The Midnight expansion kicks off with a world event in the Twilight Highlands. The Twilight's Blade cult (formerly the Twilight's Hammer) has invaded the zone, and players can jump into the Twilight Ascension event to grab catch-up gear, exclusive mounts, battle pets, housing decorations, and transmog appearances. This guide covers everything you need to know to get the most out of the event before the expansion drops.
Event Availability and Requirements
The Twilight Ascension pre-patch event runs from January 27th through March 2nd, ending when the Midnight expansion officially launches. Characters as low as level 10 can participate, making this accessible content for new players and veterans gearing up alts alike.
All event activities take place in the Twilight Highlands. Vendors, rare spawns, and World Quests are concentrated here, so you'll spend your entire time in this single zone while working through Twilight Ascension content.
Getting Started
Before you can participate in Twilight Ascension activities, you need to complete an introductory questline. Look for "The Cult Within" to get started. Both Horde and Alliance players have access to this quest.
Finishing this storyline does a few important things. First, it unlocks all Twilight Ascension content for your entire Warband, so any character on your account can immediately participate once one character finishes the story. Second, you'll automatically receive two exclusive rewards upon completion: the Twilight's Blade Tabard and the "%s, Definitely Not a Cultist" title. These don't cost any currency.
Once you're done with the intro quests, you gain access to Twilight's Blade World Quests throughout the Twilight Highlands and can participate in the rare spawn events that form the core of the event.
Event Currency
Twilight's Blade Insignia is the primary currency for the Twilight Ascension event. You'll earn it through various activities and spend it at event vendors on gear, mounts, pets, transmog, and housing items.
How to Earn Currency
| Source | Insignias Earned | Frequency |
|---|---|---|
| Weekly Quests | 40 each (80 total) | Once per Warband per week |
| World Quests | 10 each | Refreshes every 12 hours (first character only) |
| Rare Elite Events | 2-3 each | Every 10 minutes |
Weekly Quests are your biggest source of Insignias. Two weekly quests are available: "Disrupt the Call" and "Twilight's Dawn." Each one awards 40 Twilight's Blade Insignias when you complete it. These weekly quests can only be completed once per week per Warband, though, not per character. You can't farm them across multiple alts for extra currency.
World Quests scattered throughout the Twilight Highlands award 10 Insignias each. They follow the standard World Quest system and refresh every 12 hours, giving active players a steady currency stream. You can spot active World Quests on your map.
Rare Elite Events drop 2 to 3 Insignias per rare killed. Rares spawn every 10 minutes in a fixed rotation, so dedicated rare farming is an option once you've exhausted your weekly and World Quest currency. The per-kill return is pretty low, though.
Rare Spawn System
The rare spawn system during Twilight Ascension works differently from typical world rares. Understanding how these spawns function is key to farming currency efficiently and finishing the rare-related achievement.
Spawn Rotation and Timing
Twilight's Blade rares spawn in a fixed, predictable rotation. Every 10 minutes, a new rare event begins in the Twilight Highlands. When an event starts, you'll see a zone-wide announcement: "The Twilight's Blade have begun summoning more forces. Defeat their ritual leaders!"
The 18 rares spawn in this exact order, repeating continuously:
- Redeye the Skullchewer
- T'aavihan the Unbound
- Ray of Putrescence
- Ix the Bloodfallen
- Commander Ix'vaarha
- Sharfadi, Bulwark of the Night
- Ez'Haadosh the Liminality
- Berg the Spellfist
- Corla, Herald of Twilight
- Void Zealot Devinda
- Asira Dawnslayer
- Archbishop Benedictus
- Nedrand the Eyegorger
- Executioner Lynthelma
- Gustavan, Herald of the End
- Voidclaw Hexathor
- Mirrorvise
- Saligrum the Observer
Community members have documented specific spawn times based on server observations. Your server may have a 1-2 minute delay between the scheduled time and when the zone announcement actually appears.
Three-Phase Rare Events
Unlike standard world rares that you simply attack and kill, Twilight Ascension rares spawn inside an immunity shield. You'll need to break this shield through a multi-phase event before you can damage them.
