Old Hillsbrad Foothills

Old Hillsbrad Foothills is the setting of the instance Escape from Durnholde Keep. It is one of the timeways ("wings") accessible in the Caverns of Time. The setting takes place seven years before WoW's present (i.e. two years before the events of Warcraft III), to when the future Warchief Thrall was a slave of Aedelas Blackmoore, master of Durnholde Keep. The questing involves helping Thrall escape. The instance area in question spans from Southshore (where familiar personalities of WoW present can be found) to Tarren Mill.

Map limits


This instance, being the replica of a level 20 zone, is quite explorable alone. The actual areas where you encounter the fights and bosses of this instance are few and far between, leaving a wide-open zone full of things to explore. In fact it is encouraged that player come here alone to see all the cameos and find the interesting tidbits that lore fanatics crave, because while coming with a group for a run, they are not going to want to wait for player to explore so they can tackle content.

You enter the instance from a cave that replaces the yeti cave at Darrow Hill in the present-day Hillsbrad. Head south from there and you hit the road that goes east-west from Silverpine Forest to Arathi Highlands.

However, you cannot wander too far away from the zones included in the instance:
 * Trying to travel too far west in the direction of Hillsbrad Fields or too far east along the southern coast leading to Arathi Highlands causes the screen to blanketed in an impenetrable fog. Continuing forward despite the fog will result in running into invisible walls.
 * The gate at the base of Thoradin's Wall to the Arathi Highlands is closed tight.
 * The entrance into Dun Garok is blocked by a gate.
 * The passage to the Alterac Mountains is closed shut by a wall.
 * The river that runs through the Foothills is blocked at the entrance to Chillwind Point by a troll wall.
 * Ravenholdt Manor is physically present but is devoid of NPCs and is unreachable since the entrance tunnel is missing.
 * The valley to the Hinterlands northeast of Durnholde Keep is blocked by a large stone formation.

Solo exploring

 * The instance is explorable as a solo adventurer. As the elites are grouped in Durnholde Keep and Tarren Mill, most of the open areas are populated by level 20ish non-elites, much like the present-day Hillsbrad Foothills.
 * There are no herbs or ore veins to harvest here, and the waters cannot be fished. Also, the mailbox next to the inn isn't there.
 * Despite the thick fog kicking in before you reach it, the actual Town of Hillsbrad is present within the instance. Oddly there is a new cave just north of Hillsbrad itself that seems to serve no purpose. The Tower at the entrance to the Hillsbrad region is also present and is not in disrepair. There is a wall blocking entrance or exit from the west of the Hillsbrad region and the path starts to go into the Silverpine region but then is cut off by instance limits.
 * The instance even includes Dalaran though it is not accessible due to the fog that kicks in if one ventures too far. Dalaran during this period in lore is restored but in the game it is not. The vast arcane bubble is not present but what lands it does cover is nothing but brown dirt.
 * The map extends into the Arathi Highlands and even the city of Stromgarde is built to how it appears in World of Warcraft.
 * Aerie Peak is also present in the map if a player manages to get past the rockslide that blocks the path from the foothills to the Hinterlands.
 * The map (estimated) spans from Silverpine Forest to the edges of Arathi. An interesting fact is that a hunter can view most of these places by using their Eagle Eye ability; and in doing so, may also be able to see that neither the crater nor the opaque dome that surrounded Dalaran before its movement is present.
 * It is possible for Shaman to explore the area by chain casting their Far Sight ability. With this technique, one can see the Ruins of Alterac, Faldir's Cove, Stromgarde Keep, Aerie Peak, and more.

Events
There are many NPCs with some connection to important events in WoW and the Warcraft universe as a whole seen here in the past, many of them later being involved with either the Scourge, the Scarlet Crusade or the Argent Dawn. They include (current locations in parentheses):

Southshore

 * A still-human can be found in Southshore, on the road leading north. Patrolling with Kel'Thuzad is, a necromancer made famous by the Horde quest Helcular's Revenge.
 * , the future boss of Scarlet Monastery Cathedral, playing tag with, the future other boss from Scarlet Monastery Cathedral. can be seen following them; he later becomes Interrogator Vishas in the graveyard instance of Scarlet Monastery Cathedral. The trio also re-enact some of their lines and events when you encounter them as bosses on a Captured Critter.
 * can also be seen walking around Southshore, and he is much larger than the other children.
 * On the docks, can be seen building a robot: . In the present day, this goblin (known as  in the current Hillsbrad) can be found patrolling around Hillsbrad as a traveling vendor, accompanied by.
 * Also on the dock is He is fishing with  in a zone which, surprisingly enough, has no fish. They have some amusing conversations about Nat's strange dreams.

