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
“Now that we know where to find Farunn, all that remains is the battle against the great beast. Are you ready to take on this rhino, Vikstone? For all the spirit’s blustering, I’m certain it was telling the truth about the beast’s strength. When you’re ready to face him, head north past the Suntouched Pillar and look for Farunn on the northeast shore of the Bittertide Lake. It may even venture near the Glimmering Pillar.
Bring back its horn to commemorate your kill.”
-Hemet Nesingwary
Bring Farunn’s Horn to Hemet Nesingwary at the Nesingwary Base Camp.
You will be able to choose one of these rewards:
Upon completion of this quest you will gain:
Quest Giver: Hemet Nesingwary — Nesingwary Base Camp [27.1, 58.7]
Turn In: Hemet Nesingwary — Nesingwary Base Camp [27.1, 58.7]
Objective: Kill Farunn, the Shardhorn patriarch, and bring Farunn’s Horn to Hemet Nesingwary.
Quick Facts
Walkthrough
Hemet is eager to prove himself against the patriarch Nozronn’s spirit warned him about: “No dead rhino tells Hemet Nesingwary where and what he can hunt.” He sends you with his version of the directions: “Head north past the Suntouched Pillar and look for Farunn on the northeast shore of the Bittertide Lake. It may even venture near the Glimmering Pillar.”
The quest text is misleading. Hemet says “northeast shore,” but Farunn actually patrols the area south and southwest of the Glimmering Pillar, near the eastern/southeastern shore of Bittertide Lake. Head to approximately [47, 44] and you’ll find him. Confirmed coordinates in the [46-48, 42-44] range.
Interestingly, Nozronn’s spirit gave accurate directions in the previous quest: “Farunn walks the lands north of what your people call the Bittertide Falls.” Bittertide Falls sits at approximately [46, 46], and north of that lines up perfectly with [47, 44]. Hemet garbled the translation when he paraphrased it as “northeast shore.”
The great white hunter couldn’t even relay directions correctly.
Combat: Farunn is a level 76 non-elite with approximately 11k HP. Despite Nozronn’s ominous warning that “you will see he requires no defenders,” Farunn is mechanically only slightly tougher than a regular Shardhorn Rhino.
His one notable ability is Rhino Charge, which increases his movement speed by 75% and adds bonus damage on his first attack. He’ll charge you when you first engage, so be ready for a solid initial hit, but the fight is straightforward for any level 76+ character.
If someone killed him recently, expect a respawn in roughly 3 minutes near [46.5, 42.5].
Hunter tip: Farunn is tameable. He’s classified in the Clefthoof/Rhino family (Tenacity pet). If you want the Shardhorn patriarch as a permanent companion instead of a trophy, dismiss your current pet before engaging.
A fun bonus: tamed rhinos in WotLK can attract a tickbird that perches on their horn, a cosmetic detail unique to the rhino pet family. Just note that taming him won’t complete the quest, as you need Farunn’s Horn, which only drops on kill.
Do Alongside
Efficiency note: Completing all three mastery finales unlocks In Search of Bigger Game from Hemet. Plan to do all three in one trip before returning to camp.
Lore Context
The end of Hemet’s arrogance arc (for this expansion, anyway). In the previous quest, the spirit of Nozronn, an ancient and possibly divine rhino, delivered a solemn warning: “Tell him to leave this land in peace. He does not belong here.” Hemet’s response was to take it as a personal challenge.
Now, having killed the patriarch that Nozronn specifically cautioned him about, Hemet’s completion text immediately pivots: “I’ve been hearing rumors of even bigger, more ferocious game in the northern reaches of the basin.” He doesn’t reflect, doesn’t acknowledge the spiritual weight of what just happened. He just wants a bigger trophy. The game is clearly inviting players to notice this pattern.
Farunn, the lonely patriarch. Nozronn described Farunn as one who “holds himself aloof from his brothers.” You find him alone, wandering apart from the Shardhorn herds. This isolation makes him both more dignified and more vulnerable.
He’s not surrounded by a pack or hidden behind defenders. He’s simply the biggest, oldest rhino in the basin, walking his territory alone, until an outsider shows up with a spirit-granted map to his location. The hunt feels less like a contest and more like an execution.
The three mastery finales as a thesis. With Dreadsaber, Rhino, and Crocolisk mastery, each ending in a named kill, the Nesingwary chain delivers its core thesis: Sholazar Basin’s apex predators, including potentially sacred creatures connected to Wild Gods and gorloc spiritual traditions, are trophies to Hemet.
The follow-up quest, In Search of Bigger Game, sends you after primordial drakes, escalating further into territory that seems increasingly unwise to disturb.
Cross-Expansion: Nesingwary’s Escalating Targets
Every expansion, Hemet’s final target gets more dangerous and more ethically questionable. Stranglethorn’s King Bangalash was a rare elite tiger. Nagrand’s Tusker was a named clefthoof. Sholazar’s Farunn is a patriarch tied to an ancient spirit. And what comes after the three masteries here?
Primordial drakes, titan-engineered creatures in a nature preserve designed by the Pantheon. By Mists of Pandaria, Nesingwary hunts in Pandaria’s farmlands. By Dragonflight, he’s finally retired from active hunting, driving a cart in the Azure Span.
Explore Sholazar Basin’s hidden easter eggs, lore mysteries, and connections across Warcraft history in Vikstone’s Sholazar Basin Chronicles, along with the complete quest storyline.
Vikstone's War Journal“For all the spirit’s blustering, I’m certain it was telling the truth about the beast’s strength,” Hemet said. “When you’re ready to face him, head north past the Suntouched Pillar and look for Farunn on the northeast shore of the Bittertide Lake. Bring back its horn to commemorate your kill.”
Found him near the Glimmering Pillar, grazing alone. Nozronn hadn’t lied. He required no defenders.
Farunn made the other shardhorns look like calves. His horn could have gutted a kodo. When he raised his head and saw me, there was no alarm in those small dark eyes. He had never lost a fight.
Different from Shango. The dreadsaber had been speed and reflex, a predator’s dance. Farunn was momentum and mass, an avalanche with intent.
He charged.
The ground shook. I’d braced for it, but the impact still drove me back three paces, boots carving furrows in the earth. His horn caught my pauldron, twisted, nearly took me off my feet. I drove the mace down across his skull. Like hitting a boulder. He barely noticed.
We traded blows.
Armor dented. Ribs screaming. Arms burning. But I’d learned that rhinos overcommit. All that mass becomes liability when the charge misses.
Third charge. Sidestepped late, deliberately. His horn swept past close enough to feel the wind. Brought both weapons down on the back of his neck where it met the shoulders.
Farunn stumbled, tried to turn. His front legs folded.
Stood over him while his breathing slowed. Patriarch of the shardhorns, alone because he needed no one, strong enough that even a dead god warned me.
Took the horn carefully. Some trophies you earn. Others you survive.
Hemet examined it back at camp, turning it in his hands.
“An astounding trophy from an amazing animal! I’ve been hearing rumors of even bigger, more ferocious game in the northern reaches of the basin and I’d like you to help us track it down.”
The patriarch’s horn was on Hemet’s wall, and the last of the three Mastery lines was waiting by the river in Crocolisk Mastery: The Trial
