Legendaries in Season of Discovery (SoD) & Classic Era
Nevermore • Updated June 7, 2025
Adventures that journey across Azeroth in the Classic Era will hear tales about unfathomable items that empower their users and bring forth untold destruction. Such items are called Legendary Items, with Classic Era featuring three distinct Legendary Weapons that may be used by Azeroth’s denizens. Sulfuras, Hand of Ragnaros is the first one that can be acquired once players manage to access the Molten Core while Thunderfury, Blessed Blade of the Windseeker requires players to access Blackwing Lair. Lastly, Atiesh, Greatstaff of the Guardian can only be acquired once Naxrammas becomes available, much later down the line.
Legendaries in WoW Classic
Sulfuras, Hand of Ragnaros
Sulfuras, Hand of Ragnaros is the first legendary weapon available in the Classic Era that can be used by any class that uses Two-Handed Maces. Lore-wise, the weapon never left Ragnaros‘ side, earning the title of “Hand of Ragnaros” as the Fire Lord was never seen without it in his grasp. The version available to players is merely a replica devised by his followers to mimic the original, with the authentic hammer being far too large for any other being than Ragnaros to grasp.
The weapon is well-known as one of the best Two-Handed Weapons in the game and is typically wielded by Warriors and Paladins, however other classes can use it as well, such as Druids.
While other legendaries such as Thunderfury, Blessed Blade of the Windseeker, and Atiesh, Greatstaff of the Guardian require a multiple-step quest line to be created, Sulfuras, Hand of Ragnaros has a much simpler approach. The creation of the weapon requires two specific items, the Sulfuron Hammer and the Eye of Sulfuras.
The Sulfuron Hammer can be created by players by acquiring the Plans: Sulfuron Hammer from Lokhtos Darkbargainer inside The Grim Guzzler tavern found in the Blackrock Depths dungeon. The Sulfuron Hammer is bind-on -quip so it is able to be created or purchased from another player. The Eye of Sulfuras has a low drop chance, players must defeat the Fire Lord Ragnaros (usually multiple times) to acquire it. Once a player has both the Sulfuron Hammer and the Eye of Sulfuras, they can simply combine the items to create Sulfuras, Hand of Ragnaros.
Changes in Season of Discovery
In Season of Discovery, Sulfuras, Hand of Ragnaros gains a new empowered form, Sulfuras, Hand of Ragnaros, with the weapon now having multiple new effects. It gained an empowered debuff effect besides its well-known fireball launching proc effect, a retaliation-like effect that can proc when the wielder is attacked, and finally a major increase in Attack Power for druids. Those changes have been specifically made to empower the weapon for Warriors and Paladins while also encouraging Feral Druids to pick up the mighty hammer without them feeling any backlash for it.
Thunderfury, Blessed Blade of the Windseeker
Thunderfury, Blessed Blade of the Windseeker is the second legendary weapon available in the Classic Era and can only be used by Warriors, Paladins, Rogues, and Hunters. Lore-wise, the item is known as the powerful weapon of the Prince of Air, Thunderaan, who was defeated by Ragnaros in an attempt to further extend his powers. With Thunderaan stuck in a prison, his fearsome weapon is entrapped with him, bound over the watchful eye of Ragnaros’s minions.
The weapon is famously known as one of the best One-Handed Weapons for Tanks, specifically for Protection Warriors, however, it’s also a good weapon for Paladins and Rogues. While its stats might not be the most impressive, the proc effect is the one that truly makes the weapon shine, providing significant threat generation.
Acquiring Thunderfury, Blessed Blade of the Windseeker requires completing a quest line. First, you’ll need to acquire one of the halves of Bindings of the Windseeker. To initiate the quest line either of the two halves can be acquired, upon which adventurers must journey to Silithus and find Highlord Demitrian. Initiating a dialogue with him opens up the quest line, sending the player on a long adventure in which they must acquire the other half of the Bindings of the Windseeker, the Essence of the Firelord, and a substantial amount of Elementium Bar.
After gathering all the materials, players will return to Highlord Demitrian and initiate a ritual that results in an epic battle against the resurrected Prince of Air, Thunderaan, himself.
Changes in Season of Discovery
In the Season of Discovery, it is currently unknown whether or not Thunderfury, Blessed Blade of the Windseeker will receive a change, however the most recent update from Aggrend is that there are no plans to adjust Thunderfury for SoD.
Atiesh, Greatstaff of the Guardian
Lastly, Atiesh, Greatstaff of the Guardian is the third legendary weapon available in the Classic Era and it can be used by Mages, Priests, Druids, and Warlocks. Lore-wise, the weapon is known as one of the most powerful weapons in Azeroth, serving as the main weapon of the Guardian of Tirisfal, passed down from one guardian to another, with its last known wielder being Medivh.
The weapon is known as one the best weapon that can be acquired by casters, serving as a Best-in-Slot for the last part of the Classic Era. Few weapons can manage to come close to it in terms of spell power, and even fewer manage to bring better stats and effects.
The method to acquire Atiesh, Greatstaff of the Guardian requires players to complete a several-step questline that begins with gathering Splinters of Atiesh from the bosses in Naxxramas. The shards have a random drop chance, meaning that it will take a considerable amount of time to acquire. Once players manage to collect 40 x Splinters of Atiesh, they can form the Frame of Atiesh and begin their quest line.
