Ascendant Venomstones are a Midnight Season 2 upgrade currency introduced with Patch 12.1.5. Ten stones empower one eligible, fully upgraded weapon, trinket or necklace beyond its usual item-level limit. To unlock them, visit Orin Straylight beside the Catalyst in Silvermoon City, complete Ancient Depths, Ancient Venom, and return for Ascending with Venomstones after the next regional reset.
Current availability (October 17, 2026): You can complete the first research quest now, but the stones themselves are not yet dropping. Blizzard has scheduled their acquisition for the week of October 20 in North America / October 21 in Europe. Do not burn through raids or keys this weekend expecting Venomstones; use the time to unlock the research and choose an item worth upgrading.
Ascendant Venomstones at a Glance
| Question | Answer for Patch 12.1.5 |
|---|---|
| Where do I start? | Orin Straylight, beside the Catalyst in Silvermoon City |
| When can I farm? | After Ascending with Venomstones opens at the October 20/21 regional reset |
| How many per upgrade? | 10 per eligible item |
| What can I upgrade? | Fully upgraded Season 2 Hero/Myth or maximum-quality Tidal Crafted weapons, trinkets and necklaces |
| Does every piece qualify? | No: rings, armor, unfinished upgrade tracks and elevated 344-ilvl Myth drops do not qualify |
After the unlock, your choice of farming activity matters more than chasing one universal route. Blizzard lists these four sources:
| Source | Minimum requirement | Who should prioritize it? |
|---|---|---|
| Raid bosses | Heroic or Mythic difficulty | Players with a reliable raid team or access to individual boss kills |
| Mythic+ dungeons | Keystone +10 or higher | Players who can repeat qualifying keys consistently |
| Bountiful Delves | Tier 11 | Solo or small-group players ready for the top Bountiful tier |
| Nightmare Prey Hunts | Champion gear chests from Nightmare hunts | Players already completing their weekly Prey rewards |
Choose your first route realistically: a repeatable +10 is attractive when your group clears it smoothly; Heroic raids fit an established raid schedule; Tier 11 Bountiful Delves offer a different path if you do not want to organize five people. No source rewards Venomstones until you finish the follow-up unlock quest.
Choose a Farm That Fits Your Character
Venomstones are scheduled to become obtainable after the October 20/21 regional reset, once Orin’s follow-up quest is complete. Use the guide below to unlock the system and choose the best first upgrade; these services are routes to eligible activities, not direct sales of the currency.
How to Unlock Ascendant Venomstones: Orin’s Questline
Orin Straylight stands beside the Catalyst in Silvermoon City. If you use TomTom, the published waypoint is /way #2393 40.0 64.7. The new quest is available to level-90 characters with the relevant Catalyst progression.
- Check the earlier research chain. If Orin has no quest, start with In the Catalyst’s Shadow from Decimus in Voidstorm. Then visit Orin for Prismatic Potential and its follow-up, Umbral Blessings of the Catalyst, as needed. This is also the route connected to Nebulous Voidcore bonus rolls.
- Accept Ancient Depths, Ancient Venom. This became available with the October 13/14 Patch 12.1.5 rollout. The quest needs three Primordial Venom Motes, not ten Ascendant Venomstones.
- Collect the three motes. The quest directs you to Ancient Foes in the Vaults of Atal’Utek or bosses in the Venomous Abyss on Raid Finder difficulty or higher. Pick up the quest before farming so your kills can count.
- Return to Orin. Turn in the motes to start his new research. Do not mistake the completed first quest for permission to loot Venomstones immediately.
- After the October 20/21 reset, return again. Orin is scheduled to offer Ascending with Venomstones. Complete it to enable stone acquisition from the qualifying Season 2 activities listed above.
Where to Get Three Primordial Venom Motes Quickly
The straightforward raid route is to clear accessible Venomous Abyss bosses on Raid Finder or above while you have the quest. If you prefer outdoor progress, look for Ancient Foes inside the Vaults of Atal’Utek. The quest objective names these two options; a regular Mythic+ dungeon is not one of its listed mote sources.
Several players have reported confusing Ancient Foe credit, especially in raid groups. If your quest counter is not moving, first check whether the enemy can be looted, whether the quest was accepted before the kill, and whether the objective counter changed without a chat notification. These are troubleshooting checks, not a guarantee that a particular kill will award a mote.
Why Does Orin Not Offer the Quest?
