Red Proto-Drake

Reins of the Red Proto-Drake is an epic flying mount added in the Wrath of the Lich King expansion (patch 3.0.2). The Red Proto-Drake is the reward for completing the meta-achievement Glory of the Hero, which requires finishing a series of special achievements across twelve Heroic dungeons of Northrend.

Once you complete the achievement, the mount is mailed to you by Alexstrasza the Life-Binder — the queen of the red dragons. The letter reads: "Word of the great heroic deeds you have performed since arriving in Northrend has reached the Wyrmrest Temple. Your bravery must not go unrewarded. Accept this gift on behalf of all the Aspects."

The Red Proto-Drake is one of the most recognizable mounts of the WotLK era. Proto-drakes are distinguished by their massive build and archaic appearance — they are the ancestors of Azeroth's modern dragons. The vrykul were the first to tame proto-drakes as war and riding beasts.

• Guaranteed acquisition — the Red Proto-Drake does not depend on a random drop. Complete all the achievements and the mount is yours.
• Solo farming — at max level (80 in The War Within), almost every achievement can be completed solo in one or two runs.
• Prestige and recognition — the Red Proto-Drake remains one of WoW's most iconic mounts. Experienced players recognize it instantly.
• Unique model — proto-drakes look distinct from ordinary dragons: a massive body, short wings, primal power. The red coloration looks bright and striking.
• Account-wide — once obtained, the mount is available on all your characters.

To obtain the Red Proto-Drake you must complete the meta-achievement Glory of the Hero. It comprises a series of special achievements in the Heroic dungeons of Northrend. In total, you need to complete around 36 achievements across 12 dungeons.

1. Make sure your character has reached max level (80 in The War Within) — this lets you clear all the dungeons solo
2. Switch the dungeons to Heroic difficulty (right-click your character portrait and select "Heroic" difficulty)
3. Clear all 12 Northrend dungeons in turn, completing the special achievements in each
4. After you finish the last achievement, the mount will automatically appear in your collection

Below is the complete list of achievements required for the meta-achievement Glory of the Hero. All achievements are completed on Heroic difficulty.

Utgarde Keep

• On The Rocks — defeat Prince Keleseth without shattering any Frost Tombs

The Nexus

• Chaos Theory — defeat Anomalus without destroying any Chaotic Rifts.
• Split Personality — defeat Grand Magus Telestra after destroying all of her clones.
• Intense Cold — defeat Keristrasza without allowing more than four stacks of the Intense Cold debuff.

Azjol-Nerub

• Watch Him Die — defeat Krik'thir the Gatewatcher without killing any of his guards.
• Hadronox Denied — defeat Hadronox without letting him heal from slain enemies.
• Gotta Go! — defeat Anub'arak in under four minutes.

Ahn'kahet: The Old Kingdom

• Volazj's Quick Demise — defeat Herald Volazj in under two minutes.
• Respect Your Elders — defeat Elder Nadox without killing any Ahn'kahar Guardian.
• Volunteer Work — defeat Jedoga Shadowseeker without killing any Twilight Initiate volunteers.

Drak'Tharon Keep

• Consumption Junction — defeat Trollgore without letting more than ten stacks of the Consume ability accumulate.
• Better Off Dred — defeat King Dred without letting his raptors kill any party member.
• Oh Novos! — defeat Novos the Summoner without letting any Crystal Handler touch the ground.

The Violet Hold

• Defenseless — defeat Cyanigosa without using any Defense Control Crystals and keeping the Prison Seal Integrity at 100%.
• Lockdown! — defeat all bosses in The Violet Hold in a single lockdown.
• Dehydration — defeat Ichoron without letting any water globule merge with him.
• A Void Dance — defeat Zuramat the Obliterator without taking damage from the Void Shift ability.

Gundrak

• What the Eck? — kill Eck the Ferocious and obtain the Eck Residue debuff, then defeat Gal'darah.
• Less-rabi — defeat Moorabi without letting him transform into a mammoth.
• Snakes. Why'd It Have To Be Snakes? — defeat Slad'ran without killing any snakes.

