Eastern Plaguelands (Classic)

The Eastern Plaguelands is the more heavily devastated half of the Plaguelands, the remnants of the Kingdom of Lordaeron. They are located east of the Western Plaguelands and north of the Hinterlands.

The Scourge’s rule here is supreme. Their southern capital of Stratholme is here, under the command of the lich, Kel’Thuzad. The ground is brown, ugly, and sick, the trees corrupted into giant mushrooms and the air polluted with orange mist. Undead, necromancers, and Damned cultists prowl the land. The Scarlet Crusade boasts a large army and battles fervently and vainly against the Scourge; outsiders are also unwelcome. Amani forest trolls strike from the north, attempting to reclaim their ancestral empire.

The area is roamed by mutant creatures and soldiers of the Scourge, while members of the Scarlet Crusade fight a constant battle to drive the Scourge out of Stratholme from their Chapel and key base at Tyr's Hand. Only a small camp maintained by the Argent Dawn remains friendly to all, welcoming adventurers that would lend a strong arm or spell. Located at Light's Hope Chapel, this staging area serves as a last bastion of Light in a land blanketed in darkness.

With Patch 1.12, objective-based world PvP was added to the zone. Members of the Horde and the Alliance battle in A Game of Towers for four strategic ruined outposts spread throughout the land. Controlling these towers gives area-wide benefits and certain towers provide other, unique advantages.

History
Like the Western Plaguelands, the Eastern Plaguelands were once beautiful and brimming with farms and small villages. The regional government was centered around the city of Stratholme, the largest city in Lordaeron. Also nearby were the towns of Darrowshire, Corin's Crossing, and Tyr's Hand, and to the east of Stratholme was the pass leading into the southern boundaries of Quel'Thalas. At this time, it was known as the Darrowmere Forest after the lake with the same name to the south.

In the opening hours of the Third War, the investigations into the origins of the Scourge led Prince Arthas and Jaina Proudmoore through the Tirisfal Glades and what is now the Western Plaguelands (more specifically, the towns of Andorhal and Hearthglen), where they confronted the necromancer Kel'Thuzad and his Cult of the Damned. Kel'Thuzad told Arthas to seek out the leader of the Scourge in Lordaeron, the Dreadlord Mal'Ganis, at Stratholme. While en route via Hearthglen, Arthas and Jaina were joined by Lord Uther, master of the Silver Hand. When they arrived at Stratholme, Arthas realized that the villagers had been infected with the Plague of Undeath. When Uther refused to obey Arthas' command to purge the city, Arthas relieved Uther of command and disbanded the Silver Hand, then slaughtered the townsfolk himself. After hunting down Mal'ganis in Northrend, Arthas returned as one of the Lich King's death knights and toppled the Kingdom of Lordaeron by murdering his own father, King Terenas. After the fall of Lordaeron's capital, the plague spread throughout the northern regions of Lordaeron, turning them into the blighted lands they are today.

The resistance against the Scourge was particularly bloody at Darrowshire, where the ghoul Horgus the Ravager and the death knight Marduk Blackpool (alias Marduk the Black) led an army of Scourge against the town. Only surviving paladins under Davil Crokford and the Darrowshire militia under Captain Joseph Redpath were able to stand in their way. Though they put up a valiant fight, the defenders of Darrowshire were not enough to stave off the endless legions of Scourge. Davil managed to defeat Horgus in combat, but he succumbed to the horrific wounds the ghoul had inflicted. Captain Redpath fell to Marduk's necromancy, his soul taken from his body and corrupted into the service of the Scourge, where he proceeded to turn on his fellows and tear Darrowshire apart, killing everyone who hid in their homes.

After the fall of Lordaeron, the Scarlet Crusade attempted to retake the shattered kingdom from both the Scourge and the undead renegades known as the Forsaken. In the Eastern Plaguelands, they took control of both the town of Tyr's Hand and the western districts of Stratholme, where they battle the forces of Baron Rivendare to gain control of the destroyed city.

The Crimson Courier could be seen roaming from Tyr's Hand to Stratholme. She was usually escorted by four Crimson Bodyguards. Demetria, the Scarlet Oracle, could also be made to leave Tyr's Hand alongside eight Scarlet Troopers.

Geography
The Eastern Plaguelands contain a normal instanced dungeon (Stratholme), and formerly contained the raid dungeon Naxxramas. The micro dungeon Tyr's Hand can also be found here. Light's Hope Chapel serves as a travel hub for both the Horde and the Alliance. There are no battlegrounds in this zone, though it is a world PvP area.

Elite areas

 * Tyr's Hand

Travel hubs
Light's Hope Chapel is the primary travel hub to and from the Eastern Plaguelands, and connects directly to the Alliance city of Ironforge and the Horde city of Undercity..

Flight paths from Light's Hope Chapel

 * Ironforge
 * Aerie Peak, The Hinterlands
 * Chillwind Camp, Western Plaguelands
 * Undercity
 * Revantusk Village, The Hinterlands

Flight paths from Plaguewood Tower

 * Northpass Tower, Eastern Plaguelands
 * Eastwall Tower, Eastern Plaguelands
 * Crown Guard Tower, Eastern Plaguelands

Note that you may only use the Plaguewood Tower Flight Path if your faction controls the tower (as it is part of the A Game of Towers World PvP event).

Plaguewood Tower's Flight Path is the only path in the game to use the spectral gryphon for all character classes, and it is used regardless of Faction.

Notable characters
The Eastern Plaguelands are home to several characters of note. At Light's Hope Chapel, Lord Maxwell Tyrosus leads the Argent Dawn in the fight against the Scourge. At the Marris Stead, Nathanos Blightcaller sends bold heroes of the Horde against the Scarlet Crusade. At his home by the Thondroril River, Tirion Fordring seeks to eradicate the dark horrors that the Plaguelands offer.

Quests

 * See also: Eastern Plaguelands questing guide

Resources

 * Herbs
 * Arthas' Tears (One of the few regions where you can gather it)
 * Sungrass
 * Golden Sansam
 * Dreamfoil
 * Mountain Silversage
 * Plaguebloom (One of the few regions where you can gather it)
 * Black Lotus (One of the few regions where you can gather it. Rare.)
 * Ore
 * Gold Vein
 * Mithril Deposit
 * Truesilver Deposit
 * Small Thorium Vein
 * Rich Thorium Vein

Wild creatures

 * Abominations
 * Bats
 * Bears
 * Boars
 * Crypt fiends
 * Darkhounds
 * Forest trolls
 * Gargoyles
 * Ghosts
 * Ghouls
 * High elves
 * Maggots
 * Oozes
 * Skeletons
 * Water elementals
 * Zombies