Valley of Bones: picking Gelkis or Magram

What unlocks Valley of Bones

Valley of Bones is the first quest in the new Gelkis and Magram chains in Desolace. Blizzard's 8 October notes raised its minimum level to 35, from 30. Zockify's guide, built from beta data, adds a second gate: you need Honored with the clan whose chain you want.

The road to Honored starts at level 30. Zockify describes it this way:

1. Accept Carved Centaur Totems from Captain Pentigast at Nijel's Point (Alliance) or Gurda Wildmane at Ghost Walker Post (Horde).
2. Kill the clan you are not siding with for totems: Magram if you want Gelkis, Gelkis if you want Magram.
3. Take Buying Friendship for your clan and deliver the Totem Tote to Uthek the Wise (Gelkis) or Warug (Magram). You need at least Neutral with that clan.
4. Climb from Friendly to Honored with the clan's early quests, rival kills and the repeatable Economic Warfare totem turn-in. Zockify says quests alone will not get you to Honored.
5. At Honored and level 35, speak to Nerlokh near the southern entrance to the Valley of Bones (Gelkis) or Orgrul near the northern entrance (Magram).

What picking a side costs

According to Zockify, Buying Friendship gives 3,000 reputation with your chosen clan and takes 15,000 from the other. Clan quests in general cost the rival five times what they give you, and each chain's Khan Jehn finale pays 6,000 with your clan while costing 30,000 with the rival.

That makes the choice a commitment rather than a permanent lock. Switching later means rebuilding standing with the new clan, so Zockify suggests buying the recipes and finishing the quests you want before you change sides.

The clans also split profession recipes. Gelkis sells its Enchanting, Tailoring and Leatherworking recipes at Honored for 15 totems each, and Magram does the same for Alchemy, Blacksmithing and Engineering. The other clan sells the same recipes only at Exalted, for 60 totems. If the weapons don't decide it for you, your professions can.

How the two chains differ

The Gelkis chain, run by Nerlokh and Uthek the Wise, is about rescue and cleansing. You kill Undead Ravagers, recover Necromantic Garb, gather Tears of Theradras, dispel the curse on an Accursed Skull, rescue five Gelkis captives, lay Haggard Bones to rest, scout the Magram Front and Outcast Hideaway, escort Rokren out, then kill Khan Jehn in Magram Village.

The Magram chain, run by Orgrul and Hagiak, goes the other way. You collect Gently Cursed Bones (Zockify lists a count of 426), kill Outcast Necromancers, bring Petrified Bark and Imbued Tears, perform a ritual, kill five Gelkis captives, raise or destroy Haggard Bones with an Enhanced Necromancy Staff, clear Bristleback Retreat, thin out the Outcast scouts, marauders and necromancers, and recover Stolen Supplies. It ends with you resurrecting Khan Jehn at the ritual site beside Magram Village's central lake.

The two mirror each other: Magram asks you to kill the captives Gelkis asks you to save, and to raise the Khan that Gelkis asks you to kill.

The weapon choices

Each chain has two quests that offer a choice of three rewards. Blizzard's 8 October notes say these rewards had their power adjusted to the expected value for the quest, with stat changes on some, and that an upcoming hotfix will make them require level 35 to equip. Zockify already lists them as level 35 items. Until the requirement shows up on the tooltip, treat the hotfix as announced rather than live.

Khan Hratha is a separate quest. Zockify reports a new version from Umarak of the Kolkar that isn't tied to either clan. It pays 10 Carved Centaur Totems and offers Kolkar Marauder Chain, Traitor's Finger, Kolkar Hunter's Belt or Ceremonial Centaur Blanket, all four of which are also on Blizzard's 8 October retuning list.