The Inn

 * In the Southshore inn, many well-known members of the Scarlet Crusade are standing around a table. If you wait a minute or so, they'll have a discussion about the upcoming war against the Scourge, which reveals some backstory about the Ashbringer, in what appears to be their first meeting. This is mostly bosses from Scarlet Monastery as younger versions of themselves, as well as the prominent members of the Scarlet Crusade who splintered off to become the Argent Dawn because they disagreed with the Crusade's fanaticism, including, the eventual leader of the Argent Crusade and Ashen Verdict.
 * Also inside the inn are two ship captains drinking at the bar, who go outside to have a private discussion. discusses his plans with  to hide his various possessions around the world, and leave  that goes from clue to clue in order to get his prizes. This treasure hunt can be found in the present day from a world drop off of murlocs in Westfall. The rewards from doing the quest are the items he talks about while in Old Hillsbrad. Captain Edward Hanes is also a quest giver for low level Draenei on the Bloodmyst Isle.
 * A young is upstairs in the inn, playing with.

NPCs for questing
The quest NPCs include:
 * - bronze dragon in high elf guise at the exit of the cave leading from the instance portal (gives both the quest to rescue Thrall and the incendiary bombs to do so)
 * - bronze dragon next to Erozion (gives free ride from instance entrance to Durnholde's front gate)
 * - primary quest NPC (in a cell in the basement of Durnholde Keep)
 * - other primary quest NPC (the inn in Tarren Mill)

Vendors

 * (Found in the Southshore Inn) - sells various types of beer, including one that restore mana and another that adds 15 stamina for 15 minutes.
 * (Travels the roads between Southshore and Tarren Mill) - sells the starting clothes for most classes, repairs gear, and sells the leatherworking pattern for.
 * (Travels the roads between Southshore and Tarren Mill) - sells the formula for for.

Old Hillsbrad Foothills

 * - Wanders on a hillock northeast of Durnholde Keep
 * - Sitting on a waterfall south of the road

Southshore

 * (Frostwyrm Lair, Naxxramas) - Walks along the road to and from Southshore
 * (later resurrected as forsaken) - Walks with Kel'Thuzad
 * (later High Inquisitor Whitemane, the Cathedral, Scarlet Monastery) - Runs around the inn
 * (later Scarlet Commander Mograine, the Cathedral, Scarlet Monastery) - Runs around the inn
 * Jimmy Vishas (later, the Graveyard, Scarlet Monastery) - Runs around the inn
 * Herod the Bully (later just, the Armory, Scarlet Monastery) - Walks in front of the house across the road from the inn.
 * (Dustwallow Marsh, Anglers Wharf, Garrison) - The dock
 * (Southshore) - The dock
 * and (wanders between Tarren Mill and Southshore) - The dock
 * (still in Southshore) - Town Hall
 * (later ) - Town Hall
 * (later, the inn, Southshore) - Town Hall
 * (later, the Marris Stead, Eastern Plaguelands) - Town Hall
 * - The farm
 * - The farm
 * - Inside the two-story house nearest to the gryphons. She could be the daughter of.
 * ,, , , and - Walk to the east from the Inn
 * ,, , , and - Walk to the east from the Inn

The Inn

 * (undead, Bloodmyst Isle) - The bar
 * (never encountered directly in game, though his treasure can be won and talks about him) - The bar
 * Ashbringer event NPCs
 * Commander Mograine (later, Deathknight Wing, Original Naxxramas) - At the table
 * Isillien (later, Hearthglen, Western Plaguelands) - At the table
 * Abbendis (later, Tyr's Hand, Eastern Plaguelands) - At the table
 * Fairbanks (later, the Cathedral, Scarlet Monastery) - At the table
 * ( Thondroril River, Eastern Plaguelands, Northrend,  Hearthglen, Western Plaguelands,  Broken Shore) - At the table
 * (The Library, Scarlet Monastery) - At the table
 * Taelan (later, Mardenholde Keep, Western Plaguelands) - Upstairs bedroom
 * (Manor Mistmantle, Duskwood) - Upstairs bedroom
 * - Upstairs bedroom
 * Taelan (later, Mardenholde Keep, Western Plaguelands) - Upstairs bedroom
 * (Manor Mistmantle, Duskwood) - Upstairs bedroom
 * - Upstairs bedroom

Tarren Mill

 * Jay Lemieux (now, Tarren Mill) - Running around Tarren Mill
 * Julie Honeywell (now, Southshore) - Running around Tarren Mill
 * (now, Westfall) - The stables
 * (now, Westfall) - The stables

2.4.3: Don Carlos' Famous Hat
A young was added to the instance in patch 2.4.3 for the quest Nice Hat..., which starts from his current self in the Gadgetzan graveyard in Tanaris. His younger version can be found patrolling the road on horseback between Southshore and Tarren Mill, with his pet. In the heroic version of the dungeon, he will drop, a haliscan-style hat that summons a coyote spirit vanity pet. For more details, see Don Carlos (tactics).