How to activate Hard Mode for Dawn of the Infinite's final boss in World of Warcraft: Dragonflight

World of Warcraft: Dragonflight’s Dawn of the Infinite has an optional hard mode. Several raids and dungeons in the past have had optional challenges to complete. This one is more akin to Ulduar’s. It’s not something that is immediately obvious, and players will have to go out of their way to complete it. In addition, while taking part, they cannot jump or mount - perhaps the hardest part of this entire task.

However, if you want better loot from the final boss of Dawn of the Infinite, the best way is to tackle the hard mode. If you want to do this in your World of Warcraft runs, here’s what you need to know.

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How to unlock Dawn of the Infinite’s Hard Mode in World of Warcraft

To unlock Dawn of the Infinite’s Hard Mode, four teammates need to pick up artifacts and take them to the final boss. What makes this difficult is that you cannot jump or mount while holding one. You can drop an artifact, but you must pick it back up within 10 seconds.

Artifact locations

• Artifact #1: Manifested Timeways - the hourglass right behind the exit portal
• Artifact #2: After you defeat Tyr - the hourglass drops right at your feet.
• Artifact #3: After you defeat Morchie - the hourglass drops in the middle of the room
• Artifact #4: After Time-Lost Battlefield: the hourglass drops in the middle of the room

Get that artifact where it belongs - back in the portal! (Image via Blizzard Entertainment)

When you have all four, you can then head to the final boss, Chrono-Lord Deios. However, there’s more to this challenge. He will spawn adds that create portals, and each of the artifacts has to go into a portal.

Stand in the circle and throw the artifact into the portal. These will come one at a time, for the first two. The final two portals come together, so communicate who will do them and when.

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Why should you activate Dawn of the Infinite’s Hard Mode in World of Warcraft?

Most content in World of Warcraft has Heroic or Mythic difficulties, which are easily toggled. However, Dawn of the Infinite has a Hard Mode, which is a completely different concept. You have to trigger that difficulty within the instance itself by performing certain actions.

Shiny new achievements - what could be better? (Image via Blizzard Entertainment)

What’s the purpose of this difficulty change, though? Normally, the final boss drops item level 441 gear, which can be upgraded. However, if you take part in the Hard Mode, this World of Warcraft boss will drop item level 447 gear, which is much better. There are also achievements involved, and those are always fun to unlock. Should you put them all back without anyone dying, you get Put That Thing Back Where It Came From! as an achievement.

You also receive the awesome Ensemble: Infinite Acolyte’s Regalia for your account, and naturally, a shot at scoring powerful, item-level 447 gear for your character. With self-control, it’s easy to complete this hard mode challenge.

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This is but one of the many new features and challenges that await in World of Warcraft: Dragonflight. After you unlock this achievement, you may want to try unlocking old cosmetics in Old Naxxramas.