Blasted Lands

Blasted Lands
Level: 55 - 60; 90 - 92; Battle Pet Level: 16 - 17
Races	Human; Orc; Mag'har orc; Ogre; Dwarf; Forsaken; Jungle troll; Worgen; Murloc; Naga; Demon; Worgen; Blood elf; Gnome; Goblin; Night elf; Lost one;
Government	Tyranny
Ruler(s)	Gar'mak Bladetwist; Razelikh the Defiler (former)
Major settlements	Nethergarde Keep; Dreadmaul Hold
Minor settlements	Surwich; Shattered Beachhead; Sunveil Excursion; Shattered Landing
Affiliation	Iron Horde ; Burning Legion (former)
Location	Southeastern Azeroth

For how the Blasted Lands was prior to Cataclysm, see Blasted Lands (original).

The Blasted Lands bear that name for a reason: they were twisted by the magic that brought the Dark Portal into being, spewing the rampaging Horde into Azeroth.

This wasted desert of red clay is home to the original Dark Portal. The portal still stands, and for several years led to Outland — the remains of the orcs' sundered homeworld, Draenor - until it was reconfigured to lead towards the alternate past incarnation of that world, thirty-five years in the past. Nethergarde Keep, a Stormwind fortress of dour mages and paladins, and the Horde forces of former Rockard, now named Dreadmaul Hold keep watch over the portal and the demons and ogres that would abuse its power and send the aspiring warriors to aid the war effort, that is still raging on the other side.^[1]

Now, the wretched land hosts few inhabitants and no significant settlements. Magic that leaked through the Dark Portal warped the Blasted Lands, leaving an infertile desert landscape. Hardy desert species like Basilisks, Scorpions and Hyenas have since colonized the area. The red rocks of the region do not come by their color naturally. The original tan color was transmuted into the unearthly crimson by searing heat and chaotic energies when the Dark Portal was destroyed.

There is but one usable road in the Blasted Lands, guarded at the north by Nethergarde Keep’s grim mages. They have the unenviable task of watching the Dark Portal, guarding the rest of the continent from the demons in the south and protecting themselves from the ogre tribes that roam the desert, not to mention the arrival of Horde's Okril'lon forces during the Cataclysm. The weather here is dry and hot during the day and bitterly cold at night. Mountains block any moisture that may come from the Swamp of Sorrows to the north, and the only signs of life can be found within the Tainted Forest on the southwest, but it was corrupted by demonic powers that have taken hold over the mastermind behind the revitalization of the scorched scar, the Gilnean druid Marl Wormthorn. His followers have built a small fishing village, Surwich near the edge of the forest.

The conflict between the Alliance and Horde raged in the northern part of the region for a time, focused mainly on the Nethergarde's supply base located between Dreadmaul Hold and Nethergarde Keep. The Burning Legion forces were thrown into disarray after the defeat of Razelikh the Defiler at the hands of Loramus Thalipedes and a brave soul who accompanied him.

The next years have brought yet another danger towards Azeroth's very doorstep, when the history itself came full circle. Kairozdormu brought Garrosh to the past in of an alternate Draenor where the deposed Warchief instigated the transformation of the Orcish Horde into the Iron Horde. Now he's used their own Dark Portal to bridge the parallel Draenor with Azeroth-Prime, allowing the Ironmarch vanguard force of the Iron Horde to come through the Dark Portal and occupy the land along with the vengeful Dreadmaul ogres.

History

Dark Portal Active Red — The Dark Portal

This foul desert was once a dark fen of marshlands called the Black Morass; a sort of sub-region of the Swamp of Sorrows. This is the area where the orcish Horde first entered Azeroth through the Dark Portal, followed soon by their attack on the human lands to the northwest. The lands around the former Dark Portal are burnt and dead, forever warped by the powers that followed its destruction. Lightning strikes are constant, and the inhospitable land is home to groups of especially vicious and powerful creatures. A sizable remnant of the Burning Legion has taken refuge within the Tainted Scar. It is still watched over by the wizards of Dalaran within the Fortress of Nethergarde, established by the Archmage Khadgar after the second war. The unique and dangerous opportunities presented in such a harsh landscape has also attracted the notice of the Blood Elves and the Horde.

As if the Horde weren’t enough, Dreadmaul ogres also came through the Dark Portal. Unlike the orcs, they remained in the Blasted Lands. Nethergarde’s mages tell that the ogres serve Lord Kazzak. Whoever their master is, he orders them to attack the Alliance’s keep on an uncomfortably regular basis.

