In Season 3 of The War Within, Ethereal Crests are the quiet catalyst that lifts ordinary drops to raid-ready gear. Slot one into a blade or breastplate and item levels climb, stats tighten, and each dungeon run feels like it could hand you the next big upgrade.
Want to make that power boost a certainty, not a gamble? Check out our guide, where we lay out the smartest ways to gather crests and the best moments to use them — so you can focus on progress instead of puzzling over the fine print.
In The War Within Season 3, Ethereal Crests are the principal currency for boosting your gear’s strength.
You’ll depend on them to push item levels higher when diving into Mythic+ dungeons, raiding bosses, or exploring Delves. Working hand-in-hand with Valorstones, they follow the familiar upgrade structure introduced by earlier-season Crests.
Below, you’ll find a concise overview of the key points about Ethereal Crests:
The Weekly Cap system is important. Weathered Ethereal Crest and Carved Ethereal Crest can be farmed endlessly, but Runed and Gilded Crests are hard-capped each reset.
Blizzard keeps these limits aiming to make crest acquisition pace fairly even for everyone. So even if you miss a week the game then adds a catch-up allowance (increasing the total cap by 90), letting you claw back the points you skipped last week!
Ethereal Crests are divided into four distinct varieties, each corresponding to a particular rung of gear progression in The War Within Season 3. You’ll collect them through a wide range of activities, and every tier lets you boost your equipment to the next bracket.
Consult the table below for a breakdown of all Ethereal Crest types:
| Crest Type | Upgradable Gear | What It Does |
|---|---|---|
| Gilded Ethereal Crest | Upgrades Hero and Myth gear up to item level 723 | The pinnacle Crest, allowing the largest item-level increases from Raids and high-key Mythic+ dungeons. |
| Runed Ethereal Crest | Upgrades Champion and Hero gear to item level 704-717 | Vital for the mid-to-late gearing phase, ideal just before you enter true Mythic territory. |
| Carved Ethereal Crest | Upgrades Veteran and Champion gear to item level 691-701 | A solid bridge from early to mid-game, raising gear to Hero readiness. |
| Weathered Ethereal Crest | Upgrades Adventurer and Veteran gear to item level 668-678 | Perfect for fresh characters or alts who need an initial power boost before harder encounters. |
When you step into higher difficulty challenges (think Mythic+ dungeons and Raid bosses) Ethereal Crests turn into your chief engine for steady gear upgrades. They sit at the very heart of the Season 3 power cycle, and mastering how you earn and spend them is essential for keeping an edge all season long.
Farming Ethereal Crests is the cornerstone of gear progression in The War Within Season 3. Whatever content you gravitate to, there’s always a path to earn more.
The tougher the challenge, the higher the tier of crests you’ll receive. Here’s where you can farm them right now:
Every activity awards different Crest tiers. Delves work well for relaxed, low-commitment farming. Mythic+ and raids are the most efficient ways to stack Ethereal Crests and they remain the primary sources for Runed Ethereal Crest and Gilded Ethereal Crest. Once you reach specific progression checkpoints, Vendor Exchanges also let you convert lower-tier crests into higher ones.
Again, keep in mind that Runed Ethereal Crest and Gilded Ethereal Crest have a weekly limit of 90 per tier. If you skip a week, your cap increases so you can catch up later. Weathered and Carved Crests are uncapped, letting you farm as many as you want. Plan your routes with this in mind so your upgrades do not fall behind.
Weathered Ethereal Crest come from nearly everything: world quests, outdoor treasures, lower-tier Delves (1–5), Heroic dungeons, and LFR raids. Since they’re abundant, targeted farming usually isn’t needed — you’ll pick them up naturally while playing.
Even so, we’ve outlined the most efficient methods to grind this currency:
🌿 Shipping and Handling Jobs: These are available from Nanny Tallulah when using the G-99 Breakneck mount. You earn 1 Crest per job, with a bonus of 2 additional Crests for every 9 jobs completed. On average, this works out to around 11 Crests for every 9-job cycle.
🌿 SCRAP Jobs in Ethereal: Engage with active scrap piles found in the Ethereal zone. Each pile awards 5 Crests, but they only remain for 2 minutes, so speed is key. You can expect to gain roughly 5 Crests per pile if you act quickly.
🌿 Skyriding Races: Participate in races across Khaz Algar to receive a Sky Racer’s Purse, which can hold up to 2 Crests. With dozens of races spread across four different zones, you can estimate about 2 Crests per race completed.
