Dawncrests are the primary gear upgrade currency in WoW Midnight Season 1, completely replacing Valorstones. To upgrade your gear, you need to collect different tiers of Dawncrests from endgame activities and bring them to the upgrade NPCs in Silvermoon City.
If you haven't played modern WoW recently, the gearing process can seem complicated. You don't just equip an item; you progress it through specific gear tracks (Adventurer, Veteran, Champion, Hero, and Myth) using Dawncrests. This guide breaks down exactly where to find the upgrade vendor, how the tracks work, and what you should prioritize before the Sporefall raid releases.
Midnight Upgrades at a Glance
Where to Use Dawncrests & Upgrade Gear
The WoW Midnight gear upgrade NPCs are located in Silvermoon City. You will need to speak with two specific NPCs to manage your gear and currencies:
- Cuzolth (Item Upgrades): This is the main NPC where you use Dawncrests to raise your item level.
- Vaskarn (Dawncrest Exchange): Allows you to exchange lower-tier Dawncrests for higher ones (once you reach certain item level thresholds) or downgrade them if you need lower-tier crests for an alt.
The introductory quest, Dawnlight Crests, will guide you directly to them, but if you skip it, simply head to coordinates /way 48.6 61.7 in Silvermoon.
Gear Upgrade Tracks: From Adventurer to Myth
Every piece of upgradeable gear in Midnight belongs to an upgrade track. Gear starts on lower tracks like Adventurer before scaling upward into Veteran, Champion, Hero, and eventually Myth gear.
When you see an item labeled "Hero 3/6", the first part tells you the gear track, while the second shows how far the item has been upgraded. A fully upgraded Champion item will always end up weaker than fully upgraded Hero gear, regardless of how many resources you invest into it.
Upgrade costs are fixed across all tracks. Fully upgrading a single item costs 150 Dawncrests total:
| Upgrade Rank | Cost |
|---|---|
| 1/6 → 2/6 | 10 Dawncrests |
| 2/6 → 3/6 | 20 Dawncrests |
| 3/6 → 4/6 | 30 Dawncrests |
| 4/6 → 5/6 | 40 Dawncrests |
| 5/6 → 6/6 | 50 Dawncrests |
Warband Upgrade Discounts
Midnight features Warband-based upgrade discounts. Once your account has reached a higher item level for a specific slot (e.g., a 285 Helmet), upgrading weaker helmets for alts or off-specs becomes significantly cheaper. This heavily reduces the punishment for switching characters mid-season.
How to Get Dawncrests (Farming Sources)
The type of Dawncrest required depends entirely on the gear track and the content difficulty. Lower-tier Dawncrests are easy to farm through casual content, but Hero and Myth Dawncrests are restricted by difficulty requirements.
Mythic+ Dawncrest Rewards
| Keystone Level | Crest Type | Approximate Reward |
|---|---|---|
| +2 to +3 | Champion Dawncrests | ~12 per run |
| +4 to +8 | Hero Dawncrests | 14 - 16+ per run |
| +9 and above | Myth Dawncrests | Highest-tier rewards |
Raid Dawncrest Rewards
| Raid Difficulty | Crest Type | Approximate Reward |
|---|---|---|
| LFR | Veteran Dawncrests | ~15 per boss |
| Normal | Champion Dawncrests | ~15 per boss |
| Heroic | Hero Dawncrests | ~15 per boss |
| Mythic | Myth Dawncrests | ~15 per boss |
Delve Dawncrest Rewards
Delves contribute surprisingly well to progression. Tier 7-10 Delves support Champion progression. Reaching Rank 4 in the Delver's Journey unlocks Gilded Stashes, which contain 5 Myth Dawncrests each. You can earn up to 4 Gilded Stashes weekly, yielding a total of 20 Myth Dawncrests.
Dawncrest Cap & Season Maximum
Midnight currently enforces a strict weekly cap of 100 total Dawncrests per week, per tier. This means you cannot instantly max out every slot in a single week. Because of this cap, you must be strategic about which items you upgrade, especially as new content patches arrive.
Upgrade Priority
The most common mistake players make is wasting Dawncrests on gear simply because it has a higher base item level. Spending large amounts of Hero or Myth Dawncrests on pieces with bad secondary stats leaves you stuck when stronger raid loot drops.
With Patch 12.0.7 introducing the Sporefall raid, gearing priorities have shifted. Sporefall drops "Sporefused" gear that reaches item level 298 on Mythic difficulty - putting it on par with Ascendant Voidcore enhanced items.
Right now, the safest long-term investments for your Dawncrests are:
- Weapons
- High-tier Trinkets
- Tier Set pieces
- Crafted items with optimized, guaranteed stats
Avoid fully maxing out temporary filler slots right before Sporefall launches, as Rotmire's fixed-stat loot table will likely replace them.
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FAQ
Where do I use Dawncrests in WoW?
You use Dawncrests at the gear upgrade vendor, Cuzolth, located in Silvermoon City at coordinates /way 48.6 61.7. Simply speak to him, place your item in the UI, and spend the required crests to increase its item level.
How do I upgrade my Adventurer track item?
To upgrade an Adventurer track item, take it to Cuzolth in Silvermoon City. You will need lower-tier crests (usually Weathered or Carved, transitioning into Veteran Dawncrests) depending on its current rank. Once an Adventurer item reaches rank 8/8, it cannot be upgraded into the Veteran track; you must find a new Veteran drop.
What is the fastest Champion crest farm in Midnight?
The fastest way to farm Champion Dawncrests is by speed-running low-level Mythic+ dungeons (+2 to +3 keys) or clearing the Normal difficulty raid. Tier 7 and Tier 8 Delves are also an excellent solo alternative for farming Champion crests.
How do I get Myth track gear?
Myth track gear is the highest tier of gear in the game. It drops exclusively from Mythic raids (like Mythic Sporefall) and from the Great Vault when you complete high-level Mythic+ dungeons (+10 or higher).
What are Dawncrests used for?
Dawncrests are the sole upgrade currency in WoW Midnight Season 1, replacing the old Valorstone system. They are used exclusively to increase the item level of your endgame gear across the various upgrade tracks.