How to Complete The Sleeper Has Awakened in WoW: Forever (Horn of Awakening and Escort Fix)

The Sleeper Has Awakened is the escort every Alliance player in Darkshore remembers – mostly because Kerlonian Evershade, a Druid of the Claw, keeps nodding off halfway to Ashenvale. In World of Warcraft: Forever the quest got a proper fix on November 6: Kerlonian sleeps less often, and you now start the quest with the Horn of Awakening already in your bags. Here's how the escort works now, where to go and what to do if it still fails.

This guide is checked against World of Warcraft: Forever as live on November 10, 2026.

Quick answer

Faction	Alliance
Level	Quest level 20, requires level 17
Zone	Southern Darkshore into northern Ashenvale
Quest giver	Kerlonian Evershade, Darkshore – /way 44.4 76.4 Kerlonian EvershadeCopy
Turn in	Liladris Moonriver, Maestra's Post, Ashenvale – /way 27.2 35.6 Liladris MoonriverCopy
Prerequisite	None
Key item	Horn of Awakening
Rewards	1,550 XP, Darnassus reputation and a choice of three items

What changed in Forever

In the original game you had to grab the horn from a chest next to Kerlonian, and he fell asleep so often that the escort could drag on for ages. Blizzard's November 6 hotfixes for WoW: Forever changed two things:

• Kerlonian falls asleep less often during the quest (Blizzard joked about brewing him a fresh pot of Darnassus's finest coffee).
• Players now start with the Horn of Awakening when they accept the quest, so you no longer need the chest.

Blizzard didn't say whether players who already had the quest before the hotfix get the horn. If you're one of them and it isn't in your bags, check the chest next to Kerlonian, or abandon and re-accept the quest.

Step-by-step

1. Travel to the southern tip of Darkshore. Kerlonian lies asleep in the wilds near the Ashenvale border at /way 44.4 76.4Copy.
2. Accept The Sleeper Has Awakened. Check that the Horn of Awakening is in your bags. The horn and the quest work on a 25-minute clock, so don't stop to quest elsewhere.
3. Use the horn to wake him. He gets up and starts following you – he doesn't walk a fixed path, so you set the pace and the route.
4. Head south into Ashenvale. Follow the road through the forest toward Maestra's Post, the night elf outpost in northwest Ashenvale.
5. Watch him whenever you stop. Each time he falls asleep, turn around and use the horn again. If you run on without him, he stays behind.
6. Deal with the ambushes. Expect scripted attacks from Blackwood furbolgs (a shaman and two Ursa) on the Darkshore side and Dark Strand cultists after you cross into Ashenvale. Pull them off Kerlonian quickly.
7. Walk him into Maestra's Post. Turn in to Liladris Moonriver at /way 27.2 35.6Copy.

Still failing at the border?

A player reported on Blizzard's forums on November 6 that the quest failed instantly at the Darkshore–Ashenvale border because they and Kerlonian ended up on different shards. It's the same kind of issue Forever has with other escorts that cross zone lines, and it isn't covered by a hotfix as of November 10. To reduce the risk:

• Form your group before you start, not during the escort – group changes can move you between layers.
• Keep Kerlonian right beside you as you cross the border, rather than letting him lag behind.
• If he vanishes, abandon and re-accept. He returns to his spot in Darkshore.

Rewards

Choose one:

Reward	Type
Owlsight Rifle	Gun – great for Hunters
Jadefinger Baton	Off-hand caster item
Steelcap Shield	Shield

You also get 1,550 XP and Darnassus reputation. For a level 18–20 Hunter, the rifle alone makes this quest worth the walk.

Tips

• Do it at 19–20. The ambushes are level-appropriate for the quest, which is tougher at 17.
• Stay off the busy road if you want fewer fights. Because Kerlonian follows you, you can pick a quieter route as long as you end at Maestra's Post.
• Keep the horn on an action bar. You'll use it several times, and fumbling through bags while furbolgs hit him costs time.
• Pick up Ashenvale quests on arrival. Maestra's Post is a quest hub, so this escort is a neat way to move from Darkshore to Ashenvale.

Common mistakes

• Leaving him asleep. If he's not behind you, he's dozing somewhere back down the road.
• Hunting for the chest after the hotfix. New pickups come with the horn – look in your bags first.
• Taking side trips. The 25-minute timer keeps running.
• Abandoning when he simply fell behind. Go back and wake him before giving up.

More escort help: Freedom to Ruul and Free From the Hold. Every guide is on our WoW: Forever quests page.