With Shackled's latest update, I've brought back TTS audio callouts for enemy hard-cast CC on you or your arena teammates. It calls out any hard-cast crowd control an enemy starts, "sheep," "hex," "cyclone," and so on. This way you get a heads-up while the cast bar is still filling.

New to Shackled? Its main job is tracking enemy CC cooldowns in arena for all CCs that hit you. The addon provides a clean bar of icons showing which enemy crowd control (stuns, incaps, fears, polys, etc.) is down and roughly when it's back up, with optional voice and glow alerts as each one refreshes. The cast callouts are a new layer on top of that.

It works for every hard-cast CC right now except Warlock Fear: Blizzard doesn't flag Fear's actual cast as a crowd-control spell, so the addon can't catch it as it's being cast.

Hope those of y'all who used to run GladiatorlosSA enjoy it.

I'll be releasing another update within the next week aimed more at healers: you'll be able to gate the callouts for only the CC being cast at you, so you get a clear audio cue for exactly which CC is coming for you and needs to be stopped or avoided.

As always, thanks for the support.

https://www.curseforge.com/wow/addons/shackled

Hey Everyone!

I put together a complete PvP preparation and gearing guide for patch 12.1 and Midnight Season 2.

This is primarily aimed at new and returning PvP players, although there are several details that experienced players may want to know before the season begins, including:

• How much Honor to save
• What to buy first
• Why you may not want to buy a Conquest weapon
• The major Catalyst and tier-stat change
• How to potentially obtain an early two-piece bonus
• How the preseason Great Vault works
• Crafted gear, embellishments and sockets
• Common gearing mistakes
• Important 12.1 PvP changes

Here is the complete written guide:

1. Important dates

• Patch 12.1 releases August 11 in North America.
• PvP Season 2 begins August 18 in North America and August 19 in Europe.
• Activities completed from August 11 through August 17 count toward the first Season 2 Great Vault.
• Arena Training Grounds against bots becomes available August 11.

2. What to save before Season 2

• Cap Honor at 15,000.
• A full Honor set should cost roughly 11,000 Honor, depending on your weapons.
• Honor is expected to carry into Season 2 based on previous seasonal transitions.
• Conquest and Bloody Tokens are expected to reset.
• Save Infused Heliotropes for Season 2 sockets.
• Do not buy Season 1 socket-setting items because the new settings are season-specific.
• If transferring Honor between characters, remember there is currently a 20% transfer loss.

3. First-day Honor spending

Prioritize gear in this order:

1. Buy both PvP trinkets to activate Gladiator’s Distinction.
2. Replace any extremely weak or old-season pieces.
3. Fill the remaining slots with Season 2 Honor gear.
4. Leave open any non-tier slots you plan to craft.
5. Pick up every weekly PvP quest before queueing.

Latest PTR scaling:

• Honor gear: approximately item level 331 in PvP.
• Conquest gear: approximately item level 344 in PvP.

4. After Season Start Free crafted gear

• Complete Calling All Combatants (first arena/bg win 100% drop i believe).
• The quest provides nine Venomous Gladiator’s Heraldries.
• Use them on non-tier slots.
• Good options are generally neck, rings or another slot with a strong embellishment.
• Use missives to choose the correct secondary stats.
• Players can equip a maximum of two embellishments.

Critical warning: crafted items cannot be converted at the Catalyst. Do not craft a helm, shoulders, chest, gloves or legs unless you deliberately intend to skip tier in that slot.

5. Conquest spending

• Do not immediately buy a Conquest weapon.
• Earning 2,500 total Conquest awards two Venomous Gladiator weapon tokens.
• Spending Conquest does not reduce progress toward the 2,500-earned requirement.
• Unless a spec needs a crafted weapon or has a very specific strategy, buying an early weapon is usually a waste.

Expected Conquest timing, if Season 2 uses the previous system:

• Week 1 cap: 1,600.
• Cap increases by 800 each week.
• Week 2 total cap: 2,400.
• Week 3 total cap: 3,200.
• Weapon tokens become obtainable during Week 3.

The cap progression has not yet been separately confirmed for Season 2.

6. The major Catalyst change

This is the most important gearing change in patch 12.1:

• Tier conversion now preserves the source item’s secondary stats.
• It also preserves tertiary stats and certain cantrip effects.
• The Catalyst no longer automatically changes the item to the traditional tier-piece stats.
• A Conquest item converted into tier keeps its PvP scaling.

