A Path of Legends is a self-imposed challenge you swear on a single character — an Ironman run, a no-mount pilgrimage, a slow burn to 80. It binds only you: nothing is forced on the realm, and no one else is affected. Swear one, or stack several on the same character if you dare. Reach the end and the Herald of the Fallen hands you a keepsake and announces your name to the whole camp.

What a Path is

Paths are pure opt-in and per-character. Swearing one is permanent — you can forsake a Path if the owner allows it, but a forsworn Path can never be sworn again on that character. Most Paths are taken very early (by default up to level 4); the Iron Oath is meant to be sworn at level 1 with nothing to your name, and the Long Road may be sworn later but never past its first gate at level 60.

A Path never changes the world or touches anyone else's game. It's a promise you make to yourself — the server just holds you to it.

The five Paths

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  The Long Road — relive Azeroth's wars in order. Your XP locks at 60 until Ragnaros, Onyxia, Nefarian and C'Thun fall to you, then Outland opens and locks at 70 until Illidan falls. Your bot raid counts — the whole group is credited on the kill.
• ✓
  The Iron Oath — sworn at level 1 in your starting clothes with an empty purse: no auction house, no trades, no mail, no guild bank (not even guild-paid repairs), until level 80. Every item found or made by your own hand.
• ✓
  The Pilgrim's Way — no mounts, no flight paths, no hearthstone, no travel magic of your own: the world on foot, by ship and zeppelin, until 80. (Druid travel forms stay; a portal cast by someone else isn't policed — an oath, not a cage.)
• ✓
  The Slow Burn — all experience halved, forever. It multiplies with any server rate, so the oath can't be out-configured.
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  One Life — true permadeath: die once and your character becomes a fallen hero, forever. This is Hardcore mode, sworn at the same Herald.

How to swear a Path

1. Roll or pick a character and stay low-level — most Paths must be sworn by the level the owner allows (default 4); the Iron Oath and One Life are meant for level 1.
2. Find the Herald of the Fallen — the hooded NPC in every starting zone (the same one who offers Hardcore).
3. Pick a Path from his menu and confirm the oath. It is permanent. You may come back and swear more than one.
4. Track your progress any time with the .path command, or by talking to the Herald again.
5. Fulfil the oath — reach level 80, or clear the Long Road's bosses — and the Herald rewards you.

There are no commands to memorize to play a Path — you swear it once at the Herald and just live it. .path is only there to check where you stand.

Trophies & Herald honors

Finish a Path and the Herald remembers. He places a soulbound, readable keepsake in your bags with the creed written inside — the Chronicle of the Long Road, the Seal of the Iron Oath, the Pilgrim's Worn Map, the Candle of the Slow Burn.

And when you next visit the Herald with a fulfilled oath, he bows and speaks your name aloud to everyone in earshot: “Kneel, travelers! Before you stands <you>, who carried The Iron Oath to its end!”

Track your progress

One command shows every Path you've sworn and how far along you are (including the Long Road's boss checklist):

.path        # list your sworn Paths and their status

You swear and forsake Paths at the Herald NPC, not with a command. .path is read-only.

Server owner settings config

Every Path has an on/off switch in mod_wowlegends.conf (edit, then restart the worldserver or .reload config). Disabling a Path pauses its rules for anyone who already swore it — their record is kept and re-arms if you switch it back on. Nothing is ever deleted.

WowLegends.Paths.Enabled           = 1   # master switch (pure opt-in; 0 lifts every gate AND pauses boss credit)
WowLegends.Paths.MaxLevelToSwear   = 4   # highest level that may still swear a Path (Long Road also refuses past 60)
WowLegends.Paths.Announce          = 1   # realm-wide message when someone swears a Path or fulfils one
WowLegends.Paths.AllowAbandon      = 1   # 1 = a Path can be forsaken (marked FORSAKEN forever); 0 = an oath is an oath
WowLegends.Paths.LongRoad.Enabled    = 1   # offer The Long Road
WowLegends.Paths.IronOath.Enabled    = 1   # offer The Iron Oath
WowLegends.Paths.PilgrimsWay.Enabled = 1   # offer The Pilgrim's Way
WowLegends.Paths.SlowBurn.Enabled    = 1   # offer The Slow Burn
WowLegends.Paths.Trophies.Enabled    = 1   # hand out the readable keepsake on completion
WowLegends.Paths.HeraldHonors.Enabled = 1  # the Herald bows and announces finishers to the camp

One Life is Hardcore mode — it uses the WowLegends.Hardcore.* settings, not these. GMs also have .path swear / .path credit / .path reset test tools; see the command reference (filter the paths category).

Pick a Path, swear it at the Herald, and see how far you can carry it. The book has room for your name.