Reins of the Time-Lost Proto-Drake

Reins of the Time-Lost Proto-Drake is one of the most coveted and iconic mounts in World of Warcraft, added in the Wrath of the Lich King expansion. It is a majestic snow-white proto-drake with translucent wings, visually identical to the proto-drake from the "Glory of the Northrend Raider" achievement. The mount drops with a 100% chance from the rare mob Time-Lost Proto-Drake, which appears in The Storm Peaks zone in Northrend.

The main difficulty in obtaining this mount lies not in the fight, but in finding the mob itself. The Time-Lost Proto-Drake is an extremely rare spawn that shares its spawn points and timer with another rare mob, Vyragosa. For every 8–10 Vyragosa spawns, there is only a single proto-drake spawn, which makes hunting it a multi-day or even multi-week endeavor.

• Iconic status — the Time-Lost Proto-Drake is one of the most recognizable mounts in the history of World of Warcraft. Obtaining it is regarded as a mark of patience and luck among players.
• Unique model — the snow-white proto-drake with translucent wings stands out visually among other flying mounts. The model matches the proto-drake from the "Glory of the Northrend Raider" achievement, but obtaining it through the achievement requires considerably more effort.
• Flying mount — the mount is fully functional both in the air and on the ground, with flight speed matching your riding skill.
• Rarity — due to the difficulty of obtaining it, the mount is extremely rare, making it a genuine collector's prize.
• Historical significance — the proto-drake became a symbol of the Wrath of the Lich King era and to this day remains one of the most sought-after mounts for collectors.

The mount drops from the rare mob Time-Lost Proto-Drake, which flies along one of four patrol routes in The Storm Peaks. The item drop chance is 100%. The main task is to find and kill this mob.

1. Prepare a level 80 character with a flying mount
2. Install an addon for tracking rare mobs (SilverDragon or similar)
3. Head to The Storm Peaks in Northrend
4. Take up a position at one of the four spawn points or patrol the routes
5. Wait for the Time-Lost Proto-Drake to appear
6. Attack the mob and take the Reins of the Time-Lost Proto-Drake from the loot

At level 80 in The War Within, the mob dies in one or two attacks. Most of the time is spent not on the fight, but on waiting for it to appear.

The Storm Peaks is located in the eastern part of Northrend. There are several ways to reach it.

Via Dalaran (Northrend)

1. In Stormwind or Orgrimmar, enter the portal room
2. Use the portal to Dalaran (Northrend, Crystalsong Forest)
3. From Dalaran, fly east toward The Storm Peaks
4. The trip from Dalaran to the first spawn point takes about two minutes of flight

Via the Flight Master

1. From Dalaran, use the flight master to reach the town of K3 in The Storm Peaks
2. K3 is located in the southwestern part of the zone and serves as a convenient starting point for patrolling

Spawn Point Coordinates

The Time-Lost Proto-Drake appears at one of four fixed points and flies along one of four routes. Each route can be traveled either clockwise or counterclockwise.

1. Frozen Lake (31, 69)

This point is located above the frozen lake in the central part of the zone. The route is usually traveled clockwise. It is one of the most popular camping spots, since the view lets you spot the mob from a considerable distance.

2. Brunnhildar Village (51, 71)

This point is located above the vrykul village of Brunnhildar. The route is usually traveled counterclockwise. From this position it is convenient to watch the southern routes.

3. Waterfall (35, 76)

This point is located by the large Bor's Breath waterfall in the southern part of the zone. The route is usually traveled counterclockwise. Note: at this point the mob appears in the air rather than on the ground.

4. Ulduar Gorge (52, 35)

This point is located in the gorge leading to Ulduar, in the northeastern part of the zone. The route is usually traveled counterclockwise. This point is the least frequented by mount hunters.

Vyragosa is another rare mob that shares its spawn points, flight routes, and spawn timer with the Time-Lost Proto-Drake. Every time a rare mob is due to appear at one of the four points, it is very likely to be Vyragosa, and only roughly one time in eight to ten will it be the Time-Lost Proto-Drake.

Vyragosa is a target of the Frostbitten achievement, so her appearance is also useful for achievement collectors. Important: if you see Vyragosa, kill her — this starts the timer for the next spawn, and the next mob may turn out to be the proto-drake.

You can tell Vyragosa apart from the proto-drake by appearance: Vyragosa is a blue dragon, while the Time-Lost Proto-Drake is white. In addition, Vyragosa usually flies lower to the ground, whereas the proto-drake keeps to a higher altitude.

Recommended Addons

• SilverDragon — the best addon for tracking rare mobs. It plays an audio alert and shows a notification when a rare mob is detected within view. Configure it to track Time-Lost Proto-Drake and Vyragosa.
• TomTom — an addon for creating waypoints on the map. It lets you mark all four spawn points and follow the patrol route.

Search Macro

Use the following macro, bound to a convenient key, and press it regularly while you wait:

/tar Time-Lost Proto-Drake
/stopmacro [noexists]
/say TIME-LOST PROTO-DRAKE FOUND!
/script PlaySound(8959)

Camping Strategies

Solo camping. Take up a position at the "Frozen Lake" spawn point (31, 69) — it provides the best view and the intersection of several routes. Leave your character at this point with SilverDragon enabled and periodically check for notifications.

Patrolling. Fly around all four spawn points in a circle. A full loop takes 5–7 minutes. This method is more effective when there are no competitors, but less reliable on populated servers.

Group camping. Gather a group of four players and assign each to one spawn point. This is the most effective method, guaranteeing detection of the mob at any spawn.

War Mode and Phases

Enabling or disabling War Mode switches you between server phases. Each phase may have its own active spawn. Try toggling War Mode if you go a long time without seeing either Vyragosa or the proto-drake — the mob may already have appeared in another phase.

Timewalking with the Chromie Scroll

Using the Chromie time scale for Northrend creates a separate zone phase. This can increase the number of available instances of The Storm Peaks and, accordingly, the chances of the proto-drake appearing.