 Borean Tundra | |
|---|---|
| Level: 68-72 | |
 Concept Art of the Tundra Coast |
UNDER CONSTRUCTION related to Spider Kingdom Expansion Concept
Artwork of the zone.
The Borean Tundra (pronounced BOHR-ian, not boh-REHH-an) is located in the far western edge of Northrend. Coldarra is an island just off the coast.
With the death of the Lich King, most of the Horde and Alliance forces in the zone have returned to their respective capitals, leaving behind token forces to protect their holdings. While the majority of Scourge forces have vanished from the tundra, the kvaldir have increased their presence in the region, and the naga have returned in force, supported by agents of the Twilight Hammer. Several factions of Scourge remnants still cling to their holdings, seeking a way to bolster their forces.
The Cataclysm has wrought several important changes in the region. The shore side Tuskarr capital of Kaskala was washed away, forcing the Tuskarr to evacuate, although several of them remain to attempt salvage operations. The ley lines of Coldara that were realigned by Malygos during the Nexus War have been further damaged by the Cataclysm, and the Kirin Tor have joined forces with the newly peaceful blue dragonflight to halt the damage. The devastation of the Cataclysm heavily damaged the blue dragon fortress of Nexus, forcing the majority of the blue dragons to withdraw.
History
Wrath of the Lich King
The Horde established the settlement of Warsong Hold under the command of the son of Grom, Garrosh Hellscream. The Horde created a pact with the local and culturally similar tuskarr, who are under siege from the Kvaldir, a clan of Vrykul. Garrosh and his forces have also discovered the enigmatic taunka, an ancient offshoot of the tauren race thought to be lost forever.
Cataclysm
When the corrupted black aspect Deathwing erupted back into the world, the forces he unleashed shattered all of Azeroth. Northrend has not escaped the devastation, and even the sacred Dragonblight has been touched.
Areas affected:
- Warsong Hold is down to a skeleton crew, and they are beseiged by kvaldir, who have entrenched themselves in Mightstone Quarry.
- The Plains of Nasam have become the Nasam Mire, a blighted swamp filled with Scourge ruins and mindless undead.
- At Riplash Strand, the kvaldir have moved inland, but the naga are back and up to no good.
- Naga are laying siege to Valiance Keep, with support from the Twilight Hammer. Farshire has become a Twilight Hammer camp.
- Kaskala was destroyed by the Cataclysm. Tuskarr there are salvaging what they can and attempting to hold off hostile naga and murlocs. Submerged quests are accessed similar to quests in Vashj'ir. Faceless Ones can be found in the deepest areas.
- The Wailing Ziggurat has become an Alliance stronghold with flight path and more quests.
- The Temple-City of En'kilah has partially sunk underground due to the Cataclysm. The Scourge have withdrawn, and the nerubians have moved in. Darkfallen and the Cult of the Damned retain control of Naxxanar and seek to repel them. Something is stirring underneath the city...
- The Geyser Fields near Fizzcrank Airstrip and Taunka'le Village have collapsed, exposing a massive sinkhole called the Pit of Zothma and releasing nerubians and other horrors.
- Talramas is still a Scourge stronghold, ruled by Lichlord Chillwinter. But the Twilight Hammer seem to have a presence here as well...
- The Nexus War is over - blue dragons and the Kirin Tor have an uneasy alliance, and are seeking to repair the damage done by Malygos' realignment of the world's ley lines. The Cataclysm has caused them further damage, which threatens all of Northrend.
- Amber Ledge is under attack by the Twilight Hammer, who are trying to worsen the damage to Azeroth's ley lines.
- Coldarra is menaced by hostile blue dragons driven insane by the Cataclysm, as well as enraged elementals. Transitus Shield has been expanded into a stronghold, Cobalt Hold.
- The blue dragonflight has retreated from the Nexus. The Oculus is no longer an instance and has become an outdoor quest area. The Eye of Eternity raid has been removed.
- The Riplash Ruins were pushed furthur above the surface by the Cataclysm, exposing the lower regions, where nerubian architecture can be seen. The naga have retaken the ruins with the aid of Faceless Ones. The inner ruins form a high level dungeon instance, the Riplash Ruins. Naga there seek to awaken an evil power deep within.
