Giddy-Up: Paladin and Warlock Mounts

Although World of Warcraft has eased its rites of passage for mount training quite considerably in the past couple of years, there are still some fitting ‘feat of strength’ achievements and an induction to the sin’dorei paladin order of the Blood Knights to be had from following the classic and Burning Crusade ‘epic mount’ quests.

Though you may learn the journeyman riding skill at level 40 now, these quests will reward you with that skill free of charge should you not know it at level 60. The Dreadsteed and Charger mounts were once only available to level 60 characters who completed trials in Dire Maul, the Scholomance and Stratholme.

For those wishing to compliment a Stratholme or Dire Maul encounter, or simply to explore their character class further, here are two guides for truly earning your epic mount.

Both quest chains begin at level 60, and the warlock chain involves a fair deal of travelling while paladins can hover around the north-eastern regions of the Eastern Kingdoms. If you’re planning for your guild to enjoy these quests, you should know they include party-dependent trips to Tyr’s Hand in Eastern Plaguelands, and dungeon raids on Stratholme, the Scholomance and Dire Maul West, in that order.

Paladins: Charger

You will require:

• 150 gold
• 40x [Runecloth]
• 10x [Sungrass]
• 6x [Arcanite Bar] (transmuted by alchemists from 6x [Arcane Crystal] and 6x [Thorium Bar])
• 5x [Dark Rune] (found in the Scholomance)

The journey begins with A Gesture of Commitment, a quest handed to you by Lord Solanar Bloodwrath in Silvermoon City’s Farstriders’ Square. He asks for the reagents listed above: Runecloth, Sungrass, Arcanite and a collection of Dark Runes from the Scholomance. A Demonstration of Loyalty then sets you to work in the Eastern Plaguelands, banishing scourge siege engineers and their meat wagons from the region just South of the Ghostlands.

The next task returns you to the Plaguelands, striking instead at the heart of the Scarlet Crusade in order to retrieve a sample of their own, ‘Light-blessed’ holy water. The Tyr’s Hand fortress is populated throughout by elite soldiers from level 56 upwards, so it’s likely you will need a party escort in order to reach the abbey.

The next sample of reagents is gathered from vendors in Silvermoon City, and from jewels found throughout Azeroth. Bloodwrath wishes you to bring him:

• [Arcane Catalyst] from Zalle, a reagents vendor in Silvermoon’s Bazaar
• [Crepuscular Powder] from Darlia, the poisons vendor in Murder Row
• An [Azerothian Diamond], commonly found in gem bags dropped from the black and green dragons (Blackwing Lair or the Emerald Dream portals in Duskwood, the Hinterlands, Feralas and Ashenvale) and sometimes found when jewelcrafters prospect Thorium Ore
• A [Pristine Black Diamond], dropped throughout level 56+ instances.

At this point the reagent is completed. The Charger is awarded after you, a sin’dorei practitioner of the paladin arts, seek to prove yourself and the efforts of your kin to the world. The final stage of this quest, True Masters of the Light, sees you initiate a rite of Blood Knight defiance and extinguish the Silver Hand’s influence in Stratholme’s Alonsus Chapel.

Warlocks: The Dreadsteed of Xoroth

You will require:

• 406 gold
• 2x [Elixir of Shadow Power] (6x [Ghost Mushroom])
• 3x [Black Dragonscale]
• 6x [Large Brilliant Shard]
• 25x [Dark Iron Ore]

You will also need to form parties for the Scholomance and Dire Maul.

Phase 1: The Glyph

Though they’re now entirely redundant, the former demon trainers of each capital (Kurgul in Orgrimmar, Martha Strain in the Undercity and Torian in Silvermoon) will still offer you this first stage in the chain. Speak to one of them to begin Mor’zul Bloodbringer, a quest in which the man of the same name will craft a glyph allowing you to learn this demonic summons.

Mor’zul is camped with a goblin in the north-western Burning Steppes, accessible from Flame Crest. He shall task you with Rage of Blood, in which you must slay the owlkin of Winterspring. This quest has a notoriously tough drop-rate, but the blood drops from owlbeasts of the ‘berserk’, ‘moontouched’, ‘crazed’ and ‘raging’ persuasion and so can be completed alongside Trull Failbane’s Wild Guardian chain, delivered from Bloodvenom Post in Felwood.

Before you return to Burning Steppes you should ensure that you have at least 6 gold, but ideally 156g.

Part three of this chain simply introduces Mor’zul’s servant, Gorzeeki Wildeyes. This wily goblin will sell you an essential reagent for Mor’zul’s second quest, entitled Lord Banehollow. In it you must travel to Felwood and enter Jaedenar’s Shadow Hold.

You should ensure that you have at least 150 gold on your person before attempting this quest.

If you have already conducted quests from the Emerald Sanctuary and thus attacked Jaedenar, there’s no need to worry about a repeat performance; Gorzeeki’s potion allows you to run right to the back of the hold without any hostilities, but it is a lengthy run all the same.

Locate Lord Banehollow and you’ll realise he’s willing to help, but only after you do him a service. He wants you to silence a traitor in his midsts, and while it’s a soloable fight it will require use of your voidwalker and a healthstone or two. Once this is done you will be allowed to purchase [Xorothian Stardust] from nearby Ur’dan, at a cost of 150g. Note that if your disguise drops during this time, Ur’dan will turn hostile.

Return the stardust to Gorzeeki and you are left only with providing adequate parchment. Gorzeeki will ask you to deliver an imp into the alchemy lab at Caer Darrow’s Scholomance, where the imp is capable of infusing its parchment with your Xorothian Stardust. The lab may be found in the same room as Ras Frostwhisper, the lich alchemy teacher. Note that J’eevee carries the stardust with him inside the jar, and that once the parchment is made he’ll keep a hold of that too.

Phase 2: The Artefacts

Mor’zul offers you three new quests once J’eevee is returned safely. All three function as writs, handed to Gorzeeki:

• Bell of Dethmoora: 2x [Elixir of Shadow Power] (6x [Ghost Mushroom])
  This potion is crafted by alchemists, and its recipe is sold in a limited quantity by the zombie Algernon, in the Undercity’s Apothecarium.
• Doomsday Candle: 3x [Black Dragonscale]
  Black Dragonscales are commonly skinned from Nefarian’s dragonkin in Blackwing Lair, and are a guaranteed result when skinning the bosses. Skinners may find them in lesser quantities on the black drakes of Blackrock Spire, and outdoors in the Burning Steppes.
• Wheel of the Black March: 6x [Large Brilliant Shard], 25x [Dark Iron Ore]
  Brilliant Shards are gleaned from level 55+ disenchantments by enchanters, and [Dark Iron Ore] is mined throughout Burning Steppes, Searing Gorge and Blackrock Depths.

This concludes the basic requirements for summoning a Dreadsteed within Dire Maul. That is to say all warlocks must carry these tasks out if they wish to bind an epic mount, but the quests which follow it need only be completed by one warlock in the party. Phase 3 has you gather a set of artefacts for the summoning ritual within Dire Maul, and all warlocks present at the time will stand to benefit.

Phase 3: The Summoning

Phase 3 comprises only one quest, with a hefty shopping bill for Gorzeeki’s reagents. Mor’zul starts the Dreadsteed of Xoroth quest by handing you a manual. You must first purchase [J'eevee's Jar] for 150g, [Black Lodestone] for 50g and your [Xorothian Glyphs] for another 50g.

If you are not of an appropriate level for the Dire Maul instance (i.e. above level 70), you should seek to gather as many soul shards as possible before continuing.

You must take these implements to a Circle of Greater Binding; there’s one in Dire Maul West, set up by the Shen’dralar to imprison Immol’thar. Once there you must release J’eevee again, and he will place the first bunch of artefacts in order to create the summoning circle.

It is at this point the ritual begins. The artefacts consume vast amounts of energy and can only be refilled via the [Black Lodestone], channelling energy from your soul shards. Only a warlock in possession of the Lodestone can recharge these devices, and each charge consumes a soul shard. You should ensure you have an ample supply before beginning; the process consumes an average of 15 shards. If all three devices fail then the ritual must begin anew, but while they remain active:

• The Bell of Dethmoora will restore health to all warlocks within the summoning circle,
• The Wheel of the Black March will mitigate some damage,
• and the Doomsday Candle will attack the demon which spawn to try and stop the ritual.

The ritual is completed when nine runes decorate the summoning circle. At this point you may open a portal to Xoroth and summon a Dreadsteed, yours to control for a price as with any demon before it; it must first be defeated. You should also be wary that Dreadsteeds are not easily stolen from planet Xoroth…