Grinding Netherwing faction in Wrath of the Lich King

Getting a Netherwing drake is quite a bit easier now that Northrend has appeared. It's a good job, too, because when I migrated to a new server I wasn't sure if I had the constitution to replace the two I left behind on beloved characters. The promise of an impressive mount combined with the nostalgia of the quests and temporary loss of motivation for exploring Northrend to send me back to Netherwing Ledge.

I was expecting a few weeks of daily grinding and although I don't mind the gaming grind too much there was still a lot of sustained effort facing me. What I hadn't realised at the time was how much less of a grind the daily quests have become. The fel glands and Netherwing Relics both drop with a 100% rate for their respective quests; the ravager spawns in have been much improved, so there is no longer fierce competition for the scarce few that roam the mines; and the Netherwing crystals no longer can be considered a drop but a torrent, easily being able to turn in thirty a day as a by-product of completing other quests.

There are other factors that make gaining a Netherwing drake easier now. Even though I am not 80th level, being several levels above the Netherwing content and equipped with Northrend gear makes the quests much easier to compete. Helping the Aldor defeat the Dragonmaw Skyraiders can now be completed solo without trouble, gaining an additional 500 reputation each day without having to seek assistance. With far fewer people looking to get a Netherwing drake these days, with rarer, more prestigious mounts occupying players' time, it would be difficult to find help anyway, but this also means there is little competition for mob spawns or quest items.

Then there are the eggs. These randomly spawning and occasionally dropped items grant 250 reputation each and have no daily restrictions on being delivered. It was quite the lucky occasion to find one before, each Netherwing egg being an attention grabber, but this time around I found at least two eggs a day. Admittedly, the time zones probably helped with my luck but the number of eggs I chanced upon was still incredible.

With the cost and now rarity of the materials needed to construct the soul cannon of Reth'hedron I ignore that quest, particularly as it does not lead to a repeatable daily quest. I even almost entirely ignore the flying races, as trying to judge the position of and avoid moving objects in three-dimensional space without the benefit of depth perception or other visual cues is an exercise in frustration. But being able to complete all the daily quests is more than enough to push my reputation up quickly, with found Netherwing eggs giving me helpful little boosts towards my goal, which is looking closer all the time.

I reach a point where I estimate I will have reached exalted status and have my Netherwing drake within four days. This works out quite well for my schedule, although with the weekend upon me I am tempted to use a bit of extra time to attempt the early flying races again. I managed to complete all but two of them before I should be able to boost my reputation a little this time too. I quickly get the first two races under my belt and an extra 700 reputation and it looks promising that a third race and bit of luck the next day will see my warrior earn her Netherwing drake even sooner than expected.

Before I think about the next races I want to complete all the daily quests, so I can see if it is feasible to reach exalted reputation with a race or two or whether I may as well wait for the next day's daily quests. I fly around the Ledge with a booterang and run inside the mines picking up crystals and slaying flayers and ravagers, but this time I can't help but stumble over egg after egg. My calculations for reaching exalted on this day assumed I would be lucky enough to find only another two eggs and I end up with eight. That is a huge 2,000 reputation gain that I cash in quickly, whereupon I find that not only do I not need to fly any more races but I do not even need to complete all the daily quests to reach my goal.

Two more quests later and I share my reputation ding with a fellow guild member, also on the path to a Netherwing drake. Illidan Stormrage appears, unmasks me as not being an orc really, and I get saved and whisked away to Shattrath where I am rewarded with a deferential drake of my own.

I pick the green dragon, making my choice quickly before the beast of procrastination rears its ugly head, and then I am away at a swift 280% movement speed, flying loops and figures of eight. It's wonderful to be riding a drake once more. I suppose I had now better get back to Northrend and save up for training in cold weather flying. At least the continual questing has been earning me XP, not only pushing me to 75th level but three-quarters of the way to 76th level by the end.

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Tags: mmorpg, outlands, sapphire, world of warcraft