WoW What Is My Purpose Quest Guide

“What Is My Purpose?” is a level 70–80 Alliance quest in the Dragon Isles (Dragonflight) that unlocks the ability to use the Bronze Dragonflight’s time-walking technology to re-run old dungeons. You start it by speaking to Chromie in the Bronze Enclave of Valdrakken, and completing it grants you the Chromie’s Codex, a toy that lets you queue for Timewalking dungeons from anywhere. This guide covers the full quest chain, prerequisites, rewards, and common pitfalls.

Quest Background and Lore

“What Is My Purpose?” is part of the Dragonflight expansion’s main storyline, specifically the questline that introduces the Bronze Dragonflight’s role in maintaining the timeline of Azeroth. The quest is given by Chromie, a bronze dragon who frequently appears as a gnome, and it takes place in Valdrakken, the capital city of the Dragon Isles. The quest’s name is a reference to a famous line from the animated film WALL-E, where a robot asks the same question, but in WoW it serves as a humorous nod to Chromie’s own existential musings about her role as a timekeeper.

In the lore, the Bronze Dragonflight is responsible for preserving the true timeline and preventing catastrophic alterations. Chromie, whose real name is Chronormu, has been a recurring character since the Wrath of the Lich King expansion, often sending players on time-traveling adventures. This quest is a direct continuation of her story, as she asks for your help in testing a new device that will allow adventurers to revisit past dungeons for rewards.

Prerequisites and How to Start

Before you can pick up “What Is My Purpose?”, you must meet the following conditions:

Be level 70 or higher (the quest scales to your level, but it is designed for max-level characters).
Have completed the Dragonflight intro questline that brings you to Valdrakken. This is the main story quest “The Dragon Isles Await” and the subsequent quests that establish your presence in the city.
Have unlocked World Quests in the Dragon Isles, which happens after completing the main campaign up to “The Azure Span” chapter.

Once these are done, look for a yellow exclamation mark over Chromie’s head. She stands near the eastern edge of the Bronze Enclave, which is the area in Valdrakken where the bronze dragons reside. If you don’t see the quest, check your quest log for any incomplete Dragonflight campaign quests, as the quest is gated behind the main story.

Full Quest Walkthrough

The quest itself is short and consists of three main objectives:

Talk to Chromie – She will explain that she has created a device called the “Timewalking Signal Beacon” that can attune to past dungeons. She asks you to test it.
Use the Timewalking Signal Beacon – Chromie gives you a quest item that you must use. This will trigger a short cinematic where you see a vision of a past dungeon (usually Utgarde Keep, but the specific dungeon is random). After the cinematic, you are returned to Valdrakken.
Report back to Chromie – Return to Chromie and she will congratulate you, then reward you with the Chromie’s Codex toy and unlock the Timewalking dungeon queue for you.

The entire quest takes about 5 minutes. There is no combat involved, so you can do it with any class and spec.

Rewards and Unlocks

Completing “What Is My Purpose?” grants you two permanent benefits:

Chromie’s Codex – This is a toy that, when used, opens the Timewalking dungeon finder interface from anywhere in the world. It has a 1-hour cooldown, but you can still queue for Timewalking dungeons through the standard Dungeon Finder without it. The toy is purely a convenience.
Timewalking Dungeon Access – Once the quest is complete, you can queue for Timewalking dungeons during Timewalking weeks. These are special events that happen every few weeks and allow you to run old dungeons scaled to your level, earning gear and reputation.

Additionally, the quest is a prerequisite for the “A Timely Journey” achievement, which requires you to complete a Timewalking dungeon while the quest is active. If you already have the quest, you can do the dungeon first and then turn in the quest to get the achievement.

Common Problems and Solutions

Players often encounter a few issues with this quest:

Quest not appearing – If Chromie doesn’t have the quest, you likely haven’t finished the Dragonflight campaign. Check your quest log for “The Dragon Isles Await” or any quest that says “Campaign” in the objective. Complete those first.
Cannot use the beacon – The beacon is a quest item that goes into your bags. Make sure you are not in a raid, dungeon, or battleground when you try to use it. Also, ensure you are in Valdrakken; the item only works within the city.
Quest not counting toward achievement – The achievement “A Timely Journey” requires you to complete a Timewalking dungeon while the quest is active. If you turn in the quest first, you won’t get the achievement. Do the dungeon before turning in.

Is This Quest Worth Doing?

For most players, yes. The Chromie’s Codex toy is a small quality-of-life improvement, but the real value is unlocking Timewalking dungeons, which are a great source of gear for alts and a way to earn reputation with old factions. If you are a collector, the achievement tied to this quest is also worth getting. The quest takes only minutes, so there is no reason to skip it if you are level 70+.

However, if you never plan to do Timewalking dungeons, the quest is not essential. The toy is not required for any other content, and the quest does not unlock any mounts or pets. It is purely a convenience and a lore beat for fans of Chromie.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I do this quest on a Horde character?

No. “What Is My Purpose?” is an Alliance-only quest. Horde players have an equivalent quest called “What Is My Purpose?” as well, but it is given by Chromie in Orgrimmar and has a different objective (you test the beacon in the Orgrimmar Embassy). The reward is the same Chromie’s Codex toy, but the quest is not shared between factions.

What level do I need to be to get this quest?

The quest is available at level 70, which is the level cap for Dragonflight. If you are below level 70, you will not see the quest. If you are level 80 (the cap for The War Within), you can still do it, but you will need to be in Valdrakken and have completed the Dragonflight campaign.

Do I need to be a max-level character to do Timewalking dungeons?

No. Timewalking dungeons are available to characters level 30 and above, but the queue is only accessible during Timewalking weeks. The “What Is My Purpose?” quest simply unlocks the ability to queue for them at level 70+, but you can queue for Timewalking dungeons without this quest if you are below level 70. The quest is only required for the toy and the achievement.

How often do Timewalking events happen?

Timewalking events occur roughly every 3 to 4 weeks, alternating between different expansions (Burning Crusade, Wrath of the Lich King, Cataclysm, Mists of Pandaria, Warlords of Draenor, Legion, and Battle for Azeroth). Each event lasts about a week. You can check the in-game calendar or the WoW website for the current schedule.

Can I get the Chromie’s Codex toy on multiple characters?

Yes. The toy is account-wide, so once you earn it on one character, it is available to all characters on your account. However, each character must complete the quest to unlock the Timewalking dungeon queue for that character. The toy itself is account-wide, but the queue unlock is per-character.

Is there a way to skip this quest if I’ve done it before?

If you have completed the quest on one character, you can skip it on alts by using the “Chromie Time” feature, which allows you to level in old expansions. However, to get the toy on a new character, you must complete the quest again. There is no account-wide quest completion for this specific quest.

Method: the standard formula for this calculation, rounded as each result states. See how the calculators work or report an error.

More cards in this drawer

The whole Numbers and Powers drawer →