The Blackpaw is a massive bear whose dark fur and glowing eyes embody the primal fury of the Darkshore conflict. This formidable beast was hibernating peacefully before the Fourth War erupted around him — as the flavour text wryly notes: “Blackpaw was just hibernating, minding his own business, and then suddenly there was a warfront.” For collectors who appreciate mounts with character and a touch of dark humour, this shadowy bear is a true prize — a creature of the wild caught in the crossfire of faction war.
Added in patch 8.1.0 “Tides of Vengeance”, Blackpaw has become a sought‑after trophy among Warfront rare hunters. With an estimated drop rate of approximately 5–6%, the real challenge is not the drop chance but the unique Warfront reset system that governs Darkshore rares. Unlike most rare spawns that reset daily or weekly, you can only loot this mount once per full Warfront cycle — meaning you have a limited number of attempts each time your faction controls the zone. The bear itself is easy to defeat, but understanding the rhythm of the zone’s phases — Patrol, Contribute, and Siege — is essential for farming this mount efficiently. For those willing to master the cycle and fight for their faction’s control of Darkshore, the reward is one of the most imposing bear mounts from the Battle for Azeroth era.
The Blackpaw mount drops from faction-specific rare in the Battle for Darkshore zone. For Horde players, the mount drops from Blackpaw himself — a massive spectral bear found below Lor’danel. For Alliance players, the same mount drops from Agathe Wyrmwood, a corrupted druid of the flame. The mount has an estimated drop rate of approximately 5–6%, which is relatively high for a rare mount. However, the limiting factor is the unique Warfront lockout system: you can only loot these rares once per full Warfront cycle (specifically, once per Patrol phase when your faction controls the zone), regardless of how many times you kill them. Killing the same rare again in the same cycle will yield no loot — and no mount chance.
To access the correct phase of Darkshore, your character must be at least level 50. You may need to complete an introductory quest at the Warfront table in the Port of Zuldazar for Horde or the Boralus docks for Alliance. The zone cycles through three phases (Patrol, Contribute, Siege), and these rares only spawn during the Patrol phase when your faction controls the zone. If the opposing faction controls Darkshore, your faction’s rare will not be attackable — though the opposing faction’s rare will be present instead.
Before you can encounter the rare that drops Blackpaw, you must ensure that Darkshore is in its Battle for Azeroth phase (the post-Teldrassil burning version of the zone). This is the same requirement as for all Darkshore warfront rares.
How to check your phase: Travel to Darkshore. If the zone looks like the classic Cataclysm version (undamaged, with no warfront structures or world quests), you are in the wrong phase. You need to speak to Zidormi to switch to the current timeline. Zidormi is located at the northern border of Darkshore, near the entrance to Ashenvale.
Zidormi location: /way Darkshore 48.0, 24.0 (near the bridge to Ashenvale)
To access the Warfront system and the phased Darkshore, you may need to complete an introductory questline. Visit the Warfront table in your faction’s hub:
The Warfront table will show the current status of Darkshore and allow you to queue for the introductory quest if you have not completed it. Once you have access, you can enter the phased Darkshore zone and begin hunting rares when your faction controls the area.
When Darkshore is in the Patrol phase and your faction controls the zone, you can find your faction’s rare at the following locations:
Blackpaw – Horde rare
Agathe Wyrmwood – Alliance rare
Important: Your faction must control Darkshore for your rare to be attackable. If the opposing faction controls the zone, your faction’s rare will either be absent or will appear as a friendly (non-attackable) NPC. You can tell who controls Darkshore by opening your world map — if you see your faction’s world quest icons, you are in control.
Combat notes: Both Blackpaw and Agathe Wyrmwood are level 50 rares with approximately 54k–66k health. They are easily soloable at level 60+ and even at level 50 with decent gear. Blackpaw, as a bear, has simple melee attacks. Agathe Wyrmwood may use a few fire-based spells, but nothing deadly. Be aware that the area below Lor’danel contains other hostile mobs — clear a few around them before engaging to avoid being overwhelmed. After death, they drop Blackpaw directly into your inventory (bind‑on‑pickup).
Important reset rule: Even if you kill the rare, you will not receive loot again until the Warfront cycle completes and a new Patrol phase begins with your faction in control. This means you have roughly one attempt per character per full cycle — which can last from several days to over a week. The NPC itself respawns relatively quickly (roughly 5–10 minutes), but that timer is irrelevant for loot purposes; the lockout is tied solely to the Warfront cycle and faction control.
The Warfront system in Battle for Azeroth controls the availability of rares and world quests in Darkshore, but not which faction can enter the zone. The zone cycles through three phases, and only during the Patrol phase do rares (including Blackpaw and Agathe Wyrmwood) spawn and become lootable. Below is a breakdown of each phase:
Once the Siege phase ends, the cycle restarts with a new Patrol phase, and all rares become available again — but only to the faction that controls the zone. If your faction wins the Warfront, the zone returns to your control and your faction’s rare spawns. If your faction loses, the zone flips to the opposing faction’s control, and you must wait for the next full cycle when your faction recaptures the zone to access your rare again.
How to check the current phase and control: Visit the Warfront table in your faction’s hub. The table will show a progress bar and the current phase text. You can also open your world map and look at Darkshore – if you see your faction’s world quest icons, you are in Patrol phase and your faction controls the zone.
Because you only get one loot attempt per character per Warfront cycle (Patrol phase + your faction’s control), the most efficient way to farm Blackpaw is to use multiple level 50+ alts on the same faction. The good news is that as soon as the Patrol phase begins and your faction controls the zone, you can farm the rare on every alt you have.
Pro tip: The Warfront cycle length depends on your faction’s contribution speed. On active servers, a full cycle can take about 3–5 days. On less populated servers, it may take a week or more. You can speed up the cycle by donating resources during the Contribute phase (if you want the next Patrol phase to arrive faster). However, remember that even when Patrol begins, you still need your faction’s control — so if your faction lost the last Warfront, you will have to wait for the next full cycle.
Tracking the Warfront cycle, faction control, and rare spawns is much easier with a few quality‑of‑life addons. Below are the most useful tools for this farm.
Pro tip: Combine SavedInstances with a simple note on your desktop or calendar. Write down the date when you last saw your faction in control and Patrol phase active – this helps you predict when the next opportunity might start.
