The weekly quest A Nightmarish Task asks players to complete three Nightmare difficulty Prey Hunts. Finishing it does not directly hand you Hero gear.
Instead, it gives you something potentially more useful: a Scalebound Herald's Flute.
That flute can be used inside a Delve to summon Azta'rec. Defeat him, and you receive a guaranteed Trovehunter's Bounty. Use that map before completing a Tier 8 or higher Delve, and the resulting Hidden Trove can contain Hero-track gear.
So the route is slightly more complicated than "kill three things, receive purple trousers."
But not by much.
Start With A Nightmarish Task in Silvermoon
The weekly begins with Astalor Bloodsworn in Silvermoon City, who offers A Nightmarish Task.
The objective is simple:
Complete three Nightmare Prey Hunts.
Nightmare difficulty is immediately available to eligible Season 2 characters, so there is no multi-week unlock standing between you and the quest.
As part of the current Season 2 Nightmare Prey reward route, completing A Nightmarish Task gives:
- 20 Remnants of Anguish
- 500 Voidlight Marl
- 20 Hero Mistcrests
- 1 Scalebound Herald's Flute
Those rewards are already decent.
The flute is where things become interesting.
The Flute Lets You Summon Azta'rec
The Scalebound Herald's Flute can be taken into a Delve and used to lure out Season 2's Nemesis boss, Azta'rec.
You cannot simply blow the flute immediately after walking through the entrance.
You first need to reach the Empowered Restoration Stone deeper inside the Delve. Once there, the flute can summon Azta'rec into the run.
Defeat him and he drops a guaranteed Trovehunter's Bounty.
Azta'rec is already becoming one of the central characters in Season 2's solo progression. We previously looked at how the new Delve Nemesis turns poison mechanics into what amounts to venom Tetris, and his reward structure now gives players another reason to seek him out beyond achievements and prestige.
This time, you are deliberately inviting him over.
Because apparently the correct response to finding a giant venomous monster is to play it a tune.
The Trovehunter's Bounty Is the Important Reward
A Trovehunter's Bounty works like a treasure map for Delves.
Using it guarantees that a Hidden Trove will appear when you complete your next eligible Delve.
The quality of that reward depends on the Delve tier.
If you complete a Tier 8 or higher Delve with the map active, the Hidden Trove awards Hero-track gear.
That is why stopping at the flute would undersell the weekly quest.
The complete chain is:
- Pick up A Nightmarish Task.
- Complete three Nightmare Prey Hunts.
- Receive the Scalebound Herald's Flute.
- Enter a Delve and reach the Empowered Restoration Stone.
- Use the flute to summon Azta'rec.
- Defeat Azta'rec and loot the Trovehunter's Bounty.
- Use the map and complete a Tier 8 or higher Delve.
- Open the Hidden Trove for Hero-track gear.
There are more efficient WoW systems.
There are also systems involving seventeen currencies and an NPC you last spoke to six months ago.
We will take this one.
Nightmare Prey Is Worth Doing Even Before the Map
The route also makes Nightmare Prey more attractive as an opening-week activity in its own right.
We previewed how Season 2 expands Prey with new Coiled Isle Nightmare Hunts and serpentine targets, but the live reward loop is now considerably clearer.
Nightmare Hunts themselves provide useful Season 2 progression, including Coffer Key Shards. Those can eventually become Restored Coffer Keys for Bountiful Delves, where Tier 8 runs offer another path toward Champion-track gearing.
Meanwhile, A Nightmarish Task provides 20 Hero Mistcrests before you even begin the Azta'rec portion.
So this is not three Nightmare Hunts performed solely to unlock another chore.
Most pieces of the chain contribute something useful.
Save the Map for Tier 8 or Higher
The main mistake to avoid is wasting the Trovehunter's Bounty on a lower Delve tier if your character can reasonably clear Tier 8.
The map can work from Tier 4 onward, but the Hidden Trove's equipment scales with difficulty. The Trovehunter's Bounty itself guarantees a Hidden Trove rather than a fixed item level, so the Delve you choose matters.
Tier 8 is the important breakpoint for Hero-track equipment.
If your character is not yet ready for Tier 8, there is no great prize for rushing the final step just to get the map out of your bags.
Get stronger first.
Then make the treasure chest worth opening.
Azta'rec Is Becoming Season 2's Personal Loot Goblin
It is slightly amusing how many Season 2 systems now lead back to Azta'rec.
He has his regular Nemesis progression.
He has the Apophic Soul Crusher solo challenge mount.
He has the opening-week Fabled title challenge.
He can provide Mistcrests outside the normal weekly crest cap.
And now Nightmare Prey gives you a flute specifically designed to drag him into another Delve so you can beat a treasure map out of him.
For somebody positioned as Season 2's terrifying Delve Nemesis, Azta'rec is spending an alarming amount of time carrying our shopping list.
Three Hunts Can Turn Into Hero Gear
The important thing is to understand that the Hero item is not the direct reward from A Nightmarish Task.
You still need to complete the whole chain.
Three Nightmare Hunts give you the flute.
The flute gives you a guaranteed Azta'rec summon.
Azta'rec gives you the Trovehunter's Bounty.
A Tier 8 or higher Delve turns that map into Hero-track loot.
For players already planning to run Prey and Delves this week, that makes A Nightmarish Task one of the more efficient Season 2 quests to knock out.
Three hunts.
One angry snake monster.
One treasure map.
One Hero-track item.
Season 2 gearing could certainly be worse.
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