The Race to World First (RWF) is back for the last time in 2022, as Vault of the Incarnates (Vault) is released into the wild and Season 1 of Dragonflight kicks off.
With the arrival of Dragonflight Season 1, World of Warcraft gets its first raid of the expansion. The release of Vault will change the normal formula of Normal and Heroic releasing a week earlier than Mythic. For Dragonflight, likely due to its proximity to the holiday period. Vault will release in all difficulties on day one of Season 1 (December 12th/13th). With Guilds from all over the globe competing for the title, we’ll take a look at those looking to claim the title. From the current holder’s Echo, NA, hopefuls, Team Liquid (formerly Limit) and last raid tiers reemerging contenders, Method. There are more guilds than ever looking to claim the title, so don’t miss a minute of the action.
We’ll list all streams and any accessibility options at the end of the article, so jump there for that info. All streams linked are in English unless stated otherwise. If you’re a guild and want to be added to this list, please find me on Twitter.
Who are the Contenders
Echo: The winners last time out. Echo will go into this next tier as the favorite by default. A new raid tier brings new challenges and with so much of the preparation coming down to luck with loot, it’s hard to know who will come into the tier best prepared. Technically, Sylvanas was the guild’s first RWF victory, with a second RWF win coming in Sepulcher, having been formed to compete in Castle Nathria (coming second). With 2/3 RWF victories in the previous expansion, Echo has all the weight of expectations on their shoulders this time around.
Liquid: Liquid had picked up World First in the two previous raid tiers before Sepulcher; they’ll be desperate to reclaim their glory. Liquid pulled out of the Sepulcher race due to the strain it was putting on the raiding roster. While it meant Liquid lost out on a top 3 spot, a lot of credit has to go to the Liquid management team, who made the decision. It can’t be easy to pull out of a RWF, but we’re sure that’ll make them hungry this time.
Method: A shock second-place finish in Sepulcher, Method now finds themselves in a prime spot to push for an RWF title. We see a changed team with long-time main tank Sco stepping back from active raiding. So, what can we expect for Dragonflight? Well, top 3, we assume, is the goal for Method, though with the raid being so unknown and so close to the holiday season, it’s sure to be an exciting race once again.
Best of the rest
Europe: The region will be without Pieces this time around, who always looked the most likely to come in and spoil the party. So it likely falls to FatSharkYes and Germany guild, Aversion, to cause an upset. Though, like with all RWF, we’ll likely see an upset or two.
NA: Liquid has carried the region for a while now, but that appears to have inspired others to step up. Expect to see BDGG push hard once again, as NA looks to add a second major guild to the RWF. NA is also likely to be home to a few guilds who “YOLO” into Mythic early to take an early title. Back in Sepulcher, we say The Early Shift do just that, so expect to see a similar situation happen this time.
Asia: Sadly, the region gets the raid later, and with the first raid of a tier normally being shorter, it puts them at a huge disadvantage. It’s hard to know what guilds from the region are actively taking part prior to launch, so check back later to see what, if any of the guilds from the region have streams on Twitch/YouTube.
How to watch all RWF Vault of Incarnates Streams
Many of these streams are subject to change, and many more “smaller” guilds will be added as the RWF gets underway.
Europe:
North America:
Asian: Adding post-launch
Other: Adding post-launch
