At level 30, every Warrior in WoW Forever can start the class quest that ends with the best two-handed weapon in the 30s: the Whirlwind Axe, the Whirlwind Sword or the Whirlwind Warhammer. All three are item level 40 and carry +16 Strength and +15 Stamina, a jump that no green or dungeon drop at this level comes close to. The chain is the one Classic players remember, with the same quests and the same quest givers on both factions. It sends you to Fray Island in The Barrens for Berserker Stance, to Bath'rah the Windwatcher in Alterac Mountains, across Stranglethorn Vale and Arathi Highlands for materials, and ends with the elite Cyclonian, a level 40 air elemental that every Warrior has to beat alone or with help.
Below you will find every step for Alliance and Horde with coordinates, where to farm each item, how to prepare for Cyclonian at level 30, which of the three weapons to take now that Forever has replaced weapon specializations with the Weaponmaster talent, and what changed compared with Classic.
The chain has six quests plus one repeatable quest at a cauldron. Every step needs only level 30, but the enemies on the way are level 33 to 40, so the materials and the final fight take far more time than the quests suggest:
| Detail | Warrior Weapon Quest |
|---|---|
| Required level | 30 for every step (quests are listed at level 30 to 40) |
| First quest | The Islander from the Warrior trainer in your capital |
| Stance unlock | The Affray on Fray Island rewards Berserker Stance |
| Materials | 8 Liferoot, 30 Bloodscalp Tusk and 1 Essence of the Exile |
| Final fight | Cyclonian, level 40 elite, summoned by Bath'rah the Windwatcher in Alterac Mountains |
| Reward | Choice of Whirlwind Axe, Whirlwind Sword or Whirlwind Warhammer, item level 40 |
Both factions run exactly the same chain. Once you reach level 30, the Warrior trainer in your capital offers The Islander: Wu Shen in Stormwind City, Kelv Sternhammer in Ironforge, Sorek in Orgrimmar, Torm Ragetotem in Thunder Bluff or Baltus Fowler in Undercity. The quest sends you to Klannoc Macleod on Fray Island, a sand bar south of Ratchet on the Merchant Coast of The Barrens, at 68.6, 49.0.
Alliance players have the longest trip. The new boat loop between Auberdine, Menethil Harbor and Southshore makes the later trips to Alterac Mountains shorter, and every route is on our WoW Forever travel routes map.
The Affray is a 10-minute arena event on Fray Island. Step on the grate in the middle to start it, beat the challengers that come at you one at a time, and finish with Big Will, a level 33 warrior. The reward is Berserker Stance: 3% more critical strike chance for 10% more damage taken, which you will want for Whirlwind and for the rest of the chain.
Fight every challenger at full health and use the gaps between them to bandage. Save Retaliation for Big Will: it is a 15-minute cooldown that answers every melee swing for 15 seconds, and he is the only opponent in the event that can really hurt a level 30 Warrior.
After the Affray, Klannoc Macleod gives you The Windwatcher. Bath'rah the Windwatcher lives in a small camp in Alterac Mountains at 80.4, 66.8. To get there, follow the river that runs along the eastern side of Tarren Mill north until you see ruins on its eastern bank; his hut is right next to them. Set your Hearthstone in Tarren Mill (Horde) or Southshore (Alliance), because you will come back here at least twice.
Bath'rah then gives you Cyclonian, the quest that lists everything he needs before he can summon the elemental.
This is the longest part of the chain. You need three things, and the third one is a small quest of its own. Plan the route in this order, because the Exiles in Arathi are the highest level mobs on the list and you will be stronger by the time you reach them:
Liferoot is a herb that grows along rivers and lakes in the level 25 to 40 zones. With Herbalism you will pick most of them on the way; without it, buy them on the auction house, where they are usually cheap. Some vendors also sell them.
Bloodscalp Tusk drops from the Bloodscalp trolls in northern Stranglethorn Vale, level 33 to 37. Axe Throwers, Scavengers, Warriors, Shamans, Scouts, Beastmasters, Mystics and Hunters drop it most often; Berserkers, Witch Doctors and Headhunters drop it less. The drop rate rises the longer you have the quest, so a bad first hour is normal.
Tusks are quest items: you cannot buy them or have a friend farm them for you. Pull one troll at a time, open with Demoralizing Shout when two come at once, and keep Bloodscalp camps on the edge of your fight so new spawns do not walk into you.
