How Loot Progression Works in Midnight (The 60-Second Map)

Midnight’s gearing loop is built around three ideas: earn a piece, earn a weekly reward, upgrade what you keep.

• Earn a piece (direct drops): Dungeons, raids, Delves, outdoor events, and seasonal systems give you immediate drops.
• Earn a weekly reward (Great Vault): Your best “weekly chest” style rewards are shaped by what you complete during the week.
• Upgrade what you keep (tracks + crests): Instead of endlessly replacing everything, you’ll upgrade the pieces that are worth holding—especially early in a season when a strong weapon, trinket, or tier-adjacent piece can carry your performance.

The big difference in Midnight is that upgrading is less “busywork” and more “budgeting.” Your upgrades are paced by weekly crest caps and increasing upgrade costs as you push a piece toward its final rank.

The Biggest Change: Upgrades Are Crests-Only (No More Valorstones)

Midnight’s upgrade philosophy is simple: if you want higher item level, you pay with the crest that matches your track. No mixing currencies, no “I have crests but I’m out of the other thing,” no awkward side-grinds just to press the upgrade button.

What this means for you in practice:

• Your “power budget” each week is mostly defined by how many crests you can realistically earn.
• Your upgrades become a choice between breadth (many pieces to mid ranks) and depth (pushing one or two pieces close to max).
• Your best weeks are the ones where your content choices and your upgrade choices support each other.

If you’ve ever hit that moment where you had plenty of one currency but were hard-stuck by another, Midnight is trying to remove that frustration—at the cost of slower “finish-line” upgrades.

Gear Tracks in Midnight: What They Mean and Why They Matter

Every drop you care about will show a track and a rank (example: “Champion 2/6”). Track answers: How high can this item go? Rank answers: How upgraded is it right now?

Midnight’s seasonal track names (as currently seen in testing and early info) are designed to be easier to understand at a glance:

• Adventurer (entry endgame)
• Veteran (regular endgame)
• Champion (high-end content baseline)
• Hero (serious endgame progression)
• Myth (top-end, best-in-season ceiling)

Why track matters more than the drop itself:

• A “lower” drop on a higher track can often become stronger than a “higher” drop on a lower track once upgraded.
• If you want to stop replacing gear, you want items on tracks you can actually finish.
• Your Great Vault choices should align with the track you’re trying to build toward (for many players: Hero early, Myth via Vault later).

Dawncrests Explained: One Track, One Crest Type

Midnight’s crests are expected to be named to match their track. That’s a huge quality-of-life improvement because you can tell what a crest is for without memorizing seasonal naming.

The key idea: a crest type is tied to the track, not to a mid-upgrade breakpoint.

So if your item is on the Hero track, you upgrade it using the Hero crest the entire way.

As currently shown in public info, the crest types are:

• Adventurer Dawncrest
• Veteran Dawncrest
• Champion Dawncrest
• Hero Dawncrest
• Myth Dawncrest

And each track has a defined item level band it upgrades through (numbers can still shift by launch, but the structure is the point). The practical takeaway is what matters most: don’t farm a crest type you don’t need—you can’t “accidentally” push a Hero item with Champion crests.

Upgrade Costs: Why Midnight Rewards Smart Spending (Not Impulse Upgrades)

Midnight’s upgrade costs are designed to ramp up as you approach max rank. The common cost structure shown is:

• 1/6 → free
• 2/6 → 10 crests
• 3/6 → 20 crests
• 4/6 → 30 crests
• 5/6 → 40 crests
• 6/6 → 50 crests
• Total to fully upgrade one item from 1/6 to 6/6: 150 crests of that track.

This is the single most important “before you grind” lesson in Midnight:

Maxing one piece is not a one-week decision anymore. It’s a multi-reset investment.

So the best early-season strategy for most players becomes:

• Upgrade several high-impact slots to 3/6 or 4/6,
• Only push 5/6 and 6/6 when you’re confident the item will stay equipped for a while.

