The Rune of Command

Quest Giver (Alliance): Prospector Belvar — Fort Wildervar, Howling Fjord

Quest Giver (Horde): Longrunner Pembe — Camp Winterhoof, Howling Fjord

Objective: Use the Rune of Command on a neutral Stone Giant at Giants’ Run, then defeat Binder Murdis.

Quick Facts

• Location: Giants’ Run, northeast Howling Fjord [71, 24]
• Chain Position: 3 of 3 (The Book of Runes → Mastering the Runes → The Rune of Command)

Walkthrough

Find a Neutral Stone Giant

• Head to Giants’ Run and look for a yellow-named (neutral) Stone Giant. These are the unaltered ones the iron dwarves haven’t yet bound with runes. Confirmed locations include [71.9, 23.2], [72, 23], [70, 30], and [68, 30].
• Do not target captive Stone Giants (the ones being actively worked on by iron dwarves). The rune won’t work on them.
• Clear any nearby iron dwarves first. You don’t want to get knocked around while activating the rune.

Activate the Rune of Command

• Stand near a neutral Stone Giant and right-click the Rune of Command from your inventory. The giant becomes a temporary guardian ally, fighting alongside you on a timer (approximately 5 minutes).
• The giant is classified as a guardian, not a pet. This means Hunters keep their regular pet active while using it. Both fight simultaneously.

Kill Binder Murdis

• Binder Murdis is at [71.85, 24.56] (directly on top of the “N” in “Giants’ Run” on your map). He’s a level 70 iron dwarf with approximately 15,940 HP.
• He uses Flame Shock (fire DoT) and Rune of Binding (delayed immobilize after 5 seconds), the same abilities as regular Iron Rune Binders.
• With your Stone Giant guardian active, this fight is straightforward. The giant will absorb some hits and deal supplemental damage. Murdis is soloable without the giant, but the quest is designed to have you use it.

Return to Quest Giver

• Head back to Prospector Belvar or Longrunner Pembe to turn in and complete the chain.

Efficiency Tips

• Don’t turn in immediately. Use your giant. The Stone Giant guardian persists after killing Murdis until its timer expires. Take it with you to tackle nearby quests, especially the group quests March of the Giants and Demolishing Megalith. The giant’s abilities (a ~5-second stun and a strike that reduces melee damage dealt by 75%) make soloing these elites much more manageable.
• Avoid summoning on elevated terrain. Using the rune near pillars or raised platforms can cause the giant to get stuck and become unresponsive.
• Watch for patrolling elite Runed Stone Giants in the area. These are level 70+ elites and are not your target. Give them a wide berth unless you’re deliberately engaging them for March of the Giants.

Lore Context

• This quest is the payoff for the entire Rune of Command chain. Your faction reverse-engineered the iron dwarves‘ rune magic and turned it against them, using a limited version of their own binding runes to control a stone giant and kill their field commander.
• The iron dwarves at Giants’ Run are servants of Loken, the corrupted titan Keeper who commands them to enslave the stone giants as weapons. This is one of the earliest hints of Loken’s reach in Northrend. The same pattern of corrupted titan-forged enslaving other titan-forged repeats on a much larger scale in the Storm Peaks and at Ulduar.
• Belvar’s completion text strikes a cautious note: defeating Murdis is progress, but “the Iron Dwarves won’t give up easily.” True enough.

You’ll encounter them again in force in the Storm Peaks, where their operations dwarf anything at Giants’ Run.

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.