Arms Warrior Artifact Weapon: Strom'kar the Warbreaker

By Wowhead Updated: 2025/10/17

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The first king of the humans, Thoradin, was a mighty ruler and a mighty warrior.

He carried with him a greatsword forged by vrykul, empowered by elves, and bloodied on the fields of countless battles.

Strom'kar, ender of wars, was lost with Thoradin. One strong enough to recover the sword would bring to bear a blade unlike any seen ages since.

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"A mighty blade, forged by the son of Vrykul, enchanted by Elven sorcery, and quenched in the blood of a C’thraxxi. It will serve you well. With it, you will undo your enemies."

Artifact Book Text

Strom'kar, the Warbreaker

Human history is not complete without mention of Strom'kar. With this blade, a visionary warlord named Thoradin united his race into a single nation. He led his people to victory against the trolls in one of the greatest wars humankind has ever fought. He changed the destiny of the world. Strom'kar's story is one of violence and bloodshed, of cunning and desperation. And, ultimately, of bravery and sacrifice.

Strom'kar, the Warbreaker, Part One

The early human tribes had many legends about giants who had once walked among them. These mighty beings had many names, but the most common attributed to them was "vrykul." The folktales said that the giants watched over humans as parents would watch over sons and daughters. The vrykul taught their primitive children the ways of foraging, of masonry and smithing, and of making war.

By the time of Warlord Thoradin, the vrykul of the human lands had long since died out. What little remained of their presence included weapons they had left behind. The humans treated these arms as sacred heirlooms and symbols of their tribes. But the blade later known as Strom'kar would become much more than that.

In Thoradin's hands, it would become a symbol of all humanity.

Strom'kar, the Warbreaker, Part Two

From chapter eight of The One True Human Kingdom, by the historian Llore:

"Even as the brutish Amani trolls raided and pillaged, the human tribes bickered and squabbled with each other. Only Warlord Thoradin and his Arathi tribe recognized the folly of their ways. If they did not unite, the moss-skinned trolls would crush humankind and desecrate its ancestral lands.

"So it was that Thoradin declared himself king and set out to bring the tribes to heel. Many he won to his side through the marriages of his sons and daughters. Others, through promises of wealth and land.

"But some closed their ears to words of diplomacy. They spoke only the language of violence.

"Fortunately, Thoradin knew that language well."

Strom'kar, the Warbreaker, Part Three

For weeks, Thoradin and his warriors struggled to conquer the rugged mountain people known as the Alteraci. Though the upstart king was confident he could subdue the tribe if given enough time, he knew the cost would be very high. To prevent unnecessary bloodshed, he changed his tactics.

Thoradin shed his battle armor and painted his chest with Arathi tribal symbols. With only Strom'kar in hand, he marched up the mountain and challenged the Alteraci leader, Ignaeus, to a duel.

Before long, Ignaeus emerged from the forest, skin dyed red with his own tribal marks, blade sharpened and hungry for death. He dwarfed Thoradin in size and strength, but the Arathi leader had other advantages. He had chosen the duel on a day when thick fog enveloped the mountains. Using the weather to his advantage, Thoradin eluded Ignaeus's wild swings and disarmed his bigger foe.

Ignaeus was at Thoradin's mercy, but the Arathi leader did not strike. He plunged Strom'kar into the damp earth and extended the hand of peace. On that day, he won the Alteraci to his side.

Strom'kar, the Warbreaker, Part Four

The only human tribe powerful enough to end King Thoradin's dream of unity dwelled in Tirisfal Glades. A great warrior named Lordain led the region's noble people. They would not submit to shows of force like the Alteraci. To win their loyalty, Thoradin needed to appeal to their religious beliefs.

Thus, Thoradin and his personal guards made a pilgrimage to the region's shrines and sacred groves. At each site, the king performed rituals as was the custom of Lordain and his kin. Thoradin even wore a pendant of the silver hand, an image held sacred by Tirisfal's humans.

At the end of the pilgrimage, Thoradin met with Lordain. The king pledged that if the tribe joined him, he would adopt their mystic ways and spread them among the Arathi. To seal his promise, Thoradin ran his palm along Strom'kar's edge and mixed his blood with the earth of Tirisfal.

The histories record Thoradin as saying, "Between our people, let this be the only blood we spill."

And so it was. Lordain and his people bent the knee to King Thoradin.

