Trust is Earned

Quest Giver: Hidalgo the Master Falconer at Explorers’ League Outpost

Objective: Find a Fjord Grub and feed it to one of the falcons in the cage by Hidalgo’s feet.

Quick Facts

• Type: Collection tutorial
• Faction: Alliance only
• Follow-up: The Ransacked Caravan
• Chain Position: 1 of 4 in the Falconry questline

Walkthrough

1. Accept quest from Hidalgo (the flamboyant fellow with a falcon named Excelsior on his shoulder).
2. Find a Loose Rock near the camp.
3. Click the rock to obtain a Fjord Grub.
4. Return to Hidalgo and click on the Fjord Rock Falcon in the cage at his feet (NOT the falcon on his shoulder).
5. The falcon will eat the grub, completing the objective.
6. Turn in to Hidalgo.

Loose Rock Locations

Rocks spawn throughout the area surrounding the Explorers’ League Outpost. Player-reported coordinates include:

• [74.5, 64.6] — Sparkling rock nearly in the same camp
• [74, 66] — South of Hidalgo’s location
• [76, 64] — Near the outcropping to the east
• [76, 74] — Along the south road
• [74, 58.5] — Further north

Look for sparkles on the ground near trees and rock outcroppings. The rocks are typically flat and gray.

Tips

• Only Need ONE Grub: You only need a single grub for this quest. Don’t waste time collecting extras.
• Click the CAGED Falcon: The falcon you feed is in the cage at Hidalgo’s feet, not Excelsior perched on his shoulder.
• Dismount First: If you can’t interact with the caged falcon, try dismounting.
• Bug Workaround: If rocks aren’t clickable/sparkling, abandon the quest and re-accept it. This resets the rock spawn state.

Story Context

Hidalgo introduces himself with characteristic flair:

“Greetings. I am Hidalgo, master of the hunt and world class falconer. This killing machine that you see perched atop my shoulder is Excelsior. You might be thinking to yourself, ‘What does a falconer even do?’ Well I’ll tell you what we do — we hunt! Falconry is the art of using a bird of prey to hunt and catch game. Perhaps you are interested in learning to hunt with a trained raptor? Hidalgo can teach you such things!”

The quest text explains the philosophy:

“The first and most important factor in falconry is the bond between the falconer and their bird. Trust must be earned by the master! If you are to earn their trust you will first need to fill their bellies.”

This begins your training as a falconer. The Fjord Rock Falcons are native to Howling Fjord and primarily eat grubs found under loose rocks throughout the region. By feeding the falcon, you establish the initial bond of trust that will allow you to work together in future quests.

Quest Chain Overview

This is the first quest in a four-part falconry training series:

1. Trust is Earned ← You are here (Feed your falcon)
2. The Ransacked Caravan (Hunt turkeys)
3. Falcon Versus Hawk (Hunt fjord hawks)
4. There Exists No Honor Among Birds (Raid hawk nests for eggs)

Easter Egg: SNL Reference?

Hidalgo’s over-the-top personality and his dramatic introduction (“I am Hidalgo, master of the hunt and world class falconer!”) has been suggested to reference a Saturday Night Live sketch. His theatrical third-person references (“Hidalgo can teach you such things!”) and bombastic self-promotion fit the style of SNL’s exaggerated characters.

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.