Vial of the Sands — How to Get the Sandstone Drake Mount

Vial of the Sands is one of the most recognizable crafted mounts in World of Warcraft. By drinking the vial, your character transforms into the Sandstone Drake — a large golden dragon capable of carrying a second player. It is one of the few two-seater flying mounts in the game, making it a coveted acquisition years after its release.

The Vial was added in Cataclysm, yet it remains relevant to this day: the crafting recipe still works, materials are available, and the finished item can be sold on the Auction House for a substantial sum.

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• Two-seater flight. The Sandstone Drake lets you carry one passenger — handy for friends without a flying mount in certain zones or for newcomers you want to guide through a location.
• Unique model. Your character literally transforms into a dragon instead of riding one. Visually, this looks more impressive than most mounts.
• Gold making. A finished Vial of the Sands sells on the Auction House. The crafting cost is below market price — the difference is your profit.
• Account-bound. Once learned, the mount is available to all characters on your account.

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• Alchemy — skill no lower than 525 (Cataclysm level). Without Alchemy, the recipe cannot be learned or used.
• Archaeology — skill no lower than 450. Needed for excavating Tol'vir artifacts in Uldum, from which the recipe is obtained.
• Any-level character with both professions learned. There is no formal level requirement, but for comfortable work in Uldum a character of level 40+ with a flying mount is recommended.

If you don't want to craft it yourself, a finished Vial of the Sands can be purchased on the Auction House. The item is not soulbound until used.

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The recipe Recipe: Vial of the Sands is obtained through only one method — Archaeology. Here is the step-by-step process:

Step 1. Level Archaeology to 450

Archaeology is leveled through dig sites across all of Azeroth. Excavate artifacts of any race — the skill grows equally. At the 450 mark you unlock access to Tol'vir dig sites.

Step 2. Dig in Uldum

Tol'vir dig sites are located exclusively in Uldum. Fly to southern Kalimdor, and dig sites will appear on the map. Gather Tol'vir fragments and solve artifacts.

Step 3. Wait for a Canopic Jar

Canopic Jar is a common Tol'vir artifact that takes 45 fragments to assemble. Not every solved artifact will be a Canopic Jar — you may get other Tol'vir items instead.

Step 4. Open Canopic Jars

Each Canopic Jar when opened contains either a useless mummified organ (roughly 90% of the time) or Recipe: Vial of the Sands (roughly 10% of the time). The recipe only drops for characters with Alchemy learned.

How long will you have to dig? On average, players report 10–20 Canopic Jars before getting the recipe, but your results may vary. Some get lucky on the first one, others dig through more than 50.

Tip for Speeding Things Up

If you pre-complete all other Kalimdor race artifacts (Night Elves, Trolls, Fossils, Tol'vir), new Tol'vir dig sites will appear more frequently. You can also use a Tol'vir Hieroglyphic — a special keystone that speeds up solving Tol'vir artifacts.

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After learning the recipe, you will need the following components:

Purchased from a Vendor

All vendor materials are sold by Yasmin — a merchant in Uldum, located by the lake in the northwestern part of the zone.

Crafted or Bought on the Auction House

Total Cost

The fixed portion is 29,000 gold from Yasmin. The variable portion depends on prices on your server. The most expensive component is Truegold: for 12 pieces you need 36 Pyrium Bars and 120 Volatile essences of Fire, Air, and Water. Flasks and oil are cheaper.

On most servers, the full crafting cost ranges around 35,000–50,000 gold, while a finished Vial on the Auction House costs 60,000–100,000+.

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1. Learn Alchemy and Archaeology. If your professions aren't leveled — start with Alchemy to 525 and Archaeology to 450. Alchemy can be leveled at a trainer in any capital city, Archaeology at an Archaeology trainer.

2. Head to Uldum. The portal to Uldum is available from Stormwind (Mage Tower) or Orgrimmar (Western wing of the portal room). You can also fly there through southern Kalimdor.

3. Begin Tol'vir excavations. Shovel icons will appear on the Uldum map — fly to them, use the Survey ability, and collect fragments. When you gather 45 fragments — solve the artifact and hope for a Canopic Jar.

4. Open the Canopic Jar. If it contains the recipe — congratulations. If a mummified organ — keep digging.

5. Learn the recipe. Right-click on Recipe: Vial of the Sands, and it will appear in your Alchemy recipe book.

6. Gather materials. Buy vendor reagents from Yasmin, and craft or purchase the rest on the Auction House.

7. Craft the Vial. Open the Alchemy window, find the "Vial of the Sands" recipe, and click "Create." Crafting takes 10 seconds.

8. Use or sell. Right-click the finished Vial of the Sands — the mount will appear in your collection. Or list it on the Auction House.

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Vial of the Sands is one of the oldest and most stable gold-making methods through Alchemy. Here's why:

• High barrier to entry. Few are willing to spend hours on Archaeology for the recipe, so competition on the Auction House is low.
• Constant demand. Two-seater flying mounts are extremely rare in the game, and the Sandstone Drake remains sought-after.
• Profit margin. The difference between crafting cost and selling price on most servers is 20,000–50,000 gold per Vial.

If you plan to earn gold from Vials regularly, it's profitable to farm Volatile essences yourself in Cataclysm zones rather than buying them on the Auction House — this will increase your margin even further.

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• Do I need Alchemy to use the mount? No. Alchemy is only needed to learn the recipe and craft. A finished Vial can be used by any character — just buy it on the Auction House.

• Can I stockpile Canopic Jars without Alchemy? Yes. You can collect Canopic Jars on a character without Alchemy, then learn the profession and open them — the chance for the recipe is preserved.

• Which class is best for farming Archaeology? Druid — thanks to instant Flight Form, which allows faster travel between dig sites. Mage with portals also works well.

• How long does it take to get the recipe? From a few hours to several dozen hours of pure farming. Archaeology is a lottery, and there are no exact timelines.

• Can I buy the recipe? No. Recipe: Vial of the Sands is soulbound on pickup and cannot be sold. Only the finished Vial can be traded.

• Does the mount fly in all zones? Yes, the Sandstone Drake is a full flying mount. It works everywhere flight is permitted, including The War Within zones (with the appropriate riding skill).