WoW Forever Whirlwind Axe: the warrior quest at 30
The Whirlwind Axe is back in WoW Forever and tops the Arms list at level 30. The six-quest warrior chain, Cyclonian, and which of the three weapons to choose.
The Warcraft Wiki calls the Whirlwind Axe "one of the most powerful two-handed weapons available to warriors in their 30's"[1], and in Classic warriors went for it as soon as they reached 30[2]. Forever keeps the chain in its game client, and with the beta's cap at level 30 it is the best two-hander an Arms warrior can get. It also has company now: shamans got a quest of their own that ends with the same troll and a mace with the same damage, which our Tempest's Weapons guide covers.
Every step below is also on the new warrior class quests page, with map pins for every giver and a tick for each quest you finish.
Axe, sword or warhammer
The last quest, Whirlwind Weapon, lets you choose one of three[3]. They share their stats and differ only in weapon type and speed:
Whirlwind AxeRare · Item level 40Binds when picked upTwo-HandAxe102 - 154 DamageSpeed 3.60(35.56 damage per second)+15 Strength+14 StaminaClasses: WarriorSell price 16766The slowest, at speed 3.60
Whirlwind WarhammerRare · Item level 40Binds when picked upTwo-HandMace97 - 146 DamageSpeed 3.40(35.74 damage per second)+15 Strength+14 StaminaClasses: WarriorSell price 17264The most damage per second, by a hair
Whirlwind SwordRare · Item level 40Binds when picked upTwo-HandSword82 - 124 DamageSpeed 2.90(35.52 damage per second)+15 Strength+14 StaminaClasses: WarriorSell price 17325The fastest, at speed 2.90
All three are item level 40, bind when picked up, ask for no level, and carry 15 Strength and 14 Stamina. Their damage per second is within 0.22 of each other: 35.74 for the Whirlwind Warhammer, 35.56 for the Whirlwind Axe and 35.52 for the Whirlwind Sword. Our Arms list at 30 ranks them in that order and puts all three ahead of Viscous Hammer, the best two-hander before them.
With numbers that close, your race decides more than the weapon does. Forever's weapon racials add critical strike chance to spells and abilities, and each favours one of the three[4]:
| Race | Racial | Pick |
|---|---|---|
| Human | Sword Specialization: 2% critical strike chance with swords | Whirlwind Sword |
| Orc | Axe Specialization: 1% critical strike chance with axes | Whirlwind Axe |
| Dwarf | Mace Specialization: 1% critical strike chance with maces | Whirlwind Warhammer |
Everyone else can take the one they like the look of. Fury warriors fight with a weapon in each hand, so these two-handers are not on their list, and the Arms talent Two-Handed Weapon Specialization adds 3% to the damage of all three.
Slow two-handers hit hard per swing, and that is what a warrior's attacks build on. These are the ones that add to your weapon's damage at the ranks you have at 30. The Whirlwind ability itself comes at 36, after the beta's cap:
OverpowerRank 25 RageMelee RangeInstant5 sec cooldownRequires Battle StanceInstantly overpower the enemy, causing weapon damage plus 15. Only useable after the target dodges. The Overpower cannot be blocked, dodged or parried.Learned at level 28 · Physical110Overpower, rank 2: weapon damage plus 15
CleaveRank 220 RageNext meleeNewA sweeping attack that does your weapon damage plus 10 to the target and a second nearby enemy.OldA sweeping attack that does your weapon damage plus 10 to the target and his nearest ally.Learned at level 30 · Physical120Cleave, rank 2: weapon damage plus 10, on two targets
Whirlwind25 RageInstant10 sec cooldownRequires Berserker StanceIn a whirlwind of steel you attack up to 4 enemies within 8 yards, causing weapon damage to each enemy.Learned at level 36 · Physical180Whirlwind: trained at 36
The quest chain, step by step
The chain starts at level 30 with your warrior trainer and runs to six quests. Three of them are level 40.
