Southern Barrens

Southern Barrens is a generic term for all the lands on the southern part of the Great Divide. This region is not only one of the most hardest hit by the Cataclysm, but also is one of the biggest war zones in the escalating conflict between the Alliance and Horde. In the wake of the Cataclysm, the Alliance has been aggressively expanding into the heart of the continent from the east coast.

Geography defines the conflict here. The Battlescar sits in the middle of a narrow pass, a natural bottleneck. The Alliance needs to blast its way through here in order to maintain an overland link between Theramore and Northwatch Hold, not to mention a route into the Stonetalon Mountains, where the Alliance can lend aid to its allies. If the Horde can seal off this pass, then Theramore will essentially be isolated. The conflict comes to a head in the Battlescar... and the future of Kalimdor may hinge on the outcome.

Getting there
A pit of lava known as the Great Divide has split the Barrens in two and separates this zone from the Northern Barrens. It cannot be crossed directly without a flying mount. However, there is an area on the border between the Northern Barrens and Stonetalon Mountains that splits off and leads here. This is the normal method of getting here since the questing experience has been designed to segue from Stonetalon to the Southern Barrens. Low level Horde players can also reach the Southern Barrens through the Great Gate at the Mulgore border, but should be advised that this zone is a much higher level. Alliance players can run through Dustwallow Marsh (a series of bridges have been constructed and lead here directly from Theramore) or head down the coast from Ratchet to Northwatch Hold.

Geography
The landscape here is predominately barren, an exception being the Overgrowth situated in the northern part of the region, near the Great Divide and is separated from the Northern Barrens by a huge river of lava.

Travel hubs

 * Fort Triumph
 * Northwatch Hold
 * Desolation Hold
 * Hunter's Hill

Notable characters
Perhaps the most notable character in the history of the Barrens, Mankrik, can be found here exacting revenge on the quilboars for killing his wife. Other well known faces include the druid Naralex, who has recently awakened from his slumber in the Wailing Caverns. Of the recent arrivals, one of the more famous (or infamous) is the human General Hawthorne, known to the Horde as the 'Butcher of Taurajo'.

Resources

 * Herbalism
 * Briarthorn
 * Liferoot
 * Kingsblood
 * Mageroyal
 * Khadgar's Whisker
 * Sungrass (Only in the far south within Quilboar territory)


 * Mining
 * Gold Ore
 * Iron Ore
 * Silver Ore

Wild creatures

 * Boar
 * Bog beast
 * Earth elemental
 * Giraffe
 * Hyena
 * Kodo
 * Lasher
 * Lion
 * Plainstrider
 * Raptor
 * Silithid
 * Thunder lizard
 * Vulture
 * Wind serpent
 * Zhevra