounter will be empowered by one of four unique Fated Powers. These will vary from boss to boss and week to week, presenting challenges for your raid group that reward Fated Infusions, temporary powerful auras for your efforts. Should you conquer any boss in a Fated raid, you’ll receive rewards according to the difficulty level you’ve completed them in. The item level distribution for Fated raids is as follows:

Raid Finder: 265-272
Normal: 278-285
Heroic: 291-297
Mythic: 304-311

All gear obtained in Fated raids can be converted into set pieces at the Creation Catalyst.
Puzzling Cartel DinarsSeason 4 features a trio of broker vendors suspiciously skulking around the Great Vault. Each of these brokers has wares from one of the three Shadowlands raids. They will sell trinkets, weapons, and other special items from their respective raid. Each item will have the same price: a single Puzzling Cartel Dinar. You can obtain Puzzling Cartel Dinars by entering any Fated raid in Season 4 and completing the required 3-part questline. But there’s a catch: you will only be able to get three Puzzling Cartel Dinar for the entire season.After spending your last Dinar, the brokers leave town and take their wares with them. Items sold by these vendors will be at the Season 4 Normal Fated item level range of 278-285, depending on the item.
Heroic & Mythic Upgrade ItemsRaiders can upgrade raid loot as they move up in difficulty. In Season 4, defeating bosses on Heroic or Mythic difficulty will drop either Confounding Antique Cypher (on Heroic) or Confounding Ancient Cypher (on Mythic). Combine 20 Cyphers to upgrade gear to their Heroic or Mythic versions.Unlike the Puzzling Cartel Dinar above, which has a quest you must complete to earn them over time, these Cyphers will begin as guaranteed drops as soon as Season 4 begins. This will allow you to capture effort progressing week over week from the get-go. These upgrade items will work on any item with a ‘Fated’ tag, including those sold by the broker vendors mentioned above.
Fated Raid RewardsSeveral new rewards can be obtained by achieving the following Feats of Strength during Season 4:

Fates of the Shadowlands Raids – Clear all 3 Fated raids on Normal difficulty.

Rewards the Jigglesworth Sr. mount.

Jigglesworth Sr., obtained by completing all Fated raids on Normal Difficulty.

Heroic: Fates of the Shadowlands Raids – Clear all 3 Fated raids on Heroic difficulty.

Rewards the "Hero of Fate" title.

Mythic: Fates of the Shadowlands Raids – Clear all 3 Fated raids on Mythic difficulty.

Rewards three teleports to each Shadowlands raid location on the character that earned the achievement.

New Dungeon RotationSeason 4 features a new dungeon rotation for Mythic+. New Mythic Dungeon Keystones obtained from Shadowlands dungeons will be for one of the following dungeons:

Tazavesh: Streets of Wonder (from the Shadowlands expansion)
Tazavesh: So'leah’s Gambit (from the Shadowlands expansion)
Operation Mechagon: Junkyard (from the Battle for Azeroth™ expansion)
Operation Mechagon: Workshop (from the Battle for Azeroth™ expansion)
Return to Karazhan: Lower (from the Legion™ expansion)
Return to Karazhan: Upper (from the Legion™ expansion)
Grimrail Depot (from the Warlords of Draenor™ expansion)
Iron Docks (from the Warlords of Draenor™ expansion)

Operation Mechagon, one of the dungeons returning in Season 4
New Mythic Keystone Affix: ShroudedNathrezim infiltrators have disguised themselves among certain non-boss enemies in dungeons. You can see through their clever disguises if you pay close attention. Defeat these impostors, and a Cartel Ta member will capture them and allow you a choice of bounties that will enhance a secondary stat of your choice. You’ll also receive a hefty Bounty Payment that quickly restores health and mana.
Mythic+ RewardsThe following rewards can be obtained by completing Mythic Keystone Dungeons in Season 4:

Shadowlands Keystone Conqueror: Season Four – Attain a Mythic+ Rating of at least 1500 during Shadowlands Season Four.

Rewards "The Shrouded" title.

Shadowlands Keystone Master: Season Four – Attain a Mythic+ Rating of at least 2000 during Shadowlands Season Four.

Rewards the Restoration Deathwalker mount.

Restoration Deathwalker, one of the Mythic+ Rewards in Season 4

Keystone Hero: Iron Docks/Grimrail Depot/Return to Karazhan/Operation: Mechagon/Tazavesh, the Veiled Market – Completing Season 4 dungeons at Mythic Level 20 or higher within the time limit.

Rewards dungeon teleports to the dungeons completed.

Shrouded Hero: Shadowlands Season Four – End Shadowlands Mythic+ Season 4 with a Mythic+ Rating in the top 0.1% of all players in your region.

Rewards the "Shrouded Hero" title.

New PvP SeasonA new PvP Season will also kick off, allowing heroes all over Azeroth a chance to obtain glory in the Arenas and Battlegrounds. The new item level caps for Honor and Conquest gear shakes up as follows:
Honor Gear (Eternal Combatant)

Upgrade Level	Item Level	PvP Item Level
1	229	255
2	236	268
3	242	272
4	249	275
5	255	278
6	262	281
7	268	285

Conquest Gear (Eternal Gladiator)

Rating Requirement	Rated Rank	Item Level	PvP Item Level
Unranked	275	288
1000	Combatant I	278	291
1200	Combatant II	281	294
1400	Challenger I	285	298
1600	Challenger II	288	301
1800	Rival I	291	304
1950	Rival II	294	307
2100	Duelist	298	311
2400	Gladiator	301	311

Mount and Title RewardsObtaining the Eternal Gladiator: Shadowlands Season 4 Feat of Strength at the end of the Season will award you the Eternal Gladiator's Soul Eater mount and the Eternal Gladiator title. In addition, a new mount—the Vicious Warstalker—can be obtained by participating in rated PvP matches (Arenas or Rated Battlegrounds).
And What About…

Legendary Ranks?

