Challenge Mode Season 1 officially ends December 9th when Patch 5.5.3 launches The Thunder King content. Season 1 rewards will be distributed during maintenance that day, and the leaderboard resets immediately. Season 2 begins the same day with an entirely new difficulty tier and reward structure.
The latest Throne of Thunder PTR build has also surfaced new mounts, pets, and returning Trading Card Game items. Between the adjusted Mistwalker requirements and the new Platinum medal system, there's plenty for Challenge Mode players to dig into.
Mistwalker Requirements Have Changed
Blizzard adjusted the Mistwalker achievement based on community feedback and gameplay data. The original plan required players to hit a single faster time in any dungeon. That's been scrapped in favor of completing all nine dungeons within specific time limits.
Time Requirements:
- Temple of the Jade Serpent: 8 minutes 30 seconds
- Stormstout Brewery: 6 minutes 30 seconds
- Gate of the Setting Sun: 5 minutes 30 seconds
- Shado-Pan Monastery: 10 minutes 30 seconds
- Siege of Niuzao Temple: 10 minutes 15 seconds
- Mogu'shan Palace: 6 minutes 45 seconds
- Scholomance: 7 minutes 15 seconds
- Scarlet Halls: 4 minutes 15 seconds
- Scarlet Monastery: 5 minutes 30 seconds
Players who clear all nine earn the Mistwalker title and The Celestial Riding Tiger, a flying mount representing Xuen, the White Tiger celestial.
Season 2 Introduces the Platinum Tier
The biggest addition in Season 2 is the Platinum medal. This new tier sits above Gold and follows the same structure as Bronze, Silver, and Gold medals. Completing dungeons within Platinum time awards Valor plus tier-specific rewards.
Each dungeon grants a unique toy when cleared within the Platinum window. These toys only work inside Challenge Modes, but once unlocked from one dungeon, they're usable in any Challenge Mode. All toys reset when a Challenge Mode starts, so players can use them multiple times per run.
Several of these are Challenge Mode versions of rare mob drops from across Pandaria. Others give profession-locked abilities to everyone regardless of what they've trained.
Platinum Toys by Dungeon
Platinum Boots of Expeditious Retreat (Temple of the Jade Serpent) — Rocket boots that work exactly like the Nitro Boosts engineering tinker. Non-engineers finally get access to burst movement speed. Five-minute cooldown. The tooltip warns against exceeding speeds of 1772.
Platinum "Little Ale" (Stormstout Brewery) — Arguably the strongest toy in the set. This exotic beer grants Drunken Inspiration: 30% melee, ranged, and spell haste for forty seconds. That's basically a personal Bloodlust without needing a Shaman, Mage, or Hunter. Ten-minute cooldown. The item description notes each glass has the initials "A.E" engraved on the base.
Platinum Rod of Ambershaping (Gate of the Setting Sun) — A Challenge Mode version of the Rod of Ambershaping that drops from Ski'thik in the open world. Encases the target in amber for up to one minute, though any damage breaks the effect. Five-minute cooldown. Any class can contribute CC with this.
Platinum Potion of Invisibility (Shado-Pan Monastery) — Grants 18 seconds of invisibility. Useful for skipping packs or repositioning. Five-minute cooldown.
Platinum Battle Horn (Mogu'shan Palace) — A Challenge Mode version of the Battle Horn from Blackhoof in Valley of the Four Winds. Attracts enemies within 40 yards for mass pulls. Two-minute cooldown.
Platinum Vial of Polyformic Acid (Scholomance) — The original Polyformic Acid Potion only exists in Professor Slate's room before the final boss. This Challenge Mode version grants the same damage buff but stays active for the entire dungeon. Five-minute cooldown. The tooltip reads "Good news! The vial is flowing again."
Platinum Battle Banner (Scarlet Halls) — A Challenge Mode version of the Salyin Battle Banner from Valley of the Four Winds Warscouts. Blends the player into shadows for one second while summoning a Scarlet Crusader who draws enemy attention and runs away. Temporary threat relief on a ten-minute cooldown.
Platinum Sacrificial Dagger (Scarlet Monastery) — A ceremonial dagger with the bloody initials "T.R.O" on the hilt (a fourth letter is marred beyond recognition). The description says a faint whisper bids the player to thrust it into their heart. This item normally arrives with the Isle of Thunder, but now players can grab it early through Platinum clears. Eight-minute cooldown.
Platinum Drums of Speed (Source Unknown) — Increases party movement speed by 15% for 30 seconds within 40 yards. Works while shapeshifted. Provides Leatherworking's speed boost to everyone. Two-minute cooldown with 50 charges. The source dungeon hasn't been confirmed yet.
Realm First Achievements
Seasons 2 and 3 each feature new Realm First achievements for the fastest groups to complete Challenge Conqueror: Platinum.
Season 2's title is "the Thundering Stampede." Season 3 awards "the Momentous Terror."
Platinum Coins Currency
A new currency called Platinum Coins lets players buy toys, mounts, and transmog sets. Players earn coins for each dungeon cleared within the Platinum window, plus a one-time bonus for each Challenge Conqueror: Platinum meta achievement.
Two vendors carry the Platinum Coin inventory. Jaelof Ironhart operates in the Shrine of Seven Stars for Alliance players. Viktor Felhallow sells from the Shrine of Two Moons for Horde.
Datamined Mounts
The PTR build revealed several mounts coming to MoP Classic.
Wooly White Rhino appears in the files as both a Mount and a Toy. The reason for this dual classification isn't clear yet.
Magic Rooster Egg carries the same unusual Mount/Toy designation. Whether it's a mount or a toy, it's definitely a chicken.
The Celestial Riding Tiger serves as the Mistwalker achievement reward, as covered above.
New Pets
Two pets showed up in the datamined files.
Eye of the Legion has a confirmed model and companion data.
Smoldering Valor appears in the files but has no model or companion data yet.
Trading Card Game Toys Return
Three TCG toys are making their way to MoP Classic:
- Sandbox Tiger — Lets players ride a stationary tiger. Originally from the "Blood of Gladiators" TCG expansion.
- Demon Hunter's Aspect — Transforms the user to look like a Demon Hunter. First appeared in the "War of the Ancients" TCG expansion.
- Path of Cenarius — Generates a trail of flowers wherever players walk or stand. Originally a "Fields of Honor" TCG promotion.
Key Dates
December 9th marks several milestones at once: Patch 5.5.3 launches with The Thunder King, Challenge Mode Season 1 ends during maintenance, Season 1 rewards go out, the leaderboard resets, and Season 2 begins immediately.
Players still chasing Season 1 goals need to finish before maintenance hits.
