How to get the X-45 Heartbreaker during Love is in the Air, now live!

The X-45 Heartbreaker, formerly known as “Big Love Rocket,” is one of the rarest mounts in World of Warcraft — but this time, we might finally have a realistic chance of obtaining it. Once the Love is in the Air event is live — between February 5 and February 19 — players will be able to queue for a fight against the Apothecaries. Defeating them nets you a Heart-Shaped Box, which has a chance to drop the mount — a chance that has always been extremely low.

And as of last year, your chances of getting the X-45 Heartbreaker have been “greatly increased,” so this may finally be your chance to get the elusive mount. The first time you get a Heart-Shaped Box each day, your chances of getting the mount will be higher:

Do note that the increased odds are for the first Heart-Shaped Box of the day across your entire Battle.net account — which means that any alts that run the event on that same day will be back to the original low odds. We don’t know what the new odds for the first attempt of the day are yet, but we’re cautiously excited that the mount might actually exist from now on. Maybe.

How to fight the Apothecaries and try to get the X-45 Heartbreaker

Once the event is live, you can queue for it from your regular Looking for Group pane — it’ll show up as “The Crown Chemical Co.,” and upon getting a group, you’ll be teleported to the courtyard of Shadowfang Keep, where the fight takes place.

You’ll be facing the three Apothecaries, Hummel, Baxter, and Frye, in what is usually a very easy fight that only has a few mechanics. Toxic Perfume or Cologne will be hurled at the players, either as a spray, or coalescing as pools on the ground. You may choose to use a neutralizer to become immune to either Perfume or Cologne, but since the damage is negligible for the most part, players rarely bother to do that.

The only other mechanic of sorts in the fight is the fact that the third of the apothecaries, Frye, can’t be tanked. He’s a free spirit, and will just wander around the courtyard attacking whoever he pleases — albeit very ineffectively.

Your alts, however, will be an army of never-ending disappointment

After your first attempt of the day, with its increased odds of success, the mount will be back to its original drop rate — which is an abysmally low 0.03%. In other words: Each time you defeat the Apothecaries after the first, your chances of getting this mount are the same as the chances of being struck by lightning once in your lifetime.

With that said, there’s still some value on repeating the event on alts beyond the gambling and the disappointment: Because the fight is so easy, it also serves as a great opportunity for you to get over your stage fright from healing or tanking. If you’re not very comfortable performing those roles for total strangers, this is your chance to do so in a real encounter — one that is very forgiving.

Even if your alts don’t get the X-45 Heartbreaker from the Apothecaries (spoiler alert: They won’t), these bosses also drop necklaces, which could be potential upgrades for under-geared or neglected alts — especially those that aren’t equipped with heirlooms.

Finally, a note of warning: Even though low level characters are also allowed to queue for the fight against the Crown Chemical Co., they aren’t all eligible for a chance at the rocket! Only characters level 60 and above are able to get the version of the Heart-Shaped Box item that might contain the mount.

You have from February 5 to February 19 to get your X-45 Heartbreaker… or to not get your X-45 Heartbreaker — which, statistically-speaking, has always been far more likely. Perhaps things will be different this year? Either way, good luck!

Originally published February 3, 2021. Updated February 5, 2024.