News > WoWJan 25, 2017 2:00 pm CT

New Artifact Traits and Artifact Power in 7.2 clarified

By Matthew Rossi

If you’re wondering how you should proceed with Artifact Power in light of the new traits coming in patch 7.2, we have some clarification from the EU forums. The short version is, if you already have your Artifact maxed out, don’t worry — you won’t need to stockpile that AP. You’ll get your Artifact Power invested past level 35 refunded to you.

Originally Posted by Aerythlea (Blue Tracker)

As many of you have noted, Patch 7.2 will be introducing several new traits to Artifact Weapons. We’d like to clarify how these traits will unlock so that you can best prepare for them.

After Patch 7.2 is available, players who have an Artifact Weapon of at least rank 35 will be able to further empower that Artifact through a short quest chain. Completing this quest chain will consume any ranks beyond 35, increase the overall power of your Artifact Weapon (to ensure that losing ranks 35+ isn’t a downgrade), and unlock access to the new 7.2 traits. Any Artifact Power spent on traits beyond 35 will be refunded and you’ll immediately be able to spend that refunded Artifact Power on the new traits.

Note that any Artifact Power tokens acquired before Patch 7.2 will not be usable on an Artifact Weapon that has had its new traits unlocked. If you’ve already reached Rank 54, feel free to use any tokens you earn between now and then on alternate specs; there is no need to stockpile those tokens for Patch 7.2. We’re also planning to apply a hotfix in the near future that will allow the current Artifact Power tokens to be sold to vendors.

Please feel free to add any feedback, questions or thoughts to this thread.

So if you’re stockpiling AP tokens to use once 7.2 drops, don’t. You won’t be able to use them. If you’re already Rank 54, spend them on other Artifacts. If all your Artifacts are 54, vendor them. If you have a bunch now and your Artifact isn’t level 54 yet, spend them on said Artifact now. There’s no reason to hoard them and no reason not to use them. Any traits you have beyond 35 will be refunded to you to spend at that time, so if you want a jump on your Artifact when 7.2 drops, the best way to get it is to get your Artifact to 54 so you can spend it all on the new traits as soon as you complete the quest to unlock them.

Don’t hoard AP tokens. Use them now. That’s the basic message here, so relax if you’re compulsively hoarding them thinking you’ll need them for 7.2. It’s all good. Now, I’m going back to grinding the darn things since all my Artifacts are around 35 and I’d like to hit 54 before the patch.

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