Get Alunira mount

Alunira is a rare cloud gryphon soaring above the peak of Dhar Oztan on the Isle of Dorn. This mount was introduced in The War Within expansion and its acquisition mechanic is reminiscent of the famous Alani from Pandaria: you need to farm rare shards over a long period, combine them, and challenge the gryphon to a fight.

Alunira is one of the most striking mounts in the expansion. A cloud gryphon with a stormy aura, it stands out among other mounts and is rightfully considered a trophy for collectors.

The acquisition process consists of three stages:

1. Collect 10 Crackling Shard, which drop at a very low rate from any mob on the Isle of Dorn.
2. Combine the 10 shards into a Storm Vessel.
3. Use the Storm Vessel on Alunira, remove her protective barrier, defeat her, and claim the mount.

Alunira constantly circles above the peak of Dhar Oztan in the western part of the Isle of Dorn. She is visible from far away — a massive gryphon with a stormy aura hovering above the tallest mountain in the zone. The NPC is always present and does not require waiting for a respawn.

In her normal state, Alunira is protected by a Protective Stormshroud — a shield that absorbs all damage. Attacking her without the Storm Vessel is impossible.

Crackling Shard drops from any mob on the Isle of Dorn with a chance of approximately 1 in 2,000 (0.05%). You need 10 shards, which means thousands of mob kills.

The shards are Warband-bound, so they can be transferred between characters on the same account via the Warband Bank. This lets you farm on multiple alts simultaneously and pool shards in a shared bank.

Best Farming Spots

The most popular spot is Cinderbrew Meadery. Groups frequently form there via the Group Finder, mobs respawn quickly, and you can simultaneously gather Smoldering Pollen for another mount — the Soaring Honeybee.

Rare Mobs with Increased Drop Chance

There are several rare mobs on the Isle of Dorn that have a significantly higher Crackling Shard drop chance — from 20% to 50%. Kill them whenever they are up:

• Escaped Cutthroat — according to community data, the highest drop chance among rare mobs
• Springbubble — a rare mob that spawns in the leveling area
• Sandres the Relicbearer — a rare mob in the leveling area

How Long Will Farming Take

On average, players report 5,000–13,000 kills to obtain all 10 shards. At a rate of approximately 500–800 mobs per hour, this means 7–20 hours of pure farming. Luck plays a huge role — some collect all shards in a single evening, while others farm for an entire week.

We recommend installing the Rarity addon — it tracks kill counts and shows drop statistics for rare items.

Once you have all 10 Crackling Shards in your inventory, they will automatically combine into a Storm Vessel.

Then follow these steps:

1. Leave your group. This is critically important — being in a group may cause issues with receiving the mount.
2. Head to Dhar Oztan (/way #2248 23.18 58.45).
3. Fly to the mountain peak and approach Alunira.
4. Use the Storm Vessel — it will remove the Protective Stormshroud.
5. Alunira will become attackable. Engage in combat and defeat her.
6. Loot Alunira from the corpse.

The fight itself is straightforward — Alunira is a level 80 rare mob with approximately 7.4 million health. Any level 80 character can handle her without issues.

• Kill Alunira solo, without a group. Only the player who used the Storm Vessel receives the mount. If you are in a group, other members will not receive the mount. Worse — Blizzard forums have documented cases where the mount did not drop at all, and the Storm Vessel was already consumed. To avoid losing your shards, always use the vessel without a group.
• Daily lockout. If you participated in killing Alunira (with someone else's Storm Vessel), you cannot kill her again on that character until the following day.
• Mount drop chance. According to Wowhead, the chance is approximately 49%. Most guides state that the drop is guaranteed for the player who used the vessel. If the mount did not drop on the first attempt — collect another 10 shards and try again.

• Farm on multiple characters. Crackling Shards are Warband-bound — collect them on alts and store them in the shared Warband Bank.
• Choose classes with strong AoE damage. Mage, Demon Hunter, Warlock — any class capable of quickly destroying groups of mobs. Hunter is especially convenient: some players set their pet to auto-attack and farm in a semi-AFK mode.
• Use the Group Finder. Groups frequently form at Cinderbrew Meadery for group farming — mobs die faster and respawn more frequently with multiple active players.
• Combine farming with other tasks. On the Isle of Dorn, you can simultaneously gather Nerubian Chitin and Venom for quests, as well as Smoldering Pollen for the Soaring Honeybee mount.
• Don't forget about rare mobs. Each time you enter the zone, check whether any rare mobs are up — a single lucky rare kill can replace hours of regular farming.