Get Shimmering Moonstone mount

Shimmering Moonstone is an unusual collectible item that drops from the rare world boss Moonfang on Darkmoon Island. It was added in patch 5.4 during Mists of Pandaria and has remained one of the most peculiar mount rewards in the game ever since.

The item's defining feature is its temporary nature. This is not an ordinary mount from your collection: the stone appears in your bags and only works while the Darkmoon Faire is running. As soon as the event closes, the item disappears until the next time. That is exactly why most players hunt for it not so much for a permanent ride as for the atmosphere and the original model of a white she-wolf with a glowing crescent above her head.

• Unique model. Moonfang is a white glowing wolf with a crescent above her head. When summoned, moonlight briefly flashes around the rider. No permanent mount has an effect like this.
• Collector's rarity. The stone drops from a rare seasonal boss and falls to only one character per Faire run — restrictions like this are almost gone from the game.
• Side loot. Alongside the stone, Moonfang can also drop the pet Moon Moon, the toy helm Moonfang Shroud, as well as the transmog items Moonfang's Paw and Moonfang's Pelt.
• A reason to visit the Faire. Even without an interest in Moonfang, many players come to the Faire for profession points and reputation — a run at the stone fits in perfectly with the rest of the event circuit.

• Character level: At the current level 90 in Midnight the fight is no trouble at all; the mobs and the boss scale.
• Active event: The Darkmoon Faire must be running at the moment. The Faire opens monthly on the first Sunday and lasts a week.
• Island access: you can enter through a portal at the Faire mystic in Elwynn Forest (Goldshire) or Mulgore (Thunder Bluff). The portal is only active during the event.
• Flight level: not required — you move around the island on foot or on ground mounts.

Step 1. Wait for the Darkmoon Faire to begin

The Faire starts on the first Sunday of every month and runs for seven days. You can check the schedule right in the in-game calendar.

Step 2. Travel to Darkmoon Island

If you are Alliance, head to the Faire mystic in Goldshire (Elwynn Forest). For the Horde, go to Thunder Bluff (Mulgore). Both NPCs set up a temporary portal to Darkmoon Island.

Step 3. Go to the north of the Faire to Moonfang's grove

From the Faire grounds, move northwest — through the gate into the forest. The snarlers and Moonfang's den are in the northwestern part of the island.

Step 4. Summon the boss through a chain of wolves

The summoning mechanic has three stages:

1. Kill the simple Moonfang Snarler wolves that roam the forest.
2. After several kills, the elite Moonfang Dreadhowl appear. They are larger and tougher than ordinary wolves, but still soloable.
3. Killing the elites in turn summons Moonfang herself near the "corpse tree" a little north of the den.

If other players are already farming on the island, the boss may appear faster — the stages count toward everyone.

Step 5. Kill Moonfang

Once she appears, you have about an hour before she naturally despawns. The tactics are simple, but there are a couple of non-obvious nuances — see the section below. At current level in Midnight the fight takes less than a minute.

Step 6. Collect the loot

If you are lucky, the Shimmering Moonstone will appear in the loot. The item binds on pickup and goes into a regular bag. You can use it right away: it summons the Moonfang mount at a speed that depends on your riding skill.

Step 7. If it did not drop — wait for next month

Under the current mechanic, you only get a chance at the stone once per Faire run: after you kill the boss, the loot on that character is locked until the next Faire. If you want more attempts during a single Faire — kill Moonfang on alts.

Moonfang is a world boss, but she has several specific mechanics worth knowing about:

• Leap for the Kill. The boss leaps onto a random target and knocks it down. The warning is short — barely a second. In a group it helps if the tank kites Moonfang in a circle while everyone else stands in the center.
• Tears of Moonfang. White pools appear beneath players, dealing arcane magic damage. Just step out of them.
• Curse of Moonfang. A cast that turns nearby players into temporary wolf minions. At a solo The War Within level it is usually no threat, but at the current MoP level you should interrupt the cast or run out.
• Fangs of the Moon. A stun with arcane magic damage; the target takes increased incoming damage.
• Call of the Pack. The boss summons additional Moonfang wolves for every enemy within 40 yards.

At level 90 of the current expansion, all of this rarely has time to go off — Moonfang falls in a few hits. But if you head there on a leveling or low-level alt, keep these mechanics in mind.

• Come on the first day of the Faire. Early in the week the island is usually crowded, and the snarler → dreadhowl → boss chain speeds up within minutes. Toward the end of the Faire there are fewer people, and you will have to grind the wolves yourself.
• Plan a run for all professions at once. While you wait for the next boss to appear, you can complete the Faire's profession quests — that way you do not waste your time.
• Run it on alts. Each character gets one attempt per Faire. The more alts that run Moonfang, the higher the chance the stone drops for at least someone that month.
• Take all the side loot. Along with the stone you farm the pet Moon Moon and the toy helm Moonfang Shroud. Since the kill is one per month anyway, it makes sense to gather everything.
• Do not stray too far from the den. If you run too far, the she-wolf resets the fight and regenerates her health — at low levels this is critical.