The Blasted Lands were once littered with gold mines, and heavily populated with centaur.^[2]

Getting There

Walk, ride, or fly south from the Swamp of Sorrows, which is east of Deadwind Pass and Duskwood.
Level 90 players can teleport from their faction capitals to phased version of the zone, which is part of the Warlords of Draenor intro experience.

Geography

This desolate and barren land has very little in the way of flora and fauna (the only exception is the Tainted Forest) barring the demons which now wander the plains. The region is particularly notable because the Dark Portal leading into Draenor, (formerly it led to Outland) can be found here.

There are no instanced dungeons or battlegrounds in this zone.

Maps and subregions

WorldMap-BlastedLands — Blasted Lands Map

Travel hubs

Flight paths from Nethergarde Keep

Adjacent regions

Zone Name	Faction	Level Range	Direction	Access
Swamp of Sorrows		52-55	North	By foot or by flight
Hellfire Peninsula		58-63	South	Through the Dark Portal

Quest and travel hubs

Place Name	# of Quests	Flight Path	Notable Character
Dreadmaul Hold	??	Yes	??
Nethergarde Keep	??	Yes	??
Sunveil Excursion	??	Yes	??
Surwich	??	Yes	??

Notable Characters

Main article: Blasted Lands NPCs

Quests

VZ-Blasted Lands-t1 — Zone map during the Iron Horde invasion.

Main article: Blasted Lands storyline

Main article: Warlords of Draenor intro experience

Resources

Herbs
- [Black Lotus]
- [Dreamfoil]
- [Golden Sansam]
- [Gromsblood] (One of the few regions where you can gather it)
- [Mountain Silversage]
Leather
Ore

Dig sites

Blasted Lands has two dig sites:

Dreadmaul Post; contains Fossil Archaeology Fragments.
The Red Reaches; contains Fossil Archaeology Fragments.

Wild creatures

Basilisks
Bats
Bears
Boars
- Felboars
Crabs
Fel beast (One, Gomegaz)
Doomguards
Dreadlords
Eredar (One, Narixxus the Doombringer) rare
Felhounds
Felguards
Floating eye (One, Illycor)
Fungal giants
Ghosts
Hyenas
Infernals
Scorpid (One, Clack the Reaver) rare
Shivarra (One, Shahandana)
Bone spiders
Treants
Vultures

Notes

During the Iron Horde invasion, places like Altar of Storms, The Tainted Scar, The Tainted Forest, Survich and Sunveil Excursion were completely empty. It is most likely developers' oversight or perhaps done on purpose, because the entire zone is phased, and none of the quests take place in these regions.
Level 90+ players can talk to Zidormi in order to switch between normal and phased version of the zone.
Those with the Burning Crusade and at least level 57 are able to use the now reopened Dark Portal to reach Hellfire Peninsula in Outland, although it is recommended to wait until level 58 as quests are very limited at 57. The Dark Portal, like Shattrath City, is a sanctuary and therefore combat there is prohibited, even between PvP flagged players.
The occasional lightning that strikes the ground near the Dark Portal cannot hurt you in any way.
There are no mailboxes for Horde players in this zone, while the Alliance have two.

Lore

This section concerns content related to Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos or its expansion The Frozen Throne.

These barrens are littered with gold mines and populated by centaurs. The tileset is called "Barrens".^[3]

Patch changes

Patch 6.0.2 (2014-10-14): The Iron Horde invasion has begun. New quests have been added for level 90 players.
Zone phases for 90+ characters. Characters under 90 will continue seeing the zone before the invasion started.
Patch 4.0.3 (2010-11-16): Added.

References

^ World of Warcraft The Roleplaying Game, pg. 13
^ "Official Multiplayer Map: Blasted Lands", Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne. Blizzard Entertainment.
^ 'Official Blizzard Warcraft 3 multiplayer maps from the game and its expansion.

External links

nl:Blasted Lands

[World_of_Warcraft_The_Roleplaying_Game_13-1] World of Warcraft The Roleplaying Game, pg. 13

[2] "Official Multiplayer Map: Blasted Lands", Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne. Blizzard Entertainment.

[Official_Blizzard_Warcraft_3_multiplayer_maps_from_the_game_and_its_expansion.-3] 'Official Blizzard Warcraft 3 multiplayer maps from the game and its expansion.

[1]

[2]

[3]

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