Mists of Pandaria Classic Phase 3 went live on December 9th at 3:00 pm PST. The update brings two new zones, a 13-boss raid, updated dungeon systems, and class balance changes across all specializations.
The centerpiece is the Throne of Thunder raid, which opened on December 11th. Players face off against Lei Shen, the resurrected Mogu emperor whose rule once terrorized Pandaria. Defeating him on Heroic difficulty unlocks a secret 13th boss encounter.
Isle of Thunder: Assaulting the Thunder King's Fortress
The Isle of Thunder serves as Phase 3's primary quest hub. Players join a coordinated assault on Emperor Lei Shen's island stronghold after the Zandalari trolls resurrect the ancient Mogu ruler. The zone unlocks progressively on a weekly schedule, with features like Stormsea Landing and the world boss Nalak gated behind conquest milestones.
Alliance players join the Kirin Tor Offensive under Jaina Proudmoore. Horde forces align with the Sunreaver Onslaught led by Lor'themar Theron. After both factions establish their footholds, players choose between PvE objectives or PvP-focused quests that pit them against opposing faction NPCs (though killing enemy players also grants credit).
Access starts at the Shado-Pan Garrison in Townlong Steppes. The Thunder Calls quest triggers automatically on login, or players can pick it up manually from Sunwalker Dezco (Horde) or Lyalia (Alliance) in their capital cities.
Conquering the isle unlocks the Lightning Forge. Blacksmiths can craft raid-quality gear and reproduce classic weapons from previous expansions at this special station.
Treasure Room Runs
The Key to the Palace of Lei Shen opens Lei Shen's treasure vaults. Players get five minutes to grab as much loot as possible. Larger chests hold the best rewards, including special keys that unlock chances at epic gear when used at the run's end.
Keys drop from rare spawns, hidden chests around the island, and award satchels from daily quest completion.
Isle of Giants: Dinosaur Hunting Grounds
A second zone appeared north of Kun-Lai Summit. The Isle of Giants houses primal devilsaurs, direhorns, and skyscreamers, many enhanced by Zandalari experimentation. Players must cross fatiguing waters to reach it.
The zone runs on a simple loop: hunt dinosaurs, collect Giant Dinosaur Bones, trade them to Ku'ma for rewards. The Spectral Porcupette pet and Reins of the Bone-White Primal Raptor mount are the main attractions.
Elite dinosaurs drop extra loot. The Primal Egg guarantees one of three Raptor mounts. The Zandalari Dinomancer drops pets and the Hunter-only Ancient Tome of Dinomancy, which teaches Direhorn taming.
Throne of Thunder: 13-Boss Raid Instance
The raid sits on the Isle of Thunder. Lei Shen's citadel sprawls across 12 encounters, with a 13th boss hidden behind Heroic Lei Shen's defeat. According to in-game lore, Lei Shen tore out a Mogu god's heart to gain control over wind and storm. When his followers called him the Lightning King, he rejected the title.
Players earn Shado-Pan Assault reputation exclusively through raid progression. Trash kills and boss defeats both award rep. The faction offers extensive epic gear through two quartermasters: Ao Pye at Niuzao Temple in Townlong Steppes, and Teng of the Flying Daggers beneath the Conqueror's Terrace on the Isle of Thunder.
Thunderforged Gear
All Throne of Thunder boss drops can roll Thunderforged, adding 6 item levels. Heroic gear normally drops at item level 535, but Thunderforged versions hit 541. The mechanic applies to bonus rolls using Mogu Rune of Fate items. Ra-den, the Heroic-only 13th boss, drops exclusively Thunderforged loot at item level 541.
Non-Thunderforged items can be upgraded twice during the first four weeks. Each upgrade costs 250 Valor Points and adds 3 item levels (6 total for 500 Valor Points). On the fifth weekly reset (January 6, 2026), the system swaps to 1000 Justice Points per upgrade.
Two World Bosses
Nalak, the Storm Lord appears on the Isle of Thunder after players conquer it. Lei Shen's personal Cloud Serpent drops Normal Tier 15 legs and gloves alongside extensive PvP gear.
Oondasta roams the Isle of Giants. The Zandalari outfitted this massive devilsaur with battle armor and weaponry. The encounter drops epic item level 522 gear exclusive to this world boss, providing another source of Normal raid-level loot.
Legendary Quest: Crown of Heaven Meta Gem
Wrathion continues his storyline in Phase 3. Players must unlock the Isle of Thunder through the Thunder Calls quest, then start the legendary chapter by accepting Meet Me Upstairs at the Tavern in the Mists in the Veiled Stair.
