Delve item level is set by the tier you clear, and Tier 8 is where the gear caps out: a Bountiful Delve at Tier 8 or higher drops Champion-track gear from its end-of-run chest, and completing Tier 8+ delves during the week unlocks Hero-track items in the Great Vault, the same track Heroic raid bosses use. Tiers 1-7 give Adventurer and Veteran gear. There is no minimum item level to enter; the delve scales to the tier, not to you.
Delve tiers and gear tracks at a glance
| Tier | Bountiful chest | Great Vault slot | Who it is for |
| 1-3 | Adventurer track | Adventurer / early Veteran | Fresh max-level characters, learning the layout |
| 4-7 | Veteran track | Veteran, climbing to Champion at the top end | Gearing alts, catching up mid-season |
| 8 | Champion track | Hero track | The gear sweet spot every player should aim for |
| 9-11 | Champion track (same as Tier 8) | Hero track (same as Tier 8) | Achievements, titles, cosmetics, bragging rights |
- Exact item level numbers move every season. The track names above stay put; the number attached to each track is raised when a new season starts. The tier selection screen and the Great Vault tooltip show the current numbers for the week you are playing.
- Bountiful matters more than tier. A regular delve at Tier 8 drops far less than a Bountiful one. The bonus chest needs a Restored Coffer Key, earned through weekly quests and Coffer Key Shards.
- Vault progress counts the highest tiers, not the average. Your best delve completions of the week decide the track of each vault slot, so one Tier 8 clear already sets a Hero-track option.
- Delve gear upgrades like any other gear. Champion and Hero pieces use the same crest and upgrade system as dungeon and raid loot, so a Tier 8 chest item can be pushed up the track over the following weeks.
What item level do I need to start delves?
None, officially. You can walk into Tier 1 in fresh quest greens. The practical question is which tier your gear survives. Tiers 1-3 are comfortable straight out of leveling, Tiers 4-6 want a few Veteran pieces and a leveled companion, and Tier 7-8 expects a mostly Veteran-to-Champion set plus a solid understanding of your class's defensives, because there is no healer bailing you out.
Companion level is easy to overlook. A well-leveled Brann (or the season's equivalent companion) with the right curio setup makes Tier 8 noticeably softer than raw item level alone suggests.
Which delve tier gives the best gear?
Tier 8 is the answer for almost everyone. It is the first tier that drops Champion-track gear from the Bountiful chest and the first tier that unlocks Hero-track Great Vault rewards. Running higher tiers does not push either of those up. If your goal is item level, the efficient weekly plan is: spend every Restored Coffer Key on Tier 8 Bountiful Delves, then fill the delve row of the vault with Tier 8+ completions.
Does Tier 11 drop better gear than Tier 8?
No. Tiers 9, 10 and 11 keep the same reward tracks as Tier 8. They exist for the achievement chain, the seasonal title and cosmetic rewards, and for players who simply want the hardest solo content available. The enemies scale hard, deaths are punished by the lives system, and the loot does not scale with them. Treat Tier 11 as a challenge mode, not a gearing step.
How do Great Vault delve rewards work?
The vault has a dedicated delve row with three slots. Completing a set number of delves at a given tier during the week unlocks each slot, and the tier of your highest completions decides the track of the item offered. Tier 8 or above in every counted run means every delve slot offers Hero-track loot. Bountiful status does not matter for the vault, only the tier, so ordinary Tier 8 runs after your keys are spent still count toward it.
If solo Tier 8 or the Tier 11 achievement climb is stalling and you would rather have a vetted human player alongside you, PewPewShop offers delve coaching and play-together help: Delves Boost from EUR 17, Delve Tier Unlock from EUR 12, and Tier 11 Delve Clears from EUR 44, with a multi-run Tier 8+ bundle from EUR 58.49 for filling the vault in one session.