The Northrend Cup is here! Here’s how to hit gold in every new dragonriding race

The Northrend Cup, consisting of 12 brand-new race courses, runs from April 30 – May 13 — the first new dragonriding races we’ve seen since the Outland Cup in January. These races will take you across the entire continent, from sweeping vistas of Howling Fjord, to the desolate Borean Tundra, and on up the foreboding slopes of Icecrown Glacier. Prepare to experience this lore-steeped zone as you (probably) never have before.

If you’re anything close to the sort of dragonracing nerd I am, then you’ve been looking forward to the Northrend Cup for a long time. There’s nothing quite like hitting gold on the first … I mean the second … okay, maybe the tenth or twelfth attempt, but would the achievement mean as much if were easy? No, I didn’t think so.

Whether you’re a veteran racer looking for that extra edge, or a complete racing newbie who wants to see how it’s done before they jump in with both feet, we’ve got you covered.

Scalawag Slither

First up is the Scalawag Slither, just off the coast of Howling Fjord. It begins with a thrilling dive off the Westwind Lift and sweeps around the bay, buzzing the Northsea Freebooters as they sidle into port.

The key to this race is to conserve as much vigor as possible on the first dive (once you’ve gotten up to speed, of course!) and watch out for the lift boat which crosses the course on your way back up.

/way #117 41.96, 67.74 1 Scalawag Slither

Daggercap Dart

Also located in Howling Fjord, the Daggercap Dart begins at the pinnacle of Utgarde Keep and proceeds to swing up and down the cliffs to either side.

This race is not incredibly time tight, but is rather a vigor management challenge. When using Skyward Surge to climb, first make sure you’re up to speed, then tip your nose up sharply to get as much height out of it as you can. Note that you will continue to gain vigor for a brief moment after pressing Skyward, but don’t wait too long to head down again or you’ll lose valuable speed.

/way #117 57.61, 49.07 2 Daggercap Dart

Blackriver Burble

Now on to the Grizzly Hills, for an up-close-and-personal look at the Blackriver Logging Camp. An agility challenge to the core, the Blackriver Burble will take you under bridges and through narrow openings with only inches to spare. It’s my personal favorite course in the Northrend Cup, for its thrilling twists and turns.

The best way to prepare for this race is to increase your mouse sensitivity as high as you can stand to, in preparation for a series of hairpin turns, some of which you won’t see coming until you’re there. Be aware that there are some vigor charges placed for the return trip; don’t let them tempt you too far from the route. There is also one very tight gap which, while doable, you can bypass by tagging the top of the ring instead. You may also want to swap to a smaller dragon body for the tighter turn radius.

/way #116 44.75, 43.34 3 Blackriver Burble

Dragonblight Dragon Flight

The Dragonblight Dragon Flight is reminiscent of the slalom courses in the Azure Span. It’s an endurance race which takes you through each dragonshrine as well as straight through Wyrmrest Temple, so don’t expect it to be boring despite its length.

I found this race to be fairly straightforward. The start for the reverse course is a bit tricky, as you have to immediately dodge a pillar without accidentally smacking into the ground nearby. I watched plenty of dragons run snout-first into obstacles there, so it’s a good thing there’s lots of ice!

/way #115 62.32, 11.74 4 Dragonblight Dragon Flight

Crystalsong Crisis

The “Crisis” in this race could be short for “identity crisis”, as this race moves back and forth through two very different types of terrain. It is a lengthy race, with a vigor conservation segment sandwiched at both ends by minor agility challenges.

Vigor efficiency at the beginning of the Crystalsong Crisis is key — once you’re up to speed on that first downhill, hold your coast for as long as you can before you get into the turns. When you begin the long straightaway past Dalaran, conserve vigor by tipping your nose slightly downward and employing Skyward if necessary. Be aware that the rings can be difficult to see when you’re down among the trees, as some of the forest’s light effects overwhelm them.

