The crystal-eaters: Scale Belly

Basilisks are quite common fictional creatures due to their real-world myths being rather wide-spread. Even kids today may know what a basilisk is if they're fans of Harry Potter (although that version was more serpentine in shape). The idea of a creature with a gaze so powerful and malevolent that it would instantly slay someone or even turn them to stone is an ancient concept, closely associated with the belief that the "evil eye" could have great power in the world. In World of Warcraft, while most basilisks cannot turn a player to stone, they can certainly petrify hapless NPC's. And the basilisks of the Stranglethorne jungle are no exception.

This post is about Scale Belly.



Who is Scale Belly and where can I find it?

Scale Belly is a rare mob basilisk found inside the Crystalvein Mine in Stranglethorn Vale, in the Eastern Kingdoms.



Scale Belly is another stationary rare, and does not have any patrol path. Being sedentary it is rather easy to find if alive, and can be easily spotted from a distance. Whereas the common basilisks in and around the mine are green, Scale Belly is a bright orange specimen.



As mentioned in the introduction, basilisk areas in World of Warcraft often have objects resembling crystallized people and creatures in them, and as you can see by the screenshot from outside the cave where Scale Belly is, there are a few crystallized trolls and other hapless victims there. A very cool little feature, I think!

What is Scale Belly's story?

We don't know a lot about Scale Belly, not even the gender of it. It is one of the basilisks found all over the tropical area of Stranglethorn, presumably a large and powerful specimen. It could be an old male or female, and while basilisks do not appear to live in packs, an older specimen often carves out a large territory by rebuking younger and weaker creatures.



Basilisks are beasts, but cannot be tamed by hunters. Your only choice when encountering Scale Belly is to fight or avoid it. It is not a challenging fight by any stretch, as the only ability the creature has is a cone-shaped stun ability called "Crystal Flash". A few quests mention that the basilisks of Stranglethorn are fond of eating the magically charged crystals found in the zone, and derive powers from those (getting tougher scales and such). This would fit in nicely with the crystallization powers displayed.



Scale Belly has not one but two unique drops. The first are a pair of mail leggings with resistances built in. They are at least rather pretty. The other drop is a sword which has an (as far as I know) fully unique particle effect! Originally a plain weapon, the chromatic sword now lives up to its name with an aura composed of several swirling colors. While relatively useless, it is a very cool and unique-looking weapon, well worth hunting for if you like having the shiniest (literally) gear around!



The first time I "found" Scale Belly it looked like this. This has happened more times than you'd think, sometimes I've even run into the mob as it was being killed. Since there are a few quests in the mine area and several mineral nodes inside it, Scale Belly will often be slain casually by passing adventurers. Such is the fate of most rarespawns found in well-traveled areas of the game.

In closing, a plain rarespawn with a nice little lore area and a really great unique drop!

Until next time

~Dragonshade