The Barrens, Silverpine and Ashenvale

Started at level 15
Finished at level 19

If this is your first trip to The Barrens, you won't have the flight path yet and will have to run there. From The Undercity, you need to take a Zepplin which are actually located just outside, so it's more from Tirisfal Glades really. When your Zepplin lands in Durotar, head towards Orgrimmar, but instead of turning right to head in, turn left and follow the path.

Eventually you will enter Razor Hill and you want to turn right, following that path east. You will come across a large bridge, cross that and you have entered The Barrens. Continue along that path till you come to a T-intersection where you want to turn left and eventually you run into the middle of The Crossroads.

Once you enter the barrens, I emplore that you /leave 1 to leave general chat, you will seriously loose brain cells if you stay in it.

After I had done all the running around and handing in, including the one you pick up from the crossroads and take to ratchet, I had a total of 14 quest's! If you still have herbalism, there is an extra one for that too! The quests will range from 12 to 20. Don't worry about the ones that show as green, they have only just gone green so will still give nice xp.

If you are using MonkeyQuest, now is the time you will probably want to start unticking some of the higher quests to hide them for now.

The Barrens can actually be divided in half, a top half and a bottom half (north and south). As The Barrens is so large, and spannes multiple level's for quests, I like to split it up over multiple trips to avoid boredom. To start with, at these low teen levels, I concentrate on the top half. Let's get started!

[10] The Forgotten Pools
Objectives : Scout out The Forgotten Pools
Rewards : XP!

This is a simple discovery quest, but it seems as though you have to duck your head under the water for it to complete, just swimming across the surface doesn't work.

[11] Chen's Empty Keg
Objectives : Return the keg to Brewmaster Drohn
Rewards : XP!

This quest comes from Chen's Empty Keg which can be found in numerous places around the zone. Look for a little lootable barrel, I found mine at the camp against the cliff while doing the next quest. You need to hand this in at Ratchet, and it's up to your if you do the second stage or not. I personally didn't as the Horn comes off level 18 - 20 mobs, and by then the quest is very green.

[12] Disrupt the Attacks
Objectives : Kill 8 Water Seekers, 8 Thornweavers and 3 Hunters
Rewards : XP!

[12] Plainstrider Menace
Objectives : Collect 7 Plainstrider Beaks
Rewards : XP!

[13] Raptor Thieves
Objectives : Collect 12 Raptor Heads
Rewards : XP!

[15] Fungal Spores
Objectives : Collect 4 Fungal Spores
Rewards : XP!

I was actually coming from Ratchet when I started these, but it's not really any different if coming from the Crossroads. To start with I did the Water Seekers, Thornweavers etc which can be found at a camp just north of the Crossroads. If you are heading north you can't miss them really, they will be off to your right, a small camp near the road, a larger one near the cliff wall. If you head towards the one against the cliff you can usually find a barrel for Chen's Empty Keg in there somewhere.

From there I ran west to The Forgotten Pools which is where you can also collect the 4 Fungal Spores. While running around I killed any Raptors and Plainstriders for the heads and beaks, the Plainstriders are more common but have an average drop rate, where as the raptors, while not as many around, dropped a head every time.

I did a circle from the Crossroads to spot number 1, then across to number 2 and then down and around the bottom of the small mountain there back to the crossroads. In that look I completed all the quests listed above.


[15] Apothecary Zamah
Objectives : Deliver the Rendered Spores to Apothecary Zamah in Thunder Bluff, before the time limit is up.
Rewards : A +4 Stamina staff and your choice of potions.

This is a simple delivery quest you get when you hand in the Fungal Spores. It's up to you if you take it or not as it does require you to head to Thunderbluff, and within a certain time frame. If you decide to do it, run south to Camp Tarojo which has a flight path you will want to grab. Pass through there till you hit Mulgore and then head north basically. Zamah is located in The Pools of Vision which is the cave area under The Spirit Rise. From there I hearthed back to the Crossroads.