Halls of Stone

• Good Grief — defeat the Maiden of Grief in under one minute.
• Brann Spankin' New — defeat the Tribunal of Ages without letting Brann Bronzebeard take any damage.
• Abuse the Ooze — defeat Sjonnir The Ironshaper by letting five small oozes merge into a large one.

Halls of Lightning

• Timely Death — defeat General Bjarngrim in under two minutes.
• Lightning Struck — defeat Volkhan while standing in a pool of static charge.
• Shatter Resistant — defeat Loken without letting any shards shatter on the floor.

The Culling of Stratholme

• The Culling of Time — complete the event in The Culling of Stratholme within 25 minutes.
• Zombiefest! — kill 100 risen zombies in under one minute.

Utgarde Pinnacle

• The Incredible Hulk — make Svala Sorrowgrave kill a Scourge undead brute using the sword ritual.
• Lodi Dodi We Loves the Skadi — defeat Skadi the Ruthless in under three minutes.
• My Girl Loves to Skadi All the Time — defeat Skadi the Ruthless without letting any party member die to the Whirlwind ability.
• King's Bane — defeat King Ymiron without letting the Bane ability trigger on any party member.

The Oculus

• Experienced Drake Rider — defeat Ley-Guardian Eregos using all three types of drake: ruby, emerald, and amber.
• Make It Count — complete The Oculus in under 20 minutes.
• Ruby Void — defeat Ley-Guardian Eregos without using ruby drakes.
• Emerald Void — defeat Ley-Guardian Eregos without using emerald drakes.
• Amber Void — defeat Ley-Guardian Eregos without using amber drakes.

At max level (80 in The War Within), most achievements can be completed solo without any trouble. The bosses of Northrend's Heroic dungeons die within seconds. However, some achievements demand attention to mechanics even with a significant level advantage.

Achievements That Require Attention

• Split Personality — you must wait for all of Telestra's clones to appear and then destroy them. Don't kill the boss before the copies spawn.
• Intense Cold — keep moving continuously during the fight with Keristrasza to avoid stacking the debuff.
• Zombiefest! — gather a large group of zombies after the fight with Salramm the Fleshcrafter and destroy them all at once. To do this, run through the corridor collecting zombies, then deal area damage.
• A Void Dance — dodge the shadow zones on the floor during the fight with Zuramat.
• The Incredible Hulk — drag the undead brute onto Svala Sorrowgrave's ritual altar and lower its health. When Svala casts the sword ritual, area damage should finish the brute off.
• Experienced Drake Rider — this achievement requires three separate runs into The Oculus: one on a ruby drake, one on an emerald drake, and one on an amber drake.

Achievements That Are Tricky to Solo

• Ruby Void / Emerald Void / Amber Void — when soloing you are limited to a single drake. It is recommended to use the amber drake for "Ruby Void" and "Emerald Void," and a ruby or emerald drake for "Amber Void."

General Recommendations

• Set the dungeon difficulty to "Heroic" before entering
• If an achievement did not register, leave the dungeon, reset the instance (right-click the portrait, "Reset all instances") and try again
• Be careful not to kill the boss too quickly — some achievements require specific actions during the fight
• The Overachiever addon helps track progress on each achievement

All the dungeons are located in Northrend. Recommended route for an efficient clear:

1. Utgarde Keep and Utgarde Pinnacle — Howling Fjord (entrances in the same complex)
2. The Nexus and The Oculus — Borean Tundra (Coldarra)
3. Azjol-Nerub and Ahn'kahet: The Old Kingdom — Dragonblight (entrances through a shared cave)
4. Drak'Tharon Keep — The Storm Peaks
5. The Violet Hold — Dalaran
6. Gundrak — Zul'Drak
7. Halls of Stone and Halls of Lightning — The Storm Peaks (Ulduar)
8. The Culling of Stratholme — Caverns of Time, Tanaris

With the Band of the Kirin Tor or a hearthstone set to Dalaran (Northrend), travel between dungeons takes minimal time.