If you treat every decent drop like “time to max it,” you’ll feel permanently crest-starved.

Weekly Crest Caps: The Pacing Rule You Must Plan Around

As currently described, the weekly crest cap is expected to be 100 per crest type (not one shared cap). That’s important because it changes how you think about “wasting” crests.

Here’s the practical math you should actually use:

• If a full upgrade is 150, and a weekly cap is 100, then fully upgrading a single piece on that track generally takes at least two weekly resets of that crest type.
• Spending 50 on the final step (6/6) is literally half a week of that crest type—so only do it when you’re sure.

The better way to think about it:

Your weekly goal is not “max gear.” Your weekly goal is “upgrade the slots that improve your performance the most for the content you’re doing next.”

Mythic+ Loot in Midnight: End-of-Dungeon vs Great Vault

If you primarily grind Mythic+, you need to separate two reward streams:

1) End-of-dungeon rewards (immediate loot)

• These generally sit on a strong but not “best possible” ceiling for the week.
• They help you fill gaps and stabilize your average item level quickly.

2) Great Vault rewards (weekly pick)

• This is where “real season power” often comes from—especially once you’re targeting top-track items.

A major point from current Midnight testing info: Mythic+ Great Vault scaling that appeared to push far higher key levels was removed, and the Great Vault behaves more like the current live structure where +10 and above is the meaningful breakpoint for top-tier weekly rewards.

What you should do with that knowledge:

• If your goal is gearing efficiency, don’t obsess over pushing keys way above your comfort level just for Vault item level unless the system changes again.
• Instead, focus on: clean +10 completions, building 8 runs if you want maximum Vault options, and using upgrades to smooth your route.

A simple weekly M+ plan that works for most players:

• Minimum plan (busy week): 1 run at your best reliable level.
• Standard plan (steady growth): 4 runs at your best reliable level.
• Max options plan: 8 runs at your best reliable level (or a mix, but keep most at the target breakpoint).

If you’re a PUG player: consistency beats peak. A clean timer at a slightly lower key level often yields better weekly momentum than hours of depleted keys and disband drama.

Raid Loot in Midnight: Why Boss Kills Still Matter

Raiding is still the most direct “structured progression” loot source: boss-by-boss upgrades, tier progression, and a clear difficulty ladder.

What most players forget: Raid loot isn’t only about drops. It’s about targeting specific slots.

• If your class is heavily dependent on a particular trinket style, weapon type, or set synergy, raids often offer the most predictable target list.
• Your Great Vault raid row becomes extremely valuable if you kill bosses across the week.

Practical raid-first advice before you grind:

• Know your two most important slots (often weapon + trinket, or weapon + tier-related slot).
• Prioritize bosses that can drop those upgrades early.
• Use upgrades to stabilize the rest of your gear so you can meet group requirements and stay invited.

Even if you’re not a “raider,” a small weekly raid commitment can dramatically improve your gearing speed—because Vault options get better when you diversify what you complete.

Delves and Outdoor Loot: The “Solo-Friendly” Power Path

Delves exist to give you meaningful progression without requiring a full premade group. If you’re a solo player, an alt-focused player, or someone who plays in short sessions, Delves often become your most reliable “steady upgrades” source.

How to use Delves in a loot plan:

• Use Delves to patch weak slots so you can step into M+ or raids without being undergeared.
• Treat Delves as your consistency engine: they keep your weekly Vault and upgrades moving even if you can’t schedule group content.
• Combine Delves with smart upgrades: push the pieces that let you survive and perform (weapon, chest/legs, trinkets).

The important mindset shift: Delves aren’t “lesser content.” They’re a different pacing model. If you want stable growth and fewer social barriers, you build your plan around them instead of forcing yourself into content you don’t enjoy.

Prey System Rewards: What It Adds to Your Weekly Gearing Loop

Midnight introduces Prey, an opt-in hunting system in the outdoor world where you take a contract, pursue a target, and deal with unpredictable encounters while you’re doing normal zone activities.

