Isle of Thunder Zone Guide
Much like the Benediction questline for Priests, or the Rhok'delar, Longbow of the Ancient Keepers challenges for Hunters back in Classic, the The Codex of Xerrath questline for Warlocks in Mists of Pandaria (now returning in Mists of Pandaria Classic) will challenge you to make full use of the Warlock class' kit and utility, and require quite a bit of skill (and a bit of luck) to succeed.
Starting the quest
You'll begin your quest by looting a Sealed Tome of the Lost Legion from rare mobs in the Isle of Thunder. The drop rate for the tome is relatively low, but with some persistence, you can score one eventually. If you're not inclined to grind, you may also find it at your local Auction House. Keep in mind that the tome is only lootable by Warlocks, and any Warlock that tags an Isle of Thunder rare can potentially loot it, but only one tome drops per rare, and only one Warlock will get it from that kill (the loot is pre-assigned, so it doesn't matter how fast you loot the corpse; only the assigned Warlock will be able to see it or loot it).
Look for Jubeka's Mark at the entrance of the Black Temple to start the final Scenario.
Once you obtain it, you should be able to follow the questline, which starts with An Unusual Tome. As you follow the chain (no spoilers here, sorry!), you will learn about the mysterious Council of the Black Harvest, and ultimately travel to the Black Temple, Illidan's former seat of power.
The Solo Challenge
The last quest, Infiltrating the Black Temple leads you to one of WoW's most memorable solo challenges: Kanrethad Ebonlocke. This encounter is more about proper execution than it is about raw item level, as Kanrethad has a lot of abilities that need to be reacted to, and proper use of your skills is required to succeed.
"Say hello to my little friend!"
While obviously a higher item level (closer to 522+ at least) will make the fight easier, it is definitely possible to complete it with an item level as low as 489 and even lower. It is advised that if you're trying this at a lower item level, to bring plenty of combat consumables (flasks, food, potions) and a few Purification Potions to deal with Kanrethad's Curse of Ultimate Doom if it comes to that (this is the fight's "enrage" timer).
Power! Unlimited (Fel) Power
As a reward for your efforts, once you defeat and banish the infamous Leader of the Black Harvest, you'll be able to learn The Codex of Xerrath, which has various cosmetic effects that are better experienced than spoiled. While the changes are more obvious to Destruction players (as they have more Fire spells), every specialization will see changes in its spells.
Should you wish to go back to a life of non-green fire (and really, who would want that?), you'll find Jubeka Shadowbreaker in Shadowmoon Valley, where she can rid you of the Fel awesomeness burden for the low sum of . Should you wish to become awesome tainted by Fel magic again, simply interact with the banished Kanrethad.
Did you defeat Kanrethad in the original Mists of Pandaria release or in MoP Classic? How many attempts did it take? Let us know in the comments down below!
