In World of Warcraft: Dragonflight’s Embers of Neltharion content patch, players delve into the depths of Zaralek Cavern to uncover the secrets of the fallen Aspect of the Black Dragonflight, Neltharion. This long-forgotten cave discovered beneath the Dragon Isles is brimming with new items and enemies waiting to be encountered.
One notable addition is the Blazing Shadowflame Chest, a large chest that is locked tight and surrounded by a waterfall of lava. Read on to discover the secret to unlocking the Blazing Shadowflame Chest and claiming the treasure within.
Where to Find the Blazing Shadowflame Chest
To find the Blazing Shadowflame Chest in Zaralek Cavern's Zaqali Caldera, players should head to a small island located at coordinates (28.5, 47.9). The island is surrounded by a vast pool of lava, and the large, sparkling chest is impossible to miss. The key to unlocking the Blazing Shadowflame Chest, however, is far less obvious. Solving the mystery required knowledge of a significant moment in World of Warcraft's history. The chest's name provides a slight hint, and experienced players may recall having to deal with "Shadowflame" creatively in the past.
How to Unlock and Open the Blazing Shadowflame Chest
When the player reaches the Blazing Shadowflame Chest, upon attempting to open it, they will receive the message, “The Shadowflame is too strong to bear." The chest will remain locked until the player can figure out how to break its shadowflame seal. Thankfully, an incredibly savvy Warcraft player figured out the creative solution to dealing with this Shadowflame in the same way players did in the past: The Onyxia Scale Cloak.
The Onyxia Scale Cloak is an iconic item in World of Warcraft’s history, having been a vital piece of equipment needed to defeat Nefarian, son of Neltharion, and his black drakes in the Classic WoW raid dungeon, Blackwing Lair. Since Shadowflame magic was created by Neltharion in a laboratory within Zaralek Cavern, it's only fitting that a challenge involving it exists within the zone.
How to Get the Onyxia Scale Cloak
The Onyxia Scale Cloak is a rare quality back armor that binds when equipped and is crafted by Leatherworkers. Obtaining the materials needed and finding a skilled Leatherworker to craft the cloak may prove challenging, depending on the player’s server population and other requirements detailed below.
For many players, purchasing an Onyxia Scale Cloak from their server's Auction House is the most practical option. Leatherworkers are eager to craft this iconic piece of Warcraft history and earn some extra gold in the process. Depending on the server's population, prices for the crafted cloak can range from a few thousand gold to much higher.
Acquiring the materials needed to craft or commission an Onyxia Scale Cloak can be a bit of a challenge, however. To obtain the required Scale of Onyxia, the player must be able to use the Skinning ability on the defeated boss. It's worth noting that the Scale of Onyxia doesn't drop from Onyxia herself alongside her other item drops, but she can be skinned with any skill level of this primary gathering profession.
How to Craft the Onyxia Scale Cloak
To craft the Onyxia Scale Cloak, the player will need to gather the following materials:
- 1x Scale of Onyxia - Guaranteed drop from the raid boss Onyxia.
- 1x Cindercloth Cloak - Crafted by Leatherworkers.
- 1x Rune Thread - Purchased from Leatherworking and Tailoring supply vendors.
Obtaining the Scale of Onyxia requires the most effort, as players must venture into Onyxia's Lair at coordinates (56, 71) in Dustwallow Marsh and defeat the daughter of Neltharion herself. For max-level characters tackling the content in Zaralek Cavern, this is an extremely simple task that should take no more than a few minutes. In fact, it will likely take longer to reach her lair in Dustwallow Marsh. However, the aforementioned Skinning requirement may make farming the Scale of Onyxia impractical for many players.
Leatherworkers who wish to craft Onyxia Scale Cloaks and earn some gold will be limited by the weekly lockout of Onyxia's Lair. They can only obtain a few Scales of Onyxia each week, which limits the number of Onyxia Scale Cloaks they can craft unless they receive the required materials from another player.
Players can take advantage of max-level alts with the Skinning skill to gather additional Scales of Onyxia each week. The recipe to craft the Onyxia Scale Cloak is obtained by turning in the Head of Onyxia and completing a follow-up quest, upon which the recipe is instantly learned. The Onyxia Scale Cloak requires 300 skill in Classic Leatherworking to craft.
Leatherworkers can craft the required, uncommon quality Cindercloth Cloak with ease, as the materials needed are relatively easy to obtain. However, the recipe to create this cloak is learned only from a zone drop from enemies in the Searing Gorge zone. This presents an additional challenge for players who want to commission the crafting of the Onyxia Scale Cloak. For most players, it is significantly more practical to search for and purchase the crafted cloak on the Auction House.
What’s Inside the Blazing Shadowflame Chest
The Blazing Shadowflame Chest contains a new toy item, the Blazing Shadowflame Cinder, which grants a temporary buff that envelops the player in a purple shadowy aura. Unfortunately, this effect will disappear as soon as the player engages in combat. The chest also contains a few useful items, including a few random phials, Shadowflame Crest Fragments, Flightstones, and Dragon Isles supplies.
It may not be worth the effort or gold investment for players who are not toy collectors or completionists. However, for those wishing to surround their character in this unique visual effect or simply appreciate the homage to the game's classic history, unlocking the Blazing Shadowflame Chest will prove to be a worthy challenge.
World of Warcraft is available now on PC.