[13] The Zhevra
Objectives : Collect 4 Zhevra Hooves
Rewards : XP!

I did this one and handed it straight back into The Crossroads as the Zhevra's are right near there. A small thing I did note, out of all the level 13 and under Zhevra's, none of them dropped a Hoof, but of the four level 14 Zhevra's I killed, every one dropped it. I also picked up the next step to this:

[15] Prowlers of the Barrens
Objectives : Collect 7 Prowler Claws
Rewards : XP!

After getting that sorted, I continued my way to Ratchet.

[14] Southsea Freebooters
Objectives : Kill 12 Southsea Brigands and 6 Cannoneers
Rewards : XP!

Fairly straight forward, if you find the Inn in Ratchet you will see you can follow it around and along the shore line, this is where you will find the Brigand and Cannoner's.

[16] Stolen Booty
Objectives : Retrieve the Shipment of Boots and Telescopic Lens
Rewards : Wayfaring Gloves - 18 Armor, +3 Spirit

After you run back to Ratchet and hand in Southsea Freebooters, do a bit of running back and forthe, you get this part, and since I was already in the area, I decided to do it. Head back to where you were killing and fight all the way to the last two camps, there's one on the left side, and one on the right, both of these have your items. They are the final two camps before you enter the fort.

[14] Supplies for the Crossroads
Objectives : Find and return Crossroads' Supply Crates
Rewards : XP!

[14] Samoplange
Objectives : Access the control console at the Venture Company research site.
Rewards : XP!

[15] The Disruption Ends
Objectives : Kill 8 Razormane Geomancers, 8 Razormane Defenders, and Kreenig Snarlsnout.
Rewards : XP and sellable loot

I did the above three in sort of a loop, heading out of Ratchet I ran up the section that runs parallel to the river, which also lead me straight into the area with Geomancer's, Defenders and Kreenig on the large camp on the left. While you are there you will see lootable boxes, they will give you the Supplies for Crossroads.

Once I was done there I headed up north to where the Samoplange thing is, stopping at a tree full of Prowlers on the way and getting my claws. For the first stage of Samoplange, you want the first contraption and you need to clear right into it to use the console. Once you complete that stage the consol gives you the next step which is to turn off three valves. These valves are located on both sides and the back of the thing the consol is attached too.

Once you have turned those in, see the consol again for the next step, which is to retrieve a key from Tinkerer Sniggles who can be found in the hut to the right, and use it on the consol. Once you have done that you are sent back to Ratchet, and this is where I hearthed back to Crossroads and handed in all my quests.

[16] Echeyakee
Objectives : Kill Echeyakee and loot his hide
Rewards : XP

[16] Samoplange
Objectives : Bring the Broken Samophlange to Wenikee Boltbucket.
Rewards : XP!

[15] Nugget Slugs - collected from Wenikee Boltbucket after handing in the above.
Objectives : Collect 15 Nugget Slugs
Rewards : XP!

These are found in 'Tool Buckets' located around Sludge Fen. You can either get them from on the ground, or climb the tower if you are game. On the North side of the "lake" there is also another quest, however I didn't do it at the time as it involves an escort and someone else was on it.

[16] The Stagnant Oasis
Objectives : Investigate the Stagnant Oasis
Rewards : XP!

For this step you need to place the seeds in where you can see the bubbles coming out at the bottom of the lake.

[18] Miner's Fortune
Objectives : Retrieve the Cats Eye Emerald
Rewards : A Sack of Coins

I had a pretty sucky drop rate with my cat's eye emerland, although I was killing level 16 and 17 mobs, which is when I started to wonder if it only dropped off a certain level and above. Ironically, as soon as I killed a level 18, it dropped.

[18] Raptor Horns
Objectives : Gather 5 Intact Raptor Horns
Rewards : +3 Stamina Cloak, and Raptor Punch (Use: Increases your Intellect by 4 and decreases your Stamina by 5 for 5 minutes.)