Essence of the Exile comes from Essence of the Exile, a repeatable quest that you start and finish at Bath'rah's Cauldron next to Bath'rah's hut, at 79.4, 66.7. Many players miss this step and look for the Essence as a drop. The cauldron asks for 8 of each charm:
The Exiles are immune to bleeds, so Rend does nothing on them. Demoralizing Shout and Sunder Armor help more.
Hand everything to Bath'rah the Windwatcher and he gives you The Summoning. Follow him and he calls Cyclonian just north of his hut. Kill it, loot the Whirlwind Heart and bring it back. Cyclonian is a level 40 elite elemental with 4,572 health and three abilities:
At level 30 you are ten levels below it, so every miss and every glancing blow counts. These steps make the fight winnable alone:
If you die, run back and talk to Bath'rah again: he summons Cyclonian anew, and you keep all the materials. A friend can help with the fight, and every party member with the quest can loot the Whirlwind Heart from the same kill, but The Summoning cannot be shared, so each Warrior has to bring their own materials. Players on the beta did solo it at level 30, but most needed several tries or a healer.
When you hand in the Heart, Bath'rah offers Whirlwind Weapon and your choice of weapon.
All three weapons share the same item level and stats, and their damage per second is nearly identical. The real difference is speed and how each weapon type works with Weaponmaster, the Arms talent that replaced the old weapon specializations in Forever. The stats below are from the current beta:
Whirlwind Axe
Whirlwind Sword
Whirlwind Warhammer
| Weapon | Type | Damage and Speed | Stats | Weaponmaster Bonus at 5/5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whirlwind Axe | Two-hand axe | 102-154, speed 3.60 (35.6 DPS) | +16 Strength, +15 Stamina | +5% critical strike chance |
| Whirlwind Sword | Two-hand sword | 82-124, speed 2.90 (35.5 DPS) | +16 Strength, +15 Stamina | 5% chance for an extra attack |
| Whirlwind Warhammer | Two-hand mace | 97-146, speed 3.40 (35.7 DPS) | +16 Strength, +15 Stamina | Attacks ignore 15% of the target's armor |
For most Warriors the Whirlwind Axe is still the right pick. Instant attacks such as Mortal Strike, Whirlwind and Overpower add their bonus to a weapon swing, so the slowest weapon with the highest top-end damage makes them hit hardest, and the extra critical strike chance from Weaponmaster feeds Rage and Deep Wounds. The other two are reasonable choices for specific builds:
Race no longer decides it. In Forever the old racial weapon skills are gone: Human Sword Specialization became 2% critical strike chance, Orc Axe Specialization became 1% critical strike chance and Dwarf Mace Specialization became 2% more critical damage and healing. All of them work with any weapon.
Protection Warriors fight with a one-hander and a shield, but the Whirlwind weapon is still worth getting: it makes questing in Arms or Fury much faster between dungeons. For talents that make the most of a slow two-hander, see our WoW Forever Warrior talents guide.
The choice matters less for your looks than it used to. In Forever, finishing a quest unlocks the appearance of every reward you could have picked, so all three Whirlwind weapons go into your appearance collection. How that works is explained in our WoW Forever transmog guide.
The quest chain itself is the same as in Classic, but several details around it are new:
If you would rather skip the grind to 30 and go straight to the quest, our WoW Forever leveling service takes your Warrior there for you.
These are the questions Warriors ask most often about the Whirlwind weapon quest.
Yes, but it is hard. Cyclonian is a level 40 elite, and the Exiles and Bloodscalp trolls are level 33 to 39. With Nature Protection Potion, healing potions and a wall at your back, Warriors on the beta did solo it at 30. A healer makes it much easier.
Run back and talk to Bath'rah the Windwatcher again. He summons Cyclonian anew, and you keep the materials you already handed in.
Partly. Liferoot and the three charms for the Essence of the Exile can be bought and traded. Bloodscalp Tusk is a quest item, so you must farm all 30 yourself.
For most Warriors, yes. All three have the same stats and almost the same damage per second, but the slow Axe makes Mortal Strike and other instant attacks hit hardest, and Weaponmaster adds critical strike chance with an axe.
Yes. In Forever, completing a quest unlocks the appearance of every reward choice, so all three weapons are added to your collection.
Yes, if you quest between dungeons. Protection uses a one-hander and a shield, but a Whirlwind weapon in Arms or Fury makes questing in the 30s much faster. Keep it in your bags when you tank.
For the rest of your Warrior's road to 60, start with our WoW Forever Warrior leveling guide. Shamans get a similar level 30 quest, covered in our WoW Forever Shaman weapon quest guide. These guides go further:
