A quick overview of every currency in World of Warcraft: Shadowlands and how to farm and use them

There are so many different currencies in Shadowlands. Some are covenant-specific, and others require quest chains to unlock, making things even more confusing. In this guide, I’ll talk about how to use, spend, and farm each currency to make things a little clearer for you.
Let jump right in and talk about anima…
Anima
What is anima used for?
Anima is the lifeblood of many activities and objectives in the Shadowlands. It will allow you to build and upgrade your covenant sanctum, send companions on adventure table missions, and purchase various mounts and transmog.
Where to spend it
Most of the time you’ll be spending your anima on improving your covenant sanctum. However, many other vendors are happy to take excess anima off your hands. Once your sanctum buildings are fully upgraded, you can use anima and grateful offerings (which we’ll talk about in a moment) to purchase mounts and covenant-specific transmog.
If you are running out of things to spend anima on, you can send some to your alts. To do this, you need to purchase a Traveler’s Anima Cache from the vendor near the Oribos flight master. You can also use your anima to pick up Timebound Ruminations, allowing you to raise an adventure table companion to level 30.

How to get anima
As the most significant currency in Shadowlands, it makes sense that there are many ways to earn it. The best way to farm anima includes completing weekly/daily quests in Korthia, defeating both weekly world bosses and world quests.
If you are trying to get anima fast, completing objectives in Korthia will be your best bet in patch 9.1.5. Once you reach tier 5 with the Archivist’s Codex, you can also purchase Treatise: The Study of Anima and Harnessing Every Drop to boost anima gains.
Is it capped?
Yes, anima is currently capped at 200,000.
Attendant’s Token of Merit
What are attendant’s token of merit used for?
The main purpose of the attendant’s token of merit is to exchange it for other currencies. You can use them to purchase other currencies, reputation, gold, and sockets on your gear! We will talk more about these other currencies in a moment.
You can see the exact exchange rates for tokens in my attendant’s token of merit guide.
Where to spend them
You can spend your attendant’s token of merit by talking to Ko’tul in Oribos. He is the broker standing near the great vault, just south of the guild bank at 63.8, 36.0.
How to get attendant’s token of merit
The only way to get some attendant’s token of merit is to choose them from your great vault instead of gear. If you have qualified for great vault loot (from raiding, M+, or PvP) and don’t like your gear choices, you can choose to collect up to 6 tokens (based on how many segments you completed during the week) instead.

Are they capped?
Yes, attendant’s token of merit is capped at 12 total.
Cataloged Research
What is cataloged research used for?
Cataloged research can be used to upgrade catch-up gear you collect in Korthia. Additionally, it can be used to purchase items like Death-Bound Shard (3,000 research), which adds 13 item levels to your lowest conduit.
You can also use cataloged research to buy an Alloy-Warping Facetor (5,000 research). This will let you add a gem socket to your helm, neck, bracer, belt, or rings to make them stronger.
Beyond items tied to conduits and sockets, you can also use cataloged research to buy the Soaring Razorwing mount, upgrades for the Archivist Codex faction, and profession upgrades.
Where to spend it
You can spend your cataloged research at Archivist Roh-Suir in Korthia at 62.74, 22.56.
How to get cataloged research
The main way to collect cataloged research is by completing quests and objectives in Korthia. Opening treasure chests, defeating rares, and finishing quests in Korthia award relics. These relics can then be exchanged for cataloged research by talking to Archivist Roh-Suir.

You can also use an attendant’s token of merit to purchase 500 cataloged research in Oribos.
For a detailed walkthrough on all 8 ways to obtain cataloged research, check out my cataloged research guide.
Is it capped?
No, the cataloged research cap was removed in a July 2021 hotfix.
Cyphers of the First Ones
What are Cyphers of the First Ones used for?
Cyphers of the First Ones are used to progress Zereth Mortis — a zone introduced in patch 9.2. Making progress with cyphers unlocks quality of life improvements and special rewards in Zereth Mortis.
Where to spend them
The main place you’ll spend your cyphers is at the Cypher Research Console in Exile’s Hollow (Zereth Mortis). The research console is a talent tree-style system that is powered by cyphers. As you spend your cyphers, you’ll also upgrade your cypher equipment level, leading to higher item level gear from quests and rares in Zereth Mortis.
How to get Cyphers of the First Ones
You can get cyphers in Zereth Mortis in 8 major ways including
- Treasures
- Rares
- Daily Quests
- Weekly Quests
- Echoed Jiro
- World Boss Antros
- Puzzle Chests
- Zereth Mortis campaign quests
For more details on how to get cyphers from each of these sources check out my guide to Cyphers of the First Ones.
Are they capped?
No, there is no cap on Cyphers of the First Ones.
Grateful Offering
What are grateful offerings used for?
Grateful offerings are used to purchase covenant-specific armor appearances (transmog), mounts, and pets. These items require several grateful offerings and anima or pet charms to buy.
You can also use 35 grateful offerings to buy Chronicle of Lost Memories to discover a new legendary power for the Runecarver.
Where to spend them
You can spend grateful offerings by visiting your renown quartermaster or covenant armor vendors in your covenant sanctum. Night Fae players can also purchase items from the Court of Night Quartermaster in Hibernal Hollow.
How to get grateful offerings
To earn grateful offerings, you will need to complete quests or kill rares that spawn when you channel anima with your covenant’s anima conductor. You can earn more offerings by having a higher level conductor — up to level 3.

