This is a questing guide detailing the best method to obtain and complete quests in the northern Barrens. See the Southern Barrens questing guide for questing information in the higher level, southern part of the zone.
Note: This guide is not meant for power-leveling purposes. Rather, it is meant to show a player the most efficient way to complete all quests available for a particular zone. If you know of a better order or method to accomplish this, your input is welcome (in fact, greatly desired). For major changes, feel free to edit, but make a note in the talk page as to your reasoning.
Journey to the Crossroads
Questing will begin in the Crossroads, which is located in the northern half of the Barrens. Tauren will have a bit of a hike to get here, while trolls and orcs should have less trouble coming from Durotar. Be sure to get the pull quests for your race before setting out, for a little extra XP.
The journey to the Crossroads (the main questing hub of the Barrens) looks a bit different depending on your race and class.
Warriors: You should also pick up [10] Veteran Uzzek from your trainer before setting out. You will need to complete this quest after arriving at the Crossroads - see the orc and troll section below for details.
Shaman: Make sure to pick up [10] Call of Fire from you shaman trainer before setting out. You will need to complete this quest after arriving at the Crossroads - see the orc and troll section below for details.
Head out of Mulgore to the southeast. You will come across a Horde outpost called Camp Taurajo.
Continue along the road east from Taurajo, and take the north branch. Stay on the road, since the monsters in the area a much stronger than you are used to. You should eventually come to the Crossroads. When you arrive, turn in both quests.
Return to Uzzek at Far Watch Post and get the next quest, [10] Thun'grim Firegaze. This will be completed along with the quilboar quests, later on.
From Far Watch Post, head along the road to the west. When the road forks, take the south branch. You should eventually come to the Crossroads. When you arrive, turn in [12] Crossroads Conscription.
Shaman: Along the road to the Crossroads, keep a look out to the north. You will see a small hut before you reach the fork in the road. Inside you will find Kranal Fiss. Speak with him to receive [11] Call of Fire.
Head back to the Far Watch Post, cross the bridge into Durotar and travel south along the Southfury River. At the place where the mountains meet the river there will be a small rock pillar with a symbol on it. This marks the path leading to the top of the mountain. Speak with Telf Joolam and get the next quest, [12] Call of Fire. You will complete this as you quest in the Barrens.
Head north-east from Razor Hill and up a ramp so that you are walking directly above the ravine. Once at the top of the cliffs head north, keep the ravine to your left and you should find a cave. Kill the cultists within until you find a [Reagent Pouch].
Return to the Barrens and head to the Crossroads - you will complete this quest later on.
Undead and Blood Elves
While undead and blood elves don't have any pull quests into the Barrens, it is most certainly a legitimate questing alternative to Silverpine Forest or The Ghostlands. However, keep in mind that adventuring in the Barrens will not accumulate Silvermoon City or Undercity reputation as quickly as adventuring in their respective zones.
To get to the Crossroads, these characters should take a zeppelin from the tower outside Undercity, arriving just south of Orgrimmar in Durotar. Head south along the road until you reach Razor Hill, then turn west. Pass through Far Watch Post and into the Barrens. Continue to follow the road west until it forks, then head south. You should arrive at the Crossroads.
Pick up all the available quests in the Crossroads.
First will come some basic taxi quests. These quests help players get acquainted with the flight path system. Zargh wants orcs and trolls to deliver his meats to Gryshka. Alternatively, tauren are asked to deliver hides to Thunder Bluff.
When you have completed the flying deliveries, it's time to make a landbound trip. Head out of the Crossroads on the south-east road, towards the coast. Along the way, kill any plainstriders and raptors you see and loot their beaks and heads, respectively.
You will arrive in a goblin town called Ratchet. Turn in the delivery quest and pick up any available quests in the area. Also pick up the flight path while here.
If you have herbalism, pick up [5-30] Root Samples.
