WoW Reviews & Guides

Before being the Lich King, Prince Arthas Menethil was a servant ruled by a sword he believed was the key to saving his people – the runeblade Frostmourne. Finding and claiming the blade among the frozen wastes of Northrend was an odyssey unto itself, and the search cost the prince his mentor, his relationship with his subjects, and his humanity. It cost the living of Azeroth far more.

With a tight grip on the blade that he traded his life for, Arthas ravaged the kingdom of Lordaeron and broke free from the control of the Burning Legion. By the time the former prince ascended as the leader of the Scourge, Frostmourne was already glutted with the souls of the numberless dead who dared to oppose him.

Now, Arthas has become so inseparable from his weapon that the sword’s likeness has even found its way into the architecture of his fortress, Icecrown Citadel. Its hilt is never far from his hands; its ghostly whispers constantly ring in his ears. Frostmourne, as much as the Lich King, is the ruler of Northrend.

In a relentless quest to arm the forces of the living against the Scourge, Highlord Darion Mograine has formed the Ashen Verdict, a union between the most skilled craftsmen of the Argent Crusade and the Ebon Blade. Though the peerless paladins of the Crusade wield the power of the Light, and their leader clutches Ashbringer, a few of Mograine’s dark warriors have begun to question their hopes for victory.

These death knights insist that the Ashbringer and the skills of the Argent Crusaders, will not be enough to best Frostmourne alone. They swear that Darion Mograine has long been quietly aware of another legendary blade – one that could be the key to defeating the Lich King and cleansing Northrend… But it doesn’t exist yet, for the moment, the weapon is only a formless idea. It is spoken of quietly, and the Highlord has a habit of silencing those who discuss it in public. Just its name inspires the furnaces to burn late into the night, the bellows to pump air, and the darker half of the Verdict’s smiths to swing their hammers until their fingers fail. While other craftsmen lean over whetstones and gather pitted blades by the hundreds, these few dream of a single weapon to end the war for Northrend.

Legendary Weapon Shadowmourne

Shadowmourne… A great two-handed axe fit for a giant, born of sacred and corrupt powers, host of a thousand dead souls and able to be wielded only by the most stalwart armsmasters of Azeroth. Its creation seems nearly impossible; and yet, the rumors do not cease.

Darion Mograine believes that only the hammer of Arthas himself will provide a worthy model – but such absurd ambition is just the beginning of Shadowmourne’s creation. To contain the energies that dance across its cold edges, Shadowmourne would be hewn from piles of impure Saronite: the hardened blood of the Old God, Yogg-Saron. To fuel its power to kill, it should be drenched in the souls of the most potent servants of the Scourge as they are slain, one by one, with the unfinished blade. To help break through the Lich King’s armor, it is to be adorned with fragments of the Frozen Throne, originally crafted by Kil’Jaeden out of ice from the Twisting Nether.

Only with these mighty components, it is said, can Shadowmourne be finished. And, yet, even if the axe could be completed, questions and fears remain. Is forging the souls of the deceased into a weapon treated with blood and the essence of the Twisting Nether truly any different from the crafting of the Scourge’s runeblades? And who will be bold enough to try to wield such a weapon? Might Shadowmourne bring the same doom and misery to the living as its sister blade did?

Highlord Darion Mograine wants you to infuse Shadow’s Edge with Unholy power and slay Professor Putricide.

This quest may only be completed in 25 person difficulty of Icecrown Citadel.

Infuse Shadow’s Edge with Unholy power then slay Putricide.

Description
Before your weapon can reach its full potential it must be endowed with its signature powers. First among them is unholiness.

You must seek out and defeat the one called Professor Putricide, but his death is not your only goal. You must use his resources against him.

Find a way to absorb his mutated slime. Use the foul substance to infuse your weapon with the power of the unholy. Only when this has been done shall I reveal your next task.

Rewards
You will receive: 16 gold 60 silver

Highlord Darion Mograine wants you to use Shadow’s Edge to slay 1000 of the Lich King’s minions in Icecrown Citadel. Souls can be obtained in 10 or 25 person difficulty.

Souls fed to Shadow’s Edge (1000)

Description
Shadow’s Edge is among the greatest weapons a <class> could hope to obtain.

Is your lust for power sated, <race>?

<You feel Mograine’s penetrating gaze.>

I thought not. A final warning then…

You now embark on the most treacherous leg of your quest. Bridle your aspirations, for if your aims are impure then your life, your very soul, is forfeit.

The weapon you hold is but an empty husk, a mere shadow of what it may become. Only by devouring a thousand souls shall its true potential be unlocked.
Rewards
You will receive: 16 gold 60 silver

This is a part of the questchain to obtain Shadowmourne.

Place Light’s Vengeance, 25 Primordial Saronite, Rotface’s Acidic Blood, and Festergut’s Acidic Blood in Highlord Mograine’s runeforge in Icecrown Citadel.

Rotface’s Acidic Blood and Festergut’s Acidic Blood may only be obtained in the 25 person difficulty setting of Icecrown Citadel.

Light’s Vengeance

Primordial Saronite (25)

Festergut’s Acidic Blood

Rotface’s Acidic Blood

Description
It is against my judgment that I present you this errand, <race>, as it will likely end in your undoing.

Ignore my counsel and embark on the endeavor, and I shall provide you with the knowledge and resources to see it through.

