What are Heirlooms and why should I use them?

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In World of Warcraft there are plentiful catch up mechanics and systems designed to make leveling up new characters fast and fun, the best catch up system are Heirlooms! First introduced in Wrath of the Lich King, these powerful armaments will help you get your alts ready in no time!

So, what exactly ARE heirlooms?

Heirlooms are a special type of armor that scales with player level. Getting better with your level, erasing the need to try and upgrade your armor. They all belong to their own Set, having enough pieces will unlock new special effects! These effects include more Rested EXP, an explosion when you level dealing damage to enemies, and increased stats for a limited time!

Okay… but why should I use heirlooms?

Well, first and foremost you should use heirlooms to make leveling fast and easy. They speed up leveling with the effects mentioned above. The level scaling really shines when you are speed leveling, as you never have to stop to re-apply enchants, or replace pieces/compare stats. Just level and go!

Where can I get my OWN heirlooms?

You can get a majority of the Heirlooms from either Orgrimmar for the Horde, or Ironforge for the Alliance. For the horde, look for a vendor named Estelle Gendry on top of the Main Gates of Orgrimmar. If you are Alliance, look for Krom Stoutarm in the Hall of Explorers in Ironforge. You can also find some additional Heirlooms for sale from Guild Vendors, but these are locked behind rep and achievement restrictions that will be mentioned in a future article!

How do I upgrade my heirlooms?

Heirlooms are upgraded by buying the required items. The items can be bought for Gold from the same vendors in Orgrimmar and Ironforge. You can also use some other niche currencies from various expansions to buy upgrade items. During Timewalking Weeks, you can upgrade with the Time Walking badges, and you can purchase upgrades with Anima in Oribos if you are max level. Remember, Weapons are upgraded with Weapon Casings. This includes Shields and off hand items. Use the Armor Casings to upgrade jewelry, trinkets, and all armor pieces.

Nice! I’m almost sold. Why are they called Heirlooms?

They are called heirlooms because they are modeled and named after some of the most powerful armors from Classic WoW. From Herod’s shoulder, to the Ancient Bone Bow, and even the Headmaster’s Charge. These powerful items are handed down from your main champion and passed down to your new fledgling adventurers, just to make leveling easy!

That’s so cool! I love that Blizzard has systems like this!

Blizzard is always looking for ways to make playing with your friends and trying new characters easier. It will be exciting to see how they change in the future, and how easily we will be able to use them to level alts in Dragonflight.

I hope that this has helped you guys with your Heirloom Needs. Best of luck with your leveling escapades, and I hope to see you all as we move into Dragonflight! 

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