Strom'kar, the Warbreaker, Part Five

From chapter fourteen of The One True Human Kingdom, by the historian Llore:

"Thoradin and other early human warlords held their swords and axes sacred. Many believed that the spirits of their ancestors lived on in their weapons. With this in mind, it's quite extraordinary that Thoradin convinced all of the human tribal leaders to lend him their personal blades.

"Arathi blacksmiths took shards of metal from each of these weapons and added them to Thoradin's greatsword. It was an act of brilliance, for it secured the eternal loyalty of the tribes. Who would ever rise up against Thoradin and risk striking the sword that contained their own ancestors?

"When the work was done, Thoradin renamed his sword Strom'kar, the Warbreaker."

Strom'kar, the Warbreaker, Part Six

With the human tribes united, King Thoradin set out to found a new capital. According to one legend, he discovered his answer in a dream. In it, he saw his father wearing the pelt of a black wolf. He told Thoradin of an arid land southeast of Tirisfal Glades. If the king built his capital there, his people would prosper.

Thoradin sought out the land from his dream, a region known today as the Arathi Highlands. As the story goes, the king spied a black wolf roaming the barren terrain. On that spot, Thoradin used Strom'kar to carve out the boundaries of his city in the dirt. Then he set his masons to work.

So arose Strom, mighty capital of the first human kingdom.

Strom'kar, the Warbreaker, Part Seven

Thoradin was not a king to sit idle on his throne, just as Strom'kar was not a sword to sit idle in its sheath.

The Arathi military patrolled the far-flung borders of the human territories, repelling Amani troll incursions. King Thoradin took part in many of these skirmishes, often at great risk to his own life.

One account tells of a brutal Amani ambush that struck Thoradin's forces. The trolls routed the humans, separating the king from his warriors. Though he was outnumbered ten to one, Thoradin did not flee. He did not beg. He did not cower. No true Arathi would stain his honor with such craven acts.

Thoradin sharpened Strom'kar's edge on the skulls of his enemies and painted its steel with their blood. When the guards finally reached him, they found their king standing over ten broken Amani corpses.

Strom'kar, the Warbreaker, Part Eight

From chapter twenty-nine of The Warring Tribes and the Rise of Arathor, by the historian Evelyna:

"To defeat the Amani, Arathor and the high elves of Quel'Thalas forged an alliance. King Thoradin marshaled over twenty thousand human soldiers and launched his armies at the trolls. The decisive battle unfolded at Alterac Fortress. The Amani host besieged the stronghold. While the humans defended the fortress from the onslaught, the high elves smashed into the troll rearguard.

"Thoradin waded through the Amani warbands with the rest of his soldiers, Strom'kar hacking down troll after troll. Once the king knew his forces had worn the enemy thin, he revealed his secret weapon.

"One hundred human magi emerged from Alterac Fortress. Alongside elven sorcerers, they pooled their power and unleashed a single terrible spell on the Amani. A column of fire ripped down from the heavens and blasted through the trolls. The howling torrent of flame burned the Amani to ash.

"Thus the Troll Wars ended, with human and elf triumphant."

Strom'kar, the Warbreaker, Part Nine

After the Troll Wars, Thoradin embarked on a diplomatic mission to Quel'Thalas and secured humanity's bond of loyalty with the high elves. The king created a military pact so that each side would help the other if the Amani ever threatened their lands again. He also carved out new territorial borders with the elves and drew up trade agreements to foster the prosperity of Arathor for generations to come.

Before Thoradin left Quel'Thalas, the elves gave him a gift. Their greatest blacksmiths and enchanters toiled over Strom'kar and imbued it with extraordinary power. Thoradin marveled at the masterwork of the elves. The new Strom'kar gleamed with an otherworldly beauty. It weighed almost nothing in Thoradin's hands, and no matter how often he used it, the edge never seemed to dull.

Strom'kar, the Warbreaker, Part Ten

As his years wore on, a grizzled Thoradin abdicated his throne in peace. He broke tradition and kept Strom'kar as his own. Though some bristled at what they considered an act of greed, Thoradin retained the blade for practical reasons. Strom'kar had become a symbol of kingship. Thoradin wanted Arathor's citizenry to see his bloodline as the legitimate rulers, not simply whoever wielded the sword.

Free from the burden of leadership, Thoradin spent much of his time studying ancient ruins in Tirisfal Glades. He became obsessed with the origins of humankind and with the tales of giants who once walked the land. Thoradin learned to use Strom'kar's enchantments to locate hidden places of power.

