Every figure shows its source. Where a source is missing, the number is a placeholder — and it is never written as fact.
Latest on this boardLoot table read from Blizzard’s Adventure Guide journal · 8 Oct 2026Every item read from Blizzard’s Item API — stats, effects, sockets — with who can use it · 9 Oct 2026

By GamGem ResearchLast updated 9 Oct 2026

Our drawing of the type: Cloth headpiece. Not the in-game Venomkeeper's Horrific Cowl.
Our drawingCloth headpiece
Dropped item · should I take it?

Venomkeeper's Horrific Cowl — Head drop, item level & who can use it

Epic Cloth head from Ula'tek in The Venomous Abyss: item level 289–344 by difficulty. 9 specs can use it — it carries Intellect, Mastery. Its effect decides more than its item level, so sim it.

Hero 4/6 · Cloth · Head · Epic · Venomcursed
Dropped on
Equipped ✎302
315HeroicSIM NEEDED
why?
Why? · VerdictBuilt from the item level you set (302) against this drop on Heroic (315), whether it has an effect, and whether your spec can use it. GamGem’s rule of thumb, not a sim: +6 or more is an upgrade, within ±5 a sidegrade, −6 or less a downgrade; any effect asks for a sim.

+13 item levels, but its effect decides — item level alone can’t price it.

Top keys: 9 specs wear it — most, 20% of Destruction Warlock (n 79, #2 of 4 in head), week of Oct 6–14. Every spec ›

Item level change302 → 315+13
Specs that can use itArcane Mage, Fire Mage +79Grows toHero 6/6321Nearest competitorErrant Scrollsage's Hood308
Equipgame data
why?
Why? · EffectThe effect line from Blizzard’s item record. Its numbers are at the record’s preview item level (219), not the level it drops at.

Equip: Your spells and abilities have a chance to increase your Mastery by 193, but reduce your other secondary stats by 32 for 12 sec.

Ula'tek · The Venomous AbyssRaid boss · Boss lootRoute ›
Sim neededIts effect can’t be priced by item level. A sim of your own character (Raidbots Top Gear or Droptimizer) settles it; no sim is attached here.

What actually changes?

why?
Why? · StatsBlizzard’s item record prints stats at a preview level that differs between items, so the rows compare how each item SPLITS its secondary rating — the share of each stat — not the raw numbers.
StatDroppedComparedΔ pts
Critical Strike0%29%−29
Haste0%71%−71
Mastery100%0%+100
PrimaryIntellectIntellect
EffectEquipnone
Item level, same track315308

Shares of each item’s secondary rating, from Blizzard’s item records; the raw numbers sit at different preview levels, so they are not compared. Rows that move 20 points or more are lit.

How far can it grow?

why?
Why? · Upgrade trackItem level per rank is the gear page’s track table; every rank costs 20 Mistcrests of the item’s own track. A Mythic 344 drop is past the track and upgrades no further.
  1. Adven­turermax 282
  2. Vet­eranmax 295
  3. Cham­pionmax 308
  4. Heromax 321
  5. Mythmax 334
At 4/6: 315 item level
Out-levels 4 same-slot rivals: Errant Scrollsage's Hood, Headdress of the First Empire, Overseer's Diadem….
No upgrade from where it dropped.

Sockets & extras

  • Socketsnone on this item0
  • Unique-equippedno limitno

What does it compete with?

why?
Why? · CompetitionThe season’s other items for the same slot, the same armour and a shared primary stat, at their item level on the same track as this drop. “Different job” means one has an effect and the other does not — our rule.
315 · dropped on Heroic

Its effect makes it a different job from the stat-only rivals — a sim decides here, not item level.

Which specs want it?

Cloth · 9 of 40 specs can use it
why?
Why? · Spec demandCan use = the class wears this armour, has the weapon skill (each class’s Warcraft Wiki page) and the spec’s primary stat is on the item (Blizzard). Stat fit is OUR comparison of the item’s two biggest secondaries with a stat order a GamGem spec guide sources — not a guide’s pick.
SpecStat fit · our comparison · top keysGuide
Arcane MageWeak · Raid orderTop keys · 13% wear itOpen ›
Fire MageWeak · Raid orderTop keys · 9% wear itOpen ›
Frost MageStrong · Raid orderTop keys · 14% wear itOpen ›
Discipline PriestStrong · Raid orderTop keys · 12% wear itOpen ›
Holy PriestStrong · Raid orderTop keys · 17% wear itOpen ›
Shadow PriestStrong · Raid orderTop keys · 13% wear itOpen ›
Affliction WarlockStrong · Raid orderTop keys · 14% wear itOpen ›
Demonology WarlockStrong · Raid orderTop keys · 18% wear itOpen ›
Destruction WarlockStrong · Raid orderTop keys · 20% wear itOpen ›

Can use it · game data · full BiS lists

Who can use it: 0 tanks · 2 healers · 7 damage

Another armour type · 31 specs: Death Knight · Demon Hunter · Druid · Evoker · Hunter · Monk · Paladin · Rogue · Shaman · Warrior

Stat fit is our comparison of the item’s two biggest secondary stats with a stat order a GamGem spec guide sources (today: all 40 specs) — not a guide’s pick. The BiS links open each spec’s own page on Method and Wowhead. Every class and spec ›

Where to get it again?

why?
Why? · SourceBoss and instance from Blizzard’s Adventure Guide journal. No source publishes drop rates, so none is shown.
  • Ula'tekThe Venomous Abyss · Boss lootFight guide ›
  • The Venomous AbyssRaid · loot group 4 of 4Open ›
  • Weekly lockoutRaid Finder, Normal and Heroic bosses give loot once per difficulty each week; Mythic+ keys have no lockout.1 / week
  • Great VaultHeroic bosses · Myth 1/6318
Weekly-gatedGreat Vault optionBonus-roll targetShared table · 12 itemsDrop rate not published

Effort to target: once a week · 11 other items share its table

Also drops here · 11

Who wears it in top keys

9 of 40 specs · +16–23 keys, US+EU, week of Oct 6–14 (Blizzard API)

Share = of that spec’s top-key characters still in the spec when read, the part wearing this item in that slot (rings and trinkets: either slot). Counted by GamGem from Blizzard’s Mythic+ leaderboards and character profiles, 11,985 characters, read 2026-10-09. Top keys, not all players — what they wear, not a ranking of the item.