Head back to the area around the Crossroads and kill plainstriders and raptors until you have completed [12] Plainstrider Menace. Turn it in to Sergra Darkthorn in town and get the next quest in the chain.
Pick up [Chen's Empty Keg] while in the area - it is usually in one of the camps nestled into the mountain, and appears as a large barrel which is lootable.
Warriors: Warriors will find the [Forged Steel Bars] in a chest by a broken down wagon near the northwestern quilboar camp. Once you have the bars, return to Thun'grim Firegaze atop the mountain to turn in [10] Forged Steel and receive a new weapon.
Return to the Crossroads and turn in [12] Disrupt the Attacks, and pick up the next quest in the chain, [15] The Disruption Ends. NOTE: This quest may be too difficult at this time, depending on your class and level. If it is, complete the next set of quests (The Forgotten Pools) first, then return to this one.
Pick up [Crossroads Supply Crate] from the stack of crates in the quilboar camp northeast of the mountain. The camp is on the edge of a cliff overlooking the Southfury River.
Shaman: Before heading back to the Crossroads, shaman should cross the Southfury River into Durotar and turn in [12] Call of Fire to Telf Joolam. Complete his next quest by defeating the summoned fire elemental, then light your torch from the shrine to receive the last quest. Return to Kranal Fiss north of the road between the Crossroads and Far Watch Post to receive the [Fire Totem].
Return to the Crossroads and turn in the completed quests to Thork at the center of town.
Head out of the Crossroads on the western road, continuing to kill raptors and zhevras as needed. You will come across a burrow with an orc inside (Regthar Deathgate). Speak with him and get his two quests.
To the north of the burrow is the oasis called the Forgotten Pools. Head there, killing centaurs along the way for their bracers. Enter the water and swim down to the bottom to of the pool. Find the cracked rocks with bubbles coming out of them and swim near them to complete [5-30] The Forgotten Pools.
Loot the mushrooms around the pool to collect 4 [Fungal Spores].
Next, head to the platform southwest of the pool and kill Barak Kodobane, looting his head.
While in this area, you can head up to the northwest and kill harpies for [15] Harpy Raiders.
Return to the burrow south of the pool and turn in [16] Kolkar Leaders and pick up the next quest, [18] Verog the Dervish. The centaur bracers quest can be completed during future attacks on the centaur.
Head back to the Crossroads, killing any remaining raptors and zhevras needed for [13] Raptor Thieves and [13] The Zhevra. Turn in all four completed quests.
Time to visit Ratchet again. You can take the wind rider there or run to save a few coins. Once in Ratchet, speak to Brewmaster Drohn to complete [15] Chen's Empty Keg and get the follow up.
Make sure you have gathered all the quests available, then follow the coast south.
Rogues: You can find (and kill) Tazan for the quest [13] The Shattered Hand in the open field next to the first bandit camp. Make sure to loot his satchel, and return to Orgrimmar to complete the quest.
Return to Ratchet and turn in the two quests (if you happened to defeat the baron). Then complete the [14] The Missing Shipment and [14] The Missing Shipment, and accept the next quest in the chain.
Head back out of Ratchet to the south. The camps containing the two stolen items are the southernmost two camps. Make sure to also kill Baron Longshore along the way if you haven't yet.
Rogues: If you are high enough level, you can enter the pirate ship along the way to complete [18] Plundering the Plunderers. Just open the chest on the lowest level of the inside of the ship. Be sure to use your [E.C.A.C.] on Polly when he spawns. In addition, the chests higher up inside the ship are a great place to practice your lockpicking.
If you have [14] The Demon Seed, head east to Far Watch Post and pick up a [Flawed Power Stone] (note that this quest is timed). Head back to the fork in the road and head north. You will see a large mountain called Dreadmist Peak to your left. Circle around to the north side of the mountain and make your way up the path there until you reach the top. At the top, use the power stone to summon a demon and defeat him. After this, you can head east to reach the samophlange area.
