Mystery of the Infinite

Objective: Travel to the Bronze Dragonshrine, place the Hourglass of Eternity, defend it through waves of Infinite Dragonflight attackers, and discover who leads the Infinite Dragonflight.

Quick Facts

• Level: 72 (Requires level 72)
• Chain: Standalone (no prerequisites). Sequel at level 80: Mystery of the Infinite, Redux
• Location: Bronze Dragonshrine, [72, 39]

Walkthrough

Pick up the quest from Chromie at the very top of Wyrmrest Temple (summit level, near Alexstrasza). Fly northeast to the Bronze Dragonshrine at [72, 39].

A time storm surrounds the shrine, which is why Chromie can’t go herself: “A time storm at the Bronze Dragonshrine to the northeast is keeping immortals from entering. You are not immortal. You can cross into the dragonshrine.”

Once inside the shrine, use the Hourglass of Eternity (quest item) on the ground. This triggers two things: it begins the divination process to reveal the Infinite Dragonflight’s leader, and it summons Future You, a level 80 version of your character who fights alongside you. You then must defend the hourglass through progressively harder waves:

• Wave 1: 2 Infinite Assailants (non-elite)
• Wave 2: 2 Infinite Assailants (non-elite)
• Wave 3: 2 Infinite Destroyers + 1 Infinite Chrono-Magus
• Wave 4: 2 Infinite Destroyers + 2 Infinite Chrono-Magi
• Final Wave: 1 Infinite Timerender (Level 75 Elite drake, ~32k HP)

After the Timerender falls, the hourglass reveals a vision of Nozdormu, the Bronze Aspect of Time. Future You announces this, then bids you farewell. Nozdormu himself spawns permanently at the shrine for you as a visual confirmation.

Return to Chromie at the top of Wyrmrest Temple to turn in.

Future You: What to Expect

Future You is one of WoW’s most memorable quest companions. Your future self is a level 80 copy of your character wearing your exact current gear (same model, same equipment). Some key things to know:

• AI Limitations: Future You primarily auto-attacks in melee regardless of your class. If you’re a Mage, your future self will stand there hitting mobs with their staff. If you’re a Hunter, they’ll melee with a dagger. Some classes report Future You using occasional abilities (Warriors have seen Bladestorm; Paladins have seen Hammer of Justice), but don’t count on it. As Future You says: “Wish I could remember how many of the Infinite Dragonflight were going to try to stop you. This fight was so long ago.”
• Survivability: Future You acts as a tanky extra body. They can hold aggro and absorb hits, which helps substantially. If you die, Future You can potentially finish off the remaining enemies and complete the quest for you.
• Weapon Procs: Future You does trigger weapon enchantment procs.
• Gear Trick: Future You mirrors whatever you’re wearing when you use the hourglass. If you use it naked, your future self is naked. There’s some entertainment value here.
• Stealth Warning: If you’re stealthed when Future You spawns, you can’t see them.

Efficiency Tips

• The Bronze Dragonshrine is northeast of Wyrmrest Temple, not northwest of Wintergarde Keep as originally described. Flying from the Temple is faster.
• The waves come at regular intervals. Between waves you have a few seconds to bandage or eat.
• If you fail the encounter (the hourglass is destroyed or you die and Future You can’t finish), simply re-use the Hourglass of Eternity to restart.
• The Infinite Timerender is the only real threat. Save cooldowns for the final wave.
• Quest auto-completes when the Timerender dies. Leaving combat (via Invisibility, Feign Death, etc.) during the final wave can cause the quest to complete early.

Future You’s Complete Dialogue

Future You communicates entirely through whispers. The full sequence:

1. “Hey there, <name>, don’t be alarmed. It’s me… you… from the future. I’m here to help.”
2. “Heads up… here they come. I’ll help as much as I can. Let’s just keep them off the hourglass!”
3. “No matter what, you can’t die, because that would mean that I would cease to exist, right? But, I was here before when I was you. I’m so confused!”
4. “Sorry, but Chromie said that I couldn’t reveal anything about your future to you. She said that if I did, I would cease to exist.”
5. “Look at you fight; no wonder I turned to drinking.”
6. “Wow, I’d forgotten how inexperienced I used to be.”
7. “I can’t believe that I used to wear that.”
8. “Listen. I’m not supposed to tell you this, but there’s going to be this party that you’re invited to. Whatever you do, DO NOT DRINK THE PUNCH!”
9. “Wish I could remember how many of the Infinite Dragonflight were going to try to stop you. This fight was so long ago.”
10. (if you let Future You fight alone) “What? Am I here alone. We both have a stake at this, you know!”
11. “Look, <name>, the hourglass has revealed Nozdormu!”
12. “Farewell, <name>. Keep us alive and get some better equipment!”

