World of Warcraft has just revealed Patch 11.2, Ghosts of K’aresh, which brings players to the shattered homeworld of the Ethereals and Brokers. The update culminates in a climactic battle against the Shadowguard as they seek to revive Dimensius, the All-Devouring, in the Manaforge Omega raid. Alongside this new raid, Blizzard has introduced a special Renown track called Manaforge Vandals, which offers players a range of unlockable buffs, convenience features, and rewards as they progress through the 15-tier track.
The Manaforge Vandals are a group of K’areshi who seek to defeat Nexus-King Salhadaar and his Shadowguard by any means necessary, even if it means using underhanded tactics and sabotage. By raising their Renown through this track, players can unlock a variety of rewards, including raid skips and teleports, quality-of-life improvements like auctioneers inside the raid instance, damage and speed buffs during combat encounters, and even cosmetics like pets, mounts, and titles.
Here’s a breakdown of the Manaforge Vandals Raid Renown Track in WoW Patch 11.2:
- Renown Level 1: Auctioneer and vendors in raid
- Renown Level 2: Loomi'thar drops Loombeast Silk for cloak appearances
- Renown Level 3: Non-bosses in Cultivation Chambers and Unbound Vault weakened; +15% movement speed after defeating non-boss enemies in raid
- Renown Level 4: +3% damage/healing in raid; In-raid Hearthstone
- Renown Level 5: Raid skip after defeating Nexus-King Salhadaar once
- Renown Level 6: Enchantments and mana oils improved in raid; Reshii Wraps secondary stat boost in raid
- And so on, with rewards like mounts, pets, titles, and increased damage/healing buffs at higher levels.
While the exact metrics for earning reputation with the Manaforge Vandals are currently unclear, players can expect to get it from defeating challenging enemies and bosses within the new World of Warcraft raid. Renown levels are likely to be timegated on a weekly basis, similar to the Galagio Loyalty Rewards Club – but with five fewer tiers to unlock, fans will ostensibly be able to max out the Manaforge Vandals over a month faster than its predecessor.
The Manaforge Vandals are just one of two Renown tracks coming in Patch 11.2. The K’aresh Trust is a new overworld Renown faction that allows players to unlock rewards and special features for overworld activities in K’aresh through this Renown track. With plenty of things to do in Ghosts of K’aresh, it seems like Blizzard plans to continue refining this raid buff system in the future. Players should not be surprised if iterations of it appear in World of Warcraft: Midnight as well.
