Serenade

Serenade is a ground helicid mount added to World of Warcraft in the Shadowlands expansion (patch 9.2 "Eternity's End", February 2022). It is a graceful gold-and-white snail, a primal creature crafted by the First Ones. According to its in-game description, these beautiful helicids only emerge at night, and when content their shells quietly sing a joyful melody, hence the mount's name.

The mount is created through Protoform Synthesis, a unique crafting system in Zereth Mortis. To create it you will need the Schematic: Serenade, as well as three ingredients: Genesis Mote, Crystallized Echo of the First Song and Helicid Lattice. The schematic itself is hidden in the Sepulcher of the First Ones, but looting it does not require killing any bosses.

• Unique snail model — there are very few helicids in the WoW mount collection, and Serenade stands out with its gold-and-white coloring and glowing patterns on its shell
• Fully craftable mount — you don't have to rely on lucky drops. Once you have the schematic and gather the ingredients, you are guaranteed to create the mount
• Solo accessible — the schematic is picked up in the first room of the raid without a fight, and all the remaining farming is done solo at max level
• Account-wide — once created, the mount unlocks for all characters, regardless of faction and class
• A keepsake of Shadowlands — patch 9.2 closed the Zereth Mortis storyline, and Serenade remains one of the most recognizable symbols of that expansion

The path to Serenade consists of four key stages: unlock Protoform Synthesis itself, loot the schematic in the raid, gather the ingredients and craft the mount at the repository.

1. Complete the 9.1 "Chains of Domination" campaign up to chapter 2 to reach Zereth Mortis
2. Complete the 9.2 campaign through the end of chapter 3. You will receive a quest for the Cypher Console of the First Ones
3. Research the Dealic Understanding branch (200 cyphers, 3 days 18 hours), and then Sopranian Understanding (220 cyphers, 5 days 18 hours). The latter unlocks creating mounts at the Protoform Synthesis repository
4. Obtain the Schematic: Serenade in the Sepulcher of the First Ones. The schematic lies beneath a platform in the first room of the raid — you can pick it up solo, no bosses need to be killed
5. Complete the quest Reassimilating the Schematic: Serenade at any Protoform Synthesis repository
6. Gather the ingredients: 500 Genesis Mote, 1 Crystallized Echo of the First Song and 1 Helicid Lattice
7. Return to the repository and create the Serenade

To create the mount you need to gather three types of materials. Most of them are obtained in Zereth Mortis, and some can be bought from other players at the auction house.

The schematic is hidden in the first zone of the Sepulcher of the First Ones — one of the most difficult raids of Shadowlands. No fights are required to obtain the schematic, so it is easier to enter solo.

1. Create your own raid group on any difficulty
2. Enter the raid directly via the map
3. In the first room, before the Vigilant Guardian, descend to the lower platforms
4. Move into the northeastern corner of the room beneath the overhanging chains
5. Pick up the Schematic: Serenade — it lies on one of the floating platforms among the chains
6. Leave the raid and turn in the quest Reassimilating the Schematic: Serenade at any repository in Zereth Mortis

Important notes

• The schematic does not require killing bosses and is available on any raid difficulty
• The item is unique and binds when picked up, so it cannot be sold or traded
• If you skipped the location and have already started the fight with the first boss, leave and reset the raid lock — the schematic remains available after a wipe

The Helicid Lattice is the most temperamental ingredient: the drop chance from the snails is small, and gathering it can take anywhere from a single evening to several sessions.

Ways to obtain it

• Killing helicids — the best spots with high mob density are in the eastern part of Zereth Mortis, especially around the Catalyst Gardens and along the southern coast. The targets are the Overgrown Helicid, the Cleanshell Helicid and their kin
• Olea's Stash — opens once a week and has a chance to contain the lattice. The key is obtained by completing the weekly task and gathering Deltrograms throughout the zone
• Auction house — on most servers the lattice can be bought from players who farm them for sale. If your time is limited, this is the fastest route

Optimizing the farm

• Use a fast mount and an AoE specialization: the helicids don't fight back, what matters most is the speed of clearing
• In parallel, farm the Bronze Helicid and the Crimson Helicid — they also require a lattice
• Pick up the daily-task quests in Zereth Mortis so you gather cyphers and Genesis Mote at the same time

The Crystallized Echo of the First Song is a gatherable object in the world, not a mob drop. The crystals are marked on the minimap with a musical note if you have Protoform Synthesis for mounts unlocked.

1. Travel to the entrance of the Sepulcher of the First Ones in Zereth Mortis
2. Walk around the waterfalls around the raid — the crystals stand on ledges and by the water
3. Pick up 1 echo (only one is needed for Serenade). Gathering is instant, with no cast time
4. An additional crystal can be found east of the Catalyst Gardens, on the high ground

In total there are about 5 crystals in the zone at once, and they respawn on server reset. If you are farming other recipes, the echo will be useful for several mounts at once.

If you are only just starting to farm Protoform Synthesis mounts, it makes sense to structure the process so that you progress several goals in parallel.

• Unlock Sopranian Understanding right away — without it not a single Protoform Synthesis mount can be created. The research runs over time, so start it on the very first day
• Gather cyphers on every run — the dailies and quests in Zereth Mortis give cyphers, which are also needed for other branches
• Use the Hearthstone in the Enclave — a quick return to the Protoform Synthesis repository saves dozens of minutes per session
• Don't hoard Genesis Motes for later — they stack up to 1000, and the cap is easy to exceed. Immediately craft the mounts or pets available to you
• Check the auction house before farming the lattice — the price of the Helicid Lattice on some servers is lower than the cost of your time