Having a level 3 conductor will allow you to complete 6 objectives every day to earn more offerings. Each objective will award between 2 and 3 offerings each.
A level 3 conductor also gives you a small reward of grateful offerings when you complete covenant callings.
Are they capped?
No, there is no cap on grateful offerings.
Infused Ruby
What are infused rubies used for?
Infused rubies are a currency that is specific to Revendreth in the Shadowlands. They can purchase various buffs, cosmetics, and toys from vendors. Additionally, they enable you to fight certain rares, take flights on dredbat statues, recruit rockjaw protectors to fight alongside you, and be launched in the air by stone fiends.
Where to spend them
About a dozen vendors offer items or buffs in exchange for rubies and are scattered across Revendreth. Here are the names of each vendor with their respective location and coordinates:

Vendor | Coords |
---|---|
Absolooshun | 72.2, 39.8 |
Bored Dredger | 70, 55 |
Deadfoot | 48.6, 68.6 |
Dimwiddle | 60.8, 62.4 |
Dirk | 72.8, 73.4 |
Foreman Scug | 58.8, 69.6 |
Gibbo | 60.6, 39.8 |
Gobbers | 35.0, 34.6 |
Ironeye | 26.0, 28.4 |
Mats | 32.6, 49.2 |
Muckfist | 54.6, 73.2 |
Nourman | 77.4, 39.2 |
Stuffans | 51.0, 78.8 |
Tin-Tin | 42.4, 46.8 |
How to get infused rubies
Before you can begin stashing rubies, you need to complete a quest called The Endmire. Unsurprisingly, this is located in the Endmire of Revendreth at 65.2, 63.6.
After completing the quest, you will unlock the ability to earn rubies from treasure chests, rare mobs, quests (including world quests), and covenant callings.
Are they capped?
Yes, players can only hold 100 infused rubies at a time.
Medallion of Service
What are medallions of service used for?
Medallions of service are a Kyrian covenant-specific currency. They are used to craft charms and boons with ascension crafting. Charms will make your soulbinds stronger for Path of Ascension challenges, and boons upgrade your steward’s offerings (gives steward a bank, mailbox, etc.…).
Before 9.1.5, medallions were required to attempt the challenges in the Path of Ascension. This is no longer the case.
Where to spend them
Medallions of service can be spent by talking to Dactylis at 63, 16 in Elysian Hold. You will need to unlock the Path of Ascension sanctum upgrade for Dactylis to appear.
How to get medallions of service
You can get medallions from rares, treasure chests, covenant callings, adventures, or donations to Dactylis.
Are they capped?
No, there is no cap on medallions of service.
Phantasma

What it’s used for:
Phantasma is used to purchase consumables, buffs (anima powers), and transmog from NPCs during Torghast runs. If you aren’t familiar with it, Torghast is a game mode that requires you to fight your way through several floors of enemies and defeat a final boss at the end. The more anima powers you purchase, the easier your run will be.
You can also use 100 phantasma to activate the Phantasmic Infuser item purchased from Ve’nari. This will give you a 30-minute buff to a random stat while in Torghast.
Where to spend it
The phantasma NPCs, called brokers, can be found every 2 to 3 floors in Torghast. They are pretty easy to spot because they are surrounded by a giant protective bubble.
How to get phantasma
Phantasma can be earned by looting enemies and destroying vases (ashen phylacteries) during your Torghast run. As a tip, you can buy the “efficient looter” perk from the box of many things to automatically loot phantasma and make your runs easier.
Is it capped?
No, but any phantasma you earn is lost at the end of your Torghast run.
Redeemed Soul(s)
What are redeemed souls used for?
Redeemed souls are used to upgrade your covenant sanctum. More specifically, souls are used to unlock or upgrade your covenant adventure table, anima conductor, transportation network, or unique feature.
Where to spend it
You can spend your redeemed souls at the sanctum upgrade NPC for your covenant. Each upgrade will require a combination of souls and anima to research.
For example, unlocking the first tier of your adventure table will cost 500 anima and 1 redeemed soul. Maxing the table to level 3 requires even more resources at 10,000 anima and 22 souls.
How to get redeemed souls
Redeemed souls can be earned by completing the quest called Return Lost Souls. This can be picked up in your covenant sanctum and is repeatable. This means you can farm redeemed souls!

