Cobalt Shalewing

Cobalt Shalewing is a rare ground and flying mount added in patch 10.1.0 "Embers of Neltharion" of the Dragonflight expansion. It is a shalewing with a cobalt coloration and a distinctive blue glow — an offspring of Karokta, raised in the gloom of Zaralek Cavern. The mount drops from the rare elite Karokta with a low chance, making it a coveted trophy for collectors.

Shalewings are flying creatures that inhabit the underground caves of the Dragon Isles. The Cobalt Shalewing stands out among other shalewings with its rich blue coloration and smooth flight animations. The mount works both on the ground and in the air, and its movement speed depends on your character's riding skill.

• Rarity — the drop chance is less than 1%, making the Cobalt Shalewing an uncommon sight among players. Owning this mount sets your character apart.
• Attractive model — the cobalt coloring with a blue glow looks striking and differs from other shalewings.
• Ground and flying — the mount is suitable for any zone, supporting both ground and air travel.
• Account-wide — once obtained, the mount becomes available on all characters of your account.
• No reputation or currency required — unlike many Dragonflight mounts, obtaining the Cobalt Shalewing does not require grinding reputation or saving up a special currency. It is enough to kill Karokta and get the drop.

The Cobalt Shalewing drops from Karokta — a rare elite level 82 enemy in the southwestern part of Zaralek Cavern.

1. Make your way to Zaralek Cavern. The entrance to the cavern is located in the Ohn'ahran Plains zone on the Dragon Isles
2. Open the map and find the rare enemy icon in the southwestern part of the zone, in the Glimmerogg subzone. Karokta's coordinates: approximately 42, 66
3. Wait for Karokta to spawn — the NPC is marked with a star (a silver or gold skull) on the minimap
4. Kill Karokta. This is an elite enemy, but at the current max level a single character is enough for a quick kill
5. Collect the loot — Cobalt Shalewing may be among the drops
6. Use the item to learn the mount

Zaralek Cavern is divided into five subzones, each of which contains its own rare enemies. Each day four of the five zones are active, while one zone is "recharging" — rare enemies do not spawn in it. The Caldera of the Menders zone is active at all times, while the other four zones (including Shimmering Grotto) rotate according to the following scheme:

Shimmering Grotto → Nal Xs'Khol → Loamm → Aberrus

A full rotation cycle takes four days. This means Karokta is available roughly three days out of four. On the day when Shimmering Grotto is inactive, farming Karokta is impossible.

To track the active zones, there are special tables and addons that show the current rotation day for your region. Before heading to Zaralek Cavern, check whether Shimmering Grotto is active.

• Check the zone rotation — make sure Shimmering Grotto is active before setting out to farm. Karokta does not spawn on the day the zone is disabled.
• Karokta's respawn — after being killed, Karokta respawns in 45 minutes to 2 hours. If you are willing to wait on the spot, you can kill the NPC several times in one play session.
• Use multiple characters — the drop chance is calculated separately for each character. Bring several characters to Karokta's coordinates to increase the number of attempts per respawn.
• Additional loot — besides the mount, Karokta can drop the Ridged Shalewing pet, which also has collectible value.
• Tracking addons — install the RareScanner or Silver Dragon addon for automatic alerts when Karokta spawns. These addons play a sound and place a marker on the map when a rare enemy is detected.
• Group farming — join groups through the group finder tool (the "Premade Groups" section). Searching for "Karokta" often shows groups waiting for the respawn.
• Sharding — the server's sharding technology can move you between copies of the zone. If Karokta was just killed in your copy, try joining a group from another shard where the NPC is still alive.
• Minimum level — characters from level 60 and up can obtain the mount, but at max level killing Karokta takes mere seconds.
• Drop chance change — initially the drop chance of the Cobalt Shalewing was extremely low (around 0.07%). On June 8, 2023, Blizzard released a hotfix that significantly increased the chance to roughly 0.8%. The current chance remains at this level.
• Patience — at a chance of ~0.8%, statistically it takes about 125 kills to obtain the mount. Do not be discouraged if the mount does not drop in the first few attempts — this is normal for a rare drop.