Sign inBlack Qiraji Resonating Crystal
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The Black Qiraji Resonating Crystal summons the Black Qiraji Battle Tank, a giant black beetle mount given only to the players who rang the Scarab Gong to open the gates of Ahn'Qiraj. It was the first legendary-quality mount in World of Warcraft, and on each realm only a small number of people ever earned it, which made it one of the rarest and most admired rewards of the Classic era.
How to get it
The crystal was the reward for [[forever:quest:8743]], which asked a player to strike the Scarab Gong at the Scarab Wall in Silithus with [[forever:item:21175]]. Two things had to happen first: someone on the realm had to rebuild the scepter, and the whole realm had to finish the war effort.
The Scepter of the Shifting Sands
The scepter quest line runs through the bronze dragon Anachronos at the Caverns of Time in Tanaris. He sends the player after three shards, each tied to a different dragonflight and each very hard to get:
- The Red Scepter Shard comes from [[forever:quest:8730]], given by Vaelastrasz the Corrupt in Blackwing Lair. After accepting it, the player's raid had five hours to defeat Nefarian and return the shard, which meant clearing all of Blackwing Lair in one sitting.
- The Green Scepter Shard comes from a long chain for the Cenarion Circle and the green dragons that ends with Keeper Remulos in Moonglade and [[forever:quest:8741]]. Along the way the player has to defeat the corrupted green dragon Eranikus.
- The Blue Scepter Shard comes from a chain that starts with Narain Soothfancy in Tanaris, involves the blue dragon Azuregos, and ends with [[forever:quest:8729]] at the Bay of Storms in Azshara.
With all three, Anachronos reforges [[forever:item:21175]] in [[forever:quest:8742]]. On most realms only a few top guilds ever finished it.
The war effort and the gong
Separately, every player on the realm could contribute to the war effort, the drive by both factions to gather huge amounts of supplies (ore, bandages, food, herbs and leather) for an army to march on Silithus. When both factions finished their totals, the armies moved to the Scarab Wall and the gong could be rung.
The first player to strike the gong with the scepter received the [[forever:item:21176]] and started the event. For the next 10 hours, waves of Qiraji and silithid poured out of the gates while players fought them across Silithus. During those 10 hours, anyone else holding a scepter could also ring the gong and get their own crystal. When the event ended, no one else on that realm could ever earn it.
The mount
Using the crystal summons a black, armored Qiraji battle tank that moves at very fast mount speed. Unlike the colored Qiraji tanks that drop inside the Temple of Ahn'Qiraj, which only work inside that raid, the black tank can be ridden anywhere. It was also the first mount of legendary quality, and it remained the only legendary mount for many years.
In Classic, the black tank had another quirk: it could be summoned while still in combat, as long as the player was out of combat when the cast finished. That was removed in patch 3.0.2.
History
Ahn'Qiraj and the gates event came with patch 1.9 in January 2006, along with the story of the War of the Shifting Sands. The opening on each realm became one of the biggest server events of the era, and the Opening of the Gates of Ahn'Qiraj is often remembered for heavy lag and crowds.
The players who rang the gong were later honored with the Scarab Lord title, added in patch 2.0.3, and a matching Feat of Strength once achievements arrived. In February 2009 Blizzard announced that all new realms would launch with the gates already open, which meant the crystal and title could no longer be earned. In the Legion expansion, players who held the mount were also given the Black Qiraji War Tank, an updated version.
Sources
Categories: Items, Game History