WoW patch 10.2 introduces a new Legendary axe for Death Knights, Paladins, and Warriors: Fyr’alath, the Dream Render

Legendary weapons are a staple of World of Warcraft going all the way back to the original game and the duo of Thunderfury, Blessed Blade of the Windseeker and Sulfuras, Hand of Ragnaros. In patch 10.2, the game will get a new Legendary weapon: the two-handed axe Fyr’alath, the Dream Render.

Want to know more about patch 10.2? Check out our guide to all of the major features in WoW patch 10.2: Guardians of the Dream.

Though we’ve had some new Legendaries recently — the Evoker Legendary Nasz’uro, the Unbound Legacy, was added with Aberrus in patch 10.1 — we haven’t had a two-handed Legendary in WoW since  Dragonwrath, Tarecgosa’s Rest in Cataclysm, and that was a caster staff rather than a melee weapon. The last two-handed melee weapon goes back even further, to Shadowmourne during Wrath of the Lich King. Shadowmourne was a strength-based two-handed axe, which limited it to strength-based melee classes: it was designed for Death Knights, Paladins, and Warriors looking to wreak melee destruction.

So what about Fyr’alath? WoW Assistant Lead Encounter Designer Taylor Sanders says the axe doesn’t have class-specific ties like Nasz’uro, and Associate PR Manager Aramis Ramirez confirms that it’s a strength-based weapon for Death Knights, Paladins, and Warriors. Just like Shadowmourne, this weapon designed to wreak melee destruction.

There are still a lot of questions about Fyr’alath. How will we acquire the weapon, and how does it play into the Guardians of the Dream story? The announcement trailer provides us a few details, and beyond that we can make some reasonable speculation.

Where does Fyr’alath come from?

The name of the weapon may provide a clue to its origins: Fyr’alath, the Dream Render is suggestive of Old God-tainted weapons like Xal’atath, Blade of the Black Empire. Fyrakk himself wields the axe as he invades the Emerald Dream alongside the revived Druids of the Flame, seeking a means to transform the new World Tree Amirdassil into a bastion of raw elemental fire. Judging by the size of the invasion force, a lot of new recruits have joined the Druids of the Flame, upset over the Burning of Teldrassil, and Fyrakk is using them to fight his way into the Emerald Dream.

Fyr’alath is Fyrakk’s personal axe, but it doesn’t sound like acquiring this Legendary will be as simple as killing Fyrakk.

How will we get Fyr’alath?

According to Sanders and Senior Narrative Designer Anne Stickney (she’s very familiar, isn’t she?) getting Fyr’alath will be a longer process, allowing you to feel like you’ve earned the weapon. And many Legendary weapons have required a significant effort: just look at Legendary weapons in WoW history. Consider Fangs of the Father questline for Rogues, the extended Shadowmourne quest chain, or even the long Dragonwrath quests. Even going back to the game’s earliest Legendaries, Sulfuras, Thunderfury, and Anathema/Benediction all required players to put in some work to obtain these top-tier items.

Will we get a drop off of Fyrakk that begins a long quest? Or will Wrathion show up and have us commit a series of audacious heists that end in us literally stealing the axe from Fyrakk’s bedroom while he sleeps and replacing it with an exact replica that makes angry cartoon duck noises when swung? [Ed’s note: That last one seems unlikely, but not completely beyond the realm of possibility.] However our quest for Fyr’alath begins, it’s likely we’ll be in for something that sends us all over Azeroth, through multiple dungeons, all sorts of world content, and a unique chain of unique quests if we want to obtain this weapon. If it’s like Shadowmourne, we could even end up with a non-Legendary version of the weapon we have to use until we get it all powered up.

Right now, this is all we know about Fyr’alath, the Dream Render, and Blizzard seems to be keeping details of any quests to acquire the weapon under wraps. But with the patch 10.1.7 PTR now live, we may still learn more. But for now, I’m sure it will be awesome to carve through baddies with this flaming axe.

Originally published September 7, 2023; updated September 8, 2023