Starting today the Mage Tower challenge will be permanently accessible

The Mage Tower was one of the more popular features from the Legion expansion, but it was still a surprise when the World of Warcraft development team announced its return to coincide with Legion Timewalking. While the rewards were changed from artifact appearances to tier 20 recolors plus a new Fel version of the Guardian Druid Werebear — and a Soaring Spelltome mount if you complete all challenges — the challenge was expected to be consistent with the original experience, albeit through Timewalking recalculation of gear strength.

The event unfortunately didn’t go as planned; there were numerous balancing issues when it first became available in December 2021, necessitating multiple changes and an extension of its availability into early January. Once the event did end, it soon came out that Mage Tower runs had been sold, and players would be banned and have the rewards stripped for violating the rules on account sharing. Throw in the fact that Legion Timewalking is an infrequent event — at most three weeks of the year — and it’s easy to see why the return of the Mage Tower hasn’t been as warmly received as it should have been.

That last concern has been removed, however, as the development team announced that starting with reset the week of March 29 the Mage Tower will be available regardless of Legion Timewalking. Now players will be able to attempt the challenges at their own pace and on their own timetable, no longer having to stress over getting it done during limited availability windows. It also provides the luxury of patience for both the players and developers, as balance issues — which will surely still be present — can be addressed in a calm and considered manner without the threat of a deadline.

This is of course is an excellent change, one that will be beneficial to all. While you still can’t outgear any of the challenges, it has become a marathon rather than interval sprints. Hopefully the development team will keep looking for ways to make challenges such as the Mage Tower more accessible.