Highlights

  • Molten Core retains weekly lockout; Onyxia's Lair, Lord Kazzak, and Azuregos have twice-weekly lockouts.
  • In Season of Discovery's fourth phase, players can reach level 60, unlock talent points, and access high-level zones.
  • New event Blackrock Eruption helps gain reputation points; Onyxia's Lair entrance item may be tradeable.

In response to player feedback, World of Warcraft: Season of Discovery senior game producer Josh Greenfield stated that Molten Core would retain its one-week lockout to match its original release. Greenfield added that World of Warcraft players will have shorter raid lockouts on Onyxia's Lair, and the world bosses Azuregos and Lord Kazzak, all of which will unlock twice in a given week.

In Season of Discovery's fourth phase, World of Warcraft players can reach the original level cap of 60 and unlock the final talent points for each class. In addition to accessing high-level zones in the Eastern Kingdoms and Kalimdor and epic mounts that can be purchased, the Alliance faction will grant a new buff called "Might of Stormwind" to level 60 players as a direct counter to the "Warchief's Blessing" buff that Horde players already had. While Blizzard has remained tight-lipped on the Runes players can earn in Season of Discovery phase four, a new event called Blackrock Eruption will appear in the Searing Gorge and the Burning Steppes as a way to gain reputation points with the Thorium Brotherhood and the Hydraxian Waterlords.

the blizzard logo over a silhouette of cologne germany for gamescom
Related
Blizzard Fans Should Keep an Eye on Gamescom 2024

Now that it is a part of Microsoft, Blizzard Entertainment is attending Gamescom 2024 for the first time ever as a part of the Xbox showcase.

Though the Molten Core and Onyxia's Lair will give World of Warcraft players more gear to collect, there will be some caveats to the process. According to a Blizzard forum post, Greenfield said a plan to put Molten Core on the same twice-weekly lockout as Onyxia's Lair and two world bosses was scrapped following player feedback. Ergo, Molten Core will use the same Tuesday weekly raid lockout period that World of Warcraft players are used to. Greenfield also confirmed that Onyxia's Lair, Lord Kazzak, and Azuregos would see unlocks on Tuesdays and Saturdays of each week. The changes will go into effect on separate dates after Season of Discovery phase four launches on Thursday, July 11.

World of Warcraft: Season Of Discovery Raid Lockout Changes

  • Molten Core will remain on a weekly raid lockout, per player feedback.
  • Onyxia's Lair, Lord Kazzak, and Azuregos will have twice-weekly lockouts on Tuesdays and Saturdays.
  • The changes will go into effect after World of Warcraft: Season of Discovery phase four launches on July 11.

Lord Kazzak and Azuregos can be fought as instanced world bosses starting on July 18, and both the Molten Core and Onyxia's Lair will go live on July 25. However, accessing the Molten Core and Onyxia's Lair may be easier in Season of Discovery than in their original incarnations. According to datamined information, an item to make entering Onyxia's Lair much easier could be traded and sold to World of Warcraft players in some capacity.

Whether that new item will make it to live servers remains to be seen. Between the raid lockout changes and turning some Runes into baseline class skills, the fourth phase of World of Warcraft: Season of Discovery could be the best time for players to jump in.