The quest is pretty easy but can take some time to complete because it requires you to save 20 souls in the Maw. Many of these souls can be found in rocks or out-and-about in the Maw; you just need to right-click to collect them.
In addition to saving souls around the Maw, you will also get quest credit for any spirits you save during your Torghast run.
Are they capped?
Yes, you can only have 100 redeemed souls at a time.
Sinstone Fragments

What are sinstone fragments used for?
Sinstone fragments are another Revendreth-exclusive currency. They are used for farming rep and unlock rewards offered by The Avowed faction.
But why do you need fragments to farm rep?
In short, there are 6 NPCs called inquisitors scattered around the Halls of Atonement. Each of them is invulnerable because they are successfully hiding their sins. To drop their protective barrier, you need to exchange your sinstone fragments for a complete inquisitor sinstone.
The complete sinstone then allows you to approach the appropriate inquisitor, right-click the stone, and reveal their sins to make them vulnerable. Defeating them will award a chunk of Avowed rep and some sinstones in return. You would then need to repeat the process until you reached honored, revered, or exalted.
If you are serious about farming Avowed rep, I recommend finding a group to do it with because it speeds the process up considerably!
Where to spend them
You can exchange sinstone fragments for full sinstones by speaking to Archivist Fane near 72, 51 in Halls of Atonement Revendreth. Past honored reputation, you can also start spending sinstone fragments on mount, pet, recipe, and transmog rewards. These are sold by Archivist Janeera (near Fane) and Archivist Leonara (Oribos).
How to get sinstone fragments
Before you can earn sinstone fragments, you need to complete The Final Atonement questline. You can start by accepting the quest called An Abuse of Power (requires level 58) from the crypt at 71, 40 in Revendreth. This will teach you how to use the sinstones and why the Avowed faction exists in the first place.
After completing the 15 or so quests required, mobs and inquisitors in Revendreth will begin dropping sinstone fragments. You can then jump into a party using the group finder to farm up some fragments!
As a side note, you can also get fragments from covenant callings and treasure chests in Revendreth. On occasion, you may also see adventure table missions pop up with a sinstone reward.
Are they capped?
No, there is no cap on sinstone fragments.
Soul Ash

What is soul ash used for?
Soul ash is used to craft or upgrade powerful legendary gear. You can only wear one legendary at a time for now (you can wear 2 in the next patch) because the bonuses they give are so strong. Higher item level legendaries require more soul ash.
If you want to dive into legendary crafting specifics, check out this Wowhead article.
Where to spend it
You can spend soul ash to craft or upgrade legendary gear by visiting the Runecarver. He can be found in a side room after entering Torghast.
If you have extra soul ash, you can also send it to your alts by purchasing Packaged Soul Ash from Bonesmith Heirmir in Keeper’s Respite (Korthia). As a side note, you will need to finish the first 4 chapters of Korthia’s story and have renown of 44+ before Heirmir appears.
How to get soul ash
You can earn soul ash by completing adventure missions, one-time quests, and Torghast runs. However, the best way to get soul ash is by finishing Torghast runs.
Patch 9.1.5 removed the cap on soul ash from Torghast, so you can run it repeatedly to farm as much as you like. If you finish level 12, the highest difficulty, you will earn 1,040 ash. This is close to the 1,250 required to craft a rank 1 legendary.
After 5 runs, you would be able to craft a rank 6 legendary (the highest in patch 9.1.5).
Is it capped?
No, you can farm and store as much soul ash as you want by grinding out Torghast runs.
Soul Cinders
What are soul cinders used for?
Soul cinders are used to craft rank 5 and 6 legendary gear. If you have an existing lower rank legendary, you can also use soul cinders to upgrade it to a higher item level. A rank 5 legendary costs 1,100 soul cinders, while rank 6 will set you back 1,650.

