wow Mage Tower and Guardian Druid Bear Form Coming in Patch 9.1.5

[Staff 1,488]

Blizzard has confirmed that the Mage Tower is, in fact, returning in Patch 9.1.5 during Legion Timewalking. Guardian Druids will be able to obtain the removed Artifact Bear Form, and more!

(Source)

Soon after the Burning Legion invaded Azeroth at the Broken Shore, the Alliance and Horde began using the Mage Tower at Deliverance Point for high-end training of their most promising champions. When Sargeras was later defeated and dealt his final vengeful blow to Azeroth, the Mage Tower was shut, and it has been inaccessible ever since.

In 9.1.5, Legion Timewalking will become available for the first time, and with Timewalking comes a wondrous way to return to the moments of heroism from the past. Azeroth’s champions will be able to enter the Mage Tower again.

Mage Tower Basics

In Legion Timewalking, the Mage Tower will operate similarly to how it did during Legion. The original seven different Challenges (grouped by your specialization’s role) will be available to try repeatedly, for the duration of Legion Timewalking:

• “Closing the Eye” for Frost Death Knight, Havoc Demon Hunter, Survival Hunter, Subtlety Rogue, and Arms Warrior.
• “An Impossible Foe” for Unholy Death Knight, Feral Druid, Fire Mage, Outlaw Rogue, Elemental Shaman, and Fury Warrior.
• “The God-Queen’s Fury” for Arcane Mage, Retribution Paladin, Assassination Rogue, Enhancement Shaman, and Demonology Warlock.
• “Feltotem’s Fall” for Beast Mastery Hunter, Windwalker Monk, Discipline Priest, and Destruction Warlock.
• “The Highlord’s Return” for Blood Death Knight, Vengeance Demon Hunter, Guardian Druid, Brewmaster Monk, Protection Paladin, and Protection Warrior.
• “End of the Risen Threat” for Restoration Druid, Mistweaver Monk, Holy Paladin, Holy Priest, and Restoration Shaman.
• “Thwarting the Twins” for Balance Druid, Marksmanship Hunter, Frost Mage Shadow Priest, and Affliction Warlock.

Each Challenge comprises a series of solo encounters that must be completely survived to earn rewards, and in Legion Timewalking, they will not require that you have an Artifact, or even that you originally played Legion. While the Challenges were considered quite difficult for most of Legion, we’re tuning the encounters in Timewalking to normalize player power, with the intention of providing a meaningful level of difficulty to current players.

New Rewards

The Timewalking Mage Tower Challenges may be the same as those that players experienced in Legion, but the rewards will be different. When the Mage Tower closed at the end of Legion, it was firmly established that those rewards would become unavailable. Many players pushed themselves to collect all the appearances they could before the tower closed. Reintroducing those same appearances now would diminish those players’ accomplishment, so success in a Mage Tower challenge will now award a Legion-themed armor set for your class.

There’s also a new Achievement coming in 9.1.5 for the most well-rounded champions of the Kirin Tor. Players who complete all seven of the Challenges on different characters across their Battle.net account will be rewarded with a unique flying mount: the Soaring Spelltome!

Another Special Addition

During Legion, the Mage Tower awarded most specs a new weapon appearance, yet players who missed earning those still have countless other admirable weapon transmogs to collect across the whole of the game. But for Guardian druids, the Mage Tower prize was an alternate bear form with a unique silhouette and animations. There is simply nothing else like it in the game. For years, we’ve heard feedback from druid players who are frustrated that something so transformative is no longer available, and we agree.

Therefore, in Legion Timewalking, Guardian druids who complete The Highlord’s Return challenge will also receive a new fel variant of the “werebear” form.

We’ve designed it with the goal of making sure that the original bear forms earned in Legion, with their unblemished natural coloration, will remain clearly distinguishable from this new one.

Looking Ahead

To celebrate the return of the Mage Tower, we plan to have Legion Timewalking open for two consecutive weeks when it first appears on the calendar. Thereafter, Legion Timewalking will occur for the standard one-week-at-a-time in rotation with other Timewalking events from past expansions.

You can’t hide behind these walls forever, Odyn!

[Prophet001 598]

Seems like a good compromise.

The original bears are still original and the new bears get something else.

Makes sense.

[Bobbis 208]

This is...acceptable.

[elrich4rd 2]

this right here, gonna make me play my druid 24/7 from now

[Prophet001 598]

11 minutes ago, elrich4rd said:

this right here, gonna make me play my druid 24/7 from now

For at least 3 days then you'll be on to the next shiny object.

lol 😂

[Dejo93 1,023]

Since they've announced the return of the Mage Tower in 9.1.5, it also mentions that the players who get 7 challenges from it will get this new mount.
Does it mean that the players who did that in Legion get the mount when they log in or does it mean that they have to do it all over again?
I personally did 6 out of the 7 challenges (I didn't play a tank back then). 
Will I have to do all 7 of them again or just the Tank challenge to get the mount?

Edit: I realised that I did the Healer challenge on the same character I did the God Queen challenge. Will it mean that I will also have to do the Healer challenge again?

[SidonisAntares 290]

Boom, there's the compromise I proposed and some of y'all are going to be butthurt regardless.

[Arcling 898]

To me this werebear form always looked so silly, but I guess some people liked it. From recolors, only mage one seems good in my opinion, too bad new mount requires small army of alts, because it might look pretty interesting.

[BobTheHuman 72]

Soaring Spelltome, isn't that one of the options in the poll that the Ancient won? There's still hope for Slime Cat and Caterpillar it seems.

[Brightamethyst 104]

That's a good compromise on the bear form. It always felt like a bad call locking it behind the Mage Tower in the first place. Guardian's MT and Balance of Power forms really should have swapped places.

[durdyenglish 298]

Can we get WOD challenge mode rewards next?

[Donnieblue 0]

Why don't you get a new were-owl form for the Balanced druid?

[Lith 52]

On 9/16/2021 at 11:58 AM, durdyenglish said:

Can we get WOD challenge mode rewards next?

Nop, this didnt bring the original magetower back if you read the post, why would they do that with cm?

[durdyenglish 298]

52 minutes ago, Lith said:

Nop, this didnt bring the original magetower back if you read the post, why would they do that with cm?

looks like ya got me

[Lith 52]

3 hours ago, durdyenglish said:

looks like ya got me

 

Edited September 19, 2021 by Lith