[Updated 1 Nov.] Additional clarifications on the loot system in Ahn'Qiraj have been added to the article below.
[Updated 12 Nov.] The PTR playtest will begin on 15 November.

Face your fears when you gather your allies to confront the Old God, C’thun in Ahn’Qiraj and the Dragons of Nightmare in the Nightmare Grove, plus more in Season of Discovery Phase 6.

Before you go charging into Ahn’Qiraj, you’ll need to begin your journey with the "Scepter of the Shifting Sands" questline which begins ahead of the phase on 13 November with regional resets.

Here’s what you can look forward to in the weeks to come:

• 13 November: Scepter of the Shifting Sands questline opens with regional resets.
• 21 November: Ahn’Qiraj War Effort begins at 21:00 GMT globally.
• 29 November: The War Effort ends.
• 4 December: The war heralding the arrival of Anubisath and the qiraji warriors begins.
• 6 December: Temple of Ahn’Qiraj, Ruins of Ahn’Qiraj, and Nightmare Grove Open.

Bang a Gong!

Players can begin a quest series to create the Scepter of the Sands, which will enable them to ultimately ring the gong on the realm they are on. Players who complete the quest between 21:00 GMT on 4 December and 21:00 GMT on 6 December  will receive the Black Qiraji Resonating Crystal, which will summon a ridable Qiraji battle tank that can be used in the outdoor world as well as within the Temple of Ahn’Qiraj.

Join the War Effort

Supply the war effort against the sinister forces of Ahn’Qiraj. Both Horde and the Alliance can bring a steady stream of supplies to the Valley of Spirits in Orgrimmar or to the Military Ward in Ironforge to turn-in for Ahn’Qiraj War Effort Supplies containing useful items and Alliance Commendation Signets or Horde Commendation Signets, which can be used to gain reputation with your faction.

While many of the necessary supplies can be obtained as loot drops or purchased from the Auction House, having a profession that helps you acquire these supplies will also come in handy. 

Players can continue to contribute materials to gain Commendation Signets even after the War Effort ends.

Pushing Back the Enemy

Join the battle to push back the Anubisath and Qiraji warriors, which can be found in the Barrens and Thousand Needles (for lower-level players) and Silithus, Tanaris, and Feralas (for higher-level players). Defending against these incursions will give players a chance to earn gold, experience, and reputation with the Brood of Nozdormu, along with a higher chance for rare drops.

[Updated 1/11] Opening of the Gates

At the completion of the 48-hour war, the Ruins of Ahn’Qiraj (a 10+ player raid dungeon) and the Temple of Ahn’Qiraj (a 20+ player raid dungeon) opens, allowing players access to the dangers and treasures within. All bosses within these raid dungeons are now mandatory to defeat to complete the raid dungeon.

New Raid Difficulty System

Inside the Ruins of Ahn’Qiraj and Temple of Ahn’Qiraj players will need to decide how far they want to push their skill to earn additional rewards with an optional new system we’re calling “Descent into Madness.”  These additional rewards can be earned on top of the guaranteed loot dropped by the bosses within these two raid dungeons. To opt in, players will need to choose to take part before the encounter with the first boss in each raid.

Players who choose to test their abilities against the increased difficulty of each boss are provided with a limited number of attempts to succeed in earning these bonus rewards. If the raid group succeeds, they’ll be rewarded with a bonus chest which provides additional items for the raid. Players can choose to loot the bonus chest for the additional rewards or can opt to continue to the next boss. Opting in to the next boss will destroy the previous chest and allow the raid to try for a new chest with additional items in it after the next boss. There are check points in place as you progress through the raid dungeon so that should you fail at some point, you will still be awarded a minimum amount of bonus loot if you’ve reached one of those checkpoints.

The choice between more rewards to hand out to your team and facing increasing difficulty will be entirely up to the raid group to decide. It's important to note that rewards are in addition to those that can be earned from the regular boss loot but aren't more powerful. Compared to previous phases of Season of Discovery, the amount of loot per boss is being migrated from requiring the harder difficulty, to most of it being awarded baseline. The base number of drops per boss will be higher, the bonus loot will be very limited, and many of these additional rewards will also be cosmetic in nature.

Will you press your luck or will you loot your rewards early and lay claim to any bonus rewards you’ve earned? Players will be able to test this system when it goes up on the PTR (Public Test Realm) on Friday 15 November.