Where to spend them
You can visit the Runecarver in Torghast to craft legendary gear and use soul cinders. There is currently no way to send soul cinders to alts.
How to get soul cinders
You can get soul cinders by completing the following each week:
- Torghast layer 8+ (350 cinders for layer 12, farmable)
- Covenant assault (200 per week)
- Tormentors of Torghast event in the Maw (100 per week)
- Adventure table missions (~ 10-15 per adventure)
Are they capped?
No, you can farm as many soul cinders as you want by grinding out Torghast runs.
Stygia
What is stygia used for?
Stygia can be used to buy several items, such as:
- Bind-on account catch-up gear for alts
- Crafting profession upgrade items
- Mounts
- Transmog
- Gear with domination sockets
- Upgrades for the Maw and Torghast
- Other useful items
One of the more notable items that requires stygia to purchase is the Soulfire Chisel. This tool allows you to switch shards of domination in your gear and is a must-have if you play several types of content.

Where to spend it
If you are looking to spend some stygia, you will want to visit Ve’nari in the Maw or Duchess Mynx in Keeper’s Respite (Korthia). Ve’nari mainly sells upgrades that make the Maw or Torghast easier to navigate. In contrast, Mynx offers a variety of gear and cosmetic options.
How to get stygia
You can get stygia in several ways, including:
- Maw and Korthia rares
- Bi-weekly covenant assaults on the Maw
- Tormentors of Torghast
- By trading attendant’s token of merit
- Occasionally from daily quests, chests, or adventure missions
Is it capped?
No, there is no cap on stygia.
Stygian Ember
What are stygian embers used for?
Stygian embers are used to upgrade the shards of domination that drop from the Maw world boss or Sanctum of Domination raid. Upgrading a shard will increase the strength of the bonus it gives you and strengthen your character.
Where to spend it
You spend stygian ember to upgrade your shards by visiting Bonesmith Heirmir in Keeper’s Respite, Korthia.

How to get stygian embers
Stygian ember can be earned by defeating bosses and powerful mobs in the Sanctum of Domination raid. The number of embers you receive will scale based on the difficulty of the raid, with mythic raids awarding the highest amounts. This is because you’ll receive the embers for all of the lower difficulties as well (so mythic awards the sum of normal, heroic, and mythic combined).
If you aren’t into raiding, you can earn small amounts of stygian ember each week by completing the Korthia weekly quest. In addition, you can occasionally receive an ember or two from completing covenant assaults or events like Tormentors of Torghast.
Are they capped?
Yes, you can only hold a maximum of 250 stygian embers at a time.
Tower Knowledge
What is tower knowledge used for?
Tower knowledge is used to purchase upgrades in Torghast’s box of many things. The box of many things is a talent tree that grants buffs or stats to your character to make Torghast easier.
Where to spend it
You can spend tower knowledge by opening the box of many things near the Torghast meeting stone. If you can’t find the box or need help choosing the best upgrades, feel free to check out my Box of Many Things Guide.

How to get tower knowledge
Tower knowledge is awarded for completing a Torghast run. The higher the completed layer, the larger the knowledge gain. You can also increase the amount of knowledge awarded by scoring higher. The biggest tower knowledge reward is earned by achieving a flawless Torghast run.
Is it capped?
Yes, tower knowledge is technically capped. However, you can farm knowledge by grinding Torghast until you have enough to purchase every Torghast upgrade
Final Thoughts & Other Shadowlands Currencies
You made it to the end of every unique Shadowlands currency! In case you were wondering, there are a few other currencies used in Shadowlands that tend to appear in other expansions as well. This includes:
- Valor – Awarded for completing M+ dungeons, used to upgrade dungeon gear or buy bind-on-account (BOA) dungeon gear for alts. BOA gear can be purchased from the heirloom vendor near the Oribos flight master.
- Timewarped Badge – Earned for completing timewalking quests and dungeons. It can be used to buy catch-up gear, heirloom gear, mounts, and other goodies.
- Honor – Used to buy and upgrade PvP gear. Earned by completing arena and battlegrounds. It can be spent in the enclave area near the Helm of Domination map in Oribos.
- Conquest – allows you to buy and upgrade stronger PvP gear ranked PvP players. It can be earned from any PvP, but the best point gain comes from rated matches.
Hopefully, seeing all the currencies in one place is helpful! If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment below, and I’ll do my best to respond.
Thanks for reading!
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