The Serpentshrine Cavern attunement is one quest, The Cudgel of Kar'desh. You get it from Skar'this the Heretic inside Heroic Slave Pens. To finish it, bring him the Earthen Signet from Gruul in Gruul's Lair and the Blazing Signet from Nightbane in Karazhan. In TBC Anniversary the attunement is account-wide, so you only need to do it on one character.
SSC attunement at a glance
| Quest | The Cudgel of Kar'desh |
| Quest giver | Skar'this the Heretic, Heroic Slave Pens (Coilfang Reservoir, Zangarmarsh) |
| Item 1 | Earthen Signet: drops from Gruul the Dragonkiller, Gruul's Lair |
| Item 2 | Blazing Signet: drops from Nightbane, Karazhan |
| Prerequisites | Level 70, a Heroic Coilfang key (Cenarion Expedition at Revered), Karazhan access, and a way to summon Nightbane |
| Scope in Anniversary | Account-wide: finish it once and every character on the account can enter SSC |
Step by step
- Get Revered with Cenarion Expedition and buy the Heroic Coilfang Reservoir key. In Anniversary you can buy Heroic keys as Bind-on-Account items.
- Run Heroic Slave Pens and talk to Skar'this the Heretic to pick up The Cudgel of Kar'desh.
- Kill Gruul in Gruul's Lair (Blade's Edge Mountains) and loot the Earthen Signet.
- Summon and kill Nightbane in Karazhan, then loot the Blazing Signet.
- Go back to Skar'this in Heroic Slave Pens with both signets and hand in the quest. You are now attuned.
Why is Nightbane the hard part?
Gruul is a normal boss on the 25-player raid route, so he dies every week. Nightbane doesn't spawn on his own. Someone in the group has to finish a separate quest chain to get the item that summons him on the Master's Terrace. Lots of Karazhan groups skip him, so ask in advance whether your group will summon him that week.
Does every character need the SSC attunement?
Not in TBC Anniversary. Blizzard's announcement made attunements account-wide, so once one character finishes The Cudgel of Kar'desh, every character on the account can enter Serpentshrine Cavern. Do it on your main and your alts are covered.
Is SSC open right now?
Yes. Serpentshrine Cavern and Tempest Keep: The Eye arrived with Phase 2 on May 14, 2026, in their post-nerf versions. Black Temple and Mount Hyjal followed in Phase 3 on August 27, 2026, which is the current phase. Blizzard hasn't said whether raid attunements will be removed in this version or when.
How does SSC attunement connect to Tempest Keep and Black Temple?
Tempest Keep: The Eye has its own attunement chain, separate from SSC. For Mount Hyjal you need the Vials of Eternity, which drop from the SSC and Tempest Keep end bosses. If you're aiming at Tier 6 content, finishing SSC attunement early helps you along the rest of the path.
If you don't have time for keys, reputation and a Nightbane summon, PewPewShop's vetted players can help with coaching and play-together runs. TBC Raid Attunements start from EUR 20, and Coilfang Reservoir Heroic Attunement starts from EUR 36.