Blood Death Knight Artifact Weapon: Maw of the Damned

By Wowhead Updated: 2025/10/17

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Gorelix the Fleshripper is a monstrous demon warrior. With his massive axe, the Maw of the Damned, he has devastated entire worlds in the name of the Legion.

Taking this powerful weapon from Gorelix the Fleshripper will require treading directly into the heart of the Legion's assault on our world, but the power of the Maw is well worth the risk.

The Dead and the Damned

Stage 1 - Hunting the Hunters
Search for Baron Silver, who should have arrived safely. Instead, you walk into a jailor's trap. Defeat the jailor and free Baron.

Stage 2 - Scout the Path
Follow Baron Silver.

Stage 3 - Breeching the Defenses
Protect Baron Silver while he disables the barrier.

Stage 4 - The Search Continues
Follow Baron Silver into enemy territory. Learn about Margrave, who was previously sent to fight Gorelix, and his prodigy, who is imprisoned by the Legion.

Stage 5 - End of the Inquisition
Hunt down Inquisitor Zalnor and obtain the key.

Stage 6 - Back to the Prisoner
Use the key to free Dagnar. You then focus on freeing Margrave, instead of the other Death Knights captured.

Stage 7 - Storming the Citadel
Disable the barriers. In this part, you must cross a harmful area of Fel Magic; Dagnar forgets to use Anti-Magic Shell and is teased.

Stage 8 - Into the Depths
The way is open into the complex. Continue down into the structure and locate Margrave.

Stage 9 - The Fleshripper
Slay Gorelix; you reach Margrave, but the demon kills him before you can save him.

Stage 10 - The Maw of the Damned
Take the Maw of the Damned.

Stage 11 - The Call of Icecrown
Travel to Icecrown Citadel to tell the Lich King of your success. Obtain the Lich King's Blessing: Mark of the Lich King

Artifact Book Text

Maw of the Damned

Mere weapons don't often inspire fear in demons. The Maw of the Damned is an exception. Its name is spoken with equal parts dread and awe among the Burning Legion's faithful. Even the demons disagree on how many lives the Maw of the Damned has ended. There is only one who knows the truth. His name is Netrezaar, and his soul is bound to the blade itself.

He is what inspires fear in demons. They know of the eternal hunger that burns in his soul. A hunger so great it cannot distinguish between friend and foe. In the Legion's hands, Netrezaar's spirit consumed entire civilizations. In someone else's hands, he would not hesitate to do the same to the Legion. He would relish every moment.

Maw of the Damned, Part One

Despite its long history of bloodshed, the Maw of the Damned was not created for genocide. It was forged to take a single life: that of the great demon lord Kil'jaeden.

Kil'jaeden was one of the eredar race's most beloved leaders. With a mere word, he could sway the hearts and minds of his people. When he joined the demonic Burning Legion, many eredar blindly followed his path.

One of the first to do so was a gifted smith named Netrius. He adored Kil'jaeden, and he spent his life seeking the eredar leader's approval. Netrius saw pledging himself to the Legion as the ultimate expression of his loyalty.

As a reward for this loyalty, Netrius was remade in the Legion's all-consuming fel fire. Volatile magics blazed through his soul, warping his mind and body forever.

Netrius, now known by the name Netrezaar, was never the same again. Even his feelings toward Kil'jaeden changed. What was once admiration had twisted into a dangerous obsession. It wasn't enough to simply win Kil'jaeden's approval. He needed more.

An idea took shape in Netrezaar's mind. To satisfy his obsession, he would create a weapon to consume Kil'jaeden's life force. That weapon would one day become known as the Maw of the Damned.

Maw of the Damned, Part Two

Netrezaar became a smith of much renown in the Burning Legion. His war machines terrorized worlds. His blades brought ruin to entire civilizations. Yet in truth, most of these weapons were merely experiments in his quest for the perfect tool with which to consume Kil'jaeden.

Success hinged on finding a material that could draw out and contain the demon lord's life force. Netrezaar spent years searching for exotic ores, most of which proved useless.

He made a promising discovery on Nihilam, the Doom World. Long ago, a war between the Legion's ruler, Sargeras, and his fellow titans had shaken the fabric of creation around Nihilam. Their apocalyptic battle had darkened the world and infused its metal ores with otherworldly properties.

When Netrezaar mined these metals, he found them nearly indestructible. In just the right light, the materials reflected brief images of the battle fought between Sargeras and the titans. Most important of all, these metals also leeched away the essence of any living thing that touched them.

For the first time in years, Netrezaar felt joy. He had finally found what he needed.