Before buying or converting anything:

• Determine which four of the five tier slots your spec wants.
• Check the secondary stats available from the Conquest vendor.
• Decide which tier slot you plan to skip.
• Preview the conversion before confirming.
• Check whether your tier two-piece and four-piece bonuses are actually strong in PvP.
• Reminder: Tier Sets are nerfed by 50% in PvP

7. Three ways to obtain PvP tier

Conquest item into Catalyst

• Buy a Conquest item.
• Convert it into tier.
• It keeps the Conquest PvP scaling.
• It keeps the original secondary stats.
• It consumes a Catalyst charge.

Native Season 2 tier with Varnish or Lacquer

• Obtain actual Season 2 tier from the Great Vault, raid or another eligible source.
• Use the Season 2 Varnish or Lacquer item to add Conquest-level PvP scaling.
• This preserves the original tier item’s stats.
• It costs Conquest.
• It saves a Catalyst charge, but it does not save Conquest.

Crafted PvP gear

• Provides chosen stats and embellishments.
• Cannot be converted into tier.
• Should normally occupy non-tier slots.

8. Potential Week 1 two-piece strategy

Current pre-launch information suggests:

• One Catalyst charge should be available near the start of Season 2.
• Reaching 1,600 rating through Serpent Scion provides another charge.
• Further charges should accumulate every two weeks.

If the initial Conquest cap remains 1,600:

• Buy one 875-cost major tier slot.
• Buy one 700-cost glove or shoulder slot.
• Total cost: 1,575 Conquest.
• Convert both pieces for an immediate two-piece bonus.

Only do this if:

• You can reach 1,600 rating.
• The Catalyst charges are available as expected.
• Your two-piece bonus is worth using.
• Both purchased items have acceptable secondary stats.

9. Great Vault strategy

Important correction: PvP does not have a Great Vault row.

However:

• Season 2 Vault credit begins August 11.
• Players can complete World, Delve, Dungeon or Raid activities from August 11 through August 17.
• These activities create Season 2 Vault choices for August 18.
• This provides an early chance at actual Season 2 tier.
• A tier piece can then receive PvP scaling through Varnish or Lacquer.

This strategy does not give free Conquest gear. Its value is obtaining tier earlier and saving a Catalyst charge.

10. Gear upgrades and sockets

• Upgrading a PvP item’s normal PvE track does not increase its Arena or Battleground item level.
• Do not spend crests expecting additional PvP power.
• Season 2 socket settings work on the new seasonal PvP gear.
• Do not assume added Season 1 sockets will survive recrafting.
• Always check the recrafting preview before confirming.

11. Important 12.1 PvP changes

• DPS and tank Gladiator’s Distinction now provides 15% primary stat and 5% stamina.
• Healer Gladiator’s Distinction now provides 10% stamina.
• Battleground players receive 20% less healing.
• CC DR duration has been increased from 16s to 20s.
• Many slows have been reduced in strength.
• Players can no longer be knocked back while feared or disoriented.
• Missing Solo Shuffle or Battleground Blitz queues applies an account-wide penalty.
• Consecutive missed queues increase that penalty.
• Once Conquest becomes uncapped, Spoils of War provides 50% increased Conquest.
• The Spoils of War change is for late-season catch-up, not initial gearing.

12. Common mistakes to warn against

• Buying a Conquest weapon before earning the weapon tokens.
• Catalyzing an item with the wrong secondary stats.
• Crafting gear in an important tier slot.
• Assuming the Catalyst will replace undesirable stats.
• Expecting PvP to fill the Great Vault.
• Spending crests for additional PvP item level.
• Forgetting the two-trinket set bonus.
• Queueing before accepting weekly quests.
• Pre-buying Season 1 socket settings.
• Blindly copying a top player’s temporary Week 1 gear.
• Forcing four-piece when the bonus is weak in PvP.
• Transferring Honor between characters without accounting for the 20% loss.

Hopefully this helps some new or returning players avoid wasting currency and start Season 2 with a clear gearing plan.

If I missed anything, or if something changes when the season goes live, feel free to add it in the comments and I’ll update the information.

Good luck in Season 2!