Reaching the Swamp of Sorrows travel guide

When players come across, they may be faced with a dilemma: where is the Swamp of Sorrows, and more importantly, how in the world do you get there? This is much simpler for Alliance players who can simply run through Darkshire to Deadwind Pass, but has proven difficult for Horde characters who do not have the flight point. If you are Horde, and have the FP, simply fly to Stonard. If not, read on.

Conventional route
This path assumes that you are beginning in Orgrimmar, though you may be able to skip ahead if you are already familiar with Stranglethorn Vale. Do the following:


 * From Orgrimmar go south into Thunder Ridge then head east to take the Zeppelin to Grom'gol Base Camp. There will be a flag that is red with a horde symbol to indicate that the Zeppelin will take you to Grom'gol Base Camp.
 * Follow the road located northeast from the Grom'gol base Camp, heading north until you reach Yorgen Farmstead. Lower levels are advised to stick to the roads, as the surrounding jungle is filled with mobs level 30 and up.
 * When the road ends in a crossroad, take the eastern path and into Duskwood.
 * Ignore the paths that branch along the road and continue heading eastward until the road curves towards north into Darkshire. Note that the guards will attack you as a horde character.
 * From the town of Darkshire, take the eastern path into Deadwind Pass.
 * Continue east through Deadwind Pass. When the route forks, take the road heading East. Do not take the southern route as it isn't the advised route when heading to Swamp of Sorrows.
 * Continue following the eastern path until you enter Sleeping Gorge and reach a fork in the road. Take the eastern path towards Swamp of Sorrows and you'll be there!

Alternate route
While this is a very long swim, there are no mobs to deal with (except those in Wetlands or Arathi depending on how you originally got to the span) until you get where you need to be to find the crawlers. (Watch for swimming crocs!)
 * Jump off the Thandol Span (that separates the Wetlands from the Arathi Highlands) into the sea (or walk down the land ramp on the Arathi side).
 * Swim east, then south, staying close to the mountainous coast, past Badlands, Burning Steppes, and Redridge Mountains all the way to the Swamp of Sorrows, right up to the north end of the Misty Reed Strand.

Note: As you swim you will likely see your zone change directly from Wetlands to Swamp of Sorrows. After you enter the Swamp of Sorrows zone, you have to swim a while longer before you get to Misty Reed Strand. There is no way to access Badlands, Burning Steppes or Redridge Mountains from the sea. There are a couple places you can climb the mountain bases into the Redridge zone "border", but you cannot climb into the main area of the zone.

Also Note: This route means swimming trapped between mountains and the sea for at least 1/2 an hour.

Other alternate routes

 * If you are weak and afraid of mobs - Jump off the dock in Booty Bay and swim around The Cape of Stranglethorn. Swim for 15 minutes(?) till you see crocodiles and trees.
 * To shorten the trip, if you're not troubled by mobs (advisable) but want to avoid PvP conflict, enter Stranglethorn Vale via Booty Bay. Go directly to the sandy east coast beach.  Travel north on that beach until there is no more land.  Jump in the water and swim for all you're worth until you see crocs and trees.
 * Note: The Swamp of Sorrows is the only way out of the ocean so you cannot miss it.
 * Another note: Stay close to shore when swimming or fatigue will kill you.
 * Yet another note: If the constant drone of bullfrogs and crickets annoys you, bring your own music.


 * Another difficult alternative, a player can climb a barely noticeable mountain pass (denoted by vegetation) south of Render's Valley in the Redridge Mountains, which is just smooth enough to climb, and at its end, an almost unnoticeable gap in mountains to the southwest. The player has to be careful not to fall at the other side.
 * See this zoomed in map at MapWoW.com.


 * Since Patch 2.4.2, you can get a mage to open a portal to Stonard for you.


 * Since Patch 3.2, you can take a portal from any capital city to the Dark Portal in Blasted Lands. Avoid the nearby demons and take the road north out of the zone. As you enter the Swamp of Sorrows, Stonard should be just to the east.