Maw of the Damned, Part Three

Netrezaar shaped the Maw of the Damned on one of the great demon forges of Argus, homeworld of the eredar. When crafting other weapons, he often infused them with cruelty and malice. Such was not the case with the Maw. Netrezaar poured all of his admiration and twisted obsession into the blade.

He labored day and night, pushing himself to the brink of collapse. Perfection was his goal. He would accept nothing less for the weapon that would kiss Kil'jaeden's flesh. The axe would leech away every ounce of the demon lord's life force and channel it directly into Netrezaar. Nothing would go to waste. He also enchanted the weapon's haft so that when he wielded the axe, its metals would not drain his essence.

When the work was done, Netrezaar had produced one of the greatest weapons in the Legion's arsenal. Nothing like it had ever been seen before, and nothing like it would ever be seen again.

Maw of the Damned, Part Four

The Maw of the Damned's first victim was not Kil'jaeden. It was one of Netrezaar's servants.

Netrezaar commanded dozens of mo'arg, highly resourceful demons who specialized in engineering and blacksmithing. All of them looked up to the eredar smith with awe, but he cared little for his followers. Like hammers and tongs, they were simply tools at his disposal.

To test the Maw, Netrezaar subjected a pair of mo'arg to gruesome experiments. He slowly cut their flesh with the axe, studying how quickly it drained their life force. The Maw worked just as planned. The demons' vital energies passed through the blade and flooded into Netrezaar.

Maw of the Damned, Part Five

Of the two mo'arg experimented on by Netrezaar, one survived. His name was Gorelix, and he was the eredar smith's most devoted follower. At least, he had been. The experiments had left Gorelix shriveled and disfigured. His admiration for Netrezaar darkened into a hatred hotter than any demon forge.

Gorelix did not have the physical strength to rise against Netrezaar. Even if he could, rebelling would mean a fate worse than death. Netrezaar was one of the eredar, one of Kil'jaeden's chosen.

The broken mo'arg vowed to find another way to exact vengeance on his master. He watched Netrezaar's every movement, seeking a weakness. Over time, Gorelix discovered something odd. Netrezaar's axe was powerful, and yet he would not use it in battle. He kept it hidden from other demons, save his mo'arg servants. What was its purpose, if not to strike down the Legion's enemies?

It dawned on Gorelix that Netrezaar had no intention of ever using the axe for the Legion. He had crafted it for another purpose.

Maw of the Damned, Part Six

Netrezaar was pleased with the Maw, and he decided the time had come to use it on Kil'jaeden. He would present the axe as a gift to his master and then strike at the unsuspecting demon lord.

Perhaps it would have worked if not for Gorelix. When the mo'arg learned of the meeting with Kil'jaeden, the last puzzle piece slid into place. He finally realized the true purpose of Netrezaar's axe.

He warned Kil'jaeden of the impending betrayal, and the demon lord plotted his own in return. Kil'jaeden met with Netrezaar just as planned. But before the smith could present his "gift," the demon lord struck. He used his magics to lock Netrezaar's spirit in place, while Gorelix took up the Maw.

As Netrezaar's screams of torment echoed over Argus, Gorelix slowly cut away his master's flesh. He did not stop until only bone remained.

Maw of the Damned, Part Seven

Netrezaar's fate was worse than death. Kil'jaeden made sure of that. He locked Netrezaar's howling spirit within the smith's own skull. Then he ordered Gorelix to fuse the bone onto the Maw of the Damned.

In this way, Netrezaar would be one with his beloved axe forever. The weapon's metals would constantly drain his spirit, leaving him racked with hunger. No amount of life force would ever satisfy him. To the contrary, the more Netrezaar consumed, the worse his pangs of hunger would grow.

Kil'jaeden gifted the axe to Gorelix as a reward for his loyalty. He gave the mo'arg only one specific order: keep Netrezaar's spirit fed to continue his torture.

Gorelix experimented with the axe, using it to draw the life essence from the Legion's prisoners. The energies drained by the Maw of the Damned were often too much for Netrezaar's spirit to consume. What was left over flowed into Gorelix himself, and strength gradually returned to his broken form.

As word of the axe and its origins spread, demons referred to its prisoner as Netrezaar the Damned. It was from this moniker that Gorelix renamed the weapon.

He called it the Maw of the Damned.

Maw of the Damned, Part Eight

On a small world under siege by the Legion, Gorelix learned of the Maw's true power and potential.

He and a team of mo'arg had been tasked with building a citadel to serve as a base of operations. In one battle, this stronghold came under attack from the world's brave defenders. A massive breach opened in the wall. If the mo'arg could not repair it soon, the entire citadel would fall to the Legion's enemies.