When the event begins, the rare is shielded and immune. Kill Twilight's Blade forces in the area and disrupt their camp activities. This phase involves clearing trash mobs and interacting with objects around the ritual site.
After disrupting the camp, three specific ritualist enemies become targetable. These ritualists maintain the shield protecting the rare. You need to kill all three to move on.
With the ritualists down, the rare's immunity shield drops. You can now attack and kill the rare for loot and currency.
Active rare events show up on your map, making it easy to find where the current event is happening.
Ephemeral Void Sub-Event
During rare events, an additional sub-event involving the Ephemeral Void may trigger. When this happens, you'll see a zone-wide announcement: "An Ephemeral Void has manifested in the Highland Forest!"
To participate, find and destroy Disparate Ephemera objects scattered around the Twilight's Blade camps. Destroying enough of these summons a special rare called Voice of the Eclipse. This rare only appears through the Ephemeral Void sub-event and isn't part of the standard rotation.
Event Vendors
Two vendors handle the Twilight Ascension event, both located at the elven resistance camp in the southern Twilight Highlands. The coordinates are approximately 49.6, 81.2.
Armorer Kalinovan sells catch-up gear, offering a full selection of armor pieces, weapons, and accessories for players gearing up alts or returning players catching up before the expansion.
Materialist Ophinell sells all cosmetic rewards: mounts, battle pets, housing decorations, transmog ensembles, weapon arsenals, and the event toy.
Cosmetic Rewards
The Twilight Ascension event has an extensive selection of cosmetic items for collectors. All cosmetic purchases come from Materialist Ophinell using Twilight's Blade Insignias.
Mounts
A dynamic flying mount that works with the Dragonriding/dynamic flight system. This is the only mount you can buy directly during the event.
This mount isn't purchasable. You earn it by completing the "Two Minutes to Midnight" achievement, which requires killing all rares in the pre-patch event including Voice of the Eclipse from the Ephemeral Void sub-event.
Battle Pets
Three battle pets are available, each costing 30 Twilight's Blade Insignias:
Available Pets
Housing Decorations
Three Blood Elf (Sin'dorei) themed housing decoration items are available:
| Item | Size | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Silvermoon Wooden Chair | Small | 50 Insignias |
| Enchanted Blood Elven Candelabra | Small | 50 Insignias |
| Sin'dorei Winged Chaise | Medium | 75 Insignias |
Transmog Sets and Weapons
Ensemble: Well-Worn Twilight Cultist's Attire (40 Insignias) - This ensemble unlocks transmog appearances based on the defunct Classic-era Twilight Trappings set, updated with a well-worn look.
Arsenal: Weathered Twilight's Hammer Armaments (40 Insignias) - This arsenal unlocks a collection of Twilight's Blade themed weapon appearances, including:
- Weathered Twilight Cultist's Sword
- Weathered Twilight Cultist's Axe
- Weathered Twilight Cultist's Greataxe
- Weathered Twilight Cultist's Longbow
- Weathered Twilight Cultist's Ritual Knife
- Weathered Twilight Cultist's Rifle
- Weathered Twilight Cultist's Hammer
- Weathered Twilight Cultist's Greatmace
Toy
Twilight's Blade Top Secret Strategy Training Guide (30 Insignias) - This toy lets you summon the Twilight Stratagem game anywhere in the world. It's the same tic-tac-toe style game available at the ascension camp, the one used for the "Crunching for Cultists" achievement.
Catch-Up Gear System
One of the main draws of the Twilight Ascension event is the catch-up gear available for alts and returning players. This gear offers a quick path to expansion-ready item levels without needing to grind through endgame content.
Gear Statistics and Upgrade Path
How to Get Catch-Up Gear
You can obtain catch-up gear in two ways:
Vendor Purchase: Armorer Kalinovan sells all catch-up gear pieces for 40 Twilight's Blade Insignias each. This guarantees you can get specific slots you need.
Rare Drops: Catch-up gear has a chance to drop directly from rares during the Twilight Ascension event. This can supplement your vendor purchases, but drops aren't guaranteed.
