WoW Midnight: the Ringed Isle guide — what to do during week 0 of patch 12.1

Patch 12.1 "The Curse of Ula'tek" is rolling out on European realms. And it arrives with a quirk many players will discover as soon as they log in: Season 2 doesn't start today. It kicks off on August 19. The week ahead is a week 0, a catch-up week — and that's exactly what makes it valuable.

Here's how to make the most of it on the Ringed Isle, the new max-level zone, without wasting time on activities that won't count.

Unlocking access: the introductory quest and the portals

The Ringed Isle is located east of Zul'Aman. Access requires an introductory quest, "Return to Amani'Zar", automatically offered to level 90 characters. Prerequisite: having completed the prologue released with 12.0.7.

Good news for multi-character accounts: once the fog clears over the island, access becomes permanent for the whole account, via a network of portals linking the island to Silvermoon. So do the unlock once and for all with your main character; your alts won't have to start from scratch.

The campaign: four chapters now, two more later

The 12.1 campaign has six chapters, but not all of them are open yet. Chapters 1 through 4 are available immediately; chapters 5 and 6 only unlock once the Venomous Abyss raid opens, starting August 19.

Don't put off the first four, though: they hand out gear at item level 256 to 292 and a comfortable head start on reputation. For a character coming out of Season 1 in outdated gear, it's the fastest way to get back above water before Mythic+ keys resume.

The Forces of Zul'jarra: the reputation that shapes the zone

The new faction is called the Forces of Zul'jarra. The narrative premise: rallying the Amani trolls against the threat of Ula'tek. In practice, it's the bar that gates most of the zone's rewards.

It rises through four channels: the campaign, weekly quests, expeditions, and zone activities. The rates worth knowing:

• Repelling the curse waves (weekly): 1,000 reputation points;
• Vault clearing (weekly): 500 points;
• Final campaign chapter: 1,500 points;
• Captain Tokka's fishing quests (two per day) and Atal'Utek Vaults quests (two per day) for the daily top-up.

Captain Tokka, a Tortollan settled on the island, holds the secondary storyline: you build reputation with his crew and learn to fish in the island's cursed waters. It's the most laid-back content in the patch, and it feeds into the same bar.

The Atal'Utek Vaults: three formats, one goal

The Atal'Utek Vaults are the main outdoor activity hub on the Ringed Isle. They come in three tiers, from most solo-friendly to most group-oriented:

• Patrols — soloable, about ten minutes, for 20 Corrosive Coins;
• Assaults — in a small group;
• Incursions — in a full raid.

The Corrosive Coins you collect there are used to upgrade the Altar of Corrosion. It's the zone's long-term project: starting it this week, while nothing else is demanding your time, saves you from having to catch up on it in the middle of Season 2, when mythic keys and the raid will already be eating up all your evenings.

The dungeon, the lair, and the Gouffres: what's open right now

The patch adds a new three-boss dungeon, the Altar of Hooks, available in Normal and Heroic starting today. It only joins the Mythic+ rotation at the start of Season 2, a week later. In other words: this week is the ideal time to learn it cold, with no timer or affix.

On the outdoor side, the Tidal Cave Lair and the new Season 2 Gouffres round things out. The Gouffres require Vault Key Fragments to unlock their rewards, and once the season launches you'll need to aim for level 11 and beyond to earn Heroic and Mythic tokens.

The week's plan, activity by activity

Concretely, over the seven days between now and the launch of Season 2:

• Unlock the island with your main character and clear chapters 1 through 4 of the campaign, for 256-292 gear;
• Complete both weekly reputation quests — "Push Back the Waves of Curses" and "Vault Cleanup" — which together grant 1,500 points;
• Run the Patrols to kickstart the Altar of Corrosion;
• Learn the Altar of Hooks on Heroic, while there's nothing at stake;
• Don't overinvest in current gear: Season 2 starts at ilvl 292 and climbs past 344 by the end of the season. What you pick up this week is fuel, not a final outfit.

What the zone offers in the long run

For collectors, the Coiled Isle is generous: 10 mounts, 20 pets, 10 toys, 4 titles, 4 armor sets, 46 Player Housing decorations, and 33 achievements. The decorations deserve special mention: housing keeps growing patch after patch, and some of these items come from zone activities rather than instances.

Three currencies coexist, and it's best not to mix them up: Corrosive Coins (Altar of Corrosion), Vault Key Fragments (Gouffres), and Void Light Marl (gear upgrades).

The schedule to remember

From August 12 to 19, it's week 0: campaign, reputation, exploration, no timer. August 19 opens Season 2, the Venomous Abyss, the Mythic+ rotation, and the campaign's last two chapters. The week of August 26 kicks off standard progression, Heroic raid then Mythic.

The temptation right now is to do everything at once. The real gain from this week is arriving at August 19 with reputation already underway, the Altar of Corrosion started, and the new dungeon already learned.