Ruins of Ahn’Qiraj

The Ruins of Ahn’Qiraj is an outdoor 10+ player raid dungeon located in Silithus, and players can traverse much of it while mounted.

Raid Bosses: 6
Level: 60
Location: Kalimdor – Silithus
Players: 10+
Raid Reset: 2x weekly

Bosses:

• Kurinnaxx is the first of the six bosses you will encounter in the ruins. This fight requires a great deal of mobility, and raid members must keep an eye on shifting sands beneath their feet to avoid taking extra damage.
• General Rajaxx is the commander of the Qiraji armies, and the second boss encounter in the ruins. You’ll find this towering monstrosity on the General’s Terrace; speak to Lieutenant General Andorov to begin the encounter, but make sure your raid team is ready first.
• Moam is located in the Reservoir. Having some players capable of draining the mana from this mighty magic user can be crucial to overcoming his mana-stealing ways.
• Buru the Gorger can be found in the Hatchery below. The eggs around him are his greatest weakness, and you’ll need to carefully maneuver him over to them to succeed.
• Ayamiss the Hunter is located in the Comb. She begins the fight airborne  and will need to be damaged with ranged attacks until she’s forced to face you on the ground.
• Ossirian the Unscarred is located within the Watchers’ Terrace and is the final boss within the ruins. You’ll need to use the crystals around the room to help weaken his damage output.

Temple of Ahn’Qiraj

Dark whispers ride on the winds of Silithus desert. An old god stirs in his wretched lair, and the entire world shall soon be the target of his wrath. After thousands of years of slumber, the Old God, C’Thun has awakened and is quickly regenerating his power. Once he has reached full potential nothing will be able to stop him. The dragons that so humbly sacrificed themselves long ago to imprison C’Thun are weakened or enslaved in the temple, so the charge of protecting the land falls to other heroes.

Heroes must enter Temple of Ahn’Qiraj, challenge C’Thun’s most wicked servants, and slay a god. The road will not be easy, and it is wrought with peril at every turn. Will the heroes turn back now or face C’Thun in his mighty lair and put an end to him once and for all?

Raid Bosses: 9
Level: 60
Location: Kalimdor- Silithus
Players: 20+
Raid Reset: 7 Days

Bosses:

• The Prophet Skeram is located within the Temple Gates. An important religious leader in Ahn'Qiraj and author of The Prophecy of C'Thun, he is the first boss found in the Temple of Ahn'Qiraj.
• Silithid Royalty is located in the Hive Undergrounds and is an optional boss encounter in the Temple of Ahn'Qiraj. In this encounter, three silithid must be fought all at the same time to be defeated.
• Battleguard Sartura, the second boss in the Temple of Ahn’Qiraj, is located in the Hive Undergrounds and is the apparent leader of the Qiraji battleguards.
• Fankriss the Unyielding is is a sand reaver and the third boss in the Temple of Ahn’Qiraj, located in the Hive Undergounds.
• Viscidus is located in the Hive Undergrounds; this giant slime that can be accessed after the death of Fankriss the Unyielding.
• Princess Huhuran is a silithid wasp and the fourth boss of the temple. She is located in the heart of the Hive Undergrounds.
• The Twin Emperors Little is known about the Twin Emperors, except the fact that they created a  powerful entity, Moam, to serve as a commander of their armies. They are located in The Hive Underground.
• Ouro is an ancient sandworm rumored to have been created by the Old God C’Thun as a mockery of life.
• C’Thun is located in the underbelly of the Temple of Ahn’Qiraj within the Vault of C’Thun. You’ll need to hone your team’s coordination in order to defeat this final boss and reap your rewards.

Players can also collect Qiraji mounts, which can be used to help navigate the halls of the Temple of Ahn’Qiraj.

Enter the Nightmare Grove

Players can now face the Dragons of Nightmare, Emeriss, Lethon, Taerrar, and Ysondre in a single instance in the Nightmare Grove. Players can access the Nightmare Grove from the Emerald Dream groves and will fight one of the four Dragons of Nightmare in whichever grove they first arrive through. Thereafter, players can teleport to each boss in sequence.

We look forward to having you join us in Season of Discovery Phase 6. We’ll see you in Azeroth!