Spine of Thal'kiel — Transmog Set Guide

Spine of Thal'kiel is a one-handed dagger of artifact quality, added to World of Warcraft with the Legion expansion. It is a long bone blade forged from the spine of the fallen eredar necromancer Thal'kiel: the ribbed "bone blade" tapers from a broad base to a sharp point, and protruding vertebrae of the spine itself take the place of a guard. The look is rendered in cold gray-bone and greenish-demonic tones, and as it moves it pulses with the dark magic of the Fel.

The dagger is the main piece of the Demonology warlock artifact in Legion. In the warlock's hands it works together with a second artifact, the skull Skull of the Man'ari: when the demonologist takes the skull in the off hand, the Spine of Thal'kiel automatically appears in the main hand. For transmogrification, both pieces can be used separately — the dagger's appearance unlocks in the collection together with the skull's appearance.

Historically, Thal'kiel was a disciple of Archimonde and one of the most gifted necromancers of his time, but his experiments with raising the dead spiraled out of control. For this Archimonde personally executed Thal'kiel and crafted a paired artifact from his remains with his own hands: a skull and a spine capable of subjugating demons. The lore is underscored by the item's own flavor text — about the screams of the Awakened on Argus and the price paid for a bargain with demons.

As a combat weapon the item has long been irrelevant and is not used in current specializations: its item level is nominal, and after Legion the artifact system was disabled. As a transmog appearance, however, the dagger is in demand — it is one of the most distinctive "demonic" dagger looks in the game and a recognizable part of the Demonology warlock's image.

Spine of Thal'kiel is the Demonology warlock artifact weapon of the Legion era. Only a character of the warlock class can obtain it, and only as part of the specialization's starting quest chain.

• The artifact is awarded for completing the quest Dark Whispers — the starting Demonology assignment. The quest must be picked up on a character with the "Demonology" specialization active.
• The quest giver is the serpent-tongued demon Calydus: he stands in the Hall of the Guardian beneath Dalaran over the Broken Isles and addresses the warlock on behalf of the Council of the Black Harvest.
• During the quest the character runs a solo scenario in a demon stronghold in the southwest of Suramar, to which Calydus opens a portal. Inside, you must fight through the eredar and take the Skull of the Man'ari from their hands.
• After completing the scenario, Calydus hands over both pieces of the artifact at once: the Spine of Thal'kiel as the main weapon and the Skull of the Man'ari as the auxiliary one. The dagger's appearance is automatically unlocked in the transmogrification collection.
• The chain is completed once per character and is tied to the Demonology specialization. For alt warlocks, it has to be repeated.
• Further artifact appearances and color tints are unlocked later in the warlock class hall — the Dreadscar Rift — through advancing artifact knowledge and specialization challenges.

Additionally, for collectors: the artifact can also be unlocked on the other warlock specializations. Affliction and Destruction get their artifacts through separate chains, and once you have the first artifact, the quests for the remaining two specializations become available in the class hall.

Within the artifact system, the Spine of Thal'kiel has several unlockable appearances and tints — all of them are part of the same item and are unlocked on a single warlock character.

The hidden appearance is unlocked through the item Visage of the First Wakener and is assembled along a strict item chain: first, eredar drop in sequence a Damaged Eredar Head, Deformed Eredar Head, Malformed Eredar Head, Deficient Eredar Head, and Nearly Satisfactory Eredar Head. Only after the "right" skull has been pulled from the last head does the Visage of the First Wakener itself begin to drop. A convenient farming spot is the eredar camps in Azsuna, but any eredar on the Broken Isles and Argus will do.

This dagger has no exact equivalent with a different model: the bone demonic silhouette is unique and works specifically in tandem with the skull. Variants similar in spirit are worth looking for among the other Legion artifact daggers and among the bone daggers from the Argus raids.

• It suits classic Demonology warlock looks: the bone spine and the greenish-demonic glow pair perfectly with dark cloth armor.
• It harmonizes with the Legion-era warlock tier, especially with sets done in green and bone tones.
• It fits concepts tied to the eredar and the Burning Legion — the appearance directly references the lore of Thal'kiel and Archimonde.
• It looks good paired with a second bone dagger or a Fel blade on rogues and demon hunters, if the player wants to carry the Demonology look beyond the class.
• It contrasts with bright plate armor and holy looks — a debatable but expressive pairing of a bone blade with paladin sets.