Mythic+ ("keys") means Mythic dungeons with a timer and a difficulty level that keeps climbing without end. The higher the keystone level, the beefier and nastier the enemies, the more affixes there are and the higher the item level of the rewards.
How to get a keystone
- Clear any dungeon on Mythic difficulty (without a keystone) and the chest will hold a Mythic Keystone +2.
- The keystone is activated at the Font of Power by the dungeon entrance: you slot the key in, get 10 seconds to prepare, and then the timer starts running.
- Once a week the weekly chest in Dalaran also hands out a new keystone, and its level depends on your best run.
- Everyone has their own keystone: a group of five people can spin through five keys in one evening.
The timer, +1/+2/+3 and the enemy forces counter
- For the run to count you have to kill every boss and reach 100% on the "Enemy Forces" counter, which is what the trash is for. Keep an eye on the bar: leftover percentage at the end is the single most common reason a run fails.
- Beat the timer and the keystone goes up: less than 20% of the time left — +1, from 20% to 40% — +2, more than 40% — +3.
- Finish but miss the timer and the keystone drops by 1 level and changes dungeon. Wipe and fail to finish and the keystone drops by 1 and stays on the same dungeon.
- The reward from the chest at the end is given for a run outside the timer too, but the keystone itself only grows if you beat the clock.
Affixes
| From level | Affix | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| +4 | Bolstering | A mob's death empowers its neighbours — finish the pack off all at once. |
| +4 | Sanguine | A pool is left behind when a mob dies: it heals enemies and hurts you. |
| +4 | Raging | Below 30% health mobs fly into a rage and cannot be controlled. |
| +4 | Bursting | Mobs explode after they die, and the damage stacks. |
| +4 | Teeming | There are more mobs in the dungeon (and more percentage on the counter). |
| +7 | Necrotic | Melee hits put a stack on the tank that cuts healing received. |
| +7 | Volcanic | Pillars of fire erupt under the feet of ranged players — step away. |
| +7 | Skittish | Mobs barely notice the tank's threat. |
| +7 | Quaking | Waves coming off players hit their neighbours and interrupt casts — keep your distance. |
| +7 | Grievous | Wounded players take mounting damage until they are healed all the way up. |
| +10 | Fortified | Trash is beefier and hits harder. |
| +10 | Tyrannical | Bosses are beefier and hit harder (alternates with Fortified). |
| +10 | Seasonal: Explosive | Mobs summon Fel orbs: fail to kill them in time and the group eats an explosion. |
Rewards
| Key | Chest at the end | Weekly chest |
|---|---|---|
| +2 | 890 | 905 |
| +3 | 890 | 910 |
| +4 | 895 | 915 |
| +5 | 900 | 920 |
| +6 | 905 | 920 |
| +7 | 905 | 925 |
| +8 | 910 | 925 |
| +9 | 910 | 930 |
| +10 | 915 | 935 |
| +11 | 920 | 940 |
| +12 | 925 | 945 |
| +13 | 930 | 950 |
| +14 | 935 | 955 |
| +15 and above | 940 | 960 |
The weekly chest counts the best key you actually completed during the week; beating the timer is not required for it. Above +15 the rewards stop growing — going any further is only about rating and the thrill of it.
Tips
- Check the week's affixes before you go in: under Quaking you do not stack up, and under Sanguine you do not fight a pack in a narrow corridor.
- Keep your interrupts in a set order — on high keys a single missed cast kills the group.
- Do not get greedy with trash: once you have 100% enemy forces, run to the boss, because extra packs only burn time.
- Dying costs more than backing off: resurrecting and running back eat minutes off the timer.