Spend marks on permanent class gear in the Armory. If an upgrade is locked, more marks alone will not unlock it: check the required Heroic clear, zone and class.

How to use marks

  1. Select the class you earned them on. The Armory shows the selected class beside its mark balance. Marks are not a shared purse for every class.
  2. Open Armory → Collection. Select a collected armor piece or weapon you want to improve. Run jewellery uses a different system.
  3. Read the next star and its cost. The Upgrade control shows the mark cost. Each piece can reach five stars, subject to its unlock gate.
  4. If locked, follow that piece’s requirement. Beat Heroic N in its source zone with the relevant class to open N stars for that class’s gear from there.

I have marks. Why can I upgrade only one set?

This exact question appeared in the Warrior channel. The answer is to check the gear’s source-zone gate, not only the number of marks. A clear for one class or one set’s zones does not automatically unlock every piece you own. DeepHouse’s question · Grewl’s reply.

  • Confirm the class shown next to Marks.
  • Select the piece and read the named zones and Heroic tier.
  • Distinguish unlocking a difficulty for every class from opening stars on this class’s gear.

Armor set bonus requirements

Set bonuses count equipped armor from the same set. Weapons and unequipped collection pieces do not count.

4-piece: four armor pieces at 1+ star. 8-piece: all eight at 3+ stars. Empowered: all eight at 5 stars, making the 8-piece effect 50% stronger.

Why the bonus is grey

The developer’s 0.132.0 update made tooltips light up only bonuses that are actually active. Eight pieces at two stars do not activate the three-star eight-piece bonus. Read both the piece count and the minimum star count. Official explanation.

The eight armor slots are head, shoulders, chest, waist, legs, feet, wrists and hands. A weapon, off-hand, ranged item or back piece does not fill one of those eight slots.

Normal gives marks too; harder is not always faster

The inspected v0.139.0 Elwynn Difficulty menu shows marks multipliers of 0.5 on Normal, then 1 / 1.25 / 1.5 / 2 / 2.5 on Heroic I–V. These are multipliers, not a promised number from one boss.

Player arathluir describes collecting desired AQ/Naxx gear on Normal before pushing Heroic and spending marks on that set. Use that as a progression example, not a universal fastest-farm route. Compare marks earned per completed run and the time you actually take. Player discussion.

Find where your equipment drops

The Collection groups equipment by these zone pairs. Each armor piece drops from one boss; each weapon has two sources, one final boss in each zone of its pair.

Search equipment by item, boss or zone

Zone groups observed in the v0.139.0 Collection menu
Collection rowZones
CommonElwynn Forest · Duskwood
UncommonWarsong Gulch · Un'Goro Crater
RareArathi Basin · Feralas
EpicGurubashi Arena · Scarlet Monastery
PvPAlterac Valley · Blackrock Mountain
LegendaryGates of Ahn'Qiraj · Naxxramas

Which Armory tab should I open?

  • Character: what you wear and how it looks. An appearance alone does not add stats.
  • Collection / Drop Tables: permanent class pieces, their source bosses and upgrade requirements.
  • Codex: temporary rings, trinkets and amulets that have been offered.

Read the actual upgrade before buying it

The next star’s amount and mark price are shown on the selected piece. Do not apply a number from another class, slot or old screenshot to your item.

What should I upgrade first?

Our practical suggestion is to decide whether you are completing an active set threshold or improving survival first. Spend on gear you will actually wear; collecting an item or selecting its appearance does not activate its bonuses. No universal upgrade order was playtested here.

Common questions

Can marks be transferred between classes?

Treat marks as class-specific. The Armory shows the selected class in the balance; the reviewed interface provides no transfer action.

Does clearing Heroic unlock stars for every class?

The next difficulty opens for every class, but the gear-star rule refers to this class’s gear from that zone. Read the item’s requirement.

Why is my eight-piece bonus inactive?

All eight armor pieces must be from the same set, equipped, and at least three stars. Weapons do not count.

Sources