Many players wonder what to do once they reach level 90 and the answer is generally "high-end raiding". But how to get a gear good enough for this?
The usual way to do so is to queue for dungeons and scenarios through the lfg system until the gear is good enough for heoric dungeons, then go for heroic dungeons through the lfg system until the gear is good enough for raids, etc...
In some expansion, it was also very important to increase one's reputations to get better stuff and better item enhancements.
HOWEVER, recently, Blizzard has released a "shortcut" and I regret the weeks spent grinding dungeons. How to get stuff quickly? Go to the Timeless Isle!
You can fly there from the Jade forest or, if you have the ability to fly in mop, just follow the quest "A Flash of Bronze" (it should pop up automatically when you are in the "Vale of Eternal Blossoms"). You will get an item to teleport you there.
You can actually complete the quest even without a flying mount but it is more tricky.
By the way, on the Timeless Isle, nobody can fly, so don't be surprised if everyone uses non-flying mounts there.
Map of the Timeless Isle Zone (fair use, review)
The cool thing about the Timeless Isle is that there is always something happening somewhere. Another cool thing about it is that you can easily get your share of it.
For example, when you see a rare mob (silver dragon) being attacked by a group of people, just hit it yourself and you will have the right to loot it (nothing to do with ninja-ing the loot, every one gets something out of a boss)! There are many bosses appearing everywhere on the island, so check your map regularly to find them.
There are also many treasure chests and they contain 496 level gear. They are generally well defended but you can either wait for some people to come (there are always people around fighting everything) or simply try to get the treasure without being seen by the mobs (easy for rogues and druids for example).
Finally, you can also find some gleaming treasure satchels. They aren't easy to reach and you may need a bit of trials and fails (unless you are an acrobat) but it gives a rewarding feeling when you finally manage to get them.
You get timeless coins when you kill mobs, kill rare bosses, complete quests, use gathering professions, etc... and those coins can help you buy some 496 gear.
You can also buy a Burden of Eternity with which you can upgrade a 496 item to a 535 one (but it must be an item you haven't equipped yet).
I would like to give my experience of this zone. After 2 evenings there, I have gathered about 10 pieces of equipment level 496, with a few extras for my rerolls.
And I am an average player (neither particularly fast nor particuarly slow).
Before that I had spent weeks in heroic dungeons and I don't think I got more than a few 463/483/489 items (just one 522 item).
So "Timeless Isle" is definitively where you want to go to get some stuff. By the way, some people group up to level up for "reputation grinding". Don't do that if you are new there. You need some pretty good stuff first (mobs are using AOE which could one-shoot you).
Hope this article was helpful for you. Heroic dungeons grinding is not too fun so I am glad Blizzard made this place. I am also quite excited about the new expansion because, historically, when Blizzard gives players easy access to high level stuff, it is because the next expansion isn't too far away.
