Aldor or Scryer is the one choice in Shattrath City you can’t undo cheaply, and for most characters the answer is Aldor. Physical DPS, hunters and healers get a slightly better exalted shoulder enchant from the Aldor, and the Aldor versions of the Shattered Sun pendants coming in Phase 4 fit those roles better. Caster DPS can pick either side, and warrior and paladin tanks lean slightly toward the Scryers.
The difference is small: by our math the gap between the exalted shoulder enchants is well under one percent of output for every spec. If Arcane Tomes are much cheaper than Fel Armaments on your realm, or you just like one side better, that is a fair tiebreaker.
Version: Burning Crusade Classic Anniversary realms, currently in Phase 3 (Black Temple and Mount Hyjal, live since August 27, 2026). The reputation values match the original TBC and the 2021 TBC Classic realms. Updated September 25, 2026: rewritten for TBC Anniversary with class picks, turn-in math and switching costs.
Aldor or Scryer: Quick Pick by Class and Spec
Our pick for each spec on TBC Anniversary realms in Phase 3, when most pre-raid faction items are already replaced:
| Class | Spec | Pick | Main reason |
|---|---|---|---|
| Warrior | Arms, Fury | Aldor | Vengeance at least ties Blade; +200 attack power pendant proc |
| Warrior | Protection | Scryers (slight) | More defense for the 490 cap; expertise pendant proc |
| Paladin | Holy | Aldor | Faith gives 11 more healing than Oracle |
| Paladin | Protection | Scryers (slight) | Same defense argument as warrior tanks |
| Paladin | Retribution | Aldor | Vengeance slightly ahead; attack power pendant proc |
| Hunter | All | Aldor | Hunters get more from attack power than from crit rating |
| Rogue | All | Aldor (slight) | Shoulders tie; Aldor pendant proc is stronger |
| Priest | Holy, Discipline | Aldor | Faith |
| Priest | Shadow | Aldor | DoTs can’t crit in TBC, so spell power beats crit |
| Shaman | Enhancement | Aldor | Vengeance plus the Overseer’s Signet quest ring |
| Shaman | Elemental | Either | Discipline slightly ahead; Scryer’s Bloodgem if you lack hit |
| Shaman | Restoration | Aldor | Faith |
| Mage | All | Either | Discipline slightly ahead; Scryer items help early gearing |
| Warlock | Affliction | Aldor | DoTs can’t crit in TBC |
| Warlock | Destruction | Either | Discipline slightly ahead; Scryers have Bloodgem and Seer’s Signet |
| Druid | Balance | Either | Same as mage |
| Druid | Feral (cat) | Aldor (slight) | Vengeance ties Blade; attack power pendant proc |
| Druid | Feral (bear) | Aldor | Bears don’t need 490 defense, so dodge beats defense |
| Druid | Restoration | Aldor | Faith |
Is the Difference Between Aldor and Scryer Big?
No. The Aldor or Scryer choice changes one shoulder enchant, a few pre-raid items and, from Phase 4, the proc on one Shattered Sun necklace. The shoulder math:
Physical DPS: Greater Inscription of Vengeance (Aldor) has 10 more attack power, Greater Inscription of the Blade (Scryers) 5 more crit rating. At level 70, 22.08 crit rating is 1% crit, so the Scryer bonus is about 0.23% crit. The Scryers only win if a point of crit rating is worth more than two attack power to you. Rogues, warriors and Enhancement shamans sit close to that line (a tie). Hunters value crit rating below it, which makes them the clearest Aldor case.
Caster DPS: Greater Inscription of Discipline (Aldor) has 6 more spell damage, Greater Inscription of the Orb (Scryers) 5 more spell crit rating. The Scryers only win if a point of spell crit rating is worth more than 1.2 spell damage. For most TBC casters it’s worth less, and for Affliction warlocks and Shadow priests far less, because periodic damage can’t crit in TBC.
Healers: Greater Inscription of Faith (Aldor) trades 2 mp5 for 11 more healing compared to the Scryer Greater Inscription of the Oracle. Unless you run dry on long fights, healing wins.
Tanks: Greater Inscription of the Knight (Scryers) swaps 5 dodge rating for 5 defense rating. Warriors and paladins need 490 defense skill to be uncrittable, so extra defense helps until they reach it. Bears only need 415 thanks to Survival of the Fittest, so dodge is worth more to them.
