Ascendant Venomstones: How to Farm Them and What to Upgrade
calendar_month October 6, 2026 visibility 35 views
Ascendant Venomstones are the gearing step Season 2 has been waiting for: a way to push your best three pieces past the cap of their upgrade track. They go live in the week of 20 October, one week after patch 12.1.5, and they are earned from exactly the content most players already run every week. This guide sticks to what Blizzard has published, marks what is still PTR data, and gives you a slot order and a weekly route so the first ten stones go where they matter.
What Venomstones do, in Blizzard's words
Ten Ascendant Venomstones raise the item level of one fully upgraded Season 2 Hero-track or Myth-track weapon, trinket or necklace, or a maximum-quality Tidal Crafted piece in those slots, by one tier. The stones unlock through the quest "Ancient Depths, Ancient Venom" from Orin Straylight near the Catalyst in Silvermoon, and the Season 2 crest cap is lifted in the same week, so the two systems arrive together: crests finish the upgrade track, stones go past it. It is a mid-season refresh, not a new season; your rating, your Venomous Abyss achievements and your keys all carry on.
Where the stones drop
- Every Heroic or Mythic raid boss in the Season 2 raids, and in Kith'ix from 20 October.
- Mythic+ keystones at +10 and above.
- Tier 11 Bountiful Delves.
- Nightmare Prey Hunt champion chests.
Blizzard has not published how many stones each source gives or whether there is a weekly cap. On the PTR there was no cap, and the sensible assumption until launch is "run the content, collect the drops". The part that is certain is the shape of the loop: a weekly Heroic raid clear, a handful of +10 keys and a few Tier 11 Delves cover all four sources except Prey, and that is the same loop that fills your Great Vault.
Which items qualify, and which do not
The rule has three parts and all three must be true. The slot must be weapon, trinket or necklace; armour is excluded. The item must be on the Season 2 Hero or Myth track, or be a Tidal Crafted piece at its highest quality. And the item must be fully upgraded already; a Hero piece sitting at 4/6 does not accept stones. That last point is why the week before 20 October matters: spend the crests you have been sitting on, finish the three pieces you intend to push, and have them maxed before the first stone drops. PTR testing showed a maxed Hero item moving from roughly 321 into the low-to-mid 330s, but that number is datamined and can change at launch.
Which slot first
- Weapon. Weapon item level scales every ability you press; one tier here is worth more than one tier anywhere else. Dual wielders: main hand first.
- A trinket you will keep. Only a trinket that stays in your build for the rest of the season. The 22 September trinket tuning settled which Season 2 trinkets are worth that; a situational swap trinket is a waste of ten stones.
- Necklace. Real stat weight, newly eligible, but it moves your output less than the other two.
The rule behind the order: stones are slow to earn and the upgrade is permanent on that item, so spend them only on pieces you are confident you will not replace with a drop next reset. If your weapon is still Hero track, a Myth-track weapon from Heroic Ula'tek or Mythic bosses is a better first goal than stoning the Hero one.
A weekly farming route
- Heroic raid clear on reset day: eight Venomous Abyss bosses plus Tidebound Grotto, each a stone source and each a shot at Myth-track loot for the slots you want to push.
- Four to eight +10 keys across the week: Vault slots, crests and stones from the same runs. Only timed keys count for rating, but the stone drops do not depend on the timer.
- Tier 11 Bountiful Delves when you have no group: the most repeatable solo-friendly source.
- Nightmare Prey Hunt champion chests if you already run Prey; not worth starting for the stones alone.
Before 20 October: max the three target pieces, clear Venomous Abyss Heroic at least once for the Myth-track weapon chance, and get Tier 11 Delves unlocked so the solo source is open from day one. Our 12.1.5 prep guide has the full pre-patch checklist.
The fastest way into the stone sources
If the Heroic raid is the gap, our Venomous Abyss boost runs the clear with you on your own character, self-play, and you can book just the bosses you need or the full eight. If +10 keys are the gap, Mythic+ keys fill a single dungeon or a full set in one session. If Tier 11 is not open yet, the Delve tier unlock gets you there and the Delve run bundle chains the Bountiful runs. We will update this guide on 20 October with the live drop amounts, any weekly cap and the final item-level gain.