If you don't have that quest, simply leave the Crossroads on the north path, and continue north past the fork in the road. Remember to kill plainstriders and lions along the way for their [Savannah Lion Tusk] and [Plainstrider Kidney].
As you reach the pass through the mountains leading out of the Barrens to the north, you will see a strange device guarded by many Venture Company workers to the east. Be cautious, as the guards are quite close together and also respawn very quickly. Interact with the device's console to complete [14] Samophlange.
The next part of the quest chain requires you to interact with three valves around the device. Do this, then interact with the console again.
You will need the [Console Key] from the goblin in the hut to the east, Tinkerer Sniggles. Once you have it, return to the console to complete the quest and receive the next.
Head south from here and slightly to the east, skirting the mountain. You will come across some bones on the ground just east of the mountain. This is where you will summon Echeyakee. Blow the [Horn of Echeyakee] to summon him and defeat him, then loot [Echeyakee's Hide].
Hunters: Echeyakee is a very unique color cat, with only one other like him in the game (Sian-Rotam), and is considered a rare pet. Since you won't have a chance to summon him again (unless you get someone on the quest to summon him for you), carefully consider whether you want him as a pet before completing the quest. If you do decide to tame him, you will need to abandon and re-accept the quest in order to get the horn back to summon him again.
Visit the Crossroads and Ratchet to turn in the completed quests and pick up the follow-ups. Those who had [14] The Demon Seed should return to Far Watch Post to turn it in.
While at the Oasis, be sure to kill the centaurs you come across for their [Centaur Bracers].
Head to the pool at the center of the oasis and swim to the bottom. Find a clump of rocks with bubbles emerging and use the [Dried Seeds] given to you for the quest [16] The Stagnant Oasis.
Go back to the Crossroads and turn in the quest, pick up the follow up, and return to the Stagnant Oasis.
Now it's time to call out Verog the Dervish. You will need to kill centaur (remember to loot their [Centaur Bracers]) to the west of the oasis, by the little mountain. Be sure to kill the centaur in near the large tent, as these seem to have a higher probability of summoning Verog. After killing enough centaur in the area, Verog should spawn and yell "I am summoned! Intruders, come to my tent and face your death!". He actually spawns near the platform just south of the large tent. Be sure to loot [Verog's Head] after killing him.
Head north from the Crossroads along the road to the very edge of the zone. You should come across a goblin named Wenikee Boltbucket. Speak with her to complete the quest [14] Wenikee Boltbucket, and get the follow up.
Note: If you have the quest [19] Report to Kadrak, you can complete it now by going a little to the north to the Mor'Shan Rampart. Kadrak is halfway up the eastern tower.
The Sludge Fen can be found east of Wenikee's hut. You will need to collect parts from the buckets scattered about as you go.
North of the sludg pool is a goblin in a shredder. Speak with him to receive [18] Ignition.
Return to Wizzlecrank north of the pool and turn in the next quest, accepting the follow up.
Escort the shredder out of the area. This shouldn't be too hard for characters around level 18. Make sure the shredder is close enough when you attack something that it will join in to help. Towards the end of the escort, two goblins will spawn and attack at once.
Rogues: Rogues who are around level 20 can complete their poison quests ( [21] Deep Cover and [21] Mission: Possible But Not Probable) at the tower just north of here. For more information, see the rogue note in the Boulder Lode Mine section below.
Before heading back to town, go to the Dry Hills in the north-western corner of the zone to complete [16] Harpy Lieutenants. The harpy slayers can be found deeper into the area. There is a rare elite which spawns in the area who can quickly kill the unwary, so watch out for her.
When you are ready, head back to the Crossroads and Ratchet to turn in the quest.
From Ratchet, head south past the pirate camps to the gates of Northwatch Hold. If you are level 20, you can go ahead and do the Northwatch Hold quests now. Otherwise, turn inland and head up the hill. To your left you will see the area known as the Raptor Grounds.