Reaching Exalted with The Black Prince and collecting Secrets of the Empire from Throne of Thunder completes the quest chain. Wrathion rewards one legendary meta gem (socketable only in Throne of Thunder helmets):
- Indomitable Primal Diamond: +324 Stamina, chance when hit to gain 20% damage reduction
- Courageous Primal Diamond: +324 Intellect, chance on beneficial spell to make spells cost no mana for 4 seconds
- Capacitive Primal Diamond: +324 Crit, chance on melee/ranged hit to gain Capacitance
- Sinister Primal Diamond: +324 Crit, chance on spell damage to gain 30% spell haste
Legendary Quest Changes
Celestial Dungeon end bosses now drop both Sigil of Wisdom and Sigil of Power (previously they had fixed assignments). Secrets of the Empire and Titan Runestones also drop from these bosses.
August Stone Shard costs dropped during Throne of Thunder's Celestial phase. Sigils cost 30 shards (down from 60 fragments). Secrets of the Empire cost 10 shards. Titan Runestones cost 30 shards. Heart of the Thunder King costs 70 shards.
The Battleground quest changed from winning Temple of Kotmogu and Silvershard Mines matches to just playing in them.
Players can re-acquire previous legendary quest rewards (like Sha-touched weapon gems) from the Blacktalon Quartermaster on the Tavern in the Mists' first floor.
Three New Factions
The Kirin Tor Offensive (Alliance) and Sunreaver Onslaught (Horde) serve as operational bases on the Isle of Thunder. Reputation comes from campaign quests and dailies. Both factions sell epic gear and exclusive direhorn mounts: Reins of the Golden Primal Direhorn for Alliance, Reins of the Crimson Primal Direhorn for Horde.
The neutral Shado-Pan Assault represents a specialized force assembled to fight the Thunder King. Reputation gains happen only inside Throne of Thunder through trash clearing, boss kills, and specific quests.
Taking Over Sunsong Ranch
Players who've worked extensively with Sunsong Ranch can now buy the farm from Farmer Yoon. The option unlocks at Exalted with the Tillers after unlocking all 16 farm plots.
Farm ownership converts the farmhouse into a rest point like an inn. Players can bind their hearthstone there and use instant logout. Work orders from Pandaria factions start arriving, and completing them grants reputation boosts.
Celestial Dungeons: Season 2
The Thunder King's influence hits the original Mists dungeons on Celestial difficulty. Season 2 starts the week of December 16, 2025, with each region's weekly reset.
Lightning-Themed Affixes
Might of the Thunder King buffs all enemies with 35% more damage and 125% more health. Lightning Traps cycle throughout each dungeon. Thunderstorms add new weather effects. Summon the Storm triggers every 60 seconds, giving bosses one of three lightning-based abilities.
Each Celestial blessing gains a bonus buff. During combat, the Celestial's power charges, eventually letting players summon a servant that casts a support ability.
- Power of Chi-Ji: Avatar grants weakened Blazing Song to all allies
- Power of Yu'lon: Avatar breathes Jadefire on enemies and amplifies Magic damage for a short time
- Power of Niuzao: Avatar triggers earthquake, stunning nearby enemies and boosting Physical damage against them
- Power of Xuen: Avatar creates lightning vortex, pulling enemies to one point and granting allies weakened Spectral Ferocity
Challenge Mode Platinum Tier
Challenge Modes add a fourth difficulty above Gold. Platinum medals require faster times and unlock extensive rewards.
Each dungeon awards a unique toy on Platinum completion. These toys work only in Challenge Modes but can be used in any Challenge dungeon:
- Temple of the Jade Serpent: Platinum Boots of Expeditious Retreat
- Stormstout Brewery: Platinum "Little Ale"
- Gate of the Setting Sun: Platinum Rod of Ambershaping
- Shado-Pan Monastery: Platinum Potion of Invisibility
- Siege of Niuzao Temple: Platinum Amber
- Mogu'shan Palace: Platinum Battle Horn
- Scholomance: Platinum Vial of Polyformic Acid
- Scarlet Halls: Platinum Battle Banner
- Scarlet Monastery: Platinum Sacrificial Dagger
Platinum Coins Currency
Starting in patch 5.5.3, Challenge Conqueror achievements award Platinum Coins. This currency buys transmog items, toys, mounts, and tabards from vendors in Shrine of the Two Moons and Shrine of Seven Stars. Timed Platinum runs give two extra coins per completion.
The Magic Rooster Egg (an extremely rare mount) is now available through this system.
Leaderboard Rewards
Players who beat "Remarkable" times (faster than standard Platinum) for seasonal dungeons get exclusive titles and mounts. When patch 5.5.3 launches, qualifying players receive immediate access.