You must return to Frostmourne Cavern and recover Light’s Vengeance, Arthas’ discarded hammer. Reforged with saronite and etched with the acidic blood of the Lich King’s abominations, it will provide the foundation for our work.
Rewards
The following spell will be cast on you:
Mograine Forge
You will receive: 16 gold 60 silver

This is a chain of quests that is only available in the 25-player version of the raid instance. It awards Shadowmourne, the legendary two-handed axe Blizzard revealed at BlizzCon 2009.

The quests below indicate that earning the axe is going to be a long and perilous journey, that only the most powerful of heroes will be able to undertake.

Legendary Weapon Shadowmourne

1. The Sacred and the Corrupt
2. Shadow’s Edge
3. A Feast of Souls
4. Unholy Infusion
5. Blood Infusion
6. Frost Infusion
7. The Splintered Throne
8. Shadowmourne!
9. The Lich King’s Last Stand

Legendary Weapon Shadowmourne

The spells listed below are datamined effects related to Shadowmourne. Since it’s the PTR, all of this is subject to change.

• Item – Shadowmourne Legendary: Your weapon swings have a chance to drain a Soul Fragment from their victims. When you have acquired 10 Soul Fragments you wil unleash the Souls of the Damned, dealing 6840 to 7560 shadow damage split between all enemies within 8 yards.

shadowmourne stats

Depending on how quickly you accumulate Soul Fragments through Shadowmourne’s proc, this has the potential to be a pretty strong effect.

Legendary Weapon Shadowmourne

History

Before beginning his reign as the Lich King, Prince Arthas Menethil was first a servant, ruled by a sword he believed was the key to saving his people – the runeblade Frostmourne. Finding and claiming the blade among the frozen wastes of Northrend was an odyssey unto itself, and the search cost the prince his mentor, his relationship with his subjects, and his humanity. It cost the living of Azeroth far more.

With a tight grip on the blade that he traded his life for, Arthas ravaged the kingdom of Lordaeron and broke free from the control of the Burning Legion. By the time the former prince ascended as the leader of the Scourge, Frostmourne was already glutted with the souls of the numberless dead who dared to oppose him.

Now, Arthas has become so inseparable from his weapon that the sword’s likeness has even found its way into the architecture of his fortress, Icecrown Citadel. Its hilt is never far from his hands; its ghostly whispers constantly ring in his ears. Frostmourne, as much as the Lich King, is the ruler of Northrend.
To challenge that rule, mighty heroes will need to follow more closely in Arthas’s path than ever before.

In a relentless quest to arm the forces of the living against the Scourge, Darion Mograine has formed the Ashen Verdict, a union between the most skilled craftsmen of the Argent Crusade and the Ebon Blade. Though the peerless paladins of the Crusade wield the power of the Light, and their leader clutches Ashbringer, a few of Mograine’s dark warriors have begun to question their hopes for victory.

These death knights insist that the Ashbringer and the skills of the Argent Crusaders, though potent, aren’t enough to best Frostmourne alone. They swear that Darion Mograine has long been quietly aware of another legendary blade – one that could be the key to defeating the Lich King and cleansing Northrend… But it doesn’t exist yet.

For the moment, the weapon is a formless idea, with no more killing power than an angry thought. When it is spoken of, it is spoken of quietly, and the Highlord has a habit of silencing those who discuss it in public.

But the hope of an artifact to rival Frostmourne is strong within the minds of the Ebon Blade. Just its name inspires the furnaces to burn late into the night, the bellows to pump air, and the darker half of the Verdict’s smiths to swing their hammers until their fingers fail. While other craftsmen crafters lean over whetstones and gather pitted blades by the hundreds, these few dream of a single weapon to end the war for Northrend.
Shadowmourne… A great two-handed axe fit for a giant, born of sacred and corrupt powers, host of a thousand dead souls and able to be wielded only by the most stalwart armsmasters of Azeroth. Its creation seems nearly impossible; and yet, the rumors do not cease.

Some smiths claim that Shadowmourne must be nothing more than an ordinary axe, honed to unparalleled perfection, while others would shape it from a weapon of immense import in the world. Mograine, when he can be convinced to speak of it at all, is said to believe that only the hammer of Arthas himself will provide a worthy model – but such absurd ambition is just the beginning of Shadowmourne’s creation.

• To contain the energies that dance across its cold edges, Shadowmourne must be hewn from piles of impure Saronite: the hardened blood of the Old God, Yogg-Saron, treated only by master metal-shapers.
• To fuel its power to kill, it is vital that Shadowmourne be drenched in the souls of the most potent servants of the Scourge as they are slain, one by one, with the unfinished blade.
• To help break through the Lich King’s armor, Shadowmourne is to be adorned with fragments of the Frozen Throne, originally crafted by Kil’Jaeden out of ice from the Twisting Nether.

Only with these mighty components, it’s said, can Shadowmourne be finished. And, yet, even if the axe could be completed, questions and fears remain. Is forging the souls of the deceased into a weapon treated withblood and the essence of the Twisting Nether truly any different from the crafting of the Scourge’s runeblades?

Who is to say that the Lich King wouldn’t simply annihilate – or control – the maker for their impudence in mimicking his most treasured possession? If Arthas, one of the most dedicated knights of his age, lost his humanity to the whispers of Frostmourne, might Shadowmourne bring the same doom and misery tothe living as its sister blade?

Without knowing the answers to these questions, who would be bold enough to try and wield it?