Shadowed Swarmite

Shadowed Swarmite is an epic ground and flying mount added in patch 11.0.2 of the The War Within expansion. It is a dark-colored nerubian swarmite with a purple saddle and distinctive markings on its head. The mount is a reward for the meta-achievement Glory of the Nerub-ar Raider and is awarded guaranteed after completing all eight raid achievements.

Swarmites are common creatures both in the wilds of Azj-Kahet and among the nerubians, who have long tamed them. The Shadowed Swarmite differs from its kin by its black coloration, which creates an ominous and imposing appearance.

• Guaranteed acquisition — the mount does not depend on luck or a percentage drop chance. As soon as you complete all eight achievements, it is yours
• Prestigious reward — the raid meta-achievement requires group coordination and the fulfillment of non-standard conditions on each boss, which highlights the owner's experience
• Unique model — the dark coloration of the swarmite is available only through this achievement. Other variants — turquoise, nesting and hunting — are obtained by other means
• Ground and flying — the mount works in both modes of travel and supports all flight speeds depending on your riding skill
• Available to all characters — once obtained, the mount becomes available on all characters of the account

Nerub-ar Palace is the first raid of the The War Within expansion, located in the underground zone of Azj-Kahet. The entrance to the raid is in the City of Threads.

Entry Requirements

• Maximum character level — 80
• For Normal and Heroic modes the group does not require special conditions — it is enough to gather from 10 to 30 players
• For Mythic mode exactly 20 players are required
• For Raid Finder (LFR) mode an item level of 567 or higher is required

How to Get There

1. Travel to Dornogal — the capital of the The War Within expansion
2. Use the flight point to the City of Threads in Azj-Kahet
3. The raid entrance is located at coordinates 34.9, 72.1 in the City of Threads

To obtain the mount you must complete all eight achievements. Each is tied to a specific raid boss and requires fulfilling special conditions during the fight. All achievements are available on Normal difficulty and above.

1. Slippery, but Useful — Ulgrax the Devourer

Condition: defeat Ulgrax the Devourer while keeping the Mulch Larva alive throughout the entire fight.

Strategy: the larva cannot be healed, and it dies from a single hit by a boss mechanic. Assign one player to lead the larva away from dangerous zones. At the start of the fight, pull the boss away from the larva and watch its position throughout the entire first phase.

Difficulty: medium.

2. I'm Invisible — Bloodbound Horror

Condition: defeat the Bloodbound Horror after all players have received the "Goo-Covered" effect, and then kill the Volatile Ooze.

Strategy: step on the Sticky Slimelets, which are visible only during the shadow realm phases, to gain the "Goo-Covered" effect. After that, gather together to summon and destroy the Volatile Ooze.

Difficulty: medium.

3. Sik'ran's Slash — Sikran, Captain of the Sureki

Condition: defeat Sikran, Captain of the Sureki after all players have received the "Reflection" effect.

Strategy: four players in turn take weapons from the racks outside the arena and use the extra action button to strike the boss. After the strike, the player gains the "Reflection" effect, increasing damage taken by 20%. Repeat the procedure until all raid members have received this effect.

Difficulty: medium.

4. Cowabunga — Rasha'nan

Condition: defeat Rasha'nan after all players have ridden at least one wave for each cast of the "Erosive Spray" ability.

Strategy: gather together with each cast of "Erosive Spray" and make sure all players are caught by the wave and gain the "Corrosion" effect. Crucially: do not use immunities that prevent knockback — they will nullify the count for that player.

Difficulty: medium.

5. And Would You Love Me If I Was a Worm.. — Broodtwister Ovi'nax

Condition: defeat Broodtwister Ovi'nax after every player uses the /love emote on a Forlorn Worm.

Strategy: bring a Mysterious Glowing Egg from the zone before the boss into the fight room. Wait until the egg is caught by two "Experimental Dosage" abilities at the same time, after which a Forlorn Worm hatches from it. All players must target the worm and use the /love emote.

Difficulty: high — requires careful handling of the egg and precise coordination of damage.

6. Killing Spree — Nexus-Princess Ky'veza

Condition: defeat Nexus-Princess Ky'veza while keeping the "Killing Spree" effect active on her throughout the entire fight.

Strategy: click the brazier to sacrifice a player, or allow players to die from "Void Rift" or "Regicide" — each death refreshes the effect's timer. Assign one player to die from "Void Rift" each time it appears, to keep the effect active.

Difficulty: high — requires strategic player deaths and management of the effect.

7. Love Nest — The Silken Court

Condition: defeat The Silken Court (Scarab-King Anub'arash and Skeinspinner Takazj) after both bosses receive the "Bonds of Friendship" effect.

Strategy: before the fight begins, pick up Plush Anub'arash and Takazj's Favorite Candy in the Narthex (the pre-boss zone) and throw them to the respective bosses. When the bosses are near each other, they restore 1% health per second, so keep them apart.

Difficulty: high — healing of the bosses while close together significantly increases the difficulty of the fight.

8. A Hair's Breadth — Queen Ansurek

Condition: defeat Queen Ansurek after all players use the Abyssal Portals to pass beneath her during "Frothing Gluttony" in the third phase.

Strategy: place portals on opposite sides of the boss. With each cast of "Frothing Gluttony," use the portals to move beneath the boss instead of using immunities or dashes. Dead players are counted automatically.

Difficulty: medium.

1. Reach level 90 and gather gear suitable for Normal raid mode
2. Find a group of like-minded players who also want to complete the meta-achievement — it is most convenient through the group finder tool or a guild
3. Agree in advance which achievements you will complete in a single run — some of them may complicate the fight
4. Complete the achievements gradually — you do not have to close all eight in one evening. The progress of each achievement is saved separately
5. After completing the last achievement, the meta-achievement "Glory of the Nerub-ar Raider" will be completed automatically, and you will receive Reins of the Shadowed Swarmite in the mail

• Start with the simple achievements — "Cowabunga" (Rasha'nan), "A Hair's Breadth" (Queen Ansurek) and "Slippery, but Useful" (Ulgrax the Devourer) are considered easier to execute and require less coordination
• Leave the difficult ones for later — "Killing Spree" (Nexus-Princess Ky'veza), "Love Nest" (The Silken Court) and "And Would You Love Me If I Was a Worm..." (Broodtwister Ovi'nax) require more preparation and practice
• Normal difficulty is the optimal choice — all achievements are available starting from Normal difficulty. There is no need to go into Heroic or Mythic mode if your only goal is the mount
• Group size matters — for some achievements it is easier to work with a smaller roster (10-15 people) to make it easier to coordinate actions
• Study the mechanics in advance — before going for the achievements, make sure all group members understand the conditions and strategy for each boss
• Use markers and macros — for achievements like "And Would You Love Me If I Was a Worm..." it is useful to prepare a macro with /love targeting the Forlorn Worm
• Do not use immunities unnecessarily — on the "Cowabunga" achievement, immunities that prevent knockback will nullify your progress
• The achievement is available account-wide — the mount goes to the character who completes the meta-achievement, but the mount itself will be available on all characters of your account