- Season 1: Title "The Mistwalker," Mount "Reins of the Celestial Tiger"
- Season 2: Title "Mistborne," Mount "Reins of the Black Kor'kron Proto-drake"
- Season 3: Title "Heir to the Mist," Mount (revealed at season start)
Remarkable time thresholds: Temple of the Jade Serpent (8:00), Stormstout Brewery (6:15), Gate of the Setting Sun (5:15), Shado-Pan Monastery (10:00), Siege of Niuzao Temple (9:45), Mogu'shan Palace (6:20), Scholomance (6:45), Scarlet Halls (4:00), Scarlet Monastery (5:15).
Zandalari Warscouts and Warbringers
New rare spawns appear across Pandaria. Zandalari Warscouts and Warbringers drop reputation tokens. Warbringers can drop one of three direhorn mounts, with the color matching their mount:
- Reins of the Amber Primordial Direhorn
- Reins of the Jade Primordial Direhorn
- Reins of the Slate Primordial Direhorn
These rares spawn in five zones: The Jade Forest, Kun-Lai Summit, Townlong Steppes, Dread Wastes, and Krasarang Wilds.
Class Balance Changes
Phase 3 brings balance adjustments across all specs (PvE only, no PvP changes).
Tank specs received focused attention. Blood Death Knights gained a 5% attack power healing component on Death Strike, letting Vengeance scale their mitigation like other tanks. They also got bug fixes for Mastery: Blood Shield calculations and Raise Dead's Vengeance interaction. Protection Paladins saw Grand Crusader proc rates drop from 30% to 12% with expanded trigger conditions. Protection Warriors had Shield Barrier's attack power ratio returned to patch 5.4.8 values. Guardian Druids took an 8% damage cut in Bear Form.
Mages got hit hard across all three specs. Primary damage abilities dropped to 5% increases (down from 15-19%). Fire Mages also saw Pyroblast damage and Critical Mass values reduced. Affliction Warlocks faced similar cuts, with Corruption and Agony damage bonuses hitting 0% and DoT trigger damage dropping significantly.
Some specs received damage boosts. Retribution Paladins got major buffs with Templar's Verdict rising to 27% and multiple abilities hitting 20% damage bonuses. Windwalker Monks saw Tigereye Brew damage per stack jump from 3.5% to 5%. Balance Druids got a Moonkin Form damage boost to 20%, partially offsetting their Force of Nature reduction.
Healing specs underwent mechanical adjustments. Holy Priests received extensive changes including faster Prayer of Healing casts, longer Renew durations, and multiple Chakra state interactions. Restoration Druids gained increased in-combat mana regen from Spirit. Divine Hymn for Holy Priests had its healing cut by 50%.
Quality of life improvements include Death Knight's Raise Ally dropping its Runic Power cost, Paladin's Hand of Sacrifice removing its Global Cooldown, and Unholy Death Knight's Summon Gargoyle getting cast chain improvements with a 26 Gargoyle Strike cap to fix a haste bug.
PVP Updates
Battle Fatigue, Maximum Item Level, and Base Resilience in open world and 3v3 Arenas returned to their original Season 13 values. The 2v2 bracket got -1% Base Resilience while 5v5 gained +1%. Conquest gain from 5v5 matches increased by 60%.
Rating requirements for the Tyrannical enchant were removed and replaced with a base version. The Tyrannical Primal Diamond's Conquest requirements and costs dropped, replaced with Honor costs.
Phase Timeline
Mists of Pandaria Classic follows a five-phase structure:
- Phase 1 (July 21, 2025): 3 raids, 9 dungeons, 3 battlegrounds, 2 arenas, 6 factions, Challenge Mode, Scenarios
- Phase 2 (September 23, 2025): Brawler's Guild, Legendary Questline, 2 factions
- Phase 3 (December 9, 2025): Throne of Thunder, 2 zones, 2 world bosses, 3 factions
- Phase 4 (TBA): Heroic Scenarios, 4 Scenarios, Deepwind Gorge Battleground, Tiger's Peak Arena
- Phase 5 (TBA): Siege of Orgrimmar, Timeless Isle, Proving Grounds, Emperor Shaohao faction
The Throne of Thunder raid launched two days after the phase on December 11th at 3:00 pm PST, giving players time to explore zones and start reputation grinds before tackling raid content.
Staggered Content Releases
Not all Phase 3 content went live immediately. The Isle of Thunder uses a progressive unlock system with features releasing weekly. Celestial Dungeon updates don't start until the week of December 16, 2025, giving players time to experience raid content first.
Challenge Mode Platinum rewards, particularly the Platinum Coins currency and associated items, begin in patch 5.5.3 rather than at phase launch. Leaderboard rewards for Remarkable times become available when patch 5.5.3 goes live in each region.
The gear upgrade system using Valor Points runs for four weeks only. It transitions to Justice Point costs on the fifth weekly reset (January 6, 2026), pushing players to spend Valor Points early rather than stockpiling them.
