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Obtaining the Artifact: Scythe of Elune, Balance Druid

by Magistrate - 8 years ago show comments

Today, we take a look at the Balance druid artifact intro questline. The Balance artifact, the Scythe of Elune, is tied to the worgen curse–those who wield it must struggle against the unending feral spirit inside. From the Dreamgrove, Naralex sends players to the Twilight Grove in Duskwood to retrieve it.

Originally Posted by Blizzard Entertainment (Official Post)

This mystical artifact was created millennia ago from the Staff of Elune and a fang from the wolf demigod Goldrinn. The Scythe of Elune carries a long and unsettling history for druids: those who are not careful enough can easily be overwhelmed by Goldrinn’s spirit, which infuses the scythe. Tied to the origin of the worgen on Azeroth, the scythe is said to possess untold lunar power for the druid with balance enough to keep control.

Quest Recap

Scythe of Elune, Balance Druid

After unlocking the druid Class Hall, the Dreamgrove, the druid Naralex–who you may recall from our Wailing Caverns article two years ago–sends players after the Scythe of Elune. The weapon, infused with the spirit of the demigod Goldrinn and immense lunar power via Elune, was last in the hands of Valorn Stillbough.

By travelling through the Dreamway, druids can quickly reach Emerald Dream gateways, like the one at the Twilight Grove in Duskwood. On arriving, Valorn admits that he doesn’t really want to part with the mysterious weapon, but he accedes to Tyrande’s orders and attempts to hand it over.

Before he can relinquish the weapon, Ariden, the Dark Rider from the Affliction warlock Artifact intro, kills the night elf and steals the Artifact. As you may recall, the Dark Riders are infamous for their unending hunger for powerful weapons.

Players must follow after Ariden deep into Duskwood, where they encounter Revil Kost in a small cottage. Kost reveals that the Nightbane worgen all throughout the forest are going mad, and he believes that the arrival of the Scythe of Elune may be responsible. To settle matters, he leads you into Deadwind Pass to find Ariden’s camp–and hopefully clues to the origin of the Scythe and its whereabouts.

At Ariden’s camp, his Battered Journal confirms Kost’s suspicions. As soon as the Scythe left Darnassus, it did indeed drive the Nightbane into a frenzy–one leading right after the weapon. The worgen are drawn to the Artifact, likely as part of its connection to their curse.

From here, players must follow after Nightbane footprints, confronting them on a high ledge overlooking Karazhan, and then descend into the Karazhan catacombs. Within, skeletons, spirits, and Dark Riders await–although the skeleton sentinels in the spiral staircase can be largely avoided by using Prowl on the way down. At one point, you will need to use Solar Beam to interrupt Ariden’s summoning spell and banish ghouls blocking your way.

When confronting Ariden, he will eventually succumb to Goldrinn’s spirit and transform into a vicious beast. He’ll frequently use a stun, which can be kind of annoying, but he’s pretty easy to burn down with your DoTs, Collapsing Stars talent, and some other tricks. And don’t forget about all your self heals!

After the battle, you can snag the Artifact, use Dreamwalk to return to the Dreamgrove, and get started powering up your new weapon.

Follow our Legion Artifact coverage for more on the Artifact questlines, mechanics, and abilities. Also, don’t miss our druid Class Hall preview.