Iron Rune Constructs and You: Collecting Data

Quest Giver: Walt at Explorers’ League Outpost

Objective: Use the Iron Rune Construct’s Collect Data ability while standing near the Iron Dwarf Relic.

Quick Facts

• Type: Vehicle tutorial
• Faction: Alliance only
• Prerequisite: Iron Rune Constructs and You: Rocket Jumping
• Follow-up: Iron Rune Constructs and You: The Bluff
• Chain Position: 2 of 3 in the “Iron Rune Constructs and You” tutorial series

Walkthrough

1. Accept quest from Walt.
2. Right-click the Empty Work Bench behind Walt.
3. Select the dialogue option to enter the construct.
4. Walk to the floating blue/purple crystal in the cart near Gwendolyn (around [74, 65]).
5. The crystal has two spinning globes orbiting around it.
6. Stand close to the crystal and press 1 (or click the Collect Data ability).
7. You’ll see an electrical effect and receive quest completion.
8. Dismiss the construct from the pet window.
9. Turn in to Walt.

Tips

• Crystal Location: Walt describes it as “the cart over yonder” with “the floating, lightning infused crystal.” Look for the wagon between the path and the camp, about 10 yards from Walt, near the NPC Gwendolyn.
• Close Proximity Required: You must stand directly next to the crystal. If pressing 1 does nothing, reposition slightly closer and try again.
• Action Bar Addon Warning: If using Dominos, Bartender, or similar addons, the Collect Data button may not appear. Either disable the addon temporarily or just press 1 directly.

Troubleshooting

• “Nothing happens when I press 1” — You’re not close enough to the crystal. Walk right up to it until you’re nearly touching the cart.
• Can’t see the ability bar — Disable action bar replacement addons (Dominos, Bartender, ElvUI) or press hotkey 1 blindly.
• Crystal not visible — Some private servers have display bugs where the crystal is invisible but still functional. Use the Collect Data ability at the empty cart location anyway.
• Quest won’t complete — If truly stuck, abandon the quest, log out completely, log back in, and re-accept.

Story Context

Walt explains the construct’s primary function:

“The most important part of your job while controlling the construct is the collection of data. I’ve placed an iron dwarf relic in the cart over yonder. It’s the floating, lightning infused crystal. Once you’re back in the driver’s seat, use the construct’s data collection ability to pick up the test data.”

This ability is the entire reason the Explorers’ League needs a construct infiltrator. The iron dwarves at Baelgun’s Excavation Site have scattered relic crystals throughout the dig, each containing valuable titan research data. Only their constructs can interface with these relics. By disguising you as one of their machines, Walt gives the League a way to steal the data before it’s buried forever.

Quest Chain Overview

1. Rocket Jumping (Learn transportation)
2. Collecting Data ← You are here (Learn data collection)
3. The Bluff (Learn the deception ability)

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