War stories, articles & game guides
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2026
Expeditions,
War Stories &
Culture
War stories, articles & game guides
Gamer
Tribute
2026
Expeditions,
War Stories &
Culture
“There is one last thing that I would have you do, Vikstone the Night Elf. I would have you destroy Arcanimus! The sorcerers to the west used that giant device in the sky to bore a massive pit into our resting place. When they did that, they unleashed a monstrosity! I would not care if it were only a concern for mortals, but Arcanimus feeds upon the spirits of the dead.
You will put an end to it now!”
-Ethenial Moonshadow
Destroy Arcanimus and then return to Ethenial Moonshadow at Moonrest Gardens.
Quest Giver: Ethenial Moonshadow — Moonrest Gardens, Dragonblight [~24, 60]
Objective: Destroy Arcanimus and return to Ethenial Moonshadow.
Quick Facts
Walkthrough
From Ethenial Moonshadow at [~24, 60], head west. Arcanimus is a level 73 arcane elemental hovering inside the massive crater that the blue dragonflight’s surge needle bored into the earth at [20, 59.5].
The path down into the crater begins at approximately [21.4, 60.8]; swing south along the rim to find the trench entrance, then follow it down.
Before engaging: Wait for Arcanimus to finish killing any neutral mobs nearby. If you attack him while he is still occupied with them, he will despawn and you’ll need to wait for his respawn.
Despite his imposing appearance as a large floating elemental, Arcanimus is not elite and is very easy to solo.
Combat Notes
Return to Ethenial Moonshadow to turn in.
Efficiency Tips
Lore Context
Ethenial explains that the blue dragonflight’s surge needle “bore a massive pit into our resting place,” and in doing so “unleashed a monstrosity.” Arcanimus is that monstrosity: an arcane elemental born from the violent rupture of the ley line anchor beneath Moonrest Gardens.
His name is a portmanteau of “arcane” and “animus” (Latin for soul or spirit), fitting for a creature that feeds on the spirits of the dead Highborne.
Ethenial’s completion dialogue: “If you haven’t already, you should alert your betters to the danger that the blue dragonflight has unleashed. By blowing apart the ley line anchor underneath the gardens, they threaten to destroy us all!”
This connects to the wider Moonrest Gardens questline (Rifle the Bodies → Prevent the Accord → Projections and Plans → The Focus on the Beach) that tracks the ley line energy’s redirection to the Azure Dragonshrine, part of Malygos’s campaign to monopolize all arcane magic during the Nexus War.
You will be able to choose one of these rewards:
You will also receive: (if completed at level 90)
Upon completion of this quest you will gain:
Vikstone's War Journal“There is one last thing I would have you do, Vikstone the night elf.” Ethenial wasn’t asking. “I would have you destroy Arcanimus.”
The ghost turned toward the west, where the surge needle hung in the sky.
“The sorcerers used that device to bore a massive pit into our resting place. When they did that, they unleashed a monstrosity. I would not care if it were only a concern for mortals, but Arcanimus feeds upon the spirits of the dead.” His form brightened, the spectral edges sharpening with anger. “You will put an end to it now.”
The pit gaped beneath the needle’s shadow. At its center, Arcanimus waited. Stranger than a wraith: an arcane elemental bloated with stolen souls.
Tendrils of raw magic lashed upward as I dropped into the pit. The first arcane explosion caught me mid-stride, sent white fire through my nerves.
Steel against energy, each blow seemed to diminish the thing, its form shrinking as souls escaped its grip. It fought harder as it grew smaller, more desperate, arcane bursts coming faster.
The final strike shattered it into wisps of fading light.
When I returned, Ethenial’s gratitude was tempered. “You should alert your betters to the danger the blue dragonflight has unleashed. By blowing apart the ley line anchor underneath the gardens, they threaten to destroy us all.”
The ley lines beneath Moonrest Gardens were still shattered, and the blue dragonflight’s war on mortal magic was far from over. Vikstone’s road through Dragonblight ends here, and the wilderness of Grizzly Hills waits to the east.
