Burning Steppes

Terror Wing Path

The Burning Steppes hold the only accessible land passage from the Kingdom of Stormwind to Khaz Modan and Lordaeron. The highway is thus well traveled, but still very dangerous. Passing over rugged foothills and mountains, the road is frequented by enough travelers to be safe, but beasts will sense when you leave the road and pounce on you instantly. While many use the Burning Steppes as a thoroughfare, it is populated by one of the few successful orc settlements in Azeroth. These orcs do not honor Thrall’s truce with the Alliance, instead following the barbaric practices the orcs used from before the Third War. It's hard to blame their hatred of the Alliance however, as Stormwind parties hunt them frequently. Deeper into the region, ogres, dragons, and the Dark Iron clan of dwarves can be found. With the volcanic activity and lava flow, the weather is perpetually hot and dry.

The Burning Steppes are located north of the Redridge Mountains and south of the Searing Gorge. It is dominated by Blackrock Mountain in the northwestern area. It is a central location housing the black dragonflight and various creatures. It also has quite a few high end instances. It is recommended that characters be at least level 55, as the creatures are some of the most powerful in the game.

The Blackrock orcs maintain a lasting settlement around the volcano known as Blackrock Stronghold, staying hidden from the road but always keeping watch for Alliance attacks. These orcs are more typical of the type of the First and Second wars rather than the current Horde in Kalimdor. Bloodthirsty and savage, they mine the mountains around Blackrock Spire for metals with which to make weapons and armor. The Firegut ogres from the south study arcane magic, but their massive bodies still allow them to excel in combat. Give an ogre sorcerer a club and she’s still likely to bash out the brains of the strongest dwarven fighter. This violent race is dedicated solely to claiming the Burning Steppes as ogre territory. The Alliance — not to mention the orcs, the Dark Iron dwarves and the dragon folk — will not let this happen, as they refuse to lose control of the only passage to the north. The black dragons are elusive, and one who wishes to avoid getting torn apart doesn’t approach without considerable firepower. They will attack solitary travelers for the sport of it and consider anyone approaching their usurped fortress free game.

Characteristics

Zone Name Faction Races Level Range Location Burning Steppes Alliance Horde Template:Race Icon Human Male SmallTemplate:Race Icon Human Female Small Human Template:Race Icon Orc Male SmallTemplate:Race Icon Orc Female Small Orc 50-60 South of Blackrock Mountain

History

Ruins of Thaurissan

These steppes were formerly part of the Redridge Mountains before the Dark Irons came here after their exile. They established a colony called Thaurissan, but their sorcery turned out to be their undoing. Their thane, a mad sorcerer named Thaurissan, summoned the fire elemental king Ragnaros to aid them in the war against the Ironforge dwarves. Ragnaros’ arrival melted several mountains in this range and forged a great volcano in the blast’s epicenter. Now, the remaining Dark Irons live as puppets to Ragnaros and his fire elementals, who dwells under Blackrock Spire. Orcs also came here after the Second War and maintain settlements around and within the volcano, the climate being to their liking. The Horde conquered Blackrock Spire and used it as a base of operations during the campaign against Lordaeron in the Second War. Warchief Orgrim Doomhammer slew the human hero Anduin Lothar by the foot of the volcano at the war’s end, though Lothar’s death turned the tide and spurred the Alliance on to crush the failing Horde.

Geography

Blackrock Pass

Lacking the grace and beauty of Khaz Modan’s peaks, the Burning Steppes’ mountains show the force of the energy that twisted them. The very rock melted when the volcano was formed, and lava changed the surrounding areas forever. The Blackrock Spire is awe-inspiring in its sheer mass and obvious devastation, while the rest of the land visibly attempts to recover from the damage done by the summoning of the Firelord, Ragnaros.

In the northwest of the Burning Steppes sits the impossibly high Blackrock Mountain. It is a volcano that is still active over 500 years after its birth at the summoning of Ragnaros. The Burning Steppes are mostly under the control of the Black Dragons and their Blackrock Orc allies. In the midst of the barren Steppes are the Ruins of Thaurissan, the ancient Dark Iron capital that was destroyed in the summoning of Ragnaros. In the southeast, the Alliance has developed the outpost known as Morgan's Vigil.

