For years, the hunt for the Time-Lost Proto Drake has been the ultimate test of patience, sanity, and sheer, dumb RNG. We've all camped the Storm Peaks flight paths, memorized Vyragosa's patrol routes, and cursed the skies. But what if I told you the secret wasn't just in the drake itself?
My sources deep within the theorycrafting trenches—the same mad geniuses who min-max DPS to the millisecond—have crunched the numbers. After analyzing thousands of spawn logs and player-submitted data, a pattern emerged that wasn't random at all.
The Smoking Gun
It turns out, the TLPD's spawn timer isn't an isolated event. It's directly linked to the spawn cycle of a specific, otherwise insignificant mob in the zone. Kill this mob, and you've effectively hit the "reset" button on the entire rare spawn table for that sub-zone.
Which mob? Hold onto your tabards. It's not a giant, not a proto-drake, not even a particularly dangerous elite.
It's Scarlet Courier.
Wait, The WHAT?
You heard me. That level 80 humanoid NPC on a horse, patrolling between K3 and the Frosthold area. The one you've probably murdered a hundred times without a second thought for a paltry 23 gold and some frostweave cloth.
According to the data, the Scarlet Courier shares a hard-coded, 2-8 hour spawn window with the Time-Lost Proto Drake's potential spawn point in the western half of the zone. When his timer ticks over and he respawns, the game rolls the dice on the rare spawn table for that node. It's either him, Vyragosa, or the big prize itself.
What This Means For Farmers
This changes everything. You're no longer just waiting for a drake. You're managing a mob's respawn cycle.
- Targeted Farming: Instead of aimlessly flying, you now have a tangible, farmable trigger. Kill the Scarlet Courier on sight.
- Griefing Potential: This is huge. A competing farmer can now "lock" your spawn by keeping the Courier alive, preventing the table from rolling.
- Efficiency: This turns a 24/7 camp into a more predictable, if still grueling, schedule. Track the Courier's death, set a timer, and be back for the next window.
The old method was like fishing in an ocean. This new intel gives you sonar.
The Verdict: How to Do It
Here's your new min-maxed strategy, straight from the spreadsheets:
- Locate the Scarlet Courier. His patrol path runs along the road from K3 north toward Frosthold. Use NPCScan or SilverDragon.
- Kill him immediately. Do not let him live. This starts the spawn clock.
- Log the kill time. The spawn window for the rare table is 2 to 8 hours after his death. Set alarms.
- Return for the window. Be in the western patrol area (from Bor's Breath to the Engine of the Makers) when that 2-8 hour window opens. The game will now pick between the Courier, Vyragosa, or the TLPD.
- Repeat. If Vyragosa spawns, kill her and restart the cycle. The clock resets with every Courier death.
The RNG hasn't gone away. You're still praying for that 1-in-3 roll to proc the mount. But now you're not just waiting. You're actively forcing the game to roll the dice on your schedule. Good luck out there, hunters. May your GCDs be quick and your spawns be lost (to time).