An item in your bag is not the whole plan
The project’s change history distinguishes carrying found gear from putting it into the Extraction Vault. Do not assume that seeing an item drop makes it permanent. Read the extraction interface and its sent-item record before committing to the next stage.
An item that solves a current survival problem and an item you want for a future character are different decisions. Inspect the actual item level and effect rather than choosing by colour alone. Keep room in your plan for the item you most want to send home.
Use the current stage structure
The 0.6 progression revision gives the Extraction Vault a slot for each cleared stage. Old guides that tell you to wait for particular floors in a twenty-floor climb describe a superseded format. Treat the current stage and the current interface as the reference.
The change history records protection for vaulted gear on death. For co-op guests, the 0.6.1 fixes explicitly address vault items reaching the guest mailbox after leaving or closing a run. Complete the normal result flow and inspect your own mailbox after returning.
Legacy gear is a separate eligibility question
0.6.2 Hotfix 2 fixes new starter and Durgan purchases being marked Legacy. Existing pieces already marked Legacy stay that way and need replacing if they block your goal. The Run Master identifies a worn item that disables leaderboard eligibility.
A helpful item can still be unsuitable for a leaderboard attempt. Decide whether this run is for learning, collecting gear or setting an eligible record. Do not silently compare those three kinds of run as if they were identical.
Keep a backup outside the update cycle
Characters live in the local database inside the game folder. The author documents automatic pre-update backups under HordesOfAzeroth/backups and retention of the three newest. Those backups are valuable, but they share the same machine and folder environment as the installation.
Before a major change, close the game and launcher and keep a separate copy of the relevant game folder or backup using your normal backup process. Do not overwrite the only working copy while trying an old version. The launcher’s backup mechanism is not a cloud account or a promise of indefinite history.
SOURCE DESK / REVIEWED 3 NOVEMBER 2026
Know the version.
Know the boundary.
Release v0.6.2, published 2 November, is our current reference. The author’s release notes take precedence over older class-preview tooltips. Recommendations are original qualitative analysis; we have not measured class win rates or playtested these builds.
- Author’s project and setup guide ↗Official identity, launcher, supported client, co-op and backups.
- Release v0.6.2 ↗Published 2 November 2026. Current class changes and Hotfix 2.
- Versioned class preview ↗Class and specialization identities. Some preview tooltips lag the release notes; the newer release takes precedence.
- Versioned change history ↗0.6 changed floors into levels and shorter stage counts. Older 20-floor advice is superseded.