| Step | Quest | Level | What to do |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Islander | 30 | Speak with Klannoc Macleod on Fray Island |
| 2 | The Affray | 30 | Kill Big Will, then speak to Klannoc Macleod |
| 3 | The Windwatcher | 30 | Speak with Bath'rah the Windwatcher in Alterac Mountains |
| 4 | Cyclonian | 40 | Bring the items on Bath'rah's Parchment |
| 5 | The Summoning | 40 | Bring Bath'rah the Whirlwind Heart |
| 6 | Whirlwind Weapon | 40 | Choose your weapon |
The Islander comes from a warrior trainer in any capital: Kelv Sternhammer in Ironforge, Wu Shen in Stormwind City or Darnath Bladesinger in Darnassus for the Alliance, and Torm Ragetotem in Thunder Bluff, Sorek in Orgrimmar or Baltus Fowler in Undercity for the Horde. They all send you to Klannoc Macleod on Fray Island, off the coast of the Barrens.
The Affray begins when you step on the grate on the island, and ends when Big Will is dead. It is also the quest that teaches Berserker Stance and Intercept, so it is worth doing at 30 even if you never go for the axe. Klannoc then sends you to Bath'rah the Windwatcher in Alterac Mountains, the troll who runs the rest of the chain.
Berserker StanceInstant1 sec cooldownNewAn aggressive stance. Critical strike chance increased by 3% and all damage taken is increased by 10%.OldAn aggressive stance. Critical hit chance is increased by 3% and all damage taken is increased by 10%.Learned at level 30 · PhysicalLearned from The Affray at level 30
InterceptRank 110 Rage8-25 yd rangeInstant30 sec cooldownRequires Berserker StanceCharge an enemy, causing 25 damage and stunning it for 3 sec.Learned at level 30 · PhysicalLearned from The Affray at level 30
In Cyclonian, Bath'rah gives you his Parchment, a list of three things to bring back: Liferoot, a Bloodscalp Tusk and the Essence of the Exile. Classic had a separate quest named Essence of the Exile next to this one, and that quest is not in Forever's client, so how the Essence is found in Forever is not known yet.
The Summoning is the hard part. Bath'rah summons Cyclonian, a level 40 elite air elemental, and the Whirlwind Heart drops when he dies. He stuns, knocks you back and hits everything around him, and if you are knocked into the nearby stream his health resets, so stand with your back away from the water[5].
Whirlwind Weapon is the hand-in: Bath'rah sets the Heart in the weapon you choose.
Can you do it at the level 30 cap?
You can start it at 30, and the last three quests are level 40. Cyclonian is ten levels above you and elite, so bring a healer or two friends. Our BiS lists count a class quest reward when its chain can be started at the cap, since warriors go for the axe as soon as they reach 30.
The other class quests
Whirlwind Weapon is one of 94 warrior quests on the new warrior class quests page, from the letters at level 1 to the Paragons of Power quests at 60. Each class has its own tab now, and the new ones are marked: the paladin page has a whole new storyline for undead paladins, and the shaman page has the chain behind Rage of the Storm.
Sources
- Warcraft Wiki, "Whirlwind Axe": how warriors valued it in Classic, and that the quest begins with Bath'rah the Windwatcher in Alterac Mountains. ↩
- Icy Veins, "New Level 30 Weapon Quest Found on the WoW Forever Beta", 2 October 2026: warriors go for the Whirlwind Axe as soon as they reach level 30. ↩
- Wowhead, "Whirlwind Weapon" (Forever): the three weapons to choose from, on Forever's database. ↩
- Blizzard, "Create the Hero You Want to Be in World of Warcraft: Forever": the human, orc and dwarf weapon racials, word for word. ↩
- Warcraft Wiki, "Cyclonian": a level 40 elite air elemental, his stun, knockback and whirlwind, and the stream that resets his health. ↩
