Time-Lost Proto-Drake - Reins of the Time-Lost Proto-Drake

The Time-Lost Proto-Drake (TLPD) is a level 80 rare spawn that can be found in the Storm Peaks. He has a 100% chance to drop the coveted Reins of the Time-Lost Proto-Drake, as well as a level 76 bind on equip necklace and an abandoned adventurer's satchel. He has 18,900 hp and is non-elite. TLPD shares a spawn timer, spawn points, and flight paths with Vyragosa. This means that they can never be up at the same time. Vyragosa is also MUCH much more likely to spawn than the TLPD. In your time camping for the TLPD you can expect to be seeing a lot of her.

Spawn Timer:

The spawn timer on both the TLPD and Vyragosa is somewhere between 6-24+hours, meaning that after either Vyragsa or the TLPD are killed you will not see either of them spawn again for at least six hours MUCH shorter than it used to be when this article was originally written. People have seen it in as little as an hour, and anywhere up to about 7 hours (updated 4/13/17). It is completely random which one of the two will spawn in next. Vyragosa could spawn 10 times before you see a TLPD spawn or she may only spawn a couple of times in between TLPD spawns.

TLPD being "held" at Bor's Breath, screen-shot courtesy of Reinoverall - Elune (US)

Spawn Points:

The TLPD and Vyragosa have four separate spawn points. These spawn points are Ulduar Ravine, Frozen Lake, the Waterfall and Brunnhildar Village. I have indicated these spawn points with yellows x's on the map below. (If you scroll further down in this post I also have multiple screen shots and video of each location to give a better idea of each exact spawn point.)

When the TLPD and Vyragosa spawn in, they are not flying. I have had Vyragosa spawn on top of me on oh so very many occasions, and when they spawn in they are sort of sticking half out of the mountain. Because they spawn in right on the mountainside in each location, the best way to camp for the TLPD is to pick a spawn location and sit right on top of it until one of them spawns in. IF YOU HAVE A PET MAKE SURE THAT YOU KEEP IT ON PASSIVE! Coming back to a dead unlootable Time-Lost Proto-Drake would be a sad thing indeed.

My spawn point of choice is the Frozen Lake spawn. I prefer this one because there are two other flight paths that pass by it that the TLPD can take after spawning at either the Waterfall or Ulduar Ravine. Often times I also camp with two accounts. When I camp with the second account I park the other toon at Brunnhildar Village to cover the last path that I'd otherwise not see at all over at the Frozen Lake Spawn.

Flight Paths:

As you can see from the map above there are four separate flight paths that the TLPD and Vyragosa will take once they spawn in. Once spawned in and on a path, they will not deviate from that path or cross into other paths. They can both also go clockwise or counter-clockwise on any of the paths. The direction that they will fly is completely random.

Addons & Targeting Macros:

I definitely recommend having NPCScan and NPCScan Overlay if you plan on doing some serious Time-Lost Proto-Drake camping. I do most of my camping while watching tv in another room. I turn my sound all the way up and have the game sound muted. I also have checked off "Unmute for alert sound" so that I can actually hear the alert go off. (See screenshot below.) This way if the TLPD or Vyragosa spawns I can hear that obnoxious NPCScan horn going off.

Click to Enlarge

Your also going to want to make sure that both the Time-Lost Proto-Drake and Vyragosa are not cached before you start camping. For info on how to clear your cache you can read this post.

It is also possible to pick up the Time-Lost Proto-Drake with a simple targeting macro, but I don't recommend this method. If you do want to, a simple /target Time-Lost works fine. The first time I found the TLPD was actually with this method, but having NPCScan do the work for you is a lot easier.

Downing the Time-Lost Proto-Drake after he's left his spawn point: 

If you do come across the TLPD and he is in the air, you are going to need to be careful. The safest way to pull him is a body pull by just flying into him and then flying toward the nearest surface for you to fight him on. Depending on which spawn location that he spawns at and the direction that he's flying, he could potentially be flying very high. If your afraid that someone else may tag him, it would be advisable to tag him in the air and have some method to slow your fall. It is also possible that the TLPD will dismount you if just trying to body pull. Either way, have something to slow your fall. An easy one to get very close by is Snowfall Lager which is purchasable by both horde and alliance from two different vendors in the Storm Peaks for the cost of only two Relics of Ulduar.

SCREENSHOTS & VIDEOS OF ALL FOUR TLPD SPAWN POINTS:

FROZEN LAKE SPAWN POINT (Click screen-shots to enlarge):

WATERFALL SPAWN POINT (Click screen-shots to enlarge):

BRUNNHILDAR SPAWN POINT (Click screen-shots to enlarge):

ULDUAR RAVINE SPAWN POINT (Click screen-shots to enlarge):