/way #127 91.50, 70.71 5 Crystalsong Crisis

Zul’Drak Zephyr

The first of two races set in the temple city of Zul’Drak, this race has a good balance of speed and agility challenges. I found the Zul’Drak Zephyr to be a quick run, mostly about learning where the sharp turns are and not overly concerned with vigor conservation. Just keep going as fast as you can, and you should have this one in the bag.

/way #121 40.24, 39.50 6 Zul’Drak Zephyr

Gundrak Fast Track

The Gundrak Fast Track has a little more variety than the Zul’drak Zephyr, but nevertheless covers similar terrain. You’ll find fewer trees here to block your vision and more sharp drops and rises around the buildings.

You won’t be starved for vigor on this course, but you will want to time your Surge Forwards carefully to avoid ramming into the many structures laid about the course. The trickiest bits are the straight shots through archways and pavilions; otherwise you’ll need to keep your speed up and not go out of your way for that vigor charge on the reverse route.

/way #121 83.65, 17.42 7 Gundrak Fast Track

Makers’ Marathon

Next we’re off to the very northern tip of the Storm Peaks for the Maker’s Marathon. It’s something of a marathon getting there as well, so you may want to review my video on how to reach Thaldrazsus Apex if you’re having trouble over the peaks.

The race itself is an endurance challenge, but if you can keep your speed up through the first few turns you’ll find plenty of vigor to keep you going afterward. In fact, it’s easy to cap vigor charges by the end, so don’t hold anything back after about the 30 second mark.

There is one particular bend where I recommend a whip turn; you can see this demonstrated at 03:07 in the video above.

/way #120 46.93, 21.98 8 Makers’ Marathon

Citadel Sortie

Possibly the most arduous course in the Northrend Cup, the Citadel Sortie takes you all around Icecrown, and contains vigor management sections as well as agility challenges.

Between its length and the variety of skills required for completion, this is the race where you are most likely to need to sit back and evaluate your racing posture. Keep your back straight and your wrists supported, and be careful not to tense your shoulders or any other muscles you’re not actively using. Take breaks if needed, and if you start to feel muscle strain, rest and/or apply ice to the affected area.

Aside from the sheer number of tricky turns you’ll need to memorize, the only real question I had while running the Advanced and Reverse races was whether to go out of my way for the whirlwinds along the course. I found that pursuing them was generally worth my time, but it wasn’t necessary to hit all of them in order to reach gold.

/way #118 51.77, 91.13 9 Citadel Sortie

Sholazar Spree

When approaching or leaving the Sholazar Spree, be aware that if you fly over nearby Wintergrasp you may get flagged for PVP. This is generally only a problem when other racers come in with Dragonrider’s Initiative enabled, but that 3-second stun can be annoying.

This is largely an agility course, but since you’re frequently flying blind through the trees, it is also a memorization challenge. Like the Scalawag Slither, you will want to conserve on the downhills and spend vigor like crazy once you hit the turns. There is one point on the return climb where you should overshoot with a Skyward Surge to catch that stray vigor charge.

/way #119 79.49, 54.51 10 Sholazar Spree

Geothermal Jaunt

The Geothermal Jaunt isn’t very scenic, but it is fast. One of two races set in the Borean Tundra, this one will test your problem solving skills as well as your reflexes.

Note that this course is incredibly generous with vigor, to the point that hitting those charges is far less important than being lined up for the turns. Yes, you must be fast to come in under the target time, but the key to gold here is in knowing when to hold back.

/way #114 54.10, 15.50 11 Geothermal Jaunt

Coldarra Climb

Now at last it’s time to turn to the icy vistas on the far western edge of Northrend for the Coldarra Climb. Though it starts fairly high, you will indeed climb further up and even through those iconic platforms.

This race was surprisingly relaxed on time. The greatest challenge was rather the unidirectional nature of the course, where you will be running either clockwise or counter-clockwise through the majority of the race. In addition to setting your cursor speed pretty high, you may need to begin the race with your mouse moved all the way to the left or right on your mouse pad.

/way #114 32.35, 23.82 12 Coldarra Climb

That’s it for this year’s Northrend Cup. Happy racing, Blizzard Watchers!