During one of his journeys in Tirisfal, Thoradin and a retinue of his followers entered mysterious catacombs buried beneath the earth. According to the legends, none of them were ever seen again.

Strom'kar, the Warbreaker, Part Eleven

Many strange tales exist about what befell Thoradin, but the truth is the strangest of them all. In Tirisfal Glades, he discovered two long-lost subterranean chambers. One belonged to the noble keeper Tyr. The other, to a monstrosity known as Zakajz, a bloodthirsty servant of the malevolent Old Gods.

Before written history, Tyr had sacrificed himself to defeat Zakajz in a battle that shook the heart of Azeroth. The keeper's allies buried both combatants at the site of their mythic confrontation, and they sealed the tomb with magical wards to prevent anyone from disturbing what lay inside.

Unaware of the great darkness locked beneath the earth, Thoradin instructed the magi in his retinue to break the seals. They succeeded... and, in so doing, their arcane spellwork inadvertently resurrected Zakajz. As the lumbering creature tore through Thoradin's followers, the former king did not flee. He did not beg. He did not cower. No true Arathi would stain his honor with such craven acts.

Thoradin sharpened Strom'kar's edge one last time, burying the sword into Zakajz's skull. The blade's elven enchantments forced the horror into a deep slumber and prevented it from regenerating.

It was Thoradin's last great act. At the moment of his strike, he suffered a mortal wound from Zakajz. The warrior who united humankind died that day, Strom'kar stained with the blood of one final enemy.

Comments

Comment by Xamurus

In title it should be Strom'kar the Warbreaker, not Warbringer.

Comment by TheLustful

I gotta say, I think this is possibly the ugliest artifact in Legion. I like it's axe form well enough but I think the rest looks godawful.

Comment by Ditlevfalck

Fun fact, it'll actually fear the Council of Elders in Throne of Thunder! Even on a level 100

Comment by TheranusKJ

To get the Arcanite Bladebreaker skin:

*This first step happens randomly so approach Helgar every time you enter Skyhold for a chance at this*
First Master Smith Helgar must mention to you in passing (with Strom'Kar equipped): "Your sword is incredible. I wonder if there is an axe to match it." (http://imgur.com/VYILHlG)
He'll have a dialogue option which then gives you the quest. (Seen here: http://imgur.com/wMbguKM ; then, http://imgur.com/mLw40eO ; followed by, http://imgur.com/hUFczSL)

Now jump to Dalaran from Skyhold, next to your beacon of light is the glorious "Cleaving Legend" himself High Overlord Saurfang. (http://imgur.com/arP37X3) Speak to him and prompt through his dialogue options. ( Seen here: http://imgur.com/CFIPaVg. then, http://imgur.com/qO8KZuZ)

Return to Master Smith Helgar in the Skyhold and speak to him to further the quest. (http://imgur.com/0cqDqgE)

Now you must face High Overlord Saurfang in the Circle of Glory (http://imgur.com/Ii668fz). He will use shockwave, which serves as a knockback, so it is best to back up toward the guarding rails on the north and south sides of the ring. He uses Intimidating Shout which fears you, he has a slight cast time so popping Berserker Rage as he casts will negate the fear. He also uses Bladestorm, and he will follow you with it if you run away. Surprising not once was I cleaved ;). Once he is brought down to 50% Health he will yield saying "Enough! You have proven your ability. I will grant your request."

Return to Master Smith Helgar, after a short in-game dialogue with High Overlord Saurfang (http://imgur.com/vxAXpz3), he will give you the option to complete the quest and reward you the new skin item. (http://imgur.com/hUFczSL)

REMEMBER TO LEARN THE SKIN!
CONGRATULATIONS!
http://imgur.com/3c3miog

This macro can be used to track the progress on your secret artifact skins:
/run local q,x,_,a,b = GetAchievementCriteriaInfo,0 for i=1,11 do _,_,_,a,b = q(11152,i) x=x+a end local _,_,_,c,d = q(11153,1) local _,_,_,e,f = q(11154,1) print("Dungeons: "..x.."/"..b) print("WQs: "..c.."/"..d) print("Kills: "..e.."/"..f)

EDIT: fixed picture links.
EDIT: added macro

Arms Warrior Artifact Weapon: Strom'kar the Warbreaker

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