Check three things before assuming the NPC is broken: your level, the earlier Catalyst/Voidcore quests, and the current week’s research stage. Ascending with Venomstones is not scheduled to appear until the October 20/21 reset. If you cannot find Ancient Depths, Ancient Venom now, revisit Decimus in Voidstorm and finish Orin’s preceding quests. Research timers may also be part of this progression.
Wowhead describes the completed Venomstone acquisition unlock as Warband-wide. That does not mean you can move individual stones between characters: the currency item is bind-on-pickup, so plan farming around the character whose equipment you intend to improve.
Best Ascendant Venomstone Farming Route for Your Playstyle
There is no honest universal “fastest farm” before the system opens. You want qualifying completions per hour, but only if your group can finish the activity without repeated failures. Use the plan that matches what your character already handles well.
Mythic+10 and Higher: Best Repeatable Group Option
For a geared five-player group, a dungeon you reliably finish at +10 is a sensible first target. Running harder keys only for Venomstones is unnecessary because Blizzard’s threshold begins at +10. Pick a dungeon your group knows, keep interruptions and routes tidy, and value the other end-of-dungeon and Great Vault benefits as part of the run. If you are struggling at +10, lower-key gearing first can be better than spending an evening wiping for zero progress.
Heroic and Mythic Raids: Good for Players With a Roster
Every eligible Heroic or Mythic raid boss is on Blizzard’s source list, including Season 2 raid content such as The Unbinding of Kith’ix. A one-boss kill is easy to fit into an existing schedule, but raid access, saved status and team availability still matter. For the encounter mechanics and difficulty differences, use our Unbinding of Kith’ix raid strategy. Raid Finder and Normal do not qualify for Venomstones even though Raid Finder can help with the separate three-mote unlock quest.
Tier 11 Bountiful Delves and Nightmare Prey
If you favor solo or smaller-group play, Tier 11 Bountiful Delves are a confirmed route. The important qualifiers are Tier 11 and Bountiful; do not count on lower-tier or ordinary Delves. Nightmare Prey also belongs in the plan when you earn an eligible Champion gear chest. These are useful additional sources, not reasons to ignore gear upgrades if those difficulties still overpower your character.
What about the Labyrinth of Kindo’jan? Blizzard’s Venomstone announcement names Tier 11 Bountiful Delves, but does not separately spell out Labyrinth chest or chamber behavior. Until that interaction is confirmed on live servers after the unlock, do not promise that a three-, six- or nine-room Labyrinth run pays Venomstones. You can still run the Labyrinth for its own gear, keys and weekly progression.
Which Items Can You Upgrade With Ascendant Venomstones?
The Catalyst accepts fully upgraded Hero 6/6 and Myth 6/6 Season 2 weapons, trinkets and necklaces, plus maximum-quality Tidal Crafted items in those slots. Ten stones apply to one individual item. You cannot use them to skip ordinary upgrade ranks: first finish the normal track with the relevant Mistcrests and other materials.
Method and Wowhead currently publish the following expected item levels. These figures come from guides updated before the October 20 unlock, so the final live values should be rechecked after the first regional reset.
| Eligible item | Before Ascending | After Ascending | Increase |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hero-track 6/6 | 321 | 328 | +7 ilvl |
| Myth-track 6/6 | 334 | 340 | +6 ilvl |
| Maximum-quality Hero Tidal Crafted | 318 | 325 | +7 ilvl |
| Maximum-quality Myth Tidal Crafted | 331 | 338 | +7 ilvl |
Important exclusions: rings and ordinary armor pieces are not eligible. Neither are half-upgraded Hero/Myth items or the elevated 344-ilvl Myth drops from the top-end encounters described by Wowhead and Method. Upgrading a piece with Venomstones marks it as Ascended; current published guides say that piece cannot receive further upgrades afterward.
What Should Get Your First Ten Venomstones?
Keep the piece you plan to use the longest. That is a more reliable rule than upgrading the first item showing an eligible icon.
- Check your weapon. A top-quality weapon is often a strong first investment, especially if it is already Myth 6/6 or a crafted piece you will keep. Dual-wielding characters must treat each weapon as a separate ten-stone upgrade.
- Compare your trinkets. An unusually strong trinket effect that you will not replace soon can be worth more than a small weapon improvement. Sim your actual character where possible, rather than relying on a generic slot ranking.
- Consider the necklace. Necklaces are a new eligible category compared with the previous season’s equivalent system. A well-rolled, permanent neck can be a sensible use of stones once your main weapon and trinkets are settled.
