Rhino Mastery: The Test

Quest Giver: Hemet Nesingwary — Nesingwary Base Camp [26.8, 59.1]

Turn In: Hemet Nesingwary — Nesingwary Base Camp

Objective: Kill 15 Shardhorn Rhinos (level 75-76).

Quick Facts

• Prerequisites: Venture Co. Misadventure chain (Wipe That Grin Off His Face) and the camp engineering chain (Kick, What Kick?)
• Follow-up: Rhino Mastery: The Chase
• Series: Part 1 of the Rhino Mastery chain (The Test → The Chase → An Offering for Soo-rahm → The Bones of Nozronn)
• Type: Kill quest

Walkthrough

Hemet doesn’t waste time: “No rough landing is going to stop ol’ Hemet from mastering the largest game Sholazar has to offer.” He directs you to the wilds northwest of camp, where the jungles are ruled by the shardhorn rhino.

Where to find Shardhorn Rhinos:

• Northwest of camp [28, 52] to [39, 49]: Rhinos begin appearing almost immediately north of the base camp and extend in a wide band northwest toward Bittertide Lake. The spread is from [28, 52] along the base of the Suntouched Pillar east to [39, 49].
• Best concentration: [40, 48] area. There’s a good spreead at [40.82, 47.77].
• Rhinos are neutral and won’t attack unless you engage them first, so you can pick your targets freely without worrying about adds.

This is a straightforward kill quest. 15 rhinos at this level goes quickly, especially with the dense population in the recommended area.

Skinning bonus: If you have Skinning, Sholazar’s beasts (including these rhinos) yield Borean Leather with a rare chance at Arctic Fur. With 15 guaranteed kills, this quest is a decent leather haul for skinners already in the area.

Do Alongside

• Dreadsaber Mastery: Becoming a Predator: Unlocks simultaneously. Dreadsabers share the same general area north/northwest of camp. You can work both 15-kill quests in a single sweep.
• The Great Hunter’s Challenge: Your 15 rhino kills count toward the 60 game animals required. Combined with 15 dreadsaber kills, that’s 30/60 from the mastery quests alone.
• A Steak Fit for a Hunter: Longneck Grazers graze in the same areas. Pick up this quest if available.

Lore Context

Unlike the Dreadsaber chain (given by Buck Cantwell) and the Crocolisk chain (given by Drostan), the Rhino Mastery chain comes from Hemet himself. This makes thematic sense: rhinos are the “largest game Sholazar has to offer,” and Hemet has always reserved the biggest targets for his personal attention.

His quest text references the “rough landing” (the expedition’s crashed plane), reinforcing that nothing stops this dwarf from hunting.

Hemet’s completion text foreshadows the chain’s progression: “There’s more to rhino hunting than just staring down the beast as it charges you and hoping your aim is true. No, you’ll need more than that to take on the rhino patriarch that’s rumored to dwell in the jungle.” The “rhino patriarch” is Farunn, the chain’s ultimate target.

The Rhino Mastery chain is notably the longest of the three mastery lines. While the Dreadsaber and Crocolisk chains each have 3 quests, the Rhino chain extends to 4 quests (The Test → The Chase → An Offering for Soo-rahm → The Bones of Nozronn), branching into Oracle-related territory after the hunt itself concludes.

Cross-Expansion: The Nesingwary Assignment Structure

• Each Nesingwary expansion assigns the three mastery chains to different members of the expedition. In Sholazar, Hemet takes the rhinos (the prestige prey), Buck Cantwell handles dreadsabers, and Drostan manages crocolisks. This hierarchy reflects Hemet’s character: he delegates the smaller game to subordinates and keeps the most impressive trophy hunt for himself.

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.