Hero-track gear comes from the upper end of the Mythic+ ladder, not the low keys: the end-of-dungeon chest starts paying Hero track once you are running high keys, +7 and above in the most recent confirmed tuning, while the Great Vault holds the top rewards at +10. Blizzard retunes the exact breakpoint each season, so check your keystone tooltip before you commit a week to farming.
The reward structure has held its shape for several seasons now, and the fastest way to answer this for your own character is to read it straight off the key in your bags rather than trusting a table someone wrote before the season went live.
Quick facts
- Low keys pay Champion track. Running +2 through the mid range fills gaps and builds score, but it will not upgrade a Hero-track slot.
- Hero track begins in the high key range — +7 and up under the last tuning Blizzard shipped. That is the level where the end-of-dungeon chest changes what it is capable of dropping.
- The very top track is a Great Vault reward, tied to timing +10 or higher. The chest at the end of the run does not hand it to you.
- Your vault slots unlock at 1, 4 and 8 completed dungeons in the week, and each slot is priced by the key levels you actually finished.
- Verify it in game: hover the keystone in your bags. The tooltip lists the end-of-dungeon reward and the Great Vault reward for that exact level, on live data, for the current season.
Does the dungeon chest ever drop the top-track gear?
No. The chest at the end of a run tops out below the ceiling by design — the highest track is routed through the Great Vault so that progression is weekly rather than a grind you can repeat all day.
That is why players who only farm end-of-dungeon loot plateau: the chest keeps handing out the same tier long after their key level has outgrown it. Once you are timing the high keys, the vault is the piece that actually moves your item level.
Do I have to time the key to get Hero gear?
Completing the dungeon is what fills a Great Vault slot. Timing it is what upgrades your keystone, which is how you climb to the levels that pay the better track in the first place.
Practically speaking: a depleted run is not wasted, but a week of untimed runs leaves you stuck at the same key level, and the reward table never improves.
How do I check the exact item level my key drops?
Open your bags and hover the keystone. Blizzard prints both reward lines directly on the tooltip. The Adventure Guide also shows the dungeon reward table for your current difficulty. Both update with the live season, which is more reliable than any guide written during pre-patch.
Is +10 still the key level that matters most?
It remains the number people organise their week around, because that is where the Great Vault reaches its best payout. Below it you are still gearing; at and above it, every timed run counts toward the strongest slot you can earn that week.
If timing the high keys is the wall — bad group luck, a schedule that does not line up with your guild, or a class you are still learning — PewPewShop runs coaching and rent-a-pro sessions with vetted human players. A Mythic +10 Timed Run for Midnight Season One starts from EUR 19.98, and the High Keystone Boost covering +11 and +12 runs starts from EUR 43.98, if you would rather learn the routes alongside people who already know them.