Lore Context

This quest is one of the most important lore moments in all of WotLK, and it’s easily missed because it’s a standalone quest with no breadcrumb leading to it.

The Setup: Chromie explains that a time storm around the Bronze Dragonshrine is preventing immortals (including dragons) from entering. The Infinite Dragonflight is battling the shrine’s defenders for control. Chromie sees this as an opportunity: if a mortal can get inside and activate the Hourglass of Eternity, it should reveal who leads the Infinite Dragonflight, a mystery the bronze dragons have been trying to solve across multiple timelines.

The Revelation: The hourglass reveals Nozdormu, the Aspect of Time himself. This is the first time in WoW’s storyline that the connection between Nozdormu and the Infinite Dragonflight is directly shown to the player.

Chromie’s Reaction: What makes this quest brilliant is Chromie’s completion text. She initially reacts with shock (“You saw Nozdormu? That doesn’t make any sense.”), pauses to think, then deliberately reinterprets the evidence: “Actually, that’s great news! We had no idea of where or when the Lord of Time had gone to. So, even though the leader of the Infinite Dragonflight wasn’t revealed, you’ve discovered that Nozdormu is alive and well, and fighting back against them!”

Chromie chooses to read Nozdormu’s appearance as proof he’s fighting the Infinites, not leading them.

Whether she’s in denial, protecting the player from a truth they’re not ready for, or genuinely processing the information differently is left ambiguous.

The Sequel: At level 80, Chromie offers Mystery of the Infinite, Redux, which completes the time loop. This time YOU become Future You, traveling back to help your Past Self defend the hourglass. The “Future You” who insulted your gear and fighting skills? That was you all along, returning to help yourself from the other side of the loop.

Cross-Expansion Connections

• End Time (Cataclysm Patch 4.3): This quest’s quiet revelation is confirmed spectacularly in the End Time dungeon, where players fight Murozond, Nozdormu’s corrupted future self and the confirmed leader of the Infinite Dragonflight. The name “Murozond” is an anagram of “Nozdormu.” After the titans showed Nozdormu his own death, the Old Gods exploited his grief and tricked him into trying to subvert his mortality, shattering the timeways and creating the Infinite Dragonflight. Nozdormu’s quote after Murozond’s death: “At last it has come to pass. The moment of my demise. The loop is closed. My future self will cause no more harm. Still, in the future, I will… fall to madness. And you, heroes… will vanquish me. The cycle will repeat. So it goes.”
• Culling of Stratholme (WotLK Dungeon): The Infinite Dragonflight’s attempts to alter history are already visible in the Caverns of Time dungeons available during WotLK. In the Culling of Stratholme, the Infinite Corruptor is a heroic bonus boss who tries to disrupt Arthas’s fateful decision, and defeating it within the timed event rewards the Reins of the Bronze Drake. These Caverns of Time encounters provide the gameplay context for what Chromie is investigating here.
• Dawn of the Infinite (Dragonflight Patch 10.1.5): The Nozdormu/Murozond storyline reaches its most complex point in the Dawn of the Infinite mega-dungeon, where Chrono-Lord Deios attempts to corrupt the proto-dragon version of Nozdormu into Murozond at Galakrond’s fall. Chromie and players intervene to restore the timeline, giving Nozdormu hope that his fate as Murozond may not be inevitable after all. Chromie’s role here mirrors her behavior in this WotLK quest: she refuses to accept Nozdormu’s dark fate and vows to find another way.

Lore Note: “You Are Not Immortal”

Chromie’s offhand remark that you can enter the Bronze Dragonshrine because “you are not immortal” carries more weight than it seems.

The time storm blocks immortal beings (dragons). Your mortality is what makes you useful here. This is a recurring WoW theme: the dragon Aspects, for all their cosmic power, repeatedly depend on mortal heroes to solve problems they cannot. Nozdormu himself, who can see all of time, cannot prevent his own corruption.

But mortals, who exist in the present and make choices without foreknowledge, can.