Armored Skyscreamer

Reins of the Armored Skyscreamer is a flying mount shaped like a heavily armored terrordactyl, awarded for completing the meta-achievement Glory of the Thundering Raider in the Throne of Thunder raid from the Mists of Pandaria era. The mount was added in patch 5.2 and is still available in the current version of the game.

It is one of the most recognizable symbols of the Thunder King era: a massive saurian clad in mogu armor and a spiked harness. At level 80 the raid is easily soloable, turning what was once a hardcore challenge into a pleasant weekend solo run.

• Rare and prestigious look. The Armored Skyscreamer instantly sets its owner apart — it is an obvious marker that you cleared every heroic achievement in the Throne of Thunder.
• Versatility. The mount flies and serves on the ground, adapting to your riding skill and zone.
• Solo farm. At level 90 you clear the entire raid by yourself in one or two evenings.
• Collection progress. The mount counts toward the achievements for the number of mounts and opens the path to the Lord of the Reins reward.
• Nostalgia and story. The Throne of Thunder is the final raid against Lei Shen, and the screamer feels like a personal trophy for defeating the Thunder King.

To clear the raid solo without any trouble, you will need:

• A level 90 character with gear of at least 200+ ilvl (any fresh hero will do).
• Riding skill: the basic one (for 20 silver) — for ground travel; the advanced tiers of dragonriding flight are not needed, the mount flies under the old rules.
• Raid difficulty — Heroic. It is specifically the heroic boss kills that count toward the meta-achievement.
• Group size — 1 player. At level 80 all mechanics are bursted down by damage or ignored.
• How to get there: the Throne of Thunder is located on the Timeless Isle of Pandaria, in the northwest of the Isle of Thunder zone (Kun-Lai). The nearest flight point is the Sunreaver Onslaught camp. The raid entrance is above the platform at the foot of the pyramid.

The achievement consists of 24 sub-objectives: 12 heroic boss kills and 12 achievements for special conditions on mechanic execution.

Step 1. Prepare Your Character

1. Level your hero to 90 and gather basic seasonal gear.
2. Learn the riding skill if you have not done so yet.
3. Bring a supply of food and consumables — useful for bosses with long timers.

Step 2. Fly to the Throne of Thunder

1. Open the map of Pandaria and travel to the Kun-Lai Summit via the portal in the capitals or through the Timeless Isle.
2. From the Sunreaver Onslaught camp, fly to the northwest of the Isle of Thunder.
3. At the foot of the pyramid, find the raid entrance and set the difficulty to Heroic for 10 or 25 players — the choice does not affect achievement progress.

Step 3. Clear the Bosses in Order

You need to kill on heroic difficulty: Jin'rokh the Breaker, Horridon, the Council of Elders, Tortos, Megaera, Ji-Kun, Durumu the Forgotten, Primordius, Dark Animus, Iron Qon, and the Twin Consorts. Lei Shen is killed optionally — he is not needed for the meta, but he is worth doing for the story and a chance at the Stormbringer Bone.

Step 4. Complete the Mechanic Achievements

Along with the boss kills, complete the 12 achievements for special conditions:

• Electrocutioner — on Jin'rokh, carry the lightning into the pool.
• Cretaceous Collector — on Horridon, kill all the dinosaur hatchlings.
• A Cage for Two — on the Council of Elders, lock up Frost King Malakk's Night Reaver with another councilor.
• And It's One! — on Tortos, knock back three turtle shells.
• Not My Cup of Tea! — on Megaera, do not let any single head be finished off twice.
• Soft Hands — on Ji-Kun, catch all the falling chicks (the hardest solo).
• Don't Cross the Streams — on Durumu, correctly split the colored beams.
• Genetically Unmodified Organism — on Primordius, do not accept any mutations.
• Ritualist Who? — on Dark Animus, kill the Dark Reanimator first.
• Hands Off — on Iron Qon, take no damage from the spear.
• From Dusk Till Dawn — on the Twin Consorts, alternate the phases of light and darkness.
• Closed Circuit — on Lei Shen, activate all four conduits (optional).

Step 5. Claim the Mount

After completing the last sub-objective, a letter with the Reins of the Armored Skyscreamer will arrive in your in-game mailbox. Use the item — the mount will go into your mount journal and become available to all characters on the account.

• Solo in one evening. At level 90 the entire raid is cleared in 60–90 minutes if you go with a difficulty reset between attempts at Soft Hands.
• Raid reset. If a mechanic achievement fails, leave the raid, reset it through the social actions interface, and re-enter — the boss will be alive again.
• Soft Hands is the priority. It is the hardest achievement, start with it: Ji-Kun is deep in the raid, and if you fail the attempt, you will have to reset all the progress up to him.
• A class with a leap/fall-slow. Monks, demon hunters, and mages save minutes on Ji-Kun, catching chicks without misses.
• Play on 10-player. Boss hit points on 10-player are lower, soloing goes faster, and the achievement progress is the same.
• War Mode. Turn it off — it lowers the chance of running into other players near the entrance.