Mythic+ is by most measures the most accessible end-game progression mode. PvP can require fewer players, but given the competitive rather than cooperative nature, it poses barriers to entry that PvE simply doesn’t have. Not least of which is the possibility to lose progress and the nature of rankings as a method for rewards. This makes M+ a natural home for people who find some of the unique non-gameplay challenges of Raiding and PvP, namely organizing large groups or the competitive nature.

However, there’s plenty that you need to get to grips with to push M+ keys as your primary gear source. The first thing to understand is the change to how the dungeon flows compared to Mythic (Often called M0) and the changes you need to make to accommodate for that. From there you want to learn to understand and control your own key, and you’re on the road to gearing up with M+

How does M+ work?

The first thing you’ll need to get used to is the timer. It’s the single biggest change, and it informs how M+ is so different from normal dungeons. First and foremost, understand that you technically don’t need to beat the clock. A run that doesn’t complete its timer still counts for completion (Though for Great Vault purposes, be aware there is a display bug that makes untimed runs disappear but still give rewards when you open your Vault) and loot rewards, albeit less than a timed run. 

This means it’s still in your best interest to complete the dungeon even if your timer runs out. Otherwise, it’s simple, you have an amount of time based on the dungeon you’re in to complete all objectives, with each death subtracting five seconds from your remaining bank. 

Complete it within time and your group gets an extra loot drop and your key upgrades by one level, complete with even larger time still banked and you can upgrade your key multiple times in a single run.

The objectives are straightforward, for the most part, you need to defeat each of the dungeon bosses. This is in line with normal completion, but unlike a normal dungeon run, you’ll also be contending with the Enemy Forces meter. This exists to enforce actually engaging with the non-boss enemies in the dungeon, and to make the timer less swingy based on group compositions that can easily skip enemy packs. Every enemy has a percentage value assigned to it, based roughly on how difficult an enemy it is, and you’ll need to collect enough to bring the bar to 100% for one of the objectives. Certain addons can help track pack values ahead of time and help you fight only what you need to if it becomes a sticking point for your group.

Keys, Affixes, and Seasons

Beyond knowing simply how to complete an M+ run once you’re in you need to understand your key. When you complete an M0 for the first time in a week (or if you’ve already done M+, pick up your Great Vault for that week), you’ll earn a Mythic Keystone. Initially, this will be for an M+2 run if it’s your first or based on your best run from the previous week otherwise. This level decides some basic percentage multipliers for both enemy health and damage, as well as adding Affixes to your run that increase difficulty. 

All affixes are the same for a given week, and cycle with reset; if there’s a particularly bad set for you, you may need to wait out that week for easier sets. Otherwise, you can upgrade your key by completing runs or intentionally downgrade it by starting and not completing runs. Doing this in certain ways can change just the level, or shuffle the dungeon it has so that you can get access to what you’d prefer if posting your own keys.

The first Affix, which is always on, is one of either Tyrannical or Fortified. Tyrannical weeks provide a further buff to bosses on top of your normal scaling key stat buffs, while Fortified does the same for non-boss enemies. This sets the general flow of the dungeon, with each week transferring between difficult bosses and harder trash packs.

Generally, most people find Tyrannical to be the harder of the two as the damage bosses put out under Tyrannical can quickly scale to the point where any sort of mistake causes death and you have longer to make mistakes. The remaining affixes wait for you to reach a certain key level and increase complexity in various ways rather than just buffing enemy stats. 

Individual affixes are a bit too numerous to get into at these two levels, but you can check them in-game under the Mythic Keystone tab of your dungeon finder. The middle pair of affixes show up on keys of level 4 or higher, and level 7 or higher, with each having a specific pool it cycles through. The level 7 affixes are meant to be harder, but as different affixes are more or less difficult for given specs, your mileage may vary.

The final affix, which appears at level 10 or higher, doesn’t cycle with the week, but instead with the season. These are still often called tiers by older players because a Season always coincides with a Raid Tier. The term season just refers to the reset of both PvP and M+ alongside a new Raid release, and your seasonal affix relates to the current raid. Right now, in Shadowlands Season 1, the seasonal affix is Prideful, which introduces minibosses to the dungeon for every 20% of the enemy forces bar you fill. 

Defeating each of the Manifestation of Pride minibosses gives the party a huge buff for the next minute. You’ll want to do your best to spawn Manifestations just before bosses or big pulls since the buff can help you handle these difficult moments, though naturally controlling their spawns requires a preplanned route and no extra trash to be accidentally pulled. It’s an affix all about planning and coordination and handled well it can make your life easier.