What matters for gearing:

• Prey has three difficulty levels (Normal, Hard, Nightmare).
• Hard and Nightmare add enemy modifiers called Torments.
• Prey offers cosmetic rewards and, crucially, power rewards up to the Hero track.
• Prey also contributes to the Great Vault outdoor activity slot each week.

That last bullet is the “loot system” reason Prey matters even if you don’t care about cosmetics. It becomes another lever you can pull to improve your weekly reward options without doing more keys or more raid bosses.

Practical Prey advice before you grind:

• If you’re already doing outdoor content (renown, quests, gathering), Prey can be layered on top for extra reward value.
• If you’re a solo player aiming for Hero-track power, Prey is worth learning early.
• If you’re a group player, Prey is still valuable because it diversifies your weekly reward path—especially on weeks you can’t run many keys.

Crafted Gear in Midnight: Where It Fits (And When It’s Worth It)

Crafted gear remains the “control your destiny” option: you can aim for the exact slot and stat profile you want, then upgrade or recraft as the season moves.

Before you sink gold and materials into crafting, use this decision rule:

• Craft when you’re missing a critical slot (weapon, a key embellishment-style piece, or a slot with terrible drop luck).
• Craft when upgrades are expensive and you want a guaranteed long-term item you’ll keep upgrading.
• Avoid crafting as a panic reaction to one bad week of drops—because crafted gear is strongest when you plan it, not when you impulse-buy it.

One notable crafting quality-of-life direction seen in Midnight testing notes: crafting “Spark” flow is being simplified (fewer fragment-combine steps), so crafting should feel less fiddly even if the pacing remains similar. The best approach is to treat Sparks like a weekly resource: don’t waste them, and don’t craft something you’re not happy wearing for a long time.

Great Vault Planning: How to Build a Vault That Actually Helps You

The Great Vault is the biggest reason people feel “lucky” or “unlucky” in a season. The trick is to reduce luck by giving yourself better choices.

The best Vault planning rule is:

Pick your primary content lane, then add one secondary lane for flexibility.

Examples that work:

• Mythic+ main: Aim for 4–8 dungeon completions + one outdoor lane (Prey/Delves) if you have time.
• Raid main: Kill enough bosses for meaningful Vault options + add a few keys for a backup pick.
• Solo main: Build outdoor/Delve/Prey progress reliably + add 1–2 keys when you can.

A Vault that gives you three bad options still wastes your week. A Vault that gives you a mix of slots and tracks gives you agency: you can pick the item that fixes your biggest problem.

Upgrade Strategy That Works: “Upgrade Slots, Not Items”

If you remember one philosophy for Midnight, make it this: your character is a collection of slots (weapon slot, trinket slot, chest slot), not a museum of individual items.

A clean and practical upgrade approach:

• Step 1: Stabilize your weakest slots to a “won’t get you declined” baseline.
• Step 2: Push your highest-impact slots to 4/6 before you chase 6/6 anywhere.
• Step 3: Only chase 6/6 on items you are confident you’ll keep for multiple weeks.

A simple priority list that is usually correct for most specs:

• Weapons (biggest raw throughput jump)
• Trinkets (often build-defining)
• Chest/legs/helm (high stat budgets)
• Rings/neck (steady value)
• Everything else (upgrade as needed for breakpoints)

This is exactly how you stop feeling “behind” even when RNG isn’t perfect: you turn your upgrades into a predictable climb.

Loot Etiquette in PUGs: Get More Trades, Fewer Arguments

Loot systems aren’t just math—they’re social.

If you want smoother PUG runs (and better odds of someone trading you a piece), do this:

• Call your needed slots early (one short line at the start: “Hey, I’m hunting a weapon/trinket today—happy to trade my drops if they’re not upgrades.”)
• Don’t pressure people—ask once, keep it polite, move on.
• Offer value: interrupts, mechanics, quick ready checks. Players are far more likely to help someone who made the run feel clean.