When you have collected 5 [Intact Raptor Horn] and 3 [Sunscale Feather], leave the Raptor Grounds and head northwest. You are now looking for the raptor nests, which show up as three nests with colored light coming from them around a bunch of bones. The nests are located east of the southern road from the Crossroads, and southwest of the Stagnant Oasis. Interact with each of the nests to complete [16] The Angry Scytheclaws.
Return to the Crossroads and Ratchet to turn in the quests and accept the follow-ups.
Take the western exit out of Orgrimmar, through the Valley of Spirits. Follow the river south until you come to a road leading up the hill to the west. Go up the road to the Boulder Lode Mine.
Enter the cave, killing goblins as you go. Be sure to watch for the [Cats Eye Emerald], which will drop from one of the overseers.
Look for Boss Copperplug, who will have the cover to the Samophlange manual. Combine it with 5 pages dropped by random goblins to create the manual.
Rogues: You should now be high enough level to complete the series of quests needed to obtain your poisons (and the recipe to make [Thistle Tea], a very useful drink for rogues). Make sure you have [21] Deep Cover (obtainable in Orgrimmar) before heading out.
Use the flare and the /salute emote as instructed to get the attention of Taskmaster Fizzule. Turn in the quest and get the next in the series.
There are a few more quests in the series which take you back to Orgrimmar and then to Tarren Mill. Keep in mind that this part of the quest series is timed, so plan to complete them all at once.
Make sure you are ready before starting the next quest, as you will be asked to defend against a powerful centaur attack. It may be wise to bring several people along for this quest. During the attack, an elite warlord with several guards will spawn. Try to let the defenders help with him if you are alone. Even if you die but the elite is killed afterwards, you can still complete the quest since the item is actually looted by interacting with the banner that spawns after his death.
Enter the gates and head to the right. Kill troops along the way to collect [Theramore Medal]. Continue up the path until you see a tower to your left. At the top of this tower you will find Captain Fairmount. Kill her, then continue up the path. You will come to two other towers, one to your left and one to your far right. These contain Cannoneer Whessan and Cannoneer Smythe.
Be sure you have enough [Theramore Medal], then return to the bottom of Captain Fairmount's tower. Here you will find an elf, Gilthares Firebough. You will be escorting Gilthares all the way back to Ratchet. By this point, the only mobs who should be a threat to you are those in Northwatch itself, so you may want to clear the area before starting his quest. When you are ready, speak with him and accept his quest.
At this point, you are most likely around level 20. One obvious option for future questing is to continue to the southern Barrens (see the Southern Barrens questing guide. The southern Barrens is good for question up to around level 27, after which players can quest in Thousand Needles or move on to a level 30 zone. However, there are several other good areas for questing at this point.
The Hillsbrad Foothills can be found across the sea in Lordaeron. Most of the quests in this area involve helping the Forsaken of Tarren Mill become the dominant force in the hills, and crush the human resistance in Hillsbrad Fields and Southshore. To that end, players will be sent on various missions which include killing the inhabitants of Hillsbrad and gathering ingredients for a new plague.
Note: This guide is not meant for power-leveling purposes. Rather, it is meant to show a player the most efficient way to complete all quests available for a particular zone. If you know of a better order or method to accomplish this, your input is welcome (in fact, greatly desired). For major changes, feel free to edit, but make a note in the talk page as to your reasoning.
Tauren
[10] Sergra Darkthorn
[10] Veteran Uzzek
[10] Call of Fire
[12] Journey to the Crossroads
Takrin Pathseeker
Innkeeper Gryshka OR
Apothecary Helbrim
Telf Joolam
[Chen's Empty Keg]
[14] Southsea Freebooters
Gazlowe
[13] The Shattered Hand
[Flawed Power Stone]
Wenikee Boltbucket
Taskmaster Fizzule
Captain Thalo'thas Brightsun
