Sign inArcanite Reaper
The Arcanite Reaper is a two-handed axe made by master blacksmiths, and one of the most famous crafted weapons in Classic. It was not the strongest axe in the game for long, but it was available without raiding, it hit very hard, and for a generation of warriors it was the weapon that made them feel ready for player-versus-player combat at level 60.
How to get it
The plans
The recipe, [Plans: Arcanite Reaper], drops from Bannok Grimaxe, a rare elite orc in Lower Blackrock Spire who does not spawn every run. Our data puts the drop at around 7 percent when he does appear. Because the plans are hard to find, the few blacksmiths who had them could set their own prices for the axe.
In patch 1.12 the recipe also needs the Axesmith specialization, which a blacksmith chooses when becoming a weaponsmith. A blacksmith who went the armor route or picked swords or hammers could not make it. Patch 2.0.3 later dropped that requirement.
Materials
| Material | Count |
|---|---|
| [Arcanite Bar] | 20 |
| [Enchanted Leather] | 6 |
| [Dense Grinding Stone] | 2 |
Arcanite Bars are transmuted by alchemists from one [Thorium Bar] and one [Arcane Crystal], and the transmute has a cooldown, so each alchemist could only make a limited number. Twenty bars was a large investment, so most Arcanite Reapers were bought for a big pile of gold rather than crafted for oneself. The finished axe binds when equipped, so it could be sold on the auction house.
What it does
[Arcanite Reaper] is a 3.8-speed two-handed axe that deals 153 to 256 damage, with 13 Stamina and 62 attack power. It requires level 58.
The slow speed was the point. Classic warrior abilities such as Mortal Strike added a flat amount on top of a weapon swing, so slow weapons with high top-end damage turned those attacks into very large hits. A warrior with a Reaper could take a large chunk of an enemy's health with one Mortal Strike, especially with a lucky critical hit or a Windfury Totem from a shaman. That made the axe a common sight in battlegrounds and world PvP, and a stepping stone for raiders before epic two-handers from Molten Core and Blackwing Lair replaced it.
In the community
The Arcanite Reaper's fame went beyond its stats. The machinima film "Zinwrath: The Movie" made "ARCANITE REAPER HOOOOO" a catchphrase, and the axe appeared again in other fan videos of the era. Warriors who leveled in Classic often remember buying or being given one as a rite of passage.
The axe also shows up in Blizzard's own work. It is the favored weapon of the warlock's felguard demon, Varok Saurfang is the best-known character to carry one, and it is a basic warrior weapon card in the Hearthstone card game.
History
The Arcanite Reaper dates from the first year of the game. The Axesmith requirement was removed in patch 2.0.3, and later expansions added stronger look-alikes such as the Bloodied, Hardened and Refined Arcanite Reapers.
Sources
Categories: Items
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