And if you’re the one holding a tradable item:

• Trade when it doesn’t hurt you. You’ll build a reputation (even in random groups) as someone people want to queue with again.

Common Grind Traps to Avoid in Midnight

These mistakes waste more time than “bad RNG” ever will:

• Upgrading too early: Spending high-cost upgrades on items you replace the next day is the fastest way to feel crest-starved.
• Ignoring your next goal: If you’re pushing keys this weekend, upgrade survivability and consistency now—not “perfect stats for a raid you’re not doing.”
• Farming the wrong crest: Don’t spend a week earning a crest type you can’t efficiently use.
• Building a Vault with no slot variety: If every option is the same slot type you already have, you’re gambling instead of planning.
• Chasing max rank too soon: That 6/6 upgrade is expensive. Most players gain more power by raising multiple slots instead.

If you want to grind efficiently, the goal isn’t “more hours.” It’s “fewer wasted upgrades.”

Transmog and Cosmetics: Don’t Let Gold Costs Surprise You

Midnight’s transmog system is shifting toward a slot-based approach (your appearance sticks with your gear slots rather than being tied to individual items). It also introduces outfits you can save, expand, and swap freely once unlocked.

What matters for your grind plan:

• You start with a limited number of outfit slots, and unlocking more costs gold.
• Once unlocked, swapping between saved outfits is free, and you can even place outfits on your action bar for quick changes.

Why this belongs in a loot guide: because cosmetics are part of why people grind, and in Midnight you’ll want to budget gold if you plan to collect appearances aggressively while also crafting, enchanting, and prepping consumables.

If you’re a collector-type player, consider a “two budget” mindset:

• Power budget: crests + weekly time
• Cosmetic budget: gold + targeted farms

That keeps you from sabotaging your gearing pace because you accidentally went all-in on cosmetic spending during a progression week.

BoostRoom: Build a Loot Plan, Not Just a Grind Schedule

If you want to gear faster with less stress, BoostRoom is built for the part most players struggle with: turning your time into consistent upgrades.

BoostRoom can help you:

• Plan a weekly route around your goals (Vault targets, crest targets, best slot targets).
• Run efficient content when you don’t have a stable group (Mythic+ routes that prioritize clean completions, not chaos).
• Fix performance bottlenecks so you get invited more (damage consistency, survivability, utility usage, and “PUG-proof” habits).
• Make upgrades feel obvious (what to upgrade now vs what to hold, based on your role and your next goal).

If you’re tired of “I played a ton and got nowhere,” that’s exactly the problem a structured plan solves—and it’s the fastest way to feel confident heading into Midnight’s first real gearing race.

FAQ

Do I need to do Mythic+ to get strong gear in Midnight?

No. Mythic+ is efficient, but Midnight’s systems give you multiple paths—raids, Delves, and Prey can all contribute meaningful power and weekly rewards. Choose the path you’ll actually stick with.

What’s the biggest upgrade mistake players will make early in Midnight?

Maxing too many pieces too early. Because the last upgrade steps are expensive, spreading upgrades across multiple key slots usually gives more power per week.

Is Prey “worth it” if I only care about power?

Yes if you like outdoor content, because it can offer power rewards up to the Hero track and contributes to the weekly outdoor Vault slot.

How many Mythic+ runs should I do weekly for gearing?

A good baseline is 4 for solid Vault options, and 8 if you want maximum choices. If time is limited, even 1 high-quality run is better than spamming depleted keys.

Should I upgrade a decent item now or wait for a better drop?

Upgrade if it helps you clear the content you’re doing next week (survivability and consistency matter). But avoid sinking the most expensive ranks into items you’re likely to replace soon.

Do I need a raid group to keep up in gear?

Not necessarily. Raids are strong for targeted boss loot, but Delves/Prey + Mythic+ (even at moderate levels) can keep you competitive if you plan your upgrades and Vault well.

How does the stat and item squish affect loot decisions?

It mostly affects “how numbers look,” not your relative power. Focus on track/rank and your content goals rather than panicking about lower-looking item levels.