🌿 Trading Down Carved Crests: Visit Vaskarn at Mythic Aspirations in Dornogal [/way 51.8, 42.1] to exchange Carved Ethereal Crest for Weathered Ethereal Crest at a 1:1 ratio — 15 for 15. This can yield up to 90 Weathered Ethereal Crest each week if you use the full trade cap.
Weathered Ethereal Crest can be also obtained from all five factions in The War Within, with rewards granted to you at various Renown milestones:
| Faction | NPC | Location | Reward 1 | Reward 2 |
| Hallowfall Arathi | Auralia Steelstrike | Hallowfall | Level 6 - 15x Crests | Level 9 - 15x Crests |
| The Assembly of the Deeps | Waxmonger Squick | Gundargaz | Level 6 - 15x Crests | Level 9 - 15x Crests |
| The Council of Dornogal | Auditor Balwurz | Dornogal | Level 6 - 15x Crests | Level 9 - 15x Crests |
| The Severed Threads | Lady Vinazian | Azh-Kahet | Level 7 - 15x Crests | Level 9 - 15x Crests |
| The Cartels of Undermine | Smaks Topskimmer | Undermine | Level 6 - 15x Crests | Level 9 - 15x Crests |
| The K'aresh Trust | Om'sirik | K'aresh | Level 5 - 15x Crests | Level 8 - 15x Crests |
Tier 1–5 Delves award Weathered Ethereal Crests, with the amount increasing at higher tiers. That said, avoid using Restored Coffer Keys on these lower tiers; save them for higher-tier Delves that yield more valuable Crests and other rewards.
Bosses in the Manaforge Omega raid on LFR can drop Weathered Ethereal Crest. Notably, Nexus-King Salhadaar and Dimensius also additionally award Carved Ethereal Crest, making mid-tier upgrades easier. Each of those encounters grants 15 crests.
Carved Ethereal Crest are obtained from weekly outdoor events, world bosses, mid-tier Delves (tiers 6–7), Mythic and Mythic+ dungeons up to +3 keystones, and Normal raid bosses. The weekly cap is 90 Carved Ethereal Crest, though certain methods — like crest exchanges — can effectively bypass that limit.
Below, you’ll find the most efficient ways to farm this crest tier.
🌿 Spreading the Light (weekly event): Finish the weekly by lighting four Lesser Keyflames. The Radiant Cache can contain up to 5 Carved Crests and assorted loot. Each Lesser or Major Keyflame also opens a quest or bonus objective, and the Lamplighter Supply Satchel from those can include another 5 Carved Crests.
🌿 Theater Troupe (weekly event): The show runs in two parts — Preparation (about 6 minutes of chores like cleaning or sparring) and a 4 minute performance. Rewards scale with Audience Approval: at 2,000, 4,000, and 6,000 points you earn chests that each grant 5 Carved and 2 Weathered Crests. The weekly quest asks you to earn 50 Audience Approval and complete the event; the Theater Troupe’s Trove then awards another 5 Carved and 2 Weathered Crests.
🌿 Awakening the Machine (weekly event): Complete “Gearing Up for Trouble” by surviving all 20 waves — your progress carries over between attempts. The Awakened Mechanical Cache pays out 5 Carved Crests plus extra rewards.
🌿 Worldsoul Quest (weekly): Pick this up from Faerin Lothar in Dornogal (around 46.0, 49.6). Only one character per account can finish it each week. The Pinnacle Cache contains 15 Carved Crests along with other items.
🌿 Special Assignments (weekly outdoor content): These are often linked to Restored Coffer Key but still grant their payout even if you’ve already earned a key that week. The Seasoned Adventurer’s Cache awards 5 Carved Crests.
Completing Tier 6–7 Delves awards Carved Ethereal Crests, with the payout rising as the tier goes up. However, it’s best not to spend Restored Coffer Key on these mid-tier Delves — reserve your keys for higher tiers that grant more valuable rewards.
One of the most reliable ways to farm Carved Ethereal Crests is by successfully completing Mythic+ dungeons. The higher the keystone level, the more crests you’re awarded for a clear. See the detailed reward breakdown below:
| Mythic+ Level | Carved Ethereal Crest (Timer beaten) | Carved Ethereal Crest (Timer expired) |
| Mythic | 10 | 10 |
| 2 | 12 | 8 |
| 4 | 14 | 10 |
On Normal difficulty, every boss in the Manaforge Omega raid awards 15 Carved Ethereal Crests per kill. The exceptions are Nexus-King Salhadaar and Dimensius, who also drop Runed Ethereal Crests, giving you more endgame upgrade opportunities.
Runed Ethereal Crests primarily come from Tier 9+ Delves, Mythic+ dungeons, and Heroic raid bosses. The weekly cap is 90 Runed Crests. You can technically exceed it by downgrading Gilded Ethereal Crests, but that trade is rarely worth it.
