A Common One-Handed Sword, item level 1, binds when equipped.
On Recruit's Shortsword's most active realm, the lowest Auction House listing has typically been around 736 gold69 silver across its tracked history (Sep 2023 to Jun 2026), ranging from 2 gold10 silver to 64,174 gold59 silver. About 2 were available in the latest snapshot.
The current lowest price is 91% below typical, against a All-Time typical of 736 gold69 silver.
First seen in build 2.5.6.69795 (The Burning Crusade).
In The Burning Crusade it is item level 2 and sells to vendors for 7c. In Wrath of the Lich King it is item level 2 and sells to vendors for 7c.
| Version | Item level | Quality | Binding | Sells for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retail (Midnight) | 1 | Common | Binds when equipped | 3c |
| The Burning Crusade | 2 | Common | - | 7c |
| Wrath of the Lich King | 2 | Common | - | 7c |
| MoP Classic | 1 | Common | - | 3c |
In the Appearances collection, Recruit's Shortsword is listed as Vendor. Appearance ID: 5632. 1 other item wears the same appearance:
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 Recruit's Shortsword (item level 1) in item level among Weapon > Sword.
| Item | Item Level | Requires Level | Stats | Lowest Listed Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Recruit's Shortsword (this item) | 1 | 0.4 DPS. Vendor | 49 silver on 36 realms | |
 Drakonid Striker's Cutlass | 1 | 60 | 0.4 DPS. World Drop | 299 gold on 60 realms |
 Wingcrest Scimitar | 1 | 60 | 0.4 DPS. World Drop | 200 gold on 59 realms |
 Ornate Blade of the Royal Guard | 1 | 0.4 DPS. World Drop | 950 gold on 71 realms | |
 Curved Blade of the Drained Loa | 1 | 0.4 DPS. World Drop | 800 gold on 68 realms | |
 Twilight Captain's Short Sword | 1 | 0.4 DPS. World Drop | 990 gold on 66 realms | |
 Blade of the Deeplurk Honorguard | 1 | 0.4 DPS. World Drop | 987 gold on 59 realms | |
 Myrmidon's Cutlass | 1 | 0.4 DPS. World Drop | 1,500 gold on 52 realms | |
 Hal'hadar Darkblade's Edge | 1 | 0.4 DPS. World Drop | 1,500 gold on 64 realms | |
 Forgotten Sword of Vilaldoun | 1 | 0.4 DPS. World Drop | 37 gold on 68 realms | |
 Distinguished Blade of Cartel Al | 1 | 60 | 0.4 DPS, Agility or Strength or Intellect. World Drop | 999 gold on 61 realms |
The lowest listed price among them is Forgotten Sword of Vilaldoun at 37 gold in the US Auction House.
Next item levels up from Recruit's Shortsword among Weapon > Sword: Defias Rapier (item level 12), Blackwater Cutlass (item level 12), Fangblade (item level 15), Bronze Shortsword (item level 15) and The Butcher (item level 19).
Built from the World of Warcraft client build files and recorded Auction House snapshots.
Recruit's Shortsword uses icon file 135271, which 53 other items also use. The 5 closest by item ID:
Fiery Retributer ID 19968 · Weapon - One-Handed Sword · item level 29Brilliant Sword of Zealotry ID 22228 · Quest "The keenest of edges, meant to indiscriminately cleave through any foe, living or dead."Quel'Serrar ID 18348 · Weapon - One-Handed Sword · item level 29 "The High Blade"Shard of the Defiler ID 17142 · Weapon - Dagger · item level 29The Willbreaker ID 27512 · Weapon - One-Handed Sword · item level 32Blizzard numbers items as they are created, so the named items next to ID 20977 (20971 to 20982) were usually added in the same batch as Recruit's Shortsword: the same quest line, zone, vendor or reward set.
Design: Heavy Iron Knuckles ID 20971 · Recipe "Teaches you how to craft Heavy Iron Knuckles."Design: Blazing Citrine Ring ID 20973 · Recipe "Teaches you how to craft a Blazing Citrine Ring."
Design: Jade Pendant of Blasting ID 20974 · Recipe "Teaches you how to craft a Jade Pendant of Blasting."Design: The Jade Eye ID 20975 · Recipe "Teaches you how to craft The Jade Eye."Design: Citrine Pendant of Golden Healing ID 20976 · Recipe "Teaches you how to craft a Citrine Pendant of Golden Healing."
Apprentice's Staff ID 20978 · Weapon - Staff
Warder's Axe ID 20979 · Weapon - One-Handed Axe
Warder's Shortbow ID 20980 · Weapon - Bow
Neophyte's Mace ID 20981 · Weapon - One-Handed Mace
Sharp Dagger ID 20982 · Weapon - DaggerThe raw ItemSparse values for item 20977 in the current client build.
Read from the World of Warcraft client build files: Item, ItemSparse, Lock, Holidays, AreaTable and CollectableSourceVendor.
First-party render from the game files. Model © Blizzard Entertainment.
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