Sunscale Scytheclaws are all over the zone, however as I was concentrating on the north part of The Barrens, I found mine along the top, both west of the path and between the Sludge Fen and Boulder Lode Mine. If you don't get these easily don't worry as I said, you will come across lots more.

[19] Report to Kadrak
Objectives : Report to Kadrak at the watch tower in northern Barrens.
Rewards : XP

Running out from the Crossroads, I stopped off at The Stagnant Oasis to hand in that quest, then continued onto Ratchet to hand in the previous step of Samoplange and collect the step listed above. The rest of the quests are right up the top of the Barrens, so I started running, stopping again past the Crossroads to hand in The Stagnant Oasis.

Running north out of the barrens I took a quick detour around the mountain to kill Echeyakee and then continued up to see Wenikee Boltbucket to hand in the Samoplange. Wenikee gives you Nugget Slugs, but before heading back out continue up to the tower at the border of The Barrens and Ashenvale and hand in 'Report to Kadrak'. He will give you The Warsong Reports, but that's in Ashenvale so don't worry about it just yet.

Heading back out into The Barrens, I headed to my right to kill some Scythclaws for the Horns, and then ran back to the other side of the path till I came across The Sludge Fen. This is just east of where you were doing the previous Samoplange quests and you should be able to see the smoke rising from the tower there. I looted up my Nugget Slugs and continued further east to where the path curves up to the right, that's where you will find Boulder Lode Mine and the mobs that will drop your cat's eye.

Between Sludge Fen and Boulder Lode Mine you will also pass some more Scythclaws if you haven't yet got all your horns. Once I had collected my cat's eye emerald, I headed back to hand in Nugget Slugs, picked up the step that leads me to Orgrimmar and then continued down to the Crossroads and Ratchet to hand in the rest of the quests. With those handed in I made my way to Orgrimmar to train and this is where I took a break from The Barrens...

Although not ready for Ashenvale yet, the reports quest had gone green so I decided to quickly stick my head in...

Ashenvale!

To get to Ashenvale, head north out of the Crossroads and continue across the border. When you come to a T intersection, turn right and you will come across Splintertree Post, there you will find a flight path, Inn and more quests. To start with though, I headed to the other end of the zone, to Zoram Strand.

To get to Zoram Strand from Splintertree, you need to follow the path north, but remember you have to go around Astranaar... they don't like you running through their town. I went to the left, killed my way through spiders and wolves. Once you are past Astranaar, get back on the path and follow it past Maestra's Post till you see a path on your left, poorely marked. Follow that to the beach and there you will find the Zoram Strand and Zoram'gar Outpost.

I have marked out on a map for you the route I took. #1 is Splintertree post, #2 is Zoram'gar Outpost.

[19] Naga at the Zoram Strand
Objectives : Collect 20 Wrathtail Heads
Rewards : XP!

I quickly did this quest as it's only level 19, and all the rest of 24 upwards, so by the time I return this would have been almost grey. It's very quick to do as every Naga drops a head for you, and you had to head here anyway for The reports.

[19] The Warsong Reports
Objectives : Deliver the Warsong Reports
Rewards : XP!

First thing I like to mention to people is to open the bundle of reports, that has your three reports in it. Nearly every time I do this quest I get to my first NPC and can't figure out why I can't hand in. Now, where to hand in?

The Warsong Scout is located at Splintertree Post, at the tower near the main path before you head into the main compound. She wanders up and down the tower so have a look around if you can't immediately locate her.

The Warsong Outrider is mounted and walks a path between Splintertree post and the Azshara border. Since you are already at Splintertree, I run towards Azshara (east) to find this one next.

Lastly, the Warsong Runner is found at the Zoram'gar Outpost at The Zoram Strand.

A little bit low to complete any other Ashenvale quests, I hearthed out after completing those two.

==>Continue Onto Part 5!