Do I still get end-of-dungeon loot if I miss the timer?
settledYes. The chest is for completing the dungeon, not for beating the clock. Item level comes from the key level you completed, so a depleted +10 still pays the +10 row above.
Midnight Season 2
What every keystone level actually pays.
End-of-dungeon loot, Great Vault rewards and crests for every key level in Midnight Season 2, plus the mounts, titles and portals the season hands out. Loot stops scaling at +10 - past that you are pushing for rating, crests and the next achievement, and knowing that changes which keys are worth your evening.
318
vault ceiling, Myth 1/6, from a +10
311
end-of-dungeon ceiling, Hero 3/6
+10
where both ceilings stop climbing
1 / 4 / 8
dungeons for each vault slot
Loot per keystone level
The vault column is also what a Nebulous Voidcore bonus roll pays at that key level. Vault choices unlock at 1 / 4 / 8 dungeons for the week.
| Keystone | End of dungeon | Crest | Great Vault |
|---|---|---|---|
| +2 | 295 (Champion 2/6) | Champion Mistcrest | 305 (Hero 1/6) |
| +3 | 295 (Champion 2/6) | Champion Mistcrest | 305 (Hero 1/6) |
| +4 | 298 (Champion 3/6) | Hero Mistcrest | 308 (Hero 2/6) |
| +5 | 302 (Champion 4/6) | Hero Mistcrest | 308 (Hero 2/6) |
| +6 | 305 (Hero 1/6) | Hero Mistcrest | 311 (Hero 3/6) |
| +7 | 305 (Hero 1/6) | Hero Mistcrest | 315 (Hero 4/6) |
| +8 | 308 (Hero 2/6) | Hero Mistcrest | 315 (Hero 4/6) |
| +9 | 308 (Hero 2/6) | Myth Mistcrest | 315 (Hero 4/6) |
| +10 | 311 (Hero 3/6) | Myth Mistcrest | 318 (Myth 1/6) |
| +11 | 311 (Hero 3/6) | Myth Mistcrest | 318 (Myth 1/6) |
| +12+ | 311 (Hero 3/6) | Myth Mistcrest | 318 (Myth 1/6) |
- End-of-dungeon loot caps at +10 (311, Hero 3/6). Vault loot caps at +10 too (318, Myth 1/6) - higher keys add rating and crests, not item level.
- +9 upgrades only the crest to Myth; the gear tracks do not move at +9.
- Mistcrest amounts per key level are not confirmed, so this table names the tier and no count.
- Timed completion drops two player-unique pieces; each player loots the chest. A Nebulous Voidcore can be spent at run end on a class-table bonus roll at the vault-column item level.
- Tier set pieces are not direct M+ drops - they come from the Great Vault dungeon slots.
Every dungeon's timer
Finish under par and the keystone goes up one level. Finish 20% under and it goes up two, 40% under and it goes up three. The chest is the same in all three cases - the extra levels are keystone progression and rating, not loot.
| Dungeon | Par (+1) | +2 at | +3 at |
|---|---|---|---|
| Altar of Fangs | 30:00 | 24:00 | 18:00 |
| Murder RowLongest timer in the pool | 34:00 | 27:12 | 20:24 |
| Den of Nalorakk | 32:00 | 25:36 | 19:12 |
| The Blinding ValeSome sites still show a stale 31:00 - the live timer is 30:00 | 30:00 | 24:00 | 18:00 |
| Voidscar Arena | 30:00 | 24:00 | 18:00 |
| Temple of SethralissSome sites still show a stale 33:00 - the live timer is 32:00 | 32:00 | 25:36 | 19:12 |
| Kings' Rest | 33:00 | 26:24 | 19:48 |
| Ruby Life PoolsTightest timer in the pool | 28:00 | 22:24 | 16:48 |
Timers read from Raider.IO live season data and corroborated against scored runs and the final 12.1 tuning notes. Two widely used reference tables still carry the PTR values for The Blinding Vale and Temple of Sethraliss; the live timers are the ones above.
Live timer & score calculator →Timing it, and not timing it
The most common question about a bad run is whether it was wasted. Mostly it was not - but two parts of this are genuinely unsettled, and they are marked rather than guessed.
What does missing the timer actually cost?
settledThe keystone. It drops a level for the next run, and you lose the rating a timed finish would have added. The loot in the chest is not the penalty.
Does beating the timer by more give better loot?
settledNo. Finishing 20% or 40% under par upgrades the keystone by two or three levels and pays more rating, but the chest and the vault are identical to a finish with one second left.
