Finding the Phylactery

Quest Giver: Thassarian, Wailing Ziggurat [84.8, 41.6]

Turn In: Thassarian

Objective: Ride Dusk to the location of Tanathal’s Phylactery. Obtain it and bring it back to Thassarian.

Quick Facts

• Prerequisite: None required (can be picked up independently), but naturally follows Thassarian, the Death Knight
• Follow-Up: Buying Some Time
• Chain Position: Quest 1 of 4 in the Last Rites chain

Dusk’s Location

Thassarian’s horse Dusk waits at Death’s Stand camp at [82, 47], near the two guards.

Phylactery Location

Dusk will take you to approximately [85, 33]. The Frozen Phylactery is underwater at the bottom of a pool. Dusk will motion toward the icy water when you arrive.

How to Complete

1. Mount Dusk at Death’s Stand.
2. Dusk automatically rides to the pool at [85, 33].
3. Dive underwater and interact with the Frozen Phylactery.
4. Kill the 4 mobs that spawn: 3 Drowned Guardians (level 69-71) and 1 Phylactery Guardian.
5. Loot the Phylactery Guardian to receive Tanathal’s Phylactery. The Drowned Guardians do not drop the quest item.
6. Return to Thassarian inside the Wailing Ziggurat.

Tips

• Dusk aggroes enemies along the way. The horse’s path takes you past Ziggurat Defenders and Scourged Mammoths. If you arrive at the pool low on health, regenerate before diving in. Four mobs spawn immediately when you interact with the phylactery.
• Consider walking instead. You can skip Dusk entirely and travel to the pool on your own to avoid the combat gauntlet. Just head to [85, 33] and dive in.
• Respawn timer. If the phylactery isn’t visible at the bottom of the pool, another player recently completed the quest. Wait 2-3 minutes for it to respawn.
• Kill the big mob first. The three Drowned Guardian skeletons die quickly. Focus on the Phylactery Guardian to get your quest item.
• Balance Druids: You can stay in Moonkin form while riding Dusk.

Lore Context

Thassarian wastes no time: “No time for small talk. I was sent on what was to be a suicide mission to take this ziggurat. I’ve accomplished my duty as a soldier, now is the time to get some answers.”

He explains why the phylactery matters: “This lich has knowledge I seek, yet I cannot inflict pain to his physical body to obtain that knowledge. The lich stored his soul in a phylactery, and while it remains hidden, I won’t be able to pry the information from him.”

A lich’s phylactery contains its soul. As long as the phylactery remains safe, the lich cannot truly be destroyed and feels no pain. By seizing Tanathal’s phylactery, Thassarian gains leverage to force the lich to reveal what he knows about the Scourge’s operations and, more importantly, who ordered Unit S on their suicide mission.

Easter Egg: You Can Lead a Horse to Water…

The old proverb goes “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink.” Here, Dusk literally leads you to water to retrieve the phylactery.

Explore Borean Tundra’s hidden easter eggs, lore mysteries, and connections across Warcraft history in Vikstone’s Borean Tundra Chronicles, along with the complete quest storyline.