Shadowlands was probably everyone’s least favorite World of Warcraft expansion, but at least it had nice cosmetics and collectibles. Despite its negative reputation, it turns out Shadowlands is a gift that keeps on giving, as WoW secret hunters just found an item hidden in the game since Zereth Mortis was added back in February 2022.
Players on the WoW Secrets Discord server banded together to discover the Enlightened Hearthstone—a secret toy stashed in the unlikeliest of places. It’s an alternative Hearthstone item with the same cast time and cooldown as other Hearthstones, with a swanky new animation.
The secret hunters discovered that the Enlightened Hearthstone is hidden behind a simple group puzzle in Zereth Mortis, a vibrant zone added in the last major patch of Shadowlands. Six players need to use the Sphere of Enlightened Cogitation toy while sitting on the six pillars surrounding the Forge of Afterlives in the center of the map. This toy was always a bit of an enigma—you can get it from Enlightened Broker Supplies caches, awarded for progressing The Enlightened reputation, but until now, its purpose was unclear.
After six players sit on the six pillars and use the Sphere toy, the message “The Ponderer’s Portal has been opened” appears in zone chat, then an interactable object spawns by the south pillar. Anyone can pick up the Enlightened Hearthstone here—you don’t need the Sphere toy yourself, and you needn’t have participated in opening the Ponderer’s Portal.
I just rocked up to Zereth Mortis, followed the crowd, and grabbed the Enlightened Hearthstone as it had already spawned. The zone is quite populated at the moment, as many players are going after the item, so you’ll probably be able to get it for yourself even if you don’t have the Sphere toy or a group of six players. Just bear in mind you’ll need to spam the interact key to make sure you loot the Enlightened Hearthstone, as there seems to be a small cooldown before the next player can collect it.
