Gear
Item level guide: equipped ilvl, upgrades and gear tracking
Item level is the fastest way to judge how ready a character is for the next tier of content. MythicKey shows equipped item level on every profile and turns each upgrade into an activity event. This guide covers what the number means and what to look for beyond it.
Equipped versus average item level
Equipped item level is the average of the gear a character currently has on. Average item level, sometimes called bag item level, includes the best pieces in the inventory even when they are not worn. MythicKey labels the number Equipped and appends ilvl so there is no confusion about which one you are looking at.
Upgrade tracks
Modern gear comes on tracks such as Veteran, Champion, Hero and Myth. Each track has a range of item levels and the piece can be upgraded step by step with currency earned from dungeons and raids. Two items can share an item level today yet have very different ceilings, which is why the track name is worth reading on a gear card.
- Higher keystones and raid difficulties drop gear on higher tracks
- The weekly vault offers the best track most players can reach
- Crafted gear fills slots where drops refuse to cooperate
Enchants, gems and sockets
Item level is not the whole story. Missing enchants and empty sockets are the most common reason a character underperforms for its gear. MythicKey gear cards show enchants and socketed gems in plain text, and on mobile you can tap any item to read its full tooltip.
Tracking gear changes
Because tracked characters are snapshotted, a new piece of gear becomes a fresh loot event in the feed with the slot, item and item level gained. The recap ranks who gained the most item level over the week, which is a surprisingly good indicator of who is actually playing.
Frequently asked questions
Why did a friend's item level go down?
They probably swapped to a different spec or set with lower gear. Equipped item level reflects whatever is worn at the time of the snapshot.
Does MythicKey show tier set pieces?
Yes. Gear cards show set membership where Blizzard exposes it, and the character render above the gear list shows the current transmog.