Blizzard has opened the PTR for Patch 12.1.7, Echoes of the Worldcore, a World of Warcraft: Midnight update that sends players back to Dornogal. Xal’atath has breached the Worldcore, and the “Return to Dornogal” campaign follows Arator, Brinthe, Dagran, and Brann as they look for a way through the damaged Coreway. Blizzard’s official overview introduces the update, while its PTR development notes detail the test build.
Alongside the campaign, the update brings Talebound, four Lorewalking stories, returning Turbulent Timeways, and two more Omnium Folio runes. The PTR notes also cover changes to Housing, professions, and the interface.
Talebound turns eerie stories into a PvE adventure
Talebound is a new PvE action RPG mode that players can tackle alone or with friends. Its dark tales include enemy and boss fights, puzzles, treasure, and relics. Completing quests, achievements, and story progress earns Bound Silver, a Warband-bound currency used for cosmetic rewards. Ducats can be exchanged for resources needed to advance through the mode. After finishing a tale, players return to Quillgrave to collect rewards, with cosmetics available through the Talebound store or from Nib.
Turbulent Timeways returns for eight weeks
Turbulent Timeways begins with the update and runs for eight weeks. Completing Timewalking dungeons builds a stacking Knowledge of the Timeways buff, with each dungeon granting 5%. After four dungeons, it upgrades to Mastery of the Timeways, which grants 30% experience gain for the buff’s duration. Players can earn the Markeet of the Infinite Skyriding Mount by completing the “Master of the Turbulent Timeways VI” achievement, which requires maintaining Mastery of the Timeways for any four weeks during the event.
Timewalking vendors will also carry new Housing Decor. For a limited time, the Timewalking quests in Silvermoon City will offer increased rewards, including a Heroic-level Cache of Quel’Thalas Treasures.
Lorewalking and the Omnium Folio
Four Lorewalking stories revisit Jaina, Thrall, the Titans, and Keeper Tyr. Players level 10 and above can begin with Apprentice Lorewalker Li Li Stormstout. Lorewalking can be paused and resumed, but other quests cannot progress during a session, and starting a different story before finishing the first resets its progress. The Omnium Folio also gains two Motes of Omnial Inquiry and two runes, including effects that can add damage or healing to certain Core Runes.
Patch Notes for World of Warcraft 12.1.7
The next Midnight content update, Echoes of the Worldcore, invites you back to Dornogal to unravel how to access the Coreway—and the Worldcore beyond it.
STORY CAMPAIGN: “THE RETURN TO DORNAGAL”
The Worldcore has been breached by Xal’atath, and the only way to it is through the damaged Coreway in Dornogal. Help Arator, Brinthe, Dagran, and Brann unravel how to access the Coreway—and the Worldcore beyond.
A FRESH SET OF LOREWALKING QUESTS
Meet with Apprentice Lorewalker Li Li Stormstout in Stormwind, Orgrimmar, or Stormwind City to experience iconic lore moments in Azeroth as part of the Echoes of the Worldcore content update.
Players level 10 and above can explore four storylines, carefully curated by Li Li, to learn more about these characters:
- Jaina: Jaina Proudmoore is one of the most powerful human mages on Azeroth, and her story has been filled with loss, struggle, and triumph. How has the Daughter of the Sea impacted the course of history?
- Thrall: Thrall has been many things: slave, warchief, shaman, father, and farmer. How has he navigated impossible choices? How have his actions shaped him and those around him?
- Titans: The Titans are one of the most powerful beings known to us. How did we learn about them? Where do they come from? And most importantly, what are their true goals?
- Tyr: Recently restored, the titan keeper Tyr has had more impact on the history of Azeroth than many realize. But what does his return mean for our world’s future?
Apprentice Lorewalker Li Li Stormstout will guide you through the stories she has to share. You can ask questions about key elements of the story whenever you’d like by clicking the Ask a Question button in the Lorewalking UI just below the minimap. You can also exit the story at any time by clicking the X in the UI.
You can repeat these experiences as many times as you like. Please note that while Lorewalking, you won’t be able to undertake or progress through any other quests. However, you can pause Lorewalking and return to it at any time to continue your journey through the story. If you start a different Lorewalking story before finishing the first, all progress will be reset.
THE OMNIUM FOLIO EXPANDS
With the Echoes of the Worldcore content update, players can earn two additional Motes of Omnial Inquiry, and two additional runes have been added:
- Rune of Empowerment
- Your Rune of Critical Power/Burning Haste/Masterful Cunning/Versatile Warrior grants 20% more of the stat.
- Rune of Critical Mass
- When your Core Rune (Rune of Void-Touched Orbs) deals damage or healing, it has a chance to call down 3 orbs that deal Void damage to enemies or restore health to allies within 5 yards.
- When your Core Rune (Rune of Unleashed Fire) deals damage or healing, it has a chance to blast the area, dealing Fire damage split among enemies or restoring health split among allies within 10 yards.
You can learn more about the Sunstrider Omnium and its history by speaking with Magister Umbric, Grand Magister Rommath, or Custodian Veldharin in the Lycaneum on the Isle of Quel’Danas. The Omnium Folio overview provides more background on the system.
HOUSING
- Fixed an issue that was causing decor to rotate when converting between rotation formats. The next time a player edits their house, all of the decor will be saved in the new format. From that point forward, decor should no longer have the possibility of rotating on load.
PROFESSIONS
- Midnight Herbalism
- Increased the amount of Deftness granted from the Bountiful Harvests Specialization.
- Midnight Mining
- Increased the amount of Deftness granted from the Plentiful Ores Specialization.
USER INTERFACE AND ACCESSIBILITY
- EDIT MODE
- Added an option to allow players to have an option to mouse click through the Personal Resource Display.
- Added tooltip clarification informing players that Outfit 1 in your Transmog will be displayed on the WoW Armory website.
PTR KNOWN ISSUES
- Identified an issue impacting the skyboxes in Kalimdor and the Eastern Kingdoms for players using Mac clients.
Which part of Echoes of the Worldcore are you most interested in seeing play out? Stay connected for more on the Dornogal campaign and the PTR’s changes to Housing, professions, and interface settings on X, Bluesky, YouTube, Instagram, Steam, and Telegram.
