Tanaris

Tanaris
Level Scalable 45-60
Races	Goblin  Human  Sand troll  Ogre  Gnome  Blood elf  Dwarf  Sea giant
Government	None
Rulers	Chief Engineer Bilgewhizzle of the Gadgetzan Waterworks Company Andre Firebeard, leader of the Southsea Pirates Caliph Scorpidsting, leader of the Wastewander Bandits
Major settlements	Gadgetzan Steamwheedle Port Lost Rigger Cove
Minor settlements	Dunemaul Compound Zul'Farrak
Languages	Common, Gnome, Goblin, Low Common, Zandali
Faiths	Shamanism
Resources	Artifacts, technology, water
Affiliation	Independent
Location	South of Thousand Needles

Tanaris (aka The Tanaris Desert) is a desert located in Southern Kalimdor, east of Un'Goro Crater and south of Thousand Needles. It is an arid land, covered in sand dunes and frequently exposed to dangerous sandstorms. The Steamwheedle Cartel goblins have established Steamwheedle Port and Gadgetzan as their main centers of operation. The dock in Steamwheedle Port is presumably used for transport to the outer islands of the Undermine, the goblin capital, but so far the goblins have proved unwilling to share the ships with the other races.

Tanaris is one of the easiest regions to travel around, being mostly flat sands with a few rocky outcrops, but it is also monotonus, being sparsely populated due to its harsh environment. There are also no roads (or even well-trodden paths) and heavy reliance is placed on the guiding system.

While mostly populated by Horde factions, the region is so barren that it is fairly safe for Alliance members too.

In Cataclysm

This section concerns content exclusive to Cataclysm.

Tanaris in Cataclysm

In Cataclysm, Tanaris changed to a level 45-50 zone. In addition the Steamwheedle Port was destroyed although it's still inhabited by goblins. This will make Gadgetzan a port.

Bornakk gave the hint that "Some Tanaris goblins wisely invested in desert real estate and reaped the benefits when it became beach-front property."

Areas affected:

• Dunemaul Compound – to the NE is a small Horde camp, the Dunemaul Recruitment Camp
• Eastmoon Ruins – taken by the Southsea Pirates
• Gadgetzan – both flight masters have been brought inside the city; the lands east of here have been flooded and a dock now sits on that side of the city – the boat is functional but the destination hasn’t been set at this time; Southsea Pirate ships form a blockade further out; out the north gate a ship is being constructed
• The Gaping Chasm – on the northern ridge is a neutral quest hub with flight master called Bootlegger Outpost
• Land's End Beach – east of Uldum the mountains have collapsed, connecting that end of the beach to the remainder of Tanaris; a small Alliance camp sits here, Steelspark Station, manned by Gnomes; further down the beach is a camp of Bilgewater survivors, stranded on the beach
• Lost Rigger Cove – under attack by both Goblin and Gnome forces
• Sandsorrow Watch – cave nearby with large scorpid named Gargantapid; the northernmost part of Sandsorrow is now a neutral quest hub
• Southbreak Shore – the Southsea Pirates have extended their camp down the shoreline with more boats and tents
• Southmoon Ruins – south of here is an Alliance quest hub with flight master, Gunstan's Dig; it appears the Horde and Alliance are fighting over the ruins
• Steamwheedle Port – flooded with survivors clinging to tops of buildings
• Thistleshrub Valley – mobs have vanished, but there is a new quest giver here named Adarrah (level 82), and a large stone pathway that is a secondary entrance to the Uldum zone (it is blocked by invisible walls as of build 12319)
• Uldum – the doors are now open
• Valley of the Watchers – SW of here is a Blood Elf Horde hub with a flight master, Dawnrise Expedition
• Waterspring Field - flooded
• Zalashji's Den – though the name still exists, nothing of the cave can be found
• Other – some new mobs can be found here, including elite Dune Worms, Sand Rattlers, and Sand Lashers; due to the flooding of the coast, other areas no longer above water include: Noonshade Ruins and Wavestrider Beach
• New Hunter Pets – Basking Cobra, Sunburst Adder, Dunemaul Broodlord (Scorpid)

History

Tanaris has been an endless sea of sand for aeons. Nozdormu, the great dragon of time, was said to make this land his home since time immemorial, thriving in the solitude of oppressive heat and miles of sand.

Tanaris is the ancestral home of the bronze dragonflight based out of the Caverns of Time. The titans also have a holding here in the form of an entrance to the ancient land of Uldum, Whch was once guarded by elite Stone giants. found in the southern parts of the desert. It was here that Anachronos first discovered the full threat of the silithid, who had been making hives in the remote regions of Tanaris. The War of the Shifting Sands was consequently unleashed upon the western land of Silithus.

Flooding

With Cataclysm, Steamwheedle Port and many parts of Tanaris were flooded making Gadgetzan a port. Some Tanaris goblins wisely invested in desert real estate and reaped the benefits when it became beach-front property.

Getting there

There are portals in Dalaran (The Violet Citadel) and Shattrath (World's End Tavern, by talking to Zephyr - requires Revered​​ with Keepers of Time) which take you to the entry of the Caverns of Time.

• Alliance and  Horde: In Thousand Needles head directly south of Fizzle and Pozzik's Speedbarge to a small inlet on the south edge of Thousand Needles. There is a white sand/salt beach with a path that leads to the pass into Tanaris and Gadgetzan.