Geography
The Borean Tundra is wide, flat, and cold. The landscape varies greatly. Hard but farmable soil in the south lead to nourishing steam pools in the middle. Along the west edge, nasty cliffs rise up and then shear off into the Westrift. The north is home to grasslands and an area of steep hills. The east is snow-covered and the most brutal this area has to offer.
At its northeast edge the tundra runs into the mountain range of Wintergrasp, a vast frozen region that effectively shields it from the Dragonblight and Icecrown. The only way to reach these areas overland is across the mountains bordering the Dragonblight or through the Sholazar Basin, neither which are easy. An army would be suicidal to attempt either. Not many plants can survive up here. Without any cover the wind is fierce enough to tear flesh, and people can barely hear themselves when they shout. A few trees manage to hang on, evergreens, but the small twisted kind rather than the tall proud ones out east. Wolves and rabbits and foxes and even bears, roam this area. However, most of the life is in the water. The zone is separated from the Dragonblight by the Borea River.
To the northwest, one can see the high plateau of Coldarra. It is high enough to be blanketed in snow year round. Lately, rumblings have shaken the earth around the lone island. Geologists are concerned with the appearance of rifts in the crust and worry that a massive earthquake could tear Coldarra apart. This would have massive repercussions on the stability of Borean Tundra and possibly Northrend itself.
Warsong Hold has a zeppelin tower connecting it to Durotar, and Valiance Keep has a dock connecting it to Stormwind City.
Map
Borean Tundra Map from WoW.
Quests and Storylines
The Scourge's defeat has ended their assault on the Horde and Alliance strongholds in this region. Instead, Warsong Hold is now under heavy assault from kvaldir raiders, while Valiance Keep has come under attack from naga supported by Twilight's Hammer elementals. The Plains of Nasam near Warsong Hold have become a blighted swamp, the Nasam Mire, after the Scourge plaguespreaders crashed into it. Goblins will send troops in via a hovercraft vehicle to rescue Horde forces and combat the vargul necromancer who is trying to raise the Scourge remnants from the mire and attack Warsong Hold.
The Nexus War has ended and the blue dragonflight have reconciled with the Kirion Tor in the area. The death of Malygos caused the blue dragons to lose control over their efforts to realign Azeroth's ley lines, and the Cataclysm has only made things worse. The Nexus was heavily damaged, causing the Oculus rings to collapse (and incidentally closing off the Oculus dungeon and Eye of Eternity raid). Coldarra and the Nexus have become overrun with rampaging mana elementals and insane blue dragons, and the Twilight's Hammer are also poking around intefering with efforts to repair the damaged ley lines. Quests from Amber Ledge and the new neutral fortress of Cobalt Hold will involve stopping the Twilight's Hammer and repairing the magical damage in the region.
Scourge remnants still occupy Necropolis Naxxanar, but the Temple City of En'Kilah has partially collapsed underground due to the Cataclysm. Nerubians and Undying Tendrils have infested the ruins and are currently engaged in combat with the remaining Scourge. Quest phasing will involve fighting off both factions before sending Naxxanar crashing down.
Other quests in the region involve dealing with the massive sinkhole that has opened in the geyser fields, releasing nerubians onto the surface, and aiding the tuskarr in their salvage operations after Kaskala was sunk by the Cataclysm. The ruins are infested with naga, and they've brought a few Faceless Ones with them.
The Cataclysm caused the Riplash Ruins to be thurst high above the surface of the ocean, exposing more of the mysterious structure. Deep beneath the night elf portion of the ruins, nerubian architecture can be found. The naga are currently fighting the kvaldir to retake this area. Level 70-80 questing involves the lower portions of the ruins, while the upper portions contain an entrance to the high-level Riplash Ruins dungeon. Once players have reached the appropriate level, a starter quest can be found in any capital city that will teleport them first to Valiance Keep or Warsong Hold, and then fly them over to the dungeon entrance for easy access.
Instances
| Instance Name | Level Range | Group Size | Approximate Run Time |
|---|---|---|---|
 The Nexus |
71-73 | 5 | 45 min - 1 hour |
| [[User:GoldenYak/Riplash Ruins|User:GoldenYak/Riplash Ruins]] |
Max | 5 | Unknown |
Gallery
More screenshots can be found on the various subzone pages.
- OfficialArtworkImageBoreanTundra2.jpg
Another official artwork image.