How many crests does each key level pay?
not publishedNot published for Season 2. Blizzard has not stated the Mistcrest amounts, and the Season 1 Dawncrest figures are widely reposted as though they carried over. The crest TIER per key level is settled and is in the table above; the counts are not. Read the dungeon interface in game.
Do untimed runs count for the Great Vault?
not publishedUnsettled. Several guides state the vault uses your highest TIMED key of the week, which would make a depleted run worth nothing toward it; none of them is a source this site would otherwise cite. Assume it may not count until you have watched your own vault fill.
Above +10, what still scales
Both gear ceilings stop at +10, so this is the list of what you are actually still playing for. There is no extra drop, no second chest and no bonus roll that unlocks at a higher key - the answer to “what do I get for pushing” is crests, rating and a keystone that stops falling.
End-of-dungeon item level
capped at +10Capped at +10 (311, Hero 3/6). A timed +20 chest is identical to a timed +10 chest.
Great Vault item level
capped at +10Capped at +10 (318, Myth 1/6). Filling the row with +14s buys nothing the +10s did not.
Extra or bonus items above +10
capped at +10There are none. No source describes an additional drop, a second chest, or a bonus roll that unlocks above +10. The bonus roll on this page is the Nebulous Voidcore, which is earned from the vault and pays at the vault column's item level regardless of key level.
Crest tier
capped at +10Myth from +9 upward. It cannot improve past Myth, so +9 is the last level that changes the tier.
Crest count
keeps scalingHigher keys pay more crests than +10. This is the main mechanical reason to push past the loot cap. The exact amounts are unpublished for Season 2.
Mythic+ rating
keeps scalingEvery level adds rating, and rating is what gates the seasonal title, the portals and a raid-team application.
The keystone floor
keeps scalingTiming all eight dungeons at +12 earns Midnight Season 2: Resilient Keystone 12, after which a depleted key cannot fall below +12. The ladder runs 19 rungs, +12 through +30, and each cleared level raises the floor. This is the practical reward for pushing: it stops a bad night costing a week of re-climbing. Achievement names and range verified against Wowhead 2026-09-06; the mechanic itself is reconstructed from player reports, not a Blizzard post. Full detail and open questions: /guides/resilient-keystones.
The Season 2 rotation
Altar of Fangs
New in Patch 12.1 - three bosses
Murder Row
Midnight - sat out Season 1
Den of Nalorakk
Midnight - sat out Season 1
The Blinding Vale
Midnight - sat out Season 1
Voidscar Arena
Midnight - sat out Season 1
Temple of Sethraliss
Battle for Azeroth
Kings' Rest
Battle for Azeroth
Ruby Life Pools
Dragonflight
Rating rewards
The title lands at 1500, not 2000 - earlier than most players assume.
Midnight Keystone Explorer: Season 2
Time any Season 2 Mythic+ dungeon
No listed reward
Midnight Keystone Conqueror: Season 2
Reach 1500 Mythic+ rating
Title: the Venomous
Midnight Keystone Master: Season 2
Reach 2000 Mythic+ rating
Mount: Breath of Blight
Midnight Keystone Hero: Season 2
Reach 2500 Mythic+ rating
No reward of its own - it counts toward Sssensational!
No listed reward
Midnight Keystone Legend: Season 2
Reach 3000 Mythic+ rating
Mount: Breath of Ruin
Venomous Hero: Midnight Season 2
End the season in the top 0.1% of your region
Title: the Venomous Hero
Bonus seasonal achievements
Midnight Season 2: Serpent Scion
Any of: 1600 rated PvP rating, 2000 Mythic+ rating, or defeat Ula'tek in The Venomous Abyss on Heroic or Mythic
One bonus Matrix Catalyst charge (once per character)
Sssensational!
Any of: defeat Mythic Ula'tek, 2500 Mythic+ rating, or Elite rank in rated PvP
Insidious Venomstone - enhanced tier-set visuals
Dungeon portals
One per dungeon: time it at +10 or higher and the teleport is yours. There is no single rating that unlocks them all at once.
Altar of FangsMurder RowDen of NalorakkThe Blinding ValeVoidscar ArenaTemple of SethralissKings' RestRuby Life Pools
Before you push another key
Numbers are for Midnight Season 2 (patch 12.1.0, live 2026-08-18) and were cross-checked against two independent loot tables; a third widely shared chart disagreed with itself and was rejected. Crest quantities per key level are not published anywhere reliable, so this page names the crest tier and refuses to guess a count.
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