Aldor vs Scryer Rewards: Shoulder Enchants and Items
Each side sells four shoulder inscriptions, one per role, in an Honored version and a Greater version at Exalted (TBC values as listed by Blizzard Watch and Warcraft Tavern):
| Role | Aldor (Honored / Exalted) | Scryers (Honored / Exalted) |
|---|---|---|
| Physical DPS | Vengeance: +26 AP / +30 AP, +10 crit rating | Blade: +13 crit rating / +20 AP, +15 crit rating |
| Caster DPS | Discipline: +15 spell dmg / +18 spell dmg, +10 spell crit rating | Orb: +13 spell crit rating / +12 spell dmg, +15 spell crit rating |
| Healer | Faith: +29 healing, +10 dmg / +33 healing, +11 dmg, +4 mp5 | Oracle: +5 mp5 / +22 healing, +6 mp5 |
| Tank | Warding: +13 dodge rating / +15 dodge, +10 defense rating | Knight: +13 defense rating / +15 defense, +10 dodge rating |
The inscriptions don’t cost gold. Aldor enchants (Inscriber Saalyn, Aldor bank) cost Holy Dust, Scryer enchants (Inscriber Veredis, Scryer bank) cost Arcane Runes: 2 for Honored, 8 for Greater. The only source is one Holy Dust per Fel Armament and one Arcane Rune per Arcane Tome turned in.
Notable Aldor items: Vindicator’s Brand (Exalted sword), Lightwarden’s Band (Revered ring), Overseer’s Signet (quest ring from Shutting Down Manaforge Ara) and Pattern: Golden Spellthread, the healer leg enchant. Scryers: Scryer’s Bloodgem (Revered trinket, 32 spell hit rating and an on-use of up to 150 spell damage), Seer’s Signet (Exalted caster ring) and Pattern: Runic Spellthread for caster legs. By Phase 3 raid gear has replaced most of the items, but both spellthreads stay relevant.
Shattered Sun pendants in Phase 4
The four Shattered Sun Offensive necklaces from the Isle of Quel’Danas proc differently for each side, and only while you are Exalted with the Aldor or the Scryers. Blizzard hasn’t dated Phase 4; Blizzard Watch estimates December 2026.
| Pendant | Aldor proc | Scryers proc |
|---|---|---|
| Might (melee, ranged) | +200 attack power for 10 sec | 333 to 367 arcane damage |
| Acumen (caster) | +120 spell damage and healing for 10 sec | 333 to 367 arcane damage |
| Restoration (healer) | +117 spell power for 10 sec | Instant heal for 618 to 682 |
| Resolve (tank) | +100 dodge rating for 10 sec | +100 expertise rating for 10 sec |
The Aldor procs are stronger for melee, hunters and healers. Tanks choose survival (dodge) or threat (expertise), and for casters the two procs are close.
How to Choose Aldor or Scryer in Shattrath
You pick a side in Shattrath City with two intro quests and one allegiance quest:
- Talk to a Haggard War Veteran walking around Shattrath and accept A’dal.
- Complete City of Light by following Khadgar’s Servant on a tour of the city.
- Accept either Allegiance to the Aldor or Allegiance to the Scryers. Turning it in gives 3,500 reputation (500 into Friendly) and makes the other side Hostile.
Draenei start Friendly with the Aldor and blood elves with the Scryers, but both can join the other side. Don’t wait: faction quests in Netherstorm and Shadowmoon Valley only give reputation once you have picked. The Aldor Rise (west, up an elevator) sits next to the back exit to Nagrand; the Scryer’s Tier (east, ground level) is closer to the flight master.
How to Get Exalted with the Aldor or Scryers
Reaching Exalted with the Aldor or the Scryers takes 38,500 reputation after the allegiance quest. Quests cover about 7,000 (Scryers) to 8,000 (Aldor) of that, and the rest comes from repeatable turn-ins on your terrace in Shattrath.
| Turn-in | Side | Reputation | Works until | Drops from |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mark of Kil’jaeden | Aldor | 25 each (250 per 10) | Honored | Bone Wastes (Terokkar), Kil’sorrow Fortress (Nagrand) |
| Mark of Sargeras | Aldor | 25 each (250 per 10) | Exalted | Legion mobs 66+: Blade’s Edge, Netherstorm, Shadowmoon |
| Fel Armament | Aldor | 350 + 1 Holy Dust | Exalted | Same mobs, 2 to 4% |
| Firewing Signet | Scryers | 25 each (250 per 10) | Honored | Firewing Point (Terokkar) |
| Sunfury Signet | Scryers | 25 each (250 per 10) | Exalted | Sunfury elves: Netherstorm, Shadowmoon, Blade’s Edge |
| Arcane Tome | Scryers | 350 + 1 Arcane Rune | Exalted | Sunfury elves, 2 to 3% |
Aldor marks go to Adyen the Lightwarden and Fel Armaments to High Priestess Ishanah; Scryer signets go to Magistrix Fyalenn and Arcane Tomes to Voren’thal the Seer. Marks of Kil’jaeden also give 125 Sha’tar reputation per ten, a small bonus toward the Sha’tar exalted rewards.