The quest takes them on a journey to find one of the Time Keepers, Anachronos, tasking them with restoring and cleansing the cursed staff. This quest will have players kill C’thun and Kel’Thuzad for the Base of Atiesh and Staff Head of Atiesh. Once the staff is reformed, adventurers must cleanse the staff by visiting Stratholme and summoning Atiesh, cleansing the staff upon the demon’s defeat. To complete the quest line and receive Atiesh, Greatstaff of the Guardian, players must return to Anachronos after their visit to Stratholme.
Changes in Season of Discovery
Season of Discovery is yet to reveal anything about Naxxramas or Atiesh, Greatstaff of the Guardian‘s possible buffs. Once more information is revealed in the Season of Discovery regarding Atiesh, Greatstaff of the Guardian we will update this part of the overview with all the available information!
Legendaries Guide
Pride • Updated June 7, 2025
WotLK sees the introduction of 2 incredibly powerful legendary weapons: Shadowmourne for strength-based two-handed weapon damage dealers (Fury & Arms Warriors, Unholy Death Knights, Retribution Paladins) and Val’anyr, Hammer of Ancient Kings for healers. These weapons are highly sought after due to their powerful stats and even more powerful effects, though unfortunately only a select few may get them, as they are scarce.
These legendary weapons are more than a mere stat upgrade — you get more than just a little extra spell or attack power. They have unique effects, which make them tremendously powerful, and they even change the way you play the game slightly. Players with these weapons will typically do more damage or healing than those without. All of these make them a very highly desirable commodity.
Legendaries in Wrath of the Lich King
Blizzard moved away from the model of legendaries being random boss drops in WotLK. Both legendaries are created by players after collecting enough fragments and completing a quest chain, similar to Atiesh, Greatstaff of the Guardian from Classic. Gone are the days of praying for that 2nd Warglaive of Azzinoth to drop so you can complete your set — you WILL get your legendary weapon eventually, by slowly building up your shard / fragment count every week.
While the fact that you are now virtually guaranteed to get your legendary weapons is undoubtedly a huge upside, this system unfortunately also has a major drawback: legendaries are now slightly more scarce than they used to be, as you similarly can’t get lucky and get several of them in a row.
Most guilds will thus decide on which person will get the next legendary (usually the most dedicated or best performing player) and give them the shards that drop on any given week, until they’ve completed their weapon. The decision of which class should get each weapon also players a bigger role than before, and this guide will briefly cover that, which the individual legendary weapon guides go into more detail.
Val’anyr, Hammer of Ancient Kings
Val’anyr, Hammer of Ancient Kings is a one-handed mace, and the first ever healer-centric legendary weapon. It can only be used by Priests, Druids, Shamans and Paladins. It will be added to the game with the release of the Ulduar raid, in Phase 2 of WotLK Classic. It can only be acquired in the 25-man version of Ulduar; you cannot get it in the 10-man version.
The titans created Val’anyr and gifted it to Urel Stoneheart, the first earthen king — which he then used to create and give life to the rest of his brothers, the ancestors of the dwarven race.
Val’anyr’s unique effect allows you to place shields on players when healing them, for an amount equal to 15% of the healed amount. It is incredibly powerful in the hands of a Holy Paladin or Restoration Druid, and very powerful when used by a Restoration Shaman. Discipline Priests unfortunately cannot really make good use of this weapon, and will typically be the last person in a guild to get it, if they get one at all.
You can acquire Val’anyr by collecting Fragment of Val’anyr, which drop from bosses in Ulduar 25. When you collect 30 fragments, you may combine them into the Shattered Fragments of Val’anyr, which starts a quest — Ancient History — that culminates with you restoring Val’anyr, Hammer of Ancient Kings after defeating Yogg-Saron, the last boss of Ulduar, in a special way.
For a detailed guide on how to obtain Val’anyr & how its effect works, please check out our Val’anyr, Hammer of Ancient Kings guide!
Shadowmourne
Shadowmourne is a two-handed axe, and the second strength-focused two-handed legendary weapon added to the game. It can only be used by Warriors, Paladins and Death Knights. It will be added to the game with the release of the Icecrown Citadel raid, in Phase 4 of WotLK Classic. It can only be acquired in the 25-man normal or 25-man heroic version of Icecrown Citadel; you cannot get it in the 10-man version.
Highlord Darion Mograine, in a desperate gambit to defeat the Lich King, forges an axe for the player and imbues it with holy and unholy artifacts, including shards of the Frozen Throne itself. He ultimately succeeds in creating Shadowmourne, an axe to rival the Lich King’s infamous Frostmourne.
Shadowmourne‘s unique effect allows you to build up strength over time, eventually culminating in a powerful explosion which deals huge Shadow damage to enemies around you. In raids, it is incredibly powerful in the hands of a Retribution Paladin or Fury Warrior, and very powerful when used by an Unholy Death Knight. Arms Warriors, Retribution Paladins and Unholy Death Knights will all highly desire it for PvP, as it famously distorts the PvP metagame with its unbelievably high damage output.
The way you acquire Shadowmourne is slightly convoluted. First, you must complete a quest given by Highlord Darion Mograine (The Sacred and the Corrupt) in order to craft Shadow’s Edge, the weapon that will serve as the basis for Shadowmourne. You then empower Shadow’s Edge by feeding it the souls of defeated enemies in the Icecrown Citadel raid, and defeating bosses in a special way. Finally, you upgrade it to Shadowmourne by collecting 50 Shadowfrost Shards from bosses. This quest chain can only be advanced in the 25-man (Normal & Heroic) version of Icecrown Citadel.
Stay tuned for a detailed guide on how to obtain Shadowmourne & how its effect works!
For a detailed guide on how to obtain Val’anyr & how its effect works, please check out our Shadowmourne guide!