Geography

Uldum entrance

Tanaris covers a vast expanse of Southern Kalimdor, just south of Thousand Needles. It is a blazing hot expanse of rolling sand dunes under a cloudless sky. The southern region is more mountainous, with large cavern networks, with some extending deep beneath the surface. A vast realm, Tanaris holds many secrets. The land is mostly desert, and below ground are gigantic tunnel networks. They remain largely unexplored, for few have the fortitude to venture into such a harsh landscape. Still, rumors tell of all manner of creatures that hide within the tunnels and slaughter trespassers without hesitation. Although the sea of dunes does not look as if it would support a variety of wildlife, humans, Sandfury trolls, hyenas, scorpids, basilisks, and silithid bugs are quite common. Ocasionally, drakes are also seen soaring on the thermals that swirl over the great desert.

Tanaris contains quite a few instances, including all the Caverns of Time instances, as well as Zul'Farrak. In addition, there are several micro dungeons in this zone, but no battlegrounds.

In Cataclysm, massive flooding created permanent incursions all the way to Gadgetzan that re-shaped the coastline and destroyed Steamwheedle Port, but the damage was limited to mostly the northeast. Gadgetzan is now a port, but with less capability.

Maps and subregions

Map of Tanaris

In-game
Warcraft RPG Northrock (RPG)

Topographic map of Tanaris

Dungeons

Zul'Farrak

Dungeon Name	Level Range	Group Size	Approximate Run Time
Zul'Farrak	43-48	5-man	1 hour
Caverns of Time: Escape from Durnholde Keep	66-68	5-man	1 hour 15 minutes
Caverns of Time: Opening the Dark Portal	70	5-man	45 minutes
Caverns of Time: Battle for Mount Hyjal	70	25-man	1-2 Hours
Caverns of Time: Culling of Stratholme	80	5-man	1 hour
Caverns of Time: End Time	85	5-Man	30 Mins
Caverns of Time: Well of Eternity	85	5-man	45 Mins
Caverns of Time: Hour of Twilight	85	5-man	30 Mins
Caverns of Time: Dragon Soul	85	10/25-man	2-3 Hours

Elite areas

This section concerns content that is potentially inaccurate.

• Valley of the Watchers

Flight Master Locations

Gadgetzan

Noonshade Ruins

Bootlegger Outpost

Gadgetzan

Gunstan's Dig

Dawnrise Expedition

Regions adjacent to Tanaris

Zone Name	Faction	Level Range	Direction	Access	Access
Thousand Needles		40-45	North	By foot north; from Gadgetzan to Fizzle and Pozzik's Speedbarge	By foot north; from Gadgetzan to Fizzle and Pozzik's Speedbarge or Westreach Summit
Uldum		83-84	Southwest	By foot to the southwest	By foot to the southwest
Un'Goro Crater		50-55	West	By foot west; from Gadgetzan to Marshal's Stand or Mossy Pile	By foot west; from Gadgetzan to Marshal's Stand or Mossy Pile

Notable characters

Travelers from Gadgetzan didn't get far

Main article: Tanaris NPCs

Tanaris is home to several characters of note. At Gadgetzan, Mux Manascrambler seeks aid in obtaining ghostly ectoplasm from undead spirits, and Senior Surveyor Fizzledowser investigates the coming of the silithid. And at Steamwheedle Port, Yeh'kinya attempts to learn more of the essence of an ancient god.

Quests

Main article: Tanaris quests

Resources

Thistleshrub Valley

• Herbs
  •  [Firebloom]
  •  [Purple Lotus]
• Leather
  •  [Turtle Scale] (Skinning level 38-53 turtles)
  •  [Scorpid Scale] (Skinning level 40-50 scorpids)
• Ore
  • Silver Vein
  • Iron Deposit
  • Gold Vein
  • Mithril Deposit
  • Truesilver Deposit
  • Small Thorium Vein

Wild creatures

The Noxious Lair

The Gaping Chasm

The Steamwheedle victim?

• Basilisks
• Bog beasts
• Bronze dragons
• Earth elementals
• Hyenas
• Mountain giants
• Ogres
• Sand trolls
• Sea giants
• Scorpids
• Silithid
• Turtles
• Rocs
• Water elementals

Media

Images

Gadgetzan as seen in Cataclysm

Gadgetzan docks

New shipyard

The surrounding devastation - roaming sea giants

The surrounding devastation - pirate ships in the distance

Steamwheedle Port in Cataclysm (from the official site)

Uldum 'dungeon' gate

Uldum 'dungeon'

Uldum 'dungeon'

Uldum zone entrance

New plant flora. Beware!

Zul'Farrak from the air

Videos

Tanaris HD - World of Warcraft Cataclysm

Cataclysm Beta - Tanaris From the Air NO ANACHRONOS

Cataclysm - Tanaris Overview

Notes

• There is an alternative route to get to Tanaris that is much quicker for players in Dustwallow Marsh. By traveling to the Theramore Docks, on the eastern coast of Dustwallow, and swimming south around the mountains that surround the Shimmering Flats, you can easily get to Steamweedle Port, so long as you hug the shoreline; failure to do so will result in death by fatigue. This is made much easier using a Swim Speed Potion, a druid's Aquatic Form, a shaman's Water Walking or a similar ability.

Trivia

• There are a number of easter eggs hidden around Tanaris. Extending from Gadgetzan are a number of footprint trails of varying sizes, most of which terminate with the bones of their creators among the wavering dunes. One of these trails-- the one that arcs south/southeast towards the ocean-- ends in the shallows with the floating corpse of a goblin called the "Steamwheedle Victim."

External links

• Wowhead
• Thottbot
• WoWDB