Maps

File:Burning Steppes Map.jpg

Map of Burning Steppes

Topographic map of Burning Steppes

Sub-Regions

Blackrock Mountain

Altar of Storms	Blackrock Mountain	Blackrock Pass	Blackrock Stronghold
Draco'dar	Dreadmaul Rock	Flame Crest	Morgan's Vigil
The Pillar of Ash	Ruins of Thaurissan	Slither Rock	Terror Wing Path
Blackrock Spire Foothills (RPG)	Crystalline Cave (Art)

Dungeons

None (See Blackrock Mountain)

Raid Dungeons

None (See Blackrock Mountain)

Half-Dungeons/Elite Areas

• Terror Wing
• Draco'dar

Battlegrounds

None

Travel Hubs

Morgan's Vigil

Flight paths from Morgan's Vigil

• Stormwind
• Lakeshire, Redridge Mountains
• Thorium Point, Searing Gorge
• Nethergarde Keep, Blasted Lands

Flight paths from Flame Crest

• Stonard, Swamp of Sorrows
• Kargath, the Badlands
• Thorium Point, Searing Gorge

Regions Adjacent to Burning Steppes

Zone Name Faction Level Range Direction Access Redridge Mountains 15-25 South By foot, or by Alliance flightpath from Morgan's Vigil to Lakeshire Searing Gorge 35-45 North By foot through Blackrock Mountain, or by flightpaths from Morgan's Vigil or Ruins of Thaurissan to Thorium Point

Notable Characters

Flame Crest

The Burning Steppes are home to several characters of note. At Morgan's Vigil, Marshal Maxwell seeks aid in locating a high-ranking officer of Stormwind. At Flame Crest, Mathredis Firestar attempts to feed his tainted addiction to magic by offering enchantments in return for powerful arcane components. And at Slither Rock, the vicious Cyrus Therepentous sends bold adventurers into the Blackrock Depths in search of the essence of fire.

For a complete list of characters, see List of Burning Steppes NPCs.

Quests

Altar of Storms

Alliance

In Zone

•  [52] Extinguish the Firegut
  •  [53] Gor'tesh the Brute Lord
    •  [53] Unknown
•  [54E] Dragonkin Menace
  • Leads off into Blackrop Depths and ends in Drakefire Amulet
•  [56] FIFTY! YEP!

From Other Zones

•  [54] The Smoldering Ruins of Thaurissan - From Royal Historian Archesonus in Ironforge
  •  [54] The Smoldering Ruins of Thaurissan (2)

To Other Zones

•  [52D] Overmaster Pyron - Kill Overmaster Pyron just outside Blackrock Depths
  •  [56D] Incendius! - Kill Lord Incendius in Blackrock Depths
•  [56D] The Good Stuff - Retrieve 20x Dark Iron Fanny Pack from Dark Irons in Blackrock Depths
•  [59D] Put Her Down - Kill Halycon in Lower Blackrock Spire

Horde

In Zone

•  [54] The Rise of the Machines
  •  [54] The Rise of the Machines (2) - To Lotwil Veriatus in Badlands
    •  [58D] The Rise of the Machines (3) - Into Blackrock Depths

From Other Zones

•  [52] Dreadmaul Rock - From From Thal'trak Proudtusk in Kargath, Badlands
  •  [53] Krom'Grul

Neutral

In Zone

•  [50] Tablet of the Seven - In The Ruins of Thaurissian
•  [52] Broodling Essence
  • Continues to Winterspring

To Other Zones

•  [53D] Ribbly Screwspigot - Kill Ribbly Screwspigot in Blackrock Depths and return with his head
•  [54] A Taste of Flame - Show him the Black Dragon Molt you got from Kalaran Windblade in Searing Gorge
  •  [54] A Taste of Flame (2)
    •  [58D] A Taste of Flame (3) - Travel to Blackrock Depths and slay Bael'Gar
•  [55D] The Heart of the Mountain
•  [59D] En-Ay-Es-Tee-Why - Collect 15x Spire Spider Egg from Lower Blackrock Spire
•  [59D] Kibler's Exotic Pets Capture a Caged Worg Pup in Lower Blackrock Spire

Resources

The Pillar of Ash

• Herbs
  • Sungrass
  • Golden Sansam
  • Dreamfoil
  • Mountain Silversage
  • Black Lotus (One of the few regions where you can gather it. Rare.)
• Leather
  • Thick Wolfhide (Skinning level 40-50 wolves)
  • Worn Dragonscale (Skinning level 40-60 whelps/wyrmkin)
  • Heavy Scorpid Scale (Skinning level 50-55 scorpids)
  • Black Dragonscale (Skinning level 50-60 elite whelps and wyrmkin)
• Ore
  • Iron Deposit
  • Gold Vein
  • Mithril Deposit
  • Truesilver Deposit
  • Dark Iron Deposit (One of the few regions where you can gather it)
  • Small Thorium Vein
  • Rich Thorium Vein

Wild Creatures

Dreadmaul Rock

• Black dragon whelps
• Black dragonspawn
• Black drakes
• Dark Iron dwarves
• Grells
• Lava elementals
• Mountain giants
• Ogres
• Scorpids
• Whelps
• Worgs

Notes, Tips, & Additional Info

• Burning Steppes often sees the inadvertent death of curious newbies who venture too far north from Redridge and get murdered by one of the high-level lava elementals near the zone border.
• The zone East of Burning Steppes is currently closed.