How sure is this?

why?
Why? · EvidenceEvery row says what kind of evidence it is. Simulations and logs are not attached — no source with terms we can show.
RowKindResultFromRead
Item recordgame data3 stats · 1 effect · 0 socketsBlizzard API2026-10-09
Item level by difficultysourced table289–344gear page sources2026-10-09
Who can use itgame data9 of 40 specsBlizzard API · Warcraft Wiki2026-10-09
Stat fitour comparison40 specs with a sourced orderGamGem2026-10-09
Simulationsimulatednot attached——
Logs (who equips it)observednot attached——

Where evidence disagrees

  • • Item level says upgrade; its effect may say otherwise — only a sim of your character settles it.
  • • The Great Vault pays 318 for Heroic bosses — more than the drop itself (315).

What else to look at?

Share with the group

Venomkeeper's Horrific Cowl315 Head (Cloth)SIM NEEDED302 → 315
Raid · HeroicSim needed
Ula'tek · The Venomous Abyss · checked 2026-10-09
Venomkeeper's Horrific Cowl — 315 Head (Cloth)
SIM NEEDED: 302 → 315 · Heroic · Raid
Effect: Equip: Your spells and abilities have a chance to increase your Mastery by 193, but reduce your other secondary stats by 32 for 12 sec.
Source: Ula'tek · The Venomous Abyss
Can use it: 9 of 40 specs
Checked 2026-10-09 · Blizzard API data · GamGem

Ask about this drop

Try: “is it an upgrade?” · “where does it drop?” · “who can use it?” · “item level on Mythic?”

Full item record

IDs, raw stats, effects, flavour text
Environment
Live 12.1 — the 12.1.5 PTR is not mixed in
Item ID
271874
Quality (base)
Epic
Type
Armor · Cloth
Binding
Binds when picked up
Required level
90
Preview item level
219 (Blizzard’s record — not the drop level)
Stats at preview level
Intellect 65 · Stamina 1,005 · Mastery 107
Armour
41
Effect 1
Equip: Your spells and abilities have a chance to increase your Mastery by 193, but reduce your other secondary stats by 32 for 12 sec.
Line under the name
Venomcursed
Sockets
0
Unique-equipped
no
◆ Blizzard — Game Data API: items, journal, specializations◆ Warcraft Wiki — Lockout◆ Warcraft Wiki — each class’s page◆ Blizzard — Curse of Ula’tek content update notes◆ Method — raid, Mythic+, Delve and Prey loot◆ Method — Great Vault item levels◆ Icy Veins — the raid’s final two bosses

Ula'tek on video

Venomkeeper's Horrific Cowl — quick answers

Where does Venomkeeper's Horrific Cowl drop?

Ula'tek in The Venomous Abyss (Boss loot), in Midnight Season 2. No source publishes its drop rate.

What item level is Venomkeeper's Horrific Cowl?

Raid Finder 289 · Normal 302 · Heroic 315 · Mythic 344. Item levels are the season’s track table, by difficulty or key level.

Which specs can use Venomkeeper's Horrific Cowl?

9 of 40: Arcane Mage, Fire Mage, Frost Mage, Discipline Priest, Holy Priest, Shadow Priest, Affliction Warlock, Demonology Warlock, Destruction Warlock.

Who uses Venomkeeper's Horrific Cowl in Mythic+?

9 of 40 specs wear it in top keys — Destruction Warlock 20% (#2 in head, n 79), Demonology Warlock 18% (#2 in head, n 321), Holy Priest 17% (#2 in head, n 329), Affliction Warlock 14% (#2 in head, n 140), Frost Mage 14% (#2 in head, n 145). +16–23 keys, US+EU, week of Oct 6–14 (Blizzard API); 11,985 characters read. A measurement of top keys, not a ranking of the item.

What does Venomkeeper's Horrific Cowl do?

Equip: Your spells and abilities have a chance to increase your Mastery by 193, but reduce your other secondary stats by 32 for 12 sec. (Blizzard’s record, at its preview item level.)

What competes with Venomkeeper's Horrific Cowl?

4 items for the same slot: Errant Scrollsage's Hood, Headdress of the First Empire, Overseer's Diadem, Worldroot Canopy.

Sources & how we checked

We read Blizzard’s Item API for this item (ID 271874) on 2026-10-09 and took its boss from Blizzard’s Adventure Guide journal. Its item levels are the season’s track table, read for its boss’s loot group by difficulty. Who can use it joins each class’s armour and weapon skills (Warcraft Wiki) with each spec’s primary stat (Blizzard). Stat fit is our own comparison with a stat order a GamGem spec guide sources. Nothing here comes from a sim or from logs.

Midnight Season 2 · live patch 12.1 (the 12.1.5 PTR is not mixed in) · item data from Blizzard’s Game Data API, read 2026-10-09. Item levels are the season’s track table; spec fit is game data; stat fit is our own comparison. No player names, profiles or logos. Your item level, difficulty and spec are saved in this browser only.