Available Gear Slots
Mitre (head), Amice (shoulders), Robe (chest), Wraps (wrists), Mitts (hands), Cincture (waist), Leggings (legs), Soles (feet)
Hood (head), Mantle (shoulders), Doublet (chest), Bindings (wrists), Gloves (hands), Clasp (waist), Breeches (legs), Shoes (feet)
Helmet (head), Spaulders (shoulders), Hauberk (chest), Mail Cuffs (wrists), Grips (hands), Girdle (waist), Petticoat (legs), Boots (feet)
Bascinet (head), Pauldrons (shoulders), Surcoat (chest), Bracers (wrists), Gauntlets (hands), Greatbelt (waist), Greaves (legs), Sollerets (feet)
Cloaks: Cloak, Shawl, Cowl, Cape (all Ascension Arrestor's)
Jewelry: Pendant, Choker (necklaces), Ring, Band
Weapons: Axe, Mace, Cudgel, Spear, Staff, Greatsword, Censer, Shield, Warglaive, Dagger
Achievements
Two achievements are tied to the Twilight Ascension pre-patch event:
Two Minutes to Midnight
This achievement requires killing all rares in the pre-patch event. That includes all 18 rares in the standard rotation plus Voice of the Eclipse from the Ephemeral Void sub-event (19 total unique kills).
Reward: Light-Forged Mechsuit mount
Because rares spawn in a fixed rotation every 10 minutes, completing this achievement requires either extended play sessions or returning at calculated times to catch specific rares you still need. A complete rotation through all 18 standard rares takes 3 hours.
Crunching for Cultists
This achievement requires winning the Twilight's Blade stratagem game 50 times. The stratagem game is a tic-tac-toe style minigame you can play at the Twilight Ascension camp using stolen books found there.
You can also play this game anywhere after buying the Twilight's Blade Top Secret Strategy Training Guide toy from the event vendor.
Efficient Farming Strategies
Given the currency limitations built into the event, here's how to get the most Insignias for your time:
Weekly Priority
Always complete both weekly quests ("Disrupt the Call" and "Twilight's Dawn") as soon as they become available each week. At 40 Insignias each, these give you 80 Insignias per week with minimal time investment compared to other methods.
World Quest Rotation
Complete all available World Quests in the Twilight Highlands on your primary character. With quests refreshing every 12 hours and awarding 10 Insignias each, this accounts for a significant chunk of your weekly currency. Remember that other characters only get Resonance Crystals, not Insignias, so focus your World Quest efforts on one character.
Rare Farming Considerations
Rare farming is the only infinitely repeatable source of Insignias, but the return is low at 2-3 Insignias per kill. If you need more currency after exhausting weekly and World Quest sources, rare farming works but it's time-intensive. With rares spawning every 10 minutes, you can potentially earn 12-18 Insignias per hour through dedicated farming.
Purchase Prioritization
With limited currency and many rewards available, think about what matters most to you:
- Mount collectors: Retrained Skyrazor (100 Insignias)
- Transmog collectors: Ensemble + Arsenal (80 Insignias total)
- Pet collectors: All three pets (90 Insignias total)
- Housing enthusiasts: All decorations (175 Insignias total)
- Alt gearing: 40 Insignias per piece - prioritize high-impact slots
- Toy: Stratagem Guide (30 Insignias)
Quick Reference
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Event Duration | January 27th through March 2nd |
| Minimum Level | 10 |
| Starting Quest | "The Cult Within" |
| Currency | Twilight's Blade Insignia |
| Vendor Location | Elven resistance camp, southern Twilight Highlands (49.6, 81.2) |
| Rare Spawn Timer | Every 10 minutes, fixed 18-rare rotation (3-hour full cycle) |
| Catch-up Gear | Item Level 121, upgradeable to 144, costs 40 Insignias per piece |
This event has solid rewards for collectors chasing mounts, pets, transmog, and housing items, plus it's a good way to quickly gear alts before Midnight launches. The event is time-limited, so start early to build up enough currency for everything you want.