WoW Reviews & Guides

Val’anyr, Hammer of Ancient Kings is assembled by collecting thirty Fragment of Val’anyr, then combining them into Shattered Fragments of Val’anyr, and completing the questline below.

Val’anyr is targeted to healing classes, and can be wielded by druids, paladins, priests, and shamans; in contrast with Atiesh, Greatstaff of the Guardian which was not targeted towards healers or dps specifically. However, the high damage on this weapon still makes it viable for non-healing specs. For example, the shadow priest community generally agrees this weapon is best in slot for damage as well. This may be due to the release of dual spec during the same patch as the release of Ulduar.

Created by the Titans  themselves, Val’anyr was given to the first Earthen king, Urel Stoneheart. With it, he was to create and give life to the rest of his brethren.

Val’anyr was shattered during the first war between the Earthen and the Iron Dwarves. The Weapon’s remnants were believed lost in the conflict.

Description

The Archivum Console has hinted at a possible way to rebind the fragments of Val’anyr: you must get the fragments inside the physical form of the being known as Yogg-Saron.

It sounds like a long shot, but for an artifact of such power you think the risk might just be worth it.

Quick Facts

Along with Uldum  and Uldaman, there exists a third base of the titans called Ulduar. A fourth base, Maraudon, is the location of Terramok, an ancient titan vault. A fifth base is located under Bael Modan. Ulduar is located in The Storm Peaks of Northrend.

Ulduar is a mysterious subterranean realm of ice and stone. This was once the storm giants’ stronghold, but they didn’t build it. Brann Bronzebeard believes it to be a titan city (it is also a production facility and prison), as it matched the design of the two temples in Northrend and other ruins dwarves found elsewhere (and because it contained the word “Uld”). Massive buildings protrude from the tops and sides of mountains, many hundreds of times taller than a human. When Brann Bronzebeard first explored the area, a section he discovered was covered in rock and ice. He thought it was an amazing place but couldn’t tell from outside, because it was completely hidden to him. The exterior he saw looked like the other peaks to him: a jumble of rock and ice cut at angles only nature would have produced. The entrance he discovered was well-hidden and heavily guarded by crystal golems. However large sections of the facility are now visible aboveground.

Inside, Ulduar is a profusion of tunnels and stairs and balconies. The entire place appears to be carved out of a massive cave, and many of the levels are natural ledges. It has the feeling, as if nature were improved upon rather than replaced or recreated. The surfaces are a strange mix of smooth and unaltered stone and ice, as when a master sculptor works in stone and lets the material’s natural texture add depth and beauty. It shows where the dwarves got their skill in stonework, but judging by Ulduar they’re still a long way from matching their creators.

When Brann was exploring the place, the storm giants themselves were so few in number that one could wander the halls without ever meeting one — he believed this was probably for the best, since no one was supposed to gain entrance. The giants are a dying race desperately avoiding their fate. They seem to think another race will vanquish them some day, and so they hide in Ulduar rather than girding for battle. They are too frightened to battle the Scourge, but apparently they hate it. Ulduar is likely a treasure trove of information on the Titans and their activities. Since then the storm giants have moved to the Howling Fjord.

Ulduar is a raid dungeon in the Titan complex of Ulduar, located within the The Storm Peaks. It serves as the prison of the old god Yogg-Saron as well as the current residence of most of the titanic watchers who have fallen under his influence.

Notable Loot

All bosses in Ulduar drop Emblem of Triumph, which can be used to acquire epic quality gear from various vendors in Dalaran. They can also drop Runed Orb, a rare component used to craft high level gear.

Also, each boss on 25-player difficulty has a chance to drop a Fragment of Val’anyr, which are needed in order to reconstruct Val’anyr, Hammer of Ancient Kings.

Quick Facts

Saronite is a metal found in Northrend.

Saronite is an element associated with the Old God Yogg-Saron. According to the Archivum Console in Ulduar, a powerful acid found within Yogg-Saron is believed to be responsible for the liquefaction of Saronite.

Borus Ironbender, the Horde Grand Master Blacksmith trainer in Agmar’s Hammer in the Dragonblight, remarks — from his observations of Angrathar the Wrathgate — that he had never seen a metal “breathe” before, and that the only people who seemed to know what this metal was were the tuskarr. They called it the “Black Blood of Yogg-Saron”, and in a quest of the same name, Borus sends players to the Pit of Narjun outside Azjol-Nerub to collect samples of this metal.

Judging by the fact that most “modern” Scourge fortresses in Northrend — Icecrown Citadel itself being the prime example — are constructed of Saronite, it’s clear that “Black Blood of Yogg-Saron” is simply another name for this metal.

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?

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?