Gorelix volunteered to defend the breach while the other mo'arg worked. Hundreds of enemies stormed the opening in the wall, howling battle cries in their alien tongue. Gorelix stood fast, rending any who came within the Maw's deadly reach. He never flagged. On the contrary, every kill infused his body with greater strength and vitality.

When the last attacker had fallen, the other mo'arg found that they no longer needed to repair the breach. Gorelix had filled it with corpses.

Maw of the Damned, Part Nine

The more Gorelix used the Maw, the more it changed him. He grew into a hulking mass of taut muscle, dwarfing every other mo'arg in size. His monstrous appearance earned him a new name: the Fleshripper.

Despite the power the Maw gave him, there were times when Gorelix did not use the axe. Sometimes he would watch from a distance while the Legion besieged new worlds. All the while, Gorelix would taunt Netrezaar's spirit, describing the battle and all the lives lost in great detail.

When the Maw began to physically tremble in Gorelix's hands, he knew that Netrezaar's spirit was suffering. The mo'arg found as much satisfaction from these acts of torture as he did from imbibing the life force of his victims.

Maw of the Damned, Part Ten

On the world of Centralis, the Maw of the Damned secured its place as a weapon of legend.

Centralis was home to a mighty warrior people. They resisted the Legion's attempts at conquest for much longer than other races. Yet like all who stood against the demons, they were doomed to fall eventually.

Rather than simply destroy Centralis's inhabitants, Kil'jaeden decided they would make fitting victims for the Maw of the Damned. Their potent life essence would engorge Netrezaar's spirit and push him to new realms of torment.

At Kil'jaeden's command, Gorelix traveled to Centralis. He marched at the head of a vast Legion army, Maw in hand. The blade bit through the armor, flesh, and souls of all who fell under his gaze. No corner of Centralis was safe from Gorelix's reach. No creature, not even the smallest wild beast, was shown mercy.

When his long march had ended, only a dead world remained at his back.

Maw of the Damned, Part Eleven

After the massacre of Centralis, Gorelix continued learning how to maximize the Maw's destructive power. So effective was he at wielding the axe that he became one of the Legion's most invaluable tools. Rather than waste Gorelix's talents in minor battles, Kil'jaeden saved the mo'arg for special tasks.

This also allowed Kil'jaeden to keep close watch over the Maw and its whereabouts. Though he trusted Gorelix, he could not bear the thought of the axe falling into enemy hands.

While in Gorelix's care, the Maw claimed countless victims. No matter how much Netrezaar's spirit feasted, his wild screams continued echoing through the axe. Even demons began to fear the Maw and its cursed prisoner. They had seen the weapon consume entire races. An entire world. Yet still it wanted more.

Whether Netrezaar's hunger will ever die is unknown.

Comments

Comment by 881

Is it possible to get Mark of the Lich King again at a later time at all?

Comment by Kraxiloth

Is this guide current? Can we really be sure about Bonejaw (Hidden Artifact appearance) not being in the game right now? May I please see some sources for this?

Comment by darthgummibear

I'm primarily curious about Bonejaw, the only appearance that doesn't yet have a known source. I've seen many deathknights inquiring about this in various areas, as well as other classes for their respective unknown.

Aside from bonejaw looking pretty badass, it matches my transmog perfectly.

Comment by wyhn

I think the way of getting the hidden appearance is just killing all the 6 bosses in the Withered Scenario.

I got mine after doing so today, 11 September 2016.

Now a question about the color variations: is there any way to track how many dungeons, world quests or enemies we have already killed? And... do all dungeons count or only the broken isles ones?

Comment by Kellei

For everybody asking about Bonejaw:

Will there be more artifact appearances or variations in later patches?
Amusingly enough, most of the community got a sneak peak. Over the first few months, there's a base appearance, an upgraded one, a PvE-style series, and then a PvP-style series...as well as a hidden series. All those variants are shipped for Legion's launch (5 variations).

However, there is an additional appearance which will be added in a future patch, which you can see on calculators.

source: Artifact Q&A from July

Comment by Elyseon

"Notice me senpai!" gone horribly wrong...

Comment by Lansiron

First Kil'jaeden spends ten thousand years on passionate, obsessive revenge plots against Velen, and now the backstory of this weapon shows that among KJ's own followers, he had his own infatuated, obsessed admirers?

Man, oh, man. The ~~fanfics~~ Steamy Romance Novels practically write themselves.

Comment by Hiaran

So a Artifact made by a yandere blacksmith... Nice!

Comment by Waterfuzz

Soulreaper scythe appearance is unfortunately flipped with the blade facing down.
Such a bummer.

Blood Death Knight Artifact Weapon: Maw of the Damned

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