There won’t be a new Legendary Rank in Season 4.

Crafter’s Mark?

There won’t be a new Crafter’s Mark in Season 4.

Conduits?

There won’t be new Conduits or Conduit upgrades in Season 4.

Sockets?

Sockets are obtained in the same way as they were in Season 3.

Mythic Keystones?

Just like previous Seasons, Mythic Dungeon Keystones obtained from the Great Vault on the first week of the Season will be at a lower level than usual to account for the increased challenge.

Raid Shortcuts?

Any raid shortcuts you have unlocked in Castle Nathria, Sanctum of Domination, and Sepulcher of the First Ones will be available to you when you enter the Fated versions of those raids.

Great Vault Raid Loot?

Great Vault raid rewards will pull from all Fated bosses you've defeated across the entire Season, regardless of which raid is currently Fated.

The focus of Season 4 is earning new gear through a remixed raid and dungeon experience, and PvP. Any obligation to retread familiar Shadowlands systems in order to keep pace feels contrary to that focus, and in order to provide the best experience, we've decided to leave those systems unchanged.
Going Out With a BangSeason 4 presented a unique opportunity for the WoW Development Team to try some experimental changes that might have been too volatile for a regular Season. We hope you enjoy playing it as much as we enjoyed creating it. We'll see you in the afterlife, hero!

Comment by NeoszI remember when Legendaries used to be our best items, not our worst. #GoodOl'Days!

Just hotfix them as they did in legion, no reason for a Legendary item to be junk :c 320ilvl and we gucci.Comment by Chaosgenesisso now the 291 legendary will be the weakest piece in most peoples gear after a couple weeks :oComment by SneakybeakySo do the raid upgrade cyphers only drop from that weeks fated raid or (please no) do they drop from all 3 raids allowing you to run all 3 raids each week to accumulate cyphers?Comment by AydinBiberso now the 291 legendary will be the weakest piece in most peoples gear after a couple weeks :oComment by IDEA7cleanComment by Artek88"creation" of the new ksm mount for each season in sl is just shocking...Comment by Mardux11I remember when Legendaries used to be our best items, not our worst. #GoodOl'Days!

Just hotfix them as they did in legion, no reason for a Legendary item to be junk :c 320ilvl and we gucci.Comment by CuddlebunzLooking forward to the new affix and running Kara dungeons again!

Just a heads up.. the official Season 4 notes on the forums say:

"All 3 Shadowlands raid rewards will be available in the Great Vault. The Great Vault rules will stay the same and only the bosses that have been defeated that week will be available as possible rewards the following week."

While this post says:

"Great Vault raid rewards will pull from all Fated bosses you've defeated across the entire Season, regardless of which raid is currently Fated."Comment by TecuaniSo legendaries will be equivalent to Heroic gear (ignoring final bosses level boost). They'll still be best due to their benefits, kinda mixed feelings though, would like a way to boost them, however I am glad they didn't extend the massive gold sink that are SL Legendaries.Comment by xDomPLEASE change the color of the Eternal Gladiator mount! It is hideous poop color, and no high end pvper even likes this color! Why do the m+ players get their mount recolored because it was ugly, but our gladiator mount has to stay some ugly color? This is unfair treatment.Comment by Nyko7I really like the sound of new gearing vendors. Hopefully it stays in the game in DF tooComment by FooysariWhy does the slime cat mount in the picture look like a saber tooth tiger and not the cute kitten cat they had previously in images for it?Comment by wingram"Unlike the Puzzling Cartel Dinar above, which has a quest you must complete to earn them over time, these Cyphers will begin as guaranteed drops as soon as Season 4 begins."

So where do you pick up this "quest" (for the Dinars)? I've looked around on the PTR and I haven't found it.Comment by MarchesiI just don't see what's the point of not upgrading the leggos.Comment by Tecuani"Unlike the Puzzling Cartel Dinar above, which has a quest you must complete to earn them over time, these Cyphers will begin as guaranteed drops as soon as Season 4 begins."

So where do you pick up this "quest" (for the Dinars)? I've looked around on the PTR and I haven't found it.Comment by DwellingerTo be fair,all of this sounds solid. Only thing i dislike is,we will have our Weekly Raid Vault filled with any item from all 3 raids.Comment by Manthelathe goal here isn’t to make your raid group go through progression again; we’re aiming to provide a proper but not insurmountable challengeComment by pawpurrI just don't see what's the point of not upgrading the leggos.Comment by McitraThis is a nice change overall so you dont have the same raid and dungeon for a long time before the new expansion, how ever the M+ dungeons is the worst combination they could have added.Comment by XeltesWow, so the whole point of the Puzzling Cartel Dinars is so you can buy BiS Items for your class, but hunters are not able to buy the Sylvana's bow because is a legendary on an expansion that was 90% make your own legendary. This makes no sense.