It's a pretty baseless assumption that the collections would be required after the raids. More likely it will be Conqueror followed by Vanquisher.
Got in a lil late on this train but was wondering, I have already got all my merc and partisans and hero missions done, yet my cloak is at like 90% of the first level. From what you guys were saying I thought it would have went up to second level when I finished. Is having that stuff done just a requirement PLUS the exp from killing mobs to level it?
Yes. Leveling to 100% is from killing. Once it is 100% then you can upgrade to next level if you have the required achievement. Then level to 100% again with kills then upgrade if you have the next required ach. Repeat.
Also note the cost to level doubles (I think) each level. I finished Hunter and almost all the collections midway through Obscured (level 4). I probably won't get to Level 5 until next expansion. If you want to level your cloak, definitely prioritize finishing Champion.
Almost to Eclipsed and at least 2 more levels to scale after that. This might not be finished before the next expac. Unless.. maybe the raid levels get xp in raids?
Why do they require a specific order to evolve in the first place? To me it would seem a lot less forced to just base it on number of achievements so you could complete them in any order.
I maxed both darklight and tiger faction on all my characters just in case they'd try something like that.
I only do that mission twice a week and we really have only been at it about 3 weeks and we have seen 4 cloaks drop. Odd i usually have garbage luck.
General question on evolving items: What's the typical limit on what future content can evolve items? Can the four TBL evolving items evolve in NoS? Specific question: what are the odds that the RZ earring my shadowknight is working through will be able to evolve in the next expansion?
There isn't a (known) limit. The TBL evolving items were the first to limit evolution by expansion rather by mob-type (and at launch they weren't expansion-limited). They continue to evolve in NoS, and probably will evolve in future expansions.
I loved the RZ earring. Since the new cloak uses some of the same augs I have been back in TBL farming some 18s for my beastlord. May have to take him through that RZ earring task just to get to learn those recipes.
on an alt I am on the 1st RZ earing and its leveling ok in NOS. I expect both RZ ear and NOS cloak will level ok in the next expansion.