How many turn-ins to Exalted
Our calculation, turn-ins only, rounded up:
| Stage | Reputation | Marks or Signets | Fel Armaments or Arcane Tomes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Friendly (after allegiance) to Honored | 5,500 | 220 | 16 |
| Honored to Revered | 12,000 | 480 | 35 |
| Revered to Exalted | 21,000 | 840 | 60 |
| Total | 38,500 | 1,540 | 110 |
With every faction quest done, you still need about 1,220 marks or 88 Fel Armaments (Aldor), or 1,262 signets or 91 Arcane Tomes (Scryers), based on Warcraft Wiki’s quest values. Humans need about 9% fewer thanks to Diplomacy. One Fel Armament or Arcane Tome equals 14 marks or signets, the ratio to use when comparing Auction House prices.
Fastest path to Exalted
- Pick your side on your first visit to Shattrath.
- Turn in Marks of Kil’jaeden or Firewing Signets first; they stop working at Honored. Save the other turn-ins, which count all the way to Exalted.
- Do the faction quests: about 4,000 to 4,400 in Netherstorm (from Area 52), about 1,900 in Shadowmoon Valley, plus 1,000 each from Deathblow to the Legion (Aldor) or Turning Point (Scryers) and Varedis Must Be Stopped.
- Farm Shadow Labyrinth for Aldor marks, or the Tempest Keep dungeons (Mechanar, Botanica, Arcatraz) for Sunfury Signets and Arcane Tomes.
- Turn in at least 8 Fel Armaments or Arcane Tomes (10 if you want the Honored inscription on the way). A grind done only with marks leaves you with no Holy Dust or Arcane Runes.
Can You Change From Aldor to Scryer (or Back)?
Yes, you can switch between the Aldor and the Scryers, but it wipes your old progress and costs up to 1,344 farmed items. Both quest givers stand in Lower City (see our Lower City rep guide).
- Scryers to Aldor: Sha’nir, quest Strained Supplies: 8 Dreadfang Venom Sacs for 250 Aldor reputation.
- Aldor to Scryers: Arcanist Adyria, quest Voren’thal’s Visions: 8 Dampscale Basilisk Eyes for 250 Scryer reputation.
- Both repeat only until Neutral with the new side. From Hated that is 168 turn-ins (1,344 items), each costing 275 reputation with the side you leave.
- Midway you are Unfriendly with both and locked out of both banks and inns, so bring all items at once.
- Quests done for the old side don’t pay the new one, and Neutral to Exalted is another 42,000 reputation.
A switch costs about as much as a second full grind. Only do it if you changed your main spec for good.
FAQ
Should a hunter choose Aldor or Scryer?
Hunters should choose the Aldor: Greater Inscription of Vengeance has 10 more attack power, which hunters value over crit rating, and the Aldor pendant proc (+200 attack power) is better for them too.
Is Aldor or Scryer better for a Restoration Shaman?
The Aldor. Greater Inscription of Faith gives 33 healing and 4 mp5 against 22 healing and 6 mp5 from the Scryer Oracle. The same goes for every healer.
When can you choose Aldor or Scryer?
As soon as you reach Shattrath City and finish A’dal and City of Light. Choose right away, since faction quests give no reputation before you have a side.
How much rep does an Arcane Tome give?
An Arcane Tome gives 350 Scryer reputation and one Arcane Rune. The Aldor Fel Armament gives the same 350 plus one Holy Dust.
How many Marks of Kil’jaeden do you need for Exalted?
You can’t reach Exalted with Marks of Kil’jaeden alone, because they stop counting at Honored. You need 220 to go from the start of Friendly to Honored, then 1,320 Marks of Sargeras (or 95 Fel Armaments) to Exalted.
Sources: Blizzard’s Phase 3 announcement. Reputation, pendant and item data from Warcraft Wiki (the Aldor, the Scryers and the Shattered Sun pendants), Icy Veins and Warcraft Tavern, and enchant lists and phase estimates from Blizzard Watch. Turn-in counts and stat comparisons are our own math. Screenshots: World of Warcraft, Blizzard Entertainment.