Volatile elements are among the most in-demand crafting materials in Cataclysm. They’re required for many endgame recipes and can be challenging to farm, which tends to make them especially valuable. Volatile Air is one of these five items, and is most easily found in the Uldum zone or inside the two dungeons located there, Halls of Origination and Vortex Pinnacle.
- Volatile Air does not require any particular profession or skill to gather. It can be looted directly from mobs.
- If you have Engineering and a gathering skill, you can carry an Electrostatic Condenser, which will allow you to rarely gather Volatile Air along with herbs, ore, or skins in level 80-85 zones.
- If you have Alchemy, you can use Transmute: Living Elements to transform Volatile Life into one of the other four volatile elements. Performing this transmutation in the Uldum zone will guarantee that you get a Volatile Air.
- If you have Mining, you may occasionally get a Volatile Air or another volatile from ore nodes in level 80-85 Cataclysm zones.
- If you have Skinning, you may very rarely get a Strange Bloated Stomach when you skin a mob in level 80-85 Cataclysm zones. This item has a chance to contain any of the five volatiles.
- Volatile Air has the highest drop rate in the Vortex Pinnacle dungeon, but you will need a group to farm it there.
- In the open world, the best place to farm Volatile Air is in the area around Orsis in Uldum.
Zone | Level Range |
|---|---|
Mount Hyjal | 80-82 |
Uldum  | 83-84 |
Twilight Highlands | 84-85 |
Zones denoted with a star tend to be the best for farming the volatiles.Uldum
- This is the best location to farm Volatile Air, assuming you don’t have a lot of competition.
- You’ll be killing Scion of Al’Akir, level 83 air elementals. You may also be able to find Sweeping Winds, level 83-84 air elementals, in the area around Orsis.
Mount Hyjal
- This is another option for farming Volatile Air if there are too many people in Uldum.
- You’ll be farming Howling Riftdweller, level 80 air elementals.
Twilight Highlands
- This zone will be a little tougher for farming purposes due to its high level, but it’s still an option.
- You’ll be fighting Enslaved Tempest, level 85 air elementals.
About the Author
Luxrah
I've been playing World of Warcraft on and off since vanilla, usually as a healer or caster and often as a guild leader. I play both retail and classic. I also love RPGs, sandboxes, and sims.