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
“Testing a tethered opponent is one thing. Fighting other bear riders on equal footing is another. Head into the Pit of the Fang and use what you’ve learned to defeat your opponents.
Good luck, sister. Glory awaits, should you succeed.”
-Astrid Bjornrittar
Astrid Bjornrittar, in Brunnhildar Village, wants you to use the Reins of the Warbear Matriarch inside the Pit of the Fang and defeat 6 Hyldsmeet Warbears.
Provided item:
You will be able to choose one of these rewards:
You will receive:
Upon completion of this quest you will gain:
Quest Giver: Astrid Bjornrittar — Brunnhildar Village, Storm Peaks [49, 71]
Objective: Use the Reins of the Warbear Matriarch inside the Pit of the Fang and defeat 6 Hyldsmeet Warbears.
Quick Facts
Walkthrough
Summoning the Bear
| Button | Ability | Effect | Usage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Auto-Attack | Melee swings | Enable manually (right-click or /startattack) |
| 4 | Maul | ~1,000 damage per hit | Primary damage; spam constantly |
| 5 | Smash | Knockback | Use carefully; can reset enemies if knocked out of the pit |
| 6 | Charge | Gap closer + stun | Opener for each new bear; use after Smash knockbacks |
Fighting in the Pit
Positioning is Critical
Health Management
Known Bugs
Lore Context
This is the culmination of the bear-riding trials.
Astrid explicitly frames this as the step beyond practice: “Besting a tethered opponent is one thing. Fighting other bear riders on equal footing is another.” The Pit of the Fang is the Hyldnir’s gladiatorial arena where warriors prove themselves in mounted combat. Winning here qualifies you for the final stages of the Hyldsmeet.
Astrid’s turn-in dialogue acknowledges the toll: “You really did it! You made it out with your health. Wish we could say the same for your bear. It’s going to take a while for her to recover. Fortunately you won’t need her for a while.”
The next phase of the Hyldsmeet shifts away from bear combat entirely, toward the aerial Drakkensryd.
Explore the Storm Peaks’ hidden easter eggs, lore mysteries, and connections across Warcraft history in Vikstone’s Storm Peaks Chronicles, along with the complete quest storyline.
Vikstone's War Journal“Besting a tethered opponent is one thing,” Astrid said. “Fighting other bear riders on equal footing is another. Head into the Pit of the Fang and use what you’ve learned to defeat your opponents.”
She put a hand on my shoulder before I mounted.
“Good luck, sister. Glory awaits, should you succeed.”
They came out of the gates in ones and twos, six of them, each with a hyldnir up on her back and each bear raised in that pit for this and nothing else. The matriarch went at the first of them without waiting to be asked.
My world was two feet of harness leather and whatever was immediately in front of us, and my entire job was staying seated and knowing which of her three attacks the moment wanted.
She took a set of claws down the flank and answered by breaking a shoulder. One of them tried to come around behind us, and she turned inside her own length and put it into the pit wall hard enough that the rider came off over the top.
She had been dying in a cave days earlier and had apparently decided this was worth doing.
When the last of them went down she stood in the center of the pit and swayed, and there was blood in her fur in more places than I cared to count.
“Hail, sister. You really did it! You made it out with your health.” She had looked at me before she looked at the bear, which was new. “Wish we could say the same for your bear. It’s going to take a while for her to recover. Fortunately you won’t need her for a while.”
The matriarch had earned her rest and Astrid was already taking the reins back, which meant the bear phase was over and something with wings was next, so Vikstone was told to leave his affairs in order and Prepare for Glory.
