World of Warcraft Classic players are once again diving headfirst into one of the game’s most epic and time-sensitive challenges: the Scepter of the Shifting Sands questline. This is the perfect opportunity to get an ultimate status symbol — the Black Qiraji Resonating Crystal mount alongside the unofficial but sacred title of Scarab Lord.
WoW Classic Fresh Scepter of the Shifting Sands Starting Date
Most realms expect the gates to open around July 17 or shortly after, marking the start of the Ten Hour War. The opening date depends on the progress around all participating servers.
The War Effort officially begins on July 10 at 3:00 PM PDT. It marks the launch of Phase 5 in WoW Classic. From this point, players across all realms will race to complete turn-ins and the Scepter of the Shifting Sands questline to unlock the Ahn’Qiraj raids and open the gates.
What is the Scepter of the Shifting Sands?
The Scepter is one of the legendary items from the running of the Scarab Gong at the entrance to the Ahn’Qiraj questline. Running the gong during the special event Ten Hour War makes available the Black Qiraji Resonating Crystal, one of its kind, available for the duration of the timer running.
📌 Note: While the questline can be completed later for lore and reputation, the mount becomes permanently unobtainable once the window closes.
How to Prepare for the Scepter of the Shifting Sands Quest Chain
Becoming a Scarab Lord is not a mission for solo players, as it’s pretty hard. You’ll need:
- A guild willing to support one or two chosen players through raid bosses that drop one quest item per week.
- Dozens of hours of preparations for gathering rare materials and building a reputation with the Brood of Nozdormu faction.
- Pre-collected items, including 20 Arcanite Bars, 10 Elementium Ore, 20 Goblin Rocket Fuel, and more.
- Full flight paths across Kalimdor and the Eastern Kingdoms for faster travel.
Check out our Scepter of the Shifting Sands Guide and learn about the upcoming challenges.
Tips for Scarab Lord Quest Success
- Don’t rush raid lockouts. Time your Blackwing Lair runs based on quest progress, or ask our team for assistance and easier completion.
- Use Proxy of Nozdormu wisely to delegate fragment farming to trusted players.
- Be ready for PvP if you’re on a contested server (Silithus will become a warzone).