An Uncommon One-Handed Sword, item level 11, requires level 6, binds when equipped.
On Northern Shortsword's most active realm, the lowest Auction House listing has typically been around 148 gold over the last 30 days, ranging from 89 gold to 201 gold54 silver, a wide spread for a 30-day window.
First seen in build 1.15.9.68940 (Classic).
In WoW Forever it is item level 18 and requires level 13. In Classic Era it is item level 18 and requires level 13. In MoP Classic it is item level 18 and requires level 13.
| Version | Item level | Required level | Quality | Binding | Sells for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retail (Midnight) | 11 | 6 | Uncommon | Binds when equipped | 10s 70c |
| WoW Forever | 18 | 13 | Uncommon | Binds when equipped | 10s 70c |
| Classic Era | 18 | 13 | Uncommon | Binds when equipped | 10s 70c |
| MoP Classic | 18 | 13 | Uncommon | Binds when equipped | 10s 70c |
In the Appearances collection, Northern Shortsword is listed as World Drop. Appearance ID: 658. No other item uses this appearance, so it is unique to Northern Shortsword.
Read from the World of Warcraft client build files.
In their in-game specialization descriptions, these specs name swords among their preferred weapons:
The 10 items nearest to Northern Shortsword (item level 11) in item level among Weapon > Sword, from item level 2 to 20.
| Item | Item Level | Requires Level | Stats | Lowest Listed Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northern Shortsword (this item) | 11 | 6 | 1.5 DPS, +1 Agility, +2 Stamina. World Drop | Not listed |
 Scimitar | 11 | 7 | 1.5 DPS. Vendor | Not listed |
 Blackwater Cutlass | 12 | 7 | 1.7 DPS, +2 Agility, +2 Critical Strike. World Drop | Not listed |
 Bronze Shortsword | 15 | 9 | 2.1 DPS, +4 Agility. Crafted with Classic Blacksmithing | Not listed |
 Fangblade | 15 | 2.1 DPS, +3 Agility, +1 Stamina. World Drop | Not listed | |
 Copper Shortsword | 4 | 2 | 0.6 DPS. Crafted with Classic Blacksmithing | Not listed |
 The Butcher | 19 | 12 | 3.1 DPS, +4 Agility, +3 Stamina | Not listed |
 The Black Knight | 19 | 12 | 3.1 DPS. World Drop | Not listed |
| Sword of Decay | 20 | 13 | 3.5 DPS. World Drop | Not listed |
 Zealot Blade | 20 | 13 | 1.5 DPS, +3 Intellect, +5 Stamina, +7 Versatility. World Drop | Not listed |
| Pitted Defias Shortsword | 2 | 0.4 DPS. World Drop | Not listed |
Sword of Decay has the highest item level here (20).
Next item levels up from Northern Shortsword among Weapon > Sword: Dazzling Longsword (item level 22), Annealed Blade (item level 22), Ginn-Su Sword (item level 22), Speedsteel Rapier (item level 22) and Wicked Mithril Blade (item level 24).
Nearest lower item levels below Northern Shortsword among Weapon > Sword: Distinguished Blade of Cartel Al (item level 1) and Lost Blade of Spacial Descent (item level 1).
Built from the World of Warcraft client build files and recorded Auction House snapshots.
Northern Shortsword uses icon file 135321, which 58 other items also use. The 8 closest by item ID:
Sword of the Night Sky ID 2035 · Weapon - One-Handed Sword · item level 15Brashclaw's Skewer ID 2204 · Weapon - Two-Handed Sword · item level 10Phytoblade ID 2263 · Weapon - One-Handed Sword · item level 16Gladius ID 2488 · Weapon - One-Handed Sword · item level 4Cavalier Two-Hander ID 3206 · Weapon - Two-Handed Sword · item level 18Lucine Longsword ID 3400 · Weapon - One-Handed Sword · item level 16Hardened Iron Shortsword ID 3849 · Weapon - One-Handed Sword · item level 19Enamelled Broadsword ID 4765 · Weapon - One-Handed Sword · item level 7Blizzard numbers items as they are created, so the named items next to ID 2078 (2072 to 2085) were usually added in the same batch as Northern Shortsword: the same quest line, zone, vendor or reward set.
Dwarven Magestaff ID 2072 · Weapon - Staff · item level 17
Dwarven Hatchet ID 2073 · Weapon - One-Handed Axe · item level 8
Solid Shortblade ID 2074 · Weapon - One-Handed Sword · item level 11
Heavy Mace ID 2075 · Weapon - One-Handed Mace · item level 6
Magician Staff ID 2077 · Weapon - Staff · item level 18
Sergeant's Warhammer ID 2079 · Weapon - One-Handed Mace · item level 10
Hillborne Axe ID 2080 · Weapon - One-Handed Axe · item level 20
Wizbang's Gunnysack ID 2082 · Container · item level 2Darksteel Bastard Sword ID 2084 · Weapon - Two-Handed Sword · item level 18
Chunk of Flesh ID 2085 · Miscellaneous · item level 7The raw ItemSparse values for item 2078 in the current client build.
Read from the World of Warcraft client build files: Item, ItemSparse, Lock, Holidays, AreaTable and CollectableSourceVendor.
Northern Shortsword is in the Classic Era game data, the era World of Warcraft: Forever is built on. Blizzard describes Forever as vanilla World of Warcraft plussed up: its story sits in year one, characters level to 60 and stay there, and it launches November 4, 2026. Blizzard has not said which vanilla items appear in Forever, so nothing here is a Forever claim; it is the Classic Era record for Northern Shortsword next to the live retail market on this page.
Read next: World of Warcraft: Forever is Classic+, launching November 4 · Forever's class revamps and new race and class combinations · Classic Era page for Northern Shortsword
A sighting in the beta client is a fact from our own database; the launch roster is Blizzard’s to finalize. World of Warcraft: Forever launches November 4, 2026. World of Warcraft: Forever is Classic+, launching November 4
First-party render from the game files. Model © Blizzard Entertainment.
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