Shandai, Watcher of Cosmos — Transmog Set Guide

Shandai, Watcher of Cosmos is a two-handed staff added to World of Warcraft in the Battle for Azeroth expansion (patch 8.3). It is an Intellect weapon meant for casters: mages, warlocks, priests, shamans, druids, monks and draenei evokers. The staff's model is built in the visual style of the Ny'alotha raid — a twisted shaft with pulsing tentacles and a clot of crimson void energy at the head, a nod to the Old Gods and N'Zoth.

The staff drops not as part of a set but as a standalone item, so its silhouette combines well with all sorts of armor sets. For transmog collectors it is one of the most recognizable "void" staves of the entire expansion.

The staff is obtained from the raid's second-to-last boss — Ra-den — in the Ny'alotha, the Waking City raid. This is the final raid of Battle for Azeroth, and Ra-den is unlocked near the end of the instance, just before N'Zoth himself.

• The item is available on all four raid difficulties: Raid Finder, Normal, Heroic and Mythic.
• The transmog appearance is identical on every difficulty — only the item level and stats differ.
• The approximate drop chance from Ra-den is around 9–10 % per kill, which is fairly generous for a raid staff.
• Loot from the boss is not bound by a strict weekly appearance lock: farming on several characters gives you more chances to get the model.

The entrance to the raid is not located at the lore site but out in the open world. The entry point alternates weekly between two zones: Uldum in southern Kalimdor and the Vale of Eternal Blossoms in Pandaria. In Uldum the portal sits at roughly /way 54 43 — by the large dam south of Ramkahen. The easiest way to tell which zone is active this week is the green raid-entrance circle on the map.

This staff has no direct color variants from the same source — it drops in a single version from Ra-den. If you want a similar "void" or "ancient" silhouette, take a look at other weapons from the same raid.

• Other staves and two-handed caster weapons from Ny'alotha follow the same theme of corruption and the Old Gods.
• Models with a similar mood can be collected from the raid's bosses on any of the four difficulties.
• If a crimson-void head is what matters most, focus on weapons that drop in the final part of the instance.

• Suits "void" and "Old God" concepts — looks built around the theme of N'Zoth and the Old Gods.
• Harmonizes with dark purple and crimson armor that has glow and tentacle-like elements.
• Looks great with cloth sets of mages and warlocks thanks to the massive head.
• Contrasts with the bright "holy" sets of priests — a debatable but striking choice for a "fallen" caster look.
• Fits sets that mimic Old God corruption and the dark void looks of draenei evokers.