WoW SoD Phase 8 Overview: Level Cap, Raids and Runes
Season of Discovery is in SoD Phase 8, the level cap is 60, and Phase 8 is the last big content phase Blizzard has released. It came out in April 2025 with the Scarlet Enclave raid and the town of New Avalon, and the realms are still open while the Classic team works on its next project. This overview shows what you can play on WoW SoD today, checked on .
SoD is its own version of Classic. You level in the old Azeroth, but every class gets runes with new abilities, several old dungeons became raids, and some classes can fill roles they never had before, such as Warlock tanks or Mage healers. If you are still deciding whether to come back at all, read our guide on SoD status and realms in 2026 first.
What phase is SoD in now?
Phase 8 is the current phase. The open world part with New Avalon, new quests and new crafting went live on , and the Scarlet Enclave raid opened two days later. In May 2025 Blizzard said it would slow down work on SoD to focus on its next project, and that it had no plans to close the SoD realms.
Small fixes still arrive. A hotfix in June 2026 added an NPC for turning experience off in Thunder Bluff and near the Undercity entrance, because turning experience off in Orgrimmar caused problems. So SoD is a finished season that Blizzard still looks after. Big new content is not on the way as far as anyone knows.
The eight phases and level caps
Season of Discovery started on with a level cap of 25, and the cap went up in steps until it reached 60 in Phase 4. Since then each phase has added raids and gear, while the level stayed the same.
| Phase | Level cap | Main raid content |
|---|---|---|
| Phase 1 | 25 | Blackfathom Deeps |
| Phase 2 | 40 | Gnomeregan |
| Phase 3 | 50 | Sunken Temple |
| Phase 4 | 60 | Molten Core, Onyxia’s Lair (July 2024) |
| Phase 5 | 60 | Blackwing Lair, Zul’Gurub (September 2024) |
| Phase 6 | 60 | Temple and Ruins of Ahn’Qiraj, Nightmare Grove (December 2024) |
| Phase 7 | 60 | Naxxramas (February 2025) |
| Phase 8 | 60 | Scarlet Enclave (April 2025) |
Blizzard has not announced a Phase 9, a higher level cap or a date for anything after Phase 8.
SoD raids list for Phase 8
Everything released over the season is still in the game, so you can play every tier. Whether you find a group for an old raid depends on your realm and your guild, because the game does not hand you one.
| Stage | Instances |
|---|---|
| Level-up raids | Blackfathom Deeps, Gnomeregan, Sunken Temple |
| Early level 60 | Molten Core, Onyxia’s Lair, instanced Lord Kazzak and Azuregos |
| Phase 5 | Blackwing Lair (tuned for 20, up to 40), Zul’Gurub (tuned for 10, up to 20) |
| Phase 6 | Temple of Ahn’Qiraj, Ruins of Ahn’Qiraj, Nightmare Grove |
| Phase 7 | Naxxramas |
| Phase 8 | Scarlet Enclave, 8 bosses, tuned for 20, up to 40 |
At level 60 you will also run two dungeons. Demon Fall Canyon was made for SoD, and Karazhan Crypts is a 5-player dungeon below Karazhan, which has nothing to do with the Karazhan raid from TBC. Since Phase 8 you no longer need the intro questline to enter the Crypts. Scarlet Enclave has no raid attunement either, while the disguise and quests for New Avalon are a separate unlock. Our SoD dungeons and raids guide goes through each step in order.
Runes and new class roles
Runes are the biggest change in SoD. You engrave them on your gear, one per slot, and each one adds an ability or changes how an old one works. In the early phases you had to hunt every rune down in the world. Since December 2024 a Rune Broker stands in every racial starting zone and in the capitals, and he sells the runes for 1 copper each, from level 1.
A rune only helps when you have trained the base spell it changes, so some of them do nothing at level 5, and a few relic runes for Druids, Paladins and Shamans still need an extra step with the relic itself. The bigger change is the new roles: Warlocks, Rogues and Shamans can tank, and Mages can heal. Our SoD tank tier list and SoD DPS tier list show the key runes for each role.
A practical route to 60 and your first raids
If you start fresh or come back after a long break, this order works well. It is a suggestion, not a promise of a certain time or certain gear.
- Buy your runes from the Rune Broker before you leave the starting zone.
- Level to 60 with the catch-up bonus, which in 2026 is 150% more experience, so 2.5 times the normal amount. Our SoD leveling guide has the route.
- At 60, run Demon Fall Canyon and Karazhan Crypts for your first gear and collect Tarnished Undermine Reals, a bound currency for catch-up items.
- Join a raid group for the tier your gear fits, and work your way up to Naxxramas and Scarlet Enclave.
If you would rather skip the leveling part, our SoD power leveling takes a character to the cap for you.
What is confirmed about SoD’s future?
Blizzard has not announced Phase 9, an official fresh SoD realm, a shutdown date or a move of SoD characters to another Classic version. The realms stay open for now, and that is all Blizzard has said on the record. Groups of players organise their own restarts, and you can read about those in our SoD returning player guide. Everything we offer for this version is on our Season of Discovery page.
Frequently asked questions
Season of Discovery is in Phase 8, which came out in April 2025 with the Scarlet Enclave raid and New Avalon. It is the last big content phase Blizzard has released, and the realms are still open as of November 2, 2026.
The cap is 60 and has been since Phase 4 in July 2024. Before that it went from 25 in Phase 1 to 40 in Phase 2 and 50 in Phase 3.
Blizzard has not announced one. In May 2025 the Classic team said it would slow down work on SoD to focus on its next project, and no new phase or date has been shared since.
A Rune Broker in every racial starting zone and in the capitals sells the runes for 1 copper each, from level 1. A rune only works once you have trained the spell it changes, and a few relic runes for Druids, Paladins and Shamans need an extra step.
No. Scarlet Enclave has no raid attunement. The disguise and quests for New Avalon are a separate unlock and not a key to the raid.
No. Karazhan Crypts is a level 60 dungeon for 5 players below Karazhan, added to SoD in Phase 7. Since Phase 8 you can enter it without doing the intro questline.
Change Log
- November 2, 2026: WoW SoD Phase 8 Overview published.