- Think twice about temporary Hero gear. A Hero-track piece can be upgraded, but if your next few weeks are likely to replace it with a higher-track item, saving the stones may give you better long-term value.
As a simple budgeting example, a character with one two-handed weapon, two trinkets and a necklace needs 40 stones to Ascend all four pieces; a dual-wielding character needs 50 to cover five separate items. Those totals describe the cost of multiple upgrades, not a recommended shopping list for every specialization.
How Venomstones Work With Mistcrests, the Great Vault and Voidcores
Three resources serve different jobs in Midnight Season 2. Mistcrests help finish an item’s normal upgrade track. Ascendant Venomstones push one finished eligible item further. Nebulous Voidcores give an additional chance at gear through bonus rolls; they are not an alternative currency for Ascending an existing weapon.
Blizzard also plans to remove the Season 2 Mistcrest cap during the week of October 20. That helps you finish Hero or Myth upgrade ranks before spending Venomstones, but it does not erase the requirement to collect ten stones per item.
The Great Vault can provide a future Venomstone target, such as a strong weapon or trinket, but Blizzard does not list the Vault itself as a direct Venomstone drop source. For choosing between guaranteed Vault loot and an extra roll, read our Great Vault vs Nebulous Voidcore guide. For upgrade tracks, crafted gear and a full weekly plan, see the Midnight Season 2 Gearing Guide.
A Practical Plan Before and After October 20
| When | What to do | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Now: October 17-19 | Finish Orin’s three-mote quest; check earlier prerequisites if it is missing; identify an eligible long-term item. | Start the research without expecting early drops. |
| Next regional reset: October 20 NA / October 21 EU | Return to Orin for Ascending with Venomstones; confirm the unlock before opening qualifying rewards. | The follow-up enables stone acquisition. |
| After unlock | Run reachable Heroic/Mythic bosses, reliable +10 keys, Tier 11 Bountiful Delves or eligible Nightmare Prey. | Build your first ten stones through content you can finish consistently. |
| At ten stones | Fully upgrade your chosen item, then use the stones near the Catalyst. | A single Ascended item is usually more useful than spending resources on a soon-to-be-replaced piece. |
If your priority is catching up before tackling a +10 or Tier 11, start with our Patch 12.1.5 first-steps checklist. The plan above is for Venomstones, not for replacing your wider raid, Delve and weekly Vault routine.
Ascendant Venomstones FAQ
Can I farm Ascendant Venomstones on October 17?
No. The Ancient Depths research quest is available, but Blizzard scheduled the follow-up acquisition unlock for the regional reset during the week of October 20. Complete Ascending with Venomstones after that reset before farming.
Can Raid Finder or a +9 Mythic dungeon drop Venomstones?
Neither is on Blizzard’s announced drop list. Raid bosses must be Heroic or Mythic and Mythic+ dungeons must be +10 or higher. Raid Finder can still be used for Primordial Venom Motes in the earlier quest.
Do I need three or ten items to unlock the system?
Both numbers appear, but they refer to different steps. Collect three Primordial Venom Motes for Orin’s first research quest; later, after completing his follow-up, collect ten Ascendant Venomstones to Ascend one eligible item.
Can I use Venomstones on a ring, tier-set armor or a Hero 5/6 weapon?
No. The eligible slots are weapons, trinkets and necklaces, and Hero/Myth items must be fully upgraded. Rings and armor do not qualify, and a Hero 5/6 weapon must reach Hero 6/6 first.
Can I upgrade a 344-ilvl Mythic item?
Current Wowhead and Method guidance excludes elevated Myth-track items that already reach 344 ilvl. Do not spend upgrade materials expecting an additional Ascended tier on those pieces.
Are Venomstones and Nebulous Voidcores the same thing?
No. Venomstones improve one finished eligible item at the Catalyst. Nebulous Voidcores are spent on bonus loot rolls after eligible activities. Our Voidcore and Great Vault comparison covers the separate bonus-roll decision.
Can I transfer Venomstones to another character?
The Venomstone item is bind-on-pickup. Wowhead describes the acquisition unlock as Warband-wide, but each character should plan to earn the stones used on its own equipment.
Will the Labyrinth of Kindo’jan or Aqir Invasions give Venomstones?
Neither is separately named as a Venomstone source in Blizzard’s announcement. Only the qualifying Tier 11 Bountiful Delve category is confirmed among Delve activities. Do not assume that Labyrinth rooms or outdoor Aqir Invasion caches qualify unless a live update explicitly confirms it.