Now, onto the sources!
Completing Delves at Tiers 8 to 11 awards Runed Ethereal Crests, with the number earned scaling upward at higher tiers. It’s also worth using Restored Coffer Keys in these Delves, as they guarantee extra rewards via Delver’s Journey progress and can even yield Gilded Ethereal Crests.
The most effective way to farm Runed Ethereal Crests is by completing Mythic+ dungeons successfully. The higher the keystone level, the more crests you receive per clear. Here’s the reward breakdown:
| Mythic+ Level | Runed Ethereal Crest (Timer beaten) | Runed Ethereal Crest (Timer expired) |
| 3 | 8 | 6 |
| 4 | 10 | 6 |
| 5 | 12 | 8 |
| 6 | 14 | 10 |
On Heroic difficulty, every boss in Manaforge Omega grants 15 Runed Ethereal Crests per kill. The two exceptions are Nexus-King Salhadaar and Dimensius, who additionally drop Gilded Ethereal Crests instead, offering a higher-tier upgrade source.
Gilded Ethereal Crests are earned from upper-tier Delves, high-level Mythic+ keystones, and Mythic Raid bosses. As the pinnacle crest tier, they’re intentionally scarce and meant for endgame upgrades, making them the hardest to farm consistently. Unlike lower tiers, the weekly cap is absolute — there’s no legitimate way to bypass it via trades or exchanges.
Running Tier 11 Bountiful Delves awards Gilded Crests, with higher tiers scaling the payout and granting more crests per Delver’s Journey segment. For best results, always use Restored Coffer Keys in these runs — they guarantee extra progress and help fill your Delver’s Map fast.
One of the best (and arguably most time-efficient) ways to farm Gilded Ethereal Crests is to complete Mythic+ dungeons successfully. Rewards scale with keystone level: the higher the difficulty, the more crests you receive. Here’s the full breakdown:
| Mythic+ Level | Gilded Ethereal Crest (Timer beaten) | Gilded Ethereal Crest (Timer expired) |
| 7 | 8 | 6 |
| 8 | 10 | 6 |
| 9 | 12 | 8 |
| 10 | 14 | 10 |
On Mythic difficulty, every boss in Manaforge Omega awards 15 Gilded Ethereal Crests per kill. It’s a consistent, top-tier source of upgrade currency and a reliable way to push toward your weekly Gilded cap as you progress through the raid.
Once you’ve built up a healthy stash of Ethereal Crests, it’s time to put them to work. These crests are the primary currency for upgrading gear in The War Within Season 3. You’ll pair them with Valorstones to push items along the Veteran, Champion, Hero, and Myth upgrade tracks, steadily raising item level and power.
For straightforward upgrades, head to Cuzolth, the gear-upgrade vendor in Dornogal. You’ll find him inside the Mythic Aspirations shop around coordinates 51.8, 42.1. This is the station where you exchange the correct tier of Crest plus Valorstones for direct item-level bumps on your gear.
If you need to convert crest tiers — either promoting lower tiers into higher ones or breaking higher tiers down — talk to Vaskarn, who stands next to Cuzolth. Vaskarn handles all crest exchanges. Keep in mind that trading up is gated behind specific progression achievements tied to your upgrade track, so you may need to unlock those before moving into higher tiers.
Spend crests with a plan. Avoid investing in pieces you’ll replace soon, and aim your upgrades at breakpoints that matter for Mythic+ and Raid progression. Smart routing of crests keeps your gearing smooth and minimizes waste week to week.
Enchanted Ethereal Crests are a specialized crafting reagent used to add powerful bonuses to crafted items and increase their maximum ilvl. In The War Within Season 3 they’re a cornerstone of high-end gear progression. Unlike regular Ethereal Crests, you don’t obtain Enchanted Crests directly from Mythic+ dungeons or Raids; they’re produced through the crafting system:
To begin, collect Nascent Ethereal Crests. These are created by combining multiple Ethereal Crests of the same tier — for example, converting Weathered Ethereal Crests into a Nascent Weathered Crest. Once you’ve crafted a Nascent Crest, bring it to an enchanter or submit a Profession Work Order to transform it into an Enchanted Crest.
This entire process is account-wide, so you can farm the necessary crests on any character and complete the final step on a crafter alt or by placing a public Crafting Order.
Note that producing Enchanted Crests also takes extra components such as Valorstones along with profession-specific reagents. These are crucial for unlocking the last item-level bumps on crafted gear, making Enchanted Crests mandatory for serious crafters and players chasing top-end upgrades.
